Mephedrone

[Old person rant]

Mephedrone is all over the news at the moment, because some people have died as a result of taking it as a recreational drug. A quick Google will provide you with all the heart-rending interviews with distraught parents that you could ever need on the subject.

The whole thing is driving me up the bloody wall. There's all these young people saying "it should be made illegal...it's legal so obviously you think it's safe to take". It's legal as a PLANT FERTILISER! You don't walk into Tesco, buy a bottle of bleach, drink it and then wonder why you're rather ill and complain that it's legal so you thought it was okay to drink.

This bloody nanny state (apologies for such a Tory catchphrase) is ridiculous! Why on earth should we waste money passing a law to classify a plant fertiliser as a class B drug? Are people that lacking in common sense that they think it's sensible to consume toxic chemicals? Obviously the answer is yes, otherwise it wouldn't be all over the news. I've just come to the point where I feel people should take a little more responsibility for their actions and stop blaming someone else.

[/Old person rant]

I realise I only blog these days to whinge about something-or-other, sorry! I am here and I am still reading :) - in a non-creepy way!

Home is where the heart is?

What makes a place home? I ask because I'm currently in the odd situation of living in two places; it's pretty much a case of one night here and the next there, the next back here and the next back there, and repeat ad nauseum. Ad nauseum because it's surprisingly stressful - I never really unpack, just put one set of clothing in the wash at wherever I am and pack the next set.

Both places are places where I feel comfortable. Both contain people I love. I eat and drink and sleep at both.

One is technically my home, the other is technically not. Consequently, neither feels right anymore. I know all the adages, all the turns-of-phrases...home is where the heart is, wherever I lay my hat (that's my home), etc etc etc. What makes your home your home?

PS. Hi, sorry I haven't been around much. Bad Claire.

Be Naughty

I was browsing a website earlier when I noticed the advert across the top of the page.  This is it:  

Edit:  Bum, the format of this page cuts it in half.  Link to see it properly: http://tinyurl.com/osqxek

I was a bit shocked, but I suppose that's pretty naive of me- there's a website out there for everything, I guess.  But for some reason I find this one of the more distasteful things online...the idea that someone would use a company dedicated to finding someone to cheat on your partner with.  That someone would CREATE a company dedicated to finding someone to cheat on your partner with!  

I suppose, really, that if someone's going to cheat, they'll cheat.  Then again, if that's the case, why does such a website need to exist?  You could use any dating website around, surely...

*Sigh*  I think I'm overly emotional, because this made me really sad.

PS.  Hi guys.  Sorry for the lack of presence recently- essays then revision and now exams.  But I have been reading, even if I haven't been posting!

...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw

Yes, I have essays.  How did you guess?!  Anyway, this is epic.

The One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gaid72fqzNE

I don't believe in The One.  It annoys me when other people do, and give me pitying looks.

Maybe I'm the one who's wrong!  Maybe I deserve the pitying looks...

Discuss.

Running

I really miss running. I haven't run for a good few months now, and sadly the weather is no excuse since I have a gym membership- though the motivation to GO to the gym in the first place is admittedly lacking.

The thing is, whenever I lapsed before, I'd just force myself to go and I'd be back into it, absolutely loving it. I had to drop out of the half marathon I'd entered for February, and since then...nothing. No motivation whatsoever. I've been out maybe once, and it was hell, and I nearly threw up, and I hated it.

I don't know how to go about falling back in love with it. I don't think they do couples counselling for sports. But I wish they did. Any ideas? I miss it so much it sometimes hurts, but I just don't know how to re-find my love for it.

:(

Apathy and lucky escapes.

Why are people so bloody unwilling to listen to professionals? Why do they take the easy route? Why do they think they're sodding immortal?

Say you thought you had something medically wrong with you. It turns out you don't have the serious thing you were worried about, but instead you have something else wrong with you which can be easily fixed through better diet and more exercise. What do you do? You make a deal with the doctor that you'll do more exercise (any exercise, actually, since you do absolutely fuck all, but you don't let him know that) if he gives you statins.

On the surface, this is a great idea. Exercise, statins. Problem (hopefully) solved. Except that as you nod and smile and say "oh yes, 30 mins exercise 5 times a week, yes, of course", what you're actually thinking is "ha, no bloody way...I'll just rely on the drugs, that'll be fine".

And when someone else later suggests that you actually bloody DO the exercise, you whine that you don't have time to exercise. Except that in December you spent about 20 hours carrying out a hobby that does not raise your heart rate enough to constitute exercise. That's about 10 hours more than the 30 mins of real exercise 5 times a week would take up. So clearly you do have time.

It's called sacrifice.

And then you come out with the classic line "But I can't". I have said this myself, before, and it was pointed out that I am not that special. I am a human and am built to move, to raise my heart rate and function properly. I can exercise. So can you.

"But I don't like exercise." How do you fucking know?! When was the last time you exercised? Oh, when you were 16? Well, that's only 42 years ago, I'm sure you're exactly the same person you were then! Maybe in 42 years something's changed. Maybe it was simply the classic dislike of team sports that you were forced to try at school. There are SO many other ways of getting fit that don't involve running round a freezing cold field in shorts kicking a bit of pig-skin. Don't be so ignorant.

"Oh, we'll probably buy a cross-trainer or something." Don't fucking bother. You won't use it, just like you won't change your diet, you won't drink less, you won't stop to wonder why the doctor suggested you do these things. What his motive might have been. Oh, I don't know, maybe it could be an attempt to stop you dying?

Oh, not a big deal. Fair enough.