Nailed It.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember this picture I took in august 2012, in this blog post. 

This my bloggy friends, is today:

Regardless of the obviously better colour nail polish (brown ftw),  just look at how much my clubbing has gone down! Clubbing is not only related to lung health but liver function too - also many other things, people still don't know what causes it. My clubbing got substantially worse with my liver disease, and now it seems to not only have returned to my pre liver damaged self, but surprisingly, even better than before.  The other fingers aren't as amazing as my thumb, but almost. 

Big thumbs up!

In other news, I'm having a lot of booky fun at Penguin. Yep, I bagged a placement at Penguin books! What started as a two week work experience placement, has now transformed into an internship, currently on week 6 and still at least two weeks to go. I felt a wave on excitement when I was referred to as 'the Intern' the other day, and have been put in charge of lots of lovely booky publishing jobs. The key is just to ask people if you can work with them, which is why in a couple of weeks i'm heading over to the publicity dept, after being asked to stay on at Portfolio until now. I was told today that i'd be very welcome back with Viking, who share a space with Portfolio, after my stint with publicity (!) 

This has definitely cemented my new found love for publishing, and just enhanced my long-standing passion for books and literature. Being surrounded by books all day is absolutely heavenly, and when i'm doing publicity etc, I don't feel like i'm selling my soul for a corrupt business - i'm selling and promoting things that are GOOD for the world, and good for people. I'm selling things I want people to buy and fall in love with and share, and creating interesting, thought-provoking and captivating trinkets of knowledge for people to indulge in. PR for Primark was great fun, but at the end of the day, it's Primark. Books matter, and I love it. I'm determined never to leave 80 Strand, with it's rows of books, rows of free books, and river views. I suddenly feel so happy, that it feels like i've finally found, after years of soul searching, what i'd really love to do. I think publishing is definitely for me. I just hope I can realise this dream and at some point in the not-too-distant future, find myself a proper solid place in a company.

View from Portfolio's meeting room (it's actually panoramic!)

Check out this view. It's gorgeous. Walking and working beside the river everyday has this sublime effect, it actually feels as if all the dust and cobwebs are being pulled away with the flow, which is especially helpful as I step out at Embankment tube feeling utterly clogged up, dizzy and often a bit nauseous.  I love my city!

Right outside the building

I'm also galavanting off to LATVIA this weekend! I'm visiting the brother who has flown the nest, hopefully to persuade him not to stay in the land of coldness, darkness... and coldness. I'm excited about taking my first trip abroad in 5 years, wooooo planes! And i'm certainly well enough  - at clinic on tuesday I blew 61% and 89%, a whole 9% better than my best ever!! And by ever I mean ever ever. My BMI is normal, and overall I feel bloody great. 

WOO LIFE