Blah! Not enough coffee = grumpy blogging
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
Topic: Stephen Says
I'm counting down the hours to a fun 25 hour shift at work. It's always like this when I have to pull this stunt: A bit of dread and then I show up and I feel more dread and then, by 9pm, I just want to kick all my co-workers out so that I can hang out with the residents & watch TV. The Hitcher is on tonight so Big Excitement there.

Then I get up tomorrow, stinking of cigarette smoke & eat a shitty breakfast and catch up on paper & course work all day while chatting to residents, before I slink out of the house at around 3 and head home to where there some chilled cans of cider waiting for me in the fridge and a nice hot shower.

And from there I have to fight the urge to get pissed because I've got to be back at work on Sunday morning at 8:30AM. But that's not a tough fight because I'm usually in bed by 9 o'clock, anyway and Sunday is fun because it mostly involves cooking a roast and watching TV shows for deaf people. Which is funny and sad all at the same time.

I'm constantly surprised by how much London sucks. Yesterday I had to get in there early for my course and I'm perpetually disgusted by the sad sack business men all doing work on their lap tops in the train, bustling into the tube station... honestly, it's like the 1930's movie Metropolis. And then, ass soon as you're on street level in the city, all these dopey zombies suddenly go into London mode and go whizzing all over the place, bumping into each other like a three year old with tunnel vision who hasn't taken his ritalin.

I had a good conversation about theatre in London but I just can't get excited about it. The city & it's mind-set ruins it for me. If I was God, I would spike London's water supply with horse tranquilizers.

The Evening Post
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

I got home and panicked. Not job related this time...but because Stephen wasn't here. No messages on the phones, and his mobile was turned off.

Muggings, bombings, accidents...

Turns out he was in London having drinks with a girl. An old classmate. Training day my arse...

Even though I knew he was having a rendez-vous, why was he still out, and not contactable? It turns out Stephen was on his way home on the underground when I tried his phone...so he then called me and put me out of my misery after only 5 min. of Panick.

What's up with me? Protective, jealous, possessive, paranoid? Or just not used to breaks in routine?

No---I'm just a concerned and loving lovely wifie...

Anyway, today was a good day...another day in the deep-end at work as the two other sales people were out of the office, leaving me to figure things out...which is a good way to learn.

Friday is dress casual day & I'm looking forward to wearing flats for once!

I tried personalizing my desk a bit...I bought a little potted plant, brought in a little (non-Innova) photo frame, and a little trinket from Hong Kong. I'll slowly rearrange things to erase the previous users, and then, and only then will I feel properly settled in. Funny how territorial I am.

Anyway, looking forward to the weekend...I feel a winter clean is in order.

Arrivaderci

Windy and Rainy
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
It's a cold, rainy and windy morning, so shoot...it's just not running weather...

Stephen's making his toast, and will soon to off to Londun for his training.

I'm eating toast, and have run out of things to say.

Me Too!
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: And You Will Know Us By theTrail of Dead
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Didn't end up doing any theatre stuff...hopefully tonight. Did go for a run this morning, did go to work (so did Stephen), and we've had leftovers for dinner, Stephen was kind enough to bring a fresh baguette home...so we're now happily full.

Today was my first panic ...wait...

Stephen wants me to say that he'll be acting deputy manager now (unofficially--but will get increased pay), for either 2 weeks, or 4 months...and so he'll be working more, and blogging less?

Anyway, today was my first panic that I've started working at another office. Now that I'm getting settled, I've had a chance to reflect that this is not the way I get my kicks...and will have to figure out how to resolve this, in time.

Anyway, here's a picture of my new haircut...from one angle...

And while Elisabeth was blogging...
Mood:  spacey
Now Playing: BBC Radio 4! Ooooooh!
Topic: Stephen Says
This what I looked like when I showed up to Snowdon's Cristmas party:

And this is what I looked like at the end of the party:

I never got out to the metal concert last night - setting off fireworks was much more exciting.

It's Halloween and I'm Blogging
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Yes...it has been a while. Comparatively.

I hope you are all having/had a more exciting Halloween than I am/did. I can hear fireworks going off not too far away, and saw a band (probably Draven) tuning up in the town square as I got groceries after work. I remembered then that last year Stephen & I went out to see the teenage-crowded concert and enjoyed it. This year, I can't feel bothered to go, it's like Halloween is not really happening. But Stephen will be there with a couple of the residents tonight.

So this last weekend was the start of cleaning up my appearance for work, and I finally got a haircut. It's nice, but I've got to figure out how to tame it! On Sat. I went into Guildford for a birthday party, and went a bit early to do some serious shopping...only coming away with a pair of trousers. Stephen chastised me on Sunday because I am so silly about buying clothes that don't go with anything else. So he advised me on what to look for, came with me to the department store in Woking, and actually made suggestions as to which shirts I should try on...and I came away with 4 new tops, all of which go with other things I have. I never would have picked these out on my own. I'm also always wondering why people mistake Stephen for being gay.

But I win on both counts...a great personal shopper, and a great husband ;P (Sorry Stephen---you can edit this blog later if you like...)

So I went to a party, Stephen went to a different party, and who got blasted? Yup...but I managed to bike home from the station, and not remember the rest of the night. Stephen on the other hand drank responsibly and had a very good time.

Work's going well...I've started answering customer calls, and accidently disconnecting them instead of transferring...

I'm meeting more and more serious office people than I could ever dream of...and I don't dream of that.

Done the laundry, cooked a ratatouille, and hopefully will work on some theatre stuff. Tomorrow my plan is to wake at 7, go for a quick jog, shower, tame my hair (if possible), eat breakies, work, come home and crash.

Hope you all had a spooky one.

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!!