It's me again! Our New Year was spent the way we usually spend time, i.e. not doing much. But we did watch Jools Holland, which was cool. Especially The Poo Stripes. :)

Well, as promised, here is my list of Christmas loot. I think I've remembered everything. Ali's mission this year seemed to be to buy everyone tons of strange cheap junk. ;)

* Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon (PC game)
* Indiana Jones Trilogy (DVD)
* 'Magician' by Raymond E Feist (book)
* Father Ted script book
* Red Dwarf RPG book
* The Darkness's Christmas single
* Red Dwarf Series 3 (DVD)
* Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill (DVD)
* Jools Holland and Friends Volume 3 (CD)
* 'I moved your cheese' by Darrel Bristow-Bovey (book)
* Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Shoot from the Hip (CD)
* Bathroom buddy (for putting your flannel in)
* Candle that looks like a stick of TNT
* Calendar that's one of those puzzles with sliding squares
* Clock/calculator keyring
* Rubber monster that squirts water
* Magic screen that you write on
* Really horrible cow picture frame
* Glow in the dark space stickers
* Last piece jigsaw puzzle
* Gold gel pen
* Pen which is also a maze
* Pen that glows when you write
* Tiny magnetic posable man
* Giant party popper
* 'Magic Private Eye' book (1995)
* Private Eye Annual (1996)
* 'The Fairly Incomplete and Rather Badly Illustrated Monty Python Songbook'
* Plastic sword
* Bubble mixture x2
* Making faces sticker book
* Snowman puzzle
* Red furry gloves
* Chocolate Santa
* Cat socks
* Jade dragonfly glow light
* Fuzzy craft balls
* Giant polystyrene plane
* Lush bathbombs x2
* Glittery candles
* Teatowel
* Duster
* Skin cleaning wipes
* Bath pearls
* A squirly picture
* Festive mug filled with sweets
* Various sweets and biscuits including pfefferneusse!
* Almost £100 from my parents and grandparents
* Really really awful Egyptian cat perfume bottle

I think the prize for most awful present goes to my Aunt (it does most years), with the awful cat perfume bottle. Still, at least she gave me a present. I might find someone who really likes it and make them happy with it.

The prize for things I've never before been given for a present goes to Rob's parents with the duster and teatowel combination. Very handy for when I have a house with Rob, I suppose, but still. It's amusing. :)

My parents did try to buy a fair few stupid presents, since they were mainly giving me money, but they were totally left behind in the cheap quantitative present stakes by Ali, who bought approximately 20 ridiculous things. The cow picture frame really has to be seen to be believed, and if it wasn't for the perfume bottle she would have taken the awful present prize as well as the quantity of cheap junk prize. I have no idea where she found stuff like the Private Eye books. I can't say I've ever read Private Eye books, and the fact that they're almost ten years old can only make topical news books more interesting.

Well, that's about it. I had a quick look in the WHSmith sale the other day and bought three CD's for £2 each - the Eurovision 2003 CD (so now I have legal copies of Sanomi and Eighties Coming Back, and there were quite a few half decent entries, oddly), Ace of Base 'The Collection' (because Mark had an Ace of Base CD that he played us in his car) and Audio Bullys 'Ego War' (which only came out last year and has some genius tracks). So that was good. Perhaps I will revisit their sale again. :)

The new year has brought a few scared thoughts to mind, what with it being the year I get married. Yesterday it was exactly eight months until the wedding, which seems really terrifying until I think that I haven't been going out with Rob that long and it seems like we've been together for ages and ages. If you know what I mean.

Anyway, yes, another fairly long blog, although most of it's a list of presents. Nice.

I have been mostly.... READING: artemis fowl and the eternity code (eoin colfer) / LISTENING: eurovision 2003; the collection (ace of base)