Blimey, is this thing still on?

It is actually quite embarrassing that I had to go through Swirals blog page to get back here, so long has it been since I last wrote anything. Its a wonder I remembered my password first try.

A brief summary of my life since saturday 2nd of june, the night of the bats.

Work is fine, bordering on successful, as I have now mastered the art of putting lots of chemicals into a pot and mixing vigorously without getting most of it over myself. Considering that I went from a standing start of knowing absolutely nothing about Ink manufacturing to getting one of the better yearly reviews in the lab within 9 months is hope that this job might go somewhere interesting. I just have to figure out how to convince TPTB to give me a computer of my very own and I'll be laughing.

My car, now known as that 'bastard heap of uselessness' has managed to breakdown on a monthly basis since september, necessitating a full service, new break pads, discs, fan, radiator, battery, undercarriage, door lock cable, suspension thingy, fan belt, altinator belt and full set of tyres. Leaving a cam belt replacement, new filter line, air con blower, front wing replacement (came with the car), rear wheel arch scrape, (might have been me,) to be completed when I have the money and/or inclination to pay through the nose for them. The rear passenger door lock that had broken, (the door was helf shut by tying the door handle to its opposite number and reducing my large estate to a 2 person car) miraculously fixed itself after half a can of WD40 and numerous threats of the scrap heap. Yes I could have payed for a considerably nicer new car with the money I've spent on this one. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Open university is going well, though I have swapped from geosciences to molecular science, (a technologists position with 30K a year is a great motivator) But I still get to do Archeology as my next module regardless, so its all good.

I continue to be a weekend warrior on wow, latest character is at level 62, with a shiny new go faster mount.

So between open university, world of warcraft, and my car, I have little free time, no social life and very little disposable income. Strangely enough, I feel more content now than I have for years.

My sister is getting married in 2 months, I may not survive the experiance, - I have to go on the hen night. THE HORROR! - A Limo and a bunch of absolutely bladdered group of my sisters mate's under my supervision, ( the reason I'm going apparently) in Bristol. Shudder.

There we have it.

- incidently discovered today the poverty line per household in the UK is considered £16472 - A fact I intend to bring up at my salary negotiations at the end of the month. A trembling bottom lip and big sad eyes may also be employed.

Bat Attack

Just before sitting down in the back garden to have dinner, we had a little visitor in the house.




Click to see the big version!

We had the fire pit going on the logear, which is what I reckon scared him in through the french windows. Thankgod 2 minutes with a fishing net and a big bit of cardboard was all that took to get him back out again.

After a bit of investigation on google, we thinks he's either a grey or brown long eared bat.

Check these links out for a bit more info.

http://www.worlddeer.org/britishbats/clebat.html

http://www.worlddeer.org/britishbats/glong.html

My money's on the grey version, which would be cool as they're the rarer of the two breeds and only populate the south west. Either way, we're sending the photo to the wiltshire wildlife trust monday to see if they can tell us.

Attack at Early O'Clock

Last couple of nights, since the weather hasn't been cat friendly, Tess has taken to coming into my room around 4 O'clock in the morning to sleep, which is fine, especially if she decides to sleep on the window sill or the end of the bed. Everyone's happy.

Except that she isn't doing that, she's trying to sleep on my face.

Nothing like a face full of fur to really wake you up in the morning.

Yesterday we compromised on her sleeping on my front, which given that I fell asleep to 7 O'clock goes to show how much I needed to sleep, or that the oxygen deprivation just got to me. This morning however I managed to loose ownership of most of my pillow and spent a good 2 hours hanging off the edge of the bed while a half stone ball of fluff stretched out quite comfortably.

Sometimes I'm not sure who owns who.

Stuff and Things

New job has now started and I've survived the first week. Its been exhausting but I think I'm going to enjoy it, lots to learn, but I'm getting a handle on the basics fairly quickly (hopefully).

The Bank has written back finally refusing to pay up and hats off to them, I don't think I've seen such a finely crafted piece of bollocks in my whole life, its almost a work of art. If they'd managed to work 'synergistically' and 'vision' into that letter it quite possibly could be considered a master piece.
We're onto round 2 now, where I threaten them with court. I suppose it was too much to hope they'd fold quite so early.

An update in several parts.

I have a job, its very exciting. Apparently being interviewed by five people is a good thing and even better, apparently they were impressed. Just got the paperwork through and things like the holday entitlement aren't half bad. 28 days annual holiday, plus bank holidays and such, its as much as the parents get after having signed their formative years away to local government. With opportunities for foreign travel down the road and a good training scheme, I'm a bit chuffed.

But between now and then I've got two weeks of temp work for a company in Bath. Its basically ringing up companies and updating contact records and emails. I've been at it for two days now and I'm about ready to gouge out my eyes. I'm only on the C's.....

Non work related, in an act of consumers activism or something, I've sent one of those 'I want all the money you've buggers have charged me over the years back, you bastards' to the bank. Given that when I added all of my charges up it totalled to something just over £2000 pounds, I don't think its unjustified. We'll see what happens.

Job Interview

Had a job interview today, interesting little experience, it lasted most of the morning, and I was interviewed by a total of five different people.

Have to say I'm feeling a little drained, as far as potential employment goes, we'll have to see. I'm vaguely hopeful, but beyond that? Its difficult to get a handle on that many people and what they thought of you. We'll just have to wait and see.

This afternoon I have a packed schedule planned, starting off with a snooze, half an hour on world of warcraft and perhaps I might watch a movie if I can work out what the hell Sky has done with its movie channels.

Still Here

Still alive, still lacking full time employment.

Unemployment I have decided is quite possibly the dullest thing I have ever done and sponging off the state is harder than it looks.

Have just done a weeks worth of temping for BBC Audio, which against all expectations was actually quite enjoyable. Admitably, I have just spent 35 hours sticking labels and barcodes on to things, but I got a comfy chair, a break and an hours lunch. One. Whole. Hour. I watched the News and Neighbours on the telly! Absolutely surreal and it turns out Neighbours is even more ridiculous than I remember it being. The whole place really brought previous employment into perspective. ie: a shambolically run shit hole, with very few properly working systems and absolutely no awareness of staff needs. I could have certainly coped staying a bit longer, but one week was all I got.

I've got the house to myself this weekend, which means I get first crack at the papers and control of the sitting room with the big TV, so the plan is to kill the housework off, find a Cat for purposes of keeping my legs warm and watch England more than likely being stuffed by the Welsh in the Rugby.

Also, While I hold Tony Blair entirely at fault for most of the ills of the modern world and hold great satisfaction of never having voted for him in my life, I laughed like a loon at his sketch for comic relief last night. I may have even clapped. Not much of a fan of Catherine Tate either, but fair do's, she was brilliant. David Tennant wasn't half bad either.

And Matt Lucas as Vicky Pollard. Performance.

Geiger counter in my ear!

Tinnitus is having a full rock concert in one of my ears at the moment. Its quite possibly one of the most irritating things ever. I don't usually notice it during the day, too much noise, but it even managed to drown out A today. It doesn't hurt, its just uncomfortable and on the edge of being ticklish. Today its the geiger counter, lots of little clicks very close together. I also get a pinging sound that sounds alot like the crazy frog. The urge to gouge out the whole area is quite high when that happens.

In other news, I've started playing world of warcraft at the little sister behest. Its annoyingly...addictive.

Lazy day and whatnot

Have spent a rather glorious day doing absolutely nothing beyond reading and watching TV. Somewhat marred by evil monthly pains of doom, but I do enjoy a good grump and I managed to work up a good one today. Capped off by little sister having her normal weekly/daily crisis that involves me going out in the rain to do her bidding.

Work tomorrow, which should have the consequences of the latest 'chat' with H that has filtered back to A, probably accompanied by the domestic violence that currently punctuates her communication with him. But not my problem, there's a job advert that I'm hoping will be mine and I'll be free of the place soon. H will have a bit of a shock, I've decided to take 'ownership' of the stock take he has commanded we do, we're going to do it properly, sensibly, thoroughly and sort out all those problems he keeps declaring we have to sort in some generalised future. We will not be doing anything else. This is the january project, the february one will be the website and hey presto, the shop will be all ready for the rearrange! Fancy that.

2007, Looks alot like 2006.

Have survived the festive period and other assorted celebrations reasonably intact and still able to fit in all my clothes, which is a plus.

Birthday came and went as it usually does, there is nothing celebratory about the 2nd of January, regardless of how hard you try. Even the restaurant only had one other couple in it.
Another year older and thirty is beginning to loom large, best not to think about it really.

Was feeling quite chuffed as I had managed to upgrade my internet connection to super speeds and reduce the monthly bill, with the wireless router thrown in for free. Just in time for my shiny new laptop!

The wireless router arrived today and with it the most frustrating 2 hours of my life. Seriously, what flash installation CD actually crashes a perfectly healthy system? Couldn't get the software loaded on my PC, couldn't get the laptop to connect to the server in either wired or wireless mode. It took me three attempts to get it to acknowledge that it didn't have a firewall running. In short, the Orange Livebox is the most uncooperative piece of mass produced crap I've ever had to deal with and is currently doing a stellar job as a stand for the shiny laptop while my trusty speedtouch connection wizzes along as well as its always done. I'll have another go when the urge to chuck it out the window has receded.

In other disturbing news, I found a photo today of myself aged 15. I hadn't changed a bit. I find this deeply worrying, but could go along way to explaining why I still get carded from time to time.

Typical

These things always happen over the Christmas period. Last night at the end of Boxing Day dinner one of my wisdom teeth decided to give up the ghost and crumble. It doesn't hurt at all, but I'm missing half a molar and the rest does not look pretty.

I've not had a single problem with my teeth ever, 27 years and not one filling. (I was quite proud of that.) But this wisdom tooth is in an awkward as hell place, really closed in and I've never really been able to get at it all that well.

Doesn't hurt, but I Can. Not. Stop. Poking. It.

God knows when I'll be able to get a dentist appointment without having to pay an arm and leg for it, I think it'll have to come out entirely which while intellectually I know this is a good thing, injections into my gums fill me with unending terror that could well convert me into a panicked 5 year old refusing to open my mouth. Gah.

In other news, I've ordered a new laptop from Dabs which looks very pretty and should come tomorrow.

Harry on ther other hand has decided to scoot off somewhere. Christmas I think got too much for him and he disappeared last night and we haven't seen him since. Both Dad and I have done the requisite checks on the road and wandered around the Garden endlessly to look for him, we're only in the moderate concern stage of the Missing Cat Procedure at the moment as its a mild night and more than likely he's just in a huff about the disrupted routine over Christmas and decided to beg for food from one of his other houses. He'll probably turn up tomorrow, whine his head off and eat enough to feed a small african country.