Beetchawawa

I’ve just got back from my second break dancing lesson. I’m really enjoying it – although I don’t think I’m a natural.

I can’t decide which I would prefer. I might try one on holiday in Gran Canaria. I know I will be terrible, but it would be awesome if I could stand up for just a few seconds. Even better if I could get someone to take a photo in those few seconds so I look like a pro! I often go camping in Cornwall in the summer, so if I like it it’s something I could do every summer, although I have no aspirations of ever getting past the “bambi’s-first-steps” stage.

I bought a unicycle in 2001 and never learnt how to ride it. I tried a few times but never even got going – although my house mate could go a few metres. It’s now gathering dust in my parents loft, so I need to get it down, reinflate the tyres, prepare myself to fall off many, many times and just dedicate a few weekends of my life to it. It would be sad if that poor unicycle never got ridden!

I used to be able to do this when I was little – so it makes me feel really old and decrepit that I’m so far away from doing it now. I am still relatively flexible from tae kwon do, but still a long way off splits. I need to get in the habit of stretching every day and I’m sure I’ll get there eventually. Just a question of overcoming my natural laziness!

I might be going sea kayaking in Gran Canaria in February, if the kayaking company ever emails me back (maybe they are still trying to decipher my pidgin spanish). It sounds really good. I’m thinking about going on a week’s kayaking holiday in the South of France later this year (river not sea) so this would be a good opportunity to try it out before then.

I got one for Christmas (thanks Jo). Apologies in advance to all my neighbours.

I’ve done a few 10ks, the best one was in 58 mins, which is pretty respectable as it was my first one. That was about 2 years ago and I haven’t trained regularly since. I did a 6k fun run recently wearing a santa suit and beard, so I’m not really much of an athlete. I’m going to enter the ballot for the London marathon 2010, so I have to aim to be ready for that, even though I probably won’t get in. The aim is to run a 10k in May (the Bupa 10,000) and then the Royal Parks half marathon in October, which should be a decent base to try to work up to a marathon by April 2010. I know plenty of people have gone from absolute beginner to marathon in 6 months or less, but I’m still a bit daunted, even though I’ve given myself plenty of time and stepping stones. Eeeep!

I’ve found this place where you can do a half day or a day course and they teach you tightrope, acrobatics, trapeze, stilts and juggling. I think it sounds awesome! I am trying to persuade some of my mates to go with me as I think it would be a right laugh, but nobody seems keen. I’ll talk them round eventually …

I finally qualified as a solicitor in September 2008 after a 3 year law degree, a 1 year post-graduate qualification, 2 gap years waiting for my training contract to start and 2 years of being a trainee solicitor. It feels weird to finally be qualified, and I still feel like one of the trainees most of the time.

I had a rock climbing lesson in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset. The place we climbed was about 30m high and had both artificial handholds and the natural rock holds, so the first time up I used the artificial ones and then next time the natural rock as more of a challenge. It was good fun and not too scary, although obviously there’s a little frisson once you get a few metres off the ground. I’m really weak (I can do about 1 1/2 press ups!) so I thought I would be rubbish, but I think it’s a sport that pretty much anyone can do and you just do more and more challenging climbs as you get better. Our instructor was from a place called Rocksport and he was very good – I felt like I was in safe hands. I would definitely do it again.

I did a rock climbing and abseiling lesson and abseiling was much easier than rock climbing. You’re going to get to the bottom one way or another, it’s just a question of how gracefully! It’s a bit of a weird feeling leaning back and going over the edge at the top of the rock face, but one you’ve done that bit – it’s fun and easy.

I got a legal article published in a journal. It was on a topic that I had no previous knowledge of, but it was only a short “introduction to” type article so it only took me about a week to research and write (around my other work). Unfortunately it got published under my boss’ name so I didn’t get to see my name in print, but was satisfying to see my article in a proper journal.

I didn’t think would be that extreme, just a little roll down a hill, something on par with a rollercoaster in terms of adrenaline rush. But it was like being in a car crash (in a good way!). I did the hydro zorb where you’re not strapped in and they put a few buckets of (freezing cold) water in with you and then they push you down the hill. Because you’re not strapped in you don’t go upside down, you just sort of slosh around at the bottom. I screamed my head off and I’m not normally a screamer!

I’ve lived in London all my life but never been, so I thought i’d better go and see what the attraction is to the 2,000,000 people who go every year. Loved the music and the food (mmmm…curry goat) and didn’t get stabbed once.

My boyfriend goes skiing every year, but it never really appealed to me. I thought I’d give it a go in the spirit of trying new things. I had a 3 hour ski lesson at the indoor place in Milton Keynes, and then a one hour lesson on a temporary slope at the O2. I thought they were both really good fun. I preferred snow boarding, but that might have been because the other people in the class were all my mates so it made it made it more fun cheering each other on / laughing at each other when we fell on our arses. Still not sure that I would want to use up precious holiday doing it for a whole week, but at least I can say I’ve given it a go.

I’ve booked my tickets, got wellies, got a tent…can’t wait!

I’m using the list from Empire Magazine which I think is from 2002. I’d already seen 56 of the films before I started, and I’ve since seen 8 more: The Godfather I and II, Fargo, Donnie Darko, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, Amelie, Lawrence of Arabia and Annie Hall. I love films and I enjoyed all of these, even TGTB&TU which I didn’t really think would be my kind of thing.

36 more to go!

I found it very easy to give up meat for a month, I didn’t miss it or have any cravings for steak or anything. I had hoped that going veggie for a month would help me to eat less meat in future, but I’m pretty much back to eating the same amount of meat as before. I think I would find it very difficult to give up permanently, but I would happily go veggie for a month or two every year to reduce the amount I eat overall.

I’m more of an indie music – small gig type person, so I’d never been to a big arena concert until I went to see Kylie Minogue at the O2 in September. I’m not even really a big Kylie fan but she puts on a great show with brilliant sets, costumes and choreography. We were all singing along to I Should Be So Lucky at the top of our voices at the end and thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

The top 100 list I’m using is from the BBC’s “Big Read” programme. I’d already read 33 from the list and I’ve since read another 6. I’ve been slogging my way through War and Peace since September but I’ve nearly finished that now too. Having a list is good because it makes you read books that you would not otherwise choose. So far my favourites are Catch-22, One Hundred Years of Solitude, the Woman in White and David Copperfield.