Insomnia Strikes Again,

I'm prone to occasional attacks of insomnia for various reasons. Tonight I can't sleep because I have a cold, despite my body's urging that I actually need to sleep to get better.

Don't worry I don't have Swine Flu... at least I don't think so.

The first thing I do to try and sleep is play Puzzle Quest on my PSP. That and Sudoku work because they are easy to play, monotonous games that lull the active part of my mind to sleep. Or at least they usually work.

If that doesn't work then I try to meditate, cocooned in the soft warmth of my cotton encased duvet. Only tonight it's hard to do with a man snoring beside me.

My next step is to get dressed in something warm, grab a mug of G & B and take some Nytol or Calms. It usually works but it tends to take a little bit of time so while I wait, I write.

That's usually where Webook comes in. I write whatever takes my fancy and post it up for my friends to shake their heads over. Only today I wrote quite a bit on Webook and I hadn't been on here yet...

I am starting to yawn now. I can feel Sleep massaging my shoulders, urging me to go back to bed and snuggle down under my duvet. I might - in a bit...

Finding my way around...or not as the case may be!

I'm having a few problems today. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I use Firefox or that I use Word but I can't seem to cut 'n' paste any of my stories across for my reader's delectation and delight.

No doubt I'll work it out sooner or later but it truly is annoying.

One good thing though - I found one of my friends from Webook... or did he find me? I pretty sure that he found me! Jimbo is in much the same boat as I - he's newish to this and so am I - so he'll probably be able to help me with my problem.

Ah yes - Webook. That cornucopia of creative... oh, flip the alliteration! Suffice it to say, I Love Webook. I have lot's of friends there and we are all writers; it's paradise. The only thing that could make it any better would be to actually meet them. Of course, Jimbo already did that (ooh am I jealous!) but you never know what's around the corner.

I'm also a member of Authonomy. It's a completely different place. More serious and more about getting your work seen than anything else. It is fun though - just more like stepping into a bar and meeting your friends for a drink.

I am addicted to both. I freely admit that - I am addicted to Writing Websites!

Now if I could just get this place to work...

Who am I today?

You're probably wondering who on Earth I actually am. Well I am a lot of things to a lot of people. I have two children under the age of ten, both of them now at primary school. To them I am Mum, Mummy, Mumma (I hate that) and anything else that takes their fancy.

To my partner, my Fiance - well he can pretty much call me what he likes (get your mind out of the gutter please) and get away with it. To him we have shared too much over the last 14 years of engagement - I'll pause while you pick your jaws off the floor - to be sticky over names.

But if he calls me "Sugar Dumpling" I will call him "Boss...

When I am working as a Teacher, I am variably "Miss, Mrs Ward, Miss Ward" and so forth. My colleagues of course know me by my first name.

When I am writing I am several different people it seems. And this is where my user name comes from - Tiger Princess. I use the same name on every writing website I join and it gets changed according to the mood of the people I am talking to.

For instance on Authonomy I am: "TP, Tiger, Tigger, The Tigger, Tigs."

Oh people do call me by my birth name, but I - and I'm truly sorry for this Dad - never really liked my name. This is why I kept reinventing myself during my teenagehood. I'd introduce myself as Lizzi or Liz or Elizabeth. But it never stuck, despite being my middle name.

So when I set this Blog up today I decided on proper Pen Name. Something I could choose for myself and make stick...

Whether it does or not is up to me!

The Tiger Princess's Guide to her particular brand of Jargon

I use a lot of acronyms and abbreviations in my journal, (sorry - it's just one of those things that Teachers do...) so I thought that I would provide a decoder for those of you who have absolutely no idea what I am going on about...

DT - Design and Technology.

Often abbreviated to Technology in long form, this is a posh name for the subject that teaches woodwork, metalwork, graphics, sewing, cooking etc. You may know it as CDT (Craft, Design and Technology) or just in its individual subject names. It also encompasses Home Economics for those who were at school in the 60's...

It's one of those subjects which go in and out of fashion according to which government is currently in power and what the state of the manufacturing and construction industries is.

ICT - Information Communication Technology.

Not to be confused with IT!

No, really, DO NOT confuse these two - the IT crowd get very annoyed if you do this, they seem to take it as an affront of some sort...

ICT teaches how to use the Software that computers use (well at my level anyway) and how to present it beautifully. The stage my pupils are at, well, they are still learning how to use the software...hence the amount of trouble that I have with their marking...

Year 7 - 11 - 12 year olds

The most loved year in the school. For the most part, Year 7's are polite, neat and tidy. They hand in their homework, don't talk back and are constantly amazed at the things that they are learning.

Year Nine - 13 - 14 year olds

The second most hated year for a teacher. This group of children, most of which who have started puberty and are all for experimenting - just not in Science or even school!

They go one of two ways - they either knuckle down and produce excellent work every time or they throw the school papers to the wind and join the Freshman year of the University of Life - usually by misbehaving in one way or another and being shunted to another school.

Nytol

These helpful little herbal tablets are supposed to "Ease you into a gentle, refreshing, natural sleep, allowing you to wake up ready to face the day!"

Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. I never know when they are going to do either so it ends up being a bit of a lottery...

G&B - Green & Blacks

For those not already in the know, G&B are the makers of some of the most gorgeous organic choc I have ever tasted. Happily they also make cocoa and hot chocolate drinks so I have a large jar of G&B's luxury hot choc in my cupboard - it takes all the blues away...

G&T - Gin and Tonic

Yes, I know you probably already knew this but, hey! I love my G&T!

CC&DC - Canadian Club and Diet Coke

This is the second of my favourite shot drinks. Canadian Club is a bourbon whisky like Jack Daniel's but I find it smoother and I can actually drink CC straight (I can't drink JD straight - makes my throat curl!)

Archers - Archers Peach Schnapps and Lemonade

This is my third favourite drink. I got hooked on this when I was eighteen and just starting out on my serious drinking years. It's a great drink in the summer but just a little too easy to drink - I have been known to go through a whole bottle by myself in one night...

Tiger, Tigger, Tig - Tiger Lager

This is the best lager in the world. Smooth, no nasty dry bite or sour aftertaste! Great with Chinese or by itself...um, sorry, I'm starting to sound like a bad commercial!

Hmm, I'm starting to get a little thirsty here...

Well that's it for now. I may well add to this as I get further in - watch out for updates!