Chixe

I don't really hold Valentine's day with any specialness. Way I see it I'm with the one I love and we know that each day. I guess maybe it's a bit different when you've been in a relationship as long as we have, although I never held much weight to it.

I'm not a big flowers, chocolates, romantic gift girl and never ever liked even the whole dating / romancing thing - to me it's the small day to day things that let me know someone loves me not an over priced gesture I should expect. I agree with Tyme on the free things - I've been known to be unbelievably happy with stones, conkers (hey I go out with a gardener) or free gifts, may sound weird but given by someone you love they mean the world.

I did also. I agree with momadvice can't really see not marrying someone that wasn't my best friend and once we actually got together (insert a bit of the friends will they won't they story sage until we gave into it) haven't looked back - marriage and life aren't easy and having your best friend there with you helps beyond words.

I really do think it's a group of adults and you're sort of doing the same tarring all with the same brush. I'm 32 and certainly know several adults that could fall into the description you have of that girl. Just because you are adult does not mean you conform at all and that's a wonderful part of life. I've never really held much weight to age. I work in the web industry where age is not a factor for most things - I've seen and worked with amazing people both much older and much younger than me. I also play online games where I know in my wow guild there are many much younger and some older than me - it makes no difference to me as they are all people. Online is a great leveler of age.

I don't really agree with the comment that it's because they are parents either. Just being a parent doesn't mean you have some brain bypass that makes you think x or y. I know many parents that certainly don't have the kind of thoughts you have - infact they look far from the norm themselves. Perhaps it's about circles people move in more? Physical appearance no matter if you like it or not defines not just a teenager it defines everyone. Your choices are what makes you you. Whilst you may not like it people choose to blend or merge with the crowd.

One thing I've had with age is a caring less about how people look and caring more about how I feel about how I look. Rather than bothering to be in x or y crowd I now accept who I am. Part of getting to that acceptance is experimenting with your look and who you are.

Congrats Ozone42: Koi are meant to be good luck to have as tattoos.

Happy holiday hugs to everyone :)

Risk with a back up plan is my option. Give yourself enough rope to explore but make sure you have bread on the table :)

We had a mice problem at the start of this year - when I say problem it was more of a motorway for their babies to commute to freedom through the house. Judging by the amount (I counted up to 3 doing the run in one sitting and we saw more) it was a mouse commune they had somewhere in the wall - bare in mind though we live in the country and uninvited pets tend to go with the location.

During this we discovered our older female dog Barley hunts and tortures mice like a cat. We also discovered that our puppy Dillon is a big fraidy dog and tried to hide from the mice. Until that point I'd not even seen a dog torture a mouse like a cat and was quite surprised. Oddly enough since that we seem to be mice free.

I didn't have a prenup with Simon. To be honest, it hadn't even entered my mind to have one. We did though get together at a time when we both hadn't got our own possessions in the form of house or money - we were younger and have got everything we have now through working together. Whilst I'm my own case, I truly do believe that where we are (the word is we not I), we have got together and half and half fits for us. Now, I don't claim it does for everyone and can be called naive in this statement.

The only thing that gets me really about prenups is just like marriage I don't think I could be with someone I felt it was necessary to have one with. Maybe this is because I didn't own a house, was just starting out in life and I knew Simon for a long time before even going out with him and then even longer before our marriage. Heck, you'd have asked me before this marriage about prenups and I'd have stopped you at the marriage word as I was admittedly against marriage.

Our situation is one where we both know I currently earn more - yet, Simon invested time in helping me go to college, Simon took the house reigns when I was working 18+hrs a day trying to build up my business and even now he may not earn as much but he certainly makes up for it in contributions to the house. Yes, you can't always know what you are letting yourself in for and yes you could say I was lucky. Everything that comes into the house is a 50/50 split and the same even goes for my business which he is a partner in legally even though he is only starting to work in the industry and learning. We've had a joint bank account from the start and before marriage had access to each other's bank accounts - we've worked the 'what's mine is your's way' from the start.

I guess it really comes down to what time you get married in some ways and your financial situation. If one earns more than the other from the start and owns property and other assets, whilst the other doesn't - maybe that is a case for a pernup. I can't really comment not having been in that situation. Perhaps, if it was now I was getting married and not when it was then I may feel differently.

I think I recall the 'getting half' was from the time where a lot of women didn't work so they brought up the kids and gave up having 'careers' (you can of course argue bringing up a kid is a career in itself).

I've had to slow down a lot this year so rather than a splat calm december I want to continue on the steady slow plodding that has become part of my day now compared to the mad running about trying to do 100 things at once. Usually though December has been a time when I get out of my brain the things I want to do and take the usual calm in work and make them happen.

I this year got diagnosed with high blood pressure which has woken me up very quickly to something I wasn't paying attention to before. I'm now on medication for it and having to take a tablet every day potentially for the rest of my life. Whilst, it seems mine came from the illness I had and it's not my diet or lifestyle (you have to go through a lot of tests to confirm that), I am feeling very very aware that there are things I can do to help my blood pressure and slowly working on them. Whilst, it's a fact that some people are just predisposed to it or can have it happen not in reaction to their lifestyle, giving it a helping hand to be good isn't bad.

Cas you could go as a 'bearded lady' or 'sword eater' - the sword eater could be a fun one with dummy sword. Either is a fairly simple prop costume. That aside you could take the concept and run with it and become an undead ring master ;)

As I run my own business I have gotten into the swing of doing finances and accounts. My personal finances I use ebanking. When I have worked in an office I've always done it at home though never in an office, something about shared computers I don't like for ebanking.

@Josh: that made me chuckle as a tea hating Brit over here. I can't stand the damn stuff. I'm also getting the grey skies where is the sun feeling. Clocks go back this weekend and I'm retreating to woolen clothing and large hoodies. Time to not show an inch of flesh for the next 5 months then... I'm getting really muttery as saw nothing of summer this year from being ill so feels like it was not very long ago it was winter. Nothing more to do than bulk buy soups and get the hot chocolate on :)

I would like to add a good night:

ARRRRGHGHGHGHGHGHHGH mutter mutter mutter.....

My puppy just dropped his kong off the bed for the 7th time in a row.... either he's having as bad a day as me or trying to tell me something.

So, if you are today or any other day please feel free to use this note as your vent o release. Let the releasing continue ;)

We're married but the way Simon and me have worked from the start is by pooling all money and then paying for things out of that - this happened even before married. I've earnt more than him mainly but personally I find this not an issue - we're in it together. There are non money ways of contributing - Simon cooks and I don't for instance.

Can't he eat some dark chocolate though? SImon can we are lucky there is some lactose intolerant dark chocolate where we are.

Add some cinnamon and sultanas to the carrot cake and it will work out great. SImon is also lactose intolerant but he adds wheat into it just to make it really difficult. Carrot cake if you also add some orange juice into the mix can have a real nice moistness to it that means you don't even need icing. You can if you can get it use soya margarine with sugar to make a like butter icing, chuck in a bit or orange and lemon rind to that and you have a good substitute for butter icing.

I'd say the fact that you are making it and you can always add some flair with candles and something like a ribbon around it - that would make it even more special. To anyone on a restricted diet the very fact you are bothering to make and even find something they can eat - that means a heck of a lot.

Commentary blogs are the extroverted opinions surrounding your life.

To me it's around 'any' life not just yours - you can comment around life and it doesn't have to be personal.

A bowl of Caramel choo choo Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

Happy birthday to you. Hope it's a good one you only turn 18 once.

I don't do fashion over here and the UK autumn / winter means there is only one suitable fashion - warm clothes that are water proof and don't let the wind chill you to the bone. The UK makes the colder months very simple to dress for.

I like wearing vanilla or some simple fragrance. I tend to sneeze with too floral a fragrance so prefer that. I like simon wearing Calvin Klein - now if I could spell that would be great

Ok I am definitely looking for a new damn avatar now.... mutter.

I blame Freud - you have to at some point in all discussions about psychology.... or at least you did when I was studying it.

I feel I should get a mustache to twirl or master plan or something now..... ;)

Here's mine:

Introverted (I) 55.88% Extroverted (E) 44.12%
Intuitive (N) 56.76% Sensing (S) 43.24%
Thinking (T) 61.76% Feeling (F) 38.24%
Judging (J) 67.74% Perceiving (P) 32.26%

INTJ - "Mastermind". Introverted intellectual with a preference for finding certainty. A builder of systems and the applier of theoretical models. 2.1% of total population.

I keep thinking 'evil mastermind' when I see that lol. I guess it is me and also isn't not really as introverted as it put me but hey ho.

I"m on the net from the time I get up until about 2hrs before go to sleep. I potter in and out working / using net so it's constantly on doing something as I work online. I go out of course when have to during the day but it's pretty much all day plugin for me. Surfing happens as my breaks from work so not a regular time. Most of the time being online is me working not surfing. It all depends on how busy I am.

A month or so ago I implemented a 2hr rule where I switch off the net and have at least a few hours at the end of the day where I can down time with a book - I say 2hrs but sometimes it's only an hour. It's become an important 'switch off / wind down' time for me.

@ryan: one good reason to move to the Uk.

@eric: cool Simon's sleeve is a work in progress and so far up to 3+ years and 3 different tattooists. I sort of like that idea though collecting in one large piece.

As for certain piercings hurting - I was far too young and stupid to count hurting into it. I would never go there now and proof of that is the fact I only have the ones I have now. I think I discovered the pain barrier about 25 years old ;)

Yep I agree. To me it's about the fact you had it done. If you are fool enough to get a winnie the pooh and then turn out to love tiger it's your mark in time ;) Seriously though, the only thing I think removable link would result in would be silly futile tattoos and to me the entire point of them is whatever you get it means something. I can't be doing with the 'bet tattoos' or spur of the moment ones - for me that is sort of what piercings were about when I was younger and they are less important to me. Although, as I get older my piercings are also now more important as I have less - there was a point when almost every part that could be pierced was (yep even that ;))

@Cas: now if I had both you could be in awe - one just proves me to be a big girlie girl for not getting the second done when it was booked in ;)

I plan for my next tat to be the lower back / waist line. I have a real want one day to get my wrist done - something simple going up the inner arm a little (maybe symbols not sure). I have a bit of issue with any lettering, I don't really like english words as tattoos and have a fear of getting the wrong thing in another language.

I don't like the idea of removable ink to be honest. To me tattoos are about a permanent marking and I see them as charting life for me. This is also part of the reason I am very very careful about when and what I get tattooed. Removable ink just seems a bit of a cop out to me and mutes the point of getting them done for me.

2 tattoos both on top of each arm. Right arm has a spiral which stands for water and fire which are Simon's and mine birth elements (I'm fire) - he also has the same tattoo. On my left arm is a tattoo Simon designed of celtic style interlocking circles.

I have 4 piercings left but did have a lot more. I have both ears pierced, my labret (lip) and (here we go) my left nipple. I wear titanium studs in all my piercings. I was meant to have both nipples done but it was so painful the result was just one. I've had my nipple piercing for over a decade now and won't get rid of it mainly due to the agony it took to get done - the worst ever piercing in my book and believe me I've tried most. I probably won't get any more piercings but I am tempted as at one point was very into getting as much pierced as possible. I like having 3 visible ones and one private one that's just for me and Simon.

I plan on getting a new tattoo soon as try and get them to mark stages in my life and want one for this year I've had. I may be getting the same one as Simon again. Simon has his entire top of arm down to elbow done with a tribal based design with various symbols for travel and strength in it, he also has an ankle band.

Congrats and enjoy it. Being married rocks and just remember the day is not for everyone else - it's for you and Eleni. I am so jealous about a net free get away - it sounds wonderful as an idea. Unplug and start your next phase of your journey together.

Best method of poop training is every 1/2 hour plonk them outside. It's what works for puppies. Also newspaper is your friend and move the newspaper as they use it to the door - take it away bit by bit and then you can move it outside and they should get the hint. Dillon took about a week to train to poop outside when we had him at 8 weeks. Also you can get a spray that you use when they do poop and it removes the scent of the poo - this basically means they are less likely to associate your house as a bit poop box.