lalalalalalala

So, what to update on. Well, not a lot has happened to be honest. Training has been pretty brutal since the new year, both in terms of recovering from flu (takes bloody aaaaages to get strength back!), and hitting the training sessions hard. If I include the weights sessions, at the moment I have it so that I don’t have a single day off during the week. Mostly it’s ok, as I’m starting to manage my time around it a bit better. Mondays I tend to just leave work early to go to the gym, and then go back to work and stay at work until 9 or 9.30pm. It keeps me out of the house too, as I’m getting a bit stressed about wanting to move house. I’ve had a look at a few one-bedroom flats and studio flats this week, and they are vile. Really pretty skanky. Or, they’re potentially ok, but in a really grim area or scabby building. Urgh. Never mind. I’m sure I’ll find somewhere eventually!

Went up to Oxford for the evening to watch the Princeton University Orchestra perform a concert at the Sheldonian theatre. I met one of the oboeists whilst I was working out in Bermuda this year, so I went up to support her. My parents came down from home as well, so had a nice dinner with them, and then caught the train back to soton. I haven’t been to Oxford since I was about 6, and it’s absolutely lovely! Such a pretty city, and I don’t know why I haven’t been there since. Definitely somewhere to go once it gets to summer.

Went to a house party at my friends house (feel like I’m getting a bit too old for ‘house parties’ now, but it’s a house of 7 girls I used to row with, and really, it’s cheaper than going out, and just as much fun. And it wasn’t hugely busy, and I knew the majority of people there anyway! Had an early morning outing the next morning though, so rewarded myself with fry-up the next morning once I was back :)

On another food front – Burns night. I (upsettingly) had to buy a vegetarian haggis as there were no meat haggis’ (what’s the plural of haggis?) left, apart from monster ones that would have fed about ten people. It was a McSween’s haggis though, and was lovely. Had mashed turnips and carrots, and potato cakes made with leftover mash. I only managed half my plate of food, so had it for lunch the next day instead :) nom nom.

Went to Playzone for a friend’s 21^st birthday (seems so young!) on Friday night. AMAZING! It’s basically a kid’s play area, with swing ropes, death slides, padded rollers and walls, netting, ball pits, the lot. And we went wearing lycra so it was even slidier. But we were all exhausted after about an hour and a half! I can see why parents take their children to places like that – tire them out well and truly, then they’ll sleep all night. We didn’t sleep all night. We went out. Not for long, but long enough for one of the girls to get herself in such a tiz that she had tantrums all the way home, and it took us about 90 minutes to get her to walk half a mile home. We then had to guard the door to try and stop her leaving the house again. It’s a good job we all know and love her when she’s sober, that’s all I can say! (and I made an amazing cake even if I do say so myself)

Off to Puerto Rico on Saturday for the ASLO Aquatic Sciences conference. Got my poster printed out for my poster presentation, flights and accommodation booked, located my passport, got some dollars, and found the bikinis and suncream :)