Just another quick post to say that Cargo have the Special Delivery event as part of Unbound at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on the 24th. 9pm, Spiegeltent in Charlotte Square, free entry :) See www.cargopublishing.com for details.
Photo by Chris Scott
Friday, 19 August 2011
30 Days Hath September...and I'm going to be dry for them
***WARNING: This will get a bit detailed***
Well, I've said it on Facebook, and I've said it on Twitter. So now I'm saying it here.
As I mentioned in the last post, I went home a couple of weeks ago. I spent most of it chilling at home, walking the dog, and seeing folk I hadn't seen in months for various reasons. In addition, my mam's cousin had a party to christen her new porch (well, conservatory). We brought a lot of booze, which was stowed away in the wheelbarrow (where there was most space for it), and a marquee was set up in the very large back garden for my brother's band to perform in (it was the first time I'd seen them live).
However, that night I consumed the following in alcohol:
1 x bottle of Stella Artois cidre (not cider, and more delicious for it)
2 x bottle of Magners original apple cider
1x vodka and lemonade which was given to me by someone who'd changed their mind about it and I honestly swear was one part lemonade and three parts vodka
1 x bottle of Corona beer, sans lime
I've just checked my result with Drink Aware, and that comes to be 11 units - this is less than the recommended amount for women to drink per week, but about four times more than the recommend amount per day. Oh dearie me.
I do remember most of the night, mainly because I was watching the band. At one point - even though by this point I was rather drunk - my brother even got me up to join in with the harmonies on 'I Won't Back Down' originally by Tom Petty. I actually did a good job, I'm told. Later in the evening, after the band finished, we went in and the hostess got a batch of her famous Eton Mess on the go. I remember taking loads of it and trying to eat it and dropping it down myself - classy, eh? Anyway, we went home and I got to bed at about 2:15am. Around three hours later I woke up again and ended up being very sick - only the third time I've vommed from drinking. I felt horribly ill for the rest of the day - even a large mug of miso soup failed to shift it. It was a hot day, and I walked down to my cousin's house to return something I'd borrowed from her. It would usually take me about fifteen minutes from hers to mine on foot but felt like an hour, and within five minutes I was given a pint of water because I was so ill / dehydrated. It hadn't shifted by 6pm, when we went to have dinner at the home of my step-granddad and his new wife. It is truly the worst hangover I've ever had, and I hope to god I never have another like it in my life.
This isn't the first time I've had too much to drink and felt the worse for it either. It happened after a flat party we had in April, when I had to work the next day, and I had a huge blowout over a weekend in July - once at a friend's graduation party and the following day / night, firstly with a friend whom I hadn't seen in months and my ex-flatmate, whose birthday it was. Needless to say, I felt like shit on Sunday. There's been a few times - especially when I've had cider, it's massively bad for me - that I've done stuff I don't remember when drunk. On a few occasions I've gone to bed with my contacts in. Anyone else who wears contacts regularly knows how painful that is.
This maybe doesn't sound too untoward for most folk, but I never used to drink to excess. As a teenager my ideal weekend was spent at my granny's eating jam sandwiches and playing Scrabble. I did have the odd night out, but only ever had alcohol on special occasions. I first attempted to buy alcohol six weeks before my 18th birthday and was surprisingly successful. Only after I turned 18 did I realise that the majority of pubs in Shetland weren't big on ID'ing people. I moved to Glasgow that same September, where most places that I actually went to were a bit stricter. As time went on I made more friends and went out more often. Not to say that I didn't drink to excess some nights and do stupid things before that - I once buggered my ankle after tripping on the steps at the Hilltop Bar in Yell (aka The UK's Most Northerly Pub) after vastly misjudging all the booze I'd had. I've apparently once drunkenly burped the alphabet following a binge (I don't remember it, honest), I've said things I shouldn't have said. Again, not unusual. But I used to be able to have a good fun night without alcohol so I'd like to re-experience that.
I only came to this decision earlier in the week, but after getting back to Glasgow I briefly went out for a friend's birthday. I had two vodkas and coke the whole night - having had a pint of straight coke before that - and feel great for it today. So I've decided that attempting to pack in drinking for 30 days might just be a plan.
So yeah - as of September 1st, I am, to coin a phrase, 'aff it'. No booze please. Kthx.
Well, I've said it on Facebook, and I've said it on Twitter. So now I'm saying it here.
As I mentioned in the last post, I went home a couple of weeks ago. I spent most of it chilling at home, walking the dog, and seeing folk I hadn't seen in months for various reasons. In addition, my mam's cousin had a party to christen her new porch (well, conservatory). We brought a lot of booze, which was stowed away in the wheelbarrow (where there was most space for it), and a marquee was set up in the very large back garden for my brother's band to perform in (it was the first time I'd seen them live).
However, that night I consumed the following in alcohol:
1 x bottle of Stella Artois cidre (not cider, and more delicious for it)
2 x bottle of Magners original apple cider
1x vodka and lemonade which was given to me by someone who'd changed their mind about it and I honestly swear was one part lemonade and three parts vodka
1 x bottle of Corona beer, sans lime
I've just checked my result with Drink Aware, and that comes to be 11 units - this is less than the recommended amount for women to drink per week, but about four times more than the recommend amount per day. Oh dearie me.
I do remember most of the night, mainly because I was watching the band. At one point - even though by this point I was rather drunk - my brother even got me up to join in with the harmonies on 'I Won't Back Down' originally by Tom Petty. I actually did a good job, I'm told. Later in the evening, after the band finished, we went in and the hostess got a batch of her famous Eton Mess on the go. I remember taking loads of it and trying to eat it and dropping it down myself - classy, eh? Anyway, we went home and I got to bed at about 2:15am. Around three hours later I woke up again and ended up being very sick - only the third time I've vommed from drinking. I felt horribly ill for the rest of the day - even a large mug of miso soup failed to shift it. It was a hot day, and I walked down to my cousin's house to return something I'd borrowed from her. It would usually take me about fifteen minutes from hers to mine on foot but felt like an hour, and within five minutes I was given a pint of water because I was so ill / dehydrated. It hadn't shifted by 6pm, when we went to have dinner at the home of my step-granddad and his new wife. It is truly the worst hangover I've ever had, and I hope to god I never have another like it in my life.
This isn't the first time I've had too much to drink and felt the worse for it either. It happened after a flat party we had in April, when I had to work the next day, and I had a huge blowout over a weekend in July - once at a friend's graduation party and the following day / night, firstly with a friend whom I hadn't seen in months and my ex-flatmate, whose birthday it was. Needless to say, I felt like shit on Sunday. There's been a few times - especially when I've had cider, it's massively bad for me - that I've done stuff I don't remember when drunk. On a few occasions I've gone to bed with my contacts in. Anyone else who wears contacts regularly knows how painful that is.
This maybe doesn't sound too untoward for most folk, but I never used to drink to excess. As a teenager my ideal weekend was spent at my granny's eating jam sandwiches and playing Scrabble. I did have the odd night out, but only ever had alcohol on special occasions. I first attempted to buy alcohol six weeks before my 18th birthday and was surprisingly successful. Only after I turned 18 did I realise that the majority of pubs in Shetland weren't big on ID'ing people. I moved to Glasgow that same September, where most places that I actually went to were a bit stricter. As time went on I made more friends and went out more often. Not to say that I didn't drink to excess some nights and do stupid things before that - I once buggered my ankle after tripping on the steps at the Hilltop Bar in Yell (aka The UK's Most Northerly Pub) after vastly misjudging all the booze I'd had. I've apparently once drunkenly burped the alphabet following a binge (I don't remember it, honest), I've said things I shouldn't have said. Again, not unusual. But I used to be able to have a good fun night without alcohol so I'd like to re-experience that.
I only came to this decision earlier in the week, but after getting back to Glasgow I briefly went out for a friend's birthday. I had two vodkas and coke the whole night - having had a pint of straight coke before that - and feel great for it today. So I've decided that attempting to pack in drinking for 30 days might just be a plan.
So yeah - as of September 1st, I am, to coin a phrase, 'aff it'. No booze please. Kthx.
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Long overdue update...you know the drill by now
Hellooooooooo!
Sorry I've not written since June. God, didn't realise it had been that long!
So yeah - family wedding has been. And while I am unsure as to just how much weight I have lost, I shed enough that my dress fit me :D And while that's a small victory, I'm sure I could do better, so I'm going to keep up with the swimming / eating better as best I can.
There's also been a few literary excitements in recent months, among them Valve Journal (which I have yet to review), the launch of Tracy S Rosenberg's novel The Girl in the Bunker, which by the way got to No. 1 in the Scottish Bestsellers list :), the release of Andrew Raymond Drennan's new novel The Immaculate Heart, and more recently we re-released "The Year of Open Doors" in paperback.
We then have an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival - the Special Delivery as part of Unbound. The event is free.
Meanwhile I be back in Shetland at last, firstly for a break and secondly for my gran's 80th :)
Sorry I've not written since June. God, didn't realise it had been that long!
So yeah - family wedding has been. And while I am unsure as to just how much weight I have lost, I shed enough that my dress fit me :D And while that's a small victory, I'm sure I could do better, so I'm going to keep up with the swimming / eating better as best I can.
There's also been a few literary excitements in recent months, among them Valve Journal (which I have yet to review), the launch of Tracy S Rosenberg's novel The Girl in the Bunker, which by the way got to No. 1 in the Scottish Bestsellers list :), the release of Andrew Raymond Drennan's new novel The Immaculate Heart, and more recently we re-released "The Year of Open Doors" in paperback.
We then have an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival - the Special Delivery as part of Unbound. The event is free.
Meanwhile I be back in Shetland at last, firstly for a break and secondly for my gran's 80th :)
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