I'm old! Officially! Alright, maybe not old. But definitely older. 23!

(Who doesn't want to celebrate their birthday with two staff meetings and a head cold? I know you're all just dying with jealousy.)

I have to say, there's nothing more boring than a mid-week birthday. I mean, who wants to celebrate on a Tuesday? Usually, we'd just go out the next weekend, but circumstances are a little different this year what with my other half LEAVING THE COUNTRY ON FRIDAY OMGZ. (He did let me create a blog for him though, so be sure to pay a visit if you have the time - if we get on his case about updates, he might actually remember to use it.)

I'm being spoiled belatedly in regards to presents. My parents are buying me a lightweight suitcase for my travels later in the year, which I've ordered already. Jason had absolutely no idea what to buy me, so we're going with the IOU option for now. Pretty quiet, but that's the way I like it.

Happy July 31st, even if it's not your birthday. Nyer. (Oh! But it's HERS!)

I find it amazing just how excited I've become about actually doing things that I've marked as important enough to be on "The List". (Click here if you have no idea what I'm rambling on about, or want to refresh your memory.)

In fact I've been so excited, I've already planned ways I can cross things off. Here's a list of the things I've already done/am planning to do in the next few weeks:

• Gone to the library and borrowed five random novels. (I might add that all of those suggestions you lovely readers left for me in my comments or emailed me, were NOT in my local library catelogue. Apparently I'm going to be reading ten year old fiction, but hey. At least they're still new.)


• Attended a rugby league game watching Parramatta vs Manly. (All the while, still sporting this bloody cold. I was armed with tissues. Lots of tissues.)


• I will be stalking Kirby on Sunday. We will be (finally!) watching Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix. In Gold Class. Phwoar!


• My parents are buying me the suitcase of my dreams for my birthday.


• Tomorrow afternoon's staff development meeting is teaching us CPR. Nifty.


• I've already started searching for low-fat recipes to make, my family being the guinea pigs. And I've started typing up recipes to take away with me.


• Charmed Season 8, Dawson's Creek Season 6 & CSI Season 5 are waiting for me.

If you're reading this, it means I actually figured out how to forward-plan my posts. If you're not reading this, it means I'm talking to myself. Not so bad, either way.

At this very moment, I'm out spending the day with J. We had Thai food for dinner on Saturday night, hopefully followed by a sleep-in this morning. I'm then tagging along to a football game since it was one of J's last requests of me before he leaves, and then we're headed out to yet another dinner, this time with my nan.

And after that? It'll already be Monday, meaning back to work I go. I hate weekends. They take so long to arrive, then disappear so quickly. So not right.

Let me leave you with this fun graphic I discovered, in all it's grainy goodness.

Is there any wonder why Jase is fleeing the country in six days time, what with all of our scintillating conversations and all?

[Scene taking place just as he was about to take a shower this morning:]

Jason: I'll be back.
Aly: I'll be Mozart.

[pause]

Aly: Ha! Am funny!
Jason: [blank stare]

Well, at least I find myself amusing in any case.

This weekend will be the last one that I get to spend with Jason in five months. At this time in exactly seven days time, I'm going to be at the airport with him and his family, most likely trying not to bawl and make myself look like an idiot. Smack bang in the middle of that? Is my 23rd birthday.

It's not a particularly eventful number of years. It's not like I even have anything particularly exciting planned. Heck, I'll be busy teaching here at school, just like any other week day. But hopefully there will be an evening out of some kind, because going out for birthday dinners is one of my favourite things to do. Ever.

Food! Cake! Drinks! PRESENTS. What could be better?

After working so bloody hard over the past few months to keep my eating healthy and my fitness up, all I want to do is get out there and enjoy a dinner without thinking about what I put into my mouth. [In a non gross way, you dirty, dirty people.] Sadly, I know this won't happen though, as I have an all or nothing approach to eating when I start thinking about food too much. I either turn into an obsessive compulsive calorie counter and analyse everything, OR I just dive in and binge, blowing everything out of the water. It's not a good place to be in, and I'm trying my best to get out of that mindset, but it's harder than it sounds.

I wish I had a flag that I could wave on special occassions, a get-out-of-jail free card if you will, that blocked all the fat and sugar and bad stuff from clinging on to my legs and belly and butt the second I indulge in a little splurge. Who do you think I need to speak to about this? I'll take that as a birthday present anyday of the week.

I spent yesterday complaining, whinging and blowing my nose more times than I would like to count attempting not to think about my current cold of death, trying to make the day go faster so I could go to sleep and continuing my freak out over the plane trip that I've just purchased. But I also spent a good part of the day stalking watching a random American guy dance in countries all around the world.

Not only did Matt visit (and dance in) some amazing places and put together some amazing memories, the lucky bugger was sponsored to do it. And now? I hold him totally responsible for my sudden and overwhelming desire to be just like him. I want to visit heaps of the places he visited during his travels, some of which I had never even heard of before. It's incredible! Climbing Mt Killimanjaro, swimming with stinger-free jellyfish, visiting Macchu Picchu, Antarctica, gah! I have about a dozen places I want to add to my travel list now.

The idea about moving to England to live and work, was that I'd also get to go back to Europe and visit/re-visit different countries whenever I could. Perhaps while I'm doing that, I should come up with my own signature photograph in every place I've been to, to keep as a memento of sorts. Ideas?

(If you're not interested in travelling, I'd still recommend you watch his videos. If only for the sake of some awesome sights and some terribly fabulous moves.)

Amidst all the talk to friends, families and total strangers, the scare factor of Jase leaving in ten days time, and the other randomness that comes along with planning an eventual move overseas, the reality of the whole thing has not kicked in yet. It's six months away before I have to start thinking about this, and I have plenty to do to keep me occupied in that time. (Oh "List", how I love you so.)

I've got a little more time to frolic around through fields of daisies and pretend that I don't have to be a grown up any time soon. Or so I had thought, anyway.

It kicked in officially last night, which was around the time when I finally began checking the available flights to London in late December through the frequent flyers points scheme. (Thanks to Jason and my parents adding to my frequent flyer points, I have enough to get a complimentary one way ticket from Sydney-London.)

I had been very excited, imagining I would leave in late December to be there for New Years, that there would be plenty of flights available. In my excitement though, I'd forgotten that it's school holidays at this time, meaning flights? Are few and far between. I was shocked to discover that there was only one economy class flight available from Sydney-London for frequent flyer members until January.

Bugger.

(Now imagine if you will, a(n) slightly incredibly frazzled and sick Aly simultaneously coughing up a lung and having panic attacks at the thought of not getting on that flight and having to actually pay for a later one. Not happening. Not. Happening. Am good at stressing out. And am cheap.)

After annoying not only my darling boyfriend but my injured father too, (how he fell down the stairs and fractured a rib or two is a story for another day) I soon had their points transferred into my account. I then proceeded to freak out again because HOLY SHIT AM I ACTUALLY BOOKING A ONE WAY TICKET TO LONDON, chickened out, and decided to wait until mum got home before I booked the flights. I also refreshed the screen madly to make sure that all the frequent flyer members of Australia hadn't suddenly wanted to get on that particular plane on that particular date, but realising all the while that they probably wouldn't because HOLY SHIT IT WILL BE BLOODY COLD IN LONDON IN DECEMBER. I checked, double checked, triple checked that the flight was actually to the right place and that I was not actually going to end up in Timbuktu by mistake. I checked the World Health Organisation page to make sure that London didn't have any crazy diseases going around at the moment, and worried some more because HOLY SHIT LONDON IS A LONG LONG WAY AWAY AND I'M GOING TO MISS MY PARENTS LIKE CRAZY.

(As you can see, I cope fabulously under pressure.)

But, my friends, all worked out smoothly. I eventually booked the flight. I now have my plane ticket (to London, LONDON!) done and booked, with a reference number and everything. (Who came up with this e-ticket idea? It looks like something I could create in Microsoft Word. Is that really the actual ticket? Damn.) There you have it. It's official. I'm going to London,

And did I forget to mention the date I'll be flying out? Silly little me.

It's Christmas Day.

How's that for a present?

I know this is about a million years old, but I never fail to get a kick out of it.

Come watch the YouTube video because putting in here screws up my blog.

[Plus, I'm sick, and haven't got the effort to whinge anymore.]

Ooh! And he does the Thriller dance! Effing awesome! Must learn these moves. Ha! And look at this one! And this one! These folks are crazy. BUT I LOVE IT!

. . . when it comes to noses, anyway.

It seems like tissues these days range from nail file texture to sandpaper texture, because my nose? Has turned a rather interesting shade of red. It matches my dry, chapped lips though, and neither is responding well to the countless applications of vaseline. Being sick is just too darned fashionable, as I've mentioned before.

And also? I was informed upon arrival to school this morning that my classroom heater? Has asploded. Meaning it's absolutely freezing in here today. Any wonders why I'm a phlegm machine. [The sound of me blowing my nose is revolting.]

Tonight I'm heading out to a focus group research session about our union here at work, thanks to my friend 'KC'. With the incentive of dinner along the way and a cash in hand payment of $75 for my trouble, I'm going to be there with bells on. I just hope they have plenty of tissues on hand, or else things could get messy.

Hope you're having a wonderful Monday, if that is actually possible.