well I have this 'independence' thing where I refuse to wait for other people to move things, cos it annoys me. I wonder whether that caused my bad back in the first place - I mean do normal people attempt to move wardrobes etc on their own or is that just me? Anyway, I often forget about my back and move stuff (or pick my dog up) and then it suddenly goes again. It always hurts but when it 'goes' it hurts really badly. I have a meeting tomorrow and not sure how I'm gonna make it there an back :-(

Sneaks, how's your back today?

Might take it easy on exercise today, or might get on with it, let's see!

Well I took loads of painkillers last night, which meant i got an ok nights sleep but it makes me super sleepy in the morning and takes me a good 20 mins to shake them off. I haven't tested my back yet - it will affect my legs later I suspect.

I've got a REALLY big meeting today with all my sups, but I woke up with a horrible head cold, my neck is all swollen up and I tried to make tea for hubby and his breakfast but had really bad spells of nausea and dizziness, so I've emailed to say I can't go.I'm just hoping they go ahead with the meeting because its taken ages (like 3 months) to find a day when they are all free. Its basically for 1 sup to tell the other that i can't do any more of his work, and for him to see what else i have to do, so I don't really need to be there. I just feel really guilty now!

Poor you sneaks, take it easy today and look after yourself! Hope the meeting gets sorted as well, sounds like there's some stuff that needs saying.

Bug, I followed your example and did my yoga practice yesterday, it helped my back no end after a day at this desk :-) I am however living almost entirely off cereal and soup....I love to cook but things never taste right if I'm cooking just for me, and hubby is away all the time for work.

urgh, they have postponed the meeting - now I feel like its all my fault!

It's not your fault Sneaks! You're ill and you can't be blamed for that. Besides, if they changed that keenly I bet it was because cancelling suited at least one of them, they were probably all hoping for an excuse so they could do other things.

haha loving the new boursin advert. "du pain, du vin, du boursin......du tracteur" - as a 'tractor' wheels towards a couple in a meadow about to presumably kill them! haha.

Although as a born and bred country girl I would like to point out it was more of a combine harvester than a tractor.

Hi all, Yes, I am a lazy PhDer and I have an unhealthy habit I need to kick. I drink diet coke... a lot. I get through about 5 cans a week, I see it as a treat, and at times, crave it. The longest I have been without it in the last few years is about 10 days. So, yes, my insides are probably rotten and my brain horrifically corroded by now. Thus, I am making a public pact to stop drinking it, to put an edn to the nagging feelings at the back of my mind about what it's doing to my bones, my brain and my stomach, not to mention the big c word. I have to do this, altough even now I am thinking about the brown bubbly stuff. But thanks for the reminder about aspartame poison, rotten poison.

Right, I'm ging out for fish and chips, whichh I usually have with diet coke, but things are changing. I will but fresh orange juice.


Bug, I hope things are ok with you. Big, international hugs. (((())))

There's such a lot of paranoia about food and the damaging effects it can have on health. If you were to follow it all, you'd likely starve to death. Eska, diet coke may have aspartame and bone rotting phosphoric acid in it, but I'm sure it's fine in moderation. Orange juice is packed with sugar and traces of organophosphates, fish with traces of heavy metals, potatoes with glycoalkaloids. Even a simple glass of tap water isn't safe according to the papers, as the flouride has been linked to bone cancers. I think it's all these researcher's drawing graphs, doing sums and then subjectively interpreting the results. The way I see it, everything, barring obvious deadly toxins, is fine in moderation.
Today, chocolate is the friend of the media, just like aspirin used to be, but lets wait till tomorrow.

Thnaks Eska! Am still here and will go end of month!

Day began at 9, came back at 8 - three 2.5 hr long (each) meetings in between - I guess anyone might feel drained out (and I survived all day right through the middle of the last meeting at about 7ish on a banana, a cup of milk and some boiled beets and beans all day till I felt a bit faint)

Oh no! Wally, that means I have to do something really difficult to improve my health, such as excercise or give up sausages and ice cream.

You're a stronger person than me if you can give up sausages and ice cream! If I gave up my sausages, I'd have to chuck all my ketchup away. Worse still, if I gave up all my ice cream (which would include my mint flavoured Vienetta), my freezer would be empty.

Teek's healthy pact for the day.... when your stomach rejects coffee, accept it's time for bed. Night all!

ill again today. The plan is to rest and watch films because I'm lecturing tomorrow and need not to have my eyes and nose streaming! I am off to the shops to stock up on maltesers, ice cream and cheese - I need it to make me healthy again :p

oh I had baked salmon, sweet potato mash (not that bad considering its not proper potatoe) and I had sweetcorn for dinner last night - for me that is amazing and the most healthy meal I have eaten in years!