Make love, not war

I just had to post a link to this article that I found linked from another blog. Anybody with an opinion about the war in Iraq should read it.
It's basically a letter home from an American Marine summing up his past year,

My favourite bits
Most Surreal Moment — Watching Marines arrive at my detention facility and unload a truck load of flex-cuffed midgets. 26 to be exact. We had put the word out earlier in the day to the Marines in Fallujah that we were looking for Bad Guy X, who was described as a midget. Little did I know that Fallujah was home to a small community of midgets, who banded together for support since they were considered as social outcasts. The Marines were anxious to get back to the midget colony to bring in the rest of the midget suspects, but I called off the search, figuring Bad Guy X was long gone on his short legs after seeing his companions rounded up by the giant infidels.

Biggest Surprise — Iraqi Police. All local guys. I never figured that we'd get a police force established in the cities in al-Anbar. I estimated that insurgents would kill the first few, scaring off the rest. Well, insurgents did kill the first few, but the cops kept on coming. The insurgents continue to target the police, killing them in their homes and on the streets, but the cops won't give up. Absolutely incredible tenacity. The insurgents know that the police are far better at finding them than we are — and they are finding them. Now, if we could just get them out of the habit of beating prisoners to a pulp...

I had better stop readingvery worthwhile articles, actually get dressed and head back to Sheffield, I promised Lex I'd pick him up from the station, which isn't going to happen if I'm still at home in my pyjamas!

Cristmas is over, Long live Christmas.

Well the annual torture is over, I like some elements of Christmas, but I am finding myself becoming more scrooge like the older I get! Watching other people open their carefully chosen presents and seeing the delight on their faces is wonderful, opening my own is agonising, I do sometimes wonder if these people actually know me?
I also love the food that goes with it, but I do wish I could be left to cook it, I wouldn't say I'm fussy, rather a perfectionist, and I think this is where christmas falls down as you get older, as a child you don't really care about the fine details, and don't even notice them, but I do, and need to have them or somehow Christmas isn't perfect.
However this year was an improvement on previous years, we weren't at home we instead spent the week in a holiday cottage in North Wales. I have avoided strangling every member of my family though at times the temptation to do so was very very strong. This years preents on the whole were better than previous efforts. I only received one thing that went on to the pile for instant recycling! This I feel is a record, considering last year I finished the day in tears with a cry of I don't want any presents next year, I'd rather people gave the money to charity than see all this stupid waste!
Christmas was also helped by being somewhere where we could do things, walks nd bike rides meant that I could stomp in to the distance pretendig that what had just been said hadn't upset me. The week was also helped by Lex coming and rescuing me just before I was ready to start screaming at my normally wonderful family members. We can normally get along but a week of forced proximity by a small cottage was just too much. I even took him for a bike ride so he could actually test his new bike.

So all in all not a bad Christmas, but I'll still be campaigning for changes next year! I no have the joy of work to look forward to!

Hours spent wanting to be violent to people- countless
Actual outbursts of violence- none
Hours spent walking- 25
Hours spent biking- 6
Hours spent playing Trivial Pursuits- 8
Hours spent eating- too many
Hours spent Climbing- None!!!!!
Hours untill I can go back to Sheffield- 18
Number of root canal fillings-1
Number of Dental appointment remaining to complete root canal filling- 2
Hours of work done- 0
Hours of work that must be done if I am to pass the exams- too many


Bah Humbug, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year

I have regained my life!

It's so nice to have actually finished for christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love my degree, but 12 solid weeks of it with no break is enough to sap anyones enthusiasm!
I'm spending a week in Sheffield for several reasons really, I get to spend more time with Lex, I get to actually socialise with my friends, I had an interview for my teacher tarining course, and there was no way I was organise enough to go home right at the end of term!
It's been so nice over the last few days to have time to actually interact with people, for the past few weeks my life has been taken over by coursework, I'd forgotten what some people actually looked like. But over the past few days I've been out for Lex's work Christmas do, which was very nice, been to the climbing works with some friends and had a really good time. I'm also going to get all my Christmas presents from Lex tomorrow. On Wednesday we're having a take away social gathering, and then on Thursday I'm going climbing again.
Wow what a busy social life, and then I get to go home and see family.
I had my PGCE interview today and I think it went really well. They can't actually say they're offfering you a place, but he did say he was very impressed with my interview, and kind of said as near to "you've got a place" as he could! All thisis very good news as it means I'll be staying in sheffield for at least another year and I'll be doing something I really enjoy.

all dressed up

That's me with my mouth open! btw.
Well last night was the annual climbing club Christmas meal. Yet again the girls revealed that they owned legs and dresses and shoes with heels. The boys meanwhile showed that you can put a man in a tux but you can't take the climber/biker/walker out of him, there were far too many approach shoes going on for my liking!
It was a very good night though, highlights included paying £12 for a bottle of wine that bore a closer relationship to vinegar than any wine I've drank! The panto (I think, I'm sure it was very good guys, but I have no idea what happened!) and the DJ who thought he was the coolest guy going, but he at least payed cheese for a long time. the transition to dance music was the cue to take Lex home however!
Leaving early did mean that I missed out on the final dance and seeing who ended up snogging who, any gossip then just send me an email! Did Tatts manage to pull the delightful fresher that apparently Si had a thing for? after all it's not the xmas meal if someone didn't indulge in a little tonsil tickling, and I should know!

Well as promised I'm back to write all about my horrendous work load, why are all my modules due in at the same time, there's no justice!
However thing sare looking brighter, after spending the last 2 months in the lab collecting the data, I have finally written my 5000 word report, my poster for parasitism is finished, and even better my Biology and Ethics poster is done. All I have too do now is edit and check them all, now that is going to be hard. My brain works in an odd way, and as a result my brain works even more oddly, so all my writing is very odd! If that makes sense. so as a result there is lots of editing to be done.
Anyway by Wednesday all this will be over, and in the evening I have the fun of the climbing clubchristmas meal to look forward to. I'm actually going to go and get my hair cut and for one I get to dress up, pictures to follow!
In preparation for my PGCE interview next Tuesday I went and spent yesterday in a secondary school, and I actually really enjoyed it. I miss being with that age groups of kids on a regular basis! I was in one lesson which is made up of those with learning disabilities and behavioural problem when someone decided to set off a firework! Well at least it's given me something to talk about in the interview!

I've been ............ bouldering, must wash out mouth!

Well since my last post I've been on yet another weekend away. (I'm really rubbish at writing regulary, I'm very sorry!)
Yet again we were in North Wales, though this time the weather wasn't quite as good. Lots and lots and lots of rain!
Saturday was spent driving to Llandudno. We had planned to spend the morning in teh Salte Museum in Llanberis, but only the Welsh would decide that the one day a tourist attraction closed would be a Saturday!
Anyway we had a go on a toboggan run, and then went bouldering (for those of you that know me you'll know what a sacrifice that was!) However I did actually quite enjoy it.


The Sunday I decided to be nice and go and play with some freshers on some multi pitch on Little Tryfan. We had a very nice day and I actually managed to get more than 1 route done in a whole weekend! All that was left to look forward to was the drive home in a minibus, with only me driving. For all you 3rd years with too much work you missed out. We had a great weekend despite the weather. And anyway I always judge a weekend away by the level of bruising sustained. Our exploits kitchen bouldering on friday night can still be seen on my legs!


The Christmas dinner was also fab, and a welcome start to my estimated 3 christmas dinners this year. Speaking of which, it's now December, I really had better get the last of my shopping sorted, I started off so well, and did loads part way through November, since then it's all gone a bit wrong!
Anyway I'm off to go and cook some tea, my belly's rumbling and then I really need to do some work. A post about my mountains of work may follow in a few days, as the amount I have to do is unbelievable!

All hail Welsh slate

Ok so I'm not in so much of a hating mood as I was when I wrote my last post! Anyway since then I've been away again (last weekend in fact, but hey I'm slow!). Far more successful weekend, only got one route done this time but it was on some lovely slate, however I then fell over in the car park and resprained my ankle (it's along story I'll tell it if I get bored one day.) So that put pay to any climbing for the rest of the weekend. I therefore spent the next day driving about North Wales in a minibus, mostly dropping off bikers, the picture is of my lovely boyfriend on the bike he has spent a small fortune fixing for this weekend!

The slate was surprising good fun, I'd never climbed on it before and I really enjoyed it. My humble acheivemnets wereput in to perspective by watching Aly climb some ridiculous nails looking E4 called Poetry Pink. the guy seriously needs his head examining, I'll add a photo as soon as I get sent any, unfortunately I forgot my camera so I had to borrow one.

If you were followed by a large red minibus then you really need to speed up your driving, as for those I overtook you need to hand in your license! Oh yeah I also passed my minibus test with all of 3 minors, so I'm very pleased with that. And I also quite enjoy driving the, in fact it's my main reason for going on the nest weekend away!

Well that with the fact that we seem to be collecting annoying kids at work, we have the attention seeker who refuses to come down the wall just so she gets all your time, the kids who are obnoxious brats who don't seem to think they have to listen to you, and the kids who spend their whole time fighting. I swear I feel like a boxing referee and UN peace keeper all rolled into one! All made worse by the fact that I can do very little about their dreadful behavior, some kids are however on their last warning before we say we don't want them, as even the liberal Terry has had enough of sorting out the aftermath from their fights!