bookshoplaura

I used to be the sort of girl to write a blog post everyday but then life got in the way. I had planned to write more this weekend but I had a massive energy crash and didn't do very much of anything. This weekend was the weekend that I was running a city wide Where's wally hunt in work but it was also a weekend where lots of other people I work with were off so not the ideal weekend to be running a children's event in the shop. On top of that Waterford is the sort of city in which people will usually all flock to whatever big event is on leaving not many people around for smaller events or in the city at all. My big hunt clashed with the viking marathon so I was flitting around the shop all morning preparing and half panicking about the possibility that no children would turn up at all. That feeling got worse when I came back from work dressed as Wally to find the shop looking almost deserted. It didn't help that it was an incredibly warm day for wearing a wooly hat...

It is known by most people that I am a vegetarian not so much by choice but by upbringing but at this point in my life I'm not sure that I could be anything else. I also have the problem of being a life long fussy eater. While I'm doing better now with food than I ever have before, I do still have one reoccurring problem. I eat them the same things again and again until eventually I get bored but the problem is that once that happens I have no idea what I should be eating instead. Lately I've been finding myself eating half my lunch and throwing the rest in the bin which leaves me annoyed and still hungry. I am bored beyond belief of my current lunch (not the one pictured) but everytime I go food shopping I draw a blank. So I either lob the same fruit and veg into my trolley while feeling annoyed at my own predictability or I add something new to weeks shopping but then I am clueless as to how I actually incorporate said food into my diet. It seems that the years of ...

I consider myself a fairly normal woman in most respects. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call myself average but I'm close enough. I do however have one or two preoccupations that take up a bit more time than they probably should. The first is my life long quest to up root all of my grey hairs. I don't happen to believe in the old wives tale about removing grey hairs just making more grow. Okay maybe not life long considering I am 32 now and I think I found my first grey hair somewhere in my 20's. Up until quite recently they had been mostly confined to underneath my fringe so not exactly easily visible and yet it still irks me like an itch that cannot be scratched. I have accidentally tweezed an unreasonable amount of good hair while standing in front of the mirror trying to remove that one wiry silver hair that seems to know how to dodge a tweezers. Well it's either that or the the fact that everything is reversed in the mirror so it makes it somewhat d...

This morning, while dripping with sweat at the gym, I found myself thinking about some of the things that have been really annoying me lately. We can start with the ungraceful art of working out in weather than can only be described as muggy. it was sticky and sweaty and thoroughly unpleasant and then you step outside to find no relief, only dampness and a dead warmth. In this mornings class, I was so unbearably hot that I desperately wanted to take my tshirt off ( I was wearing a mini vest over my sports bra to keep everything in place) but I didn't want to expose my wobbly midriff to the general public.  all of this leaves me looking shiny and disgusting for far too long after the class has finished and I am forced to sit there all sweaty and chalky until I deem myself fit to put on regular clothes. Now I will accept its not practical for my gym to invest in air conditioning given that it would only be in use two weeks a year but I was only half joking when I suggested th...

I know that I am wonderful at committing fully to anything that will make me healthier or skinnier or just feel better and I like to tell everyone how great this thing is until I get bored or don't see results and then I will never mention it again. To be fairer on myself, I don't quit everything I start, I have been doing crossfit for years now. Mind you, you probably wouldn't know it to look at me.  My latest healthy kick is green tea. Not that I am naive enough to think that I will see any noticeable benefits from just drinking green tea alone.  I am still doing crossfit plus I've been off sugar and alcohol over a month. Not to mention the fact that this month I am giving up spelt, chips and crisps so I figure a little green tea can't exactly do any harm. I have tried it before and my press has at least two boxes of the stuff but I've never stuck with it because frankly I haven't found one that I enjoy drinking. The after taste makes me want to make ...

For a girl who is going to be working for all of this lovely sunny weekend, I am feeling unaccountably cheerful. Perhaps It's all the sun or I'm still on a workout high from yesterday but I'm not planning on spending too much time trying to find the root cause, I'm just going to go with it . I flew through Saturday in work and after myself and Stephen went to see an act called tumble circus in theatre royal because he had procured tickets for us.  Now I had a fair idea this show might be aimed at a younger audience because it was on during a child themed Viking festival. Apparently though, Stephen was not so clear on this and was expecting a bit more from the whole act, possibly because he'd watched some of their videos online showing more adult centred shows. Anyway we walked into the theatre and realized we were quite conspicuous as the only people walking in unaccompanied by children. The room Was virtually a sea of tiny people and the adults that came...

 lake Coumshingaun I am currently half lying across my couch as the tiredness sets in but it's cool because I had a great day off and up until about five minutes ago I was feeling great and full of energy. Now I usually try to squeeze a bit more in on my days off than most people I know but occasionally I do take a day off properly just to shake things up. This was not one of those days. My day off actually begins the night before because I like to try get in a crossfit class that night because I don't get down often enough. Unfortunately yesterday I was on lock up so it was almost twenty past 6 when I ran from the shop. Luckily I had been wearing half my workout gear all day (the vest and sports bra) so changing wasn't too much of a mission and I was in my car and on the road by 6.30 and I made it down just in time to start the class.  It was a tough one but luckily for me it was beginners womens class so I was not the weakest one there so while I left t...

I'm sure you all have noticed that we seem to be getting some unseasonably good weather and I for one am really enjoying it. I am lapping up the sunshine in my one pair of shorts like I have always lived in this sort of climate. To be fair I am not really able for too much of the sun, all sweaty and tired and feeling under pressure just walking to work but I like it all the same. I will confess to being so unused to this sunshine that on Monday morning I  almost fell out of bed after being woken by the sun, less out of shock and more because the sun waking me had me fully convinced it was later in the morning and that I had slept through my alarm. It was only 6.30 so I guess I was wrong on that call. When it's all sunny like this I think my brain goes into holiday mode. I want to be outside sitting in the park (until the grass gets too uncomfortable) or on a beach ( but not one that's too crowded) or sitting out in my parent's garden having a cup of tea on the pati...

Today I'm feeling so cranky I could star in my very own Roger Hargreaves book ( he wrote the Mr men and little miss books). Why am I feeling so cranky? that bit I'm not so sure of. Today I had an argument in the bank today because I called in to see why my payment to my internet provider had never gone out and was helpfully informed that the reason for this was that several months ago ( this is an account I use just for bills so I have no card for it or any way of checking my balance without queuing up in the bank) a payment had gone out when there weren't sufficient funds in the account and somehow this resulted in me being charged four times in succession leaving my account fairly overdrawn with interest being added and so the money I paid in was just paying off that debt rather than paying my bills. Not only did my account not have any money in it, they said I owed them €27 and I then had to go and pay the UPC bill again. Yea that ought to do it. I was ne...

One day to go until the Irish Throwdown and I am getting pretty excited. The only thing better than doing Crossfit is watching those who are so much better than me do it heavier and faster than I ever could. I don't think there's any danger of me competing in the forseable future, not while I'm still getting tangled in a skipping rope and using a band to do chin ups. I don't like sporting events of any shape or form. God help the man who tries to drag me to any form of sporting event but this will be the third crossfit comp I've watched (if you include last years crossfit games) and I'm hooked. I think it's because it's relatable in a way that other sporting activities aren't for me.  I can look at someone snatching or deadlifting and think, I can do that (albeit with a much lighter weight and not as good form) and it makes it easier to grasp how impressive the athletes competing are. You only have to do five wall balls to fully grasp that the 30...

(**a point of note here - the chocolate itself is nommy, no criticism intended to the wonderful folk that make ombar) Last week I had mentioned how I had taken to the internet in search of chocolate made with coconut sugar. My holy grail was a delicious ombar which I felt was only available to me in crappy flavours and at stupid prices. The only stockist I of ombar that I can get to regularly is a heath food shop in my hometown and while it seems the lovely people of Kilkenny and Cork are happy to sell it more reasonably priced with nicer flavours, I just don't get to those places often enough to satisfy my chocolate desires. Now with not much money in the bank ( my wages already having been divided up for bills and food and other such exciting things) I took to the interweb to track down the only type of chocolate that doesn't make very ill (it's like my scumbag body now has an inbuilt mechanism to prevent me turning into a fatty fat pants) so I was delighted when I ...

Tonight I sat down to a dinner of Steamed hake (with butter and lemon), baby potatoes, green-beans, mange-tout and brocolli. As I was forcing myself to eat mouthfuls of hake (which I had only bought after giving myself a stern talking to regarding my protein intake), I couldn't help but marvel on the ridiculousness of this whole situation. To be fair if I was still my old lazy, regular, vegetarian self then my protein intake would not be a major concern. I would probably find some form of supplement that makes up for what my diet is lacking and add it to my collection of other supplements I take in a cacophony of nutrition every morning with breakfast.  Now that I crossfit ( even though it's part time, when I can sort of crossfitting) my protein intake has taken on a new importance. I want to get better and stronger and not spend every post crossfit class day wishing that I had a chair lift to get out of my apartment so I wasn't forced to walk down three flights ...

Another Sunday off so Stephen and I went on the obligatory day trip. Weekend days off feel precious so I try not to waste them. This Sundays day trip was to Lismore. Which is almost as far as you can go while still staying in Waterford county ( as far as I can tell Ardmore is the  furthest place from where I live that's in the county and as it happens that was my first choice for Sundays trip) I had said I didn't want to go too far because I'm broke and I didn't want to put too much petrol in the car (if you don't get it then you're not as broke as me) and somehow Lismore won despite being almost an hour away.  Not to suggest an element of predictability but as always the trip to scenic location is followed one or several photos of me against picturesque backgrounds, allegedly there to give the shot some perspective. What do I know, I just stand where I'm told and try not to look too troll like in the the photo. Not always a success and unfortunately...

Last night my boyfriend and I went for a meal in a very nice French restaurant, just like grown ups. well we were more like amateur grown ups, sitting down to eat at 6 to ensure we got the early bird menu and proffering two vouchers that covered the exact cost of our meal ( my house mate had been given them from work when he didn't attend their Christmas party and generously donated them to me) so In reality I felt a bit like a student because I couldn't afford to eat at this restaurant at a regular time or without the voucher (not after this weeks fruit buying mania). The other truth that struck me was that I actually had more money as a student ( working part time) even if I did hate the job that put me through college.  anyway I had been putting off using the donated vouchers for as long as possible  because my last encounter with French food had me feeling the experience would more of an endurance than a treat.  It's no secret that I'm a picky eater s...

Today I set off to do my food shop in Tescos brimming with good intentions. I was going to buy lots of yummy healthy things and it was all going to be great. I would have all the deliciousness to get me through the week and keep me on the straight and narrow. i.e. not eating crap. I had already decided I would get a few more types of fruit because it is summer, even if you wouldn't know by looking outside, and nothing makes me feel more summery than juicy strawberries or peaches. So I got completely carried away and I swear it was an accident because I did not foolishly arrive at the supermarket with hunger calling all the shots. To be fair had I gone in there hungry I probably would have come out with a whole load of crap and not spent half the money I did. My food shopping for just one person came to a little over €80, yikes. Especially given that it is €30 more than I budget for my weekly shop and that doesn't include the money I spent at the health food store earlier this...

Lots of people shop online these days. Some people even do most of their shopping this way or find innumerable bargains you'd never get in the shops. But I am not like most people. I don't buy shoes online, I prefer to try them on. I don't buy clothes online because I am too hung up about my own squishy body to trust an item of clothing I haven't seen on me. I am getting arm loads of bargains via the internet. My purchases are a lot less exciting, mostly supplements and protein powder and aside from that the thing I have bought quite a lot online is chocolate. Not mountains of it and not even amazingly cheap chocolate and yet I have taken to the internet to source it. I know it seems like an odd choice given how much chocolate is readily available to me at any point in time but I am going the extra mile because this chocolate is special. True story. So I know I've mentioned that I'm off sugar and alcohol and so on and it's going okay. Three weeks now an...

Yesterday, I went on a roadtrip with my boyfriend to a nearby summer festival in the village of Inistioge, Co Kilkenny. I had found the details of this so called festival when I checked to see if there was anything worth doing in Kilkenny this weekend. I guess not everything on the site can be a hit and we had done quite well in getting down to the Sky cat laughs festival the day before. Now I'm not sure if I misunderstood or if it was widely exaggerated but I was expecting a lot more from it. We arrived early to an overcast sky, a few stands and inflatible structures in the middle of a field and I decided it had probably just started so we would go for a walk in the village and when we came back it would have kicked off and we'd be happy that we had spent €5 each just to get in. On the way out we paused for an obligatory photo with the giant straw teddy bear and I didn't realise till later but this was actually a highlight of the festival. In saying that festival seems...

If you have never read my blog before and you're expecting a complete run down of the sky cat laughs festival then you're in for a disappointment. This is not that sort of blog. It's not a complete lie because I was in Kilkenny yesterday and as it happens I did see some comedy but it was just the one show and it might not be fair to to judge an entire festival based on that. Much as I've always wanted to go to cat laughs, I can't say yesterday was part of a big master plan, it was more a series of happy coincidences. I booked this weekend off ages ago and then forgot about it; during the week we decided on a day out in Kilkenny and I only realized it coincided with the comedy festival when I took to the internet to see if there was anything happening and then boom we had comedy tickets and a plan for the weekend. We set off early enough because it was a lovely sunny day and we wanted to make the most of it. Looking out my window now at the grey miserable Sunday,...