Most Turbulent of Times,

For once the turbulence to which the title refers is not a violent or speedy change within my life which has prevented all writing from occurring, though it would be true to say that everything has been exceedingly fast paced for a while and shows no sign of letting up any time in the not too distant future, but the simple fact is that we are living in such turbulent times politically and socially that the world has felt like it is hurting towards a situation where my novel could become reality at an all too alarming rate. 

Though I have always paid attention to what is going on in the world, I have never had to be so aware as I do these days. My current job gives me a fuller enthusiasm to keep a finger on the pulse of current events because what is happening, whether it be within the media or in politics itself, can have a great effect. 

I have never wanted to turn this blog into a rant about my political opinion and in the last few weeks there have been several times where I truly believed that any attempt to post anything, even if it were just funny anecdotes about my sweet little dog, it would have inevitably turned into such. 

The difficulty is partly how saturated the media has become with negativity and I readily accept that this has not just been the last few weeks, however I believe that it has worsened, and this has lead to something more troubling to me. Somehow, this has made everybody an expert in politics which makes it very difficult to go back to place where you feel at home and switch off from it all whilst you spend time playing with your dog, who loves you so much that he is still staring at the bus stop where he and your mother left you a week previously, eagerly awaiting your return. My dog honestly reminds me of Stitch, though that is partly due to the amount of times I have to say "Hey, get that out of your mouth!" 

Sweet little thing that he is, he spends a lot of time trying to put everything that isn't his dog food into his mouth, though if you were to offer him treats during his little hunger strike over not wanting to eat dog food (he'd been on boiled chicken and rice for a few days after a poorly tummy) he would almost bite your hand off. 

The unfortunate thing about having him around, and believe me the pros outweigh the cons tenfold, is that if there is anything on your knee, be it netbook or newspaper, that is suddenly considered prime real estate in his eyes, so the item must be moved so that the canine hot water bottle may take up being a lap dog. 

I can't really say I am complaining though. I love that little fur ball. Here's to hoping that the world calms down some and normal life and writing can resume. Catch you later.

Don't You Know, I'm...,

I started off Veganuary thinking that whilst this was not going to be easy, it wouldn't make me feel like a fish out of water, so to speak, but then it happened. 

Suddenly everything that I enjoyed eating was off the menu and it was like going through the same process that I did ten years ago only more difficult, because this time, I'm the one doing the cooking and not my mother. Adding to that that I didn't run out of everything non-vegan before January started so it is now sitting in my cupboard and staring at me every time I open the door. 

That being said, in some ways it is still easier than I originally thought it might be at my weaker moments, and I'm getting better at spotting what is and what is not on my allowed list, even if I have had one slip up.

To try and make my life a little bit easier, I decided to head up to Alexandra Palace for the Vegan Life Live event. The problem was that technical issues meant that I didn't get there until late, so the whole place was packed and I kept bumping into the same bloody woman and her gaggle of idiotic children. To hear her speak you would have thought that she was the world's first vegan and her little "cherubs" were the first things under 18 to be raised on a vegan diet. 

Overall though, it was a fun event and a nice little way to get out of the house for the day, although getting the tickets for free is no good when they're offering enough deals that it is necessary to buy certain things rather than have to order them on the internet later. 

All in all though, I have realised that, despite the fact that in February I am going to have to go back to eating cheese and such, even if it is only to get rid of all of the things I still have in the cupboard, but it's not that hard or that expensive, so I will be making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of milk and egg products I am consuming and go from there. 

The Certain Age Crowd,

I'm sat here watching Gilmore Girls and I wanted to be amused by this whole idea of the thirty something gang where they have all moved back to their parents' houses after finishing university. Granted, it's the Gilmore Girls, so they play up the stereotypes, but it is a situation many people are finding themselves in with the idea that those of us "blessed" enough to still be in our twenties are generation rent. 

Yes, we are generation rent, because the amount that house prices has gone up these days, who the hell can afford to buy a frigging property? 

I guess that the other thing is that this generation tends to be a little bit more, well, free. We tend to be able to pick up quicker and go further, whether it be to travel for a few weeks for a holiday or to just up sticks and live abroad. I mean, why wouldn't we? 

There is a big world out there and it isn't such an alien thing to want to see it, touch it, smell it, hold it or whatever, but it has never been so accessible as it is right now. Things are crazy and the world doesn't work in the same ways that it used to, so if you can disappear to another country for a few months and make it work, why wouldn't you? 

New experiences are important to us because they are what keep us happy and keep us growing. New experiences help us to move forward, and that is the way we want to keep going.

Catch you later.