h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hope your new bookshelves have lived up to expectations, and your Library is now well stocked and well organised

It has been a mini heat wave in the UK at the weekend. About 30 degrees which comes as a shock to Brits. Played tennis last night but I wasn't very keen to run around too much, and appart from that I kept indoors as near to the fan as possible!

All the best.

Suzie

p.s. When did you change your H2G2 Name?

I changed my name just to see who'd notice. By the time you read this, I might have changed it back.

The bookshelves are looking good, the library's in much better order than it has been for a while, and the trio of wooden giraffes on top of them look good (if a little bizarre) too. I'm finally happy with the way the house is organised...

Well, that was a brief little post. I was interrupted. I wish I could remember what I was going to say next...

*clutches tissues to nose, which is bleeding*

It's cold, there might be snow later, and there's bloodstains on my desk. Life is clearly taking another stroll through weirdness. I hope it's being nicer to you than it is to me.

Hi Ivan

Hope you have managed to get the blood stains off your desk and are back on an even keel again. I am currently reading a book by Garth Nix, it is labelled as a tennage book, but I often find that they are the most interesting fiction/fantasy books and I am enjoying it so who cares if I am the wrong side of 20
I have pre-ordered the next Harry Potter book which is due out in the UK on 16th July, I was surprised when I ordered it that I was offered the choice of child or adult version, so at least I know I am not the only 'grown up' who likes these books.
It is funny to read you are expecting snow when it has been 30+ here last week which is too hot to be comfortable, luckily to cooled down at the weekend. I went to a pop concert on Saturday, the first I have been to for a long time. It was organised by the local radio stations and had 16 different acts, so there was something for everyone. It was good but I wish they would not sell whistles just outside the doors, the music was loud enough then you had people blowing whistles right next to your ears as well! Next time I will take cotton wool or ear plugs, I think I would enjoy it much more like that!

Suzie

I got the blood off the desk, but a subsequent episode left a stain on the carpet. Never mind, it'll soon fade to a colour that's present in the pattern, and nobody will ever notice.

Generally speaking, life was behaving nicely for a few days. Until today. This morning, the wheels fell off quite spectacularly. I'm not sure if there will be repercussions or not, but basically I underwent a type of temporary mental collapse in the office. I take that as a sign that all is not well, but I can't get an appointment with my doctor until Monday afternoon. Until then, I'll be sitting here, trying to be calm and tranquil. I can try, anyway.

Hope the weekend has helped your situation and you are feeling better.
On Friday I was given a letter at work telling me that I was not going to get any pay increase this year, despite meeting all my objectives - I asked if the people who made that decision were applying the same rules to themselves, but was given a polite "no comment" as a reply . It does not do much for my motivation!

Better go my lunch break is over and if I am not back at my desk soon I will be put on the "naughty list" and have to fill in a form!!

All the best

Suzie

I hope that events in London haven't affected you directly. It's all rather grim... We've had flags here at half-mast today.

I have a job application to write this weekend. I hate the process of writing these things, but it's a necessary evil. I simply must get another job. It's as simple as that. I don't think there's any chance that I'll regain my equanimity while I'm stuck in that place.

Thankfully nobody I know was caught up in the London bombings. I have booked a holiday in central London mid August, so I hope eveything will be back to 'normal' by then, though it will make me more nervous about using the underground. It is all so mindless, the news is still full of reports on the investigations and trying to make sense of it.

Good luck with your job hunting. I know it's not easy changing your job, the forms seem to get longer, then there are often tests before interviews - what type of job are you looking for?

Suzie

There's no logic in this at all, but I'm feeling quite superstitious about telling anyone any details of the jobs I'm applying for or thinking of applying for. Tempting fate, and all that. I'll just say that they will mostly be government jobs, at least in the short term, and that the main headache of the moment involves an application that will end up being about 8 pages of free text, as well as the standard form. No wonder I'm having the most amazing bout of writer's block.

As for London, and the Tube, and so forth... Just remember that anything can happen. In fact, anything usually does happen. You'll be as safe there as you would be anywhere. But then, I'm a fatalist, so I would say that. There have been accidents on the Tube before, and people don't get concerned about that all the time. Frankly, an accident would be more likely. Just grab some and set off. Mind the gap...

I understand your reluctance to give specific details about the jobs you are going for, you don't really know me - I could be a big hairy bloke from Brisbane just pretending to be me.
I was not asking for specific jobs just wondered what kind of work you did, you know Accounting, Marketing, Procurement etc...
I am on a Helpdesk, soft of fell into that role almost by accident. It has it's ups and downs but it could be a lot worse.

Good luck with the job hunting, hope by now you have got over your writers block - don't forget to keep a copy in case you need the same sort of thing for the next application!

Have a good weekend. I am off to my sisters tomorrow for a BBQ.

Suzie

I knew a big hairy bloke from Brisbane once... Nice chap, but inclined to be a bit right-wing, like a lot of people from that part of the country. He was a rather good cook. I've no concerns about such people.

The lack of detail about the job really is pure superstition. Once I get a job, I'll happily admit what it is. Whatever it turns out to be, it can't possibly be as socially crippling as my current job, investigating welfare fraud. That's a conversation-killer if ever there was one, which makes me think that a lot of people have a guilty conscience.

The writer's block resolve itself in time for me to lodge the application. I'm now waiting for the next worthwhile vacancy to appear. *twiddes thumbs* I'm also freezing my knees off, for some reason. The heater's on full-bore, I'm rugged up, and my knees are cold. How absurd.

Trying to do things at once and failing miserably I am trying to write to you and eat my lunch at the same time. Unfortunately after only 1 spoonful of my chocolate mouse (what else!) I have dropped my spoon - dilema - do I continue with the message or go and get a spoon by which time it will be time I was back at my desk
Due to the chocolate on my chin you can summise I have tried a third option which has not proved too successful.

Got to go. Have a great weekend and hope you find the job of your dreams (or at least better than the one you have currently got) soon.

Regards

Suzie

I also have chocolate on my chin at the moment. I wish I didn't. I wish I had more willpower. I'm supposed to be On This Diet, after all. Unfortunately, I'm also hungover like nobody's business, and I've gone into 'eat everything in sight' mode. I'll regret it tomorrow, no doubt.

I haven't found any other jobs to apply for yet. There were a couple that looked interesting, but when I made enquiries there were a few details that put me off. So I have a weekend uncontaminated with the need to write things. I'd enjoy it more if I hadn't enjoyed it quite so much last night...

Hope you have recovered from your hangover and eating binge! I was hoping weight before going on my holiday, as some of my clothes don't fit me anymore, but everytime I was good, I then spoiled it with being twice as bad the next meal or inbetween meals - if only chocolate tasted like brussel sprouts or cabbage I would be as thin as a rake.
I am off to London tomorrow, should be hectic and expensive but fun.
Are you into Cricket at all? I am not usually, but the last England v Australia test match was won by England to level the series by only 2 runs which must have been very exciting for the spectators.

All the best with the job hunt.

Suzie

The hangover's gone, the diet's back on track, and I'm feeling.... well, hungry, I suppose. A bit virtuous, but mostly hungry. Also disconcerted, as we're having our third corporate restructure in 18 months. All the more reason to get out of there, I think.

The job hunt is still underway, in a low-key manner. I'm having writer's block on a whole new application.

As for cricket - I'm afraid it means nothing to me. I've never understood the game. I'm not sure that I ever could either. I think the cricket gene might be an anglo-saxon thing.

Have fun in London...

Hope you are still on track with your diet. My willpower is not strong enough at the moment, when it comes to Chocolate v virtuous hunger, then unfortunately the temptation of Chocolate wins

London was great! The increased police presence was visible, and some were carrying rifles (near Downing Street), but I also noticed that they must have been told to work hard at PR because I noticed two policemen joking about Tony Blair to two American tourists, and then they gave their helmets to a young couple and used the couples' camera to take a picture of them! I asked two armed police if I could take a photo of them and they were happy to let me. There are so many things to see and do in such a relatively small area that we walked alot, as it was just as quick as the tube, although we did use it sometimes.
I think I need another holiday just to recover from this one!

Regards
Suzie

The diet's more or less on hold at the moment. I'm waiting until the end of Winter to start again. I'll be in the garden more, moving about more, and it will be easier to manage a diet.

I'm glad London was fun - armed police aside, it sounds like it's as close to normal as it can be.

The next few weeks will be quite busy here. There's a deadline for several projects, a house-guest, another house-guest, and then in October I'm planning a short holiay in Melbourne. (All the more reason to diet; the best clothes shops are in Melbourne... A chance for a new wardrobe, hurrah. I must keep that in mind.)

This is just a passing visit - I'm tidying up my space, and moving threads that matter up to the top. Hence this post with no real content... Here, have some .

Looks like I will be having quite a busy patch soon myself. I have enrolled on 3 night school classes, craft classes and Photoshop. I might also be moving again soon. Found a 1960's house with a lovely but slightly neglected garden. Being an older house there is lots to do to it, including an extension if time, position of drains and money permit.

Just come back from a few days in Liverpool. Looked around some of the tourist Beatles sites, and then went to the beach at Southport - the wind as blowing, the sea was miles out and under a thin layer of sand there was disgusting soft mud, so a stroll on the beach did not turn out to be the pleasure it normally is! Ate far too much whilst I was away.

Regards
Suzie

Three classes? Goodness, how industrious. I can't even get motivated to enrol in one... The thought of doing the papwerwork is just too draining.

Seriously, I *must* arrange to do something in the new year. It will get me out of the house, if nothing else. I wonder if there's a course in chocolate-making. I think that would manage to capture and hold my interest.

My office is turning into a complete farce. Management is having its little tribal war, while the rest of us sit around and wonder what the point of it all is. At any rate, I'm home today as there was simply no point in going to w*rk. I think I'll survive unscathed. My evil boss won't.