A slight case of overblogging

The book I am reading: Diaboliquement votre by Christopher Pike. I believe the English title was Scavenger Hunt. Edit: Oh, and I'm also reading Mrs Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho on the Great Books app on my iPod.

The book I love most: I love a lot of books, I can't pick just one, so here's a selection. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Cops and Robbers by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.

The last book I received as a gift: Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy, from Steph for Christmas

The last book I gave as a gift: The City and the City, China Mieville, for Steph for her birthday.

The nearest book: As it so often is, Programming Perl, 3rd Edition by Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen and Jon Orwant.

[With apologies for being a day late!]

"When you read this you're tagged. Take a picture of you in your current state, no changing your clothes or quickly putting on makeup. NO PHOTOSHOP. Show your F-List the real you!"

I look like I'm trying to hug the whole world, but especially j4 who I got this from :) I admit I did put the camera in self-portrait mode, but I didn't even have to get up to go find it, so this is me exactly as I was when I read Jan's post.

Over my shoulder on the day bed you can just see the top of the pile of books I've been writing up on librarything this afternoon. I spent the morning reading, and yesterday evening watching Back to the Future and playing silly games on my iPod in bed :) Hopefully Mike has had a good stag do in the meantime, but I'll be glad when he gets home.

"List the towns or cities where you spent at least a night away from home during 2009. Mark with a star if you had multiple non-consecutive stays."

• Home (in Shelford)
• Oxford (for Jan and Owen's wedding)
• Mirfield (visiting parents, and staying at parents when visiting sister and new nephew)*
• Cardiff (for Rae's hen and visiting Rae and Adam)*
• Exeter (in two different hotels)
• Bath (for Rae and Adam's wedding)
• Lydney (visiting Mike's parents)

and about to head back to Mirfield. I think that's it for this year.

A desk, a bed covered in a blanket, with another blanket and 3 cushions on top, 2 chairs, a filing cabinet. Four walls, a ceiling, a floor with beige carpet, a door with a handle and hooks on the back and a set of blue curtains and the rail holding them up. A lampshade, and the light coming from the bulb inside it, a lightswitch. A 2008 calendar still open to December. My computer, 2 monitors, 2 keyboards, 2 mice, four speakers, one volume control widget, camera dock with camera in it, iAudio dock and iAudio not in it, cordless phone in its charger/base station. A cuddly snake, a notebook, a file card box with dividers and cards and a book of stamps, and some loose cards on the desk and computer, 2 pens (one black, one purple) a pencil, a pad of heart-shaped post-it notes, a pair of sunglasses, a Nationwide banking widget, a knitting pattern and a plastic bag with a darning needle and a tiny rubber band in it, a crochet hook, a caffe uno loyalty card and the save the date card for Jan and Owen's wedding, a computer game in its box, and the instruction manual for our AOL internet (which includes where we wrote down the wireless network key), and the manual for the phone. A desk tray with some filing in it, including a thankyou note from my cousins, and the latest phone bill, plus the sock I'm currently knitting. A copy of Yarn Forward. Two empty ring binders, a bookcase with computer books and CDs and DVDs with assorted software on them and another rather elderly keyboard. A pile of cuddly toys, the number 52 on a sticker for our front door, and the instructions for attaching it, and a bright green post-it note with the times of the last trains. Mike playing WoW in his dressing gown, and me typing LJ in makeshift pyjamas.

With thanks to atommickbrane:

( Me-Me )

Oh dear, I wasn't supposed to post it here, maybe it's OK if I use this icon.

Meme: list all the places you've stayed overnight in 2007.

• Arden Road, Cambridge (my old house)
• Elizabeth Way, Cambridge (Mike's old house)
• Oxford (crashed at Chris and Kathryn's after Jan and Owen's housewarming)
• Cardiff (crashed at Rae's)
• Newcastle (hotel, 2 nights, Steph's Hen Night)
• Bray, Cambridge (our house, still yay!)
• Mirfield (my mum and dad's house - more than once)
• Headingley (hotel, after Steph's wedding)
• Lydney (Mike's mum and dad's house - for Mike's birthday)
• London (crashed at Si and Nesta's before London-Cambridge ride)
• Great Yarmouth (B&B, cycle holiday night 1)
• Northrepps (B&B, near Cromer, cycle holiday nights 2&3)
• Wells-next-the-Sea (B&B, cycle holiday night 4)
• Hull (Emily's house - for my birthday)
• London (Hotel, 2 nights for a show and a gig)
• Leeds (Hotel, 1 night after Cathie's party)

So that's 3 homes, 3 sets of relatives, 3 sets of friends, and 10 nights in assorted hotels, travelling by bike, bus and train.

In accordance with the repeating Questions meme ingi has asked me five questions, which I will answer below. If you would like me to ask you five questions in turn please ask in the comments and I will do my best.

1. Oxford v Cambridge things are a bit crap but, you know both really well and wondered if you are more at home in one place or the other?
2. I come from a long line of Yorkshire women, missing the pragmatic humour, do you hide it or use it to your advantage in Cambridge?
3. I notice on your profile we share an interest in trees. Tell me more?
4. How do you do the pink in your hair? Is it difficult?
5. Roast beef - what's the best way to make it happen?

( The answers )

Phew, that got a bit long!

I cut this down quite a bit, since it had a lot of repeats of the same themes (food and cycling :-)

( What I've been journaling about )

OK, the original had me post just the questions, and y'all answer in comments. But having answered them elsewhere I figure I may as well put the answers here too. Feel free to answer for yourself either here or in your own journal, or not at all - whatever you prefer.

( 32 questions )