Decorating

Oh I'll be off to buy my Christmas tree tomorrow, as long as I can persuade a mate/family member with a sensible car to take me - although I could always chuck it in the front passenger seat with the roof down and hope it doesn't rain I guess.
Then it'll be baubles-a-plenty and the oh-so-difficult question of "do I go for the lit up waving Santa, the 6 foot inflatable Rudolph or the rooftop nativity scene complete with flashing star in the east and kamikaze Jesus?". The dilemmas we face in this modern 'National Lampoons Christmas Vacation' world we live in.

I blame Asda and Walmart myself.

porkies

actually I kind of lied about being single again... well, sort of... erm well it's kind of complicated and I didn't want to count my chickens etc etc but it looks like they might be hatching anyway. WAHEY!!!!

From BBC website -

"A woman given up for adoption at birth will try to pick out her long-lost father from a line of impostors in a new US reality TV show. Fox TV's Who's Your Daddy promises $100,000 to the contestant if she correctly identifies her father. It opens with the contestant being introduced to a panel of eight men, each of whom must convince her that he is her real father. If she guesses correctly, the contestant wins the jackpot - otherwise the money goes to the successful impostor. "

Dear God what is the world coming to.

new job!!!

Monday afternoon and the world is fine. Yes I am writing this at work, but that is because today I will be mostly being a receptionist. Oh yes, is there no end to my talents!!!

Once I'd got over my fear of the switchboard, and mastered the art of calculating 3 x 28pence for the many employees who come and buy stamps for their Christmas cards, the rest was a breeze!! I still have a slight fear of the DHL man, and I'm suppressing the urge to sing "You never close your eyes any more when I kiss your lips.." over the tannoy... but in all I'd say this has been an good experience.

There's periods of mind-numbing boredom, interspersed with sheer chaos as the phones are ringing, the visitors arriving, employees chatting and e-mails "bringing". High powered stuff I can tell you!!!

And why am I here... well my management books tell me to occasionally roll up my sleeves and get on down with the workers. So when my afternoon receptionist called in sick I decided it was time to mingle with the real people. After all, how can you manage them when you're terrified of the equipment they use.

and it seems I'm not too bad at it. A cheery smile is my forte, I have no nails to file and I've already read last weeks Heat magazine and Hello isn't my cup of tea, so I'm the perfect (if somewhat overpaid) option!!!

single again

oh joy.
Oh well, bring on the drunken christmas party men eh.

uh oh

it's not going to be a fun evening ahead.....

cards & knickers

spent the evening watching spooks and writing christmas cards - no mean feat as you have to concentrate quite hard on both elements. Posted them today (minus passport this time) and now have to venture into the room to find all my decorations.....

As well as sending the cards - I posted a pair of knickers to a random stranger too. All part of a "knicker chain" - bit like a chain letter but without vodoo curses if you bin it, and the hope/bonus that you might get 36 pairs back to you in the post(all clean one would hope). If you're a female mate/relative reading this then be prepared - there's probably a letter in the post for you as we speak! Blame Lizzie Nash/Tozer, it's her fault!

improvements

Ok I’ll stop whinging now and try and write something that people must not want to throw me out of windows for! Life got a bit depressing due to high workloads but I need to chill out today as I had to go back to the nurse for another blood pressure check yesterday and it was still high. I was hopeful that losing weight would make a difference but clearly not. Perhaps I’m just naturally a high blood pressure person – must be a redhead thing. I don’t shout, just get my blood boiling instead!

So onto happier things, well it’s Thursday, and I have Friday off which makes effectively Friday! I’m out tomorrow night celebrating a friends 40th – how scary is it that I have friends who are 40…..! Then on Sat I get to dress up as a Mexican and drink tequila – fabbo!

Christmas shopping is taking it’s toll. I may try and get some more done tomorrow but it’s all such hard work. But in a way the idea of buying things on the internet just doesn’t really work for me, it’s like you loose a bit of the Christmas vibe if you don’t get stressed in Boots, want to karate-chop the little old lady in the queue in front of you and run screaming through the streets wearing nothing but tinsel and reindeer deely boppers shouting “bah humbug”.

The other exciting thing is my living room is about to change colour. God I hope I like it, interior decoration was never really my forte, as those who saw the living room in my last house would agree!

brief respite

still fed up, but with occasional spouts of enjoying life.

Such as seeing The Incredibles on Sat.
..... and eating Yorkshire Pudding for my tea
....... and fitting into a pair of size 12 jeans for the first time in years
............ and getting a big hug off my man


but other than that I'm still fed up.

it's not getting better

Despite a small respite last night with curry, The Mummy Returns and the company of a nice man, I am back to my winter blues today.
Work is pants, weather is pants, life is pants,

pant pants elasticated pants.

blues

I've got the Tuesday evening blues. There's sod all on TV, I'm bored and I've not got the energy or motivation to (in the words of quality tv shows - ) "go and do something less boring instead". Oh to be motivated, oh to be inspired, oh to be on holiday again. Bugger.

dilemma...

well, back off my jolly's, with the merest hint of a suntan (4 more freckles) and covered in mosquito bites. I have an important meeting tomorrow of the recruitment kind - the dilemma I face is do I go there smelling of Anthisan or do I sit there scratching like I have fleas? Tough call.

aargh... forgot to mention the most important event this weekend. whilst out drinking in Cheltenham on Fri night I got asked for ID at a nightclub!!!!! Admittedly the bloke didn't push the fact once I'd laughed and told him I was 31 but hey... it's the principle. Rock On!!!!!!

ouch...

I woke up this morning and wondered if, during my deep slumber, some devious dwarves had played tug of war, using my arms as the rope. I had no idea quite how forcefully I was holding onto the steering wheel of the go-kart yesterday until I tried to raise my hand at 7am to turn off my alarm and found I couldn’t. It’s agony. I can hardly move my hands to type this.

But at least I had fun I guess, although Mrs Hardy owes me a drink for unceremoniously ramming me into the tyres on the semi-finals. Her reinforcement of the “women driver” stereotype at that moment will no doubt have suffragettes spinning in their graves for the rest of the week. Although I’m just bitter as she beat me overall – revenge will be mine next year…..

Went out for dinner with Tim, a Sagga friend, last night and we were discussing the various difficulties of taking on a Chairman’s role within Sagga (theoretical I hasten to add, neither of us would actually want the job).

The question I had is what is the role is actually there to do – is it to manage the meetings but effectively allow the committee to steer the agenda and make the decisions. Is it to set the agenda yourself and get the committee to follow you? Or is it to simply act as a focal point and administrator to ensure that things do actually happen, it’s just your job to tie it all together. Not having been on the committee for many years it’s hard to remember how the process works. The one thing we both agreed on was it would be very difficult trying to manage a committee meeting where you are disagreeing with someone and they can effectively turn round and tell you to shut up because they’ve changed your nappy.

Now you don’t get that kind of problem in business and they don’t teach you how to deal with that on any training courses I have been on.

peace restored..

my hormones have returned to a normal level, the world breathes a sigh of relief. Spent a fab weekend relaxing with an old uni friend in London. Went to greenwich on a boat on the Thames and went to see Hero at the cinema which, despite my usual aversion to all things subtitled, I actually enjoyed a lot. The scenery was amazing, as were the fight scenes, although I didn't really warm to the characters, but this might be due to the subtitles. I'm told it was nowhere near as good as Crouching Tiger which I have on video and just haven't got round to watching so had better do so soon.

But enough culture I say, off to see Wimbledon at some point this week.... Paul Bettany....mmmmm..theres a ginger bloke for me to drool over, add him to the (small) list of sexy ginger men - which currently only exists of 1 other, Eric Stoltz (in his Memphis Belle/Some Kind of Wonderful stage rather than Mask or Pulp Fiction I hasten to add.....)

Ah the ginger gene is calling for reproduction.....

help...

surely in this day and age, when Richard Branson is able to plan tourist trips into space and we are able to pickle half a sheep for art, we should have worked out a way of curing period pains.

S'not fair.

By the way, on another note - to help my Administrator who is writing an essay on time management, does anyone know what Fayol's Wheel is all about???

work experience

I was briefly listening to a conversation on Radio 4 (don't laugh, I'm a closet intellectual) today about work experience, with a woman putting forward the opinion that we shouldn't make children do work experience without pay because it makes the work they do seem worthless and that we, as adults, wouldn't like to have to work for 2 weeks without pay so why should we make them do so. I find this a very odd view. I had an excellent experience as a 15 year old trying out what it was like to be a teacher, but I sure as hell wasn't any use to the school that week. Likewise, the young kids I get in as an employer are more hassle than value in terms of productivity (usually we spend half a day re-filing what they did - does no-one know the alphabet anymore?!),. It certainly involves lots of work for the person overseeing them. But nearly all those who take part say that the experience is really valuable (either to indicate they have a great desire to work as an engineer or that they sure as hell will do anything in the future to avoid it!). Most kids these days have saturday jobs where they can earn cash, the whole poinjt of "work experience" from school - at least in my humble view- should be to give them a chance to taste what other types of jobs there are out there. money shouldn't even come into it. Christ , they'll be expecting to be paid to go to school next.

But then again, I guess I'm just one of those HR Managers who likes cheap labour.

'nuff said

Don't think I'm going to make a living gambling. shame really as I could quite happily have not gone into work this morning.
The general theme of the horses I bet on at the races yesterday was their amazingly consistent ability to lose their jockeys. Still, I think it's fair to say I was the most enthusiastic gambler there and I get 10/10 for my optimism if nothing else.

it doesn't take a maths genius....

1 x prawn masala
2 x poppadums
1 x naan bread
1 x roast dinner
1 x lemon meringue pie
2 x bottles of red wine
1 x chicken tikka masala
2 x onion bhajis
1 x samosa

= me dreading going to weightwatchers tonight.

I have an ironing injury. Is it possible to sue Tefal for not warning me that when you place the iron face down on the metal holder on the ironing board, the metal holder gets quite hot. i'm sure there's a lawsuit in there somewhere... probably should have been paying more attention to the electrical equipment that the plot in Blue Murder.

Mondays

Had a groovy, relaxed and otherwise enjoyable weekend. No camping, no ducks, no bombing up and down the motorway.. good fun! Been converted to curries recently so partook in a tikka masala - not helping the weightwatchers plan but hell, who cares. Had a bad migrane Thurs night that kind of stuck around until Saturday morning, bit like a bad hangover or brain ache - hence taking it easy. Picked blackberries and ent on a bit of a wander on Sat afternoon, naturally ending in a pub. Went to see The Terminal on Sat night which was really pleasant. If I decided to pull it to pieces I probably could in terms of concept but as a piece of entertainment it went down really well. Tom Hanks was excellent, and luckily there wasn't too much of that Zeta-Jones woman!
Yesterday I moved my house about, actually cleaning behind cupboards and also moved my computer upstairs, so now I write my blog listening to Radio 5's interview with Paul Bettany about hisnew film Wimbledon - yum can't wait, not only is a damn fine looking bloke, but he's ginger too!!!
Fimally, watched Goodfellas last night on DVD, one of those films I have meant to watch for ages but neer got around to. Loved it.

all is well

well after a couple of really stressful weeks and bad nights sleep the big issue at work is nearly resolved so i can go on to worrying about the other 12 big but not quite so big issues. The good news today is that I have managed to persuade my bosses to give me another person to work for me in my expanding HR empire. Part timer admittedly but it's all good news and might allow me to get a bit more work done that I'd like to rather than my constant knee-jerk reactions. Goodness me, proactive HR... now there's a scary thought.

thanks to mad and si J...

some photos of the weekend - great fun, great weather, great blackberries!

YEEHAHA!! THANKS SI!!!!!





some captions needed I think....

frustration

well I have some fab photos but can't get them on the bloody blog - darn it!

update

Ok so what have I been up to????? Well life got a bit hectic there for a while. Work was stressful and I seemed to lurch from one knee-jerk reactive manager to another. So I was really looking forward to a week lounging in the sun on a scout campsite in Kidderminster…. Yeah I wish!
As it happened, I did manage to fall asleep in the one ten-minute space of sunshine within the week – just long enough to burn my nose so at least I did get some kind of a tan out of the holiday. Unfortunately I also got called from work every day bar Thursday which didn’t lead me to manage to relax much. But never mind.

Camp itself was great fun. Work went on as usual. I “supervised” painting in a typical “Haigh” manner and gave encouragement and support to my troops “you’ve missed a bit” “that’s looking great” so I’m sure I added a great deal of value to the whole process. I did feel the need to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty on the odd occasion, I seemed to remember reading in one of my HR management books that it’s good to get down on the shop floor with the workers and show them that you understand their world. But I made sure that I was covered in green/silver paint so that everyone knew I’d done some work.

I spent a couple of hours driving round the West Midlands Safari park along with hoardes of other families. Didn’t take my soft-top car for obvious reasons so wangled Rachel’s company car and got in free as she had a return ticket. Makes the whole experience so much more fun when you know you haven’t paid. The lions and tigers were very impressive, as were the giraffes and camels – camels don’t half look stupid when they run!

Also escaped camp and spent the day with Rich at Symond’s Yat, doing things that we hated our parents making us do when we were kids - i.e. going for a walk and appreciating nature. All very worrying and mature. Next stop national trust membership and thermal underwear.

So now it’s back to dull drudgery of work, with the sun shining outside and my heart a sinking at the mindless crap that people get stressed about in this place. Luckily I have Friday off and am off on a canal boat that evening with a plan for good wine, great company and lots of fun and laughter. Only 2 days to go…..

better now

life's improved again, love life back on track thank god.

Work's hard and tough at the mo tho', some difficult things going on. But was approached by a headhunter today and the jobs sounds intriguing so have agreed to meet up with the agency guy - oh how very mature and professional.
Spent a lovely weekend down in Dorset camping, sat on the beach, drank wine in the tent, ate fish and chops on Poole harbour. Great stuff. Shame the diet went out the window, ho hum, you've gotta live eh!

thank goodness

it's friday. some piccie of my niece and nephew from last weekend's auntie duties...

all good things....

life's not that great at the moment, maybe I should try some of those self-help books.  I did buy a tape on motivation once but I still haven't taken it out of the wrapper 4 years later so I think it's not really my thing.  I guess I just need to pull my socks up and get on with life.  Or listen to my own HR advice that I dole out on a daily basis - ie "shit happens, get over it". 

This is my kind of HR office decoration

puzzle

2 x cats +2 x cat baskets + 1 x MX5 = lots of scratches and 2 x pissed off cats! 
oops, didn't think about that one.

Whoever said americans are wierd eh....???

over the hill

It was my cousin Mike's 40th birthday BBQ last night.  He takes great pleasure in embarassing me and once gave me an inflatable man for Christmas so I felt it was payback time.  With help from a few friends (thanks Karen!) I gave him a splendid array of gifts for the modern older man... including...

• Bag of Werthers originals
• Various leaflets on haemerroids, chillblains and avoiding broken hips 
• Bottle of Grecian 2000
• Various Viagra emblazoned goodies
• Bunion plasters
• Caravanning magazine

 
I think he appreciated it but I think I may need to have my 40th celebrations in secret!

since my last post I have...

• eaten too much
• seen Shrek 2 (v good, love the movie references, esp Titanic and Mission Impossible)
• eaten too much
• had friends from USA over
• got completely and hopelessly Lost in Translation
• suffered banoffee pie torture
• laughed my socks off at the array of goodies with my mate in Ann Summers
• eaten too much
• Bought lots of clothes that are a size smaller than I used to wear
• eaten and drank too much
• Been to a nightclub 2 nights in a row and realised I'm too old to do that any more
• Cried for no apparent reason
• Laughed for many reasons
• eaten a curry - yum (never thought I'd say that)
• fallen out with my cats for bringing in a live bird, getting bored and leaving it to crap all over my living room
• made up with my cats coz I love them
• saw the bit in The Italian Job where spiderman appears (yes rob I accept it does happen, I will stop taking the piss now)
• had a good chat with Fraser on the phone and told him we miss him
• ... oh and eaten WAY too much
  

culture vulture

This Weekend was spent on a cultural whirlwind. I went to a Sangeet night for my friend Sharon who got married this weekend. The Sangeet, in the Punjabi religion, according to my research, is where “Friends and close family members are invited and traditional wedding songs are sung. Both the sides exchange gifts and sweets.” This, in my book, was as big as a normal wedding reception, and it was just one of the many celebrations and rituals this week! Apparently it is not unusual for the celebreations to last a month (!), this one was just over a week long. There were other things going on over the weekend, but I attended the main reception on Sunday afternoon. The ceremony was on Sunday morning, starting at 9am, which meant Sharon had to get up at 4am to get dressed and prepared! She had already had her hands tatto’d with Henna in a really intricate design. It made it difficult to hold her drink on the Friday night!

The Sunday reception was the biggest thing I have ever experienced, with over 650 guests! (I don’t know that many people). It was very odd as I didn’t really know what the proceedings were like, and as I had nothing to compare it too. The apparent chaos could have just been individual to this wedding but I have a distinct feeling it’s fairly normal. In a UK wedding we have drinks, food, speeches and then disco – where no-one dances until the last 3 songs! At this wedding the reception started at 1.30. We had some starters, then the disco started, then 2 hours late the bride and groom turn up, do some dancing and ritual cake ceremony stuff, then there is more food whilst all the time the dance floor is jam packed with grannies/kids and young’uns alike getting on down. It was mayhem, but great fun. The outfits were amazing, really beautiful and the colours fantastic. Everyone seemed to be having a great time – and my favourite bit was a chocolate fountain, wow – sheer heaven. You put strawberries and marshmallows on a kebab stick and held it under the fountain….. wow! Just like a mini version of Charlie and the chocolate factory… oom pa loom pa dobety doo….

the andy's

another photo from saturday - don't they look cute...

spent a day learning about fascinating subjects such as K tax codes, court orders, tax credits and student loans. I had no idea my career to climb to such heights.
Now I'm off to lie in the bath, read a trashy novel and eat a flake. Yes a Flake... oh boy, I've saved up enough points this week and I am SO looking forward to the sweet taste of chocolate....

dried out

Saturday was the Malvern Challenge. It was certainly a challenge as it bucketed it down. But nonetheless we battled on valiently, running bases and trying to keep the spirits up of sopping wet scouts and guides whose mum's had allowed them to go camping/walking with a pair of jeans for clothing and a plastic carrier bag as a rucksack. Maybe my mum instilled an overdose of common sense in me but it amazes me when girl's refuse to wear their waterproofs, except tied round their waist cause it looks "trendy", despite torrential rain and cold wind. Guess I was just a natural geek!
The best thing about Saturday for me was the fact that everyone just pitched in, no-one complained, we had a laugh even though it was really bad weather and I got to hang out with my mates but felt my halo shining as I did it. It justified the bottle of wine I got through on saturday night anyway, and the long lie-in on Sunday morning.

oh dear

now I'm not a football freak but even I'm depressed now. :-(

let's see if this works

oooh - mad's helping me with pictures from my new camera - fab stuff - we'll try it with some of the Sagga Wychavon way walk - otherwise known as "lost in a wheatfield" or "I'm getting a wheat intolerance"

It's a knock-out!

Having popped round to my parents house to drop off dad’s father’s day card I got into a conversation with mum about an article she had recently read. It stated that apparently Redheads have a lower pain threshold than other people and also require a greater amount of anesthetic to keep them knocked out during operations. Apparently my dad had come round during dental surgery many years ago and the dental nurse had sprained her ankle trying to restrain him – (why she was trying to hold him down with her ankles was never explained – we got sidetracked before I could ask!).
Anyway, the point of this story was that I’d mentioned, after looking at a photo of myself ten years ago, how red my hair was then, compared to now. Whilst I accept that the majority of the blondness is due to artificial means, it has also lightened naturally too, and whatever the cause I’m now considered strawberry blonde. My mum is extremely concerned that I may not be recognized as a Ginger if ever I need to have an operation, and that I might wake up due to having too little anesthetic.
I’ve promised to make sure I tell any doctor of my plight (how embarrassing would that conversation be…!), but feel I should now consider the options should it be an emergency. Perhaps a tattoo or one of those emergency bracelets like the ones diabetics wear, saying “ALERT – this girl is a Ginger, even through she’s in denial, please knock her out properly”.

I think I need a holiday...

why is it that when the sun comes out the temperature goes up (and I don't mean in a purely centigrade way). everyone at work is ratty, everyone putting in complaints against each other, everyone expecting me to sort it out and I just can't be arsed. Peace, love, and MX5's man.......

after a hot and sticky weekend, chilled only by the breeze in my hair as I cruise round in my new convertible, it's back to the reality of working in a hot and sweaty factory environment on a monday morning. Normally I wander round to talk to people but today I just hid in my air-conditioned office and "looked busy" working at my PC. So much for my HR principles eh!
Spent yesterday walking a bit of the Wychavon Way, or Whichever Way as I decided to call it cause we got lost and wandered for quite a while in a wheat field. I have also decided that the Sagga activity was sponsored by Kleenex, what with the sneezing coming from laura and I. She was suffering far more than me though, poor thing! Probably wasn't helped by the busy farmer who was churning out the dry grass in one of the fields we walked through.

still in lust

both with man and car. and now am 17lbs lighter. something has got to go tits up soon..... I feel the dark clouds of destiny approaching.

question..

how do you stop your house smelling of fish when you have just cooked it for your tea?

I like driving in my car..

Well I do now that I have an MX5!!!!!! Oh yes, oh boy, I'm a chick with a convertible!!!! It's ace!!! I can't use enough exclamation marks to try and convey the big cheesy grin that has been permanently plastered on my face since I picked it up this morning!

Being shallow is great. who needs Maslow's hierachy of needs.... Food? pah!, Shelter? double pah!.... Self-actualisation? ... Who gives a toss about "realising my own potential for self-development"? I say give me a convertible and I've reached my peak.

...Actually I guess, on reflection, the MX5 meets my social and self-esteem needs (and maybe my shelter when I have to live in it because I can't pay my mortgage for the petrol costs).

too hot to handle

I am about to expire. I'm too hot, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Want to go away this weekend and I bet it bloody rains!

wow

I feel truly geologically enlightened.... and sunburnt! We had an excellent laugh trooping round various beaches looking at rocks from the Jurassic period (no less) and understanding the impact on the drilling tools (well I didn't but the rest of them did). More importantly we got to find fossils on Lyme Regis beach and play frisbee, and eat, and drink... oh boy did we eat and drink. God I miss the sea, I think I need to retire and move to Poole or Weymouth, it's in my destiny! The sun was shining away and as usual I missed soem bits with the suncream so have a stripe on the inside of my arm. but at least I put some on, all the others were too macho and looked like lobsters by the end of it. Oh I am grateful for my X chromosomes.

post bank holiday blues

I've tried to avert the PBH blues by going to Chapel Spa this evening with Heather (of the bland/rumney/rooke variety) which was a rather fab experience. Shunning the usual facial/massage option I chose to be brave and celebrate my weight loss in style...Lying on tin foil being drizzeld with some kind of oil (like a salad), then wrapped in tin foil (like a turkey) and placed in a floatation thing. Wierd but strangely appealing and relaxing... apart from worrying about farting in the tin foil... the human body can be so cruel sometimes!
So only 3 more days till the weekend, except for me it's 2 more days of work and then a geology field trip to Dorset with the Design Engineers to look at rocks. I have my hammer and chisel at the ready...and will report back on saturday.

and there's more....!

I've lost a stone, a whole 14lbs....yes thats equivalent of 11 pints of milk.... blimey.

Life is good

the sun is shining, my voice is nearly returned, it's friday tomorrow and I am in lust with a capital L. fab.

day of rest

I spent today resting and doing very little. sheer bliss. it's always so much more fun being off when othe people are working.

surviving

well I'm surviving, made it into work and got through the day, now plan on drinking alcohol for medicinal purposes to try and solve my sore throat. There are two theories I have on this.. either I have finally, at the ripe old age of 31, hit puberty and my voice had broken, or I have shyphillis as one of the symptoms is a deep voice (hence why deep voices are considered sexy i.e. int'olden days all the prostitutes has syphillis and thus husky voices - fascinating history fact for you). Actually I think it was just bad luck and I have burnt my candles at both ends, but hey, who knows!

happy bloody birthday.

It's nearly 1am, I'm 31 and suddenly, as old age hits me, I feel frail and incapable. Actually that's not old age... I think I'm ill. I went to bed at 9pm coz I didn't feel good and just woke up and can't sleep. I've gargled with soluble aspirin, I've talked to my cats, I've considered opening a few cards to make myself feel better. but I HAVE to go to work tomorrow as i have some very important meetings and I have a feeling that it's not going to be a good day. Just when life was getting good. My throat hurts, I'm old, I want my mum.

Blondes have more fun...

Well after having a slow start to the day I spent yesterday going more blonde and then proving the theory that they have more fun. I went out with a group from RH who were out to celebrate the return to work of a really nice guy who was off for most of last year with cancer. I hadn't planned to go because we were supposed to be camping at Rhydd Covett but as that had fallen through and they were actually out in cheltenham rather than gloucester or stroud as normal, I felt I didn't really have an excuse not to go. But, determined not to drink after the previous night I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. But in fact sometimes the nights you don't look forward to turn out to be some of the best. Hence why I found myself dancing in Yates wine lodge, stone cold sober at midnight, but having a great laugh. If nothing else I think my street cred at work has improved!

thank goodness for bacon sandwiches.

hello peeps. the good news is it's friday, as I sit here and wait for friends and tequila to arrive I ponder on life. I'd like to come out with some deep meaningful quotes about how great life, love and friendship is but bollox to that my mates have arrived!

countdown to 31

only 5 days of being 30 to go. oh how depressing. But the good news is friday night is tequila night - bring it on! Expect tales of drunken debauchery on sat morning (or not depending on what I can remember). I plan on doing this in style!

I feel the spelling errors in my previous missive give it a level of authenticity don't you?

oh dear

it's only 7.30 and I'm drunk. shame on me for a wednesady, oh no it's a tuesday. oh dear. i have been sat in the same pub on sunday evening, monday evening and tuesday evening after work (well on sunday it was actually before work as I then drove down to london to be prepared for an early starting course on the monday). shocking behaviour for a nearly 31 year old.

so in all life is ok. my sisters anniversary (congrats by the way - oh how I wish I could still fit into that bridesmaid dress - nearly there...). 11lbs lighter than 2 months ago but no real difference in how I look, although I'm sure the excess drinking will take that back a few pounds - still if you can't do it on the run up to your birthday when can you! In all, life is pretty good and I am smiling inanely at my cats. bless 'em.

Oh No...

The Peter Andre gig in Bristol is sold out! Disaster!

On a serious note

So I see the editor of the Mirror got the sack. Too bloody right. My only hope is that this might trigger the beginning of the end for the mad tabloid-driven world in which we live. I fear, however, that I'm a little too optimistic and unrealistic but one can only dream.

unsuitability or compatability?

Quote from Fraser on e-mail
"So he is married/alcoholic/dislikes children/has huge gambling debts/too tall/vegan/trekkie/BNP supporter/control freak/submissive/into historical re-enactments/doesn't like chocolate/thinks blue nun is a good wine/watches Jackie Chan movies/only speaks serbo-croat/sleeps with the light on/doesn't eat his greens/talks with his mouth full/is allergic to cats/cross dresses/leaves the seat up?"

It's an interesting perspective on what blokes think is "unsuitable". As for me, I'd expect a blokes mates to be asking "is she too young/ginger/into camping/mify obsessed/into sacking people/always posting her passport/setting off house alarms?"

Worrying isn't it!

Hmmm

You know, I was talking to my mum the other day, and she knew I was going out on Saturday night starting at the Montpellier Wine Bar (sweetie dahhrling!), and I said that I'd need to not drink anymore this week cause of the diet I'm on. She managed to offend me by saying "You know you really need to be careful Wendy so that you don't give people the wrong impression". I calculated that I'd have a fair bit to drink over the past week (about 7 pints admittedly) but that was extremely unusual circumstances and I haven't drunk much over the past few weeks due to the weight loss issue. Then I asked her what she'd drunk and she came out with "Oh a glass or two here or there, oh and then there was the Wine Club on Saturday night and then our friends had us round for drinks on sunday afternoon, and then this afternoon we were at a reunion dinner...." hmmm, I have a distinctive pot-kettle-black moment..

Blue Peter fans unite

it's a sad day for all. Guess we're all getting old eh.

don't panic...

....it's ok, normal service has been resumed. today I spent money frivolously, lay on the sofa and watched 3 episodes of Miss Match on Living, 2 episodes of the OC, fell asleep and now I shall watch Friends and ER. I love sundays!

it's getting worse..

not I really seem to have the bug, I've cleared out 2 cupboards, mowed the lawn and now I'm off to the tip. It's only lunchtime on a saturday, I should be lying in bed watcing CDUK??? Is this what happens to you when you approach 31???? maybe all I have to look forward to is a lifetime of domesticity and gardening. help me....

praise be

it's nearly the weekend! I'm knackered but I continue on my quest for social dynamism and am arranging a night out at the dogs (I know I know, I went to the dogs a long time again blah blah!). should be good, keep yer fingers crossed I might make a fortune on my 50p bets!

as for tonight, well I need to recover from my uncharacteristic cleaning-fest which happenend last night. yes I have a tidy and clean house for the first time since, oooh probably the pancake party! I rewarded myself with 2 hours of Alias on DVD - bliss!

the evil that men do lives after them....

spent the weekend in the Big Smoke with the family. Did some cultural stuff like going on a guided walk in the city, seeing where the Great Fire of London started (funnily enough the actual place itself wasn't there, it had burned down) but we went to Pudding Lane. Fab stuff, never been there before. We also walked through a victorian marketplace where they filmed the bit in Harry Potter where he buys his wand. MORE IMPORTANTLY... saw the place where they filmed that bit in bridget jones at the end where he's buying her a diary in the snow... ahhh. I skived off the educational visit to the Museum of London to meet up with my mate lisa and go shopping and natter, then this morning went to the Globe theatre for a tour - how cool is that place, just like in shakespeare in love (although it wasn't filmed there). I'd love to go and see an actual play there - although i would have to splash out on covered seats if the weather was anything like today!
so, back to the real world of work tomorrow. well not exactly, off to aberdeen for a meeting. How ridiculous is that!

I suggest those of you who take the p**s out of my barnett check this out....

on my continuing quest to burn the candle at both ends, I have been at work this evening, just returned and have got to be up at 5.30am to catch a train to the big smoke for work. so why am I blogging at 11.16pm? god only knows, there's no logic to my thinking, the brain is addled, I'm approaching thirty-one and I'm losing the plot. I've lost my train ticket to london for this weekend and am in a stand off with my parents who assure me they dropped them off at my house and I'm convinced I've never seen them. Who would you believe? Looks like this family weekend in london is going to be even more expensive than I had feared. let alone having to pay for a bloody double room which i don't even get to use for it's full purpose, now I have to pay for my transport twice. All I can say is the Queen had better be inviting me in for a cup of tea and cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off - or there'll be trouble.

thank god for that!

You are a GRAMMAR GOD!


If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

good to know I'm not letting the side down - if a little delayed..

so tired

I am so knackered that I can hardly type. after a week of running from one committment to the next, I went to barcelona for a relaxing weekend with Ms Henderson. It was about as relaxing as the London Marathon. She forced me to sightsee, drink copious amounts of red wine and eat mustard flavoured ice cream (suprisingly nice actually!).
My stories will be forthcoming, but for now, I need sleep.... rest well my friends, for tomorrow I regale you with tales of drunken debauchery (actually that's not true, we behaved ourselves and we didn't buy a straw donkey or sombrero, hope you're proud)

Why?

why is it that one the day my hair looks fab, I see no-one. life is cruel.

survived!

well it's 11pm and I survived the experience. I'm knackered, emotially exhausted and I can't feel my legs!

night!

Lord of the Twiglets

Its going to be a dvd fest tonight folks. 3.5 hours of the first of the Lord of the Rings. I have succumbed to peer pressure and the humiliation of being a social outcast and accepted my fate. The extended version no less. Well.... in for a penny and all that.

I have twiglets and a bottle of red wine and I'm prepared to use them...

HR + PMT = OTT

Got thoroughly pissed off today with people generally moaning about "HR people", probably my hormones but it really narks me that we all get lumped into the same boat. I guess estate agents and traffic wardens have the same problem but it's so frustrating when people seem to think they have the right to slag off your profession, and therefore ultimately you, at every possible opportunity. Ok, so sometimes we make mistakes, or we're not perfect, and I accept that in most cases, when things go wrong in HR they have a big impact on people and their personal circumstances, but contrary to popular belief we do our jobs cause we care about people and want to make their working lives better. It's the whinging tossers that grind down the people who care so that we either leave or become the cynical bastards that perpetuate the stereotype.

This particular prat wasn't even directing his criticism at me, rather my predecessors but the incessant complaining just gets me down. I'm good at my job and just wish people would take me as an individual not a stereotype.

so there.

and yes I have PMT.

I'm buying a new tent when I next get paid. No longer will I have to get dressed on my knees, I'm hitting the level of middle-classed (or is that middle-aged ) in the tent world. I'm growing up and getting sensible. It's a four man tent (optomism rules) with a nice porch, plenty of space for me and friends to sit in on a cold evening, sipping port through chocolate fingers and discussing the finer details of the colour coding system on sagga chopping boards. I'm also considering getting a hanging wardrobe and some nightlights to stick outside my tent door. Next stop - my own toilet tent...

happy easter

Been to Cardiff to see my sis, we saw the sea and drank a cup of tea that was so strong the teaspoon stood up in it. Yum. Went out dancing with some mates in Cardiff in the evening, I even found myself spinning on the dancefloor to Mysterious Girl. Cart me off now please.
Rescued a "damaged" teddy bear from a shop in Marlborough, we're working though his problems - I believe the damage to be more psychological and hopefully his feelings of abandonment will subside. He seem to be settling in here in cheltenham, and the cats have taken a liking to him - need a name for him though.
Now back in cheltenham trying not to feel sad and lonely on a easter sunday night :-( Good job I've got my new teddy bear.

crap adverts

Now I'm quite a fan of Lenor fabric softener in my own way. Not that I evangelise about it in the pub or anything, but since having a new washing machine and finally understanding where the stuff goes I notice a real difference in the softness of my clothes (stick with me, there is a relevance to this, if slightly obscure and pointless....). but I have to admit that, like my conscientious objector stance to Morrisons/safeways, I'm beginning to consider changing my brand. This is due to the totally crap advert with the little miss muffet rhyme which says "I've heard from my aunt, it's got extract of plant". I've heard from my aunt??? Could they not do better than that???? how much money did these people get paid? even I could have come up with better than that.
Sorry if you get different adverts to me... guess that'll mean bugger all.

You'll never walk alone

Can I just take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to the loving support and sympathy displayed by my many friends and colleagues during my difficult weekend.

Encouraging comments such as "good job you are single - you'll never pull looking like that" and "do you still look like that bloke from the Singing Detective" have really kept my spirits up thorugh this trying time.

I thank you, one and all

Dot-to-dot

My body is covered in red blotches, my hands and feet are swollen and feel bruised. I'm stuck indoors cause I can't walk very far and I'm NOT HAPPY!!!! Not only am I a non-ginger, I'm a non-ginger mutant.

PS - watched the Hulk last night, has to be one of the most boring films I've seen in a long time. Takes itself far too seriously and is WAY too long in my humble opinion. But then again, it could have been simply due to my all-encompassing bad mood.

Ginger and proud

ANOTHER person today said that they'd swear I am not ginger but blonde. This is concerning, whilst I enjoy the freedom these blonde highlights provide me with - ie the ability to post my passport/boarding card in airport letterboxes and get away with it - I feel that I may be doing a dis-service to my fellow Gingers. We have to stick together and maintain the focus on our quest to take over the planet. I have to admit, on seeing photos of when I was at uni my hair has dramatically changed in colour, and not all of the change is due to artificial means. Perhaps the transgression from ginger to blonde is happening naturally, and I was simply fooled into thinking that by adding a few highlights I was actually in control of the whole process. My entire personality has been based on the carrottyness of my barnett, remove this and it could be fundamentally deconstructed. Like Samson without hair, Ant without Dec, Chandler without his third nipple. I'm stuffed.

I love this website , it seems to sum up my life.

My mood has temporarily improved. I'm no longer harassing my friends with bored text messages and some have even taken pity on me and asked me to go out of an evening. The beautiful weather justified a trip to the pub straight from work yesterday to sit outside and enjoy the sun - too bloody cold and we went in ater 10 mins but the excuse was a good one. Now off to see Starsky and Hutch at flicks with some other friends, they must have developed some kind of rota system to babysit me and keep me amused, and stop harassing them all.

Blue Peter competitions I have known

You know how some things just stick in your memory even though they serve no earthly value. I have this thing about the blue peter kids who designed the bosses that were part of the newly built section of York Minster in 1988. I think I must have sent in a design as the whole experience is seriously etched on my memory banks.
I think the BBC should do a documentary on the kids who won that competition, dunno why, I just envy them. I'd love to have that as my claim to fame, as opposed to my mum going to the same school as Nerys Hughes. It's not quite the same really is it?

There is a god!

Tom Cruise is single again! Yeehah!!

Shopping

I've joined the realms of middle-class England and have taken to supermarket shopping online. I made this monumental step as a result of becoming a conscientious objector to the Morrisons takeover of Safeways. The Morrisons shopping experience is not a pleasant one. Plus it brings me out in a rash reminding me of my days living in Wakefield, where the highlight of my social life was ER on a Wednesday.
So there I sat, Saturday afternoon, clicking away in the vain hope that I wouldn't spend as much as if I had to walk past the CD/DVD section. Failed completely in that respect but managed to get through the whole process without seemingly ordering 47 Fray Bentos pies by mistake. So returned from work yesterday very excited and waited with bated breath. Stupid really as I knew exactly what I'd asked for.

As my sister suggests, it would be even more fun if they included a random item to make the experience more fun - a bit like grown-up lucky dip?? ...maybe there's a marketing ploy there.

Anyway, I'm converted, no more queues or squeaky trolley wheels for me..bring on the easy life!

I'm slowly losing the will to live.. slipping into a pit of depression and insanity. Soon I will only have my cats and chocolate for company. help me I'm melting.

considering I've had a fab three days living the high life at the races, drinking/eating with friends and generally enjoying myself... plus the fact that it's friday.... I feel uncharacteristically down and depressed. Curse those hormones. :-(

I love the website of the day on Steve Wright - one of my faves is the four word film reviews
Titanic and the Last Samuria are the best!

Been to theatre darlings... then to pub and now am slighly wobbly. This is becoming a habit on a Monday night... shocking. Gold Cup fever is starting - there's pissed Irishmen strutting the streets already...... bring it on!

Wanted - one social life

OK, so the past few weekends I have tried to rein my social life in a bit - mainly due to funding issues. But the problem is, not going and seeing anyone etc has caused me to suffer such increased levels of boredom that I simply went out and spent money shopping. I give in... life's to short to do nothing at the weekends - so I need some excitement in my life - help!
Actually that said.. I do have a social life during this week as I am off to the races on Wednesday - corporate hospitality no less, sweetie, dahhrling... So if there are no blog entires after that I've either won a shed-load of cash on an outside bet and have gone off to live in Barbados, or have pulled a rich but very drunk Irishman whom I persuaded to marry me.....
Failing that I'll tell you all about it Thurs, "Bring on the Pimms!"

not making sense

I'm reading a book at the moment - one I got in a charity book shop, and one of the characters is a synaesthete - someone whose senses are mingled - for example they taste colours, see music, feel sound, hear pictures or smell temperature. I've never heard of this before and it really got me thinking about how we assume that everyone senses the same - but who's to say that when I smell a bacon buttie, it's exactly the same when someone else smells it. My mind is boggling way too much for a saturday night. I need to lie down.

Cleaning - just say no kids

I'm renting my house out next week as it's Gold Cup and I can make money out of staying at my parents for three nights. Not a particular burden with my parents whose main irritation factor is my dad typing loudly in the next room (yes, loudly, I don't know how he does it but he does). The only problem is I seem to have turned into the most slovenly individual that ever graced this planet. I'm that person in the film Se7en who is found murdered sat in their own revolting mess. I have a feeling that I will soon get a visit from a TV crew doing one of those programmes about people who live amongst their pizza boxes and cat litter. Perhaps I'll become famous though it and get to live in a house for 3 weeks with Peter Andre and Christine Hamilton. That'll be a whole weekend in marigolds coming up then...

Does anyone know the numebr for the helpline dedicated to the fact that Westlife might be splitting up?

Personal Space and mobiles

After having spent a day last week, and the first two days of this week in London I have some thoughts on life in our fair capital city. The primary thought, and it's by no means original, relates to the whole personal space on the tube thing. How anyone can stand having to commute everyday on that bloody thing is completely beyond me. Firstly you can't even get into the station because they say the platform is too crowded, then you stand there and watch 3 trains go past -you can see them, just can't quite get to them.. or get in. No-one's getting off so it's a bit like trying to squeeze my ample form into a size ten pair of jeans - there just ain't no more room honey. Then when you finally do get on it's nose to armpits all the way.
Coming back was much more civilised, but the best part was sitting in a carriage where a mum was reading "Thomas the Tank Engine" out loud to her son. All the businessmen with their financial times were trying to pretend they were interested in the market share of French Connection, but when mum had to stop mid-story to get off, you could see everyone was really frustrated to not find out if Edward was ever going to get out of the mud he'd been stuck in.

On my way back to cheltenham I had the unfortunate experience of sitting next to a David Brent clone with his mobile stuck to his ear. I started to count the number of times he said the name of the guy he was on the phone to - it's a real bugbear of mine, I find it so patronising - and the number of times he went "y'know" - another pet hate I have. The best bit was when he phoned a customer who had clearly been unhappy with his "service" and started to try and slime his way back into their good books- within about 3 minutes we went into a tunnel and he lost the connection. I was pissing myself - how not to impress an already disgruntled customer!

Overall, screw the whopping salary and cool urban lifestyle, give me a twenty minute drive to work, in the company of Terry Wogan/Jonny Walker, my own personal space and ability to sing my socks off to my hearts content... I'm happy!

Went to see School of Rock this evening - FAB! Unashamedly cheesy but not in an "I need to chunder into my popcorn" kind-of way. Wish 'd learnt bass guitar at the age of 10, then Id be cool.

We didn't like to say, but we knew some "victor meldrew" has always been in you

I shall ignore that comment Mr Stephens

PS - Only joking!

PPS - Better correct the capitalisation or the punctuation-police that is Mad will get you!

for your eyes only

Well after my dental hygienist experience I felt nothing could be worse, but then I spent 30 mins at the optician today where he rolled up my eyelids to see what was on the other side??!!! What the hell is happening to our health professionals?? I remember the days when you went to the optician and just looked at the red and green spots, and when you went to the dentist they just took a quick shufty in your mouth and gave you a pink tablet to eat after brushing. Now it seems unless they inflict pain and suffering as part of the service they've not quite performed to their peak.
(Is it doing a blog that brings out the victor meldrew in me, or was it lying there dormant...just waiting for the right opportunity to surface?)

C is for cookies...

what did you get her? I hope that Busted won out! :-)

Yep Busted won out... I love being a rebellious aunt - it was "cool actually" according to the 8 year old.... Also bought her a Cookie Monster - for those not at Simon's birthday, this is a talking puppet who states poignant phrases such as "me tummy is empty, me need more cookies" or "C is for cookies, that's good enough for me". Si got it for his birthday and we all loved it. The risk was that perhaps an 8 year old wouldn't appreciate a present that us 30+ year old's loved after numerous glasses of rum punch.. My hope was that she wouldn't like it and would give it back to me! Unfortunately (or fortunately) she liked it - not sure the same could be said for Sal and Jon... I think it could possibly incite road rage.

Re-vamped colours!

My mate Fraser has been helping me muck about with my blog. I also found out how to place pictures:
Wicked!

Birthdays

It's laura's birthday this weekend, so I have to consider what to buy an 8 year old girly girl. Do I go for the safe option of Finding Nemo DVD, or some pink barbie stuff, or do I folow the cool aunt option and consider a Busted CD? The weight of responsibility is bearing down on me.

my teeth still hurt :-(

I've now been in my job a year, kind of wierd when i think about it as it seems only yesterday I started but also there's so much happened since I arrived too. A guy came to work today to sell me a new HR system and it turns out he used to work for Parceline,so we had a happy ten minutes reminiscing. Wierd feeling, all these people I was so close to but am not now. bit like all those people at uni that I was such good friends with but never speak to any more. I know that you can only make time for a certain amount of friends but it still feels a bit like you failed when you loose touch with people who were so important at one time in your life. God I must be getting old.

Rinse and spit

Have just been to dental hygienist. As I lay there in the chair, and as she hacked away at my gums, it made me wonder what actually makes people decide to do that job. Looking into people's gobs all day, making them wince in pain and nagging them to floss can't exactly bring you a great level of job satisfaction. Halfway through the agonising experience I wondered if I could just get up and leave, but being truly British I didn't like to make a fuss. Not just painful on the wallet but on the bankbalance - bloody cost me £37 for the pleasure. Hmmph.

Got to go out for dinner with my US boss tonight. Hard to take the man seriously when he wears cowboy boots and ends his voicemail message with "Adios..", but I'm assured he's a well respected lawyer in Texas. Guess he's more Ally McBeal than Rumpole of the Bailey.
Steak it is then...

Pancakes

Perhaps I'll start with last Sat night. Pancake fillings were varied - even Ainsley Harriott couldn't muster up a decent meal from the wierd stuff I now have left in my fridge. Dead chuffed with the number of people who made it.

Managed to work out how to record a ringtone on my new funky mobile. It now tells me I've got a message by people shouting "arse" - oh the high levels of maturity at 1am.
Sent Mad a text on Sunday morning telling her to get me and Karen a cup of tea - most disgruntled to realise she's done a midnight flit and I had to make my own. so rude.

Oh my god, this is it... I've hit cybergeekdom..... after enjoying reading mad, amy si and the hardy's blogs I've decided to hop on the bandwagon. I used to write a diary but am now too knackered in the evening, this could be the answer!

so, here goes nothing.....