It's very strange to be sat in the airport before they've even started to despatch planes off!  The first departure of the day isn't until half six.... It's a bit eerie looking out over the dark airport.  The first plane that'll go is a Ryanair one.  This guy is just getting it out of bed.  It's interesting to watch.  Now he's poking around in the cabin.  I wonder what he's doing, what his job entails.  Ok, I'm bored with staring now.  There aren't even any arrivals until 8am so there's nothing to see.  How dull.

Runaway kitten Georgia was found unhurt after 25 days by rescuers saying "miaow" in a New York Subway tunnel.

The Sun, Monday 18th February 2008

Awwwwww!

I was awoken at 4am this morning by someone outside my door.  It sounded like they were taking my dinner tray away.  When left for work I noticed that my tray was still there.... minus the bowl of leftover food and a fork!!!  Clearly someone was drunk and hungry.  The last laugh is on them though as some of the food had been on the floor as I had a little spillage accident with it....!

Roll on Friday.  I've got a day off.  Huzzah!  I'm toying with the idea of going on a coach tour to the Giant's Causeway.  Although I can imagine it might be full of old ladies.... I wouldn't be short of sandwiches mind.  The other option is to sleep until check out.  Then check out, stash my luggage, go for a swim or massage then traipse down to the other hotel.  I suppose I could go to town and spend some gift vouchers.  Ooo and I must visit the gallery next door to the HI and the exhibition at the Waterfront.  I've had to book a smoking room at the other hotel which will be totally stinking no doubt.  I'll have to beg when I check in to get a non-smoking room.  I don't think it'll happen but if you don't ask you don't get right?!  I must also remember to get up the next morning as my flight home is at 7am! Eek!

I ordered pizza tonight and had it delivered to the hotel.  And my excuse for being so lazy?  It's cold outside.  Very lame.  Anyhow, I got rather excited when Dominos agreed to deliver to the hotel and take cash.  I think I whooped down the phone a little bit.  I certainly jumped up and down.  So when it arrived, reception rang and I got all excited all over again.  It was supposed to take an hour and a half "no worries" I said, thinking that by the time it arrives I'll be so hungry that I won't feel guilt at the unhealthiness of it all.  Forty minutes later..... and it arrived!  Huzzah!  The receptionists seemed mildly amused when I came bounding in loudly exclaiming "YEY!" to the delivery man.  When I looked at the label (for the all important VAT number) I noticed they'd put 'VIP'.  How bizarre.  What does that mean?  Very Insane Person perhaps.  Who knows.  But lets, for an instant, pretend that it means 'very important person'.  Because it's valentines, I'd told the order taker I didn't want to sit in a restaurant all by myself on the allegedly most romantic night of the year.  Perhaps he felt my need for pepperoni, mushrooms and peppers pulsating down the phone line?  I think maybe he did.

Yuck yuck yuck.  If a hotel provides you with towels you expect them to be clean right?  Wrong.  I arrived yesterday and they looked dirty.  But I didn't cause a fuss, I didn't complain.  I bunged them all in the bath to be replaced this morning.  And yes, I did cover them in toothpaste just to make sure.  Well it has to be done.  So today.... I looked at one towel.  It looks dirty.  I picked up another and it has lipstick on it!  Lipstick!  But I haven't bothered to complain, even though I've got another two nights here.  I've just gone and bought a towel from Tesco.  The only problem is that it's white.  What's the betting the maid picks it up in the morning?  I must remember to bung a note on it pointing out my ownership....  they certainly can't mix it up with one of theirs though.... it's brilliant white for a start.

I wonder what it would be like to have Anthony Hopkins as a relative.  How interesting would Sunday lunch be with him dishing out the potatoes?  Do you think he likes brussel sprouts?  I might write and ask him. 

My neighbours are either rearranging furniture right now or they're performing energetic coupling with one (or potentially both) of them wearing high heels.  Or perhaps they're just tap dancing with the occasional need to drag a coffee table across the floor.  Whatever they're up to at this hour, it's VERY ANNOYING. 

A bloke keeled over today in the exec lounge at the airport today!  He's one of the regular Exeter-Belfast City-Exeter commuters.  He just got up, walked to the door and keeled over.  The poor Flybe lady in the lounge didn't know what to do!  The fire brigade/medics dashed in but then I had to go to the plane.  We were late taxiing and the crew started going on about Air Traffic Control.  Why on earth didn't they just say that a passenger had been taken ill and they needed to offload his luggage?  This woman behind got all stroppy with the crew and her bloke, who was sat behind me, kept kneeing me in the back and bashing my head with his newspaper.  Grrr.  I hope the bloke is ok, I see him so often.  He looks like an ex's dad.  He's not, mind, because he lives in East Sussex.  So anyway. 

The good news is that I only had one attack of paranoia on the flight.  The floor below my feet kept moving.  I had visions of a small hole in the hull of the plane expanding into a big hole, causing the floor to wobble and then a crack appearing, a moment of realisation before my seat is sucked out into the sky.  Big old panic.  Then I realised it was just the bloke next to me moving.  Phew.  At least there weren't any "this is it, the end" moments this time.  I was convinced on Monday that we were going down and that was it.  Time was up.  Well, banking sharply left and hitting severe turbulence, causing a big sideways drop, tends to make me yelp.  And yelp I did.  Oh yes indeed. 

Oooo I think I'll have some semolina... I was supposed to be out tonight but couldn't go because I've been ill today (bloody migraines - couldn't see a thing, had to sit in the dark in the first aid room at work this morning!).  Actually, I'd quite like a beer.  But best not.  It's Friday night and here I am talking about semolina.  Oh dear.

Ooooo I'm sat in the Flybe executive lounge at Exeter Hairport.  Getting here was a mission though... I sort of tripped up the stairs in slow motion.  I did, however, manage to stay upright.  Just.  Swearing loudly probably helped....  Everyone just looked at me - hairport staff included!  Yeah, don't mind me, young woman falling up the stairs with one hand full of cheese and ham toastie and the other trying to hang on to the handrail, heavy bag threatening to give in to gravity.  When I recovered myself enough to walk, I found the lounge.  Good job I'm 5'2" and not 5'1" because the code pad is so high that I wouldn't have been able to reach it.  I got in and the current inhabitants just looked at me in a "who are you and why are you coming in here?" manner.  Now I need to work out how one gets a nice cup of tea.  It's scary going over there though.  Those there men will look at me in a "don't you know anything" way.  I have spotted a kettle though..... maybe I should investigate.  Yeah, I'll investigate.  Excellent plan. 

Well, I did it.  I have tea.  Mission accomplished.  You can't beat a nice simple kettle can you?  None of this new fangled coffee in a capsule thing for me!  And now I've settled down with a nice cuppa the incoming flight is arriving ten minutes early.  Dammit.  I'll have to chuck half of this way!  Oh poo.

Right, I suppose I should pack up...

This is the first ever blog that I've written using speech recognition.  It's very strange not having to type.

It's been a while since I last blogged so I've got quite a lot to say.  Last week I went speed dating, was interviewed with some policemen and, well, that's pretty much it.  So I suppose that's not a lot after all.  Ho numbers hum.

For somebody that doesn't shut up I'm finding is very hard to do.  I suppose it's because I'm having to correct everything I don't understand why this doesn't seem to like.  full stop.

I give up with this.  It's annoying me.  For some reason saying " me" results in lots of strange things happening to my screen.  I think I'll type my next entry!!!  At least then I won't feel like I'm sat in a call centre taking orders for old ladies tights advertised in the reader's digest.

Goodnight!