Moving On

This blog has, for many reasons, been discontinued. If you enjoyed it and want more let me know!

Distraction Technique

Am leeching off dear friend Neil’s wi-fi as the ‘incredibly generous person’ near me who had an open connection got wise and closed it. Wise person… grrrr… Anywho.

There is wrestling on the TV which disturbs me. There are men bitching at each other like two old ladies. This is the oddest place I have posted in… and my mind is blank. I think this will take forever to write.

Relationships. That’s what the conversation is about. Re-la-tion-ships. Yep. There’s a conversation I am really good at. (Any of you laughing are getting a glare… and then an embarrassed nod.)…

Currently about how many degrees of separation is sensible between ex- and current. A friend of your ex is okay, but a best friend is a no. The best is the bit which is important because, says one, your current girlfriend has to have someone they can talk to about you… because your ex can never talk to your current girlfriend. One was telling about the ‘scariest moment of his life’ – the moment his current girlfriend admitted knowing his ex… so it’s not really the ‘best’… it’s the friend… (See bloke’s change their minds too)…

The other bloke – yes, in a heartbeat.

I put forward ‘would you go out with a friend of a friend of your ex?’

At first it was a straight yes from one… buuuuuuut, oooo, chinese whispers of information would get through and would this be worse? There is the thing that excuses can be made easily, ‘she’s crazy – it never happened like that’…

Ex’s sister? Yep.

Ex’s mother and all other age appropriate female relatives? (Yes from one) The other umm-ed and argh-ed about it – it apparently depends on how close they are. (Not how closely related they are, how close friends they are).

Would the men here go out with their best friend’s ex? Yes, yes, yes. There is an element of violence (this started a one up – you’d never be able to hurt me thing which was quite funny) coming from their best friend that they would have to deal with… and also an element of comparison… buuuuut if she was a supermodel and his best friend was on the other side of the world it wouldn’t matter.

The supermodel clause apparently overrules everything.

And because I like to torture them (and my mind was still blank) – who is the most attractive woman in the world? Eliza Dushku as the first straight answer from ‘depends guy’ (whereas we all know it’s Katherine Heigl)… The one who said yes to sleeping with anyone said “there is no such thing as the most attractive woman in the world – every woman is beautiful in her own way” which simultaneously made me go awwwww and throw up a little. Mind you he said this while playing Battle for Middle Earth 2.

Both men are single.  Both men have complicated ex- lives.  Both men need help… A little…

The reason why I posted all this is because I have been watching too much CNN and freaking out about So-Cal and all you guys who live there.   I am hoping, wishing, praying that you are all okay…  The news is really scary.  I shouldn’t be allowed to watch the news channels.

[tags] mind of man, degrees of separation, [/tags]

The Search Goes On

Why is there never a glass of something around when you want one?  Why does no one want to employ me?  Is my CV really that rubbish?  Why is Royal Mail striking again?!  Why hasn’t my suitcase full of money arrived?!  ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!  I am beginning to lose hope.  I don’t know what on earth to do anymore.  There just doesn’t seem to be any point.

Yep, so it’s Wednesday, middle of the week and I am feeling a little bit… down.  NO, that’s the wrong sentiment.  Not down as in climbing under the duvet and staying there for a week.  I feel…  personally useless.  Yep, that’s the one.  I have been sending out press releases for the Scouts which makes me feel a little bit useful but then  I turn to my stuff and see that it’s all a bit rubbish really.

I’ve got to shake myself out of this.  It’s either that or the cardboard box/homeless Mac owner scenario.

New city?  Maybe it really is time for a new city.  I mean Preston is lovely… sometimes… but it really enjoys smacking me around the head and I am not into the pain so much.  So…  yes, I have commitments around here but what can I do? Seriously.

Oh, I know I’ve written this (or a variation of this) over and over again but nothing really seems to change.  I know there are no magic answers and a fairy godmother isn’t going to appear out of thin air but once, just once, I would like something to go my way.  Just once.

I did something yesterday that I haven’t done in a long time.  I went and sat in a church and prayed.  Don’t know why.  I was walking past and the door was open and my feet just led me inside.   Mind you, I suppose this was a better idea than going to a bar and spending lots of cash I don’t have.

So, instead of plugging in my postcode into my favourite jobhunt website I left location blank and hunted through the hundred’s of things I might be qualified for and have blanket sent out my CV in the hope that someone somewhere will go, huh.

I have even sent some abroad in the hope that someone somewhere will go, huh, in (please God) English with an accent.

In the meantime if anyone anywhere knows any company who is looking to employ… etc etc etc.

Jeez, is it really supposed to be this hard?

[tags] work, job search, [/tags]

Creeping Around

Okay, was asleep, then I awoke to a bang downstairs, definitely the sound of someone downstairs…  I grabbed my trusty mobile (for it has light) and headed to the head of the stairs.

There’s a shadow.  It looks like someone wringing their hands together in preparation to wring my neck. OhmyGodOhmyGod ohmygodohmygodohmygod…  What the hell am I going to do?   Flicking open my phone and poising my thumb over the 9 ready to dial so the emergency services can hear my screams I gingerly put my foot on the top step.  The shadow definitely moved ohmygodohmygodohmygod – this is it.  I am going to die at the hands of a petty chav thief who got in through the walls.  Back door!  I forgot to lock the back door!!!!!!  I am so stupid – they can put that on my tombstone.  ‘Here lies Bec – she was so stupid’

Foot on the bottom step now, I can hear breathing and a weird thumping sound.  I can hear their heart beating!  Their blood must really be pumping with the promise of my murder.  I’ll put the light on and temporarily blind them before running out the front door and screaming the street down.  Yes!  Plan!  Get a good look at their faces so I can identify them later.  Infallible plan!

Wait! No!  Adam, 22 year old ‘baby’ brother is here – staying over for a couple of days.  Typical this had to happen with company in the house.  If they had come yesterday… You can’t leave him in the house to suffer the same fate.  You can’t wake him either – he has a long day ahead of him!  Okay, turn on light, surprise/blind them and negotiate your life for his or something.

Okay one two three… four five six…

Paralysed.  The shadow looks weird, like he has a third arm and he’s just waving it aound.  A bit like… the… tree outside my window.

Cough…

Locking back door now…

[tags] delusional, not home invasion[/tags]

Words on Screen

Am enjoying a monet of open hot-spot joy.  I noticed there werw bars showing on my Airport and clicked and prayed!  Oh yeah, internet at home for a second!

So, the first episode of Ugly Betty was genius.  I swear to god, burst into tears at the end.  “He’s gone”.  Loved it, loved it, loved it but you all know that – you all saw it, right? Ahhh, ne’ermind.

The joyous thing about it all was after Ugly Betty there was a ‘Comedy Showcase’ thing – part of Channel 4′s ‘Oh God, we’ve been going for 25 years and 99% of the good stuff we show is American but we’d better put on an effort’.  Martin Freeman.  He’s funny.  Shame the script wasn’t.  Well, there was one line, “I can’t go to prison.  I only lasted three weeks in the cubs.”.  Well, there was another line, well… okay some of it was funny.  But it was smile wryly at the effort made – like the look you give kids when they mix mud and water and tell you it’s coffee.

It was a night of things starting – Numb3rs on ITV (yes, that’s right there was a show on ITV that I wanted to watch – this is the fourth sign of the Apocalypse).  Judd Hirsch, David Krumholtz (you’ll always be Mr Universe to me) and Peter MacNicol – just joy joy number-y joy.  I mention it to loosely drift into a small rant about subtitles,

I may have mentioned my Subtitler’s need a kicking thing before but today while enjoying Numb3rs I had the subtitle’s on and they were talking about Pi.  Now this is a show with the title numbers, they were talking about formulaic equations (and other intelligent things I could never really understand) but the subtitler took it upon him/herself to continuously write the word PIE.  For God’s sake!  Over and over again PIE PIE PIE PIE.  In my head it got to the point where I was bashing the eeeeeeeevil subtitler about the head with a large metal vowel screaming NO E! NO E! NO E!

I understand that you can’t add every ooo and ahh to subtitles but every scripted word is a start right?  I mean, screen writers have spent days, weeks, months wracking their brains for the right words or even the right sentiment!  My favourite of the last few weeks was on (mumble, mumble) – a character was leaving and was asked “Can I call you?”  and she answered with a smile “You can”.  On the subtitle was, as clear as day, “You can’t.”  Now this is okay for those of us who can hear but for those who subtitles are intended the shift in the character and the story would have been quite surprising.

Live subtitling is always funny to read.  It’s a ridiculously hard job and one I could never do myself but pre-recorded shows where they have time to check it?  Jeez…

Okay, am over that at the moment (except for a reminder that I want to meet the person or persons who subtitled The West WIng and beat them upside the head with a script).

As you might be able to tell I wrote that Friday night and was a little nit annoyed, but am fine and calm now.

Honest!

[tags] subtitles, Ugly Betty, TV is great again, [/tags]

In The Library

Okay, so am trying this whole posting in the library thing.  It’s quiet, there are people walking behind me and I can hear air conditioning so concentration is at about the same level as usual.

I will fix the design issues next time I am online somewhere I can upload.  Probably next weekend if I am still in my house… which is looking increasingly unlikely.

Got back a couple of job replies, still nothing on the cards.  Considered becoming a nun, and there is no real reason for me not to except I’m just not that pious.  So, am considering becoming a ‘Homeless Mac Owner’ instead.  I did, for about 30 seconds consider selling my MacBook but the horrors that ran round my brain afterwards were too much for me.  Am shivering just thinking about it.  I mean, I would have to buy another computer anyway to do the Scout administration stuff and things for finding a job and all that.  If I bought a new one it would come with Vista on it and life is too short for that, and if I bought an old one the speed issues would drive me to distraction!

So, cardboard box/sleeping bag and my Mac which I would power with that nifty solar panel thing you can get.

Sorry this is so short but the clock now reads 2 minutes (that’s right there is a countdown in the corner of my screen) and I have to make sure that this saves… or I will scream… and the librarian looks as if she is a terminal shush-er…!

[tags] blogging in public places, homeless mac owner [/tags]

Really Beginning To Grate

This is hard.  Trying to write a post when I’m not in the habit.  I have been writing in my diary again for the first time in ages just to have an outlet for the drivel in my head.  I suppose I could just post to the local version of Camel but it doesn’t feel right.  I guess I really do write for an audience.  But here goes.

Okay, so.  I am in a position of needing a job quite desperately.  I went and sat in a recruitment office for what felt like 1000 years while they reeled off jobs that I am either a) not qualified to do; b) am over-qualified for (their words); c) would be bored doing (do I look like I care about being bored?) or d) can’t do because I don’t drive.

I really need to get back on that particular saddle again.  Desperately.

Desperate, as you may be able to tell is the word du jour (is that right, who can tell?).

So,  the housemates left.  Presumably they went back to South Africa but who can tell?  They left telling me they were going on holiday to the Canary Islands for a week.  That was nearly a month ago.  I had an inkling that something was goign on but genuinely thought that… ARRRRGGHHHH… y’know?  Mind you it’s better that they are back in S.A. and not, where my mind went, dead on a beach somewhere.  So, tha plus no job plus life means I am leaving my lovely house and finding something new. Again.

But before all that a mission has become cleaning the house and not living like a student for 10 minutes.  I put books and nonsense on shelf.  And then took a photo.  A hard days work.

So, world, oyster etc.  Maybe I should sign myself up to one of those mail order bride websites and find me a rich American… except I’m not Russian/Eastern European/sexy in anyway.  But I can take photos (ish), write (ish) and I do a mean Excel spreadsheet.

It has been pointed out to me that I came off as a little nuts in that post a few months ago.  Again.  drunk.  Red wine I should stay away from oh yes.  Cough.

So TV is in no way as exciting as it is in the States where all the shows I love are showing season +1 to whatever was just on here but as least Ugly Betty starts on Friday and Robin Hood season 2 is on Saturday and Californication (little nostalgic sigh for David Duchovny) starts on the 11th… and Studio 60 is still delighting me every single week.  there probably are other things I should be enjoying but sleep and writing, yes WRITING have become quite big parts of my day.  I am writing what I know which means the end result will be interesting to me and a small circle of people who thought they knew me.  Ish. It was going to be a straight telling of my humdrumness but I have dragged two or three fictional things out of the cupboard and am schmooshing them all together to make a worldwide bestselling tour de force that will be finished early 2008…ish.  Yes, I am definitely going to finish this particular project.  Oh yes.

I can’t believe I have missed Talk Like A Pirate Day and all that September brings. The internet really has become like a second home for me and not being able to get on is like having the door to my favourite room blocked up, or being told you can never eat cheese on toast again.

I am also having trouble believing that it’s October.  then I step outside into the biting cold that has descended, fall over the 5 million conkers lying on the pavement and I raise my hands and proclaim, “I believe, Hallelujah!”  or something similar.

Scout things are going well.  We had our re-opening and made money (even though it was not a fundraising event).  Even when we don’t try we can do it.  Since then we haven’t really had a ‘thing’ to work for so focus is being lost.  I, of course, have no life so was starting to obsess a little about it.  But after nearly walking out on it for good last month calm has prevailed and I have realised that there are some people you are never going to change, there are some people who are never going to get excited about things again, there are some people who have lives that have more than one thing in them.  Crazy.

Okay.  I am going to go back to Bloglines and try to visit everyone.  If I don’t get to you it doesn’t mean I don’t love you; because I do, I truly do; it’s just alphabetical.  I will on my next visit to a hotspot. I swear.

Until next time.

[tags]job hunting, house hunting, housemate hunting, TV, Scouts,[/tags]