Life of Lu

Christmas has arrived and for many of us it is a time where we get to kick off our heels and have a catch up with or families. For others (I include myself in this) it is a much needed break from the chaotic world of retail where we get to have a yummy meal and watch some great Christmas specials. For me, Christmas is also a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the year just passed. To remember the good things and to get closure for those things that weren't so great. Tonight, I am going to remember some the things that were good about 2013. - 2013 was a great year of opportunity for me. I was given chances that the year before I could only have dreamed of, and I snapped those chances up as best I could. Work has been great, I have had lots of challenges and adventures, highs and lows and most of all I have met some amazing people. Which brings me on to the next point. -Friends. 2013 was a year full of introductions and from those introductions have sprouted some wonderful fri

I had a really interesting conversation with a friend of mine, Temmy, quite recently about lists of favourites. Ever since I have been trying to figure out what are my favourite movies. I initially started with Top 10 but I had to expand. 1. The Phantom of the Opera (2004) 2. The Boat that Rocked (Pirate Radio in the US) 3.Rear Window 4.Return of the Jedi 5.Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 6. The Green Mile 7.The Last Waltz 8. The Godfather trilogy (I can't choose) 9.The Rocky Horror Picture Show 10. Cinema Paradiso 11.Withnail and I 12. Moulin Rouge 13. Empire Strikes Back 14. The Usual Suspects 15. The Legend of 1900 16 .Reservoir Dogs 17.Dial M for Murder 18.The Prestige 19. Life of Brian 20. The Muppets Christmas Carol 21.A Room with a View 22.The Third Man 23.Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 24. Back to the Future 25.Big Fish 26. Fight Club 27.Amelie 28.Rope 29. Pulp Fiction 30. The Jungle Book

Ten things I love about December Christmas songs Nostalgic Christmas ads Christmas Specials Christmas trees Snow The Late Late Toy Show Christmas choirs Buying a new journal Writing Christmas cards and Christmas letters Christmas fun

From 19st to 10k: 10 years from now... : Saw this today... It blew my mind! (Just wanted to share it)

What a week we have just had! Fellow Whovians, our wait is over.  The 50th anniversary episode of Dr. Who has been aired. And wasn't it a beauty! I don't know when I was last so excited for something.  It was probably the final episode of Lost but that ended up ruining the show for me entirely. I can't comment any further on Lost. It still prickles my eyes with tears.  But Dr. Who. Ok, it wasn't flawless. That is the beauty of it. It wasn't as dark as I had expected nor did it touch many of the topics I had hoped it would. But it was entertaining. It was funny. The chemistry between the three doctors was superb. and as for that fleeting second of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor? Squeal-worthy. I genuinely went through every emotion possible during that episode. I laughed, cried, got slightly worried (I know I was not the only person who thought the weeping angels were under the statue sheets), sighed with reli

November.  What a month hey? I have a love/hate relationship with the eleventh month of the year. Those of you who know me personally or who follow my blog know that November is a tough time for my family. On November 29th we will have the 9th anniversary of my sister's death. I remember after Marguerite died, some very wise people said to me that things do get better. The pain and loss do lessen, and life goes on. You know what? They were right. They were more right than I allowed myself to believe at the time. Little did I think nine years ago that I would end up living in Scotland with a big hairy Scotsman, working in a job in retail that I genuinely enjoy surrounded by people who don't point, and stare and whisper under their breath as I walk by. But I am here, and very happy to be here. Every year since, around mid-October, I tell myself that this year it will be different. That I won't develop a month of PMS style symptoms (you know the kind, tears at TV a

I spent 24 hours in the Kingdom of Fife with my very lovely friend Claire and her adorable companion Bramble the kitten. While there, Claire brought me on a tour of the place and proved, once again, her abilities as a tour guide. I came home feeling full of knowledge so I've decided to share some of the interesting facts that I learnt while on my trip to Fife. 1. There is a place called Pillars of Hercules in Fife, which boasts a working organic farm started by Bruce Bennett in 1983. There is much debate about where the name Pillars of Hercules comes from. The most accepted theory is that there was once a house on the estate called Herculaneum and pillars marked the entrance. Cool huh? 2. Falkland palace , once the favourite of Scottish kings and queens has the oldest tennis court in Britain! 3.In 1879, the centre of the Tay Bridge in Dundee collapsed during a storm taking a full train of passengers with it. The bridge, designed by Sir Thomas Bouch made no allowance fo

From behind the heavy velvet curtain Sarah could hear the murmur of the gathering crowd grow louder and louder. She could feel her chest tighten, and the knot in the pit of her stomach grow heavier with each forced breath. She closed her eyes and started her relaxation exercises. She was glad Dr. Hafen had gone through relaxation exercises with her at their last session. She definitely needed them now. She focused on the knot in her stomach and visualised it evolving into a sphere. A foam sphere. She smiled to herself. It was actually working, she was actually starting to calm down. A clammy hand on her bare shoulder made her jump. The intrusion into her private world was as unwelcome as the dampness on her skin.  "Well Sarah, my girl. Are you ready for your moment in the spotlight?" Sarah nodded. She hated being the centre of attention. She hated when crowds. She hated people if you were going to get to the finer points of her dissatisfaction. And here she was.

I have recently been introduced to the Edinburgh music scene. I won't lie, some of it makes me think 'meh' Other music makes me smile. We all know that I adore that Edinburgh band Stanley Odd. But have you ever heard of Matt Stockl ? I have been told that it is quite rude to compare singers to other singers. And to be honest, if it wasn't rude to do so, I'm not sure I would anyway. Because I couldn't. His dulcet tones, off-beat tunes and poetic lyrics have intoxicated me. Here, you should have a listen. https://www.facebook.com/idiotbeat/app_2405167945 For those of you in Scotland, keep your ears to the ground and see if you can see him live. I would highly recommend it!

I have started writing a daily list of ten things I am thankful for, first thing every morning. It sounds cheesy, but it has been a fabulous tool in getting me into a good frame of mind first thing in the morning. So tonight, I'm going to write it out here. A list of things that I love. A list of things that I shall take a few moments to celebrate. 1. I love that I take the time to write these lists. It has really helped me take a more positive approach to my days, and allows me to enjoy what I have substantially more. 2. I love that I have James in my life. We have gone through a few very shaky months, and it hasn't been easy to say the least. But things are moving forward again, and I am content in myself and my relationship. For that I am truly thankful. 3. I love that Clare won the All-Ireland hurling championship. 4. I love that I have a job I enjoy daily. 5. I love that I can see a very clear career path for myself and that I am getting the support to pursue th

Every now and then, something happens which makes you sit back on reflect on life in general. It doesn't always have to be something big. It doesn't have to be something obvious. Sometimes the experience is a negative and unpleasant one. Other times it is a heart warming and endearing one. Yesterday, I had the heart warming experience. Some friends of ours did something very kind for James and I and we walked away from the experience discussing how lucky we are to have such wonderful friends in our life. It is so easy for the stresses of the world to build up around you. We all worry about things that affect us mentally and even at times physically. I despise worry. I truly consider it a horrendous waste of the imagination. But sometimes, things bottle up and I feel a little lost. C'est la vie. Yesterday was one of those days. I was fed up. I was exhausted. I was deflated. I

I am training for a new position at work at the moment and a couple of weeks ago, a challenge was put to my training cohort to reflect on our style of management, our style of coaching and re-evaluate ourselves. It was an interesting habit, and a slightly daunting one truth be told. We all have a perception of ourselves that we hold sacred and to unsettle this foundation we base ourselves on can be intimidating. Have you ever tried it? Well, I took my reflection away from work, and I decided to have a hard look at myself. It wasn't always pretty. I won't lie. Here are some of the things I realised about myself. - I talk about myself too much. I really need to stop. Now that I've noticed this, I've started to annoy myself. Saying that, I am now writing a blog all about me. Perhaps I shouldn't always share so much. -I think I'm obsessed with Dr. Who - I need to make lists more. At work, I can be super organised. I fit things in. I make things happen. At hom

Happy June! It is hard to believe that we are into month six of a twelve month year isn't it! The last month has been pretty crazy. Crazy and fabulous. So what has been happening in the life of Lu? -Well, I got a promotion! I'm in training at the moment and while the job is throwing plenty of obstacles at me, I am enjoying every second of it! It is always great to meet a new bunch of people, and those of you who know me well know how much I like to challenge myself and be challenged. All things going well, I will be fully signed off by the end of the summer. If the year so far is anything to go by, then the year will fly. Foolishly fast! - A lot of exciting things happened last month. Do you recall I entered a competition of Red Nose Day wearing all my Red Nose gear? Well, I only frickin' won a malteasers hamper for my efforts! Here, have a look! Naturally, James discovered my collection rather quickly and lived on a diet of malteasers for a week or so.

It has been ages since I've done a Life of Lu.  I think it is time for a catch up. 1. I turned 29 last week and I loved every second of it. As strange as it may seem I am really looking forward to starting my thirties and embracing all the challenges and adventures that my thirties will bring. I do also plan to see my twenties out in style. Watch this space... Ignore my horrendous wine lips... 2. James got accepted into college this week to start in September. He is going to be studying Music Business. I am so excited and so proud of him. Three years ago he was sitting the Irish Leaving Cert (Scottish Highers/A Levels/SATs equivalent) pulling his hair out at fractions and basic rules of grammar. Now he is doing the course that he has spoken about since I first met him 5 and a half years ago. It makes my heart swell with joy. 3. I finally tasted Krisy Kreme doughnuts thanks to my very lovely friend Claire. She popped in to visit me at work (what a great surprise

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday. I am excited. I always thought that I would be disgruntled at the idea of being one birthday away from 30, and perhaps this time next year as I actually turn 30 I'll have a very different point of view. But right now, I am looking forwards to seeing the end of my twenties. Some amazing things have happened in my twenties. I fell madly in love with a wonderful man, I made some wonderful friends, I travelled, I discovered my love for pineapple. But when I look back at my twenties in years to come, I will smile as I tell my stories, but a large chunk of what I'll remember of the decade is death, court cases, media intrusion, separations, and other  more personal issues that I don't fancy posting on a blog. I see my thirties as a new decade. A fresh start at a chapter of my life. Hopefully it will be the chapter that sees me travel a bit more at the beginning of it. Hopefully it will be the time where I start a family of my own. 29 is the y

I am nine days into my new life as an ex-smoker and strange things are happening. I walked home from work yesterday. I did it because it was part of the challenge but I think that I would have done it anyway. My brain was so fried and I was so frustrated that I needed to walk it off. Anyhoo... I arrived home about an hour and a half later, less stressed, full of the joys of spring and determined to sort out these little issues that I'm having once and for all. James arrived home pretty soon after me and we did the usual dinner, catch-up things. We recorded pointless and settled down to watch it around 6. Apparently I made it to round two before I feel asleep. He managed to manoeuver me to my bed around midnight, I woke up briefly at 6 to have a chat with him before he went to work and then I slept again until 11. That is 17 hours (give or take twenty minutes) sleep. Amazing. I feel super after it. My mind has cleared, my lungs don't feel so heavy. It is great. My si

So week one is down and I have been an ex-smoker for a week. I can't believe how good I feel already. My sleep is still very irregular and I am occasionally feeling the odd pain but overall I feel fantastic. My sinus' have nearly cleared and I suddenly realise how truly horrendous my sinus' irritation was! Energy levels are starting to soar and I feel good. Tomorrow is the beginning of week two. That means that I walk home from work (roughly 6 miles) when I do an early shift. I am doing an early shift tomorrow... Thankfully I am off on Tuesday so I can recuperate!

Five days into this whole smoking malarkey and I am feeling a lot more optimistic than I did two days ago! The headache has gone, thankfully and my insomnia has been replaced by narcolepsy! My body isn't aching but my lungs feel heavy. I have also started being nice to James again and I think he is just glad to have 'Nice Lu' back in his life! I have noticed that my appetite is increasing already which is NOT a good thing! I have increased my consumption of water to stop myself simply picking food and I do feel better for it. My nose is still sore. I have really started working on knitting and crochet to keep myself busy. All in all, things are going well. Lu 1 smoking 0.

Well, I'm three days into being an ex-smoker. Three LONG days. So long, that I don't ever want to go through these three days ago. So far, - I have had a constant headache. If my head explodes it may not be such a bad thing really. -I am nauseous ALL the time. - My sinus' have started to clear so my nose is quite sore - My sleep pattern has gone crazy- which explains why I am writing this at 1.17 in the morning when I have to leave for work at 5.15 am. - I have spent at least 24 hours of the last three days at loggerheads with James. We have fought about everything, anything, nothing. Just simply because my mood is fouler than a gone off chicken (I still have my puns. That makes me proud.) Despite all that, I feel kind of proud that I am doing this. It will get better. And it is good for me. Now, to get some well deserved sleep... or at least listen to the dulcet snoring of my amour...

30 Day Creative Writing Challenge Day 1  → Take your least favorite character you’ve ever created. Put them in a scene that would drive them  mad Day 2  → Write a short story/scene using the following words: luscious, debilitating, sunny and brick. Day 3  → Write about whatever tickles your fancy. Day 4  → Write a scene of someone running through the woods. You are not allowed to use adverbs. Day 5  → Pick a food you find repulsive and then write about eating it. Be descriptive. Day 6  → Envision a day with your perfect weather and describe what would ruin it. Day 7  → Write a scene of what your mornings are like from when you wake up. Write it in  second person . Day 8  → You’ve just killed a man. Write why, how and what you’ll do next. Day 9  → Write terrible smut like you see in the back of Cosmo. Feed off the clichés. Day 10  → Describe in as much detail as possible your most recent dream. Stay as true to it as you can. Let it be as confusing as real dreams often are

My blogging has been pretty dismal so far in 2013. I guess it is the blogging equivalent of January blues. Well, now February is upon us and the blues have lifted so let the blogging recommence! My birthday is approaching soon, and as some of you may remember, this time last year I compiled a list of 20 things I wish to do before I'm thirty. Well, I did a quick review of the list today and I haven't really been pulling my weight with this one and I only have a year left! So James and I did some planning and in September we are going to head to the pyramids for a few days, and in October we'll head to Rome for a few days so I can see the Sistine Chapel. I can't wait! That will knock two more off the list. I also said that I wanted to be on TV. One of my favourite people, and probably the best friend I have made in Scotland is a girl named Claire.  She is mighty craic and it turns out a fan of the TV show 'Pointless', as am I.  Well, lon