Have Yourself...

...A merry little Christmas.

I hope you have all been having a good crimbo and continue to do so.

We've been having a great one, loads of presents and we haven't had to cook dinner....thanks to Ann's Mum and Dad.

Well keep enjoying yourself and we'll see you all soon

I'll Tell You Something About Ann...

...She doesn't know her onions!!

End Of Year Shenanigans

First of I'd like to say how impressed I was that Microsoft Word knew the word Shenanigans when I spell checked it!!

I've decided that we are now close enough to the end of 2004 that I'd compile a list of my Top Ten Albums and Singles. I realize some people may be angered at things I've missed (for example I couldn't find room for The Streets album...go for it Chris I've braced myself!!) so feel free to barrage me with comments. My lists are as follows:

Albums

1 Keane – Hopes And Fears
2 U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
3 Morrissey – You Are The Quarry
4 Tom Baxter – Feather And Stone
5 Divine Comedy – Absent Friends
6 Finn Brothers – Everyone Is Here
7 Bic Runga – Beautiful Collision
8 Embrace – Out Of Nothing
9 Elton John – Peachtree Road
10 Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters

Singles

1 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – There She Goes (My Beautiful World)
2 Rufus Wainwright – I Don’t Know What It Is
3 Morrissey – First Of The Gang To Die
4Tom Baxter – My Declaration
5 U2 – Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
6 Keane – Everybody’s Changing
7 Embrace – Ashes
8 Robbie Williams – Misunderstood
9 James Blunt – High
10 The Charlatans – Try Again Today

The Keane album is the one that I have listened to most this year so is deservedly in first place although the U2 album is very close and has only been out for a month and will spawn some huge hit singles next year.
The Nick Cave single is my choice for single of the year if only for the fact that it contains the line "John Wilmot penned his poetry while riddled with a pox"...out and out quality!! The Rufus Wainwright song wasn't far off...I urge you to listen to it if you get chance it is a stormer!

I Think I Can Talk About It Now!!

I had my MRI scan on Thursday. First I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their messages and goodwishes and interest in how I got on....thanks to both of you (J&J)....right that didn't take long now lets press on!!

As you may know I was pretty terrified in the build up to having the scan done. I wasn't nervous about what they'd find or the procedure itself, which I knew would be fine as I had studied it in some detail at University (at last something my degree has been useful for!!)...what was really scaring me was that I can get quite claustrophobic and the thought of being stuck in a very thin tube for upto half an hour was enough to wake me up in a blind panic more than once in the week before.

So by the time we reached Thursday I was feeling even more unsteady than is usual at the moment. In the end it wasn't too bad. I did have a pretty major trip to "freak-out city" while she was preparing me for the procedure. The set up was like this....

First they give you a pair of ear plugs as it gets pretty loud during the test....not too bad but a bit disorienting......There is a bed that you lie on and there are some supports round you shoulders to hold you head in the right area...ok so far...then they put an elasticated strap over my forehead to hold my head as still as possible during the scan...still ok...then you are given a plastic ball on a tube to hold, this is your "panic button" to squeeze if you have a problem and they'll pull you out....starting to worry.....then they set up what I can only describe as a mini greenhouse over your head which had a periscope style mirror on to allow you to see towards your feet and out of the tube....this is when I got my freak on!! It was so close to my face that I panicked and had to sit up for a minute to get myself back together again. So once I had calmed down we tried again. I asked if it would be possible if I could go in without the green house...Unfortunately it was a vital part of equipment so they said no!! How inflexible is that!!The radiographer suggested I close my eyes, which I did, and to be honest from here on in it was nearly OK.

The bed was slid into the main tube so that I was in upto my waist and they carried out three scans which lasted between 2 and a half and three minutes...apparently...I did totally lose track of time!! After these three tests I was pulled out again and given an injection of dye in my arm which would colour the nerve in my ear to give them a comparison...quite a trip but at least they didn't have to stick a needle in my already quite messed up head.....I was put back in for another scan and we were done. After the last scan I was feeling a little bit brave and opened my eyes for a look...it wasn't so bad but that periscope mirror really does not fucking help...I closed my eyes again. Now that they were done they pulled me back out...released me from my restraints and I staggered back to the waiting room.

On the way back I did sneak a sneaky peek at the screen that displayed the results and.....prepare yourself for this bit....I SAW INSIDE MY OWN HEAD!!! I don't want to blow my own trumpet but there is a lot of brain inside this huge noggin of mine!!!

The main problem I had when I was in the tube was trying not to laugh...allow me to explain. As I've already said during the test it gets quite noisy in the tube..each type of scan making different sounds as the different bits of equipment move slowly down/round your head. Some went UUUURRRGGGHHH-UUUURRGGGHH while others went URGH-URGH-URGH-URGH.......The problem with this was that as the noises combined in my head into quite a kick ass groove, I had to really fight off the picture in my head of "Tyres" off Spaced....It was so hard not to do a bit of funky dancing!!! Big Box Little Box!!!

So to summarise...apart from the initial absolute TERROR!!! it really wasn't too bad and I certainly wouldn't be worried if I ever have to have another one and I'd like to think I could settle the nerves of anyone else having one.

Now just have to wait for the results...oh joy!!

Somewhere Only We Know

Any Keane fans out there may like to check out Fab Channel who have a 1 hour live Keane concert on view. It was filmed in Amsterdam and is free to watch, all you have to do is put in your email address and create a password. And a damn fine concert it is too!!

This Is Getting Ridiculous

I went to go and see an ear specialist today to find out why I still can't get my balance properly and so look like a drunk, because of an ear infection that I got four weeks ago.

I'm still not 100% so I have been signed off sick until the beginning of January...which sounds great but after being off for a month already I am beginning to get somewhat bored.....I really need a hobby!

The good news is that my hearing is back to normal, which is a relief, especially as I had lost about half the hearing in my right ear when the infection was at it's worst. I thought it was OK now but it's good to get that confirmed by a doctor because you start to doubt yourself, little things like having to turn the volume on the TV up another couple of notches make you worry.....well I've been in the house on my own a lot so my mind begins to wander around a bit in funny directions.

On the downside the cause of my balance problem still needs to be pinned down so sometime in the next week I will be having an MRI scan!! Nice....they are going to look inside my head!! I wonder if they'll find a little pixie!!!