Soooo funny

Things My Girlfriend And I Have Argued About

Oh my word!!! I have just stumbled on this site completely by accident, and I think I can honestly say it’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen on the internet. I’m sure DBF would sympathise with many of the points made – but honestly, what does the man expect if he tells his girlfriend “Those trousers make your backside look fat”?

Live Simply

BUAV Home Page

I was listening to Sarah Kennedy on Radio 2 as I drove to work the other morning (horrendously early in the morning, I have to say), and she has a ‘Pause for Thought’ section. For some reason this one really struck a chord with me – the essence of the message was the quote (sorry I can’t remember who it’s by).

“Live simply, that others may simply live”

And it occurred to me that I don’t make enough of an effort to buy things that are environmentally friendly, FairTrade, Organic, Animal friendly and all the rest of it. I make the excuse that I’m a student, and I don’t have the money to pay extra for Fair Trade coffee, or ‘green’ detergents. Well, that’s a pretty poor excuse on my part, because I have money to buy DVDs, make up, go out to the pub occasionally – what would it hurt me to sacrifice some of those things to make sure that the people growing the coffee are paid fairly for what they do?

This prompted me to go to the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) website, and I was horrified that in the 21st century a lab animal dies every second in the USA. (Slightly better in Britain, but only because we outsource most of our testing IIRC).
*Please note, I’m NOT against medical testing which is important and (mostly) necessary.* When I was a teenager (about 15 years ago) I was terribly concerned about this, and would be extremely careful about whatever I bought, but I’ve been lulled into a false sense of security, and I believed that most cosmetic testing on animals was now banned. But evidently I was wrong.

So, my new resolution is to be much more careful about what I buy, and to have far more concern about the world I live in, and the people and other animals I share it with.

Optician

I’m so cross with my optitian!! Well, the contact lens fitter to be precise. About 6 months ago, I got new contact lenses, and in my right eye I had to have a toric lens (or something similar) with vertical correction for astigmatism. Well, I couldn’t see properly – lens guy told me I had to get used to them, my eyes would adjust etc etc. Anyway, I haven’t really been wearing them much because after going back 4 or 5 times, things were still blurry, and (I think it was them) they gave me horrible migraines.

Anyway, today I went for a 6 monthly check up, and saw a different contact lens lady. She said that I don’t need my astigmatism correcting (because it’s so small that I haven’t really got one!), and that the previous guy read my prescription wrong and thought that a 2 was a 7!

I can understand the mistake – but would you not think that when I kept going back and saying that I can’t see, have horrible migraines that he would have double checked! So now I’ve suffered with the wrong lenses (and paid for them!) for 6 months!!!

Well, at least I can see properly now.

Went shopping today and spent FAR too much money – but I did manage to buy some beautiful things for the wedding. I was going to take photos and show you – but I think I should keep some things secret until afterwards. I bought a tiara, necklace, bracelet and earrings and spent £85 all together – which I don’t think is too bad, as I’ve seen some tiara’s going for more than £100!!

Book Quiz

I found this book quiz on Karen’s blog (she’d seen it on someone else’s, so it must be doing the rounds). Although, I’m not too happy with my answer:

You’re The Catcher in the Rye!
by J.D. Salinger
You are surrounded by phonies, and boy are you sick of them! In an
ongoing struggle to search for a land without phonies, you end up running away from
everything, from school to consequences. In this process, you reveal that many people
in your life have suffered torments and all you really want to do is catch them as
they fall. Perhaps using a baseball mitt. Your biggest fans are infamous
psychotics.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I hated this book when I was at school – I thought it was the dullest thing ever aside from Tess of the D’Urbervilles. So I’m not sure exactly what that says about me……

Lent

BBC – Shrove Tuesday
BBC – Ash Wednesday
BBC – Lent
The Easter Page

Today is Shrove Tuesday – which must mean that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. As always, I will be giving something up for Lent. This year’s chosen delicacy is pizza. Not perhaps the most traditional choice – but probably my favourite food ever, so it seems like a good choice to me. I’ll also be fasting on Good Friday (maybe Ash Wednesday as well – I’ll have to see if I feel up to it!).

I’ve been doing a bit more wedding planning – I’ve filled in most of the form for my special licence, sorted out what set shots I want from the photographer (just need to check those with DBF), and I’ve ordered the rest of the blank cards I need to make my stationery. That cost me over £85!!! I can’t believe it’s possible to spend that much money on bits of card – but it’s still a LOT cheaper than buying the ready made stationery.

I’m getting a bit nervous now about speaking at this conference next week. I agreed in a weak moment, and it’s come around rather sooner than I expected! I’m not actually saying all that much, and I’m sure it’ll be fine – but it doesn’t stop me feeling a bit anxious about the prospect of having to stand up in front of 200 people! We’ve got a final meeting about it today, so hopefully I’ll feel a bit better after that!

University Strike

Tomorrow one of the Univeristy tutors unions is going on strike, so many of my lectures will probably be cancelled. (We’ll not get into my thoughts about striking in general just now – let’s concentrate on the problem at hand). We’ve been given a phone number that we have to call between 3pm and 5pm today (hmmm, that’s convenient). So I call the number and the poor woman on the other end of the phone must have had to speak to a hundred other people just like me. Well, she knows that half my lectures have been cancelled, but doesn’t know about the others. So, I have another number to call. I ring this, but there’s no answer. So I leave a message. As yet no one has got back to me.

So, what should I do tomorrow? Turn up just in case this 2 hour lecture is on? Or stay in bed? Hmmmmm – tricky choice! Shame I have to be in town later that day anyway, or else I could have a whole day of doing nothing!

Blog Changes

Well, I’ve made a few minor changes to my template and stuff. I’ve added some more Blogs, and a link to a Blog ring as well. I’ve also added in a ‘comment’ facility, so I just hope someone is reading occasionally – or else I just spent over an hour making changes just for my own benefit!

Haven’t really been getting much work or anything else done – when I’ve finished work and made tea and everything, I can’t find any spare motivation to do any work, and on a weekend, I just like my time off too much. Every semester I tell myself that it’s going to be different, that I’ll work steadily, and won’t have a mass panic two weeks before essay deadlines and exams. And every semester I don’t manage to do it! Ah well, why change the habits of a lifetime?

Off now to watch burly men in tight shorts (aka Six Nations Rugby Championship).

Ikea

Yay!!!! My week of horrid shifts is over! Last time I posted I wasn’t feeling great about work, but after a couple of good nights sleep, I’m feeling much more positive. I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of days at work – the people who work there are so lovely, and I’ve actually felt useful at times!

What is it that happens to your brain when you become a parent that makes you think that a trip to Ikea in the school holidays is a fun day out?

I had to pick up some shelves, and I forgot that it was half term holidays. Ikea was packed with parents wandering aimlessly around (not actually buying anything!), and hoards of bored children getting yelled at for climbing on the displays.

It took me 45 minutes to pick up two shelving units. And then, because of their stupid parking arrangements it took me another 20 minutes to find a locker to leave them in, go and get my car, wait for a space in the loading bay, get my trolley out of the locker, and then manhandle the shelves into the car!!!!!! The checkout girl said that there would be men in yellow jackets to look after my trolley and help me put them in the car, but they only arrived when I was 90% done with getting them into a car that is only about 6inches bigger than the (very heavy) shelves, and in such a foul mood that I insisted on finishing the job myself!

On the up side, DBF has now put them together, and I think they’ll help him keep the attic much tidier.

Holidays

Gallery :: Holidays

Well, it’s been really hectic, but I’ve finally managed to get the photos of last year’s holiday in Wales up on the website. Follow the link above to see them.

I’m quite stressed about all the little things in life at the moment. I’m on placement at the moment, and this week I’ve had a horrid shift pattern, and added to that there are lots of staff shortages which just makes things even more difficult. Then yesterday, someone shouted at me at work, and for some reason it really got to me. But I’ll get over it.

I’ve also agreed to speak at a mentorship conference that the university is organising – it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m a bit nervous, and also wondering how I can fit in the meetings that I need to go to, to sort out exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.

Then, to top it all off, I’ve got toothache where I think my wisdom tooth might be coming through! Aaaaarrrggghhhhhh!!!!!!!

Well, that’s enough ranting and feeling sorry for myself – but roll on the weekend!

Gallery

Gallery

Well, I’m really on a roll getting things sorted out on my website! DBF very kindly loaded the ‘Gallery’ software onto my website for me, so I’ve spent most of today recreating my cross stitch albums. I think it’s a fabulous piece of freeware, and it’s going to be soooo much easier to add new photo’s and stuff.