The day the world stood still

"How's your day been today?" asked the Czech barista at Starbucks as she rang my order through the til, wiping down the damp surface as she did so. I followed the line the damp sponge made, wiping away the crumbs and suddenly realised that I had in fact had a very nice day. I looked up at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I have in fact, had a really, really good day. I don't know why, it's just been really nice; I haven't done anything but it feels like I've done everything, I haven't really been anywhere; but I've been everywhere, I dunno, it's just been weird, I had a job interview and I think I've got it, even though I don't actually want it, I haven't eaten today and I'm not even hungry, yeah. Actually, It's been really good." The barista looked up at me unexpectly, not expecting an answer to her automatic customer question and probably hadn't understood a word I'd said. I didn't care. "That's why I'm eating cake!" I said, nodding my head back down towards the slice of carrot cake I'd just ordered, and walked off with a smile, carrot cake and Fatt-acino in each hand.

I wouldn't usually disclose my frequent Starbucks addiction with you, and I never want to know exactly how much fat is in one of my Fattaccinos (as the name would depict, I'm well aware I'm pushing the calorie boat waaaay out when I order one. Or two.) but as I was sitting there munching on cake and sipping away watching the Swansea late night shoppers wander past in floating drabs I started to consider exactly what a nice day it had been today.

I was awake at 7am this morning, and didn't have to get up until twelve. It seemed like I had all the time in the world, so I lay there. Not doing anything, not thinking anything, not even about how good it felt to be able to do that.

I got out of bed at eleven and opened my curtains. The pavement was bone dry and the sky was a pale winter blue, small shafts of cloud breaking it up here and there, the sun shining somewhere to my right casting light shadows on the houses in front of me. Overjoyed I switched on some upbeat music and realised I didn't have to co ordinate my outfit with the weather. I could wear whatever I wanted. So I did. I had a job interview later in the day, so out came the the feel-good Karen Millen coat ready to put on as I left at 1.30, which at 11.06 seemed ages away.

Wandering into the kitchen I didn't feel like breakfast. I cleaned myself up and came back into my bedroom, and for the first time in what seems like ages I danced around my room in my underwear to the cheesiest songs I could find. One of which was Miley Cyrus, and I will never ever listen to it again, and yes, I do still hate her - but not as much as Cheryl Cole. Ahem!

I took my time chatting and singing, doing my makeup and my hair, eventually I made my way into uni and couldn't help but smile at the beautiful weather. I strolled along the beachfront looking at the reflections cast on the sand and the runners looking like black figures easing back and forth in the distance. I arrived outside my lecture room with five minutes to spare. I went inside and got a seat next to my friend. Half way through the lecture I realised how much I was enjoying it, and whispers to her "I actually really like social psychology lectures" and for the first time in a long time took down hoardes of notes. And might actually read them sometime in the future.

After it finished I was about to make my way to stats when she told me there was no stats. No more stats. It had finally finished. Granted, I'd missed the last three, but still. Elated I wandered up to the Waterfront office to admit to my editor I didn't really know what to write about for the Christmas issue, wanting to go for something different but not sure how to tackle it. As I walked in I heard "There's a girl who wants to write a kinda Sex and the City column...." and saw my editor nodding his head. I momentarily saw red, but took a step back and breathed the venom back out of my system.

The brief visit to the office took only 5 minutes, and I was free again. With two hours before my interview. I wandered around the University grounds and discovered some new little shortcuts I was unaware of before. I went to the Bookswap and picked up three interesting looking books. I kept walking along the Waterfront and weaved in and out of the traffic, wasting time before my interview.

At the interview, I realise that for once, I didn't care if I got the job, and I wasn't going to bullshit him into thinking that I did want it. I spoke frank, openly, honestly, and he laughed all the way through it. I didn't even have a low cut top on.

"What do you know so far about the brand?"

"The brand? Chiquitos? Er, nothing actually, I'm sorry, I'll learn if I get the job I promise... I guess it's Mexican, it sounds Mexican anyway, I'd assume it's a rather large brand too cos I tend to see lots of them about...er, that's it really..."

He looked at me and didn't allow me to read his expression. Next he started talking about the bar and how my experience in the Harvester and Idols probably didn't mean I had much experience in cocktails.

"I. Love. Cocktails. I have lots of experience in cocktails!"

"Can you make one?"

"No, but I, er, I'd like to be able to...In fact, I'd really like to be able to..."

He began asking about other experience. I said I had enough, I'd also helped out at a friends bar for cash in hand a few times, to which he inserted "A bit of illegal working isit?" to the end of my sentence, to which I nodded and smiled.

I left and made my way up to town, looking at the twinkling Christmas lights and felt grateful my coat was so warm. I took my time wandering along, popping in and out of shops, staring at the Christmas displays and thinking about anything else I needed to do. All my presents were wrapped, my cards were wrote out, everything was bought...I was all ready for Christmas about two weeks ago and am just waiting for acceptable "Christmas period" to openly admit that I've been listening to christmas tunes on my Zen for about a month now. I am well and truly ecstatic for Christmas. I've even bought Vijay a present, forgetting he's Hindu.

I bumped into an old friend outside the bank and stopped for a chat. It was good to catch up with an old face and let them know how I was doing, especially when I was in such a pleasant mood. Saying my goodbye's I wandered into Starbucks, where the lovely Czech lady began to serve me my guilty pleasures. After reading a few pages of Ulysses and polishing off my cake I took the rest of my beverage outside into the wintry frost and ambled along the street, the cold freezing my nose and the drink chilling my insides too. I didn't care. I had my music on, and I was happy.

I'm enjoying a glass of rose before going out to toast Giles' birthday. I have another hour before I'm supposed to arrive, am fully ready to go and managed to successfully save this blog before my computer crashed.

I don't know what's going on, nothing's happened but I feel like I've accomplished so much, I'm happy with everywhere I am in life and with what the future has in store. I've got lots of plans that I can't wait to carry out, a few holidays I'm already saving for and I'm enjoying my course. I don't want anything more in the world that what I already have, and I don't know how I've ever managed to doubt it. Nothing has changed for everything to feel like it's fallen into place, but it has.

I guess when we're running through our lives, darting from one goal to another, not really knowing what's going on or where live is taking you, you don't stop to think about what you've got, and where you're going. Today, time kindly stopped for me, and I could see perfectly. And for once, I like it.

** I'd also like to include that for ONCE IN MY LIFE I HAVE POSSESSION OF MY STUDENT CARD AND IT ISNT STUCK INSIDE THE LIBRARY OFFICE HAVING LEFT IT IN THE PRINTER MACHINE! YEAH! **

**I'm also wearing a sequin blazor tonight. FINALLY!**