I have lost track of what day it is. To me that is the best sign that I�m on holidays. That and the fact that I have time to sit and read the newspaper from cover to cover if I want. Though in this case I haven�t been doing that.

I am aware that there has been a truly devastating earthquake in Iran, and a mudslide in California, but I haven�t really been following the news. What I have been doing is as follows:

1. Surviving Christmas Day. Some parts of the day were great, some were strained, others were downright painful - particularly because I had to bite my tongue on more than one occasion in order to avoid a festive season argument with my mother - but it�s only one day, and its over now.

2. Having a truly lazy Boxing Day. Usually on Boxing Day I either go to the cricket or to the movies. This year I went around and spent the day with Dad, Mary and the Munchkin, literally lying around the house. Then I came home and took a nap.

3. Going to the movies. I don�t think I�ll achieve last year�s movie-watching record, but in the last three days I�ve seen Lord of the Rings, Love Actually and Lost in Translation. Hey, all �L�s�, I hadn�t noticed that until I just typed it.

I went to LOTR with a few friends and we had a couple of morons sitting around us. To Maria�s right, and thankfully far enough away from me that I didn�t notice him until he got up to leave, was a guy that spent the last 45 minutes of the movie fidgeting and checking his watch. Upon the credits beginning to roll he leapt up and said �excuse me, I have to catch a plane� and ran from the theatre. We were forced to wonder how on earth you went into a movie on a deadline without knowing how long the movie was going to be? Especially when the extra-long-three-hours-plus nature of the movie has been pretty well advertised and discussed. And, if you happen not to know, why don�t you just get up and leave the damn theatre part-way through the movie? Are you that cheap? I just don�t understand.

In addition to that guy, sitting behind Jane and I was a family who were essentially watching the movie as if they were in their living room. Particularly the mother. The first couple of comments she made we thought she was just explaining to her child. And while that would have been painful, it was at least acceptable. But we discovered pretty quickly that it was just her: �oooh� �ahhhh� �look out!� �oh, it�s her� �no, it�s not�. We couldn�t resist giggling at one point when her child told her to shut up.

The audiences for the other movies were much, much better. For Lost in Translation this afternoon the theatre was totally and completely full and totally and completely silent, aside from when they were meant to be laughing.

I really enjoyed all three films. I thought LOTR could have finished a little bit sooner. I thought Love Actually was light and frothy and just what I wanted except the ending was quite right. In fact, that could also have finished a little bit earlier. I went into Lost in Translation expecting to love it, and I was not disappointed. Among other things I thought that the very beginning and the very end captured perfectly that feeling of arriving in a new city at night and not knowing anything about it or where you are, and then leaving some time later during the day after whatever you have experienced there, and knowing where you are and at least some small thing about what the place is about.

4. Writing. I haven�t done too much writing yet, but I have picked up an old piece I haven�t worked on in a while and played with it a little. I�ll probably do some more tomorrow when its too hot to go outside. I need to choose one piece and concentrate on it for a while in order to get somewhere. I tend to write exactly the same way I read, that is I pick things up and put them down as inspiration strikes, so I always have 25 things on the go at once.

5. Shopping. I haven�t really tackled the sales, but I have ducked in and out and acquired a much needed cotton blanket, a sort-of needed handbag, and totally unneeded shoes (duh).

6. Reading. Actually, I haven�t done much actual reading, but it feels like I have simply because I scored so well on the book front from Christmas. Dad gave me essentially the entire Booker Prize shortlist, plus a large gift voucher to one of my favourite bookstores, so I went out and spent that today too. My book stack is now the same height as my bedside table, ie about two and a half feet tall. But more about that in the next entry.

7. Finally, and most importantly, sleep. I have been sleeping in, and plan to continue doing so for the rest of this week. I may throw in a few afternoon naps as well.

Now, what day is it again?