End of the Happiness Experiment

25/5
Good hotel rooms - Great Victoria, Bradford
The kick of public speaking - b.tween conference
Reading the newspaper once in a while

What this means:
1. luxury
2. self-fulfilment
3. having time on your hands


26/5
Starting a new novel - The Good Life by Jay McInerney
Arriving in a new country - Granada on a warm evening
Seeing old friends - Eileen and Matthew and the kids

What this means:
1. reading/literature
2. travel/exploring
3. friends

27/5
Squeezing oranges fresh off the tree in Eileen and Matthew's garden
Feeling horny in the afternoon - siesta time
Swimming in the evening in an illuminated pool

What this means:
1. drink/food, fruit/nature
2. physical pleasure and rest
3. physical pleasure, water

28/5
Reading in bed when it's sunny outside
Outdoor drinks in the evening
Watching cats

What this means:
1. reading
2. nature/light
3. nature/animals

29/5
Good hotel rooms e.g. With balcony/terrace
Evening swim in the sea
Reading on the beach

What this means:
1. luxury
2. water/nature/sea
3. reading/sea

30/5
Secluded beach
Pendulous breasts
Eating fish on a terrace by the sea

What this means:
1. sea/nature, physical pleasure
2. sex
3. sea, food

31/5
Getting brown
Walking en famille
Feeling exercised

What this means:
1. physical pleasure
2. family life
3. physical pleasure, health

1/6
Birdsong in the morning
Scoring a strike
Walking through Bloomsbury

What this means:
1. nature
2. play
3. urban life - architecture/art meets nature meets people

2/6
Sharing Julie and Jonathan's wedding day
A quiet colourful corner of Notting Hill
Looking good

What this means:
1. friends
2. urban life
3. self-fulfilment

3/6
Water with fruit juice
Looking at the photos from teenage trip to Israel
Time with Stu and Jon

What this means:
1. drink
2. friends, travel
3. friends

4/6
Playing boules with the boyz in the backgarden
Making barbeques
Reading DBPierre's new book

What this means:
1. play, family life
2. food, family life, nature
3. reading/literature

5/6
Being invited to be a trustee of 24 Hour Museum
Hanging in Green Park
Evening in Saint James's Square before BAFTA TV committee

What this means:
1. self/professional fulfilment
2. nature
3. nature/light

6/6
Learning about User Generated Tagging
A presentation about Flickr and stuff
Working in the sunshine in Embankment Gardens

What this means:
1. learning
2. photography, creative technology
3. nature

7/6
Working at the BBC on Creative Archive
Getting home in good time for the kids - dinner out al fresco at the thai
Hooking up with people like Anna Maria in Italy on Flickr

What this means:
1. professional fulfilment
2. family life, nature
3. friends, human connection

[gap]

14/6
Getting a new job title and description I wanted
Chocolate malt milkshake (at Ed's)
Birdwatching on the King's Road

What this means:
1. self-fulfilment
2. food
3. sex

15/6
England scoring
Aaron Lennon playing superbly
Discussing the match with N

What this means:
1. sport
2. sport
3. family life

16/6
Desert Island Discs
Crappy thriller movies
Friday evenings

What this means:
1. play, music
2. film
3. rest

17/6
Our home
30s lidos (Crouch End)

What this means:
1. home, family life
2. physical pleasure/water, architecture

18/6
Our new garden shed
The allotments
Memories of playing Action Man (the tank)

What this means:
1. home
2. nature
3. play

19/6
The bijoux New Ambassadors Theatre
PJE

What this means:
1. architecture/art
2. friends

20/6
Joe Cole's goal
Posh outdoor lunch with Iram Q, Green Park
A bunch of new music for my iPod

What this means:
1. sport
2. food, nature, human connection
3. music

21/6
Doing Aussie accent for the kids while reading a picture book, Wombat Stew, for the both of them
Buying the best of Commando comics (echoes of Wittering) from Hatchards
Walking through Saint James's in the sun

What this means:
1. family life, reading
2. art/reading
3. urban life

[gap]

10/7
Introducing N to Commando comics

What this means:
1. teaching, sharing

11/7
Reading Skins script
IPod shuffling on the tube home

What this means:
1. film
2. music, pleasant surprises

12/7
Surveying progress of extension at sunset
Moblogging

What this means:
1. home, nature
2. photography, creative technology

13/7
Bed time read with Dylan - Wolves in Sheep's Clothing
Watching James May(?)'s tv show about classic toys with D and laughing together
Tommy scratching the glass back door to get in at night

What this means:
1. family life, reading
2. play
3. animals

14/7
Lunch on roof terrace of soho house with the Carbon mikes
Getting my teeth into Big Art Project
Evening fizzy tea session after work

What this means:
1. human connection, nature
2. art, professional fulfilment
3. human connection

[gap]

18/8/06 last day
My old orange iBook (coming out of retirement)
Watching N setting up toy soldiers - those old Airfix 1/30something figures (recently augmented with an eBay purchase)
Post-gym satisfaction

What this means:
1. creative technology, colour
2. family life, play
3. physical pleasure

The conclusions drawn from all of this follow in next post...