Of Determined Doingness May 15, 2008
Posted by Jen in : Domestic Doings, Journal , trackbackI remember reading somewhere that ‘having it all’ means ‘doing it all’. It sounded tough, in a kamikaze 1980s shoulder pads sort of way. All of a sudden, though, I seem to have adopted this red-lipstick and high heels approach. I want it all and I want it now.
Hmmm. I think I’m having a mini-mid-life crisis. I don’t like being 39. I blame the ‘life begins at 40′ thing: I somehow feel that the next 355 days or so are the end of an era somehow. Not in a bad way; just life being marked. A defining thing.
I want it all. I really do. Predictably, I’m on yet another ‘get thin’ regime. I’ve been running nearly every day and lovely bf hasn’t sniggered even once while trying to winch me out of bed the following day when my muscles and joints are seizing up. Needless to say, he doesn’t quite get the mid-life thing. I’m not sure it’s entirely fair that he’s only just turned 32. Perhaps I should trade him in for a doddery old duffer and then I’d be all spritely by comparison?
I haven’t done even an eeny weeny bit of editing; when the new sofas for the conservatory come, that will be the place to edit. No, really. I mean it. Honest Guv.
Yes, dear reader, living in The Cul de Sac means that I now have a conservatory from which to watch my life hobble past. It’s a beast of a room and will be separated into two areas: a chill-out zone with huge great big sofas for sprawling editing and the other end containing a new dining table at which we will hold dinner parties in a most middle class sort of way. It’s getting to me, The Cul de Sac. I’ve even bought new clothes. From Boden. Shhhhhh… you see what I mean? It’s all creeping insidiously into me; I even conformed and put the recycling bins out in a co-ordinated fashion on Tuesday. I didn’t mean to. But every other house had their bins lined up like soldiers by their beds. I couldn’t help myself.
Good Lord. 7am now, time for a run before I wriggle into my flippy skirt or hotchpotch top. Bloody hell. How on earth am I supposed to be a writer when I carry on like that, eh?
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You see: Terry and June. It’s already starting, and you’re seemingly powerless to resist the pull to buy matching jumpers for you and lovely bf.
EVERYONE knows proper writers live in cold attics. Not cul-de-sacs!
Most jealous of your conservatory, tho not sure I’d get much writing done in one, I’ve always thought of them as places to lounge around in drinking margaritas.
Confession - I have a hotchpotch top too - but haven’t found it conducive to writing - I’m taunted by the catalogue which inisists I should be skipping along the beach or hanging off a yacht in it rather than sitting hunched over my keyboard.
I’m only able to edit from a prostate position myself. I could do with a conservatory!
Lovely bf is 32?? Mein Gott. Is he going to wear Boden too?
(I was going to be mean and say ‘Mini Boden’ because I’m in wizen, very old bag mood today:-)
Personally I think a nice Hotpotch will go very well with your writerly ways.
And they wash so well when you spill your wine.
Funnily enough the new catalogue arrived this morning. I want to buy the dog on pg 32. (ooh spooky there’s that number again)
You need to get out of that cul-de-sac before you start wearing fluffy slippers and washing the car every Sunday morning.
And get yourself a hard chair. Big sofas invite snoozing not editing. I speak from experience…
Gordon Bennett Jen, my muscles and joints have seized up just thinking about running everyday…
Running every day??!! At 7am?????!!!!!
You are officially my heroine, and i am officially ashamed of my dreadful lack of recent running.
Oh goodness, I’m exhausted just from reading that! If I don’t want anything, can I just do nothing?
You do realise that it’s the days between the running that your muscles recover and grow stronger, though, right? You need at least one rest day a week.
(AKA you are making me feel bad… I have a 10k one month today and am so unfit it’s untrue. I really need to get out, but the end of my course is making that rather difficult.)
Also, just spotted that you linked me! Thanks
errrm, oh yes, and not ‘making me feel bad’. I am not running and the fact someone else is making me feel bad means that I really need to get out there and run. not blame that someone else for taking action
I will shut up now, just ignore me 
The other day, I saw a couple of grils walking along the side of the road and I swear the tops they were wearing had ‘enhanced shoulders’. So rest easy Jen, looks like they might be making a slight-return.
Running is evil, EVIL. Do you hear? Don’t do it! It can only end in tears and ouchy wobbly bits.
Flaming Norah, I am awake again at 4am, that’s the trouble with flippin insomnia, sigh.
Awwww, you wear a flippy skirt, you are soooo cute. {{{Jen}}}
Running every day eh!! Blimey!! (am very very impressed - I think I could just about manage to run the length of myself but that would be about it)
Am confused….what is a hotchpotch top?
C x
Bobo - Jen becomes June. A simple yet scary transition. Will I ever recover?
Jumbly Girl - don’t even get me started on the Boden catalogue. All those skinny girls in sequinned skirts and wellies proclaiming their love of Guinness and bacon butties. Why do we torture ourselves with it?
Yvonne - I must confess, I’d never realised that a conservatory was the writerly tool I’ve been missing all this time.
Lane - No Boden for boyf. Am a little envious that you’ve had the dog issue. Where’s mine? Maybe the postman thught it best not to encourage me…
Karen - you can see my fluffies and sparkling car from there? Crikey.
JJ - I wish my brain would seize up and stop giving me thought about moving about all the time.
Kate - You wouldn’t say anything about heroines if you could see me puffing about in the woods like a broken down steam engine
Helen - Yes. Lie down more. Eat more cake. Those are my resolutions for next year.
B - Am resting my bits, worry not. Maybe you could run on my behalf; sounds as if you’re much better at it me.
Bedshaped - really? shoulder pads? Oh, please say it isn’t true. They’ll look good with my ra-ra skirt though.
Hullaballooooo - awake at 4? No, no, no my little Scotterland chicken. That is not right at all. (I don’t really wear skirts at all. I might when I’m a twig though.)
Carol - A hotchpotch top is a very overpriced shirt thing that comes in a charming combination of non-matching prints. Expensive suburban hippy, if you like.
Better? I did the great north run last October. I’m *still* exhausted from that. I can’t get into a running habit again since.
Feel free to ask me if I’m running anytime you pop over
I’m with Hullaballoo - running is evil! But that may be because when I run I flap my arms and look like a muppet.
x
7am runs, Boden, neat recycling boxes and conservatory-sprawling… !!! I’m worried about you, Jen. I reckon the body-snatchers have made a recent cul-de-sac invasion.
I think you should feel well pleased with yourself with the want it/do all - damn it all(?) attitude. I only got my want it/do it last month when I turned Five zero. See can’t even bear to say it. You have ten years on me so you’re fitter and can run up and down stairs without puffing.
The pirate is younger than me. Younger men are so now darling. And so are dinner parties I believe. I have mine on my lap in front of Coronationenders.
B - Wow, you did the Great North Run? That’s pretty impressive! I could never do anything like that…
Caroline - You look like a muppet when you run, I look like Miss Piggy if I don’t run. It’s a cruel old world.
Lucy D - It’s all rather horrifying, isn’t it? Before we know it, I’ll be hoovering even when I’m not expecting anyone!
Fiona - I’m sure TV dinner parties are far more civilised than proper ones. And you can perform then in your pyjamas which is a major plus. Five-Zero but with a young pirate? Sounds as if you’ve got life sorted!
Was sunburnt and really, really exhausted after the GNR, but yay, I did it. Took me nearly 3hrs. You can read about it here if you want to be
inspiredput off forever!Just popped by to let you know that author/literary agent/writing coach Orna Ross will be stopping by my blog today and will answer (on Monday) any questions left in the comment trail. You’re welcome to drop in!
Lovely bf is 32? Jen, stop complaining - you’re beginning to sound smug. Can I have an invite to your cheese and wine party????
Mya xxx
I’m glad someone else had the courage to admit they didn’t know what a hotchpotch top was, now I find I rather like them and have been hearing their siren call without even knowing what they were!
I can recommend getting together with an old duffer and feeling spritely by comparison, it’s certainly worked for me. Even better, move to rural France and you’ll find most of your friends and neighbours, French and English, are also well past retirement age and you can go round with the illusion of being an eternal teenager indefinitely.
I see no reason why sprawling and editing need be mutually exclusive…
I don’t know what a hotchpotch top is either in fact I thought it said hopscotch oh dear!! However I am rather upset by Lucy’s slur on the rural French and English. And more to the point how did she guess that I’m an old gimmer with a zimmer frame!!!!!
Don’t want to brag but I have done the London Marathon and run 4 times a week, best not to run every day to let the muscles recover a bit. Keep it up tho’ cos I find running is very good for the morale especially when you stop!!!!!!
B - crumbs, enough to put me off running for life! I don’t even like doing things I enjoy for 3 hours non-stop!!
Lianne - cheers for the reminder.
Mya - only if you bring the cheese. Cheesy smugness is where it’s at, apparently.
Lucy - sprawling & editing sound a good combo, especially when combined with cake. Oh, I can’t wait to run away to France. Sadly, I’ll be as dufferish as the rest by the time I can afford it
Sheepish - you are so not a gimmer with a zimmer! Love the phrase though. You did the London marathon? Wow, cool. Yes, four times a week is about right. I don’t quite go every day; I’m not as daft as I look, luckily. Marching about with ‘determined arms’ on the ‘off’ days makes me look dafter though…