Now I know what you're thinking. 'She said she's going to post more often...' blah blah. Yes I did say that. It didn't happen. Boo hoo. It's pretty much down to 'I'll do it when I get the chance' now. So do not fear, I have not abandoned the blog. I just need to find the time to fit it in.
One of the things taking up more of my time is our new kitty. Yes, we did it! We have a black Bengal called Willow and she is luscious :-) Nearly a year old now, as we got her at 10 months old. She is very cute, very mischievous and sometimes very naughty! Like now, she is scratching a cardboard box, when she has a perfectly good scratching tower thingy that she actually does like and use! Silly kitty. We just had her neutered and microchipped this week too, so she currently has a big chunk of fur missing :-( We hadn't let her out at all as we didn't want her meeting a boy kitty...! Also we live near a main road and BF is worried she will get hit by a car. So it's under debate whether she will be let out at all. I think we should get some cat reins and take her for a walk! :-)
We are off to Edinburgh again. I know, predictable. But we are going for the Military Tattoo this time in August so it will be nice not to have to pack winter clothing for a change. We're not staying at the hostel this time either. Had enough of noisy students singing in the shower room next door and everyone banging doors all the bloody time. Hmmm, must be getting old if youngsters are starting to bug me...! So anyway, we have booked into a very reasonably priced B and B so that'll be a nice change too. I hope.
We're also hopefully going to Brighton to this burlesque cabaret night with GBF and his hubby and my best friend. She's not bringing her boyfriend, I think it was something to do with the fact he has lots planned with his friends for the summer and she deserves time with her friends! I digress. It's a big dress-up affair, with dinner, a show and dancing after, so we need to plan outfits. I have a few ideas in mind, but the club does different themed nights and we don't know which one we're booking yet, so clothing choices are slightly on hold. They do a masquerade ball night which I think might be the favourite... :-)
Speaking of my best pal, we are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year. Yes, it's ten whole years since that fateful day that we met - I threw my pen lid at her and the rest is history... Through our train journey across Europe, to dodgy dates and doomed relationships, from big nights out drinking Cosmo's to cosy afternoons drinking tea, we've stayed intact. And more importantly, so has our friendship. It's rare to meet a person you immediately feel comfortable with straight away. We became friends from the beginning and it's only become stronger over time, when jobs and life stuff get in the way and you see each other less, it's the time you make that becomes important. It was her birthday this week and I bought her perfume with green tea and jasmine. As soon as I smelled it, I knew she would love it. Sometimes that's an instinctive thing, but she's easy to buy for. I either think, 'well I love it, so she will too', or 'this is not me, but so her'. Funny how that works. Having so much in common, a similar way of thinking and the same values, we are two peas in a pod. (Which is funny, because I'm three years older and she actually has a twin sister!) So, to celebrate our 'friend-versary', as I have decided to call it, we are having a weekend away to do stuff we like that the BF's don't. Like cultural stuff. Not that they don't like cultural stuff, but we love it :-) arty, literary stuff that our boys are not into. Can't wait :-)
Job stuff - I've been given the title of 'unofficial merchandiser' at work, which is nice I suppose. Our supervisor is currently on and off sick so me and one of the other girls have ended up basically doing her job. It's not her fault and I don't mind really, it's just a bit annoying not to be paid for doing it. I still think the tax code is wrong too, I'm on about the fourth one now in six months which to me sounds ridiculous! I'm considering finding out how one becomes a visual merchandiser as I would rather make displays to promote the sales than actually sell stuff!
As for the other things I mentioned last time, I'm still keeping them under wraps :-p
Until next time folks... :-)
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Sunday, 13 January 2013
New Year, New Plan
So I know it's been ages since my last post. I have no excuse for it really... I just thought though that I'd like to start up again and also jot down some of the things that have occured since I last wrote.
We went to Edinburgh for Hogmanay. Needless to say, it was epic and my not-so-secret love affair with Auld Reekie continues :-) The street party was so good, we spent the night at the Scottish Stage dancing to traditional folk-pop-rock fusion type music which was great. The fireworks also did not disappoint, they really were amazing! I feel another trip to Edinburgh coming, maybe the film festival or the military tattoo. Maybe both.
We are settling into the new place quite nicely. More decorating must be done and we really must buy a washing machine. Soon. It's very annoying to keep having to take washing round to my mum's. We do really need to think about the storage situation too, as there's not much space. Loft boards are required methinks as we have a teeny loft space currently not in use. The neighbours with the horrible dog have moved out and we now have new people living next door. I haven't even seen them yet! We're hoping to get our cats soon too :-)
The job. Now, I'm having a conflict in my head about this. I only really realised it when I was talking to one of the other girls at work about it. I like what we sell, some of it I absolutely love and now we are entitled to full discount I intend to take advantage of it! Some of the problem is with the company itself. They have managed to mess up my tax code so I'm not being paid correctly, so obviously I'm not impressed with that. Before we went away, my days off for that week got missed off as my manager counted holiday as days off, so I'm now owed an extra day, and because of other people taking holiday this week and next week, I've ended up with a seven day stretch with no days off at all :-s Not happy. But I think my real problem is that I don't particularly like serving customers. And unfortunately this job is very customer focussed. On a good day, I can manage fine and be nice to people. On a bad day, I do my very best to offload customers onto the other girls so I can do something else, like rearrange a display. I like that side of things, and I think I'm ok at it. I'm getting that niggly feeling that retail is not for me. At all. I thought that getting out of the cafe was the key, and it kind of was. It has worked; I'd rather be where I am now than be back there! I just think that I'm meant to do something else. The girl I was talking to at work is the only other member of staff who has been to university and I think she understands my issue - that I didn't spend three years in higher education to stay in retail. I told her that my ideal job is to stay at home, writing on my laptop. Then I'd never have to deal with customers again :-) So on that note...
I am starting to re-write my novel that got lost when my old laptop died and I realised I hadn't saved the last draft to my USB stick. I have an older draft to work from, then I'm going to modify, edit and continue it until it's bloody finished this time instead of arsing about saying I'm going to do it then doing a bit and leaving it for months without touching it. This is a Plan. I'm also going to look for an agent. I am going to make my 'sit at home with laptop' plan a reality.
Also, I think I ought to mention that a little over a year has passed since I started this blog. I should probably comment about how the first year of the thirties has been for me...
1. People continue to disbelieve my age. For this I am grateful.
2. I put my lack of ageing down to early use of eye gel and a good cleansing routine. Never too early to start!
3. I have moments where I forget how old I am. Then moments spent with people under 20 who weren't even born when Take That split up bring me back to reality. It's slightly depressing.
4. Mostly, I don't think about it.
The thing I do think about is doing things I want to do before it's too late and I actually am too old! I have a couple of things I'm thinking about that may be discussed here in the future. Keeping it under wraps for now though...!
So, dear readers, expect more posts here and hopefully some good news :-)
We went to Edinburgh for Hogmanay. Needless to say, it was epic and my not-so-secret love affair with Auld Reekie continues :-) The street party was so good, we spent the night at the Scottish Stage dancing to traditional folk-pop-rock fusion type music which was great. The fireworks also did not disappoint, they really were amazing! I feel another trip to Edinburgh coming, maybe the film festival or the military tattoo. Maybe both.
We are settling into the new place quite nicely. More decorating must be done and we really must buy a washing machine. Soon. It's very annoying to keep having to take washing round to my mum's. We do really need to think about the storage situation too, as there's not much space. Loft boards are required methinks as we have a teeny loft space currently not in use. The neighbours with the horrible dog have moved out and we now have new people living next door. I haven't even seen them yet! We're hoping to get our cats soon too :-)
The job. Now, I'm having a conflict in my head about this. I only really realised it when I was talking to one of the other girls at work about it. I like what we sell, some of it I absolutely love and now we are entitled to full discount I intend to take advantage of it! Some of the problem is with the company itself. They have managed to mess up my tax code so I'm not being paid correctly, so obviously I'm not impressed with that. Before we went away, my days off for that week got missed off as my manager counted holiday as days off, so I'm now owed an extra day, and because of other people taking holiday this week and next week, I've ended up with a seven day stretch with no days off at all :-s Not happy. But I think my real problem is that I don't particularly like serving customers. And unfortunately this job is very customer focussed. On a good day, I can manage fine and be nice to people. On a bad day, I do my very best to offload customers onto the other girls so I can do something else, like rearrange a display. I like that side of things, and I think I'm ok at it. I'm getting that niggly feeling that retail is not for me. At all. I thought that getting out of the cafe was the key, and it kind of was. It has worked; I'd rather be where I am now than be back there! I just think that I'm meant to do something else. The girl I was talking to at work is the only other member of staff who has been to university and I think she understands my issue - that I didn't spend three years in higher education to stay in retail. I told her that my ideal job is to stay at home, writing on my laptop. Then I'd never have to deal with customers again :-) So on that note...
I am starting to re-write my novel that got lost when my old laptop died and I realised I hadn't saved the last draft to my USB stick. I have an older draft to work from, then I'm going to modify, edit and continue it until it's bloody finished this time instead of arsing about saying I'm going to do it then doing a bit and leaving it for months without touching it. This is a Plan. I'm also going to look for an agent. I am going to make my 'sit at home with laptop' plan a reality.
Also, I think I ought to mention that a little over a year has passed since I started this blog. I should probably comment about how the first year of the thirties has been for me...
1. People continue to disbelieve my age. For this I am grateful.
2. I put my lack of ageing down to early use of eye gel and a good cleansing routine. Never too early to start!
3. I have moments where I forget how old I am. Then moments spent with people under 20 who weren't even born when Take That split up bring me back to reality. It's slightly depressing.
4. Mostly, I don't think about it.
The thing I do think about is doing things I want to do before it's too late and I actually am too old! I have a couple of things I'm thinking about that may be discussed here in the future. Keeping it under wraps for now though...!
So, dear readers, expect more posts here and hopefully some good news :-)
Thursday, 18 October 2012
A New Start
Oh, how I've been dying to update this! Moving house and changing jobs in the same week is a recipe for disaster! Sort of. In keeping this up to date anyway ;-)
Started the new job a couple of weeks ago and I think it seems to be going quite well. Getting the hang of things now and settling into the new routine. And it's loads better than the old job - not hard really I suppose, seeing as I used to make tea for a living. If you could call it that. Which I wouldn't. The first couple of days at the new one were iffy though, I must admit. I had severe 'what am I doing here' moments. But then it became more relaxed and familiar, so is good. The days seem to go quickly too, which definitely makes a change! I'm in my element, organising displays and selling something I like. I thought I wanted out of retail, but it turns out it's not so bad if you like what you sell! Still get the odd awkward customer, but I guess you get them wherever you are. All in all, a good decision I think.
The house. We started paying rent the day before I started the job but we only moved in last Sunday. Waiting for carpets you see. We didn't see the point in moving all our stuff in, only to have to move it out again to have the carpets fitted. So we waited. Then there was a mix up with the oven delivery people. They tried to deliver it to my nan's house, as that was the billing address. Somehow, their brilliant computer system had mixed up the addresses and postcodes. Genius. So we had to wait a few extra days for the oven. I'm also currently writing this on my day off at nan's as we have no internet yet. It's going to be horrible, seven to ten days, cut off from the world... I'm surprised this is still working actually, but they said something about checking the new line blah blah. Still don't see why, in this era of advanced technology, it takes that long to fix up a new connection. Grrr. Anyway, things at the house are going well I think. Several boxes lie unopened still, but we don't have much in the way of storage. Or any shelves. So they may stay that way until we have somewhere to put whatever lurks inside the boxes. The bathroom's driving me mad though. The toilet doesn't flush well, as the pipes are all weirdly twisty, the water pressure in the shower is lousy and there's no storage at all, so all our stuff is in a box under the sink. Hardly ideal. The kitchen is ok. It is tiny but has loads of cupboards so we're not short of places to put things there. No washing machine yet though, or freezer. Bit of a nightmare, having to totally furnish a new place. The bedroom and living room are fine however. We've painted those so they've had the most attention so far. I thought, you spend a lot of time in those rooms, they should be decorated first. Also, they were the ones we put carpet in, so we had to paint really!
It's so nice having our own space finally. It's small but it's a start. Our neighbours are interesting. Got super-chavs one side and haven't even seen the people who live on the other side. The she-chav likes standing on her back step smoking. Nice. And they have an evil looking dog, which barks incessantly. Oh and a baby. Haven't heard much from that though; I find the noise the dog makes more annoying. Don't care for dogs much. We're getting a couple of cats at some point. Can't wait to have some little kitties :-) They'll eat the dog next door for breakfast.
I've just realised, I have missed the bus I was planning to catch. Now I have to wait another hour for the next one. Oh well, I did want to get this post done, or everyone will think I have abandoned this blog! Not the case, dear readers, just simply not had time with all the madness going on. And lack of internet connection of course! Soon to be rectified, hopefully sooner rather than later.
I've had people ask me if I miss my old job. Er no. That's the short answer. Why would I miss it? I think people are of the opinion that, seeing as how I was there SO LONG, I have some kind of emotional attachment to it. The truth? I couldn't wait to leave. I've hardly given the old place a second thought. It had become a burden to me, something I felt tied to because I found searching for something else so difficult. It was a vicious circle - I couldn't leave because I needed the money, no matter how pitiful it was. My part-time hours felt like the Longest Days Ever, they dragged because there was nothing interesting to do. Now I hardly have time to be bored, there's always new stock coming in, displays to rearrange, customers to help. And it's usually fun too :-) The old job wasn't fun for a long time. I saw an old colleague from years ago and she asked what I was doing now. I told her and she said I looked really happy. And I am :-) It's nice for a change. I'd forgotten what that felt like.
Started the new job a couple of weeks ago and I think it seems to be going quite well. Getting the hang of things now and settling into the new routine. And it's loads better than the old job - not hard really I suppose, seeing as I used to make tea for a living. If you could call it that. Which I wouldn't. The first couple of days at the new one were iffy though, I must admit. I had severe 'what am I doing here' moments. But then it became more relaxed and familiar, so is good. The days seem to go quickly too, which definitely makes a change! I'm in my element, organising displays and selling something I like. I thought I wanted out of retail, but it turns out it's not so bad if you like what you sell! Still get the odd awkward customer, but I guess you get them wherever you are. All in all, a good decision I think.
The house. We started paying rent the day before I started the job but we only moved in last Sunday. Waiting for carpets you see. We didn't see the point in moving all our stuff in, only to have to move it out again to have the carpets fitted. So we waited. Then there was a mix up with the oven delivery people. They tried to deliver it to my nan's house, as that was the billing address. Somehow, their brilliant computer system had mixed up the addresses and postcodes. Genius. So we had to wait a few extra days for the oven. I'm also currently writing this on my day off at nan's as we have no internet yet. It's going to be horrible, seven to ten days, cut off from the world... I'm surprised this is still working actually, but they said something about checking the new line blah blah. Still don't see why, in this era of advanced technology, it takes that long to fix up a new connection. Grrr. Anyway, things at the house are going well I think. Several boxes lie unopened still, but we don't have much in the way of storage. Or any shelves. So they may stay that way until we have somewhere to put whatever lurks inside the boxes. The bathroom's driving me mad though. The toilet doesn't flush well, as the pipes are all weirdly twisty, the water pressure in the shower is lousy and there's no storage at all, so all our stuff is in a box under the sink. Hardly ideal. The kitchen is ok. It is tiny but has loads of cupboards so we're not short of places to put things there. No washing machine yet though, or freezer. Bit of a nightmare, having to totally furnish a new place. The bedroom and living room are fine however. We've painted those so they've had the most attention so far. I thought, you spend a lot of time in those rooms, they should be decorated first. Also, they were the ones we put carpet in, so we had to paint really!
It's so nice having our own space finally. It's small but it's a start. Our neighbours are interesting. Got super-chavs one side and haven't even seen the people who live on the other side. The she-chav likes standing on her back step smoking. Nice. And they have an evil looking dog, which barks incessantly. Oh and a baby. Haven't heard much from that though; I find the noise the dog makes more annoying. Don't care for dogs much. We're getting a couple of cats at some point. Can't wait to have some little kitties :-) They'll eat the dog next door for breakfast.
I've just realised, I have missed the bus I was planning to catch. Now I have to wait another hour for the next one. Oh well, I did want to get this post done, or everyone will think I have abandoned this blog! Not the case, dear readers, just simply not had time with all the madness going on. And lack of internet connection of course! Soon to be rectified, hopefully sooner rather than later.
I've had people ask me if I miss my old job. Er no. That's the short answer. Why would I miss it? I think people are of the opinion that, seeing as how I was there SO LONG, I have some kind of emotional attachment to it. The truth? I couldn't wait to leave. I've hardly given the old place a second thought. It had become a burden to me, something I felt tied to because I found searching for something else so difficult. It was a vicious circle - I couldn't leave because I needed the money, no matter how pitiful it was. My part-time hours felt like the Longest Days Ever, they dragged because there was nothing interesting to do. Now I hardly have time to be bored, there's always new stock coming in, displays to rearrange, customers to help. And it's usually fun too :-) The old job wasn't fun for a long time. I saw an old colleague from years ago and she asked what I was doing now. I told her and she said I looked really happy. And I am :-) It's nice for a change. I'd forgotten what that felt like.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
It's All A-Changing!
Oh how the times are a-changing! Since my last post (which was, I am fully aware, rather downbeat) things have dramatically changed.
I have found a new job - ah, much rejoicing and jolly merriment all round - which, whilst not my ideal job, is at least full time and will bring in the much-needed pennies. The pennies are in much greater need now as the BF and I have been offered a house. Yes, the damn housing people have pulled their fingers out and we are signing papers and getting the keys on Friday! Now all we need is a cooker, a washing machine, a sofa and a fridge. Not too much to ask, surely...?!
It's all happened so fast, I think my head is spinning around. Or maybe I have taken Felix Felicis and tomorrow everything will be crap again. No. I can't think like that. It's just a lot to take in at once. And it's two things checked off my list that I wrote earlier this year. So that's good.
I hate packing though. There's so much stuff to go through, it's not possible that we need all the junk that has accumulated. And then there's trying to find a new home for everything once you move in. The whole process is a bit of a nightmare. All be worth it though. I'm starting the new job on Tuesday as well, so it's literally all happening at the same time. I don't know how my brain will cope! I will probably be very stressy. Oh won't that be fun for BF...! Actually, the job will be less stressy than the moving. We have so much to sort out - changing addresses, setting up internet, tv license and who knows what else.
It's going to be so amazing to have our own space though. I can't wait to wake up and be able to say "this is my house". Then we can get our cats. That will be fun. I just really hope this place has a bath, as I've been told that not all of them do. I'm waiting for the housing woman to email me some pictures. If it doesn't I will be a bit disappointed, but I suppose we could get a bath?
And decorating! All my hours spent collecting pictures of interiors on Pinterest will finally have their moment. I have an idea of how I'd like each room to look, but of course I want BF to have a say. It is our place after all. I'm not some sort of decorating dictator!
And now I must depart, as I have to begin the organisation process. Boxes must be acquired, things put in them and labels attached. Lists must be made about changing address - who on earth needs to be notified?! Firstly I need a to-do list...
I have found a new job - ah, much rejoicing and jolly merriment all round - which, whilst not my ideal job, is at least full time and will bring in the much-needed pennies. The pennies are in much greater need now as the BF and I have been offered a house. Yes, the damn housing people have pulled their fingers out and we are signing papers and getting the keys on Friday! Now all we need is a cooker, a washing machine, a sofa and a fridge. Not too much to ask, surely...?!
It's all happened so fast, I think my head is spinning around. Or maybe I have taken Felix Felicis and tomorrow everything will be crap again. No. I can't think like that. It's just a lot to take in at once. And it's two things checked off my list that I wrote earlier this year. So that's good.
I hate packing though. There's so much stuff to go through, it's not possible that we need all the junk that has accumulated. And then there's trying to find a new home for everything once you move in. The whole process is a bit of a nightmare. All be worth it though. I'm starting the new job on Tuesday as well, so it's literally all happening at the same time. I don't know how my brain will cope! I will probably be very stressy. Oh won't that be fun for BF...! Actually, the job will be less stressy than the moving. We have so much to sort out - changing addresses, setting up internet, tv license and who knows what else.
It's going to be so amazing to have our own space though. I can't wait to wake up and be able to say "this is my house". Then we can get our cats. That will be fun. I just really hope this place has a bath, as I've been told that not all of them do. I'm waiting for the housing woman to email me some pictures. If it doesn't I will be a bit disappointed, but I suppose we could get a bath?
And decorating! All my hours spent collecting pictures of interiors on Pinterest will finally have their moment. I have an idea of how I'd like each room to look, but of course I want BF to have a say. It is our place after all. I'm not some sort of decorating dictator!
And now I must depart, as I have to begin the organisation process. Boxes must be acquired, things put in them and labels attached. Lists must be made about changing address - who on earth needs to be notified?! Firstly I need a to-do list...
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Disappointment
Yes I know. It's been ages. Again. Let's not discuss it, let's just move on... :-)
First, a catch-up.
1. Cardiff was in equal measures epic and fun-filled. Many exciting cheeses were purchased to bring home and savour.
2. I have started doing a few bits for this local organisation, promoting the town and getting people interested in events. I think it's going ok, just wish it was paid :-s
3. Tickets for Edinburgh street-party have been booked! Roll on December...
Hmmm, shorter catch-up than I thought! Anyway, to other business.
In all honesty, I'm not in a very upbeat mood. Feel like a lot of things are a bit shit at the moment. Still finding it hard to get a new job, which makes me feel particularly worthless on a day-to-day basis. Also, me and the BF are trying to get a little house via the housing association and these people are impossible to pin down to get an appointment to view anywhere. So frustrating. And to top it off, I have spent all my money for the week, so can't go anywhere or do anything. Totally sucks. Although, as Xander says on 'Buffy', "It could be worse. I could have gangrene on my face". That would obviously be worse.
Sorry to be so depressing. I see all these positivity posts on Pinterest saying things like 'start every day like it's your birthday' but it gets more difficult as times go on and things don't improve. Who wants to be 30 and living like a teenager? Well, I guess there are the odd few. I need a better sense of self. My university tutor said I had problems with self-belief and I think that's now spread from my writing to my outlook on life. Not healthy I'm sure. I have to believe I deserve better. I do deserve better. They say you should dress for the job you want not the job you have - maybe that applies to life too? Like - believe in yourself more and believe in what you deserve and you will get it? I don't know, maybe that's just some psycho-mumbo-jumbo. I try not to get invested in things to avoid disappointment, but despite that effort disappointment seems to come. Ah well. Back to the old 'gangrene' quote again I suppose.
I'm going to call the damn housing woman again. I've been advised to bother her as much as possible by some friends who recently dealt with her. They've just got their own place and were the ones who referred me and the BF. So here goes... wish me luck.
First, a catch-up.
1. Cardiff was in equal measures epic and fun-filled. Many exciting cheeses were purchased to bring home and savour.
2. I have started doing a few bits for this local organisation, promoting the town and getting people interested in events. I think it's going ok, just wish it was paid :-s
3. Tickets for Edinburgh street-party have been booked! Roll on December...
Hmmm, shorter catch-up than I thought! Anyway, to other business.
In all honesty, I'm not in a very upbeat mood. Feel like a lot of things are a bit shit at the moment. Still finding it hard to get a new job, which makes me feel particularly worthless on a day-to-day basis. Also, me and the BF are trying to get a little house via the housing association and these people are impossible to pin down to get an appointment to view anywhere. So frustrating. And to top it off, I have spent all my money for the week, so can't go anywhere or do anything. Totally sucks. Although, as Xander says on 'Buffy', "It could be worse. I could have gangrene on my face". That would obviously be worse.
Sorry to be so depressing. I see all these positivity posts on Pinterest saying things like 'start every day like it's your birthday' but it gets more difficult as times go on and things don't improve. Who wants to be 30 and living like a teenager? Well, I guess there are the odd few. I need a better sense of self. My university tutor said I had problems with self-belief and I think that's now spread from my writing to my outlook on life. Not healthy I'm sure. I have to believe I deserve better. I do deserve better. They say you should dress for the job you want not the job you have - maybe that applies to life too? Like - believe in yourself more and believe in what you deserve and you will get it? I don't know, maybe that's just some psycho-mumbo-jumbo. I try not to get invested in things to avoid disappointment, but despite that effort disappointment seems to come. Ah well. Back to the old 'gangrene' quote again I suppose.
I'm going to call the damn housing woman again. I've been advised to bother her as much as possible by some friends who recently dealt with her. They've just got their own place and were the ones who referred me and the BF. So here goes... wish me luck.
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Things to Look Forward To
Hello folks. I just got back from my aforementioned meeting to discuss some work experience. I think it went rather well. It was more an informal chat with the project manager and another volunteer and after they explained what it is that they do, we kicked around some ideas for what I could do for them and came up with several things - writing reports, proofreading and editing. Sounds ideal! I told them I needed something to put on the old CV to spice it up and show I have actual experience in some kind of writing. They were very supportive of that and willing to put some work my way. So I have to wait until the project manager comes back from her holiday, then she says she'll email me and work something out. Promising stuff :-)
On a different subject , the Olympic torch passed through my little corner of England this morning. I have a feeling of complete indifference to it. So many people turned out for it, and I can't really understand the point. Just down the road in the next town, they had a massive street party in the town centre. I've seen some pictures on Facebook and it was heaving with people. Quite pleased I didn't have to go there for work today, the roads would have been a nightmare! I quite like watching some of the Olympics on TV but I'm not excited about the torch relay. I didn't apply for tickets to anything either. Probably would have ended up with tickets to the bloody table tennis or something like that! I'd much rather just watch it at home anyway, London will be havoc during the games. We'll be in Cardiff during the opening weekend too, as we have booked a three night break with the gays.
Oooh it just thundered outside! Should I be typing still? I never know. It's not plugged into the mains, does that make a difference?! So ignorant!
Anyway, I'm so looking forward to Cardiff. No idea what we have planned but I'm sure it will rock. Also, BF and I have booked a trip to Edinburgh for Hogmanay :-) So f-ing excited about that one! We haven't got our street party tickets yet, but hope to book them by the weekend. It will be epic.I am Edinburgh-sick. Every time I see the National Express coach go by, I just want to get on it and go to Edinburgh! I don't know what it is about that place, you just can't help but love it. I've got plans for places I want to visit while we're there, so they had better be open! Think we'll have missed the Christmas market by the time we get there though, which is sad as I really liked that last time. I could just go to Edinburgh and stay there. I keep threatening to do that! BF wouldn't mind, he loves it there too. Maybe one day...
Anyway, must fly. I need to eBay stuff. Laters!
On a different subject , the Olympic torch passed through my little corner of England this morning. I have a feeling of complete indifference to it. So many people turned out for it, and I can't really understand the point. Just down the road in the next town, they had a massive street party in the town centre. I've seen some pictures on Facebook and it was heaving with people. Quite pleased I didn't have to go there for work today, the roads would have been a nightmare! I quite like watching some of the Olympics on TV but I'm not excited about the torch relay. I didn't apply for tickets to anything either. Probably would have ended up with tickets to the bloody table tennis or something like that! I'd much rather just watch it at home anyway, London will be havoc during the games. We'll be in Cardiff during the opening weekend too, as we have booked a three night break with the gays.
Oooh it just thundered outside! Should I be typing still? I never know. It's not plugged into the mains, does that make a difference?! So ignorant!
Anyway, I'm so looking forward to Cardiff. No idea what we have planned but I'm sure it will rock. Also, BF and I have booked a trip to Edinburgh for Hogmanay :-) So f-ing excited about that one! We haven't got our street party tickets yet, but hope to book them by the weekend. It will be epic.I am Edinburgh-sick. Every time I see the National Express coach go by, I just want to get on it and go to Edinburgh! I don't know what it is about that place, you just can't help but love it. I've got plans for places I want to visit while we're there, so they had better be open! Think we'll have missed the Christmas market by the time we get there though, which is sad as I really liked that last time. I could just go to Edinburgh and stay there. I keep threatening to do that! BF wouldn't mind, he loves it there too. Maybe one day...
Anyway, must fly. I need to eBay stuff. Laters!
Monday, 9 July 2012
Ahh, Nostalgia...
Good grief, I've been slacking! And I have about a zillion things to say. Where to begin...
Let's start with some good news - I had my final meeting with the careers advisor and despite my misgivings and previous doubt about what the service could offer me, it turned out to be the most productive of the lot. I felt like I was more upfront about what I wanted, rather than what I thought I should say, and what do you know - I got more out of the session. Don't know why I kept putting it off really. It's cos I'm berk, that's what the BF would say. (In a joking manner. He doesn't spend all his time insulting me for fun). Anyway, I now have a list of useful contacts, she made some calls on my behalf while I was in the session, and out of that came a call on Thursday from someone offering me the chance of some work experience! Finally! She had left me a voicemail, so today I called her back and we have arranged to meet this Wednesday afternoon to discuss what I could do with them. The original call was to do some marketing and publicity stuff, as the careers advisor had told her I had a media degree, which is a term that can be misleading. I actually have a media writing degree which isn't quite the same. I explained what my area of study was and she went, 'oh so you could write articles for us then?' and I said yes because we did journalism on the course. She seemed keen to meet me, so roll on Wednesday :-)
I also want to talk about today's youth. Now I know that makes me sound dreadfully old, but I really don't understand the attitudes of some kids. I say some kids because it is certainly not all of them. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is a few giving them all a bad name, which is very unfair. But back to my point... We had a fifteen year old boy doing work experience a couple of weeks ago. At least they claimed he was a boy. I secretly think he may have been a mannequin for all the movement he made. I have never seen anyone so idle. Is this a normal teenage boy thing? I only have a sister, so I don't know. I'm sure most boys aren't so useless. We tried talking to him. No response. His face was blank, his eyes staring. When asked what he liked to do, the answer was - play computer games. Ah, now the vacant expression made sense! Hours spent gazing at a screen blowing aliens up, clearly. It has turned this boy into an empty vessel, incapable of the simplest of social interactions. He could barely say hello. In fact I'm not sure he did...! It's sad really. I actually think it is a serious problem though, as so many children have televisions and computer consoles in their bedrooms from an early age now. I know it's a while since I was a kid and times change, but the basic makeup of people doesn't. Kids need to be around adults to understand what is socially acceptable behaviour and they need to be around their peers to develop these skills for themselves. How does sitting in a room by yourself playing computer games for hours on end help in producing healthy, well-rounded young people? Short answer - I don't think it does.
We had games console. A Sega Megadrive. It was hooked up to a small TV that me and my sister used in the dining room. (We weren't allowed a TV in our room. Or rooms, when I was kicked out of the one we shared when I was twelve because she snored. So unfair...) We only played on the Sega at weekends and in school holidays. I don't remember thinking this was unfair though. I actually preferred reading anyway, although I do recall the time we were a little addicted to Streets of Rage :-) I did love that game. And Sonic 2. And Columns. Showing my age now! Good times. Anyway, my point was that we didn't spend every waking hour on the computer because we weren't allowed. We were encouraged to play outside, ride our bikes, read, paint, make stuff like paper flowers, play board games, play with our Barbie dolls, listen to music (I was given a small stereo with a turntable when I was about nine or ten, and I loved it. We were allowed to play our mum and dad's old records, as well as our own which were mostly Kylie and Jason. Classic), make up games and stories, play with face paints, play with our Spirograph and Fashion Wheel, bake cakes with mum. If this all sounds a bit too idyllic, sorry, but that's how it was. Our mum stayed home with us until my sister went to school, and was there to pick us up every day. We were allowed kids' TV after school, and, when we were older, Aussie soaps and Hollyoaks. But we watched them together, not off separately in our rooms. Looking at how some kids are brought up now, I feel it was good that we did things as a family. Meals round the table, not in front of the TV. Day trips to museums, castles and safari parks. Caravan holidays to Tenby every year (never got tired of that place). Do I feel like I missed out by not having a games console or a TV in my room from a young age? Not at all. I feel that it helped make me more imaginative and creative. I used to write little stories on folded up bits of paper for my sister when I was about seven. I was instilled with a love of books from a young age, not a love of TV. I enjoyed TV of course (Button Moon? Maid Marian? Dogtanian? Yes please), but I loved reading. I remember sitting at the breakfast table every morning, and if I didn't have a book to read over my cereal, I would read the back of the cereal box. Just for something to read. I'm the same now really. I love words and I despise all 'txt spk'. Especially when people use it on Facebook or in emails. We have this fantastically rich and interesting language and it is reduced to a series of acronyms. I have never 'lol'ed. That is the worst of the bunch actually, because people now stick it to the end of everything, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. Very annoying.
That paragraph ended somewhere different to where I intended! Do not get me started on spelling...! I don't know if it's bad teaching, the rise of text speak or sheer laziness on the part of students, but I despair when I see words used incorrectly, or simple words spelled wrongly. I know English is hard with a lot of words that sound the same but have different spellings. Really though, is it too much to ask for people to learn how to spell these words correctly - 'weird', 'receive' and 'definitely'. Or to learn the different uses of 'to', 'too' and 'two'. Similarly with, 'there', 'their' and 'they're'. So annoying. Even worse when you see them spelled wrong in the papers, which happens far more frequently than you may think! Rant over. For now...
I'm looking forward to my meeting on Wednesday - will report back here dear readers.
Let's start with some good news - I had my final meeting with the careers advisor and despite my misgivings and previous doubt about what the service could offer me, it turned out to be the most productive of the lot. I felt like I was more upfront about what I wanted, rather than what I thought I should say, and what do you know - I got more out of the session. Don't know why I kept putting it off really. It's cos I'm berk, that's what the BF would say. (In a joking manner. He doesn't spend all his time insulting me for fun). Anyway, I now have a list of useful contacts, she made some calls on my behalf while I was in the session, and out of that came a call on Thursday from someone offering me the chance of some work experience! Finally! She had left me a voicemail, so today I called her back and we have arranged to meet this Wednesday afternoon to discuss what I could do with them. The original call was to do some marketing and publicity stuff, as the careers advisor had told her I had a media degree, which is a term that can be misleading. I actually have a media writing degree which isn't quite the same. I explained what my area of study was and she went, 'oh so you could write articles for us then?' and I said yes because we did journalism on the course. She seemed keen to meet me, so roll on Wednesday :-)
I also want to talk about today's youth. Now I know that makes me sound dreadfully old, but I really don't understand the attitudes of some kids. I say some kids because it is certainly not all of them. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is a few giving them all a bad name, which is very unfair. But back to my point... We had a fifteen year old boy doing work experience a couple of weeks ago. At least they claimed he was a boy. I secretly think he may have been a mannequin for all the movement he made. I have never seen anyone so idle. Is this a normal teenage boy thing? I only have a sister, so I don't know. I'm sure most boys aren't so useless. We tried talking to him. No response. His face was blank, his eyes staring. When asked what he liked to do, the answer was - play computer games. Ah, now the vacant expression made sense! Hours spent gazing at a screen blowing aliens up, clearly. It has turned this boy into an empty vessel, incapable of the simplest of social interactions. He could barely say hello. In fact I'm not sure he did...! It's sad really. I actually think it is a serious problem though, as so many children have televisions and computer consoles in their bedrooms from an early age now. I know it's a while since I was a kid and times change, but the basic makeup of people doesn't. Kids need to be around adults to understand what is socially acceptable behaviour and they need to be around their peers to develop these skills for themselves. How does sitting in a room by yourself playing computer games for hours on end help in producing healthy, well-rounded young people? Short answer - I don't think it does.
We had games console. A Sega Megadrive. It was hooked up to a small TV that me and my sister used in the dining room. (We weren't allowed a TV in our room. Or rooms, when I was kicked out of the one we shared when I was twelve because she snored. So unfair...) We only played on the Sega at weekends and in school holidays. I don't remember thinking this was unfair though. I actually preferred reading anyway, although I do recall the time we were a little addicted to Streets of Rage :-) I did love that game. And Sonic 2. And Columns. Showing my age now! Good times. Anyway, my point was that we didn't spend every waking hour on the computer because we weren't allowed. We were encouraged to play outside, ride our bikes, read, paint, make stuff like paper flowers, play board games, play with our Barbie dolls, listen to music (I was given a small stereo with a turntable when I was about nine or ten, and I loved it. We were allowed to play our mum and dad's old records, as well as our own which were mostly Kylie and Jason. Classic), make up games and stories, play with face paints, play with our Spirograph and Fashion Wheel, bake cakes with mum. If this all sounds a bit too idyllic, sorry, but that's how it was. Our mum stayed home with us until my sister went to school, and was there to pick us up every day. We were allowed kids' TV after school, and, when we were older, Aussie soaps and Hollyoaks. But we watched them together, not off separately in our rooms. Looking at how some kids are brought up now, I feel it was good that we did things as a family. Meals round the table, not in front of the TV. Day trips to museums, castles and safari parks. Caravan holidays to Tenby every year (never got tired of that place). Do I feel like I missed out by not having a games console or a TV in my room from a young age? Not at all. I feel that it helped make me more imaginative and creative. I used to write little stories on folded up bits of paper for my sister when I was about seven. I was instilled with a love of books from a young age, not a love of TV. I enjoyed TV of course (Button Moon? Maid Marian? Dogtanian? Yes please), but I loved reading. I remember sitting at the breakfast table every morning, and if I didn't have a book to read over my cereal, I would read the back of the cereal box. Just for something to read. I'm the same now really. I love words and I despise all 'txt spk'. Especially when people use it on Facebook or in emails. We have this fantastically rich and interesting language and it is reduced to a series of acronyms. I have never 'lol'ed. That is the worst of the bunch actually, because people now stick it to the end of everything, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. Very annoying.
That paragraph ended somewhere different to where I intended! Do not get me started on spelling...! I don't know if it's bad teaching, the rise of text speak or sheer laziness on the part of students, but I despair when I see words used incorrectly, or simple words spelled wrongly. I know English is hard with a lot of words that sound the same but have different spellings. Really though, is it too much to ask for people to learn how to spell these words correctly - 'weird', 'receive' and 'definitely'. Or to learn the different uses of 'to', 'too' and 'two'. Similarly with, 'there', 'their' and 'they're'. So annoying. Even worse when you see them spelled wrong in the papers, which happens far more frequently than you may think! Rant over. For now...
I'm looking forward to my meeting on Wednesday - will report back here dear readers.
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