Well, it’s been another age since my last update - wedding planning is in full swing now; have a few things booked already with the dress search well underway Why isn’t normal shopping as much fun as trying on wedding dresses, that’s what I want to know!

Not going quite so well are the driving lessons, as perhaps evidenced by the fact that I’m still having them :/ I keep having what is known in the business as ‘brain farts’ whilst on the road - think it is mostly this affliction that is standing between me and being able to pass my test. I did ask my instructor if I could just book a test and see what happened - I could have a good day! - but oddly he didn’t seem too keen on this plan! Apparently I need to achieve things like confidence and consistency first. So the lessons continue along their merry and expensive path.

My new job is going pretty well - still have periods of wanting to be somewhere else doing something else but that’s working life for you. Have made quite a few friends there and it’s a nice working environment which counts for a lot in my book And using QuarkXpress is fun as job related tasks go And we get breakfast briefings every now and again where we get danish pastries and tea in exchange for listening to talks And we have away day meetings at nice hotels with free lunches sometimes So not a bad place to work when all’s said and done!

Categories: Driving, General, Wedding
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Well, here it is - my last day of working for the Uni!! The oddest thing about it is that I’m not actually feeling all that odd at all about the prospect of leaving - just feel much like I would on any other Wednesday! Not that I won’t miss the people here - I shall do and shall keep in touch with them if I can - but I think I’m ready to move on after almost three years here and I’m looking forward to my new job at the moment That and my head is far too full of wedding thoughts and forthcoming holiday excitement to devote much attention to oddness I think! Had my leaving lunch yesterday - went to a nice self-service Italian restaurant and got given some very cool, very me pressies including Shrek 1, 2 and 3D on DVD, the Doctor Who sticker album, and cookie cutters with cook book set

So, an afternoon of desk tidying and re-qwertying my keyboard awaits, followed by a few days off, and then a nice brand spanking new job to get to grips with

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Time for another update methinks as a heck of a lot has happened in recent weeks!

I have found another job! I start work at a really nice place with lovely people on 30th April as a Report Developer - will be sad to leave some of the people I work with atm but looking forward to moving on to new things and hopefully developing some sort of a long-term career at last!

I’ve also found a new driving instructor with BSM who does Saturday mornings since my last one, who was lovely and good luck to her, left - hoping I get on with this new bloke and can get back on track as this learning to drive lark is starting to get expensive now!

As far as wedding planning goes, I have a wedding planner (lovely pink ringbinder with pockets and advice and useful planny things that I’m hoping will make a nice keepsake when it’s all over) and have started accumulating website bookmarks for Hairdressers, Dresses, Photographers, Cakes, Florists, Bands, Venues, Shoes and all other things wedding. Have a nice pile of venue brochures and wedding magazines too with a few band demo CDs thrown in - lots of thoughts but no actual plans made as yet - not bad for having been engaged a month and a day though!

And Doctor Who next Saturday with Series 4 confirmed - things are on the up indeed!!

Categories: General, Wedding
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Since my last, rather more exciting than usual post, my free time seems to have jumped ship to join Shrek and Princess Fiona in ‘Far Far Away’ - I can’t think of the last time I had so many things on at once!

Firstly, of course, I’m now in wedding planning mode - still trying to decide on where and when atm but we’re set on a church wedding and I have reception venue brochures to look at and cheer me up whilst engaged in the other things I have on atm including:

- job hunting: in the weeks since finding out my contract isn’t being renewed (did I mention that?) this has become something of a part-time job in itself. Personally, I think being able to organise a job hunt, attend interviews, learn to drive and plan a wedding all at the same time whilst working full time on top means I can do just about anything. Sadly, the employers of Exeter don’t all agree with me so the hunt continues…. Maybe I should actually put that last sentence in my applications…

- driving lessons: whilst these were progressing nicely until before we went to Brussels, they’ve now taken a bit of a U-turn (do you see what I did there?) as my instructor is leaving BSM. I get on really well with her so I’m going to see if she’s going out on her own and will take me on - until my next official lesson with her on Saturday I’m in BSM limbo though :/ On the plus side, I’m now much better at driving my new fiance’s car and I think he’s much happier at the thought of me driving it too!

- Java/JavaScript: these have taken a bit of a backseat lately but I’ve been given an extension for the first assessment which has taken the pressure off a bit and hope to find time at work to catch up on everything when things quieten down a bit there

- losing weight: this has also taken a bit of a backseat since Brussels as I’ve had so much to that has meant leaving work early I haven’t been able to take a lunch hour and spend it at the gym. I don’t seem to be putting any weight on which is good, and I did walk home from work today to get a bit of exercise, which I might start doing on a regular basis if the weather’s good so I’m doing *something* that doesn’t involve sitting at a computer!

- the aforementioned ‘at work’: whilst I appreciate still having employment, and thus an income during my jobhunting, all of the above would be a lot easier to fit in if I didn’t have it on top of everything else!

On the one hand the fact that three of the above must be sorted and past tense by the time we go to Florida in 4 and a half months is comforting; on the other hand the fact that three of the above must be sorted and past tense by the time we go to Florida in 4 and a half months makes me want to curl up into a little ball and wake up in Orlando when it’s all over!

Categories: Diet and fitness, Driving, General, Study, Wedding
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Chocolate swirl shortbread seems to be a success - hoorah! I have now decided however that, at anything less than maximum temperature, our oven doesn’t like to cook things unless they’re on the very top shelf :/

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About time I posted another update I think, and what better time to do it than the day after my 26th birthday?
Being 26 feels a lot more significant than any other birthday I can remember having for the simple reason that it’s the first time I’ve been closer to 30 than I am to 20, and that’s scary! 30’s that age for women when mothers start commenting on the biological clock (tick tock, tick tock!). It’s when Bridget Jones decided that enough was enough and it was time to take stock of things. Thankfully, I’m doing somewhat better than Bridget - I have a lovely boyfriend But even so, being closer to 30 than to the much more laid back (and younger) 20 has been a bit of a shock to the system!

Anyways, putting all that aside, I did have a very nice birthday involving a trip to the new Vue cinema in Exeter that beats the Odeon hands down, and this evening I am off for a meal with some friends I am making chocolate swirl shortbread this afternoon - or attempting to - from the Green and Black’s Chocolate Recipe Book that I got for xmas - the ‘dough’ is in the fridge at the moment so hopefully the rest of the mission will go ok after my cup of tea.

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Well, I’ve put in for my theory test - should be in a few weeks time. I had a nice little letter from BSM saying I should probably get on with it so I did, spurred on partly by the fact that I can’t make another driving lesson until November 11th and I wanted to do something constructive to make me look nice and dedicated Going to pick up a cd-rom with test questions and things over the weekend so I can swot up a bit.

The lessons are going really well - I feel I’ve taken a bit of a leap forwards in the last couple of weeks. Been going along the old A30 - using higher gears, tackled my first three-point-turn and roundabout last weekend and whilst the roundabout thing will take some practise (being on the right hand side of the road was most weird - finally understand what people are going on about!), the three point turn went very well! Have enough in my account to pay for another 20 hours almost on top of what I’ve got left to take which should see me through hopefully, then it won’t cost very much to insure me on Kev’s car it seems which is a bonus

As for Torchwood - what can I say? Welsh and actually proud of it for once - not a pot noodle in sight and Cardiff has never looked better Love John Barrowman - he’ll do til Dave Tennant is back on our screens - and Eve Myles is great in her role too. Keep it up BBC - you’ve done well lately! We hardly ever watch TV but for the past few weeks have spent Friday -Sunday evenings being entertained by Maria hopefuls, strictly come dancers, Robin Hood, Not Going Out, Have I Got News For You, QI, Jane Eyre (Mr Rochester - the new Mr Darcy!) - are you spotting the Beeb theme?

Categories: Driving, General
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Anyone else been addicted to this recently? I have to say, I can see Connie winning, and while that would be no bad thing by any means, I would really love to see Siobhan get the part as there’s just something about her that I’ve liked since she started singing ‘I could have danced all night’ way back in the beginning. Honestly, how did one person get to be so pretty *and* good at singing, and presumably drawing too?? It’s really not fair :p

In other news, I start driving lessons this weekend (in a simulator to start off with to get some confidence up and protect pedestrians everywhere for a little bit longer) - little bit anxious about how that will go but hoping it’ll be fun It better be - it’s costing enough!

Categories: Driving, General
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Yes, I know it’s still August, and therefore *technically* still summer, but there’s a definite autumnal vibe in the air now, at least around these parts. I had a feeling the warm sunny days might be behind us when it bucketed down last Saturday and we had a little stream where our patio normally resides for a while, and the theory seems to be bearing out so far.

Don’t actually feel as if I’ve had a summer as such this year - or rather, it feels as if it was all squeezed into the start of July when we went to Coychurch for a weekend of birthday and wedding fun, with an extra surprise serving of engagement. I think part of that is down to not having had a holiday this year - even though we didn’t go to Florida til September last year, we had it to look forward to all summer, and working here where there’s not much to do from June to September and everyone else is off for weeks at a time you do notice it when you’re the only one not going away . Next year will be better though - holiday in it’s planning stages already

And autumn’s not so bad - reminds me Christmas is on the way, and if there’s one time of year I love it’s Christmas

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Missing bags, dangerous old ladies with hand cream, boys without tickets, hand luggage restrictions - where will it all end I wonder? I’m not actually opposed to the hand luggage thing, although the missing baggage is more than a little worrying! Glad I wasn’t flying recently anyway.

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Main things to have happened since my last post:
- got my Green Tag in TKD
- went to a friend’s wedding
- celebrated some birthdays and an engagement (not mine)
- saw Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
- saw Return to the Forbidden Planet
- socialised
- witnessed the break up of the Doctor and Rose Tyler (ok that one didn’t really happen but it was pretty sad nevertheless!)

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Not written anything for a while so time for an update methinks.

Still doing TKD, although finding it really hard going at the moment thanks to the weather (heat + hayfever = unpleasant++) and the fact that I always seem to be in discomfort for days after sessions :/ Got a possible grading coming up in a couple of weeks - will see how that goes and take it from there next term.

Got a wedding coming up an a few weeks aswell along with a few birthdays - looking forward to early July muchly Have lost a fair amount of weight and bought a skirt for the wedding last week - need to get shoes and a nice top to go with it now.

Went to see Return to the Forbidden Planet in the Northcott Theatre (on campus) the other week - was brilliant fun! Have had the songs in my head ever since - particularly Robot Man for some reason.

Games wise, I still haven’t gotten very far into Oblivion - got caught up in modding it but I can’t play it without getting a headache as my graphics card just isn’t up to it - PC upgrade is on the list for when I can spend money a bit more freely anyways Have gotten into Guild Wars again tho, particularly the latest chapter (Factions) so have been playing that a fair bit recently.

Work is the same as ever - not all good news then.

Over and out.

Categories: General
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It’s one of the few times of year when I’m glad I work for the uni - closure week Have seen a few friends, watched the odd film (just seen Men of Honour which I thought was excellent), played a fair bit of Oblivion (finally went with a female Breton magey/swordy type after a phase of playing with the face gen and am coming along nicely at Level 4), pre-ordered Guild Wars: Factions along with Family Guy Season 4 and American Dad Season 1, and on Saturday we are going out to eat Chinese food in a tardis with a river and a grand piano in it

And speaking of the tardis - DOCTOR WHO 7.15 SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

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Well, I’ve been using Dvorak for about a week now and am finding it much easier altho still some considerable improvement needed. It feels better than using Qwerty did (Qwerty itself now feels most odd indeed) altho passwords and non-letter keys are still proving to be a pain. My guitar practice is also going well - I now know what ’sus’ and ‘add’ mean in terms of chords and my theory is getting better; still need to work on getting to grips with barre chords tho as they’re not flowing yet.

In other news, I’ve given up on the gym in favour of walking to work - it’s cheaper, means I can still leave at 4pm and makes me feel a bit more alert in the mornings. It also means I am no longer quite so old woman like with excess gym on top of TKD I’m also having another of my WoW phases, altho not at the expense of other things like the afore-mentioned guitar, TKD and domesticity.

Categories: Diet and fitness, Games, General
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Today (well yesterday) I decided to switch to Dvorak as my wrist has been playing up - a few hours in and my touchtyping is slow but better than it ever was in Qwerty and it can only improve …. or drive me insane

That is all.

Time to post: about 5 mins…. hmmmmm

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It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m sitting on the sofa idly chatting to people, having been out to lunch earlier with Kev (obviously!) and Dave B and had a yummy vegetable broth and toad in the hole, with an evening of Saturday telly and left over pizza ahead of me - bliss Been getting fed up lately of having to go to work and TKD in the same place and feeling as if I lived there so a relaxing weekend away from the place was just what the doctor ordered.

Currently looking forward to Valentines Day which I’ve booked as a day off work - lie in, brownies and a meal in the evening on the agenda; TKD very much not It occured to me earlier that all the holidays seem to be squeezed into 4 months of the year with nothing between Easter and Xmas other than a vacation if you can afford one….seems most unfair to me, pressie getting should be more spread out throughout the year like pressie buying seems to be :p

Categories: Friends, General
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I read today in the IMDB forum that there are plans in the works to make a film version of Les Miserables the musical - Cameron Mackintosh is said to be looking for a director as we speak! If this happens I abso-blooming-lutely must must must own it

Speaking of films, last night I spent some of my birthday present on the following in the Play.com January sale: Pocahontas (Special Edition), Tarzan (Special Edition) - I think it’s now just Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid that I’m particularly after although when I have more room and money I may decide to venture into the older films aswell - Chicago and Sister Act 1 and 2. I’m going to spend another £25 or so on pre-ordering Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (the sequel to Morrowind) as I really want that too

And speaking of musicals, a nifty little series (and sadly it is little) has started on BBC1 called The Sound of Musicals. The last show starred John Barrowman (aka Captain Jack of Doctor Who fame), David and Carrie Grant (Fame Academy vocal coaches), Misha Paris (soul/pop singer), Jon Lee (ex-S Club, now West End star), Ruthie Henshall (the original Roxie Hart and Fantine in the Les Mis 10th Anniversary concert) and Jill Halfpenny (Kate in Eastenders, winner of Strictly Come Dancing season 2, now West End star) and there were some excellent performances! I’ve read that next week’s has Aled Jones, possibly instead of Jill, but hey, not arguing with him as a singer Nice to see something like this on TV for a change instead of the endless reality-tv shows and soaps

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Just watched Phantom - Oh. My. God. And that was just the Steve Harley/Sarah Brightman version of the title track. I think Evita might just have been knocked off the top spot in my favourite musical film list let’s put it that way

In other news, hoorah weekend!!!
That is all.

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Yes, I’ve been to the gym again so the regime is going well so far, at least in as much as I’m still at it. I’ve upped my fruit intake aswell and as a result of making my own lunches have lost the mayo and lashings of spread that I used to have in my sarnies too. I really should weigh myself at some point so I know how much work lies ahead of me but I’m afraid of getting too hung on up on weight when what I’m really after is slimming down and getting fit - I’d measure it in belt holes but I don’t wear one so I guess the other option is just to assume that it’s having the desired effects

Found a tenner I thought I’d lost aswell earlier so, what with that and the prospect of a new sci fi comedy, Hyperdrive, starting tonight, which may or may not live up to Red Dwarf and here’s hoping it does, and an otherwise fairly relaxing evening planned, I’m having a pretty good day all told

Categories: Diet and fitness, General
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I thought I’d change the look of my site a bit and convert it all to Wordpress - amazing how much fun webby work is when it’s something you’re interested in I’m particularly impressed with the banner as that really was all my own work (unless you count the taking of the actual photos which was Kev :p)

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