Panic!
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
Topic: Stephen Says
Rightie ho, here is some more gratuitous pointless blogging:

Elisabeth has just blown out of the house because she's late for a hair consultation and hasn't eaten her pancakes. Tut tut.

Today's going to be very hectic - She's off to Guildford this afternoon to pick up some proper, office related clothes, followed by a birthday/Halloween party in a pub.

Me? Well now that I'm no longer in posession of a housewife, I've got to roll up my sleeves and start doing some laundry & shopping today before I head off to Wimbledon for my own Halloween party.

Work has gotten quite busy after a few quiet & boring weeks but at the same time, I'm more experienced than I was when I started and it's very nice to be able to actually fix people's peoblems instead of delegate them to other people.

For Halloween, the residence will be blowing up the back lawn with fireworks and then I'm going to see Woking's yearly metal concert with a few of the younger guys. It's the same band, etc from last year. I don't know if y'all remember all that. It's the thing that involves saving children who's skin fall off.

Then on Tursday I've got to go into London for more of this NVQ3 stuff. I checked out what we're going to be covering and part of the day will be explaining just what the hell an NVQ3 is.

Oh, and my supervisor has given s a CD re-writer but it doesn't have any cords or wires. Anyone (Sean) know what wires I need to buy???

Nothing else is going on but I should stop doing this and get a move on.

I'm Blogcrastinating.

Forceable Entry
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

I'm forcing myself to blog, as I'm a bit unfocused, but still want to try and keep up the posts even when I don't really feel like it.

"That's never a good reason to blog" someone is probably thinking. But who cares!

Stephen is sleeping-in tonight at work. So I'm all on my lonesome. He did stock the fridge before goin, and left a bottle of wine, bless him.

It turns out we've been scammed on our NTL Broadband deal...and I'll try and sort that out tomorrow. They said 9.99 for the first year, but have charge us over twice as much. Sacrilege!

Today was a good day at work...started making calls, putting more orders on, filing, sending out samples, and sending out invoices. Nothing to blink an eye at. The best part is I started at 9, had a good 30 min. lunch with Andy & another bloke, then worked until 4:45, and was told to go home.

We've been invited to the Xmas do on the 16th Dec, so that should be fun. Rumour is everyone gets blasted, as it should be.

Tomorrow morning I'll meet with HR to sort out payment, contracts...then it's one of the sales team lady's birthday so we'll go for lunch at a pub all together...yay! Oh...and Fridays are dress casual, and everyone usually leaves at 4:30. I can hardly believe this! It was not strange for people to stay until 6 or 8pm on a friday at my last job. I admit to having stayed until 7pm on a couple of occasions. But no more!

Also, now with a bit o' money, I'm going to finally take care of some beauty things...starting with a hair consultation to pick a new cut.

Tomorrow's Friday, so I wish you all a good one, and hope you partay it up this Halloween weekend.

First Day is Over!
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

SOOOoooo....

I got home to find I'd been set up for 2 interviews which I've now had to cancel. But I feel confident I've made a good choice of employment.

My supervisor, Andy, met me at 9am and then we had tea and chatted in the canteen for about 1/2 hour. Tea is free! Coffee is not... I was introduced to the team, my desk, and the layout of the office, labratory & warehouse. I tried really hard to remember everyone's name, and tomorrow will be the real test.

I was introduced to the products: cleaners, protectors, flushing systems, leak repairs, water conditioner, limescale removers, solder, fluxes, jointing tapes, etc... all for plumbers to buy at merchant shops, so no individual sales. Therefore, everything is very methodical, and I started to put some orders onto their system.

Everyone was very friendly, so I was put well at ease. The lovely thing is that its a quiet atmosphere, and people generally start leaving around 4:30, so that after 5pm, there were only a few people left in the office. Yay!

A short walk home, and I had time for a run, cancelled interviews, reheated dinner stephen had premade, and am now searching websites for office clothing inspiration.

All in all, it doesn't seem real!

Euphoria
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I GOT THE JOB!!

9am tomorrow: Elisabeth goes back to work! i.e. no more blogging :(

-Company: Cooksons Electronics
-2004 profits of Cooksons: 3+ BILLION (not joking)
-Listed on the FTSE 250
-Post: Sales-Coordinator
-Contract is temp. 4 months, with liklihood of permanent contract.
-Salary: More than my last job ;)
-Commuting time: 5 min. on bicyce/15 min. walk in heels
-In-house subsidized canteen.
-Job Description: to come tomorrow...

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!!

Yowzers
Mood:  vegas lucky
Now Playing: PJ HARVEY
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Dizzy , dizzy... I am really excited right now after my interview, b/c I really would like to get this job, and I might be starting on Thurs.!! But I shouldn't be excited until it actually happens...so stay tuned. In the meantime, read a rare-blog entry by Stephen below!

Just Stuff
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Stephen Says
It's very strange how, with E unemployed and me working, the blogging duites have been reversed. Ah well, my life the last few weeks has been pretty quiet as I just work, work, work.

That said, it's going very well and I'm pretty on the ball with it all. I've been taking care of things, organizing events, just a few things to take care of this week and then I'll be totally caught up and then I get a call yesterday and it turns out that my manager will be going over to another project for a few months and in all liklihood, I'll be getting this temporary promotion. Which will mean that my work-load will be trebled and I will be working some of the mad hours that I was working back when I started when we were totally understaffed.

Of course, there is a rumoured pay rise but I'm not getting my hopes up.

I don't know, other things? I went to see a soccer match at the local stadium (Again, work related) and I have to apologize to all our guests who have been to visit us that we never took you to one. Tres entertaining and a good laugh that'll only cost you 10 pounds. D'oh!

Um, what else? I can't really remember what I've been doing.

I guess that the final note of interest (Again work related because I no longer have a life separate fro those of the residents) is that I've been confirmed in post, which pretty much means that it's going to be very hard for me to lose my job. As a 'congratulations' for this, I was invited to sit in on an area meeting with all the managers of all the residences in this area and our area manager. After 3 hours, I was ready to stab my pen into my leg just for a taste of what life is like. By the time the meeting ended, after 5 hours of bickering, digressions, cigarette & coffee (tea) breaks, I wasn't able to string 2 words together.

And that's about it. I will be the representative for Together at the Woking Mental Health Fair at the H.G. Wells Centre coming up on November 16th so if you're interested & in the area, why don't you stop by.

Corrections
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

I love going running on Sunday mornings around 8-9am. It seems to be the only waking hour when there is nobody up and out. No cars, no pedestrians, no people raking leaves in their gardens gawping at the blond sweaty mess scarring their environment; no one is out (ok, I saw 2 people).

After all my endive/chickory blogging, when I got to Saisbury's they had sold out. The market didn't have any either. Sigh. Apologies for those of you who were desperately looking forward to how our chickory meal turned out. It will happen eventually.

And, my predictions for cleaning all day and being a housewife were also incorrect. Debbie collected me on her way to Aldershot to look at the market there. We wound our way through backroads, getting lost, etc... Finally at the market, it wasn't so hot, lots of cheap hamburgers, and two meat auctioneers...we didn't stay too long.

But I am continually bowled over by the surrounding countryside and the countless turn of the century large (enormous) brick houses that must cost upwards of 800,000 pounds.

In short, Surrey is beautfiful. It must be the endorphines typing.

Stephen's working again today, but maybe, maybe, he'll post a blog soon!

Working on the Weekend
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
This weekend should not prove very exciting for blogging as Stephen slept at work last night, and will only be home on Sat. & Sun evenings, where he will sit down in front of the computer with 4 cans of cider and read blogs/newsarticles, watch funny videos and play violent games.

The idea is we're supposed to make up for our dud weekends by living it up the weekends Stephen's free...but right now with money tight, we just have to do the best we can with a cheap bottle of wine and boggle.

I will take this morning to clean the bathroom, vacuum and do some laundry. I'll pump up my bicycle tyre, grab my endive recipe, go to the library, shop for groceries, cook dinner, and lovingly welcome Stephen home in my apron (don't be dirty! I'm talking fully clothed and wearing apron as if I've been cooking!) Stephen will then shove me aside when he sees there is cider, plonk himself down in front of the computer, and there you have it.

Sigh, housewives can be so under appreciated!

Stephen, I'm joking...

On a separate note, thanks for all of your book suggestions! Your response was overwhelming.

Oh! There is an urgent temp vacancy that needs to be filled as a sales admin./co-ordinator for which I have an interview on Mon afternoon.

I will brush up on interview techniques this weekend, b/c this job would pay well, and is just a few blocks away, for a multi-billion corperation! The contract would only be until Jan. so no undue pressure. Gee, I do hope this works out...

Have a good weekend all.

In Quest for Endives
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Where can you get endives in England? I can't find them on Sainsbury's online, so I'm going to take a risk and go into town, armed with an endives recipe. Don't worry, I'll bring a back up.

Stay tuned for the outcome...

OUTCOME: Yes, Sainsbury's does have endives, or the closest to it: chickory. So all's ok.

Theatre and Religion
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I started writing a reply to JC's comment on the 18th's entry, but it got too long, so here it is:

That is interesting about people studying with you thinking it doesn't matter if what they study is relevant or not. Because, I've often suspected that theatre and religion have a lot in common: why, didn't they actually emerge from the same thing?? Which was storytelling, dance, and worship of whatever spirits, ancestors, deity, or perceived greater being... As you know it was all one and the same, way back when. Then as things developed the spiritual element and the storytelling element split and developed into concrete forms (but then were joined together by God in a book called the Bible)...on come morality plays, pageants, guild theatres, real theatres, and still the Christmas pageants of today.

(Breathe in some air) All this to say that both the western theatre and Christianity are commonly thought to be irrelevant in this day and age of technology and science. But notice that I only accuse the western traditions of theatre and religion, as in specifically poorer countries, religion and theatre still function and are integral to the culture and society.

Some argue that religion/spirituality is necessary to be a well-rounded, complete person. That you can't experience the fullness of life without it. Theatre I don't think offers the same argument. But it's similar in that it can teach people how not to repeat mistakes, how not to fall into stereotypes, how to look critically at politics, and to be made aware of the personal cost of things. It should create awareness, and therefore a healthier society. So maybe where religion deals with the individual, theatre deals with the community. Only, Christianity has fought hard, tooth and nail to be in charge of community by 1) persecuting the theatre and 2) laying down rules and guidelines, which eventually have been discarded, because they are not healthy (relevant).

I would argue that spirituality and theatre are extremely relevant and necessary to contemporary life...to help ground individuals and to provide reflection on our fast-paced culture. Only, spirituality is commonly available in the form of religion, and theatre is commonly available in the form of commercial entertainment (and really, what is the difference between those two--both out to make you feel good, take your money for profit--while putting on a saintly face)...naughty elisabeth

So it is extremely irritating to hear that your classmates (who are in the higher tiers of education), do not think that it matters if something is relevant or not. Things should always be relevant, and things should always move with the times!

___

So that's my rant for the day!

Stephen's in Basingstoke for more training, I'm sending applications, register with agencies, and more research on this play.

Finished reading a book called Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Semi-autobiographical about growing up in Rhodesia (Zimbabewe) and dealing with western culture interrupting the traditional (patriarchal) way of life. Very well written, and fast read. Now I've got the new Alice Munro short story collection: Runaway. Excellent. Every story is a gem, and always leaves you with a few minor mysteries to work out for yourself.

Anybody got some book recommendations?

Right...gotta go get the job papers...