Back!

It is so nice to be back in the blogosphere. Is it silly to miss blogging? Maybe a little. This is a two-part post or, as I originally typed, a two-prat post.

First Prat is about Andrea!

Belated birthday wishes and enormous congratulations to Andrea, who is not only Newly 24 (her birthday was on Saturday; I was going to temporarily change the blog name to today is Andrea's birthday but was away & didn't) but has just, in her words, accepted an offer of publication from an imprint of Random House UK! (In her words because I probably would have described it all wrong.)

Yes. Yes indeed. My bestfriend has a book deal with Random House! Not only does she have a publisher, and a major one that I've actually heard of, but they are publishing her book in the section (I am slightly fuzzy on the details) that they use to publish Excellent Serious Prize-Winning Sorts of Books. Because her book is going to be one of those.

This is awesome because Andrea's worked her arse off for this for the past couple of years and deserves all success and I am insanely proud of her, as you should also be. Let us all take a moment to think about how many people would a) have the talent to write something publishable and b) have the balls to decide on a career in a field where so few are successful and c) put up with years of people saying, "Oh, a writer, how interesting" in a dismissive tone, and let us all be proud.

Also I will be a little famous by association but that is not the point.

OK now let's talk about me, or rather my trip to Auckland - Second Prat of post is about Conor, childhood best friend and now also love of life, etc. etc.

I'm going to try and keep the cutesy ramblings to a minimum because they're fucking annoying, but if I do get all soppy I'll just insert a picture of a Transformer in an attempt to balance it out.

Like this one.

As you may have guessed, trip to Auckland went really well. I was worried that after Conor & I got on so well on the phone & internet that we might meet at the airport, recoil in mutual horror, and spend three days making awkward small talk about everything except how disappointing meeting up after 12 years of not meeting up actually is.

Luckily, this is not what happened! What happened is that we made out at the airport and grossed out the flight attendants. I should probably apologise for this, but I'm not really very sorry and it is not nice to be insincere.

We spent the next few days hanging out - apart from Sunday, when he worked and I went to the Zoo, more on that another time - and getting to know each other, and the general conclusion is that I think he is super awesome and he thinks I am super awesome and we are going to live happily ever after for at least, like, 80 years. What? This has been agreed upon. I am just being practical and planning ahead. NO U.

This one's name is Barricade. BARRICAAAADE

Also, Conor & I made an indie band (called Alconus Prime) and when he's sent me one of the songs (consider yourself nagged, darling) and/or have learnt how to work the Internet properly I'll 'embed' it ("how do you say, this...embed?") and you can all listen and say how awesome it is. It started out as a joke band but it turns out we're just both far too insanely talented to not be awesome. Songs include Wizard of Oz vinyl samples and '8-bit keyboard' which pretty much sounds like Nintendo. I get to play that sometimes. You will like it, or at least find it mildly amusing.

Conor's irritatingly talented in that he sits down at keyboard/bass, plays about for five minutes, then records something that sounds good. He does not read music. I am Classically Trained, people, and it takes me far longer because I have a really shitty ear and have to work everything out with a pencil. OH LOOK AT MY BOYFRIEND HE SO NATCHRALLY TALENTED.

Man I hate people who get all gushy about their shitty boyfriends*, but allow me to get it out of my system: he is gorgeous & amazing & I love him more than the MOON.

YAY EVERYBODY! MORE THAN THE MOON! YAY!

OK Transformer now.

Bumblebee? Really? That's the best name you could come up with?

So that's pretty exciting really. Isn't it. And now we get to spend the next few months flying back & forth all the time (he's coming to visit on Thursday - I would go into some silly rant about how much we're going to miss each other til then and isn't that ridiculously cute but I'm all out of Transformers now) until we simply can't bear being apart any longer and elope.** Which is fine by me because I love flying. Also eloping. Father will be so pleased! He has been an advocate of eloping ever since he realised that he had 4 daughters and no money.

Also, I went to the Zoo! More on that another time. You know how I do like the Zoo.

Sorry about bein' all cutesy and stuff, people. Normal levels of cynicism will return soon, mainly because I don't want to have to go round deleting cutesy posts all over the place if we break up. Obviously we will just have to not break up.

*my boyfriend is not actually shitty

**or get completely sick of each other and vow never to speak again.