Am I Really Of That Age?

Yesterday, a friend from Primary School had her first child.  She's the same age as me, 21.  Many of my friends from Secondary School have also had at least one child by now.

One of my best friends from Secondary school and I go out for lunch whenever I'm back in Essex.  It's like a tradition now.  We catch up (it's usually every 6-odd weeks we see each other), talking about our boyfriends and what not, and sometimes talk goes to our friends who are now mothers.  I don't really see them any more, but she sees them often.  She tells me how its always baby this and baby that and 'I can't come out today, I don't have a babysitter' and that she's a bit fed up with them because they don't seem to have their own lives any more.  Fair enough, having children does that, but we're still meant to be enjoying our lives as our own, still growing up.  We, my friend and I, aren't looking down on them or anything for having children - it was their choice.  We then go on to talk about our futures.  She's got enough money now to go towards a house with her boyfriend of 2 years, and my boyfriend of 4 years and I are talking about jobs and houses for after graduation.  It's all rather exciting.  We're both in similar points in our lives, and it's nice to talk to someone about it who isn't a guy (99.9% of my friends are male).  It may seem archaic nowadays, but we believe in finding a man you want to stay with, moving in with them, getting married and then having children.

Anyway, I got my usual monthly medication from the Pharmacy on Tuesday.  For the first time ever, I was asked if it was okay for one of my bottles to not have a child safety cap.  Am I of an age now where people may assume I have children?

Wednesday Wonderings: Cyclists vs Drivers

I am a cyclist, but I make sure that I abide by the Highway code.  I read it before cycling at university because I was never on the roads before without my dad with me.

There is currently a war between cyclists and drivers, both saying that it's the other's fault for causing accidents.  Now, I don't ride my bike outside the university grounds because I'm too scared that I'll get hit.  I wear a helmet at all times, and usually gloves.  Most cyclists I see don't even wear a helmet and sometimes even wear their headphones!

Cyclists wonder why they get hurt, and I have seen, plenty of times, cyclists jump red lights.  They are there for a reason!  There has even been made a specific area at the top of the traffic light queue for cyclists to wait.  And many cyclists don't indicate, don't stay single file by the curb, and don't go into the correct lane when they are coming up to a junction.  It annoys me also that cyclists ride on the pavements instead of the roads because they are scared of getting hit.  Unless it is stated that the pavement is for both cyclists and pedestrians, you can't ride on it.  You have a chance of knocking someone over.

Most drivers don't really help the situation too much either though.  Like cyclists, they will jump the lights (though not as often as cyclists), don't indicate and go into the incorrect lane.  Some drivers even forget that they have mirrors attached to their cars.

Now Scotland are trying to enforce a new law where the driver is always at fault if they hit a cyclist, but that isn't fair if the driver has been abiding by the rules and the cyclist hasn't.  My dad was in a traffic jam, moved about 3 inches into the other lane to go a different way (he was going about 3 mph), and a motorcyclist hit him.  Luckily, my dad wasn't charged with anything, but it's this problem that could cause innocent people to get points on their license or even end up in jail.

So there is no winner, because both cyclists and drivers are to blame.

Exciting Updates

I walked 10km on Saturday with my dad and raised over £300 for Crohn's and Colitis UK and FORTH. I'm really proud of myself because I didn't stop once, and my dad thought I was going to on the final hill (I would call it a mountain).  We did it in 2 hours and 25 minutes and managed to finished just before the rain decided to fall.

It was also my dad's 60th birthday on Monday.  I can't believe he's 60!  You wouldn't think it if you met him.  He has too much energy for someone who is meant to be 60.  We (my mum, sister and I) got him a microlight experience and he should really enjoy that as it's his kind of thing.  We ate a lot of food over the weekend in celebration (we went out on Saturday, Sunday and Monday).  But alas, I could not eat any of the cake :(

Wednesday Wonderings: Travelling with Headphones On

This is something you probably see every day - someone with their headphones on listening to music while walking around. Are people so anti-social these days that they can't go for an x minute walk without listening to music or even an audio book? And, not to forget, it's rather dangerous because you have little awareness of your surroundings, no matter how carefully you look around when crossing the road.

It's not just people walking around but I've seen cyclists and drivers wear them too. Cyclists need to be extra careful because they are on the road with little protection on (especially as many people don't wear helmets anymore) surrounded by heavy metal boxes going faster than them. And drivers with headphones in is just stupidity. What happens if something goes wrong with your car but you could have prevented it because you heard it before it got worse? Or if an emergency vehicle is coming up but you don't see them?

What's worse is when you can hear someone's music from across the road. That person clearly doesn't want to hear anything in a few years time.

Wednesday Wonderings: Trains

I know today isn't Wednesday, but I was out the whole of yesterday and didn't get a chance to write a post.

I'm on the train. A lot.  It feels like I'm on the train at least twice a week (partially because for the past 3 weeks I have had return journeys).  I need an aisle seat for my arthritis and Crohn's - it makes things easier if I need to rush to the toilet or get up and stretch - so I always choose it as a preference when booking my tickets.  One thing I do not get, though, is why one of the preferences while booking train tickets is to sit at a table.  Having a table seat restricts your leg room and you are facing at least one other person.  No one wants that.  The only time having a table seat is good is when you have the whole table to yourself.

Rant over :)

Exciting Times

I got incredibly fed up with my gastroenterologist (as you may have noticed from an earlier post), so after talking it through with my parents and boyfriend, we have decided that it would be best for a second opinion.  I  saw my GP and he referred me to a clinic in London who my best friend's dad (who has had Crohn's for about 30 years) is under.  My original appointment wasn't until the end of the month, but the hospital rang me and my doctor had referred me to the wrong clinic, and the next appointment available was tomorrow!  So it looks like I'll be on the train home tonight, and the train to London tomorrow morning!  Here's hoping that my second doctor is more helpful in the everything department.

Time To Go Home

Happy Easter everyone, or as I prefer it, Happy Zombie Jesus day.

What I woke up to on Easter Sunday :)

So I've spent the past weeks and a bit at home in Essex, and I'm currently on the train back to Loughborough.

My time clock has been completely messed up this week.  My friends are mostly nocturnal, so going round theirs in the evening usually means not getting home til 2am, sometimes later (my latest was 4:30am).  Midnight McDonald's are a usual occurrence with them too.  The McDonald's Monopoly started again last Friday, and we have most of the stickers already - I know, we're sad, but it's the only time it seems we get to really socialise with each other.  Our local McD's is open 24/7, so we sit in the restaurant too. So, sitting on the train back to my cold flat (we all know it is going to be cold because I turned off the heating and it's been below freezing most days even though it is now spring), I'm thinking about all the things I've done since I've been home.

1. Family Reunion

What my family's get-togethers are like

Okay so it wasn't really a family reunion but actually my second cousin once removed's wedding reception, but it's the only time the Irish side of my family seem to ever get together.  And you can see by the mouthful of explaining which family member's wedding it was that it's easier to just say family reunion. I still don't know and remember everyone that I was introduced to, but I have some idea.

2. Cinema

We actually went to the cinema twice, my friends and I, and we saw Trance and G.I. Joe 2.  Having a friend who works at a cinema is really handy sometimes (free tickets, woo).  Trance was a bit like Inception, but I actually understood what was happening in Trance.  G.I. Joe 2, I'm glad I didn't pay to see it.  It wasn't as good as G.I. Joe, but still a good shoot-em up.

3. 50 Lollipop Challenge

This nearly caused several diabetic comas

I do not recommend this one to anyone who gets brain freezes easily, or who doesn't want to get diabetes.  We did this the first Sunday I was home (not Easter Sunday thank goodness).  I could only eat the Helter Skelters, and one of my friends ate about 20 of the lollies (there were 6 of us sharing this challenge).  It was a ridiculous night that ended with McDonald's.

4. Doctor Who

Doctor Who started again on Saturday.  It has gotten over it's Stargate syndrome (the need for each episode to be bigger and better than the last) and has gone back to old Who, nearly.  The opening sequence is very old style Doctor Who.  [spoiler]The bells of Saint John were the telephone ringing in the tardis, and it got it's name from the Saint John's ambulance sticker on the door.  My friend, who is a Saint John's volunteer, had a fanboy moment[/spoiler]