The seven day itch…

Ok, ok I’m sorry…

I’m really, really, really sorry….seriously, sad face and everything!

I have neglected you and for that you have every right to log out, to de-blog (is that even a word?) and generally shun me from your life. I won’t blame you, I won’t even sulk, I promise.

I could pile on the excuses, that since I’ve been back it’s been all ‘go, go, go,’ first week back at work (to sum up – massive shock to the system but lovely seeing everyone), finding a new flat (Still searching?!) and getting sick (random ear infection that makes me feel like I’m either permanently drunk or on a boat)…..but I won’t, I’ll just say, again, that I am very, very, truly sorry.

So you could leave me……but if you did you miss finding out all about my new challenge!!

Drum roll please….brrrrrrrrrrrrrr (imagine drum roll here please)

I give you ……The Seven Day itch.

Ah yes, The Seven Day Itch. It is genius. It really is. It might even need its own theme tune….I’ll tackle that another time.

Ok so the Seven Day Itch is not a sexually transmitted disease, nor is it a rash or an excuse to cheat on ones partners at regular intervals (although what do I know, I’m sat on the single shelf?!)

“The Seven Day Itch” is the name  I have given to this new phrase in my life. To be exact, the new challenge I have set myself since coming back from Auz. For those of you that have been with me since the beginning know that after returning from Auz I made myself a promise, an oath if you will,  (there really should be some kind of anthem playing over this speech…)…yes…..an oath! That I, ZomersetGirl, would take the new-found bravery, excitement and happiness that t’was bestowed on me, in that wonderful land down under, into my life and henceforth, seize every opportunity to stay happy, meet friendgers and be brave!! (sniff….oh it brings a tear to my eye…good times)

And so it was that the Seven Day Itch was created, as a testament to that oath and a reminder that I will never forget that precious time in my life.

So how does it work I hear you cry?? Well as you know there are 52 weeks in the year, yeap there definitely is, I’ve checked. It is my goal to try something new, something totally random, exciting, possibly ridiculous and damm right brave, once, every seven days.

That’s 52 new, amazing experiences each year!! Yeah, that’s some serious living man! And I might add some great content for all you lovely lot. Now before I get ahead of myself I know that we’re already in May so I have technically missed out on a big chunk of those 52 weeks already, but here’s the loop-hole – Australia?!

Yeap for three (ish) of those months I was having a massive adventure, every single day – so I think that covers that, and as for January well, as you know I was a quivering wreak on the floor of my life back then so I think you can let that one slip by. And so there you go….

The Seven Day itch is born……it’s rather marvellous isn’t it.

So here’s where you come in. I have a vivid imagination and being in one of the best cities in the world I have access to some crazy things….so I’m pretty sure I can get this life challenge thing off to a good start – but I don’t want to do it alone….. Nope I want you, yes YOU to help me.

I want you to be part of my Seven Day Itch – send me your suggestions of what I should do, hell you can even dare me to do stuff and I will absolutely (if not too scary) rise to the challenge!!

In return for your suggestion you will get to witness my escapades in all their shambolic glory – through video, pictures and of course my own ramblings.

So are you in???

To kick us off I have listed five potential things I can try first, I’m starting relatively softly just to warm up, don’t want to pull a muscle or die on my first challenge?!

So which one should I do…well that’s up to you –

– Go on a date to Dans Le Noir – The totally pitch black restaurant where you’re basically blind throughout. Just two concerns here, one – the idea of food all over my face and two – who the hell would I go with?? Time for a date????

Food all over my face!

– Speakers Corner – Read aloud some of my very own blog entries from AdventuresofZomersetGirl to a crowd of….several (mentalists)….at London’s most iconic free speech stages

Have I told you about the time I met a Shark...

– Take part in The Friday night skate – a massive skate session that takes place in London each Friday night, apparently all you need are a pair of skates and to be able to skate….erm….ok I have no skates and can’t really skate…but that won’t deter me.

Warning: i can't skate!

– Learn to make sushi – It absolutely one of my favourite foods, I LOVE it, think I’d probably just eat everything as I was making it – yummy!

Yummy! The sushi not all the men...of course

So there you go, If you want to see me take on any of those just let me know, the one with the most comments wins and I’ll throw myself into it.

Or if you have a better idea….bring it on!

Movie moments – take one

As you may have already gathered from my ramblings I have quite a vivid imagination…crazy neon colours type vivid. Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret, a small, somewhat embarrassing thing I do called ‘Movie Moments’.

If there was entry on Wikipedia for Movie Movements it would read a little something like this: Movie Moments – this is a process whereby an individual of sane mind creates an entirely fabricated scenario which is then played out in their imagination. The scenario often resembles that from a movie and will also include an all-important sound track to add to the experience.

To give you an example every single time I’m working out, in a gym, running, anything…. it’s a movie moment. To be more specific the exercising movie moment I’m in – is a montage, a transformation montage to be precise. It’s that part of any romcom movie when the jilted girl gets fit, looses loads of weight and generally looks fabulous. It is in my head where I transform from a curvy (wobbly), short arsed wilderbeast into a galloping long legged gazelle – all to the soundtrack of kick ass songs like “Since you’ve been gone” by Kelly Clarkson or “Single Ladies” by Beyonce. I’m serious. I imagine my transformation montage every single time I’m exercising.

Another movie moment would be the ‘randomly meeting the man of my dreams movie moment’….I have this one a lot. For example recently I was enjoying a coffee sat in the window of a gorgeous boutique café and started imaging my movie moment scenario……maybe a guy will trip up right outside the window, I’ll giggle, he’ll see me, laugh too, our eyes will meet, we’ll share a muffin and wham! – love of my life…..you get the picture.

I loose myself in these little movie moments all the time. And whilst I know they are totally absurd, ridiculous and actually a bit sad I am desperate for one to happen in real life. But of course they never do. Of course not – because they totally absurd, and ridiculous. And even though I know this, even though I know they will never, ever come true, I’m still over come with disappointment that they don’t?! I know. Crazy right. Oh yes.

So this is what happened when I returned from Australia. 24hours is a long time to be travelling. It’s epic in fact. And so fuelled by a severe lack of sleep, far too much red wine and 2 night nurse tablets (seriously not recommended?!) I started to imagine my movie moment arrival home….These were the various scenarios I played out in my head –

Movie moment 1: I come through the arrivals hall, pushing my luggage trolley, searching the sea of faces for my family……and then running towards me, pushing through the crowds come my two gorgeous nieces, screaming my name, with massive smiles on their faces, closely followed by my mum (who’s naturally crying with joy) and my sister. I scoop up my nieces covering them in kisses and cuddles, I’m crying too at this point, then on to a massive, meaningful hug with my mum and sister. We’re all crying and laughing. Reunited. They are over joyed to see me. It’s wonderful. The sound track here would be something like “You’ve got the love” by Florence & the Machine.

Reality check – I land at 6am. Yes 6am. There is absolutely no way on earth my sister would drag my poor nieces out of their beds at 3am to travel the 3hrs up from bumpkin land to London just to meet me off a plane. Not a chance.

Movie moment 2: (Please hold the judgements on this one, I was drunk and drugged remember!) I come through the arrivals hall, pushing my luggage trolley, searching the sea of faces …..and then….him. Yes. He’s there. Standing there with a massive bunch of flowers, and maybe a balloon, and most definitely a banner of some kind (I love a home made banner!). We walk slowly towards each other…. neither of us say a word…..we just….know. We embrace, tears streaming down our cheeks and then we kiss and it’s all wonderful…..The sound track here would be something like Coldplay or Snow Patrol, maybe the last minuet of Open Your Eyes, with all the strings and violins – I LOVE the violins. Goosebump central!

Reality check – HELLO?!!!! WTF?!! Have you not just spent 3months getting over this guy, come on woman get a grip. I practically slapped myself round the face on the plane once I’d played out this little movie moment in my head.

NO, NO, NO, NO….NEVER GONNA HAPPEN. STOP IT!! Deep breath. Right then.

So eventually I settled on a version of movie moment 1, with a few little tweaks, namely that it would just be my mum. My wonderful mum. The woman who’s spent the last 3months telling me how much she loves me and can’t wait to have to me home….yes my mum, a lovely movie moment of me arriving into Heathrow running into the arms of my mum for a massive cuddle and a few tears. This was brilliant. The perfect arrival at the airport scene – like something out of ‘Love Actually’. And this time it was gonna happen for real, finally one of my movie moments would come true.

By the time the plane had landed I’d sobered myself up and had started to get all nervous and excited. I was gonna see my mum, I couldn’t wait.

I walked through the arrival doors with all the other passengers, a big smile on my face, nervously searching the sea of faces for my mum. My fellow passengers were being greeted by loved ones all around me, it was wonderful. I walked on a bit, slowing down. Still searching the crowds for my mum. My trolley slowed down a bit more, then eventually stopped. I looked and looked but there was no sign of her. I was certain that at any moment she’d come bursting through the crowd to sweep me up in a massive cuddle….but no, no mum. No mum at all.

Maybe she’d got stuck in traffic, she’d come running in any moment now. Five minuets passed. Then 10. By now everyone on my plane had been collected, embraces had and reunions done. Not me. I’m still there with my trolley and now I’m starting to get worried. This is Zomerset Mum, she would never be late, something awful must have happened. My Auz phone wasn’t working now that I was back on UK soil so I begged the main behind the information desk to let me use his phone….

“Mum?? Where are you, are you ok?”

“Oh hi darling yeah I’m fine, just on my way to Heathrow…”

“WHAT?!!! On your way to Heathrow?! I landed an hour ago?!!!”

“Oh, really, oh god. I’m sorry darling, you told me not to rush….I’m on my way though”

“Fine I’ll meet you in the café called Bite – see you soon.” HUFFF.

Brilliant. My own mother had basically forgotten about me. I mean, I’d only been away for 3months it’s not like she missed me or anything?! I was sooooo pissed off. This was the movie moment I felt certain I’d get. My movie moments are always a disappointment (being as they are massively ridiculous and in the “never gonna happen” category) but this one….this one I was certain would happen. But no. Mum forgot about me. Lovely.

Eventually she arrived and after failing to find the café (that was all of 50meters away from the arrival area) I heard my name being called on the tanoy – great, just what I wanted, my name being called over the loudspeaker. Oh the shame of it.

So rather than an emotional, lovely embrace what happened was a very moody exchange of “I can’t believe you weren’t here” and “how could you forgot about me” and “Well you told me not to rush”…..etc etc

It turns out there were three reasons why Zomerset Mum was so late –

1)    She got very, very drunk the night before with her friend Sue (yes Sue I am placing some of the blame with you!)

2)    Because of the above, she left a little bit (read a lot) later than she should have done, hampered no doubt by the massive hangover she’d woken up with

3)    Due to all of the above she had forgotten everything I’d told her about my flight times

So there you go. Movie moments. I have them all the time and they never, ever come true. If only my damm imagination would take a break and save me from this disappointment.

Actually that’s a lie. One movie moment did come true. When I first came to London the phrase fish out of water couldn’t have been more appropriate. I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing, I was dressed wrong, had a funny accent and kept thinking that at any moment a couple of blokes would escort me out of the city saying “sorry love, you just don’t belong here”. I was so uncool. Seriously uncool. I’d look at the Starbucks girls and wish I was one of them. They’d come swishing out of Starbucks their mocha, choca, late, extra foam, shot, thing in hand, mobile in the other, looking uber stylish in their amazing outfits and killer heels, heading off to some meeting or another. I didn’t even like coffee. That was never gonna be me.

But a few years ago, I was dashing off to a meeting wearing my favourite outfit, a super tight black and white stripped dress, with my waist nipping black blazer, killer accessories and my bright coral heels. I looked hot. I rushed into Starbucks to grab my usual – a skinny hazelnut latte and ran out into the sunshine. Then I stopped. Oh my god. I was a starbucks girl! It had actually happened. I had somehow morphed from a lost bumpkin into the kind of girl I used to stare at. Such was my joy at realising this I called my boyfriend at the time, to try and explain it to him. I was a starbucks girl! Of course he had no idea what I was talking about and I’m pretty sure he thought I was drunk but I didn’t care. I was so happy.

So there you go, maybe that’s why I can’t stop imaging the movie moments. Because maybe, just maybe, one day, one of them will come true….oh god I’m pathetic!