Resolute

Posted by Skytower on Mon January 11, 2010

Yeah, yeah, happy new year, and all that guff.

So, 2010 is eleven days old already. Christmas already seems like ages back (thank god), the country has taken on the truest look of winter imaginable (can anyone remember what colour tarmac is?), and the date is yet another binary figure (11/01/10… next one will be 01/10/10, dull fact fans).

Any resolutions that may have been considered for the new year period were, as ever, either undertaken before or after the first day of the year. Never on the day for me, because that’s too obvious. Thus, the most recent (and brief) smoking stint came to an end on the 20th of December, and drinking ceased for the time being on the 25th. Neither were planned, they just happened.

Christmas Day in itself probably gave the strongest indication that it was time to stop drinking, after perhaps the most surreal 25th in memory. Spent, unusually (and perhaps for the first time) not at home – due to having had an invite elsewhere for some rather unknown random reason. Spent, expectedly, consuming mass amounts of Guinness and whisky; extolling my woes (or perhaps “woe”… I’m pretty certain it was a single problem) to – well – not a “complete” stranger, but someone I wouldn’t consider a close friend (but then, that’s what the booze does!). And, come 9pm, with eyesight failing, a taxi home was taken. Straight to bed, only to wake up at 3.30am on Boxing Day feeling right as rain, but realising that the previous day was perhaps an error of judgement.

Anyway, moving on. The third “resolution” – to start putting weight on again – also began before the new year. Stopping the cigs and the booze obviously increases the appetite, and after a year where my weight seems to have suffered at the hands of personal problems (more about which in a future post), it seemed like a good time – now the karma has been restored – to set weight gain targets. This has since progressed to a calorie monitor – yes, it seems I’m deadly serious this time!

Chateau Skytower’s conservatory, where most of the “boxes that need sorting” are stored, has become a no-go zone since the big freeze set in. Conservatories, eh? A fantastic idea, but only accessible for a couple of months of the year – for they’re either too bloody cold or roasting hot. Said “boxes that need sorting” are therefore staying put for the time being, until such time exists that I don’t have to don six layers of clothing to venture into there.

On the whole, though, things are good at the moment. It’s nice to experience the reality of life again, without the beer (or whisky) goggles getting in the way. People, however, have already voiced their concerns about a “dry” Skytower… mainly those who have experienced it before and were quite scared. See, alcohol tends to calm me down – without it, I’m unusually hyperactive and invariably more random than normal. Yes, it is possible. Last time around, the sober spell lasted nine weeks (that was around 15 months ago, I seem to recall). It has, of course, lasted for thirteen months before. So, place your bets this time…