Well, this evening, I should be relaxing safe in the knowledge that I am finished with work for an extended bank holiday weekend........should be that is because in fact I will be going to work not only tomorrow but Tuesday, days which I originally booked off back in January.
Work is chaotic, I have a big important hearing in a couple of weeks, and it's the final push towards the financial year end..... when I looked at my list of things to do yesterday I realised that I was not going to be able to take the long weekend I wanted, so I cancelled Tuesday's day off.... then today I realised that there is so much to do I can't take tomorrow off either as I need to be in the office *sigh*.... I've not actually had a proper holiday since before my team leader went off on her honeymoon last November and I really, really need a break..... and looking at the calendar between cases running to Court hearings and other people in the team having booked time off I am looking at July before I can get a proper break.... seriously not happy.
I was wavering between throwing a tantrum over this or sulking, but after ranting to a friend for a while was reminded that (a) I am not 8 years old and so a tantrum isn't acceptable, and (b) sulking is not a good thing for a nearly 40 year old professional....... I am beginning to glare malevolently at that professional qualification I got... I knew no good would come of it....
Cancelling tomorrow's day off has also meant letting down a friend, whose litter of puppies and naked cat I was meant to go and see tomorrow has had to be put off. As she needs me to view the litter and help her pick the one she's keeping before the prospective puppy buyers arrive rather than a leisurely drive down I will have to leave at silly o'clock on Friday to get there in time..... though I shall get puppy snuggles, and they are very special puppies as they are my "grand puppies" (I bred their grandmother)....... the kitten is related to Hugo and Gina.... it's a hooligan..... no surprises there then.....
This evening I've had to go sort out my prescriptions for new bondage stockings.... the wonderful MacMillan nurse sent through all the details - including measurements and order forms - to my doctors, who wrote the prescription and completely forgot to attach these bits to it..... the chemist picked up the script over a week ago... and only phoned me yesterday to ask me how they go about ordering what I need as the correct paperwork wasn't provided....... thankfully I got sent a copy so I ran this to the pharmacy this evening.... It will be another week to ten days before I get them
I wondered round the pharmacy looking longingly at the shower gel but was good and bought some hypo-allergenic for very sensitive skin containing no flavourings, scents, colours, chemicals stuff....... it's very boring!
And to round off my evening... Hope appears to be having an allergic reaction to something and is chewing her back foot to bits and I've just tripped over the cat and smacked my knee into the wooden knobbly bit at the corner of the spare bed.... and the cat stuck her claws in my foot....... I think it must be bed time.... hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Friday, 8 March 2013
And relax......
For it is the weekend..... this is probably going to ramble as I am rather tired (you've been warned, read at your own risk)
We will start with the stocking of doom....... I have managed to wear it all day at work for the last three days.... it feels kind of odd, not really painful, but like someone is hugging your leg, so just, well weird. On the plus side it seems to be working.... on the down side... I really must shave every last hair off my leg as even the shortest bits keep catching in the elastic and, well, ouch!! Trouble is I've been told because of how sensitive the skin is on that leg no blades, no waxing, no sugaring, no chemicals........ so apparently I have to go buy an electric shaver....... and any guesses how long it will take me to kill that?
The other downside to the leg is when I first take the stocking back off again the skin that has been under it is shockingly sensitive to touch.... I mean, the cat winds round my ankle and it's all I can do not to scream and kick out. I've queried this with my MacMillan nurse and hopefully she'll have some suggestions before the cats take pre-emptive action and get in first! I've also ordered a back up stocking for the bad leg and am waiting to be measured up for the good leg to have it's own stocking.... cos it looks odd only wearing one!
In other news, work is a bitch........ this time of year always is as we are in the last couple of months before financial year end......the new computer system went live this week and they expect us to all be up to speed right away and then add to that we have a whole new raft of changes to the legal system that affect the work I do in particular come into force on 1st April and, well, it's just madness.... and two hours of very boring and dry seminar on the subject on a Friday afternoon was not a good plan... my brain felt like I'd been swimming in treacle by the time I got out of work.
On the plus side.... highlight of the week.... talking about the changes and a colleague said that being young it should be no problem for me.... I kind of looked at him and asked how old he thought I was, to which he said, a couple of years older than him, and he turns 30 in August...... he looked genuinely shocked when I told him I turned 40 next month :)
Tomorrow I shall have an early start as the postal fairies tried to deliver a parcel today whilst I was out but as it wouldn't fit through the door I will have to go and fetch it from the sorting office. I think I know what it is, which is very exciting... and if it is what I think it is, there will be photos tomorrow! After that in intend to strenuously ignore the housework and finish knitting something, and possibly read...... I really do need to switch off and have some me time.
Finally for now, I've been watching Crufts on the TV the last couple of nights with very mixed feelings. For over 10 years it was a focal point of part of my life.....the big show that you have to qualify to enter, and which I did exhibit at every year during that time...... even this year I got tweets and e-mails asking if I was going, just to watch, I haven't shown any of the dogs for about 4 years now.... but no, whilst I miss a few people, those I do miss I speak to out of that environment and don't need to see ... and yes whilst I'd like to go back one day I am not sure how the wide spread the poison the ex spread about me is these days, though I am sure that it is there.... and of course I don't really want to run into her..... unless it's with a car, at speed.......so for at least the next few years it is strictly watching from the sofa with the mob.
We will start with the stocking of doom....... I have managed to wear it all day at work for the last three days.... it feels kind of odd, not really painful, but like someone is hugging your leg, so just, well weird. On the plus side it seems to be working.... on the down side... I really must shave every last hair off my leg as even the shortest bits keep catching in the elastic and, well, ouch!! Trouble is I've been told because of how sensitive the skin is on that leg no blades, no waxing, no sugaring, no chemicals........ so apparently I have to go buy an electric shaver....... and any guesses how long it will take me to kill that?
The other downside to the leg is when I first take the stocking back off again the skin that has been under it is shockingly sensitive to touch.... I mean, the cat winds round my ankle and it's all I can do not to scream and kick out. I've queried this with my MacMillan nurse and hopefully she'll have some suggestions before the cats take pre-emptive action and get in first! I've also ordered a back up stocking for the bad leg and am waiting to be measured up for the good leg to have it's own stocking.... cos it looks odd only wearing one!
In other news, work is a bitch........ this time of year always is as we are in the last couple of months before financial year end......the new computer system went live this week and they expect us to all be up to speed right away and then add to that we have a whole new raft of changes to the legal system that affect the work I do in particular come into force on 1st April and, well, it's just madness.... and two hours of very boring and dry seminar on the subject on a Friday afternoon was not a good plan... my brain felt like I'd been swimming in treacle by the time I got out of work.
On the plus side.... highlight of the week.... talking about the changes and a colleague said that being young it should be no problem for me.... I kind of looked at him and asked how old he thought I was, to which he said, a couple of years older than him, and he turns 30 in August...... he looked genuinely shocked when I told him I turned 40 next month :)
Tomorrow I shall have an early start as the postal fairies tried to deliver a parcel today whilst I was out but as it wouldn't fit through the door I will have to go and fetch it from the sorting office. I think I know what it is, which is very exciting... and if it is what I think it is, there will be photos tomorrow! After that in intend to strenuously ignore the housework and finish knitting something, and possibly read...... I really do need to switch off and have some me time.
Finally for now, I've been watching Crufts on the TV the last couple of nights with very mixed feelings. For over 10 years it was a focal point of part of my life.....the big show that you have to qualify to enter, and which I did exhibit at every year during that time...... even this year I got tweets and e-mails asking if I was going, just to watch, I haven't shown any of the dogs for about 4 years now.... but no, whilst I miss a few people, those I do miss I speak to out of that environment and don't need to see ... and yes whilst I'd like to go back one day I am not sure how the wide spread the poison the ex spread about me is these days, though I am sure that it is there.... and of course I don't really want to run into her..... unless it's with a car, at speed.......so for at least the next few years it is strictly watching from the sofa with the mob.
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Wednesday witterings.....
So, I am no longer lost in the ether - work found me..... alas..... though I was locked out my user area and needed a password re-set....... which apparently can't just be done by the IT team, oh no, your team leader/supervisor has to e-mail them to tell them that you genuinely do need a new password.... yeah, cos someone else would like to break into my area and do my work... wouldn't they? Please?? Anyway, due to sudden blizzards (no really) my team leader wasn't able to get into the office.... and the head of the team was stuck in traffic somewhere ..... the IT teams solution........... I should wander to their part of the building and present myself and they would verify I was who I said I was....... I haven't got a clue how that works, I just turned up said "hi" and they said, okay and re-set the password...... I could have been anyone....... I sometimes wonder if you have to be a complete muppet to work in IT.
Today started as usual..... though my morning routine has a new element to it...... It has been decreed that there will be at least 5 minutes of cat worshipping time...... no matter how rushed of my feet I am trying to get organised.... Basically I come out the shower, drape myself in towels and Gina promptly runs up them to demand attention....... I currently have an impressive array of scratches on my right thigh, stomach and right shoulder ..... I have now given up arguing with her and will just give her the attention.
Tonight there was, erm, a small amount of chaos at home..... My kitchen cupboards, save for the one where I keep mugs, glasses and tea making paraphernalia, are all under the work top cupboards......which is fine..... until I have "help" in getting something out from them.... As I was reaching in to find some chilli flakes a small helpful critter (who was possibly called Gretchen) was nosing around in the bottom of the cupboard, where I keep the cake making ingredients...... she found the caster sugar...... and pulled it out, spilling it liberally over the floor..... I got to the sugar with the mop about 8 seconds after it fell..... but alas this was too late and the three evil ones had managed to lap up most of it....... the sugar high hit them about 30 minutes later after which they barked at everything and nothing, ran around like loons, beat each other up (in a playful way) and generally made a nuisance of themselves....... They were starting to crash by the time I put them to bed thankfully..... I wonder if they get post sugar high headaches, cos if so I am going to have three very grumpy critters come morning.
Anyway, I finally finished the book I was reading - it's a Dreamspinner published book and the formatting is terrible.... there are no spaces after any of the full stops and on nearly every page there are words which run into each other making it bloody difficult to read..... Oh and there are areas which could have done with much tighter editing......... I actually feel sorry for the author that his book as been put out like this.....
And now it is bed time...... oh no.... now it is time for more cat worship apparently.......
Monday, 4 February 2013
Lost in the ether....
I no longer exist!!
This morning I arrived at work nice and early (well the roads were quiet) and traipsed up to my desk, fell into my seat and switched on the computer..... and then tried to log in......... "user and or password not recognised".... Eh..... so I check my log in id and re-type my password (which is stupidly long but not that complicated - my former dogs pedigree names combined with birth dates are very useful sometimes) ... and nothing... so I log a call to IT..... eventually, apparently no one answers the phone till 9 am in IT... never mind that I start at 8.30 am.... only to be told they have a major server/network issue and some users are finding it difficult to log on .... no really? Oh IT bods, you do surprise me with your intellect sometimes!
Roll forward an hour..... by which time I am bored out my tiny mind having had to resort to filing *shudder*..... and I phone the IT team back....... oh yes, we are fixing the problem, they tell me, only you don't exist....... eep!!
Was I fired and no one told me? Or more seriously, am I lost in the ether, condemned to roam around the broken and frayed ends of decaying networks, amid the scraps of data and lost bits of virtual memory for ever more??....... Thanks to the power of my smart phone I was able to connect with the usual subjects, who were willing to send out a virtual search party to find me........ I am not sure why they automatically thought the best place to look would be the gutter though?? Though something about me being a collector of dinted halos, mistress of the hell hounds, hunter of pocket demons and collector of smut had something to do with it...... I don't know where people get these ideas about me from!
Alas, as far as work goes, I tried to persuade the powers that be that I should have the say off..... but instead was handed a Dictaphone machine and told to get on with my work........
Hopefully by tomorrow normal service will have resumed and I will in fact exist once more!
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Midweek mumbling of the disconnected kind....
Yesterday, after my optimistic post on Monday, didn't get off to a brilliant start when it took me 45 minutes, the help of 4 neighbours with 2 shovels and a lot of spinning about and sliding to get the car out the drive and off the road.... though I didn't burn the clutch out.... the trouble with having a car with naff all power in it (tis a 1.1 litre petrol engine) means that when you it three inches of packed solid ice on a frozen brick surface you aren't going anywhere.
I committed car abandonment last night half way down the road where was easy to get out this morning. The car is there again tonight as the bit in front of my drive is still packed ice.... and I don't want a repeat performance.... I am sure the neighbours don't either.
The down side to this is 45 minutes of standing about in the freezing cold, shovelling snow etc is really not good for someone whose joints don't work at the best of times..... by tea time last night the arthritis flare up in my knees, hips and lower back resulted in an evening of lying flat and keeping as warm as possible. It's been a bit better today. All of this is not helped by the fact that it turns out I am allergic to one of my pain meds, so had to stop taking it, and trying to come off the other..... last night I would have killed for something stronger than paracetamol.
Today a friend of mine posted a picture of her new naked kitten...... wearing a fetching green stripey sweater...... now I have always insisted that mine did not need or in fact want sweaters....... which is something another of my friends argue about as she's had to be banned from knitting something for them..... alas she saw the kitten pictures and low and behold I can expect leg warmers at least for Gina and Hugo at some point in the future..... As if my poor cats weren't laughed at enough for the extreme ugliness :)
Work was hectic but boring.... the run up to the end of the financial year (which happens on 30th April) is upon us again, which means everyone wants everything doing, like last week.... I have shed loads of drafting to do to get money in...... so of course Rupert has early spring fever and is spawning plot bunnies at speed...... I've threatened him with castration if he doesn't stop .... I've now got four sets of voices screaming at me from inside my head....... but still feeling far too negative about my writing to do anything but listen to them.
Tonight I have had a nice long chat with a friend after which I've come upstairs to discover that the cats have eaten my mouse mat........ I mean seriously, I know that you are poor deprived indoor house cats who aren't allowed to roam free and hunt..... and it has the word mouse in it..... but it's not a real one! I shall go lay out some cat treats around the upstairs of the house for them to hunt later whilst I curse them and try use my ancient roller ball mouse on a bobbly desk surface.....
I committed car abandonment last night half way down the road where was easy to get out this morning. The car is there again tonight as the bit in front of my drive is still packed ice.... and I don't want a repeat performance.... I am sure the neighbours don't either.
The down side to this is 45 minutes of standing about in the freezing cold, shovelling snow etc is really not good for someone whose joints don't work at the best of times..... by tea time last night the arthritis flare up in my knees, hips and lower back resulted in an evening of lying flat and keeping as warm as possible. It's been a bit better today. All of this is not helped by the fact that it turns out I am allergic to one of my pain meds, so had to stop taking it, and trying to come off the other..... last night I would have killed for something stronger than paracetamol.
Today a friend of mine posted a picture of her new naked kitten...... wearing a fetching green stripey sweater...... now I have always insisted that mine did not need or in fact want sweaters....... which is something another of my friends argue about as she's had to be banned from knitting something for them..... alas she saw the kitten pictures and low and behold I can expect leg warmers at least for Gina and Hugo at some point in the future..... As if my poor cats weren't laughed at enough for the extreme ugliness :)
Work was hectic but boring.... the run up to the end of the financial year (which happens on 30th April) is upon us again, which means everyone wants everything doing, like last week.... I have shed loads of drafting to do to get money in...... so of course Rupert has early spring fever and is spawning plot bunnies at speed...... I've threatened him with castration if he doesn't stop .... I've now got four sets of voices screaming at me from inside my head....... but still feeling far too negative about my writing to do anything but listen to them.
Tonight I have had a nice long chat with a friend after which I've come upstairs to discover that the cats have eaten my mouse mat........ I mean seriously, I know that you are poor deprived indoor house cats who aren't allowed to roam free and hunt..... and it has the word mouse in it..... but it's not a real one! I shall go lay out some cat treats around the upstairs of the house for them to hunt later whilst I curse them and try use my ancient roller ball mouse on a bobbly desk surface.....
Monday, 21 January 2013
Snow Day.....
 |
| very fuzzy photo of my back garden this morning |
Well I didn't, because I took work home on Friday just in case this happened... so I have instead sat at my kitchen table and drafted really horribly tedious documents all day *snore*
(I did have a small break in the afternoon when I felt my head would explode, in order to finish the book I was reading, but then got frustrated as the author will use the
word "hafta" instead of "have to" which drives me nuts!)
The dogs weren't impressed and kept looking at me in disgust wondering when I was going to go away.
The snow isn't showing any signs of melting, in fact we are down to -5 degrees this evening..... but tomorrow I intend to be bravely optimistic and scare the neighbours by trying to get the car out to go to work.
In the meantime, to cheer myself up this evening I've booked my place at the UK GLBTQ meet.... go me!! Now I have something fun to look forward to as I wish spring would arrive faster
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Winter weekend.......
So, Friday, it snowed... well it snowed Thursday night, but not really enough to make it exciting. Friday's major snowfall happened else where for the most part... though it did start properly snowing here at about 1pm... by 3.30 pm the roads were getting rather well covered and the powers that be decided to let the staff who lived out in the Peak District or over an hours commute away go home... they also let out those who had to make child care arrangements as some schools were closing early. Now usually I hate it when people refer to my various critter as my "children"... no seriously, they aren't, they are animals, they are treated like animals, they behave like animals (which is not dissimilar to children I suppose) .... but my boss insists in cases of bad whether they count as children and I had to go home at 3.30 pm - such a hardship!
In total we got about 6 cm or so of settled snow..... and on Saturday I woke up, for the second time having already wondered out into it at 5.30 am, to the sound and smell of the bloke who has recently moved in opposite burning his clutch out whilst spinning around and sliding his car across the ice on the road....... which was the point I decided that Saturday was going to be a staying home, wrapping up warm and pottering about kind of day....... there was some fairly constructive reading, a bit of cleaning and some cooking. Impressively the supermarket shop delivery arrived on time... though the driver had to leave the van halfway down the road and walk the rest of the way as apparently our road was the worst they'd been on.
Today I was determined I was going out, snow and ice be damned! I really actually hate being stuck in the house for any length of time as I feel completely stifled by it and need to get out or I start going a little stir crazy. There was still a fair bit of snow and ice lying on the road but this wasn't going to stop me. I cleared off the car, measured up what room I had between the parked cars, stuck it in reverse and went for it......straight out of the drive, between the parked cars, round the corner and then into gear and off down the road..... got out first time, no skidding, no sliding and no wheel spins...... some of the neighbours were out watching and boy did I feel smug...... I got the car back into the drive later without problems too :)
In a fit of organisation I've made lunch for tomorrow .... in slight disorganisation I lost half of my stir fry to Gretchen when I had to go answer the phone when I was having dinner (it was dad, it couldn't wait).... and I should now be in bed..... but unfortunately I discovered some NCIS fan fiction that I am rather enjoying and I keep forgetting to watch the time..........
Work tomorrow........ hopefully...... there is white stuff falling quite heavily from the sky at present though.......
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Four letter words...
Rude ones... or at least impolite ones... I have been uttering them since it started snowing here as I left for work (actually I have been uttering them all day thanks to a colleague leaving without notice and some of her work being dumped on me to sort out this morning). The weather forecasters have been promising us that the Snowpocalypse is on its way... but that wasn't meant to start till at least half way through tomorrow....... this is the UK folks, the Snowpocalypse will result in about 4 cm of snow and shut the entire country down......
That said, the road I live on is made of brick.... which when you add snow and temperatures of -5 means it's an ice rink so getting out to work tomorrow is going to be, erm, fun.... I may slip about a bit but I shall get there... my neighbours are apparently quite impressed with my determination and driving skills when it's icy
I am told that uttering four letter and other impolite words is not a good habit to have ......... alas there are some things that only good old Anglo-Saxon expletives can really fully express...
The other four letter word that blights my life at present is diet....... I am on one, kind of..... I had already given up caffeine and am trying to eat healthily...... then my Macmillan Nurse suggested I might want to give up yeast products to help prevent my leg flaring up again (apparently because I am going to be prone to bacterial infections it will help)... this "suggestion" translated very clearly to "you will".... so bye bye yeast products...... which means no bread!
Now as I've said before when deciding that I was going to become decaffeinated..... I can't do moderation... it's not that I have no will power... I am sure I do... somewhere....it's just easier and makes more sense to go cold turkey.... which means in terms of healthy eating, that gone from my diet are all yeast breads (thank goodness for pita bread and wraps), any cake type things, anything with pastry, all chocolate, sweets, ice cream etc... and most cheeses... at least all the interesting ones!
I've never been a fan of processed food, and having been vegetarian for so long it's not that difficult to eat healthily if I stay focused on it and don't get lazy... which is where I usually fall down. It's going fairly well so far... 2 weeks in and I am not bored with it and haven't given up...... I have no idea if it's making a difference only time will tell.
Which brings us to another reason for me cursing a lot about the snow.... I have to get to work tomorrow I've a dozen chocolate cup cakes with vanilla frosting on the side in the kitchen for a colleague's birthday... and if I don't go to work temptation may get the better of me!
That said, the road I live on is made of brick.... which when you add snow and temperatures of -5 means it's an ice rink so getting out to work tomorrow is going to be, erm, fun.... I may slip about a bit but I shall get there... my neighbours are apparently quite impressed with my determination and driving skills when it's icy
I am told that uttering four letter and other impolite words is not a good habit to have ......... alas there are some things that only good old Anglo-Saxon expletives can really fully express...
The other four letter word that blights my life at present is diet....... I am on one, kind of..... I had already given up caffeine and am trying to eat healthily...... then my Macmillan Nurse suggested I might want to give up yeast products to help prevent my leg flaring up again (apparently because I am going to be prone to bacterial infections it will help)... this "suggestion" translated very clearly to "you will".... so bye bye yeast products...... which means no bread!
Now as I've said before when deciding that I was going to become decaffeinated..... I can't do moderation... it's not that I have no will power... I am sure I do... somewhere....it's just easier and makes more sense to go cold turkey.... which means in terms of healthy eating, that gone from my diet are all yeast breads (thank goodness for pita bread and wraps), any cake type things, anything with pastry, all chocolate, sweets, ice cream etc... and most cheeses... at least all the interesting ones!
I've never been a fan of processed food, and having been vegetarian for so long it's not that difficult to eat healthily if I stay focused on it and don't get lazy... which is where I usually fall down. It's going fairly well so far... 2 weeks in and I am not bored with it and haven't given up...... I have no idea if it's making a difference only time will tell.
Which brings us to another reason for me cursing a lot about the snow.... I have to get to work tomorrow I've a dozen chocolate cup cakes with vanilla frosting on the side in the kitchen for a colleague's birthday... and if I don't go to work temptation may get the better of me!
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
In which normality returns.......
Or as near as dammit as we get to normal round here!
Today was back to work day...... which meant last night I went to bed at my normal time...... couldn't sleep so I read for a while.... then tried again..... and again....... and got up at 1.30 am, let the dogs out pottered about a bit, then tried to go to sleep again.... I then managed that fitful kind of sleep where you aren't deep enough asleep and every blessed noise wakes you... by the time I got up at just after 5 am I was wondering why I'd even bothered trying......So after sorting the critters I went back to the sofa thinking I'd just dose until 6.30 am when I had to get up and start getting organised... only to be woken by the alarm out of a very deep sleep feeling totally disorientated! Such a good start!
Work was, well, work.... I have quite a lot of stuff booked in for the next few weeks.... including a hearing next Monday, which I tried to pass off to one of the advocates in the team only to be told that given I was now qualified I could do it myself .... grrrr...... not impressed!!
To cheer myself up I booked some days off - a couple around Easter weekend and some in July for mum's 75th birthday and for the UK GLBTQ Romance Writers and Readers event... now I have the days off I have to pluck up the courage to sign up for it (though alas only as a day visitor not for the whole weekend) .... and then I have to find the guts to actually go!
On a positive note, I promised myself I would start making much more of an effort with my lunches... rather than grabbing fruit and yoghurt from home and then realising this is not enough and attacking the vending machines.... so today there was cous cous and veggies (tomorrow there is pasta salad)..... I did point out to my team leader who was admiring my lunch and bemoaning her soggy tuna sandwich that she shouldn't get too excited my usual (lack of) organisational skills will probably kick in by the middle of next week!
Hope this evening involved sofa surfing with the Kindle as I had bugger all energy to do anything else.... and now it's nearly bed time....... and I've just discovered the new nightshirt that I got for Christmas has a little breast pocket in it (complete with little purple button)... which begs the question why? It's only a tiny little pocket, I don't think it could hold much...... suggestions welcome though...
And now I must go, because Gina has just managed to throw her ping pong ball down the stairs to the dogs domain and it needs to be retrieved...... I am such a well trained human!!
Today was back to work day...... which meant last night I went to bed at my normal time...... couldn't sleep so I read for a while.... then tried again..... and again....... and got up at 1.30 am, let the dogs out pottered about a bit, then tried to go to sleep again.... I then managed that fitful kind of sleep where you aren't deep enough asleep and every blessed noise wakes you... by the time I got up at just after 5 am I was wondering why I'd even bothered trying......So after sorting the critters I went back to the sofa thinking I'd just dose until 6.30 am when I had to get up and start getting organised... only to be woken by the alarm out of a very deep sleep feeling totally disorientated! Such a good start!
Work was, well, work.... I have quite a lot of stuff booked in for the next few weeks.... including a hearing next Monday, which I tried to pass off to one of the advocates in the team only to be told that given I was now qualified I could do it myself .... grrrr...... not impressed!!
To cheer myself up I booked some days off - a couple around Easter weekend and some in July for mum's 75th birthday and for the UK GLBTQ Romance Writers and Readers event... now I have the days off I have to pluck up the courage to sign up for it (though alas only as a day visitor not for the whole weekend) .... and then I have to find the guts to actually go!
On a positive note, I promised myself I would start making much more of an effort with my lunches... rather than grabbing fruit and yoghurt from home and then realising this is not enough and attacking the vending machines.... so today there was cous cous and veggies (tomorrow there is pasta salad)..... I did point out to my team leader who was admiring my lunch and bemoaning her soggy tuna sandwich that she shouldn't get too excited my usual (lack of) organisational skills will probably kick in by the middle of next week!
Hope this evening involved sofa surfing with the Kindle as I had bugger all energy to do anything else.... and now it's nearly bed time....... and I've just discovered the new nightshirt that I got for Christmas has a little breast pocket in it (complete with little purple button)... which begs the question why? It's only a tiny little pocket, I don't think it could hold much...... suggestions welcome though...
And now I must go, because Gina has just managed to throw her ping pong ball down the stairs to the dogs domain and it needs to be retrieved...... I am such a well trained human!!
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
So that was Christmas....
Tis all over and alas I must go back to work tomorrow
*stamps feet and throws hands around dramatically*
Don't want to!!
So, Christmas Eve.... mum's party was great fun and as usual I spent most of my time acting as bar person, guide to the edibles and finder of suitable things for children to eat..... which brings us to the nipple buns... I hadn't actually planned on telling anyone bar my sister about how said buns had been making me chuckle and why.... only she told mum...... who then decided to have a guessing game of "what are these meant to represent" with nearly everyone....... the funniest comments being from her cleaner who got the whole boob reference... at which point his partner declared that in fact he should not know anything about how they looked like boobs/nipples as he hasn't really had the experience with them.... to which my mother calmly pointed out that I made them and that to be honest I was probably, out of everyone in the room (at that point, one gay couple, two straight women, one about to be rather shocked elderly het couple and me) the expert on boobs so should know.......... I should be used to my mother by now, but really!
Christmas Day was spent at my sisters, and after home made chocolate croissants and decaf coffee there was present opening and much amusement .... I then ran away for peace, tranquillity and emergency chocolate at home for a couple of hours... oh okay, I went to check on the critters. I went back later for a lovely lunch involving far too many vegetables..... the hazelnut and chocolate meringue went down very well and has been asked to feature at future events..... For some reason my sister changed the rules regarding washing up in her house (usually we don't wash up in each other's houses... it stems from the fact that my mother although willing to wash up is in fact really bad at it and you have to rewash half of it.... personally I think she did this on purpose).... this year it was decreed that I could wash up.... which I did..... though only after causing much amusement when each time I sidled along my sister's extremely narrow galley kitchen I had to stop every three paces to detach my knicker elastic from the handles of the kitchen doors.....
Today I took things very easily this morning and then went back to my sisters for a few hours this afternoon where we did jigsaws, read and finished up some of the left overs.
And now I have to get ready to go back to work tomorrow..... I have a list of little bitty things that I never get round to normally to try and finish off before New Year so that is the plan..... well, aside from faffing about on the net and catching up on the gossip with the skeleton staff that will be working with me
*stamps feet and throws hands around dramatically*
Don't want to!!
So, Christmas Eve.... mum's party was great fun and as usual I spent most of my time acting as bar person, guide to the edibles and finder of suitable things for children to eat..... which brings us to the nipple buns... I hadn't actually planned on telling anyone bar my sister about how said buns had been making me chuckle and why.... only she told mum...... who then decided to have a guessing game of "what are these meant to represent" with nearly everyone....... the funniest comments being from her cleaner who got the whole boob reference... at which point his partner declared that in fact he should not know anything about how they looked like boobs/nipples as he hasn't really had the experience with them.... to which my mother calmly pointed out that I made them and that to be honest I was probably, out of everyone in the room (at that point, one gay couple, two straight women, one about to be rather shocked elderly het couple and me) the expert on boobs so should know.......... I should be used to my mother by now, but really!
Christmas Day was spent at my sisters, and after home made chocolate croissants and decaf coffee there was present opening and much amusement .... I then ran away for peace, tranquillity and emergency chocolate at home for a couple of hours... oh okay, I went to check on the critters. I went back later for a lovely lunch involving far too many vegetables..... the hazelnut and chocolate meringue went down very well and has been asked to feature at future events..... For some reason my sister changed the rules regarding washing up in her house (usually we don't wash up in each other's houses... it stems from the fact that my mother although willing to wash up is in fact really bad at it and you have to rewash half of it.... personally I think she did this on purpose).... this year it was decreed that I could wash up.... which I did..... though only after causing much amusement when each time I sidled along my sister's extremely narrow galley kitchen I had to stop every three paces to detach my knicker elastic from the handles of the kitchen doors.....
Today I took things very easily this morning and then went back to my sisters for a few hours this afternoon where we did jigsaws, read and finished up some of the left overs.
And now I have to get ready to go back to work tomorrow..... I have a list of little bitty things that I never get round to normally to try and finish off before New Year so that is the plan..... well, aside from faffing about on the net and catching up on the gossip with the skeleton staff that will be working with me
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Oh My!
20 years after I originally went to university I was due to receive the results of the course I've been doing for the past three years, not just any course, no, a proper formal qualification that will do such exciting things as allowing me to have Rights of Audience in the Higher Courts, that will mean I can take oaths, that mean I am professionally qualified......
Last night was terrible. I had the most vivid dreams of failing badly.... in one of them I'd got 11%, which was apparently the lowest mark ever... I was the only person that failed in another.... I gave up shortly after 4.30 am and fed the dogs, then Ivan got groomed as there was no way I was going back to sleep.
By 10 am this morning I'd had text messages from two work colleagues, my mother, sister and one of my friends asking how I'd done...... but our post hadn't been. I was told I could phone or e-mail for the results..... erm... no, hello, compete chicken here! not a chance!
The post eventually came just after midday (after a false start where someone else came to the door to try and persuade me to buy the local paper and have it delivered).... I don't think I've ever been so nervous as I was opening that envelope......which I did after sitting and staring hard at it for about five minutes......
I eventually opened it
and found out
That I'd passed.... both exams, the one I thought I'd done badly in with 83% and the practical, which I thought was the better of the two, at 70%.
So that's it, I am now officially professionally qualified to do my job.......... must be time for a career change *snicker*
I have to add though, special thanks to those friends on line who kept me going both before the exam and whilst waiting for the results... I would have been a complete wreck (rather than the partial one) without you!
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Slightly less of the Bah Humbug....
It appears to be time for me to shed my outer Grinch and embrace the festive season....... for I have finished work today and don't go back until after the whole she-bang is over with.... I am working between Christmas & New Year (well just 3 days of it) again so that my colleagues who have young children or who have distant family can spend the whole of the festive period together.... I am not so bothered... as much as I love my family, there are limits on the amount of time I can spend with them and three full days (Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing day) are normally quite enough in one go for me!
So to try and embrace the festive feeling I went to my sister's to help her put up her tree. Now, small disclaimer here.... I wasn't in her house when she tested the tree lights, therefore I had nothing to do with the fact they went "bang" and refused to work....... I arrived shortly after...... I don't think they knew I was coming..... anyway, my sister decreed she was going to the shop to pick up a new set of lights and suggested that her other half and I should bring the tree in from the garden and set it into the base, carry it through to the lounge and place it ready for decorating. Then she looked at us both, shook her head and said, maybe we should leave it..... we rebelled, by the time she got back the tree was set up and in place.... though not sufficiently straight for my sister's liking.
The new lights were wrapped round it (they flash and sequence and all sorts...... and I am banned from touching the controls on pain of death....... which is a little unfair I feel)..... after which we got on with decorating....... well, I got banished to the sofa after the first couple of minutes for throwing the snowball decorations at, erm, the tree, my sister, Mavis the cat....... and was allowed only to hand out the requested decorations when asked..... sometimes my sister is no fun! It looks very pretty and the decorations are all red, silver or crystal.... my money is on Mavis taking at least half of them down before the big day.....
Tonight the last of my on line purchases arrived, which means tomorrow I shall battle with paper, scissors, ribbon, tape and cats to wrap up the presents for the family. Wish me luck!!
I also have to finish a story I am writing about a whip wielding demonic sharply dressed lawyer and his two faithful imps ...... Rupert has some seriously weird ideas and my brain is happy to play along. Hopefully the story will be ready to be gifted to a friend in time to be an extra Christmas present for her and her family :)
There is also unfinished knitting... but alas I fear this will remain unfinished till long after Christmas......
Okay, I think I'm ready to risk a seasonal mince pie now ....
Oh and my exam results should apparently be here tomorrow........ still not convinced I've passed but there is bugger all I can do about that now....
So to try and embrace the festive feeling I went to my sister's to help her put up her tree. Now, small disclaimer here.... I wasn't in her house when she tested the tree lights, therefore I had nothing to do with the fact they went "bang" and refused to work....... I arrived shortly after...... I don't think they knew I was coming..... anyway, my sister decreed she was going to the shop to pick up a new set of lights and suggested that her other half and I should bring the tree in from the garden and set it into the base, carry it through to the lounge and place it ready for decorating. Then she looked at us both, shook her head and said, maybe we should leave it..... we rebelled, by the time she got back the tree was set up and in place.... though not sufficiently straight for my sister's liking.
The new lights were wrapped round it (they flash and sequence and all sorts...... and I am banned from touching the controls on pain of death....... which is a little unfair I feel)..... after which we got on with decorating....... well, I got banished to the sofa after the first couple of minutes for throwing the snowball decorations at, erm, the tree, my sister, Mavis the cat....... and was allowed only to hand out the requested decorations when asked..... sometimes my sister is no fun! It looks very pretty and the decorations are all red, silver or crystal.... my money is on Mavis taking at least half of them down before the big day.....
Tonight the last of my on line purchases arrived, which means tomorrow I shall battle with paper, scissors, ribbon, tape and cats to wrap up the presents for the family. Wish me luck!!
I also have to finish a story I am writing about a whip wielding demonic sharply dressed lawyer and his two faithful imps ...... Rupert has some seriously weird ideas and my brain is happy to play along. Hopefully the story will be ready to be gifted to a friend in time to be an extra Christmas present for her and her family :)
There is also unfinished knitting... but alas I fear this will remain unfinished till long after Christmas......
Okay, I think I'm ready to risk a seasonal mince pie now ....
Oh and my exam results should apparently be here tomorrow........ still not convinced I've passed but there is bugger all I can do about that now....
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
I hate waiting......
It's a pretty much established fact that I only have an extremely limited amount of patience.....and my tolerance levels were all used up thanks to being grounded on the sofa last week....
So, knowing that my exam papers were marked last Monday (3rd December).... because one of the guys I work with is in the marking group.... and being told that our results should be received this week..... I am now getting to the stage of being extremely anxious about the whole thing.
If I was able to walk properly on my stupid leg I'd be pacing.
As it is I am silently (and on some occasions not so silently) driving myself up the wall..... at times like this it's a good thing I live on my own with only the critters to roll their eyes at me when I start chuntering to myself or, erm, throwing things (it wasn't anything important).....
Okay, I am not 100% sure I've passed both exams, I am really hoping I've passed at least one of them.... but I'd really like to know.... like, well, now, please, if not sooner......
*resumes mental pacing*
So, knowing that my exam papers were marked last Monday (3rd December).... because one of the guys I work with is in the marking group.... and being told that our results should be received this week..... I am now getting to the stage of being extremely anxious about the whole thing.
If I was able to walk properly on my stupid leg I'd be pacing.
As it is I am silently (and on some occasions not so silently) driving myself up the wall..... at times like this it's a good thing I live on my own with only the critters to roll their eyes at me when I start chuntering to myself or, erm, throwing things (it wasn't anything important).....
Okay, I am not 100% sure I've passed both exams, I am really hoping I've passed at least one of them.... but I'd really like to know.... like, well, now, please, if not sooner......
*resumes mental pacing*
Monday, 10 December 2012
Vague mumbling....
Hurrah! I am being released into the wild tomorrow........ okay, well not quite... I am being allowed to return to work on the strict understanding that (a) I do not walk more than 50 metres. (b) I pack it in and go home and rest if I feel at all unwell and (c) I do not over do it.......(anyone else starting to think that my doctor is perhaps getting to know me??)
Now (b) and (c) are not too much of an issue but (a) is as the nearest car park is well over the allowable walking distance........ and they powers that be decreed that outside the office parking is for visitors only (which means that the 5 disabled spaces sit empty for 99% of the time which really irks me).... anyway, work are obviously extremely pleased I am allowed back and have arranged for a taxi to get me to and from work for the next three days, which is wonderful of them... What is not so wonderful was in arranging said taxi my team leader managed to send my personal contact details on an e-mail to every single employee in our head office.........this I am not particularly impressed about as I don't think everyone should have access to where I live or my mobile phone number but then again, I am unlikely to develop a stalker from this and anyone that wants to burgle me know I am out, well, yeah, good luck with that one, cos rent a mob might let you in, but you ain't going nowhere once you're in......
So today I have pottered about a bit in an attempt to use my leg just a little bit...... which basically meant taking myself to mum's house and lurking on her sofa whilst I wrapped presents to go in the post. They are all done now which is surprisingly organised of me.
I also picked up my candle order today.... not only my usual selection of particularly nice smelling Christmas type candles - such as cinnamon sticks, warm spices, cherries on snow and pure snow - but also my nice long tapered solstice candles for burning on the 21st onwards....... I have been quite traditional this year and got natural beeswax candles, which smell really nice. The metal holders are out on the window ledge all ready and I am starting to feel quite festive...
I also bought a few candles to give away as presents, they may only be little things, but to me a candle is kind of a significant gift, particularly at the Winter Solstice as it lights the way forward into the new year.
Right, time to extract Hugo from the top of the door and head to bed to get a decent nights sleep before I have to remember what getting up at 6.00 am is all about..........
Now (b) and (c) are not too much of an issue but (a) is as the nearest car park is well over the allowable walking distance........ and they powers that be decreed that outside the office parking is for visitors only (which means that the 5 disabled spaces sit empty for 99% of the time which really irks me).... anyway, work are obviously extremely pleased I am allowed back and have arranged for a taxi to get me to and from work for the next three days, which is wonderful of them... What is not so wonderful was in arranging said taxi my team leader managed to send my personal contact details on an e-mail to every single employee in our head office.........this I am not particularly impressed about as I don't think everyone should have access to where I live or my mobile phone number but then again, I am unlikely to develop a stalker from this and anyone that wants to burgle me know I am out, well, yeah, good luck with that one, cos rent a mob might let you in, but you ain't going nowhere once you're in......
So today I have pottered about a bit in an attempt to use my leg just a little bit...... which basically meant taking myself to mum's house and lurking on her sofa whilst I wrapped presents to go in the post. They are all done now which is surprisingly organised of me.
I also picked up my candle order today.... not only my usual selection of particularly nice smelling Christmas type candles - such as cinnamon sticks, warm spices, cherries on snow and pure snow - but also my nice long tapered solstice candles for burning on the 21st onwards....... I have been quite traditional this year and got natural beeswax candles, which smell really nice. The metal holders are out on the window ledge all ready and I am starting to feel quite festive...
I also bought a few candles to give away as presents, they may only be little things, but to me a candle is kind of a significant gift, particularly at the Winter Solstice as it lights the way forward into the new year.
Right, time to extract Hugo from the top of the door and head to bed to get a decent nights sleep before I have to remember what getting up at 6.00 am is all about..........
Saturday, 8 December 2012
The view from the sofa....
Soooo, I last updated on, erm, I think it was Tuesday, when the leg of doom had gotten overexcited and I'd skipped off to the doctors for antibiotics.... but was spending the day on my sofa trying to feel better... and intermittently working on stuff that was left over from Monday.....
Let us move forward to Wednesday, when despite the fact I still hadn't eaten anything and I'd developed an interesting rash on my forearms, not to mention swelling on my finger and wrist joints, I decided that I was well enough to go to work.... and the parental taxi, very unwillingly I might add, agreed to convey me to and from my place of work.... Now in theory this wasn't a bad plan, I wasn't on the roads, I didn't have to walk further than the front of the building to the elevator and I could sit all day and work.... which I did... and slowly felt worse, and worse and worse.... I phoned the doctors in the morning and muttered that perhaps the rash was an allergic reaction to the meds and what was their suggestion.... answer, have an appointment after work.....
By the time I got to see the doctor I was feeling completely pants and in fact absolutely convinced that I was going to have to go to hospital for IV antibiotics...... I'd even put the emergency dog plan into place and my friend was primed to come pick up the hell hounds and take them away for the duration (brave woman that one!)......Suffice to say, yes, I was having an allergic reaction to the meds, but not the simple one that like 1 in 100 people get, no I had to go the whole way and have the reaction that 1 in 100,000 people get - namely my tissues and joints swelling - so I swapped for alternative drugs and was given strict instructions to return to my sofa until they kicked in........ it wasn't a pleasant 24 hours after that as my body seemed to wage some sort of war against itself (we voted in the end for it re-enacting it's own battle from the 12th Century English Civil War (Stephen v. Matlida) and somewhere definitely there had been a charge or two of heavy horses across my body....)
Which meant Thursday was viewed from the sofa......... as was Friday.......... which should have been a day's holiday spend doing festive things....... today has also been spent on the sofa........ the highlight of my day being the grocery delivery ...... which I looked at, put away and wondered if I was ever actually going to feel like eating again........ not sure if it's the drugs but I have no appetite at all... though I am drinking all the fruit juice in the world!
Most of my sofa time has been spent reading (okay, in the first couple of days there was an awful lot of sleeping going on too) but also watching ... or at least having on in the back ground.... any TV shows that I could find that didn't cause me to throw things at the TV.....
Which is a dangerous thing
As it made Rupert suddenly start twitching his whiskers
He feels that quite a good story could be concocted from the meeting of an older flamboyant well known celebrity archaeologist and a some what sedate but openly gay young police detective, who meet when the archaeologist's team are carrying out a dig at a medieval castle and come across a shallow grave which contains rather modern remains.... suffice to say neither character hits it off, the police have jurisdiction the TV crew have permits and a deadline and a 10 year old missing person case has just become a murder investigation.......with the murderer still at large.......
And now I've dumped that out my brain hopefully the bunny from hell will stop pushing!
Ooooh, look how exciting... I can get off my sofa..... and get into bed...... this is getting old, very, very fast........
Let us move forward to Wednesday, when despite the fact I still hadn't eaten anything and I'd developed an interesting rash on my forearms, not to mention swelling on my finger and wrist joints, I decided that I was well enough to go to work.... and the parental taxi, very unwillingly I might add, agreed to convey me to and from my place of work.... Now in theory this wasn't a bad plan, I wasn't on the roads, I didn't have to walk further than the front of the building to the elevator and I could sit all day and work.... which I did... and slowly felt worse, and worse and worse.... I phoned the doctors in the morning and muttered that perhaps the rash was an allergic reaction to the meds and what was their suggestion.... answer, have an appointment after work.....
By the time I got to see the doctor I was feeling completely pants and in fact absolutely convinced that I was going to have to go to hospital for IV antibiotics...... I'd even put the emergency dog plan into place and my friend was primed to come pick up the hell hounds and take them away for the duration (brave woman that one!)......Suffice to say, yes, I was having an allergic reaction to the meds, but not the simple one that like 1 in 100 people get, no I had to go the whole way and have the reaction that 1 in 100,000 people get - namely my tissues and joints swelling - so I swapped for alternative drugs and was given strict instructions to return to my sofa until they kicked in........ it wasn't a pleasant 24 hours after that as my body seemed to wage some sort of war against itself (we voted in the end for it re-enacting it's own battle from the 12th Century English Civil War (Stephen v. Matlida) and somewhere definitely there had been a charge or two of heavy horses across my body....)
Which meant Thursday was viewed from the sofa......... as was Friday.......... which should have been a day's holiday spend doing festive things....... today has also been spent on the sofa........ the highlight of my day being the grocery delivery ...... which I looked at, put away and wondered if I was ever actually going to feel like eating again........ not sure if it's the drugs but I have no appetite at all... though I am drinking all the fruit juice in the world!
Most of my sofa time has been spent reading (okay, in the first couple of days there was an awful lot of sleeping going on too) but also watching ... or at least having on in the back ground.... any TV shows that I could find that didn't cause me to throw things at the TV.....
Which is a dangerous thing
As it made Rupert suddenly start twitching his whiskers
He feels that quite a good story could be concocted from the meeting of an older flamboyant well known celebrity archaeologist and a some what sedate but openly gay young police detective, who meet when the archaeologist's team are carrying out a dig at a medieval castle and come across a shallow grave which contains rather modern remains.... suffice to say neither character hits it off, the police have jurisdiction the TV crew have permits and a deadline and a 10 year old missing person case has just become a murder investigation.......with the murderer still at large.......
And now I've dumped that out my brain hopefully the bunny from hell will stop pushing!
Ooooh, look how exciting... I can get off my sofa..... and get into bed...... this is getting old, very, very fast........
Monday, 19 November 2012
A day in the germ filled life...
Okay, so if I had any common sense (or anyone with the ability to make me see reason) I probably wouldn't have gone into work this morning seeing as I am particularly full of the lurgy..... but hey, I had 2 days off last week (yeah, I know, I had an exam, but hey, work doesn't stop for that) and I have a team to supervise, and other people to be and... and... and... etc.... so yeah, I went to work.........
I coughed, sneezed and croaked my way through the morning.... at one point being told that I sounded a bit like Darth-Vader...... they still wouldn't let me have a light sabre to play with mind..... I had a major guilt attack in the afternoon, nothing to do with work but rather that I'd got someone into trouble.... I am assured I am being silly I shouldn't feel guilty and that all is fine...... this didn't stop me from dwelling for a bit until I managed to get a grip by repeating to myself "I am not responsible for other peoples choices and actions," a few times...... I wrote it down when I got in and stuck it on the wall over the kitchen table so that every time my conscience twinged I could read it and get myself to put it into perspective......... I do have problems with an over developed guilt system and an inability to let things go, but given the reassurances provided I am trying my best to with this.
So come home time from work I wheezed my way to the car park (passed the 5 empty disabled parking spots in front of the office - which bugs the hell out of me, particularly on days like this).... only to find a large crowd of people around the machine where you pay to get out.
And this is where all semblance of tact and diplomacy left me and sarcasm rather took over. As I leant against the door feeling rather washed out and pathetic some suited cretin (I probably work with this guy but it's a large company ....) was ranting into the speaker thing you press to get help.. Apparently his card had been rejected and he had been told to drive to the barrier and pay there.... obviously the help desk in deepest darkest Peru (okay, probably not, but I've no idea where they live.... possibly they are very small people who actually live in the ticket machines??) didn't know that a few weeks back the facility to pay at the barrier by card had been taken out...... so said cretin's car was now parked at the barrier holding everyone else who had paid and could get out up..... cos no, he didn't have the sense to back it into a spare space whilst he sorted it out.
The guy was downright rude to the person trying to help him, so much so that I wasn't at all surprised when he hung up on him....(I nearly applauded but managed to hold that one back) the suited guy was at this time cursing out the bodiless voice, the staff of the car park, probably their owners and the colony of stray cats on the 9th floor (nah, there probably isn't one, I've not been up that far though so I wouldn't swear to it).... and better still... he wouldn't let anyone else use the machine........I did suggest that perhaps he'd reached his credit limit on his card which went down like a lead balloon......
Eventually a car park worker came to help him..... leading him away to get him to pay at the kiosk inside... but non one else in the queue moved.... by this time, nearly 20 minutes of standing around in the cold was starting to get to me and I quietly asked (it's related to the sarcasm, if I get quiet and more sarcastic it's a pretty safe bet that tact and diplomacy have legged it and I'm about to blow) whether anyone intended to pay for the car park and, you know, go home?
The sour mouthed woman towards the front of the queue turned on me and started having a go at me about how she had no intention of paying now only to find herself stuck in the queue of cars waiting to go out and the time from paying to exiting expiring so she had to pay more. Fine says I, but I have a day pass with a fixed price and I would rather sit in my car, so if she'd excuse me.... oh the look I got.... apparently that was queue jumping and I could just wait my turn......
I was quite proud of the fact I didn't call her on her attitude..... I did however, ignore her and mutter something about being unwell whilst stalking (well stomping really) past her, wapping card and money into the machine and flouncing through the door.... by the time I'd got to my car and to the barrier there was no queue and stupid woman was only just coming through the door having just paid....... I kind of hope that waiting might have pushed her time up to the next payment bracket.......
I have done nothing much this evening, a bit of reading and some relaxing whilst bemoaning, silently by text cos talking hurts, the fact that I am freezing but can't eat anything hot as it feels like it's taking the skin off my throat........ hot lemon is bad at the best of time but luke warm lemon is truly revolting......... fingers crossed I can beat this cold in the very near future........ the next germ that comes near me I am going to take out with a mallet!
I coughed, sneezed and croaked my way through the morning.... at one point being told that I sounded a bit like Darth-Vader...... they still wouldn't let me have a light sabre to play with mind..... I had a major guilt attack in the afternoon, nothing to do with work but rather that I'd got someone into trouble.... I am assured I am being silly I shouldn't feel guilty and that all is fine...... this didn't stop me from dwelling for a bit until I managed to get a grip by repeating to myself "I am not responsible for other peoples choices and actions," a few times...... I wrote it down when I got in and stuck it on the wall over the kitchen table so that every time my conscience twinged I could read it and get myself to put it into perspective......... I do have problems with an over developed guilt system and an inability to let things go, but given the reassurances provided I am trying my best to with this.
So come home time from work I wheezed my way to the car park (passed the 5 empty disabled parking spots in front of the office - which bugs the hell out of me, particularly on days like this).... only to find a large crowd of people around the machine where you pay to get out.
And this is where all semblance of tact and diplomacy left me and sarcasm rather took over. As I leant against the door feeling rather washed out and pathetic some suited cretin (I probably work with this guy but it's a large company ....) was ranting into the speaker thing you press to get help.. Apparently his card had been rejected and he had been told to drive to the barrier and pay there.... obviously the help desk in deepest darkest Peru (okay, probably not, but I've no idea where they live.... possibly they are very small people who actually live in the ticket machines??) didn't know that a few weeks back the facility to pay at the barrier by card had been taken out...... so said cretin's car was now parked at the barrier holding everyone else who had paid and could get out up..... cos no, he didn't have the sense to back it into a spare space whilst he sorted it out.
The guy was downright rude to the person trying to help him, so much so that I wasn't at all surprised when he hung up on him....(I nearly applauded but managed to hold that one back) the suited guy was at this time cursing out the bodiless voice, the staff of the car park, probably their owners and the colony of stray cats on the 9th floor (nah, there probably isn't one, I've not been up that far though so I wouldn't swear to it).... and better still... he wouldn't let anyone else use the machine........I did suggest that perhaps he'd reached his credit limit on his card which went down like a lead balloon......
Eventually a car park worker came to help him..... leading him away to get him to pay at the kiosk inside... but non one else in the queue moved.... by this time, nearly 20 minutes of standing around in the cold was starting to get to me and I quietly asked (it's related to the sarcasm, if I get quiet and more sarcastic it's a pretty safe bet that tact and diplomacy have legged it and I'm about to blow) whether anyone intended to pay for the car park and, you know, go home?
The sour mouthed woman towards the front of the queue turned on me and started having a go at me about how she had no intention of paying now only to find herself stuck in the queue of cars waiting to go out and the time from paying to exiting expiring so she had to pay more. Fine says I, but I have a day pass with a fixed price and I would rather sit in my car, so if she'd excuse me.... oh the look I got.... apparently that was queue jumping and I could just wait my turn......
I was quite proud of the fact I didn't call her on her attitude..... I did however, ignore her and mutter something about being unwell whilst stalking (well stomping really) past her, wapping card and money into the machine and flouncing through the door.... by the time I'd got to my car and to the barrier there was no queue and stupid woman was only just coming through the door having just paid....... I kind of hope that waiting might have pushed her time up to the next payment bracket.......
I have done nothing much this evening, a bit of reading and some relaxing whilst bemoaning, silently by text cos talking hurts, the fact that I am freezing but can't eat anything hot as it feels like it's taking the skin off my throat........ hot lemon is bad at the best of time but luke warm lemon is truly revolting......... fingers crossed I can beat this cold in the very near future........ the next germ that comes near me I am going to take out with a mallet!
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Stress levels rising...
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| I've mastered the first part just working up to the second.... |
I don't feel like I know anything - which is ridiculous as the subjects I am being examined on I work at every day - but I am at the stage of looking at case law and Civil Procedure Rules and my mind is just going blank.
After a full day's work I can't revise of an evening or I get to the stage of either wanting to curl up in a ball and cry or having a complete out tantrum, stamping my feet and yelling "I can't do it" at the top of my voice.
I'd liked to have had more than 1 day off before my exams to put in some more revision but that's not an option (and my standing in as team leader got off to a flying start this week when first thing Monday morning one of the team came to me to hand in her notice.... that wasn't on the briefing I got before taking on the post for a month)
Time I think for lots of deep breaths and calming thoughts
and if all else fails I shall do as the picture advises...
Friday, 9 November 2012
Friday evening waffling.....
This time next week, three years of hard work and my finals will all be over.... which is a bit of a sobering thought for someone that has a problem with completing things... this is something I have no choice in though so I am going to have to live with it. Though the results of the exams won't come out until December so I will be in limbo for a while afterwards.
Talking to a friend this evening, in between the talk of babies, toddlers, badly behaved critters (more of which later) and knitting, we were coming up with ideas of what I can do with my free time.....Now I've said from about the start of this course that this will be it, I will not be doing any further studying... she however has doing various Open University courses over the last few years, some of which do sound tempting - I'd really quite like to do the medieval history course.... but then again, I have kind of had enough of studying.
I do need to think of something, as failing that I will end up taking work home to do in the evenings.... and as much as I could and in fact would spend my entire free time lost in my Kindle (well till it gave up and exploded... again) I should perhaps do other things to unwind. I do have several knitting projects I need to get on with, and I have some story ideas I would like to get written (and I have been threatened with nagging if my mainstream YA series doesn't get it's second book in the very near future... bossy beta readers!)
That said, I've still a week to get through, and a fun filled week of revision it would be. Tomorrow and Sunday are scheduled out into 3 x 2 hour blocks, with time off for grocery deliveries and laundry (I know how to have fun....), Monday night I will have revision free as I am always kippered when I get home from work on a Monday night.. more revision Tuesday and Wednesday night and then on Thursday I actually have an official revision day, by which I am hoping I will only be highlighting and cross checking.....oh and making sure I've directions to Leeds where I am sitting the exam.
Now hopefully the canine critters will be well behaved for the rest of the weekend.... they got a severe rollicking when I got home from work as the delightful little gits had emptied my kitchen bin all over the floor... it probably took me longer to clean up than it did for them to empty it.... I am just hoping there are no ill effects from the debris they have probably managed to eat.
The cats are being smug ... they always are when the dogs are in trouble, and I am in fact typing this with my head painfully tilted to one side as Gina is balancing on my left shoulder, purring in my ear, as she supervises my typing....... either that or she's getting revenge for me refusing to give her the Q-tip to play with this morning......
Talking to a friend this evening, in between the talk of babies, toddlers, badly behaved critters (more of which later) and knitting, we were coming up with ideas of what I can do with my free time.....Now I've said from about the start of this course that this will be it, I will not be doing any further studying... she however has doing various Open University courses over the last few years, some of which do sound tempting - I'd really quite like to do the medieval history course.... but then again, I have kind of had enough of studying.
I do need to think of something, as failing that I will end up taking work home to do in the evenings.... and as much as I could and in fact would spend my entire free time lost in my Kindle (well till it gave up and exploded... again) I should perhaps do other things to unwind. I do have several knitting projects I need to get on with, and I have some story ideas I would like to get written (and I have been threatened with nagging if my mainstream YA series doesn't get it's second book in the very near future... bossy beta readers!)
That said, I've still a week to get through, and a fun filled week of revision it would be. Tomorrow and Sunday are scheduled out into 3 x 2 hour blocks, with time off for grocery deliveries and laundry (I know how to have fun....), Monday night I will have revision free as I am always kippered when I get home from work on a Monday night.. more revision Tuesday and Wednesday night and then on Thursday I actually have an official revision day, by which I am hoping I will only be highlighting and cross checking.....oh and making sure I've directions to Leeds where I am sitting the exam.
Now hopefully the canine critters will be well behaved for the rest of the weekend.... they got a severe rollicking when I got home from work as the delightful little gits had emptied my kitchen bin all over the floor... it probably took me longer to clean up than it did for them to empty it.... I am just hoping there are no ill effects from the debris they have probably managed to eat.
The cats are being smug ... they always are when the dogs are in trouble, and I am in fact typing this with my head painfully tilted to one side as Gina is balancing on my left shoulder, purring in my ear, as she supervises my typing....... either that or she's getting revenge for me refusing to give her the Q-tip to play with this morning......
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Random rambling......
Well twice in two days I've had to scrape ice off my car before going to work....... winter is obviously here..... I have to admit though I do enjoy cold dry days, particularly when it's sunny and there is just a bit of a wind that slightly stings your face (I could live without the whole not being able to feel the tops of my fingers mind)... There has been some nice dawn dog walks with the mob over the past few days, crunching over the fallen leaves and watching them dash about the park their breath steaming in the cold (except Gretchen, who has to stay on her lead as she sods off at the first opportunity and would leg it across three counties given a chance).... that said, it's lashing it down and blowing a gale this evening so tomorrow's walk may be (a) shorter and (b) wetter....
Yesterday morning I went to see the MacMillan Nurse Specialist to have my lymph nodes prodded... my stupid leg got measured, photographed and drawn on .... with thick black pen which I still can't wash off... because the lymph system got quite badly damaged with the infection that spread from my foot in August I am being fitted for a highly (un)sexy black compression stocking ... okay so it has a really swish silk lining but still....I got to try a wrist support made of the same material and, dear Goddess, it's going to feel like my leg has been severely squished....... Ah well, I am under strict instructions to do as I am told and wear the damn thing, and as I'd like my lymph system to kind of return to normal I guess I'd better behave.... just hope it's not too painful!
The revision continues....... and yes, that about sums it up.........well actually it didn't tonight, I needed a night off after working quite hard all weekend and yesterday afternoon. Today was not a whole bundle of laughs at work as my team leader's last day is tomorrow and she is trying to tidy up what lose ends she can and what she can't she's dropping onto my desk to deal with....
Right, really need to have an early night....(though part of me wants to stay up and watch the US election unfold..... Even I got to vote today.... okay so it was only my postal vote for the local Police Commissioner elections but still, I get to say I voted *grin* ).... I was up far too late last night reading stories on line and woke this morning with that horrible feeling that I'd missed something and that something was horribly wrong somewhere or with someone......... Feeling seems to have gone now so sleep should happen..... that is if I can calm the cats down.... I'm not sure what is wrong with them this evening..... they are racing round like they're on speed... Hugo has just climbed into a big shopping bag that was lying on the spare room bed and then fallen off the bed whilst still wearing it ... he's currently kind of in/under it racing around the room whilst his mother pounces on it from the highest vantage point she can find....... and, oh yes, there goes the clothes airer....... best go extract him and pick up all my clothes... again......
Yesterday morning I went to see the MacMillan Nurse Specialist to have my lymph nodes prodded... my stupid leg got measured, photographed and drawn on .... with thick black pen which I still can't wash off... because the lymph system got quite badly damaged with the infection that spread from my foot in August I am being fitted for a highly (un)sexy black compression stocking ... okay so it has a really swish silk lining but still....I got to try a wrist support made of the same material and, dear Goddess, it's going to feel like my leg has been severely squished....... Ah well, I am under strict instructions to do as I am told and wear the damn thing, and as I'd like my lymph system to kind of return to normal I guess I'd better behave.... just hope it's not too painful!
The revision continues....... and yes, that about sums it up.........well actually it didn't tonight, I needed a night off after working quite hard all weekend and yesterday afternoon. Today was not a whole bundle of laughs at work as my team leader's last day is tomorrow and she is trying to tidy up what lose ends she can and what she can't she's dropping onto my desk to deal with....
Right, really need to have an early night....(though part of me wants to stay up and watch the US election unfold..... Even I got to vote today.... okay so it was only my postal vote for the local Police Commissioner elections but still, I get to say I voted *grin* ).... I was up far too late last night reading stories on line and woke this morning with that horrible feeling that I'd missed something and that something was horribly wrong somewhere or with someone......... Feeling seems to have gone now so sleep should happen..... that is if I can calm the cats down.... I'm not sure what is wrong with them this evening..... they are racing round like they're on speed... Hugo has just climbed into a big shopping bag that was lying on the spare room bed and then fallen off the bed whilst still wearing it ... he's currently kind of in/under it racing around the room whilst his mother pounces on it from the highest vantage point she can find....... and, oh yes, there goes the clothes airer....... best go extract him and pick up all my clothes... again......
Friday, 2 November 2012
Allowing common sense to prevail.....
So, NaNo started yesterday, my finals are two weeks today, and at work next Wednesday I have to step up from deputy team leader (which I have been doing for about 4 weeks covering maternity leave) to team leader, whilst my boss is on honeymoon for the whole of November....... in fact, I will have to be myself, the deputy team leader, the team leader... oh and one of the other team members who is working out his notice and will be off at least a couple of days a week whilst he uses up his leave entitlement...... so erm, yes, I will in fact be doing the work of 3.5 people, including supervising the other 2.5 members in the team......
I hadn't really noticed how much this was starting to worry at me until a friend pointed out that I was becoming very ratty and short tempered........ of course I argued that I wasn't and apparently this proved his theory...... at which point I tried sulking until I got hugged into submission.
After a long chat about the fact that I am not in fact superwoman and cannot do everything we decided that something had to give, and as work and my finals aren't an option, the NaNo project has to wait....... I have been made to promise that I won't even think about it, let alone start writing anything until after my exams are over...... I am really not good at giving into these sort of things gracefully but I have promised.
I now also have a revision schedule........ which wasn't my idea, but apparently if left to myself I will faff about all day and not get on with it ......*sigh* It's nice but at the same time rather depressing to realise how well my friends know me.
So for the next two weekends I will be revising in two hour blocks three times a day... I will also be revising on Monday afternoon after I've been to my hospital appointment in the morning, and of an evening will be putting in an hour's notes reading before I am allowed to turn on the Kindle or do anything more fun....
I hate breaking promises to people I care about so I will now have to stick to this schedule as I know I will be asked how I am getting on with the revision. I don't want to let anyone down, particularly when they've helped and supported me in something without being asked..... but good grief this is going to be a really boring couple of weeks......... There better be a nice reward at the end of it.....
I hadn't really noticed how much this was starting to worry at me until a friend pointed out that I was becoming very ratty and short tempered........ of course I argued that I wasn't and apparently this proved his theory...... at which point I tried sulking until I got hugged into submission.
After a long chat about the fact that I am not in fact superwoman and cannot do everything we decided that something had to give, and as work and my finals aren't an option, the NaNo project has to wait....... I have been made to promise that I won't even think about it, let alone start writing anything until after my exams are over...... I am really not good at giving into these sort of things gracefully but I have promised.
I now also have a revision schedule........ which wasn't my idea, but apparently if left to myself I will faff about all day and not get on with it ......*sigh* It's nice but at the same time rather depressing to realise how well my friends know me.
So for the next two weekends I will be revising in two hour blocks three times a day... I will also be revising on Monday afternoon after I've been to my hospital appointment in the morning, and of an evening will be putting in an hour's notes reading before I am allowed to turn on the Kindle or do anything more fun....
I hate breaking promises to people I care about so I will now have to stick to this schedule as I know I will be asked how I am getting on with the revision. I don't want to let anyone down, particularly when they've helped and supported me in something without being asked..... but good grief this is going to be a really boring couple of weeks......... There better be a nice reward at the end of it.....
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