Grey November, oh ye beauteous month!

It's been nearly a week since I posted something here. No special reasons for that - I just wasn't in the humour, and I had many other things to be doing. Studying, even!

It was my birthday yesterday (Sunday). I'm 22 now. (These birthdays are all rather 'meh', aren't they?) They say 21 is the best year of your life, so it must be all downhill from here, eh?! No, I'm not that pessimistic. There's no question that the last 12 months were the best of my life... so far. Fortunately, I've been able to say that for 4 years running now; though last year really excelled. I'm reasonably confident that the next year will be as good, if not better. Admittedly, real upheavals and convulsions lie ahead. We final-year students are soon to be shaken from our blissful complacency!

I'm not in the most joyous of moods right now, despite the birthday. The truth is that I hate November and December. Every year, without fail, I become miserable and increasingly introverted. Yet by mid-January, the upward spiral has begun. (And given my plans for this January, I think I'll be soaring upward from the word go!) I'm not entirely sure what causes this regular cycle. A combination of factors, no doubt. Perhaps it's a nasty blend of hormones and lack of sunlight. I'm certainly not the only person who despises this time of year, am I?

I was in a foul temper for much of the last week. In my head, I started to take offence to perceived 'slights'; thankfully I didn't act on any of those. It's difficult to offend me, and I don't hold grudges, so I was acutely conscious of my odd reactions and thoughts. Hmmm. It seems to have passed - a night out on Saturday appears to have done the trick. It was relatively sedate, but effective; I wasn't in the mood for wild dancing anyway. Maybe I will be by Wednesday... Heh. As I lay in bed last night (insomnia struck yet again), I went through and discarded every one of those 'slights'. Idiotic thoughts one and all, but human, all too human. So I got through my cranky period without venting spleen on any hapless passers-by! Though it'd probably be healthier if I did throw a tantrum the odd time. My self-discipline is strong in most respects, which is not necessarily a good thing.

So I'm relatively content as I write. I'm a little worried about my brother; he's been ill for a few weeks. What began as a mild chest infection progressed into asthmatic bronchitis, and now there's a virus wreaking havoc. The poor guy has cracked two ribs due to his incessant coughing. He's in hospital undergoing some checks right now. I know it's not anything critical, but he's not in good shape. He's missed nearly a month of school due to this, which is rather unhelpful given that it's his final year. He's much fitter than I am - he's in the Army Reserves - so it's surprising to see him like this. Although I've always been especially resilient to illness. Compensated for with all-too-frequent migraines. Bah. You can't win every round, I suppose!

I'll post something more digestible and topical soon enough. Relax people! Normal service will resume swiftly! :)