I am Tree King...Fear Me!

Getting close now...

Sat, 24 May 2008 12:06:35 GMT

I need to get out of this habit of leaving it absolutely yonks before posting!!

There's nothing hugely exciting or unusual happened in the last while...but today was really good (well, so far anyway...)

We picked out the cake for the wedding!

And we're having people over, and I'm losing weight, and it's fantastic!

Rather pleased with this...

Sat, 19 May 2007 14:24:00 GMT

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Sweet, sweet blueberry muffins...

Tue, 08 May 2007 17:27:20 GMT

I have recently rekindled a love of baking, but until recently had neither the time, space or necessary funds/equipment/ingredients to do anything about it.

Yesterday I amended this.

Blueberry and white chocolate muffins are fabulous. Made even more so by the fact that they only take 20 minutes to bake.

For those of you I will see this Saturday for games etc (Suzy, Conan etc - I'm looking at you), I'll have a batch ready (feel free to make requests for variety).

For those of you I wont, there will be an almost constant supply from now on so you'll get to have them at some stage.

New msn details

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:49:14 GMT

Right, following a stupid amount of spam that hit my hotmail account a couple of days ago, I'm amending my msn details as follows - jen.brannigan@gmail.com is my new messenger address. Also, I accidentally deleted all my contacts from it when I closed the account, so you'll have to add me first. (stupid technology *grumbles*)

pre-emptive worried look

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:08:07 GMT

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want -- good or bad. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.

Quite fitting...

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:49:16 GMT

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Musician Doo doo de doo waaaa doo de doo! (<-- That's you playing something.) Everyone appreciates the band/orchestra geeks and the pretty voices. Whether you sing in the choir, participate in a school/local band, or sit at home writing music, you contribute a joy to society that everyone can agree on. Yay! Welcome to actually doing something for poor, pathetic human souls. (Just kidding.)
Drama Nerd
Literature Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Social Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Home never felt so good

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 10:09:58 GMT

We've been home for two weeks, and it's beginning to feel like we never left. I've been jobhunting (so far without luck) almost everyday, and when I'm not jobhunting, I'm reading. I read The Cider House Rules in 2 days...I think I need a life...

At the moment we're living with Paul's parents. Not an ideal arrangement, but so far, it's working out okay. I haven't been asked to get the hell out of their house and never come back, I haven't pissed them off beyond all forgiveness, and I think they like having me around for Tanya to be a "good" influence on her. Good influence...yes...that's it...

There hasn't really been a huge amount happening, we've been out for drinks with the usual suspects twice, we've gone for drives, visited my parents in their respective new abodes, and can't really do a huge amount until we have jobs and a place of our own.

Everyone's been lovely since we came back. There's been no "We told you so" or "You should've stayed here all along". All we've heard is people saying that they're glad we're back. Thanks everyone.

All updates in good time.

Bad stuff happens in threes...

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:29:09 GMT

Well, they say that bad things happen in threes. I'm waiting on number 3...

Friday morning, Paul was told that the temp job he was in didn't want him back after the Edinburgh holiday. We put that out of our heads and had a brilliant weekend.

I got into work this morning, and my boss was really nice. She asked me how I enjoyed my weekend, if I had enough work to do, etc. Then just before lunchtime, she called me into the meeting room and told me that they weren't happy with the level of work I was putting in, I was taking too long on my breaks, I was late too often (by late they meant 2 or 3 minutes) and that they were "terminating my my employment in accordance with my contract". This basically meant that they were serving me my weeks notice, they didn't have to give me a reason, and that I wasn't expected to work out the week, in fact if I wanted to leave there and then it was fine - just be as discreet as possible. I did ask if they could possibly extend it until the end of next month, but apparently the decision had been made on Friday (when I was away) and they were waiting until I got back. I'll be paid up until the end of the month, but I no longer have a job.

The way I see it is we have 3 options. 1, we could give up now and go home to the same humdrum life we had before. Paul could go back to Centra, I can get a job in IBB or in Conduit (perish the thought), and we can pretty much go back to normal. 2, we can give ourselves a deadline to get jobs/apartment etc, and if we haven't achieved it by whatever date, we go home, and follow option 1. 3, we can continue on here for christ only knows how long, struggling to get jobs, struggling to make ends meet, and struggling to get ourselves set up. I have no idea how long this would take.

Frankly, right now, I just want to go home. It feels like we've achieved nothing by moving. We thought it was going to be so much easier here, we'd get jobs and a place to live in no time, everything was so much cheaper etc. We really didn't do enough research before we moved. We didn't know about council tax, we didn't know about all the extras that were added onto bills, we didn't know that getting a place to live would be so difficult (seriously, it's like applying for a mortgage the amount of paperwork that has to be done) we had no idea that there was so much paperwork in getting my car re-registered (which I still haven't done). There was just so much that we never took into consideration - and now it's coming back to bite us in the ass.

Aside from all the financial shit we have to deal with, there's the emotional side to consider too. Manchester is a lonely city. No matter how many people you know, you never really -know- any of them. They're not as friendly (they're not horrible either, just not as friendly), they're not as chatty, and they always seem to be hiding something. They're not as open as I'd like. I miss my parents, I miss my old job, I miss my friends more than I could ever express, and it's killing me. I miss Dublin. I miss the sea breeze that I so readily took for granted (then I moved to Manchester which is at least 60 miles from the nearest beach, so when it's hot, it's melty hot), I miss the thick Dublin accents that I mocked so mercilessly, I miss the tiny winding roads through the suburbs, I miss knowing exactly how much I was paying for everything when I used my credit card, I miss my little flat in Ballsbridge, I miss Tesco in Merrion (don't ask, it's a long story) I miss Dublin Taxi Drivers, I miss the liffey, I miss knowing exactly where everything and everywhere was, I miss having the choice of driving or (God forbid) taking the Luas into work, I miss Georges Street Arcade, I miss UCD, I miss Gloria Jeans, I miss Stephens Green shopping centre, I miss Dublin slang, I miss seeing road signs in two languages, I miss the coast roads, I miss Bulmers cider, and a million other things that I can't begin to think of.

I just don't know what to do...

Kick ass weekend of Mystical Elephants...

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 21:11:10 GMT

I've just had one of the best weekends ever!!

Paul and I went to Edinburgh, with a little help from MacD. See, MacD suggested us going to Edinburgh weeks ago, and on Friday morning the time for travel finally arrived (after weeks of waiting and planning). So, we packed our little case, loaded up the car, and headed north. Overe 5 hours later, we arrived at Waverley Bridge. Met everyone (who had been up since the crack of dawn (assuming they got any sleep at all) and in Dublin Airport since some time around 6am) who were totally shattered, then headed back to the apartment.

The apartment was big enough to house a large family (which was good, considering there were 8 of us) and was absolutely stunning. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 ensuite), kitchen/living room and a miriad of strange closets I was too scared to look in. Ordered pizza, and had a really early night owing to everyone elses shatteredness.

First thing on Saturday morning, got up, had coffee (and lots of toast)and headed into the city. Jesus, that hurt like hell!! My wheelchair decided to hurt me. About an hour later (after lots of smoking, swearing, and driver changes) we made it to the top of an enormous hill that had the Royal Museum. Bimbled around for a bit, then went for really really really nice italian food. Mmm...canelloni... After we got back, my stomach decided to finish the job my wheelchair had started, and I was a little (or a lot) sick. Then drank some cider and played Betrayal at House on the Hill. Great game. Half way through the second game, we put on Eurotrip. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard.

Sunday, after a breakfast of coffee and toast, we headed to the city again (this time taking the car) and shopped. Lots. Had fabulous chinese dinner. Went back to the apartment, played more Betrayal, drank more, then got slightly worried about two of our group who decided to go on a magical mystery adventure (only Suzy and a select few others will get the title of the entry) and didn't get home til the small wee hours of the morning.

Today, we had to be out of the apartment by 10am. Packed, got breakfast, bimbled into the city. Paul and I had another look around the museum, got lunch, and passed a few hours in Scots park. I made the mistake of falling asleep on my stomach with my hands under my head, woke up about half an hour later and couldn't move. My back had been forced into a hyper-extended arch, and my arms were locked at the joints, and I couldn't move. I did ask people to roll me over, but nobody heard, so I ended up moving really slowly onto my back, and lying in a heap for another 10 minutes before I was capable of sitting up.

At about 4pm, we said our goodbyes, loaded ourselves into my car, and started the drive back to Manchester. We got in about 2 hours ago. The current plan is to finish my can of strongbow (and maybe have another), have some cheese on toast and go to bed.

Stupid work in the morning...

Long time, no post...

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 19:12:04 GMT

Well, as wordmaker said, we were home last weekend for Tanya's birthday. Was kind of short notice, so apologies to those we didn't manage to see. However, the surprise party was a screaming success. But, the events leading up to the success of the party were funny if nothing else...

We arrived home from work about 5:30ish, with the intention of going home, having tea/coffee, having something to eat, ironing, packing and then going to bed early. Did this actually happen? Christ no!! We got home about 5:30ish, sat in front of the TV, and had tea/coffee. I sat for about an hour staring with increasing malcontent at the growing clothes mountain in the centre of the living room, becoming less and less bothered ironing. I eventually motivated myself after my 4th cup of tea, and sat at the ironing board, and what ensued was two hours of hot metal hell. In the middle of the ironing, Tanya called over MSN. I spent the duration of the conversation trying not to talk to her in case I said anything.

Having finished the ironing, I sat back and had yet another cup of tea. Then had a take away dinner of beef fried rice (so delicious...), and contemplated going to bed (the time now is roughly 10ish). We decided we weren't quite tired enough, so proceeded to down a bottle of wine while watching "That thing you do" on DVD (Beatles skit sort of thing...). This brings us to shortly after midnight.

Now, this was when we should've been tucked up in bed asleep, but we were just too excited. So, we weighed up our options, and decided that if we were going to go to bed, we might not wake up in time to get to the airport, and thus get home, so clearly the logical course of action was to pack what we were taking then and there, and head to the airport and sleep there instead.

So at 1:30ish, into the car we bundled, and off to the airport we headed. Paul fell asleep, and I got lost. We made it to the airport for about 2am. Parked the car, and decided that the easiest way to get to the terminal building from our car park was to simply walk straight across the road. Doing this, we battled cars, trucks, motorbikes, bicycles, and a large number of large bunnies. Yes, bunnies. Got to the terminal building, found where we were meant to check in, and then parked ourselves on some comfy looking leather armchairs and dozed off. Woke up about an hour later freezing my ass off (we'd fallen asleep under an air vent - not pleasent). We moved somewhere a little less breezy, then dozed off again. Woke up just in time to go to the check in desk before the mass of people and suitcases arrived, then went off to find breakfast. FYI, Burger King for breakfast at 6:30am is a really bad idea.

Bimbled around Manchester airport until our flight was called, boarded and promptly fell asleep during the safety demonstrations, and woke up somewhere approaching Malahide. Practically sprinted from the plane to the entrance, threw ourselves onto the first bus we could find, and headed for the city centre. The days activities included getting haircuts, shouting at ATM's for not accepting our bank cards (longer and more complicated story than this), having coffee in Gloria Jeans (we got scared when we saw that they'd changed the name and decor, but then the owner came out and grinned at us so we grinned back then drank lots of coffee), meeting Keith and finally, a trip on the dart out to Bray.

When we arrived at the Republic of Shortt (as I named it 5 years ago) Pauls mum stood trying not to hug me at the drive way, and his dad ran at me from the back garden and pounce-hugged me. We walked into the back garden, we were fetched wine, and I had cigarettes stolen from me by Pauls mum. A few dozen relatives later, and the scene was set, all that was missing was the birthday girl. Every so often, someone would get a text or phone call and an unearthly hush would fall over us until the all clear was given. Eventually, we were told she was outside, and silence fell, followed by Tanya walking into the back garden, all of us screaming "SURPRISE" at the top of our lungs, and Tanya almost falling over in shock.

The rest of the night was spent drinking lovely wine, and eating fabulous barbecue (no, honestly, it was really good!!!), and singing. Loudly. And in some cases badly.

Sunday was spent mostly in bed watching Scrubs, after which we were whisked back to Dublin Airport. I hate Dublin Airport. People seem to lose total control of their mental faculties when they walk in the door. Had a really nice dinner, chatted loads in the departures lounge, and cried when we got onto the plane because we didn't want to leave. The only motivation was that we had jobs to go back to, and my car had been left in Manchester.

Still, we're going home in August, and we'll be able to meet up with people properly then. I'll be driving over, so we'll have a lot more freedom of movement, and I'm counting down the days.

Finally somthing positive.

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 17:04:16 GMT

Right, as you all know, I hate UK Construction with a passion. It's evil and should be destroyed. And my boss should be burnt at the stake. However, last Tuesday was the last straw. After numerous snide remarks from my boss, the training manager and the company manager, a really bad row with my boss after a personal phone call, and really bad sales figures, I'd had enough. So on Tuesday evening I left. I handed in my resignation, and walked out the door, never to return.

Now, you might think I was foolish to do this without the prospect of another job. However, I have been keeping an eye out for other jobs, so when Hays Recruitment called me on Monday afternoon and offered me an interview for a credit control position that wasn't too bothered about experience and was paying more than where I was, how could I refuse. I went for my interview on Tuesday morning, and got on really well with the lady interviewing me. She told me everything I needed to know about the job, the hours, the pay, the holidays etc, and said I'd know really quickly because they wanted to fill the position asap. Remember, I said I walked out of UK Construction.

On Wednesday morning, I dropped Paul into work, and drove half way to Yorkshire to hae breakfast. Why? Because I could! I arrived home around lunchtime, and no sooner was I in the door when I got a phone call telling me that they were offering me the job, and if I was prepared to accept it, they wanted me to start the next day. How could I refuse?!

So on Thursday last week, I started my shiny new position as a cretit control administrator. I get to call hotels and demand money off them. I get to log cheques and bank account details. This might not sound very exciting, but in comparison to what I was doing, this is a dream come true. There's no sales, no targets, no competitiveness, no bitchiness, no snide remarks, and I can have tea and coffee all day long. My boss makes me tea!! In case you hadn't guessed, I'm a little bit happy with myself.

Saturday morning ramblings...

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 10:31:42 GMT

*TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey*
Name:	Jennifer Mary Bernadette Brannigan
Birthday:	Saturday, November 7th, 1981
Birthplace:	Dublin
Current Location:	The living room, Eccles, Manchester
Eye Color:	Green
Hair Color:	Dyed chestnut red
Height:	I thought I was taller, but apparently I'm only 5ft 2in.
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Right
Your Heritage:	Celtic all the way!
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Black leather high heeled sandals
Your Weakness:	Jewelry...and a really nice chipper
Your Fears:	Bees, wasps, porcelain dolls
Your Perfect Pizza:	Plain cheese
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Lose some weight
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	*poke*
Thoughts First Waking Up:	I don't wanna move...
Your Best Physical Feature:	My eyes
Your Bedtime:	Usually around midnight
Your Most Missed Memory:	Dancing
Pepsi or Coke:	Either
MacDonalds or Burger King:	Burger King
Single or Group Dates:	Single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Why would I polute my body with that?!!?
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Vanilla. Chocolate ice cream is spawn of evil!
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Coffee. Cappuccino is all foam and no caffeine
Do you Smoke:	Yes
Do you Swear:	More often than a "lady" should
Do you Sing:	All the time
Do you Shower Daily:	Yes
Have you Been in Love:	I am right now
Do you want to go to College:	Been - loved it, not so sure I'd ever go back though
Do you want to get Married:	Yes
Do you belive in yourself:	Depends on the situation
Do you get Motion Sickness:	No
Do you think you are Attractive:	Depending on what I'm wearing
Are you a Health Freak:	Christ no!
Do you get along with your Parents:	Yes, my mum more so than my dad
Do you like Thunderstorms:	BRING ON THE LIGHTNING!!!
Do you play an Instrument:	Piano, guitar, tin whistle
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	Yes - it's really cheap here!
In the past month have you Smoked:	Yes
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	No
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	Yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	If by "mall" you mean shopping centre, then yes
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	I've helped...
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	No - hate the stuff
In the past month have you been on Stage:	No
In the past month have you been Dumped:	Thankfully, no
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	With my thighs? Yeah right!
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	No
Ever been Drunk:	Yes, but thankfully the only people who saw the after effects were smart enough to not say anything to anyone else
Ever been called a Tease:	Yes - frequently
Ever been Beaten up:	No, thank God
Ever Shoplifted:	When I was a lot younger...
How do you want to Die:	Quietly
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	I have no idea
What country would you most like to Visit:	Egypt
*In a Boy/Girl..*
Favourite Eye Color:	Doesn't really matter
Favourite Hair Color:	Not a fan of redheaded boys - other than that I don't mind too much
Short or Long Hair:	Either
Height:	Taller than me (not very difficult)
Weight:	Couldn't care less as long as I can talk to them
Best Clothing Style:	What ever makes them comfortable
Number of Drugs I have taken:	None
Number of CDs I own:	Get back to me next month on that one...
Number of Piercings:	4 in my left ear, 5 in my right, and an ex pierced belly button
Number of Tattoos:	1
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	2
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Not quite myself...

Sun, 11 Jun 2006 14:01:35 GMT

I don't know what this is - maybe I'm a little homesick, maybe I'm bored, maybe I need a new hobby, I don't know, but for the last couple of days I just haven't felt quite like myself. It feels like I've stopped doing everything I used to love doing, and I haven't replaced it with anything. I feel like I'm caught in the middle of something that could change me, or the world forever, and I'm powerless to do anything about it.

*sighs, grumbles and sits in a corner*

Wise words from a friend...

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 22:14:11 GMT

words of wisdom for those who take life too seriously 18 days ago

Save the whales collect the whole set

a day without sunshine is, like, night

on the other hand , you have diffrent fingers

i just got lost in thought. it was unfamiliar territory

42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot

99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name

i feel i am diagonally parked in a parallel universe

you have the rite to remain silent, anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you

i wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges

honk if you love peace and quiet

Remember: half the people you know are below average

nothing is foolproof to a talented fool

atheism is a non-prophet organisation

the early bird may get the worm , but the second mouse gets the cheese

i drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol

borrow money from a pessimist: he doesnt expect to be repaid

my mind is like a steel trap: rusty and illegal in all states

if at first you dont succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried

a conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking

experience is something you dont get until just after you need it

for every action there is an equal and opposite criticism

bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of cheques

never do a card trick for the group you play poker with

no one is listening until you make a mistake

success always occurs in private and failure in full view

the colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required on it

the hardness of butter is directly proportional to the softness of the bread

the severity of the itch is inversley proportional to the ability to reach it

to steal ideas from one person is plagerism; to steal from many is research

to succeed in politics, it is oftem necessary to rise above your principles

monday is an awufl way to spend one-seventh of your life

two wrongs are only the beginning

the problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard

the sooner you fall behind the more time you'll have to catch up

a clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory

get a new car for your spouse: it'll be a great trade!!

plan to be spontaneous

always try to be modest and proud of it!

if you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments

how many of you believe in telekinesis? raise my hand....

love may be blind, but marriage is the real eyeopener

if at first you dont succeed, then skydiving isnt for you

he who hesitates is probably right

everybody repeat after me" "we are all individuals"

I'm bored and really want something to do...MeMes!!!

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:52:54 GMT

You Are a Beagle Puppy

Cheerful, energetic, and happy go lucky.
And you're sense of smell is absolutely amazing!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

I like beagles, they're cute...

I'm not a horrible person - it's official

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 13:27:46 GMT

You Are 46% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.
Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Nice to know I'm not that horrible a person...

Stupid guilt complex...

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 19:13:30 GMT

Well, today has been really strange...

Aimee spent the day being really encouraging, and with my target of £5500 only £172 away, I'm quite pleased with myself. The new people (two of them) are starting to settle in, and things are generally going well. The minor incident of me going to Morrissons (think of Superquin) and leaving my wallet at home is not important enough to ruin my good mood!!

However, when I got home, Stef had some news for me. Not only had she gotten herself a job interview, but she may have gotten me one too. This one is Sales and Customer services, which is a lot more up my street. Also, the hours are similar enough, the holidays are similar enough, the office is a lot more wheelchair friendly, it has parking, and it's paying at least £15k basic. I'm currently on £12k. Normally, I'd jump head first into an opportunity like this, but right now I'm a bit guilt-ridden for even wanting to move. There are a number of reasons for this...

1: I think I'm starting to settle into the job I currently have.
2: I don't like the idea of leaving it after such a short period of time
3: I don't know how keen I am on the idea of working in any capacity with Stef...
4: I'm not too sure about having to travel that far out in the mornings
5: I get a promotion every 3 months in this one, but it gets harder with every raise you get

I have to call this person back tomorrow and discuss the position and whether or not I'm suitable for interview. I might not stand a chance, but to be honest, it's sales and customer services. I was raised in this environment. I've done both for years, and I've never been turned down for a position in either that I've applied for yet - so my track record is in my favour. But I feel really selfish for leaving UK Construction only a few weeks after starting. Mind you, for a basic wage of at least £3k more than what I'm currently on, I'm fairly sure the guilt would fade reasonably quickly. Also, it kind of feels good to be able to say I work in advertising when I'm asked what I do for a living. There's a lot of money to be made in the job I currently have, but that all depends on whether or not (a) your heart is in it, and (b) you believe in what you're selling, and in my case, neither is true. I've already had my job threatened twice this month (my first month) and I've just barely hit my target with 1 day of selling to go, and to be brutally honest, I don't enjoy working under that level of pressure and stress - they're not paying me well enough to take it.

Having said all of that, I really like the people I'm working with. I've made some really good friends, I've gained the respect of my boss, my team leader and one of the head office managers, the chances of gaining promotion are really good, it's a huge challenge, and I'm working in advertising. It might lead to something better in either publishing or another form of media.

The only word I have for my thought process at the moment is GAH!!!!

Stolen from anyaphoenix

Fri, 26 May 2006 13:05:47 GMT

Not as much as I thought. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing...

I love time off...

Fri, 26 May 2006 12:44:26 GMT

I am now on my second day off work. I forgot how fabulous doing nothing is! I'm actually sleeping for more than 4 or 5 hours a night, and it's wonderful!! Aside from the fact that last week my bitch of a boss decided to threaten my job again, it's actually starting to be bearable in there. The people I'm working with are really nice, the hours are reasonable, and I recently discovered that hatred of Aimee is an office wide thing - it's not just me!!

Yesterday, I spent most of the day in my pyjamas, getting dressed only to do groceries. Then spent half the night watching DVD's and drinking tea. Today, I plan on doing nothing (except maybe laundry) and I'm playing deadlands tonight (yay for gaming).

In other news, the possibility of Paul and I getting our own place has become much more achievable. Paul has been made temporarily permanent - they've given him a diary and an email address, and he's now bringing in a weekly salary. Huzzah!! Hopefully (all things going according to plan) we'll have our own place by July. I love the people we're living with, but I never expected to be here this long. Still, it could be worse. I could still be living with my parents.

Speaking of my parents, they have to be out of the house by this evening. The contracts have been signed, and the girls are moving in tomorrow. What my dad doesn't know, is that my mother is on holiday in Bulgaria (don't ask) for the next two weeks. She has most of her stuff moved out, but everything else is going to have to wait. Also, I just remembered that I still have a key to the house in Whitehall. Not that it's any use to me now, but still.

Also, at some stage this weekend we get to smash up the couch. Well, really it's a futon that kind of got a bit broken... It's gotten to the stage where there's a huge depression in the middle of the couch where the wooden slats holding up the main cushion have all snapped and the cushion is sinking through to the floor. It sounds awful, but it's actually quite comfy - until you try to get out of it. So Niall decided to go out and get "tools" to break it apart with. "Tools" being a hammer, hatchet and lump mallet. I've laid claim to the hatchet and have spent the last few days sitting in my hole on the couch with a giddy look on my face chanting "Jen Smash" at various different intervals throughout the day! Most fun!

Does this sound like me?

Sun, 21 May 2006 17:20:15 GMT

You scored as Gangrel. You belong to the Gangrel bloodline. Gangrel are very in touch with nature and for this reason are often loners and hermits. They have a very keen sense of the beast inside them and can let it out with devastating results. They do, however, have a bit less control over their impulsive, animalistic nature and are easy to drive into an uncontrollable frenzy.

</td>

Gangrel

92%

Malkavian

79%

Toreador

75%

Tremere

71%

Nosferatu

54%

Brujah

29%

Ventrue

25%

What vampire clan do you belong to?
created with QuizFarm.com

Really crappy day...

Wed, 17 May 2006 18:41:45 GMT

Right, today was really horrible!! Got up and went to work. Without cigarettes. Almost completely without petrol in the car. No, I've not given smoking, I just didn't have any. Was late leaving, dropped Paul off at his temp job place, and I continued on. As the fuel light kept flashing, I kept panicking, until I got to a point where I was in floods of tears before I'd even set foot in the door to work.

Got to work, and being a few minutes late, there was nobody to help me in the door with the wheelchair. So I decided to be industrially minded and do it myself. This was a HUGE mistake. I managed to fall over (taking my wheelchair with me)and landing in a soggy heap (it was raining today) on the floor. I was found a few minutes later by one of my colleagues who promptly picked me up, handed me a cigarette, and told me not to worry about my boss (cos she's a bitch and I was worrying she was going to sack me cos I was late). My team leader promptly followed, saw me, and headed off upstairs to make me a coffee.

My day was going reasonably well (all things considered) until my boss Aimee (I know, it's meant to be Amy, but she's anal) called me into her office, and told me that both the training manager (Jan) and my team leader (Scott) had come to her seperately and said they didn't think I had what it takes to work in outbound sales, and unless I hit my weeks target by Friday she's going to fire me. She even asked if I wanted to cut my losses and leave there and then. THEN, she told me not to get upset about it. All this right before I went on lunch.

My team leader, Scott (lovely bloke - really sound and really good looking so I'm pleased!) saw me leave in a teary-eyed heap, and followed me outside. He sat me down and made me tell him what - and I quote - "that bitch" had said to make me so upset. Told him and he looked like he'd just been hit in the face with a fish! He finished his lunch and marched back upstairs and told her in no uncertain terms to leave his team alone, or he'd report her for harassment. I then went on to take a sale. Go me.

Then, having left work and gotten self to the car in one (albeit soggy) piece, I went to collect Paul (with a twitching petrol tank). Got home (finally - after 2 hours being stuck in traffic) and have just been fed. The world is not as nasty a place now.

Apologies - I just needed a rant.

Feel free to steal this and use it against me (that means all of you)

Mon, 15 May 2006 17:25:07 GMT

Stolen from word_maker:

1. I'll respond with something random I like about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll name something we should do together.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or just me).
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll leave you a quote that is somehow appropriate to you.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, please post this on your journal.

Go on...I'm waiting *starts giggling like a lunatic in the corner*

This is SO me!

Mon, 15 May 2006 17:10:29 GMT

Which Spike Quote are You? (now with more quotes!) by azalago
Name
Sex
Spike Quote	I don't like to brag. Who am I kidding? I LOVE to brag!

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Apologies again for the long delay in between posts - things have been kind of hectic between work and travelling the length and breadth of the country!

Does this thing still work...?

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 10:34:40 GMT

Apologies to all for not updating more frequently, things have been mental for the last few months.

Since August, I have lived in my lovely little flat in Ballsbridge, my parents have officially seperated, I had a fantastic Christmas, I got engaged, my car got mangled twice in 2 weeks, and I moved to Manchester.

Am currently in negotiations with a company who want to pay me a lot of money to work there, the only problem is that they are totally uncontactable!! The bloody cheek!!!

I'm living with friends at the moment, and so far we haven't killed each other, but Christ is it tempting! There's just so many things that don't make sense in this house... like leaving post all over the place instead of having one place for post like bills and other important documents, or the total incapability for a housemate to laugh without going supersonic on us, or never doing the washing up, or claiming to be anally tidy when in fact you're really not, or claiming that there's loads to do but spend all your free time either playing computer games or watching TV, or never setting foot outside the door unless it's for work or to visit other housemates parents!! Thankfully, I have managed to retain my sanity by spending lots of time in the city centre, eating lots of fabulous food, and going for interviews almost every day. Hopefully as soon as the job thing is sorted out, we can get our own place. The room that Paul and I are sharing is about half the size of your average bathroom, the wardrobe is completely taken up by larp gear (none of it's ours) and there's no room to put a cat, nevermind swing one. I've seen a few places I'd love to rent, and even more I'd like to buy in, and they're all stupidly cheap. So as soon as we get sorted, I'm having a massive party and you're all invited!!
I just need to figure out where I'm putting you all.

Parents have been trusting me to my own devices and have only spoken to me for very brief amounts of time, which is a huge relief. Nice to know they can function without me without killing eachother.

Sadly, no other gossip on my end - I haven't been here long enough to partake in any insane rituals or set anyone on fire. Give me time, just give me time...

RE: Piercings

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:13:05 GMT

Not sure I could ever go with a nipple piercing.

Paul would kill me.
It would hurt like hell.
I couldn't breast feed (if indeed I ever have kids)

It's just NOT right!!