Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Snowing at last.
Quite frankly I'm getting sick of it. Snow was much more exciting when it happened once every ten years. Now its every year, its just a bit meh.
Was gonna ride in it... Right up to half 4 when I got the cancellation call. Was sat in the pub with all my gear on, ready to go.
And of course the 386 can't cope with going uphill in it, so I got another bus to Charlton Station and walked from there.
Three idiot fucking chavs hanging out by the Valley cafe pelted me with snowballs. Course they all found it hysterically funny until I chased after them waving my riding crop and screaming obsenities.
I'd have fucking mashed them had I caught them.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Yup. The cricket has kept me up until an undecent hour. Bring back the old days when I was working in The Health Food Shop That Cannot Be Named and able to stay up all hours.
I still hold out for a win in this first test but Welshy, who knows more about these things than I do claims it will be a draw.
My little VC talk at work has gone, farewell Jack! I debut a new talk tomorrow (I really should sit and learn it at some point) all about Whaling, cannibalism at sea and Moby Dick. Looking forward to that!
The rest of the country appears to be about 6 foot under snow. So far London has remained snow-free. Apart from two flakes that just drifted past my window... so maybe.
I need it to hold off until next Tuesday at least as my trip to Barca will be in jeopardy otherwise!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Ashes start tonight!
Let's hope there's not a repeat of that crazy Uber-wide ball bowled first delivery last time!

Bye-bye Sleep!!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Hurrah.
Although I put in my application ages ago for uni, there's been a few problems with my referee not being able to get into the system. After an agonising wait on hold, I think I managed to sort the problem out and hopefully she is completing it now as we speak.
Hurrah Part 2.
I'm trying to arrange a meeting next week with a local school to get a volunteer placement in. My referee actually reccommended them to me, apparently the Head is a big nature-lover and sets up cameras in birdboxes, has his own beehive on school property and arranges for them to grow veggies, so hopefully it'll all go down well if it all works out.
Hurrah Part 3.
Ashes start on Wednesday, and I have football tomorrow and riding the next week.
Hurrah Part 4.
I'm going to see Welshy next Friday, no time at all!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Harry was amazing. I know I tend to get carried away with these books/films but that was the best, the truest to the story, the most gripping one yet.
Not perfect as none of them have, but pretty damn well close.
Went to football today and we won 3-2 which was exciting!
And I've gone and got organised for Xmas, I've got stuff for Welshy's bro, sister and mam, (only chocolates but still!)
Presents for TP and TJ - actually I must confess, I brought them gifts when I was in Dublin last year but completely forgot to send them to them!
And presents for my friends who have children.

Gonna try and talk to the bro and see if he wants to go halves on flight vouchers. I heard Ryanair were offering them and if we can get some for Mum then she can take herself off to Grotty when it all gets too much, plus a little something each from us and she's sorted and E will be the usual Wildlife Photographer of the Year when payday rolls around.
Efficiency is my middle name!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Guess who just got asked out by one of the Astronomers at work, "now i'm single again."
News to me, good to know i've still got it though, whatever "it is!

HARRY POTTER TONIGHT!!!! ROLL ON 7:30!!!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

well my decision to pick horses over football probably wasn't inspired as I missed us win. After two lessons, where even if I do say so, I was pretty awesome and rode close to my best. This lesson wasn't as good. The horse I rode, Roo was rather bumpy, and seemed to slip and trip a lot. Horses are normally sure-footed and especially just plodding round a school may just slip once. So this was a bit off-putting. I saw a pony, Holly at my old stables, a half Welsh/half Arab slip and go right over onto her side, breaking her riders leg as it was crushed under her once.
So I've always been a bit wary of something like that happening to me, even though that was an one in a two trillion accident.
So I think that played on my mind a bit and I didn't rise to the occasion too well.
Never mind.

Today was another quiet, meh sort of day, not a lot going for it. Still, two days till my date with Harry Potter and 16 sleeps till Barca!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Oh dear.

I had a really pleasant day with Lollypop from work, counting donations. I really like him. He's sweet, ever so slightly old-fashioned, despite being younger than my brother and is disturbingly obsessed with castles and historic houses.

Today was the first day of the new position. He got it too, which is nice. Me, him and two other people who just happened to be made Seniors as well were told to collect donations and do the Poppy boxes. Nothing strange in that. I've helped Lollypop and the other Cashiers do it hundreds of times, as have others. One girl. Greek C has just come back from an operation to remove a cancerous lump growing in the bone of her thigh. (All clear now) so can't move about too much. The other girl was just a spare. So sounds reasonable to have them do the Poppy Boxes and me and Lollypop do the usual Monday collection of the myraid of boxes.

Head back down in the afternoon, then Indian N and Tall S who both went for the job and both got rejected and were working the front together accosted me and Lollypop, making their new W gesture at us, asking why it had taken 4 seniors to do the job when anyone could have done it and then if we were plotting against them.
Both me and Lollypop are pretty pissed with this now. Since the two weeks its been announced we've had nothing but aggro. TS has been telling me its everything from Racism (no coloured people got the job, perhaps not all that unreasonable when you consider. One of them is incredibly lazy and bolshy. One has been in front of HR countless times for unappropriate conduct towards the female members of staff - [Never me. Not sure if I should take it as a compliment or be outraged that I'm not good enough to be perved over!] for an assault against another member of staff - Nothing crazy but a childish Chinese Burn. Oh and for not doing his work. I can't explain why Indian N didn't get the job and TS claimed that if he got the job he was going to ask for more money, wasnt sure if he was going to take it and answered most of his interview questions with "call a manager") So its not racism, nor ageism as they also tried to claim as others older than them got it. And I certainly ain't no Managers Puppet.
I do not appreciate being told by TS that if I ever tried to use my new seniority over him that he would go to the managers and tell them about my mischief.
A - I dont care really.
B- I'm sure most of them are aware of it anyway, I don't hide my antics.

One of the questions was: "How would you feel if one of your collugues got the job over you?"
I don't think running to HR or complaining to every manager that you find is setting a good precident if the job comes up again!

Anyway we were talking over the stupidness of it all in the cash office and came out to get a new donation to be moaned at for plotting and talking about them in there. Sigh.
Rosta Tom popped over with the paperwork for the Poppy Donation and asked why we were hanging out in there rather than in the messroom and we told him about some of the dramas. Anyway when he returned to the managers office, he mentioned it to the Duty Manager, who then saw fit to put his Size-11's all over it, go speak to Indian N and call us up to the office.
I told him, what I've pretty much told Lollypop. We just have to man it out. Once the next bit of drama arrives we'll be forgotten about. I don't like the thought that they're now gonna think we went running to bitch when we can deal with it ourselves.
Yes its dragged on for a fortnight now, but it has been very quiet.

Its just a bit sad as until now I considered these people friends! _ but they're not bitter! Oh no! We're not to think that, they constantly reassure us.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

You know I may never blog again. Just stare in awe of my new pretty coloured blog.
Brought myself a new bed today, a plain silver small double. Means I'm pretty broke now until payday, and yet have to pay for a hotel in Barca. Oh well. I've got a good 7 hours overtime to claim this month and new pay kicks in from Monday, so it'll all be good, even if I have to wait until payday to get the hotel.
Done some mega-restructuring of my room. Got rid of a lot of crap, uni posters and stuff. Bit sad but they were just cluttering the place and I swapped the position of my large pine desk over with my bed and now my room looks HUGE.
I love how just a simple change makes it look like you've completely redecorated.
Threw out a few things, photos and that, that related to the LF. Didn't realise I still had them, forgotten that I had treasured them once. Long, long ago.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Do you have any idea how happy my new background makes me?

Back in the day when all this was fields *waves arms vaguely* I had three choices of blog background that wasn't white. Or boring. Or completely girly.

Remember how exciting the day was when I got comments as standard? Remember when I learnt and then promptly forgot how to HTML this. Remember when coloured TEXT arrived! Remember when PICTURES ARRIVED!

Now holy fuck! Look how pretty my blog is! With just a template and pressing the colour text option.

And there's loads of others! Some that I fear using as they are just so joyful and bright and vivid that an epilepsy attack might happen if I spin around too quick on my chair.

I love it! Its happy and colourful and fun. I need to figure how to make my text more readable though... But Colours! Swirls! Brightness!

The only thing that could complete this, would be if somehow I could get a set of colouring pens and colour each of the CHARBY letters in a different, clashing colour.
Slightly better day at work, although still deathly quiet. I can't describe to people who don't understand what its like at work on a quiet day. But at the moment we're getting probably the same number of people though the doors as we do in Dec/Jan, during the worst of the winter weather and if its like that now. I very much fear for my sanity during those quiet months.

We'll see...

Busy trying to find a cheap hotel or a decent hostel near to where Welshy is living in Barca, really need to get him on facebook to find out exactly where he is.
Having a vague look for a cheap and decent double bed. Months of being kicked in the face (Yeah kicked. He squirms about like a fish outta water) in a single bed is not appealing. Although I guess that depends on if he comes home!

Many lovely people at work have come up and told me not to worry about losing my Saturdays and to swap with them if I need to. I love my work chums.

And finally and positively I found the location of an old blog-friend. I lost the blog address aaaages ago. Although he seems not to have updated in forever and ever. YEAH YOU! Sort it aht!!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Today was the worst day at work I have had for a long time. It was just boring! No one was in! No one wanted to hear my talks, weather was atrocious which didnt help. and my gallery, being an art one was dark and dimmed so I felt sleepy all day and there wasn't even any fun staff about to talk to.

I've got a new rosta to do with my new job, before for the last two years, I've had a cushy number. being off 2 saturdays out of three and either block-booking the third or swapping days off about. Now I'm back to a standard one saturday out of three. Not helpful for football watching!

E's kinda upset me too a bit. I text her telling her about losing my Saturdays and she asked if I should be pleased that I have time off in the week and I said not really cos I dont enjoy them. Everyones at work, I'm too poor to go out and about, and I didnt even really prefer my weekends off cos of it. I prefer having a day off then working for a few and then having another. Means I can save up my tasks and stuff so I have things to do, reasons to leave the house.
She then got a bit snipey about how I'm always miserable lately, and that some people were never happy. I dont think i've been miserable, a little frustrated at how long my uni app was taking and being back at home again, but you know. I feel positive, either in the New Year or by September, my time at the NMM will come to an end and I will start a new adventure. And I was kinda happy with my rosta the way it was! Done especially for me!

I explained about not having any money and I dont particuarly wanna waste it unless I have too, what with saving for uni and that and then she got really sarky, telling me that if I was gonna sit at home all day I shouldnt then complain I'm bored. Asking me if I could afford to go to Harry Potter on the 19th and then when I pointed out that her workplaces starting salary is still a lot more than mine is going to be, and she has 10 days more leave than me, and gets days of in liu for working Bank Holidays which I don't and she earns 2k more than I will get and more on top cos she can do a lot more overtime there than at my corrupt system, she got arsey at that too.
She also commented when I said that me and mum were going to Pizza Hut or something before the cinema, whether I can afford to eat there or will I be outside with sandwiches!

Cheeky bint! I can't afford to waste time in the gym or meeting friends like she can, and I don't see the need to spend money for the sake of it, even if its only a £2 bus fare to get somewhere.
Not when every penny is going to count, when I may even end up worse off than I am now cos of student loan kicking in, tax and NI going up and Mother demanding that I hand over more money than I do now.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

EWWW. EEWWW. EWWW.

And people tell me Horse-riding's risk-free and anyone can do it?
Dont check this out if you're squeamish.
Tired. Yesterday was a bit crazy. We went to Southend to watch us in the Jonstons Paint Trophy Southern Round Quarter final - try saying that when you're a wee bit pissed!!
We left at 10:30 and I got home about 12:20 THIS MORNING. Yeah. I'll leave you to decide just how many alcoholic beverages were consumed during this 14 hour session, cos frankly I have no idea.

Chips by the beach though! and I rode those little kiddy car thingys and found that they are pretty hard to get in and out of.
We won which was exciting, just gotta make it through the semis... Then the Southern final (2 games in that round) and then the final itself... Hmm. Plenty of chance to cock it up there!

While waiting for a bus home, I saw a man go and get into the local bank and then turn lights on. Do bank employees normally start work at 12.04? Poor sods. Was half expecting to see a yellow police "Assistance Needed" sign outside this morning.

Fun day at work, although rumours are reaching that the Divide and Conquer strategy employed at work in the creating of these senior posts ARE doing exactly that. And while I can see why people are pissed that summer seasonals are getting these roles over more experienced staff who do extra jobs, going to HR and kicking up a stink aint helping your case!

Welshy is at the Nou Camp tonight, watching Messi Blud in their cup competition. Jealous. He doesn't wanna come home at the end of his month and I can't go out there. Sent off my uni application, gotta organise a school placement now. ASAP as i'm supposed to get it done before New Year.

We'll see....

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Welshy arived safely, is safely in with his new landlady and found where his friend lives. Course starts tomorrow.
I keep carrying my phone about in case he texts me! Gotta get out of that habit! Far too clingy, especially when I know I wont hear from him much!

I booked my tickets for Harry Potter! Can't wait! Wheeeeeeeeee! Welshy's friend (one of the guys I went to India with) texted me actually asking if he can come, we might go to the IMAX together! Lol! I think he'll be a bit lonely without Welshy and their mutual chum.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get this thing sorted and find a placement and then get my application in....
Hmmm. Drawing 0-0 with the team ranked 92nd out of 92 teams in the Football League wasnt part of the plan yesterday!
And the replays on the 16th! I'm meant to be riding then! What a Dilemma! Ponies or footy? I think ponies will win, as I'm missing being on horseback and it'll be three weeks since my last ride. Plus I've already paid in advance for that and havent for the Football.

Welshy flew away today. I'm trying not to think of it as a countdown until the 3rd. When did I get so girly?! I dont like it!

H2 has started a blog, I introduced her to here, Welshy was the only other real life person who knew of its existence. Not sure how I feel about real world people reading this, but its only the selected specials!

She showed me stats! Apparently I've got over 144 views this month from the Netherlands alone and 29 from Mexico. And many people found their way here by googling "Tobey Maguire fish hook scar"
Ha!

Time for work....

Friday, November 05, 2010

Welshy left me this morning at 5.15. I miss him already! I'm gonna accompany him home on the 3rd of December though, so its not the end of the world.

Good News Update!

I got the job! Whoohooo! Goldsmiths also take my HND as good enough, I gotta get in touch with Derby uni though and organise for them to confirm with Goldsmiths. Bit annoying as my deadline for applications is rapidly approaching.

Ho hum. What else? Tomorrow I'm off with the Boys to watch us play Barnet in the Cup and then we're off to Sarfend on Tuesday for a different cup competition that we're in the Quarter Finals of.
If I keep busy I can't miss Welshy too much!