Renting isn't fun.

I don't like having to sort out renting a house every year. It's getting annoying!
This year me and Lex are sharing a flat, we want something with 2 bedrooms, that isn't a shithole but at the same time not so expensive we'll be paupers next year. Now that doesn't sound too demanding does it. Well so you'd think. Everything seems soooo expensive in the areas we're after.
We finally found a really good flat in the right area for a really good price, rang up as soon as we viewed it to find that it had gone 30 minutes earlier. I could have cried/screamed! Luckily the same landlord owns another flat in the same block. The current tenants aren't around at the moment so no-one has viewed it yet. Because we lost out on the other he has said he'll let us know as soon as they're back so we can look round. We've said if it's the same as the other one we want to sign a contract and get this whole annoying process sorted!
Only problem is the time the contact starts, 5 days after Lex has to leave his current flat, and 2 weeks after I have to leave mine. We'll sort that out nearer the time though. I'm sure we can persuade some people to keep some of our stuff for us for a few days and if not it'll have to go to my parents house. We're also kind of hoping the current tenants leave a few days early, in which case we might be able to move in a few days early.
Ok enough of that, I'm driving Lex mad with it at the moment poor boy, but I can't seem to settle until I know this is sorted! Anyhow I'd best try and do some work, but worryingly it seems like I know everything which can't be possible!

It's nice to be back at work

Well by the end of last year I was more than ready for a break from my little darlings that I teach at the climbing wall. They're all good kids but you can get a bit tired of breaking up the fights, placating people that yes it isn't fair that they've had less go's than everyone else but that you can't do anything about it now as the session is over, and you need to go and return to normality! However after a 2 week break from then I was actually pleased to see them all. They're just as annoying as I remember but most of them are a pleasure to teach. I was talking to a few of the parents about their progress and the change some of them have made in a few months is amazing. While it is the kids that have achieved this I'd like to think I was a helping hand along that road. While I don't think I have the next Leo Holding amongst them, I may well have the next Lucy Creamer, no really she is that good. She gets up boulder problem in her trainers that I've seen adults struggle on. The main problem is that her main sport is gymnastics and her Mum is none to keen on climbing distracting her from this. In the mean time I'm happy to continue teaching her what little I know, and can only hope she sees the light! though seriously I hope she continues with whatever sport makes her happy.

Things are looking up

Well since my last post things are a bit more cheerful. I have a place to do my PGCE next year, conditional on me gaining my degree, so I'd better get revising then. This bit isn't going so well, in preference to revision today I have cleaned the kitchen and bathroom untill they're spotless, and taken down the Christmas decorations. It's also nice to be back in Sheffield and be in charge of my own life again, just me and Lex and to be honest that's just how I like it. some friends are already back so we're getting together on saturday to catch up. I've also been climbing since we got back, definitely feeling a bit of a loss of fitness!
Anyway I really had better go and get some work done, I also need to think about starting to find a house for next year, something I could really do without!

Happy New Year

Things just don't seem right at the momment. It mosty feels that I'm just marking time untill this year is over. My degree no longer seems all that interesting and is simply a means to get me on a PGCE course and start doing what I'm really interested in. I have a set of exmas then another 12 weeks of teaching then one more set of exams then it will all be finished, quite scary really, it only seems like yesterday that i was a scared little fresher hobbling round crutches. Speaking of which I finally have a physiotheapy appointment to see if I can get my ankle sorted out any better. I'm sick of having an irritating amount of pain every time I do things. It's not enough to really stop me doing anything but does mean that whatever I'm doing isn't as enjoyable as I woudl like.
Not surprising when you see what it looked like after the accident!









The New Year seems to have got both me and Lex down, neither of us really want to be doing our degrees anymore but a least I have a definite goal at the end of mine. We both spent last night in his flat watching Blackadder, fell asleep accidentally at 10.30 then were woken up by fireworks, said Hapy New Year and went back to sleep. What an exciting life we lead!

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.