My girlfriend awoke to find herself possessed by an evil spirit. The first thing I did was call an exorcist. He couldn’t make it until the evening, so we waited. She threw things at me, cursed my name, kept trying to strangle me, and wouldn’t let me kiss her. Really she was the same as ever, but at least she was no longer hellbent on bankrupting me and making me look inadequate in front of everyone. I started to prefer her this way. When the exorcist finally arrived, I sent him away. I told him it had been a false alarm.
Zero Tolerance to Insisting on Singing
Insisting on singing when one can clearly not sing. Do it in your shower. Not in public.
What should not be hidden from public are people who need assistance and little help so they can live their lives independently, be it people with disability, mental issues or elderly. Independent Age is one of the charities that helps older people.
A to Z Challenge 2015
![APRIL-CALENDAR [2015]](https://evamarasca.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/april-calendar-2015.jpg)
Book that is a Jar
When it’s a Jar by Tom Holt
I love Tom Holt; most of the time he gets it right. My all time favourite of his is You don’t have to be evil to work here, but it helps. My problem is, I have read loads of his book one after another and can’t really distinguished between them anymore. He is clever in a way I appreciate – mixing reality with ridiculousness. So I was excited when the ‘Jar’ showed up on our book club’s list.
‘Maurice has just killed a dragon with a breadknife.’ That’s the description of the book. I was hooked. You can imagine my disappointment as this was the only dragon in the book.
I liked the idea of the multiverses etc but the writing felt bit forced and Tom Holt was trying too hard to be clever. The plot wasn’t the strongest point, there were snippets of good ideas but it didn’t really work as a whole. For me there wasn’t enough fantasy for a book that promotes killing dragons.
The ending was very linear, no anticipation or climax, just a full stop. It also didn’t help that the Maurice character was without ‘flavour’ and he never managed to own the role of ‘unexpected hero’. Also there were not enough dragons (not sure if I mentioned that).
However it was interesting to read it after 1984 – there were parts that echoed the feelings from 1984 – and I can’t really explain why.
Another issue – not Tom Holt’s fault this time. This book also has a predecessor – Doughnut. Which we only found out after finishing the ‘Jar’. I guess that’s why our reading experience was mildly confusing and I wasn’t always sure what was happening. Of course I have read the ‘Doughnut’ book after the ‘Jar’. I liked it better.
Clouded Reality
My mind
lost in sweet dreams
the real dispersed in clouds;
by endless imagination
I live
Books, Clubs, Faults and Stars
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This is one of the books that must (and indeed has been filmed). It is also one of the books, that when it gets filmed, you don’t want to see the film. You don’t want to be disappointed by it.
I loved it. It was sad but not pathetic. Dreams where dreamt but dreams did not come through.
Training and company
So I am now officially training for the London marathon in April. It is going well so far, I did five runs this week including a 10 miler today. It went better than expected considering I had my friend hangover along for the run. But the Bowie tribute band and few shots of tequila were worth the mild discomfort this morning.
What was most surprising about the run today was that I was not alone. The Thames path turned into runner’s highway with Battersea park being the absolute popularity winner. I am not sure why I was not expecting the runners – it is a beautiful and sunny day, most of the London marathoners have embraced the necessity to train and the new year’s resolutions are still going strong too. (But hey, I have not expected snow in Iceland in January either.) It was a nice change to have company compared to my training for Toronto where I met runners on the same route very sporadically.
Although running is an individual sport, I find that running with someone or in a group keeps me motivated. Actually just seeing other runners motivates me. It is a boost for my determination as it is not alway easy to stick to the training plan. Now my mind is set on discipline, my body will eventually catch up to my pre-Toronto level of fitness, the only thing now remains is to stop snoozing and/or turning off the alarm on Saturdays and get up to join the park runs again.
Total milage for this week: 26 miles / 42 km
Part-time overview of 2014
Zero Tolerance to Hiccups
Hiccup – an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm and respiratory organs, with a sudden closure of the glottis and a characteristic gulping sound.
Worst of all, most cases of hiccups occur for no apparent reason. But these might be according to NHS some of the triggers:
- drinking alcohol
- smoking
- having a bloated stomach
- eating too quickly or eating spicy foods
- drinking hot or fizzy drinks
- swallowing air – for example, while chewing gum
- a sudden change in room temperature
- a sudden change in the temperature inside your stomach – for example, eating something hot followed by a cold drink
- emotions, such as stress, fear or excitement
Right. Hiccups is one of those conditions I can’t deal with. I don’t get hiccups often. But when I do, you would think I’m having a heart attack for all the tantrums that I’m throwing. Usually drinking lots of water helps. Without breathing. Drinking until you are almost drowning. Not pleasant. Therefore I have done bit of a research on the good old web and found few other interesting suggestions. The winning one is pulling your tongue out. Just the visual makes it for me.
On the other hand, there worse conditions human beings can find themselves.
Homelessness – Crisis
Running post #1
After ten days of specific Christmas training of gluttony and a bottle of bubbly a day I have returned to running again. Yay! The first run (yesterday) was less painful than expected though I will have to figure out the correct number of clothing layers in this wintery weather. There was lots of sweating last night. On the other hand I was nice and warm/bordering on hot while the ground started to shine with frosty film. I also have to remember not to forget that I’m cooking something before I go for a run if I want to avoid extremely well cooked eggs (#SavedByTheFlatmates).
What I find really strange is that the cold doesn’t bother me when I’m running. I prefer running outside during winter. It is most probably just a temporary state of mind though. But it is bit of a struggle for me to go to the gym these days. Not that I can get out if it. I can’t really do any kind of hill training outside in central London. There is a distinct lack of hills. (Yes, I know of Hampstead Heath. That’s zone 2. Therefore it doesn’t count.) The closest it gets to a hill around here is the approach on Millennium bridge from the south side of the Thames and perhaps from the north on the Blackfriars bridge if you follow the Thames path. They also double as obstacle courses because of the tourists. Thames path is my running route but I much prefer to run westwards although the Battersea park can be pretty eery after the sun sets down.
I did bit of a cross training today and will finish 2014 with a PT session and a short run. Well, maybe a run – I’m in charge of gin cocktails for the evening. I will have to test them before I serve them, right?
Eva Marasca 