another Christmas over and a new year yet to come..

Somebody should have given me some self control for Christmas.

Have eaten entire box of chocolate cornflake cakes, half a pork pie, weetabix, 2 slices of Christmas cake and a selection of Roses chocolates.. Need to stop eating crap!

Am beginning to feel like a big dense person full of meat and chocolate!

Well, that is over for another year now, hope everyone had a good time. I had a rather chilled Christmas, Ice skating on Christmas eve was probably my favourite bit (a rather timid James was wobbling round the rink holding my arm, his confidence slowing growing, when one of the stewards nearly knocked him over..) James is back at work now, leaving me to graze the fridge, and now reality of workload has kicked in. Didn't stop me going shopping though mwuahahaha! Was very distressing, so many people (glaring, tugging, tripping etc.) and only 3 pairs of trousers in entire store sized 10 long.. In the end I managed to get a suit that had quite a pretty knee length skirt (obviously meant to go down to ankle..).

Well done James!

Well, there we are - James has got his place at Warwick uni for next year.

Gah.. have now got to actually look for accommodation etc.!

Am so proud of him!

Am I in Dallas?

I wonder if I have just woken up and a year and a half just didn't happen?

Being back at Sainsbury's is v. v. odd. Nothing has changed at all. Well, apart from not having my James there to talk to and watch rubbing his eyes (he always used to stand by the bananas for about ten minutes rubbing his eyes like a cat..v. sweet) Have now got 2 days off which is great (I have "the dissertation" to write over Christmas..) but after Thursday I have 2 more yucky 2-10 shifts..

James is going over to Toms with Stu on Saturday evening for Christmas food and drinks, games etc. and I am stuck at work til 10. Hmm.

At least I have my nice Christmas eve day :)

Have decided now that we will get the train into Birmingham to go ice skating, then get a hot chocolate together before going to get some food. After we get the train home we'll go for a drink at the SO bar in town before walking home :)

Then at midnight I get to open my Christmas eve present!

We do this every year - at midnight we each get to open one present from the other. It's nice to open something without everyone being around. I can't wait til our first Christmas in our own place..

A bit of a ramble

James has finally got into the Christmas spirit but unfortunately the tree has took the brunt of it. He seems to have developed a fascination with snow spray. My nice pretty tree is now covered in oddly distributed blobs of snow.

Ah well, he seems happy now at least!

Oh god, that reminds me, I madly decided to cut James's hair today..

It went.. well..

Although I must point out that James is the most impatient person in the world. He was all twitchy and bored which is very unhelpful. I think I did rather well really - better than last time anyway.. (I cut his ear with the scissors)

His hair is now looking alot less lego-man like now.

Anyway, I am slowly psyching myself up for Sunday - my official first day back at Sainsbury's. I had to watch all of the random training videos at training (my favourite was the agression video with the 80 year old man who was going to punch the female employee because the shop had moved some tins)

Am afraid it will be weird and different.. I'm hoping my first shift will be with the people I used to work with. I can't believe it has been a year and a half since my last shift!

Thanks for the Christmas present Grandad ;)

Hurrah!

Opened strange scary official letter this morning and blinked madly at it (had duvet eyes..)

Have won £50 on my premium bonds! Weyhey! It's the first month I have had them!

Also went and got hours from Sainsbury's and they are great - 39 hours but saturday, tuesday, wednesday and CHRISTMAS EVE are off!

Just waiting for the third good thing to happen now...

Tis the season to panic wildly

Oh my god, time is whirling out of control.

13 days to go.

10 of which I will probably be at Sainsbury's wishing I was not (obviously ruining various peoples Christmas by not having any mushrooms or celeriac left).

That gives me 3 days to get everything done for Christmas! Gah! Have still got.. 7 presents to get! Thank the lord for Boots 3 for 2 mix and match..

V. excited about closeness of Christmas! Hope am not working on Christmas eve.. I would like to do festive type things with James (obviously am quite restricted as cannot do any snow activities -unless I go ice skating at the SnowDome! ooh!)

Ahhh Christmas..

Oh how I love this time of year. Everything twinkles, and for a short amount of time even the dowdiest places can look magical.

So snuggly and warm..

Wow, didn't realise how long I had left posting for..


Going home is a draining experience. I have to haul my brick of a laptop and all of my bags from uni to the station through all of the criminals by the law courts, past all the people huddling around the bus stops and whacking all of the irritating Christmas shoppers who amble around in groups out of my way.

While we are on the point I would just like to make an observation - why do people with small children feel the need to perform flanking manouvers on you? Bloody pushchairs span across the pavement and mow you down.. Whats more, they never apologise..

Anyway, as I was saying..
I got to my train and realised I had just missed one (the impact of slow shoppers on the ramp..) luckily there was another in half an hour. I wandered down to the platform and train was already there. Result!

Sat down in seat under heater.

Woke up in Tamworth.

Turns out that I had sat on the platform for 45 minutes due to the driver not turning up. My god - I must have been out cold.

When you have nothing much to say, ramble a little

I have no conscious thoughts as I type this blog..

In fact, I almost didn't write at all due to this fact.

And then I thought it might be interesting to see what came out.


On Saturday we took a journey up to Grandma's once more. The traffic was awful due to everyone crashing left right and centre on the M6. Part of the plan was to re-live the days of Salford when James would come up really early on a Wednesday morning after my 9am lecture and we would have a day out together, usually at the Trafford Centre. Wednesday was always the highlight of the week. Usually we would go to the cinema at the end of the day where I would cry for the last half hour of the film knowing that when the credits came the day would be at an end and James would head off down the motorway once more.

When we arrived at the queue for the Trafford Centre it stretched all the way onto the M60. James was not amused. (ahem.. I had made us over an hour late..) We crawled down the slip road and gradually made our way closer to the monstrocity of architecture that is the palace of shopping.

It says there are only 17 spaces left. We are in a queue of around 20 cars now. Dammit we have to beat them..

Crap. No spaces left. People are parking on verges..

700 spaces?!? How the hell?

A car park on the edge of the solar system opens and we trek across the car park, past the cargo containers, past the motorway, past the "you are now leaving the Trafford Centre" sign..

Damn it was cold.

Stupid idea to come to popular shopping centre on busiest shopping day of year. But still fun! Looked at lots of pretty things and made many hints.

At lunch we had a meal like we used to. The campest waitor in history served us, he was awful, unnattentive and made us wait ages for our drinks. Needless to say we gave no tip. (embarassed by this we left our money on the table and snook away!)

The film was awful. It was the cheesiest American feel good film I have ever seen and had many morals and Christmas lessons about sharing and being good to one another etc. etc. But it felt amazing to finish the film with a smile.

I relish every day I get to see the end of with James.

That much anticipation will always lead to a little dissapointment

WooHoo!

December the 1st!

Woke up this morning (early - had to go on site visit..) with pre-teenage excitement about opening my first door on my advent calendar. As ever, being the product of my Father, I had to wake up James so I had somebody to open it with me.

me: You go first.
James: (looking like a sleep deprived Hamster) Oh its the one at the top.
me: Ooh what's the picture!
James: Homer dressed as Santa...
me: my turn! Oh..
James: What?
me: There is just brown cardboard on my door..
James: Maybe the picture is behind the chocolate..

No. There was no image behind my chocolate. The chocolate itself, however, resembled a gnome.

The word anti-climax comes to mind...

Happy Birthday (for yesterday) Colin! - sorry I forgot to txt until 11pm..

What does it say about your life when google adsense advertises "cheese sandwiches" and "canal boats for hire"???

Obviously I am writing an awful lot about these two things!

Shall try to broaden my horizons and talk about non-cheese or canal type things - hard as that may be.
(either that or I will write at least one thing about something odd like "reindeer" in each blog and see what it advertises.. quite intrigued as to how much control i get over those little boxes..)

I love it when everything fits into place..

What a great day.

I had a lift into uni off James (equates to an extra half hour in bed)

We have a really cool project - which we are getting paid £60 to design by Birmingham City Council!

We finished at 11 instead of 5.30

Whilst in the cinema with my friends (trying to come to terms with new found freedom) a man came up to me in my seat and asked to speak to me outside.

I immediately though "oh dear god - is something wrong with my card? are they going to shout at me because my phone was actually turned on?!?"

Man stood outside and said "do you believe in getting things for free?"

Was quite surreal.. thought he may offer me a red and blue pill at any moment..

I stuttered something along the lines of "it depends what I have to do" which, in hindsight, may have made me sound like a prostitute..

He then handed over to me four free tickets to see the movie "perfume" at a special screening a week before it comes out! Pretty cool..

I then met James and had Pizza Express, and then found out that if James hadn't picked me up today I would have been at the station for hours as someone had jumped in front of the train I needed (obviously day wasn't great for that person..)

Am going to sit in front of the fire and watch Friends whilst drinking coffee and researching the technicalities of Grade I, II and II* listed buildings

I didn't realise Emus produced healing oil...

James was talking to me in the car today (whilst firmly lodged in a long queue of traffic on the M6) and reminded me about one of those times where you want to crawl under a rock and shrivel up.

Last time we went up to Grandma's I was sat on the sofa with James when my Grandma marched up to me declaring -

"Here - put some of this emu oil onto that thing on your face, it will go away much quicker."

I only had a small spot on my face that I happened to itch at that moment, although it did make me feel like I had some hideous growth sticking off my face...

Plus - what the hell is emu oil?!?!?

And yes - that is the same Grandma of terror cracker fame.


On a lighter note - I have an evening off!!!! Oh how glorious!

I presented my project today in front of three tutors in the given time limit of 5 minutes. I have never been so nervous. It went well though...

That moment where complacency turns to panic

Well, the weekend was really good. I managed to do most of my work on friday so I was quite laid back about the whole "Monday hand in" thing.

On Sunday (today) I realised that I had forgotten to do alot of work.

Gah.

Am now frantically printing off work (which for some reason has saved the wrong size)

I can't wait till I am employed and I can leave work without this kind of thing happening to me.

On a lighter note -

Hurrah! Coke Christmas advert was on today so have officially declared it Christmas in my world and began drinking from my Christmas mug.. (it is sooo great. It has a reindeer on it that looks like a dog I know..)

Busy busy busy... mainly due to dog

Well, trip to York was quite random (lol.. still can't say that with a straight face)

We got to the uni (which was very pretty) and the rain began. I must say though, pretty as it may be, the coffe bar facilities left much to be desired.. - although must point out the technological advancements of the IT post-grad department - their kettle is linked to some kind of touch screen monitor which lets them have a hot drink and takes money from their account!

Must admit though, put that in an art department and there would be mass confusion resulting in someone either bathing screen in coffee or screen being used as piece of "installation" artwork and a new kettle being put next to it...

Quite scared about finding job now.. I may be job hunting in York or Leeds, which is both far away and not particularly hubs of design..

Also worried that the student apartment type accommodation would not let us have the Kitty.. which - lets face it - is the biggest worry of all!

Oooh also had a very festive day today. Absence of James gave opportunity to wrap his presents and then I was on a roll! I must say that this years colour scheme is quite pretty - have gone for turquoise, purple, blue and silver.

As you can tell I had uni work to do. Obviously cannot work in an untidy room so once wrapped, things needed cleaning, polishing etc. Clothes at end of bed finally got put away.. Was just about to start my work (with my coffee and spaghetti hoops) when caught a whiff of bad smell in room and noticed dog had in fact weed on my lovely wicker bin. Grrr. Then spent another half hour cleaning and disenfecting room.

Not happy with dog - he then proceeded to eat the cat's biscuits. When shouted at he jumped with shock and started choking, throwing up biscuits all over the floor - which he then re-ate.

Lovely..

My laptop has it in for me..

Hello internet!

Once again the laptop broke, leaving me floundering without the internet.. so so lost..

Turned out very useful as I couldn't procrastinate.

For those who care or even just those who like to look at colourful pictures, here is the fruit of my labour...

And my beast of a model which has left my cutting finger limp and dented by my scalpel..

Model is a whopping 600mm x 600mm. So time consuming it was unbelievable.. but all turned out in the end (must point out today that my friend actually managed to super glue her finger to her model resulting in me having to rub "anti-bonding solution" onto her finger with a cocktail stick)

The ups and downs of a week in my third year...

Monday: Spent 5 hours producing my powerpoint for my seminar. grr. Canal regeneration funding and the like. Yawn...

Tuesday: Day before seminar, went to print off a plan in the morning and my computer would not start. It never even got to the loading windows screen. Oh dear God.
Computer diagnosed as buggered by James - this then prompted a nervous breakdown and ALOT of tears from me (all of my work for the last 8 weeks was on there)
James spent 2 hours working on it and retrieved my files. Hurrah!
Turned up an hour late for uni and got told off. (I'm usually an hour early - I have never been late EVER. Evil woman...)

Wednesday: Turn up an hour early at uni for seminar in order to practice and read through notes. (seminar worth 20% of final mark! how scary!)
Turns out I was in fact 2 and a half hours early and had read sign wrong.

Today (thursday feels like it didn't even happen - time going too quickly!) : TTrain took 50 minutes to get to Birmingham. Work had to be on my desk before ten. Alot of pannicking occured! Have been selected for entry in the RSA competitio though! Hurrah! Although now I have to pay £25 just for the priviledge..

Last night James got to witness the madness of my former life first hand.

Mum and Dad were up for the weekend and their mate Jeff was throwing a bonfire party.

Everyone there had had quite a bit to drink and when this was combined with the fact that we had a firework store full of rockets which wouldn't be out of place in a professional display and a garden about 4 metres long, it made for a nerve wracking time!

It didn't take long before the first set of fireworks fell over, hitting me in the side whilst I reluctantly used my very pretty umbrella as a shield. (it's a radley umbrella.. too pretty to ruin..)

Erik and Rosie, meanwhile, were sat terrified in the van. And so the evening ended with Rosie clinging to me shaking and James trying to drag a traumatised Erik from the back of the van, pulling off his collar and making my big fluffy boy look like a wimp in front of all the onlooking children.

Very weird walking around Belgrave again.. I swear I have grown about a foot since then as everything seemed so much smaller...

Introducing Herr Fish

After a horrid day it went a bit better this evening.

I got my new fish (i couldn't be bothered to take a picture so I drew him on paint.. ahem...)

The Dentist told me I wasn't needed back for 6 months and I got to have a cool x-ray (also did not get charged for check-up or x-ray?!?)

I found out that James's dad is friends with a man who works for British Waterways on regeneration schemes - I have my primary research! Hurrah! Am going round to interview tomorrow... All comes good in the end!!!

Argh! It's all getting too much!

Damn working.

And Damn Uni..

This degree better be worth it!

Stupid tutors have decided that our project will be assessed and go through selection for the RSA competition next Friday.

THS tutor has decided that we must do a seminar on our dissertation worth 20% of our mark next Wednesday. (I must point out that we are the first year to ever have this as part of our dissertation)

Have got to create a decent 20 minute powerpoint presentation with a week and a half notice whilst compiling all of my design work to reach the Friday deadline and due to THS tutor have now got to visit the office of British Waterways and take a trip to Manchester to get primary research. Explained this to other tutor who told me I should only do work for THS for a half day on a Wednesday.

Well that is great advice. Apparently I can be in Manchester, visit an office in Fazeley, write an entire script for seminar and create powerpoint slides in 4 hours.

Add this to the fact that I have to visit the dentist again tonight (yes, yet another £15 wasted) and you may be able to gauge the extent of my misery today..

Have been sat at James's uni on my own in the computer room writing up dissertation seminar script for the last 3 hours. Oh god it's so boring!

Alas, tis the end of Mr. Fish....

My newest edition - a loveable goldfish called Mr. Fish - passed away this afternoon.

Like many of the fish I had in childhood the cause of death was fin rot.

There is a very wrong and petty part of me that is bitter that it was my fish who died and not James's.

Am ashamed..

Have decided that my next fish will continue his legacy and will be named Herr Fish.

A Date with my Arch Nemesis

Oh god, having your picture taken in a photo booth is a traumatic event...

There was a man outside waiting (he was a bit creepy.. very strange leery smile..) so after the 8th count of the woman saying loudly "if you would like to re-take your picture press the green button" I got incredibly paranoid that man would think that I was either crazy, obsessive or just plain vain and just pressed ok..

I'm not even going to show the faceless people of my blogging world the horrific site that beheld me as that slip of shiny paper dropped from the machine.

I swear I've seen that image on crimewatch.

I have a theory that those machines are statically charged so that your hair goes crazy as soon as you sit down. That added to the fact that it appears to defeat even the strongest concealer gave me a haggard, tired and "mad cat lady" look.

Which I suppose I am..


Oooh also! I am being plagued by pond liners! After my sighting about a week ago, where I had to swerve to avoid one in the middle of the road, I spotted yet another today perched on top of a hedge on the road towards Sutton.. Very strange..

Brown? Really? Hmm

I suppose it is fate.. I should have waited for advice..

After last post I got all over excited and went and bought some brown hair dye 
(about 5 minutes after asking for advice... Ahem)

Did as the instructions said, I even wore the gloves that looked suspiciously like condoms..

After 15 minutes I rinsed off the dye to reveal that it had not done anything! 

Infact my hair now looks even more bland than before!

Dammit..

Will have to go to hairdressers after all... 

Please Give Input!

Hmm

I am at that point once more when I am bored with my hair. The stupid hairdresser woman did a crazy hair style which I hate and am now in the process of "growing out" - yes BG, in the same manner we had to before...

So as I can't have any more hair taken off without fully transforming into my alter ego German Boy once more, the only thing left to do is colour.

Now, my hair has gone into what I like to call it's Winter Coat, where it loses all shine and goes from blonde to a dull blondy-brown.

Do I dye it brown? I would like to.. I think... although I always struggle to pick the right colour (obviously am v. pale and would like to not look Dead) Or do I go blonder? Hmm...

Any input?

I suppose it could happen to anyone.. or at least anyone with a tiny cat

On the odd occasion I like to get some housework done.

With a blind cat alot of stuff gets knocked over/spilt/soiled..

Whilst tidying a pile of post on the floor I suddenly realised that at some point the cat had actually managed to climb up onto my neck without me noticing and was now fast asleep on my back.

Gah. Cannot stand up!

I waddled over to the cat hammock and tried tipping the cat off my back but, alas, the cat could not be moved. (lets just say there were claws involved)

Realisation that if this incident happened when I was alone in the house I would in fact be stuck. There is no easy way to remove a cat from your upper back without the aid of another person.

The perils of public transport...

When you have a break from public transport it always seems that much worse to go back to 
it..

I arrived at the train station puffing and panting (illness has left me exhausted at the slightest 
movement) to discover that 2 of the earlier trains had been cancelled and platform 4 was 
heaving with angry commuters and irritated shoppers.

When the train arrived it was so full that by the time I had waded through the croud and 
reached the train even my slight frame could not wedge into the compartment.

Around 20 minutes later another train arrived and I boarded first (having fought my way there)
. Once on the train I did the polite thing and stepped right to the back to allow more people 
on board.

It was there, against the unused doors of the opposite side of the carriage that I got myself 
wedged.

Yes, wedged.

A stupid woman with an oversized pushchair rammed her way into the train, running over my 
feet with the childs footrest.

She then proceeded to lock the wheels on her pram of terror and walk off up the train with 
the child in tow.

Meanwhile I was wedged against the doors with my feet stuck under the pram for the whole 
duration of the trip.

When finally the glorious sight of Birmingham arrived, the woman had the cheek to tut at me for leaning on the damn thing! 

No-one can beat their Grandma's cooking..

I love going up to Grandma's.. there is always lots of pie..

We spent the day tuning in a digibox and then unplugging it again when Grandma didn't want it.

We also ate alot of food. ALOT of food.

Oh I ate alot of pie, but it was totally worth it! Also came home with spare pie and a book which is 
the unofficial sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Good day all round! Now I just have to get some actual
work done..  

On my day off it seems I enjoy working in other uni's

I spent yet another day off at Staffs Uni.. I must be the only person in the world who actually goes to a different uni when they aren't at their own.

At least I got some work done! Well, I say some, it is impossible to get much done sat next to 
James. 

I think he sees it as some sort of a challenge to get my attention away from my work!
Also, have noticed today that James's emphatic gestures are getting more, well, emphatic. Whilst describing something in his personal project he actually managed to hit me on the shoulder.. He's also started doing what I have labelled his "management clap" which involves clasping his hands together in a very slow clap. It fills me with dread. After the clap I know that there is a long winded explanation of something technical coming... it also feels like I am getting the explanation reserved for dumb people (which I suppose makes sense when the subject is financial programming...)

Random journey home involved swerving to avoind a large plastic pond in the middle of the road...

Weird eh?

When it comes to the Dentist, I am transformed into an idiot..

Me: Hello. I have an appointment at ten to

Dental Nurse: Do you pay for your treatment?

Me: I haven't been in yet?

Dental Nurse: Please take a seat upstairs

At which point I take a seat downstairs and a Nurse has to come searching for me to tell me I am meant to be upstairs.

My Dentist appears to be wearing what can only be described as pyjamas and seems to be Polish. Haven't a clue what he is saying. After a few awkward minutes the assistant looks at me and says sympathetically "please take a seat"

I think they have decided that I am afraid of dentists?!? Oh well, never mind.

Dentist: Have you come for a check up?

Me: Erm, ok. My wisdom teeth are coming and it hurts. (why the hell did I say that?)

My god those gloves were making me gag. I was feeling nauseus (is that spelt right?) from my illness and my head was spinning. I had already had to walk to the dentist as James was using the car.

He poked my gum at the back and told me to take antibiotics and come back in a week.

I stayed sat down.

He handed me a prescription and looked at me in a meaningful way.

Obviously that is what counts as a check up nowadays.. am feeling dissallusioned, don't dentists usually count out numbers? Well, that 30 seconds cost me £15..

The woman on reception told me I had to come back in a week, and so booked me an appointment for the 8th November.

A week? really? Obviously woman is mad, so I nod politely and put in my pin number (incidently I can't use one of those pin machines without smirking now - see post about Holiday day trip to Warwick Castle) and I walk home in the rain...

Those of a nervous disposition - do not read!

This evening I was happily lying on the sofa watching James do his work when something tickled the lower part of my back.

A verrry large house spider was inside my jeans.

I jumped up and shook it out and James jumped around shouting "arrrr it's huge!"

Strangely enough I am fine about the whole ordeal.. James on the other hand keeps shuddering and flailing

Does anyone have a cure for flu? I don't have the time for this!

oh god I am so ill

My head feels like it is splitting in half.. May have some kind of flu or virus. Had to ring in to uni 
and explain that I was ill and wasn't coming in. Very paranoid that they don't believe me 
(even though they joke that I never go home) and I think I wont be in tomorrow..

On a lighter note, when I came downstairs (at 6pm - that's how ill I am!) I noticed that there was 
a distinct nibble mark on one of the blades of grass :) Subliminal messaging with your cat really 
works!

Well, I am going to go and curl up again now, eyes are hurting from brightness of screen... 

Work achieved today? .. minimal

Ahh the joys of procrastination..

I have a meeting with my tutor and course leader tomorrow regarding my canal project. 

I have spent from 12 o'clock trying to start some work and ended up encountering the following issues that needed my attention immediately..

1. Terrible, evil headache brought on by wisdom teeth gouging hole in gums
   
2. Toy shopping with James for various Nieces and Nephews
3. Tummy ache
4. Time Team on More4 (oh god I know!)
5. Helping Audrey place some items on ebay
6. Trying to give subliminal grass eating messages to the cat
7. Teaching Audrey how to edit her holiday photos
8. Watching James play theme hospital
9. Folding up our beast of a tent (this was a mean feat! Tent was 6m x 6m and had to fit into a small rectangular bag)

I know for a fact that dinner will be ready soon, my headache is making a reappearance and I will want to go for a bath soon...

Am I ever to get any work done?

 

What's the opposite of alfresco?

As you may have gathered, I have a teeny tiny cat that I aquired last spring.

She was malnourished, blind, had no hair, no teeth and her nails regularly fell off. After lots of food and attention and a few trips to James's Sister (she is a vetinary nurse) my little cat is looking really healthy.

Unfortunately, due to the blindness, my Kitty can't go outside. I feel quite sorry for her (although she does go out on her lead in good weather) and thought it would be good to grow some of that Cat Grass stuff.

According to the packet the cat would eat the grass and this would aid her digestion and help prevent fur balls. Great!

After 4 days of growth on the window ledge my cat grass is flourishing. Unfortunately all attempts to get the cat to eat the grass have failed. As you can see in the picture she is having none of it..

I am just left with a tray of grass on my desk...

The wonderful world of Barbie

Children are so strange...

Today I asked my Sister what my Niece would like for Christmas (very early i know, but i have to spread the cost out!)

Apparently she wants the Barbie that scoops up dog poo.

?!?!?

After investigation I have discovered that this is a real toy. She has a dog called "Tanner" who is fuzzy and you feed him dog biscuits. Consequently the dog then "does it's business" and Barbie has to scoop this up. Children are definitely odd.

I must admit however, that I can remember wanting some strange presents.. I remember when I was 4 all I wanted in the whole world was an ironing board. My cousin at around that same age wanted "rope."

Feel free to reminisce!

Clarity at last..

Earlier today I was driving through Lichfield on my way to pick up James when an old couple almost drove into the side of me on a roundabout.

Was very traumatic - involved an emergency stop and I forgot where the horn was (incidently it was on my steering wheel)

It was just after this, whilst my heart beat quickly, that I had an apiphany...



The Simspons car is pink?!?

A chat to my blog (I'm so bored and lonely!)

Basically I am sat at home all alone. Now I am a people person at heart and although I do like some alone time I do tend to get a bit, well, lonely. So I have decided that I will sit here and witter on for a while in the hope that I will divert some of my boredom and be able to get on with some uni work.


Yesterday was a good day..

I got further with my work at uni (something that seemed impossible on Monday), I got to see James at lunch in Starbucks (which was yummy on both levels) and I had a good laugh.

James spent the afternoon roaming around Birmingham waiting to pick me up at 5. When asked what he had done all afternoon he simply replied "I gave a pound to a tramp on a bridge."

Today, however, I have become all sleepy and lazy. James left for uni at half 7 leaving me to crawl back into bed and fester. Now I know that when James gets home he will want to go and play tennis. If there is one thing in the world I do not feel like doing today it is play tennis..

In an attempt to get motivated I have turned on my laptop and sat scrunched up on the sofa. In a minute I intend on getting a mug of milky coffee (yes - I do understand that this may make me more sleepy but it is so comforting!) and try to get my design into a CAD plan. At least I will have achieved something today!

Ooh must also take a trip to the bank - I had a phone call on Monday from a strange Birmingham number.

"hello, am I speaking to Kate?"
"Yes, hello...?"
"Hi, I'm from the BIAD faculty office, we have had a cheque arrive for you from your LEA"
"Ooh! OK! I'll come and get it!"

45 seconds, 3 flights of stairs, a trip through the canteen and a trek down a bizarre glass corridoor and I was at the office.

The man seemed shocked that I was there so quick.. I informed him that he would also be that quick if someone was giving him a cheque he didn't have to pay back.

In that respect I have got to say that I am eternally grateful to Wales. They give me money for free, almost like some sort of parental figure of a country... I must say though, I am starting to get quite freaked out about uni coming to an end. In 8 months time I will be in a state of panic.

At Christmas I intend writing to companies explaining my position and requesting interviews. Hopefully I can find somewhere willing to take me on from July. This part of the plan is the part most fragile and prone to failure.

It is a given thing that I have always been unemployable. When I get a job I am a model employee, I am always on time, I get my work complete and I do this to a high standard. Unfortunately I tend to turn into a wreck at interview. I laugh too much, I fidget and I get really aware that this is making me seem like some sort of shoplifter with a guilty conscience.

Anyway, this is turning into a mammouth blog! I am sorry! If you have read all the way to here then well done! You have a greater attention span than I!

Furry creature alert

On leaving the uni building my friend screamed out making us all jump back in alarm.

A squirrel had just leapt out of the bin at us..

A rant about a bygone era..

On the walk home from the station I nearly broke my neck stepping on what turned out to be a conker. This saddened me on many levels - I nearly fell over in front of many people - most of which were pre-pubescent and would have felt immense pleasure pointing and laughing.

The saddest part however, was that the conker was there at all. When I was little, finding a conker was one of those magical moments, seeing it there on the floor with its marvelous chestnut brown armour gleaming through the grass. We used to go for miles around searching for a conker, soaking them in vinegar and hiding them in the airing cupboard - anything to make them invincible.

Is it just that we live in a society so obsessed with risk assessment that the children no longer continue this age old tradition, or is it just evolution? Are the simple pleasures of discovering your first conker, hidden beneath a lime green pin cushion of a shell, just a distant tradition overtaken by technology? Why bother going to all that trouble when we can play virtual conkers on our PSP eh?

Well I have taken it on as my mission to pick up all of the conkers I see lying unwanted and abandoned, even if they aren't treasured by society any more - I will not leave them to rot on the pavement.

What a sad end to childhood.

Oh James.. you come out with some classic speako's...

Me: "It's steaming up in here"

James: "don't worry, I've put the air onto circumcise.."

The tennis bag with many uses...

It struck me the other day that James's tennis bag really reminded me of something...

A day of extreme weather and destruction to property..

This morning, as James and I lay snuggled in bed (incidently the alarm had gone off three times already..) there was a crash - bang noise from the direction of Hugo's cage.

From the bed we have quite a good view of our small furry friend, who had managed to destroy the roof of his house and was seen to be looking out of the wreckage with a look of confusion on his face.

The poor baby had also managed to trap himself on the top floor of his four storey mansion by covering his escape tube with the discarded roof...

Needless to say we started a campaign to rebuild the house which resulted in James dismantling the cage and me having to fix it again..



Also - journey to uni was amazing today! As James is now a basket weaver again (term used loosly) I have access to the car every other week again! Travelling through the glorious sights of Birmingham and passing under the M6 it began raining like fury. Lights on, wipers full I continued until I hit a snaking queue of trafficby Star City. I was sat on the dual carraigeway with lightning striking the gas towers in front of me and the train track to the left.

I must admit I adore the violence and beauty.

(however, I was bricking it slightly as was sat in large metal car)

local news - is it really neccessary?

Today I opened the Tamworth Herald and flicked through. One story spoke of the police and how they are keeping the canalside in town "yob free."

Alongside the article is a picture of two police officers looking rather pleased with themselves. Unfortunately in the background on the opposite side of the canal you can just make out an image of a "yob" giving them the finger...


Midlands Today (our regional news programme) is also in the line of fire - how unneccessary is this programme? Today we had story about how we shouldn't feed the ducks bread (including an interview with a man saying to feed them corn) and then a poem written by a man who was made redundant...

Victory for the common commuter!

Hurrah!

I got onto my train this morning - dripping wet I may add - and took a seat near the door. As the train pulled away from Tamworth a teenage boy pulled out his phone and began to play what I can only describe as "Chipmunk Trance" music at full volume.

Needless to say everyone in the carriage was mortified, and too afraid to approach the young whippersnapper.

About ten minutes into the journey however, a business man in his twenties got up and declared "I've had enough!" and proceeded to tell off the lad, who looked quite embarassed.

I could feel my sanity increasing once more...

Idle thoughts from an idle mind

Well, so far I have spent my day off at uni.. unfortunately not even my own one.

Work achieved: very little (ie. none)

Strange occurance yesterday - whilst walking to the train station I walked past 3 boys going to school. After they walked past one said to the other "that was Kate"

Am very freaked out - how do boys of about 14 from a random school know me? hmm..

Holidays are comin' Holidays are comin'...

Maybe I have gone back in time..

Today we were "told off" at uni - apparently we can now only eat between the hours of 1 and 2.

How odd?!


On a lighter note - Christmas has come to Birmingham!

Now, those of you who know me will understand (or at least come to understand soon) just how much I adore Christmas, but the 2nd of October? Surely that is too soon? Should I have started writing cards or buying presents? I have not even seen any fireworks go off yet! I'm so confused/happy/distressed...

Hmmm..

My train was delayed due to a medical emergancy (although hard to say what medical matter could affect a train..) meaning I didn't arrive home til after 7 (grr)

Upon taking my trainers off I noticed that my socks were stuck fast to both wounds on my heels..

So here is my question:

Is it better to do the old 'whip the table cloth off' routine and just go through the pain in one quick motion? Or am I better to just slowwwwwly tease my sock from my foot?

Any views welcome...

The hidden perils of shoes..

Oh I hate my shoes..

I was walking up Corporation St. on my way to uni. My feet felt raw. Evil Clarks shoes turned on me in spectacular fashion leaving me crippled and limping up the road taking out my pain on unsuspecting beggars.

Then it appeared in front of me and I knew what it was all about.

I entered the shop and staggered up the metal staircase. The foreign woman upstairs with the good hair gave me the small black box and I thanked her. (even though she pointed out that I was buying something from the mens section)

Oh it felt so good to put on new trainers...

(brownie points to those who know my whereabouts just from the description above - I'm guessing BG knows what shop I was in - they gave me a coupon for 20% off my next purchase *dribble*)

Imust admit, I rather enjoy being back on my daily commute..

Childrens toys appear to be very misleading nowadays..

I was watching the TV earlier when an advert informed me that "children like to bounce up and down - and so do zebras"

hmm.. interesting image..

The case of the missing website..

Email from my Dad.

"Hi Kate, thanks for the email, unfortunately I can't find my website so I can't give you any comments yet. Here are some pictures..."


I am curious - how does one "lose" a website?

I am issuing a test! If you cannot view this website please let me know! (it is still under construction and may appear distorted! do not worry - it is being dealt with by James!)

www.ajm-pembrokeshire.co.uk

Apologies for random spellings in previous post

I am sorry all you spelling freaks out there - I am very tired having had 10 hour day after 4 months off - as a result I am typo-ing everywhere.

Pls ignore

Brain Ache

Oh dear god!

First day of the last year.. I feel like my brain has exploded. We were in for an hour before the first project began resulting in me having to present to the group exactly what my proposal for this new project was. We used to get a week for that - this year we have 2 hours!

Still, it was nice to see everyone again.

This year I am glad to say that I have no crazy foreign tutors. I have gone from last year (the year of Cyril - ie. NO tutor) to 3 tutors! Hurrah!

Unfortunatelt we don't enrol til Wednesday meaning I will have to wait for my loan *grr*

Anyways, back to my brainwave of a project! If anyone else happens to be applying for the same competition for the RSA then please look away now ;)

"The Value of Water"

Odd topic but there you go. Basically we have to produce an exhibition stand which represents, somehow, the Value of Water.

My stand would float accross the Midlands on behalf of British Waterways promoting the regeneration and possibilities of using the canals of Britain - of which there are over 1500 miles - as a means of transportation, thus cutting down on congestion and therefore pollution.

Watch this space.. RSA award winner.. I like the sound of that! :P

How very odd?!

I was sat at my beautiful desk tapping away on my laptop (crazily trying to remember how to use autocad ready for start of semester tomorrow) when I looked up and saw this big hawk-type thing looking at me and squarking.

How weird

Man walking past my window holding a bird of prey whilst walking his dog..

Very cool though...

Those who know me understand the madness

me: We have our fish now

mum: What did you get?

me: A goldfish and a lionhead goldfish

mum: What are they called?

me: Howard and Mr Fish

mum: That's an odd name... Howard.....


And there resolves my argument with James that Mr Fish is an adequate name for a goldfish

Announcing the arrival of Howard and Mr Fish

Today we brought home two little fish - Howard (James's) and Mr Fish (mine) - I would like to point out that the object to the left is not in fact a dead fish but a biro...

(what is going on with the crazy weather?!? Our garden and driveway has flooded again and sewage is squirting up like a whales blowhole in the field in front?! Bloody global warming...)


Major point no. 2

I have done the unthinkable..








I have had a fringe cut in again! dum dum durrrr!


(although as you can tell by picture it is taking some getting used to.. have already started parting it in a manic fashion)

Major point no. 3

Have had an awful week.. I went out with James's sister Amy on Saturday and have felt like crap ever since (must add a note of thanks to James here who stayed up with me whilst inebriated and ill and made everything better)

Major point no. 4

Hurrah! I no longer have Crazy Tutor Woman next year! Hurrah!

Major point no. 5

For those following the growth of my Parents extention - we have the floor joists for the first floor in place. Also, builders managed to build the house the wrong size and shape but it has all been resolved now!

Back from the void..

Wow this has been a long week!

Since saturday my internet connection has been down, and after 6 days, 3 hours of phonecalls to BT, 2 complaints and half a phone line we discovered that James had plugged the cable into the wrong socket...

Will fill in the 6 day void tomorrow, am knackered

It confuses me when half of the waxwork models turn out to be people..

Today was our Holiday Day Trip!

Location: Warwick Castle

Today we managed to navigate our way to Warwick and find the entrance to a very large castle.. James then proceeded to embarass himself by pressing lots of buttons on the chip and pin and realising his card wasn't even in. He then knocked the keypad off its stand putting the card in..

Day of fun, we wandered around the castle taking in the sights of battlements and armour, trying on various helmets (see image of James below)

Highlight of day -

Strange exhibition of archery by a man (who reminded me of Brian Connely) reinacting a battle single handedly..

A trebuchet firing a blazing boulder

Also, the peacocks (they had baby peacocks!)

Where is a bloody ark when you need one?

Came home from Wales in nightmare rain journey, unpacked car and ran into house. Within 5 minutes we had become marooned in the house!





Luckily after half an hour it had subsided enough to allow us access to the car so we could go for the MOT test..



The Journey Home

We made the decision this morning to take the "scenic" route home. Unfortunately this ended up being a view of a cloud enveloping us for 4 hours..

Memories

This morning I woke up at 6:15am to my Dad turning on kids tv at volume 30. It seems a crazy thing to miss but I do, it kinda sums up my memories of living at home..

On that note - a couple of pictures from my trip to sunny Wales..

Homecoming

At last...

My parents will be home in little under 2 hours. The dogs are still alive, the cat has not ran away and I still retain most of my sanity.

I must apologise for not writing, James had his Macbook delivered and has since been hogging the power source and internet. (I must add that I am creating a voodoo van of UPS, evil people have lost the package containing my iPod nano! Lost it!) According to their internet tracking system it is still due to arrive on the 5th.. I must discover the power of time travel which they must posess.. Anyway, enough of the bitterness!

Round up of Yesterday
We went to Porth Clais yesterday, very pretty (although not alot there really) there were some big lime kiln ruins and a harbour wall which I sat on for a bit until James started having panic attacks that I would fall off.
Have tried to add a picture but the "done" button wont load and therefore it wont add!

Building update - Builders missing and presumed drunk

Have not seen builders since thursday. House is still as it was last post although a man appeared today and tidied up (it seems most people are scared of my Dad and his wrath!) Apparently they will be coming back thursday to build up to the roof (I'm presuming that it will take more than one day to do so.. but they were very speedy!)

Anyway, got to go, I have lots of mopping and hoovering to do in antiipation of their return!

Bit of a dilemma..

Oh I am so crap at saying No to people (although not in that sluttish way you were thinking)

Just agreed to go into town with one of Mum and Dad's friends tomorrow at 10am.

I'm perfectly OK with that part.

Slight problem occurs when my Dad has paid the boy next door pity money in order to take me out during this week. (I highly doubt anyone can top that one for embarassing parents) As it is in fact Friday tomorrow, and he has not come over yet, it kinda suggests that maybe he was going to come over tomorrow - and I will have to look like a fool and say:

"thats OK, I went with a random lady who phoned me instead! just keep my Dad's money - I have purchased all that I require from Tesco!"

(bear in mind that the first time I met him I was wearing my Dad's bright yellow road worker jacket, a black summer hat and was digging a trench in his driveway)

Oh well... I only see him about three times a year! who gives a damn eh?

At least James gets here tomorrow - hurrah! With a lovely car that we can drive anywhere without the need for charity..

Surreal..

I awoke today to the image of a man applying moisturiser to a rhino..

Fortunately it's not that type of place here and I had just forgot to turn off the TV last night..

Still odd though


(as I type this a cockerel is wandering around the driveway - it's not even one of ours?!)

Not quite visible from space - but it's a start!

Hurrah!

After letting out the chickens and giving the dogs a walk at 7 this morning I climbed back into bed to fester in my illness..

Half 8 the builders arrived and by the time I had got ready and had a wash etc. they were well underway. As you can see from the picture they have done the blockwork up to about 6 courses (nearly as tall as me) and just visible are the windows! Yay!

I can't wait til Mum comes home and sees this! She thought it would never happen with all of our evil planning issues. By the time she gets back I reckon they will have the first floor in.. This is already more than they said they would have done by next Tuesday..

Although, random builders strike again - they have vanished?? Their van has gone but all of their tools are lying around our garden.. hmm...

Anyway! I am going to go and walk around in my new bit of house!