I will get through today I will. I will do this by saying random things. Um, like...

My giant shoes are allegedly about to be shipped. Mini rar!

Hello karmicnull!

I do not want a Dubya Doll.

Tomorrow is Nightmare, and will have a light-up head-dress.

To do today:-
1. Tidy my room so I can see to pack.
2. Take a few last minute clothes to launderette for unaccustomed service wash on the grounds that way they'll be dry in time to pack. Try not to get used to the concept of service washes.
3. Buy Tales from Earthsea which is allegedly going to be in the Science Fiction Bookshop
4. Do not read Tales from Earthsea. Even a bit. Put it straight in my train bag and don't even look at it. Thus I *should* have something to read in the train.
5. Pack my dinky (well quite large, actually) makeup case with makeup
6. Pack underwear and wash kit and anything else I don't have to make a fashion decision about. Remember that I don't have to make a fashion decision about *everything*.
7. Make fashion decisions. This could take some time so remember to eat during the process.
8. Do mending and alterations I should have done days ago. If I can be arsed.
9. Pack fashion decisions, remembering that I am going to have to be able to lift the case and attempting to leave some room in the case for shopping
10. Panic.

Update: Items 1, 2 and 5 done. Well into item 10. Time to go to the book shop, methinks...

OK, even though I'm feeling crappy at the moment I am determinedly looking ahead. So - what's good in Amsterdam that me and ciphergoth should go to? Coffee houses, museums, clubs, whatever... So far my only decision is to go on a canal boat, and not to be so stoned that we pass out all weekend.

A rough schedule for the next wee while:-

Today: at home doing BiCon stuff. This evening I'm going to Studio 24 for UTI with ciphergoth and Jon. If anyone wants to come with us, please get in touch. This is a good night to try particularly if you're not sure about techno, 'cos it's free! I think I've persuaded Andrew Hewitt, as well, which is a first...

Saturday will be more BiCon work, maybe some BiCon shopping, still not buying any giant shoes, followed by either rainstorm's party or the Mish depending on how mashed I get tonight.

Sunday I will do even more BiCon work, if not dead by then, and go for a nice walk in the sun if it's not pissing down. If I feel very virtuous I may investigate the Commonwealth Pool gym.

Monday I'm back at work and so is my nice boss who's been away for four weeks. I expect to be busy.

Tuesday I may get Gosford Park out on video, does anyone want to see it with me?

Wednesday I'll probably look in at the Holyrood, because I'm staying in on Thursday because I've got an event on Friday.

Saturday 10th I'm getting my hair cut and dyed sufficiently red for BiCon. Rar! Is anything on on the 9th or 10th where I can dance?.

Paul got me a present from Berlin. It's a book about a sheep called Selma which is so simple even I can read it. I also learnt a new word - I now know that the German for Baa is Mäh. I am now filled with a vague desire to learn any language other than English, which will evaporate once I have remembered how difficult it actually is.

Meanwhile it rains, I have cramps, and I have very little to do at work. There's a lot of rather subtle pressure on me to take some annual leave now, while there's no work to do and before it gets really busy in September, but I am determined not to give in to it while it's raining and I have nowhere fun to go. In any case I feel I couldn't relax if I went away for any length of time before BiCon. Actually I suspect that I'm not going to be able to relax under any circumstances before BiCon...

Tonight is the LJ meetup in the Holyrood, and we have a BiCon meeting tomorrow, but after that I have sod all planned, so I am going to try and round people up for social activities early this time - last weekend having been a bit of a washout. So is anyone up for any of:-

• Velvet Chains on Friday (and if so can you help me with my corset cos Paul's away)
  
• Dogma on Friday
  
• Digital at the Venue on Saturday
  
• The Forbidden City exhibition in the Royal museum any time during the day at the weekend.
  
• Spiderman (I'll even go to UGC).
  
• Cabaret or the Amadeus director's cut at the Filmhouse anytime after the 26th
  

And further ahead, there's a special festival Dogma on on 26th August, which has a license till 5am, and it's after BiCon, so I can do what I like, so I really REALLY want to get a posse together for that one.

Any other ideas are very welcome, too; there has to be more to life than going Mäh...

Well, video, anyhoo

I've got From Hell, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Planet of the Apes, and Jurassic Park III. If anyone wants to watch with us, let me know which ones you want to watch, and we'll sort it out. I've got them for two nights, so it's flexible.

People I need to catch up with soon:-

• avarita to learn about selling stuff on Ebay and natter
  
• Finn, 'cos I want to get her to alter some of my too-big clothes
  
• gothtart to feed her, gossip, share flavoured vodka tips and maybe even some ideas about job hunting.
  
• cairmen to go to that strange restaurant on Lothian Road
  
• hfnuala to run through some BiCon stuff
  
• Neal, so I can give him my old leather (which I totally failed to do last night).
  
• akicif when he's next in town, 'cos it's been too long and we should go clubbing at some point
  

At least I am about to go to Ikea with Kaela, which is one item off the list...

Of course if you're not here it doesn't mean I don't want to see you, but I'm just struck by how many things involving meeting people I've been vaguely meaning to get around to.

At least that what I'm going to be trying to persuade myself of this week, as my schedule is absolutely empty this weekend, and my bank account isn't much fuller. TV is going to be shite, though, so I'll be mostly doing BiCon admin, which is OK because we had another ten bookings today, and I'm still expecting a few more last minuters (we're very forgiving people), so I should have a whole bundle of cheques to pay in tomorrow morning and then around 60 confirmations to send out. Rar! Oh, and I'd better send the deposit to the venue...

Still, and entire weekend doing what I do at work doesn't fill me with joy, so if anyone else is around and wants to come over for some food or go out for an inexpensive coffee, let me know.

I did some sums yesterday. They scared me. Spending too much buying new clothes costs more than spending too much on nail varnish in Boots. This must stop. This month all my disposable income will go on clubbing and drugs instead...

I'm thinking of coming to London for a few days before Easter. Is anything cool happening on the weekend of the 23rd of March? I'd probably fly to London, see a few folk, and take a day to get the train out to Leicester to do a BiCon site visit. I could go the weekend after Easter as well (6th April), but this is a bit harder with my workload as my line manager will be away.