I wanted to write about the New Year, and seeing York again, the warmth of hot apple pie and camaraderie in the Evil Eye, curling up with Inkheart and tea in the homey familiarity of Halifax College, walking through snowfall in the dark and gazing out at the undisturbed layer of white in the Wood Court courtyard.

But then I had a long and tiring journey home, and a list of things to do that caught up with me, and I dallied over fixing dinner and tidying the kitchen, and before I knew it I was yawning over code and Photoshop and thinking aw crap I have to sleep because I’m really tired and tomorrow starts my first full 5-day week since before I went on holiday :(

So in a nutshell, three things:

one: Long, long overdue new layout is up – or perhaps "re-coloured layout" would be a more accurate term – as I’ve basically stopped varying the basic 3-column liquid layout (it is perfection and one shouldn’t mess with perfection).

two: The beginning of this year’s Project 365 is up here (RSS). I remember saying to Louis that I would do it this year if he did (which he is), but even before that I think I was already toying with the idea in my head – I have a woefully patchy documentary record of my life in London so far (heavily biased towards food, the South Bank, and baking), and it would probably be good for me, if for no one else, to have some sort of impetus to take more regular pictures. Maybe some will even have people in them!

three: I always think I’ve properly said goodbye to York, but then every time I return, I can’t quash the swelling sense of joyful anticipation inside me. Try as I might, I feel like a part of me is always going to think of York as my happy place, but at least, I think, I’ve now made my peace enough with the fact that that part of my life is in the past.

I can’t believe I actually did manage to redesign after all, not to mention whip up something I rather like, though the process was probably made easier by the fact that I knew for sure I wanted this layout to

1) have dark text on a light background
2) be very simple
3) contain the colour red
4) have a swirly embellishment
5) not be based on a lyric

the latter since most of my previous layouts so far have had some element of a song in them, whether inspired by one or with lyrics in the design. So my favourite line from King Lear supplied the textual decoration this time – you can never go wrong with Shakespeare – and the rest of it, given the above conditions, kind of wrote itself very quickly.

After getting this done and dusted, I was going to have a rant, triggered by a mildly traumatic night out yesterday, about the drinking culture here and how I will never ever understand it, nor the practice of clubbing, and/or making friends with strangers at pubs and bars and similar establishments, or thinking it is okay to make out with people you’ve just met just because you’re both unattached. In fairness to the friend who dragged me along on this ill-advised jaunt last night, she is an exceedingly warm-hearted and intelligent person, I know she didn’t mean any harm, and my frustration is no doubt down entirely to cultural and personal differences of opinion. But I just feel like… this is a world I will never get, and so much of England is that world. Especially the drinking. There are a lot of good things I can say about this country, but it has its really ugly sides, like all other countries. This is one of them. The hour, however, compels me to keep this brief and go to sleep, and so this has to be the extent of my rant – which is probably a good thing, as I’m sure I’ll feel better in the morning.