21 October 2003 | 9:59 p.m.,

cousinly concern & the naked text

I had an email from my cousin in Canada the other day out the blue. We used to email regularly when we were both in college but these days all I hear from her is a birthday and Christmas card. So I was slightly, but pleasantly, surprised. She said she'd heard a rumour that I was going to NYC next month.

So there is me thinking that she was just going to wish me a good trip or maybe say she wanted to go [stranger things have happened!]. I replied and said that I had been thinking about it but had noone to go with and stuff. Anyway today I got a reply and it seems she only wanted to lecture me on how unsafe American cities are for women on their own and said that I'd be wiser to wait until I had someone to go with yadda yadda yadda. I can see her point, don't get me wrong, and I know her sister was nearly attacked a couple of years ago which has obviously made her more paranoid about stuff too.

But really? Is it just me or is that slightly patronising?!?! Does she think nothing bad ever happens in British/Euopean cities? Or in small country towns for that matter? That all the bad people live in American cities? Or that I'm so naive I don't know what could happen?

That just pissed me right off! To the point I was snapping at my mum who just happened to walk in at the wrong time.

So I replied to her email with a "don't worry, your naive country bumpkin cousin isn't going to the big bad American city" A little too sarky?! Had to get the "don't patronise me" bit across without being TOO bitchy about it

I did say her concern is appreciated and asked if she was offering to go with me [haha]. I was all nice as pie after that so hopefully she won't take it too seriously. I know she meant well. But i'm older than her! She shouldn't be giving me lectures, its not the natural order of things! :(

P has said a few times that he thinks we have some kind of weird connection because a few times he's been thinking about me or even thinking of sending me a message [back in the days when he actually had credit that is!] when his phone has bleeped and he had a message from me, freaky stuff like that. Today he tells me that the message I sent last night [which thankfully he didn't actually mention apart from that cos I wished I hadn't sent it about 5 seconds after I did..] arrived when he was naked. And I'm like "oh [what the hell???!!] and he's like "well I was in the bath.. but its not the first time thats happened. I think you're watching me".

Yeah cos its important to me that he reads my messages when he's naked. Ahem... I think that might be taking the freaky connection theory a tad too far!

Had a lousy day as I've been all kind of lightheaded all afternoon and on and off ever since plus my back was sore again and the promised [again] massage never materialised. And Shug said he wasn't giving me one cos he's a married man. Not that I asked!

I think I'll just crawl under my duvet and hibernate at least until saturday [when I have to work again] but possibly all winter. I think its going to be a really cold one..