Hello all.

This is just a quick note to let you know I’m not going to be posting for a little while. Those lucky people who occasionally snaffle me on IM, the phone or *gasp* in person will know that my sparkle has been sadly missing for the past couple of weeks.

My get up and go has very definitely got up and gone.

Along with a bone crunching tiredness that has left me thinking wishfully of intravenous caffeine (or being allowed to sleep 24 hours a day!) my desire to write has pretty much lurked into hiding along with my sense of humour. The former I am on top of – yay for doctors and yet more blood tests, woot – and the later will be best served by not forcing it. Plus there’s been an excess of snark and meanness doing the rounds lately and it’s left a nasty taste in my mouth that’s really kinda put me off the whole blogging/internet/community gig. I just need to sit out on the sidelines for a bit and remind myself that it’s all just meant to be fun.

Given a week or so I am sure that I will be bursting with things to share, and my doctor is hot on the trail of my missing fizz, so worry not! Cas will return even better than before – just don’t go looking for me on the blog till the start of April.

If the thought of not having me around till then sends chills up your spine (well I am wonderful, so you can be forgiven 😉 ) I expect I will still be twittering and possibly even flickring a little bit so keep an eye on me there.

Till my return, mes amis 🙂

OK, you’re not going to understand this, but it is so amazing I have to share –

I’ve got the Miffy Flick back!

The school I used to go to (Millfield) was full of very rich and very beautiful people (I was there on a scholarship and was an aberration). Now the default hairstyle for the girls was long (shoulder length to mid-back) straight hair, worn loose, tucked behind the ear with maybe a hairgrip to tame any long fringe. This hairstyle dictated frequent movement of hair out of the eyes, and the best of the best did this with what my brother and his friends christened ‘the Miffy Flick’.

It’s a small, kinda sideways and up flick of the neck and head. Nothing major and done almost subconsciously. Hard to describe, but it leaves the hair falling just so. It’s not a skill you get taught – an older girl doesn’t take you to one side at orientation and say “you do the Miffy Flick like this…” It’s just something you DO. At school it was the mark of the It girls. The sexy, sassy and popular. Mary and her crowd. The ones, to be honest, who made my life not much fun.

Now I didn’t use the Miffy Flick much, because I wasn’t that confident and anyway my long straight hair was invariably in a ponytail, and I probably successfully pulled it off about twice in my entire scholastic career. I haven’t used it for years – firstly because I really wasn’t confident and then because I had short hair. Hard to flick what you don’t have!

This morning however I just naturally Flicked my hair to get it out my face whilst I brushed my teeth. Looking in the bathroom mirror I actually said out loud “My god, it’s the Miffy Flick!” then I burst out laughing. I’d have killed to ‘Flick’ like that when I was at school. It’s the action of a sublimely confident girl, secure in the knowledge that she is gorgeous and that everyone loves her.

I guess that means I’m a sublimely confident girl, secure in the knowledge that she is gorgeous and that everyone loves her.

Hang on, that can’t be right!

Those of you who read Bright Meadow the old fashioned way (i.e., not in an RSS reader!) might just have noticed a few changes around the place.

Yes, I’m switching themes – I was just getting heartily sick of the old K2 (quiet Rich 😛 )
Yes, I’m doing it live – I know I should sandbox it an’ all, but I really don’t have the energy. Plus this is most likely just a stop-gap on the road to a full custom design (shh, I didn’t just say that 😉 )
Yes, it’s discombobulating me too. I’d got so very used to the old design, each time I look at the new theme I go “Arg! Is that really Bright Meadow?”

The problem with having lived with K2 for the last year or so is that I’ve got so very, very used to it. I know which files to go to, to change certain aspects of the behaviour. I understand the slightly twisted logic in the Loop. And more importantly, I’d tweaked it so that it did things the way I (more or less) wanted them to be done. Little tweaks that you probably didn’t even notice, but I’d made them like that for a reason.

Now I’ve got to 1) remember what those tweaks were and then 2) work out where those changes have to be made in the new files…

So please bear with me whilst I play around some and try and make a nice new home for the penguins 🙂

*edit*
Ok, so the basic bones are in place and now I actually DO want your feedback!
A few things I’m aware of and will have to get working before I am totally happy:

• the header image – needs work I know, but I’m woefully uninspired at the moment. It’s all very well saying “do a new header”, but it takes imagination (and skill!), neither of which I have – thanks to the divine Josh, this I now have! Look and admire the wonderfulness!
• the text is all scrunched up – got this one sorted. 1.75 spacing is MUCH better than 1.1 which was the default!
• lost favicon – I know it’s missing. I’ve just got to put it back! – well, it should be back now, but favicons are notoriously tricky beasties
• borders around images in FF and IE – I hate them, got to get rid of them! – problem solved once I realised it was because they were links, and Rich supplied me the CSS 😀
• there’s no ‘site admin’ link in the menu at the top – this is for my use only, but I do like it there…
• pagination of the archive & category pages – this is a big one, to the point of being a deal-breaker. At the moment, the archives and categories spew out the last x number of posts in full with no option to get more. I KNOW it can be made to show title+summary and ‘next page’ links. Just got to work out how to beat it into submission
• the Flickr badge is currently styled oddly. I need to tweak the padding
• the styling of gravatars. Currently they’re butt-ugly, hence not being activated
• the spacing between the content and the sidebar needs to be a little bigger
• something’s still not right with the post titles. Perhaps they need to be a bit bigger?
• visited links need to be styled

Anything else that’s caught your eye? I already know Moose isn’t enamored with it, so how about the rest of you?

I’ve been going to the gym lately like a good girl. I enjoy it – ooh, the endorphin rush is really rather nice – and for a good 80% of the time I don’t even feel self conscious. Walking from the locker room to the water cooler (through the free weights section, lots of judgment) I feel self conscious, walking from the water cooler to the cross trainer I feel self conscious (no glasses = petrified I’m going to walk into someone), and walking back from whatever machine I used last to the locker room I feel (you guessed it) self conscious. But the rest of the time I don’t feel self conscious. Something to do with the fact that with no glasses on and my headphones in I’m in my own little bubble.

I only feel self conscious when I’m using one machine – the stomach curl/crunch thingy. It’s in the middle of a lovely semi-circle of other machines, all invariably used by big beefy toned men (who I can’t appreciate anyway because I haven’t got my glasses on). Then I have to use the machine on the lowest weight and can only manage 10 curls at a maximum before I stagger off in pain. Today I had to move the pin from the highest weight setting to the lowest. I could feel the scorn and derision in the gaze of those looking on.

I need a big flashing neon sign that says “Bad back! Stomach muscles surgically cut in two and not working any more!” so they know I’m not just a wimpy girl. On all the other machines I exhibit normal strength and prowess. It’s just that one I can’t do. And it’s just that one that is surrounded by all the others.

All I want for my birthday is a big, flashing, neon sign saying “I’m allowed to be weak on this one machine. And I should get points for trying”. But Moose says that’s a silly idea, and anyway, my birthday isn’t till September so I should be able to do at least 15 by then. She does have a point I guess, I mean – a big, flashing, neon sign. It’s hardly practical, it it?

After talking to Neko at the weekend, I feel obliged to post more regularly. Partly it’s so I know her (in)sanity levels stay topped up. I will admit it’s also partly because I get a kick out of the thought of her sitting in the lab, giggling away to herself, with everyone looking at her…

Yes, I am a bad person.

I wish I could take responsibility for the following, but it’s actually one of those emails that does the rounds from time to time – I could email it to everyone, but that would just be annoying. So I’m going to post it on the blog instead 😛

As I said, bad person!

* Excerpts from a Dog’s Diary*
8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am – Got stroked and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm – Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm – Played in the garden! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

* Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary*
Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.

For now…

Can I really like a guy who uses text txt speak?

I’m talking honest to god usage of “C U L8R” and other gems.

Can I really, truly like a guy who does that?

Rich the other night reminded me that it’s been an absolute age since I made new Blog Minions. It’s been so long, in fact, that I expect a good portion of you have no idea what a Blog Minion is… So here’s a little explanation of what it is to be a Bright Meadow Minion. Blog Minions are special people around these parts. They are people who have gone out and brought something back to the table to share.

Before we go any further, please remember that I am British. We cheerfully insult the people closest to us. Yes, I admit it’s an odd concept, but there you go. I call my mother a dappy wench, she calls me a silly cow. My brother says all end of nasty things about me, and I say them right back at him. Hardly a day goes by without me mocking Moose, or Moose mocking me. We don’t mean anything by it, it’s how we show our love, how we show that we’re comfortable with the other person. It’s when I’m being exceedingly polite that you have to worry 😉 So for me to call you a “Minion” is really my way of expressing affection.

Truly, honestly.

Enough of my blather, time to name the lucky few:

• Devin Reams – He’s never yet strayed into the comments and for all I know he doesn’t even read Bright Meadow (though more fool him) but he stepped up to the plate when I was being all blonde over getting a full-page screenshot (see his work here). My thanks Devin 🙂
• Lila – a Bright Meadow newbie, Lila’s already inspired one Roast title and it looks like she’s just inspired another as well… Definitely a good addition to the mix – I wonder what’s next?
• Rich – because he adores me. Yes I’m shallow, but I really need no other reason 😉
• Tristan – for writing several episodes of the BrightCast. Sorry it’s taken me so long to get round to Minion-ifying you Tristan *blush*

Along with the above, I’d also like to name three more Honorary Minions – Tyme, Scrivs and Mike. At the risk of sounding disgustingly over the top and soppy, how could the triumvirate behind 9rules not get a Minion-Mention? There’s nothing tangible I can point you towards that will explain why they are Honorary Minions, but it is a certain that without 9rules Bright Meadow would be very different. Thanks guys 🙂

So what does being named a Minion get you? Um, you want more than my un-dying love and devotion? Greedy 😛 Well, when (if) we’re ever in the same city I’ll stand you a drink of some description. Oh, and you get this rather snazzy button

Yes, I know it’s a bit pants but I got made a member of 9rules on the basis of my content, not my non-existent design skills 😛 If you want to make another one, feel free!

And that’s it. Is it time for the group hug yet? 😛