Like most people, there's always a deep, dark part of myself that wishes I was rich. It's the same part of me that wishes I didn't have to do chores or think too hard. You probably know what I mean - the little evil voice in your head that says you don't really need to go into work today or that the dirty dishes can wait until tomorrow...
When I begin wishing that I was rich, I begin thinking about what I would do with more money than anyone really needs and I came to the conclusion that I would like to go to fancy restaurants and eat fancy foods.
So you can imagine my excitement when, this week, I was given the opportunity to go to a fancy restaurant and see what all the fuss was about to write a review. I'd set my sights high - five star dining, exotic cocktails, and well-connected clientele that would spot me, quiz me about my writing and immediately send me to one of their publisher friends.
But like all deep, dark wishes, what you get isn't normally what you'd hoped. So I've made a list of reasons to avoid overly fancy restaurants to try and prevent anyone else experiencing the disappointment I did.
It's become a kind of informal tradition with me and my friends, over the past couple of years, to have our own little Christmas together before going home. Since we're all at university, the likeliness is we won't see each other until the New Year, so we like to have a good old knees up!
Last year, we all huddled into our little Student Halls kitchen, trying not to bash each other's knees too much as we had at the turkey and the presents...
But this year, we're almost-but-not-really grown ups, and we all gathered in my flat for the feast. My boyfriend and I had planned it for weeks, bought in the food and wrapped the presents. This was the first time that I had ever even attempted cooking a Christmas dinner, so I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was a little nervous.
Everything was from frozen, most of it was cooked at the wrong temperature, and you know what? It tasted great. We all sat with food in our laps, and while I cooled off from the heat of the kitchen, we all had a great laugh.
So I'm going to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who came and made it such a great night. Thank you for all the lovely presents, and your company was a treat.
Merry Christmas (round one)!
