Coming down from grump mountain

Last night saw me in the grips of a grump.  Not a major meltdown or anything, just a good dosing of stodgy "meh" drizzled with a bland and lump-strewn gravy of "blah".  I knew things were bad when I found myself watching a Harry Potter movie on telly... and actually starting to care about what was happening.  I've spent a goodly portion of this century studiously NOT caring about Harry Potter so this was very much out of character.  Drastic measures were needed, clearly.

When I am having a bad day, or just bottoming out at the nadir of a wave of hormones (which, if the state of my skin is anything to go by, was the main cause of yesterday evening's mood) then I like to try and remind myself of that which is awesome.

Burt Bacharach - He's 81, he kind of looks like the crypt-keeper's healthier younger brother and he's coming to our fair shores in November.  More to the point I don't even have to hear his music to feel just that little bit more upbeat.  After years of cutesy animals advertising Telecom calling plans often accompanied by a Bacharach soundtrack I am pretty well versed.  Someone once said that Burt Bacharach has always been popular but never been cool.  With the kind of pop saturation that this man has been able to achieve in his life, surely being cool is irrelevant. Coolness is fleeting. Having people think of meerkats whenever they hear your music is forever.

Sara Lee mini baked cheesecakes - Bite-size cheesecake snacks that you can eat straight from the freezer because the last thing you want to have to do is thaw out a whole cheesecake thereby delaying the gratification. These babies will change your life...because you will put on twenty kilos. AND IT WILL BE WORTH IT.

I have a toastie maker - So my life is now 47 per cent better than it was a week ago.

At least I can keep my pants off the ground - This guy gives me hope that it is indeed possible to remain whimsical, pointed and limber in your sixties.  American Idol delivers the goods (and the offbeats, and the quirkies) yet again.

The sun'll come out tomorrow - God bless Sunrise, my morning dose of information and insanity.  Earlier this week a quite innocent piece on exercise equipment turned into a sexual innuendo minefield.  Watching this again put a cheeky smile on my dial.  What I'd really like to see is someone slow this down and put a "bow chicka wow wow" soundtrack over the top of it.  Saucy. Despite this mood lifter, when I espied the size of the pimple on my chin this morning there were definitely traces of residual grump.  These were blown away by the gales of laughter I succumbed to upon watching this morning's slapstick routine care of erstwhile weather manboy, the ever courageous Josh Heslop.

Josh is regularly called upon to engage in activities that have potential for discomfort, humiliation or injury, often at the behest of Oliver Driver (who is clearly more than a little bit evil, aka my kind of person).  Anyway, this morning they had Josh attempting to walk inside a giant beach ball, on the surface of a swimming pool.  In principal I think it's supposed to work like one of those hamster wheels.  Unfortunately our human hamster looked like he had an inner ear problem.  Josh did face plants, side plants, bum plants, shoulder plants.  Basically more plants than a garden centre. 

The last time I laughed that much at something occurring in a swimming pool I was watching Showgirls and Elizabeth Berkley was doing an impression of The Scary Washing Machine.  I laughed.  I laughed long, and I laughed loud.  I laughed so much that I did one of those "coming back down to normal" sighs that transition you from high-pitched shrieking to your normal speaking voice.

So, I am happy to announce that the grump is gone like a gone thing.  But what works for me might not work for you. What mood lightening tools do you employ when you're on the top of grump mountain?

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