Thoughts on Dating

My maternity leave started today (yes I know I haven't been at work for 2 weeks) but I can now officially say that work is a thing of the past...at least for a minimum of 6-9 months with the option of being off for year. Woo hoo! I have my team lunch tomorrow as we couldn't do it today and I know I'll be sad to wave goodbye to all of the prima donna's and drama queens! It will be weird after almost 4 years at my company, as I won't be part of the fixtures and fittings anymore. The strange thing is that my old boss David Brent X 1 million is leaving at the same time as me so it really is the end of an era! This made me think of my ten best work moments: 1. Just before we broke up for Christmas in 2003, David Brent X 1M 'allowed' us to play music and NK and I seized the opportunity to play The Best of Michael Jackson. Soon we were moonwalking and highkicking around the office and when 'Beat It' came on, NK tied his work tie around his head and pretende

Today I had lunch with a creative force to reckon with. She’s one of my managers and her real-life legal name is  Janet the Planet . Corporate Powerhouse by day, fashion designer to rock stars by night, Ms. Planet is the shining example of “having it all.” I had been admiring her creative energy and positive presence my whole first week at work, so I asked her to lunch so she could school me in the ways of the wise. JTP dropped some knowledge on me regarding balancing the creative and corporate life that resonated with me: “My biggest advice to you is to be flexible in your dreams.” JTP’s exciting adventures included going to fashion school in London, starting her own fashion label, showing her line at Fashion Week three years in a row, and designing custom apparel for rock stars. It really sounded like a dream come true. And she did it all while holding down a 9-to-5. The opportunities popped up like those cute moles in the bop-em-on-the-head game—not because Janet is extra lucky but

Well it's been a crack filled couple of weeks that's for damn sure. I've decided that my family are crackhead nutters. I almost think I should shove a crack pipe in their face and make their madness legit. My ma and I, well it's day 30 in My Ma is Not Speaking to Me Even Though There isn't a Legitimate Reason. She did call me on Day 21 but after doing the usual filling me on herself and her various shenanigans, things quickly disintegrated and it became apparent that unless I groveled and let everything slide, the battle lines would stay enforced. There was some heavy artillery brought out and I'm sad that we still can't see eye to eye, but I just can't be involved in the games or the crackness. It's funny sometimes...but actually, on the whole, it's all just rather draining. I love my family, but my own family has to come first, particularly the bambino. Do you know how all of this started? Because I didn't want to get drawn into the constan

Sweet baby Jesus and the angels, it's been two weeks! It wasn't intentional; life as usual is pulling my pants down and giving me a slap. I tell you, much as I love being self-employed, time just seems to disappear and I'm constantly busy! Anyway...so today I'm in Waitrose with the bambino when I get approached by a tall black guy as I debate whether to get some mini banofee pies. "Hi...sorry to bother you...but do I know you from somewhere?" he asks eagerly. Dragging my eyes away from the banofees, I reply "Umm...no...I don't think so...." "I'm sure we do...I think we've met..." he says hurriedly and launches into lots of made up stuff about how he thinks he knows me, asking if I lived in central London before, and insisting he knows me. "No...really we haven't met before..." I had  never  laid eyes on him. At this point the bambino cranes her head around the pushchair and scowls at him. "Ah...cute baby! But

Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment or post about, or even email me to show their support over the article that appeared in the Daily Mail last week claiming I set up this blog for "e-venge". Whilst I am still angry with the Daily Mail about what I feel is a very personal and public attack on my character, my issue with the Daily Mail represents the wider issue of how bloggers are perceived and treated by 'traditional media' and whether 'facts' actually enter the equation in certain newspapers. Recently Zoe (Girl With a One Track Mind) blogged about plagarism from bloggers over at  The Guardian  and in particular mentioned Jonny B, who found his posts in the Mail on Sunday without his permission. He subsequently invoiced them but after agreeing to pay him, they actually had the cheek to refer to bloggers as "amateur writers" and claim " most people are happy to have their work recognised and displayed to a wider audience." It se

So aside from spending my summer knee deep in work and the bambino, there has also been the 'battle' of sorts to get the Daily Mail to admit that not only  did I not set up a blog to take revenge on an ex, but that I am not an e-venger . This is what will eventually appear on the Press Complaints Commission website: Ms Natalie Lue complained that an article in the Daily Mail inaccurately said that she had set up a blog in order to take revenge - or 'e-venge' - on a former partner. In fact, her blog had been set up simply to document events in her life. She had indeed made references to ex-partners and to dates she had been on, but those references - occasional as they were - could hardly be classified as vengeful. Indeed, she had not named her exes on the blog - nor had she disclosed her own identity until 2006, two years after the blog was established. The newspaper accepted that Ms Lue had not started blogging simply to take revenge on her ex-partner. It also accepted

Karen has expectations in love. Karen has needs she needs to be met.   Karen believes when she meets her dream man, she’ll just know it.  She’ll just know deep down inside in the very bottom of her heart.    Karen believes in love at first sight.  She believes her man will know her, understand her needs and of course … the sex will be fantastic.    Unfortunately, Karen’s beliefs in her romantic myths are quite simply … keeping her single.   Are you like Karen? Do your romantic myths keep you from having the love you want?   Having grown up with so many “fairy tales” it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not.   There are many myths in romance.  Here are three. Is one keeping you unavailable for true love?   1.  When I meet him, I’ll just know…   It could happen. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who saw each other across the room and they just kneeeww.  It happens.   However, if you believe that you’ll know him as soon as you meet him, stop it.  It’s a myth.   Relationships ta