As usual, I’m raging that I didn’t think up this get rich quick scheme myself. It’s a gimmick but I love the idea and I dare you to resist buying a word! It’s impossible not to click on a couple of words just to see where you end up. Then you try out a few searches just to see if a word that means something special to you is still available. Then, you find one that is, and silly though it may be, it’s just so cheap to claim your very own word that you’re sold there and then. Genius.

A lot of web dev monkeys got in there before us, so the best I could get was "coders" but since our work site is tidy.ie we had to splurge $4 on "tidy" as well. It has great gift potential too: I couldn’t resist buying "foxy" for my sister, and my boyfriend suggested buying "couple" for us. Aw, who said romance was dead?

1. I’m a big fan of ice cream, even though I hate anything creamy. Hence, while normal people take a tub out of the freezer and let it melt a while before eating, I’m straight in there hacking away while my fingers get frostbite, and won’t touch it once it goes runny. My favourite flavour at the moment is Häagen Dazs Raspberry and Meringue. I know it’s limited edition, but I’m finding it nigh impossible to feed my habit around Dublin 6. No matter, for tonight I tried Murphy’s Raspberry Sorbet and discovered that’s the bit I really like. Half the calories and it’s available around the corner in Fothergills – this could get expensive.
2. I tend to use a lot of words. I meant this to be a short post with 6 one-liners and point 1 was practically an essay! I may have come close to breaking the record for the longest ever e-mail in the past, but I’m in recovery these days.
3. I don’t watch many TV shows religiously, but ER is one exception. Why, I don’t know, because it has really gone downhill since the glory days of Greene and Carter. Somehow, despite the episode each season when there is yet another boring hostage at gunpoint scenario, the pointless episodes where nothing happens, and the low, fast mumbling when you haven’t a clue who said what, I keep watching. I’ll miss it when it finally ends after the next series. Last night’s season finale on RTE ended on a typical cliff hanger where several cast members could have died when an ambulance exploded. Knowing ER, the next series will probably start with all of them in the middle of a trauma as if nothing ever happened!
4. I am absolutely rubbish at all sports. Getting the Wii Fit has confirmed that I have next to no balance and co-ordination, so that’s my excuse. If I could be good at any sport, I’d love to be a snooker player. While this year’s world championship final was a bit of a let down, you just can’t beat a bit (or even 35 frames) of snooker.
5. I can’t drive and I may never learn. Until the Wii Fit seriously improves my co-ordination, It’s probably a good idea for me to stay off the road!
6. I have all 465 standard DMC thread colours used for cross-stitch embroidery. That’s 11 km of thread altogether. I’m not sure I’ll ever get through it all. Maybe by the time I’m old and grey, still stitching in my pink rocking chair, cross stitch will finally be cool?

Given that I am probably the only blogger (that’s if monthly posting constitutes blogging!) on earth who has not done this meme already, I don’t think there’s any need to tag anybody else…

So, I was delighted to hear that Ulster Bank are bringing back Henri Hippo! Even more exciting is that the money boxes are supposed to look the same as they did in the 80s, although only blue ones are available. I was hoping that I could finally replace my moneybox by opening an account with them, but it seems you can only get one when you open a bank account for a child under 12. They won’t even sell me one (yes, I did write and ask!) – I suppose the idea of a bank not wanting more money is novel. I’m not sure what today’s high tech kids will make of him, but they may well be fighting with their parents over who gets the money box anyway! I guess I’ll just have to keep my eye out on Ebay for any mini entrepreneurs who want to cash in on Henri.

Reminiscing about Henri also brought back fond memories of my Trustee Rusty the fox money box from Trustee Savings Bank. I can’t find any evidence that he ever existed on Google, but surely I’m not the only one who remembers him? Since the bank merged to become permanent tsb many years ago, I doubt we will ever see poor old Trusty Rusty again, but I might start a campaign one of these days. He would be much less annoying than that guy from The Sopranos!

At least Cyril the Squirrel is still going strong for An Post. I don’t think that Cyril has ever been immortalised as a money box. Perhaps keeping a lower profile is the secret of his longevity? I see from his website that you can even contact him directly, so maybe I’ll write and ask him.

I wandered around Airfield farm and gardens yesterday. It’s very strange that you can get off the Luas at Balally in the midst of motorways and massive apartment blocks, and feel like you are in the middle of the country a short walk later! The 6 euro admission fee is a bit steep for what you get, but it is worth it every so often for the feeling of getting away from it all. After yesterday’s showers, it was fairly muddy and I was raging at missing an opportunity to finally wear the size 9 pink Hunter wellies I bought years ago in TK Maxx.

Our muddle through the mud was rewarded with getting close to the little lambs. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, but hopefully the small white blobs in the camera phone pic above still look like lambs! There are better photos on the Airfield Trust website.

The Luas smart card machines are feeling a bit peculiar too. It seems that they don’t know about leap years, so they overcharged some people this morning when they tagged off. I heard on the radio that the machines have therefore been turned off for the day and smart card users can travel for free. I may just go wild and head all the way to the ends of the earth, otherwise known as Sandyford. I’m sure that would cure my giddiness in no time!

It’s nice that the shiny new, if rather black, Hosting 365 site is fully aware of the day that is in it though. It’s a bit confusing that register365.com is now the brand for all their standard shared hosting plans, but the clever logo change made me smile:

Finally, it’s Work Life Balance day today. Perhaps they picked today because we don’t normally have the luxury of this day, so if you can’t get a bit of “me time” today there is no hope! Separating life and work, and getting them in proportion, has been my biggest challenge since I started freelancing. When you are self-employed, you have far more flexibility and control over when and how you work than employees, but despite this, it can be extremely tricky to get the work life balance right. That balance is different for everyone, and this is something that I think I will always have to work on, since I have always tended to let work invade my life too much regardless of the job! However, I have been working from home for over a year now and have learned lots along the way. The crazy days of all work and no play are much rarer now. However much you love your work, make sure you don’t let life pass you by.

It’s only the 2nd time I’ve had a really bad dose of flu. Normally I just get colds, or something in between cold and flu. Like many people I used to often say I had the flu when I just had a bad cold, but once you have had the flu you never mix them up. You always hear lots of talk at this time of year about the differences between the two, but I think the best one I heard is very simple: if you were in bed with a dose and you suddenly saw a fifty euro note on the floor, you would get out and pick it up if you had a cold, but you would stay put if you had the flu.

Last Christmas was the 8th Anniversary of my first flu. If I go another 8 years without it I’ll be happy. It took me nearly 6 weeks to get fully over it the first time, so at least I set a personal best recovery time this time around! I think the decrease in my daily commuting might have something to do with that. These days, I work from home but 8 years ago I was heading from Blanchardstown to UCD by bus. Even in the best of health, that journey can be tiring at times! I still remember those cold January days 8 years ago when I would try to get from UCD library to the 46A bus stop, ordinarily a couple of minutes stroll that you would not even notice. I had to just keep trying to get to the next lamp post along the path and hold onto it for a couple of minutes rest!

So, the moral of my waffle is, if you ever have the flu, rest up completely for as long as you can. If you try to keep going to some extent, you could be clinging to lamp posts for weeks!

Having finally got the keys to my first home – an overpriced but homely apartment in need of a lot of TLC – I am now immersed in a whole new world of electrics, plumbing, furniture and wallpaper stripping. And not just any old wallpaper. Thick dark brown hessian cloth wallpaper. I only included a thumbnail sized swatch of it on this web page to spare you the trauma of experiencing it in all its glory! While it is taking forever to remove it all, it is a great comfort to remember that when it was put up over 20 years ago it was very expensive and of great quality. Still, when the walls are finally all freshly painted in about 2009, I am sure we will look back and laugh! I think I will leave property developing to Sarah Beeny in future but hopefully our own project will be complete by the summer in time to have a chicken nugget barbecue to celebrate.

Not content with buying my first property just as the market looks like it is finally starting to stagnate (or sink according to some), I decided to further unsettle my world by becoming a freelance web developer. I’m an all or nothing girl! My boyfriend is also freelance now so at least we will sink or swim together! It’s early days yet but thankfully it’s going really well at the moment. It’s a bit hectic but that’s a good complaint.

So, unfortunately blogging will be taking a back seat for the foreseeable. Part of me would like to just delete this blog and set up an anonymous one elsewhere at a later date. Amazingly some people do still find the odd ancient post useful and I still get regular comments, despite shamefully rarely replying. Take for example, the sorry story of so many lovely ladies with large feet that I must bring to the attention of the shoe retailers one of these days. So, I will leave everything online for now, in case the odd bit is of help to anyone. Besides, the actuary in me still likes to sneak the odd peek at the web stats and referral logs.

I hope to still pop in and out from time to time to share my trivial tales with whoever else is out there. For now, thanks to everyone who dropped by and read a few posts and special thanks to those who sent me kind emails, took the time to comment or were kind enough to link to me. When I started this blog, I never imagined anyone else would read it, so it has been really nice to get e-mails from people as far away as Brazil saying hello.

Wishing you all the best in 2007! A lot can happen in a year, so I hope the New Year brings you lots of nice surprises.

• Dublin Coastal Development
  I’m going to buy a slice of paradise on Shamrog Island which will be visible from space! A classic example of viral marketing for funda.ie, a new property site launching later this week. Big budget stuff and they have gone to an awful lot of trouble. According to a poster on ask about money, they have even erected official loooking planning permission notices in Clontarf! According to the excellent TCAL, Irish companies were behind the concept. Loving your work guys!
• MOO Flickr MiniCards
  Get cute little business cards with your favourite flickr pictures on one side, and your contact details on the other. Just $20 for 100 with free shipping worldwide in September. Even better, you can get a free 10 pack if you are a flickr pro member. I’ve made my order, which Little MOO (who manages the orders) has passed on to Big MOO (the print machine).
• Beaut.ie
  I came across a new Irish blog dedicated to beauty. Lots of interesting and useful posts so far and it looks pretty too. Well done girls!
• Johnny Logan and Kaye Styles – Don’t Cry video
  If you have not already seen this, check it out for a good laugh. Eurovision God Johnny Logan is involved in a RnB remix of his 1987 hit Hold Me Now, and the video is so bad it’s good. Between the unique white jumpsuit and the dodgy dance moves it’s a winner!

I walked into At Home with Clerys today and I fell in love at first sight with the Fama Moon Chair. It’s perfect for lazing around, watching movies, cross stitching…

It rocks, it swivels, it reclines, it costs a fortune, but I love it!!!

I’ll try hard to restrain myself but I think that my SSIA has just seriously shrunk!

Maxi Twists are also invaluable if you ever get lots of teeth out at once! In fact, HB could be missing out on a marketing angle there – every chemist should be stocking them.

Now if only they were more generous with the red and green sauce. Or even better, if they came with a spoon in the tub, like the ingenious packaging used on Kieran Murphy’s new mini tubs as featured on his delicious ice cream blog.