Solitaire...

This is not an entry about the things many entertain, or dull, themselves with using a deck of cards. This is about loneliness. And now you might think, Oh no, not another dreary self pitying sorry and probably quite lazy loner moaning about it... And fear not, it won't be. This will be yet another list...A list of what to do when Prince Charming is out doing something very important before finding his Princess Charming (that would be me...) and our fairytale can begin...
To give you all a reminder, wrapped in comic words... This time of year none should be alone. If you know someone who are, pay them a visit or something. Costs little for you, and means the world for the one who is alone...what's more at this time of the year people don't want to be bothering their friends, knowing quite well that they have more than enough to do with their time, so loneliness becomes just that little bit worse...And it's one thing being alone because you choose to, or because you need a few hours peace and quiet, it is another thing being alone because you have no choice. To family and friends it can become a bit overwhelming dealing with a person trying to piece together the life after a shattered marriage. And having no experiences of the kind, it's probably hard to understand why one can't just get over it...and move on... But I promised an entry full of fun things, and I also know that this is not the time to lie... Hehe...
So here follows ten very creative things to do or make whilst solitaire... (see what I did there??? Neat, right?).

10.
Cleaning the house... Yeah, dull start, I know, but doing this when alone is quite something as I can play the music as loud as I want, sing as loud as I want, and do as much silly dancing with the hoover as I want...feel like a superstar.

9.
Baking. Christmas is the time for gingerbread and other cookies of various and decorated kinds, and also making candy. I have, this year, made caramel. Earlier when I made caramel it became incredibly sweet and a bit strong to the taste. This year, I didn't follow anyone else's way to do it, I made it from the top of my head, and I switched the white sugar with brown, and I went easy on the normal sugar syrup. I added a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup though, and the that made the big difference, plus vanilla sugar... And boy do I know how to make caramel...
My mother makes the best gingerbread in the world, and luckily she is a very generous mother... I shared my caramel with her, don't you worry...

8.
Reading curriculum for next semester. Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I currently take English at university level, and that this gives me great joy. So staying ahead of my game is not only a good idea, it is also quite enjoyable. At the moment I'm preparing to write my bachelor thesis, and I will be acquired to collect a substantial amount of literature.
I just bought a book by a French philosopher. His name was Lacan, and I am looking forward, with frightful delight, do dive into that...because as difficult as his thoughts might be, they are so fascinating that I'm at tears from the sheer vastness of them.

7.
Pampering myself... I'm a sucker for scorching foot baths. And if combined with a nice film on the goggle box, then the night is sure to be a success. Any kind of pampering works here, like a nice facial mask, treatment for the hair (and I have quite a rug on top, looks like a horses mane, and is equally thick, so treatments are required to meet any kind of public...), and then top it off with a nice cup of tea... Oh yes, pampering I'm all for!

6.
Cuddling my cat, a black beauty...the one who (like me) adores Shakespeare... Obviously the cat in this picture is not my cat, but as I found this picture I really laughed out loud, so it had to be included.
About my cat, I considered naming her Ophelia because she always slept on top of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. But I didn't for several reasons. Ophelia doesn't have the happiest of fates, so I figured maybe not! Further, our previous cat was named Sirius after Sirius Black in Harry Potter, so instead of a Shakespearean motif, we continued down that road. My cat is named Ginny (or the Norwegian translation of Ginny...). She is still a quite young cat, but she has great potential and some nights she just cuddles up in my lap, keeping it warm...and comforted.

5.
Knitting. Yes, I knit! Sometimes I feel like I'm a thousand years old, sitting there with my feet soaked in water, treatment in my hair, giving myself a facial... and knitting, mostly scarfs, but I'm really not! A thousand years, I mean. I'm not really a talented knitter either, or what ever it is called, I just enjoy it. As I'm not talented, I usually end up doing it the easiest way...but that I've perfected...ish.

4.
Painting. This painting is one of mine, by the way, think I should go for it?...hehe. Sometimes I get a notion to get out the oil colours and paint either the ocean or the universe, and I'm usually not mulling things over for very long. If I need to paint a picture, I do. Like with the knitting, I do it simply to entertain myself. I'm not particularly talented, but it is another form of escape from reality. I also like to combine this particular interest with music. Classical music or rock'n'roll, the great kind...

3.
The weekends my son is with his father I have been known to go to the movies...alone... I know, how sad is that? But I really don't mind, because when I'm at the movies I'm usually so into the movie that it would have to be James McAvoy in the seat next to me to snap me out of it...or Russell Crowe. But I'm not that sad, pathetic lonely person who is always alone. I have a brilliant family and brilliant friends. My best friends are a journey away, but I have my people. And normally I have company when at the movies. What I'm saying is that going to the movies alone is something I'm comfortable doing. Especially if we're talking about a film I'm watching for the fifth time, when I've exhausted all of my friends and family on that particular film... Prince Charming would obviously understand and come with me :-) or he would be just as into the film as me and want to see it yet again...

2.
Movies and Television series. I might have revealed that I'm into movies and series, and this is a brilliant way to feel less alone. I'm sometimes in the mood for real drama like Grey's Anatomy, sometimes it's Doctor Who, and sometimes (like these days) I'm into How I met your mother. Not that it would matter to my solitude, but I find it rather depressing that Neil Patrick Harris is gay...obviously not to the gay parts of the community, my my what a gain, but still. He's all kinds of yummy.
 As far as Television series go, I feel an increasing urge to revisit Heroes and Fringe (a point I'll get back to), but for now I need to entertain myself with the brilliant comedy of How I met your mother. And I really laugh out loud sometimes.

1.
I write stories, and this is an activity I will continue doing for as long as I live, alone or surrounded by an entire orchestra... And believe me, next to hanging out with the people I love, writing stories gives me so much joy that it's almost strange. It truly got me through the hardest time of my life...and now I am a stronger person for it! The entire specter of my emotional highs and lows is a big part of my stories even though my stories aren't about me. My biggest dream is to be a part of that world for real. I know I will, one day, and maybe that's where I'll find my Prince? I don't know... But until then I'll write the dream man, and hope that some Christmas magic will give my dream a body, located by my door, looking for his Princess... Only in stories, eh? Well, I'm the storyteller.

Oh, and above any of these, in a separate category...
Listening to the wonderful music of Marillion.
"When the darkness takes you over, face down emptier than zero. Invisible you come to me, quietly. Stay beside me, whisper to me...here I am. And the loneliness fades..."