Evening's Greetings.
I haven't much to report I'm afraid. Can't say much about the peryl's of/at work and I haven't personally done much.

I have mastered lighting my coal fire. Trouble is the heat seems to stay in the living room and is afraid to venture further :-s
Received a request for my electricity meter readings but I doubt my price-plan has changed.

Tonight's tea is prawn curry with rice. I shall be supping a pint of guiness whilst playing Guildwars.

Today, life is good.

An Education In Life.
I learnt something today. That is that when someone comes up to you and says "he's a handful isn't he?" referring to your young son, what they actually mean is "please stop your child from climbing on the seat that says specifically 'do not let children climb on this seat' and please teach him that when in small, crowded rooms it is inadvisable to start shouting 'I've farted, I've farted' repeatedly whilst the smell fills up the room. Not only is it uncomfortable for our customers, but it is also bloody hard to keep a straight face and thus maintain impartiality."

I was chuckling about that little incident all the way home!

No choir practice this week or next because they're practicing for their trip abroad which is soon. So good luck to 'em!

I saw Torchwood on Sunday. Both episodes. First one set the scene quite nicely - bit of a suprise twist in it aswell! Well, a suprise to me anyway. Second episode was unashamedly raunchy in places - at first I wondered why they were showing it, but I soon realised that it was part of the plot. I think the writer(s) may have been trying a little too hard to set themselves apart from Dr Who. But that's just my opinion.

Other than that, I have been getting to grips with Guild Wars. Good game, lots of depth, enjoyable. A good experience for my first online game.

Anyway, I'm off for some tea. Have fun.

Today's day at work can be summrised by the following event:

I rang a supplier and tried to asked for a lady whose name I just could not pronounce. After several attempts I was put out of my misery by the lady I was talking to just putting me through to her. She did it without laughing, I was impressed. I wanted to crawl into a hole, but I was glad she was professional about it. While I was in earshot at least ;-)

Still, it's good to be back listening to the BBC radio player now that my PC works reasonably well. I say reasonably as every time I try to install a virus checker, it refuses to start up properly. But I have managed to get a firewall.

Anyway, that's all for now.

History Matters.
Tuesday saw a lovely sunrise over the ancient Snowdonia mountain range. As usual between Monday and Friday I woke up at 6am, ironed my shirt for the day, put on the rest of my clothes, tied my tie, had a breakfast of porridge oats and set off for work by car. I have to drive 10 miles, mainly through fields although I would prefer to cycle the journey as it is better for my health.

The part of Anglesey where I live has been enhabited since the Bronze Age and probably before. Many small settlements have been found around this area. Its' close proximity to the Sea probably helped where trade is concerned and the area had much influence from nearby Ireland during the times when the pagans were being converted to Christianity.

However, most of the development of the area was thanks to the Victorians circa 1890 - specifically Thomas Telford who designed and built the main road and bridge that I use to get on and off the island. A couple of the toll houses still exist (now converrted into normal houses) on this road and one has the toll charges still written on the side of the house.

The town that my village comes under is known in short as Llanfairpwyllgwyngyll. The full version of the name is the longest in Britain - a name that I believe was created in the early 20th century to try to boost tourism in the area once the railway had been built. The town also held the first ever Women's Institute meeting which still has a strong membership today.

My work is as an Electronic Engineer, essentially fixing problems with Printed Circuit Boards. This usually involves researching ideas on the internet and emailing/phoning customers and suppliers until a solution is reached. I normally work from 08:00 to 16:45 with 45 minutes of rest spread over the day. However I stayed behind until 17:30 to finish off a couple of items I was working on.

I then drove home and had a quick tea. I cook my own food for the whole month and store it in my freezer - so I had a good choice of foods. I opted for tuna fishcakes with a jacket potato and a tin full of baked beans. I then set off for the rehersal of the male voice choir I have decided to join. I live in Wales but being English I am having to learn how to speak Welsh as most of the songs are in Welsh. The songs tend to be old Welsh hymns or other adapted Welsh folk songs. The choir is also practicing for a couple of performances in Sweden and so I have had to learn how to pronounce the Swedish words as well!

I got back to my rented terraced 2 bedroom house at about 22:30. I got undressed, went to bed and that was the end of my day.

Revelations.
My voice pitch is baritone. I have decided that that is where I fit best. Thoroughly enjoyed the choir practice and am finding that I'm picking up the various pronunciations rather well. One thing I will say after this week is that it's good to be back. I'll give it a bit of time and then I look into joining an amateur dramatic company or similar - in a technical role rather than any acting. Can't act for toffee!

Have you ever tried clotted cream fudge? It is lovely. Haven't had any for years I don't think. I was just remonded of fudge by typing toffee. Not quite sure of the mental link. Anyway, I remember, when I was younger, going down to Devon/Cornwall and going to the little tea shops for tea and scones with clotted cream. I was only young but I enjoyed it. We also used to go round the fudge-making shops. That is, of course, if I'm remembering correctly.

So I quite like Devon and Cornwall. I've been there a few times. Even driven around the moors. Lovely place. I once stayed at this lovely B&B. It must have been a converted farmhouse as the room I was in had a huge window. You could easily sit on the windowsill and look out across the fields. Oh it was lovely. Can't remember the name of it now, but I'm sure it's in the archives of this blog somewhere.

Anyway, I digress. I wanted to bring up the "National Blog" day thing that happened Tuesday. The general public are invited to submit a fairly detailed account of what they did last Tuesday. You have a month or so to submit your entry and I will post what I say on this blog as well as here. The key thing is to put in the mundane little details that may be fascinating to folk a century from now.

Of course, the cynic in me says that this could all be another elaborate ploy by the government to gather every little detail of people's lives. Thus allowing them to know just how far they can push us before civil war breaks out.

And on that happy note, my homemade lamb and vegetable puff pastry pie is ready. So TTFN.

Evening All.
Just a quick note before I go to bed. Everything went well this evening. The world tonight is a nice place for me. Further details to follow.

P.s. when I look at the sky, I can see the Milky Way. WOW

Over The Hump...
...as a particular Radio Double One Disc Jockey would say.

Croeso [Welcome], today has been eventful. As has last night. I shall now tell all.

Had the priviledge of going to see a really good Welsh choir. I knew one of the guys there and he arranged for me to join in with them for the second half of the evening. Suffered (and am still suffering) from an inferiority complex - but I know all I need is practice - and practice I shall!

But even during the first half was impressive. I was surrounded by Americans, not that this is a good or bad thing, merely a statement of fact. Most of the 30 or so strong audience to the rehersal was American (The rehersal was done in Welsh just to add complication!).

Anyway, I'm glad they were American because they weren't scared to talk to me like English adults. I met a few very nice people who wished me luck in my quest to join the choir. We also chatted briefly about our singing experiences. Also, the choir seemed relatively pleased (despite my Englishness) and even though I was getting overwhelmed by the whole experience, I think I made a good impression.

At least I hope I did - I'm going back next week

So that was last night's big event. This evening I have been practising and all has gone well. But today has also been good for another reason - I've set up a coal delivery. So now I'm going to have a supply of coal so I can heat myself. That's a big Yay for me thankyou.

So now I'm cooking myself some tea - meatballs with a tomato & garlic sauce - served with a cheese coated jacket potato. Bliss.

Also (yes, there's more!) I'm looking forward to work tomorrow because there are quite a few things I can get done that I've had to sit on for a few days. I like being busy - not TOO busy though ;-)

And now to use my latest Welsh word...

Hwyll

Monday - The Day Before Tuesday.
Good evening.

Today the big brown snowdon mountain range looks like a big barrier between me and English-tolerant folk. Of course, this is all in my head, but right now I feel isolated. Still, I have good friends and I'm sure they'll perk me up when I chat to them.

I have a biggish day tomorrow. And as usual I'm getting my pre-going-out-in-public nerves. And as usual, everything will be fine.

I am looking forward to Thursday. That's bin collection day and my bin REALLY needs collecting. There are many flies out back and I'm suprised the neighbours haven't complained yet. The smell is mostly of rotting fish. Haddock to be precise. £8 worth of it.

Work has dragged today - me being tired and thirsty hasn't helped. I must look after myself better. I've already (and continue) to be told off about living in the cold. But I have very kindly been given the name of a coal man - or Dyn Glô in Welsh.

I was listening to the (Welsh) radio and came across a song called "Mobile Phones a Danedd Gwyn". I enjoyed it though I haven't the faintest idea who Danedd Gwyn is and why mobile phones are involved. Quite a similar thought process occurred around the song "Lisa, Majic a Porfa" which I also have no clue why Lisa, magic and fields are related. If anyone could help I would be most appreciative.

Diolch yn fawr.

Hello AGAIN!
Yes, computer screwed up and I've had to reinstall windows. Then I tried downloading the Flash Player but that screwed everything up again. So apologies for my absence.

In other news, I've had a really good day today. I've found out about some upcoming big projects I'll be involved with so I shall be looking forward to those.

Cooking meals for the month is going well. Though I did accidentally dip my fingers in the frying pan. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Well, maybe a few select people from my past ;-)

Anyway, no big point to make today. Just apologising for not being around. I hope to make some impulse purchases on Amazon/Play soon. Should be good. I also hope to start playing an online game - but more about that another time.

So for now, take care and I'll see you all soon.

Post 200 - The Bicentenial.

Alas, not that good a post. I shall start positive though.

Went to an absolutely wonderful birthday party over the weekend. It was wonderful to see the people I saw and to find out how they are now - I haven't seen most of them in a few years you see. I felt rather proud - not to mention priveledged - to have been there if I'm honest.

The drive to and from Worcestershire was lovely. Most of the bad weather was avoided and the company for the journey was good too. We stopped at a lovely pub for a Sunday Lunch which I shall mention now...

The name is "The Bell Inn" and it is on Old Wenlock Road (A442) in the village of Cross Houses, just outside Shrewsbury. Based on our experience, it is well worth a visit.

The start to this week has not, however, been as good.I got back to my house to discover that I had accidentally switched the freezer off when I left for the weekend. So all of my food for the next week has defrosted and my stockpiles are now predominantly wasted. Unless I can find some poor soul to give it to!

Important.
In the spirit of blogging, I need to bring a website to your attention. A friend of mine was actually related to people involved in these described events.

http://justiceforneil.com

See for yourself, decide for yourself, do what you feel is right.

A Rainy Day on Anglesey?!
Before I have my tea, I just wanted to get something off my chest.

I was at the shop (or siop in Welsh), and there were two ladies in front of me at the till who, as is normal round here, were having quite a chat with the lady behind the counter. I didn't mind, I was in no rush and what they were talking about was interesting - not that I was listening!

Well it came to serving me and the lady behind the counter just went silent - didn't even say hello. I tried to be friendly, but to no avail and to be honest I was hurt by that. Why is it that ladies seem to assume I won't be friendly, or that I'm coming on to them if I'm friendly or chatty, or compliment them?

Is it so wrong to pay a lady a compliment? Today at work I complimented a lady on her haircut - it looked nice - was I supposed to ignore that and be ignorant just because that is what is expected of me?

No, on this I am not going to conform. It truly is nice to be nice - and if I have to launch a one-man crusade to drill this into society then so be it. You have been warned - I am going to be nice to you.

That's Cloud Coming Over The Hill!

Yes it has been overcast today, but to see the clouds rolling over Snowdonia is a lovely sight.

I have been mostly watching NasaTV today as the shuttle departs from the ISS. It's been a good mission and hopefully landing will go well. It's good to have construction resuming. With my shiny new t'interweb connection I shall enjoy watching all of these events as they unfold.

Family history research - now there's something you thought I'd forgotten about. Normal service is in the process of being resumed. Two distant cousins have been found whilst I've been away and there is quite some research to be done.

My computer is crashing randomly whilst on the internet, so if I disappear from a chat with anyone, please forgive me.

Right, to the topic of todays post. Electricity bills.

My current "Energy Provider" is Manweb, or to give it its full name, Scottish Power-Manweb. As with all electricity companies their prices have risen recently and Anglesey has been no exception - a 10% rise no less.

Somehow this quarter I have run up a bill of £270. That's using 3kW every hour. Assuming a kettle uses 1kW to boil, that means 3 kettle fulls an hour. I can get four cups of tea out of my kettle, so that's twelve cups of tea per hour. That's a 24/7 average. Ridiculous! I know we British are meant to like our tea - but twelve cups an hour is a bit much!

Anyway, my point is that I was under the impression that my electricity was on an Economy7 pricing scheme. It wasn't. As a result, my bill is twice what it should have been.

It won't come as much of a suprise to learn that I went in search of a list of pricing schemes from Manweb. It took nearly an hour to track down a list of tarriffs. In total, the list contains 24 different electricity rates. Some of which are repeated and some of which only apply if you pay by ceratin methods at certain frequencies. So, all in all, I was confused to buggery (which may have been the intention).

So I sat down and did the maths. I worked out the costs for my exhorbitant use of electricity over the last quarter (which won't be repeated) and I also calculated for a more reasonable volume of electricity usage. The cheapest option was the same for both usage levels and I wanted to let the world know which one this was for their future reference.

First of all, you'll want to have the 'standing charge' option (unless you use pitiful amounts of electricity). Then you'll want the 'Premier Plus' package. The rate is called 'Economy 7'. So that's the Economy 7 rate, on the Premier Plus package with the standing charge.

Still with me? Then you'll be wanting to know about economy 7. First of all look here. You'll need to get your house set up with a timer controlled water tank and possibly storage heaters too. But the key bit is having a meter (or meters) that can cope with day and night rates of electricity. You'll need to contact your supplier regarding this. They'll probably charge, so bear in mind that you could easily save £100 per year (on average).

My head hurts now, so I'll be off. I hope I've explained things well, but when it's made overcomplicated by other people, it aint'nt easy.

Guess Who's Back.

Job? Check.
House? Check.
Electricity? Check.
Phone line? Check.
Computer? Check.
Modem? Check.
8Meg broadband? Check.

Big grin? Check.

Need I say more? Oh, alright then, I will...

It's been a long haul thing, but the world is now at my fingertips once more. No longer anywhere near as cut off from the outside world, I only need one more thing to say that I am truly 'settled'. That would be a sofa. Which is on order :-D

Work is going well, I have settled in and on the whole I think my progress is good. It's annoying at times when my own inexperience stares me in the face, but it's the only way to learn. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Getting up at 6am is taking its toll on me; I usually have big headaches over the weekend (just the weekend though :-s) and my skin is getting dry. But if that's all that is wrong, I think I'm doing rather well.

I've been busy taking photo's and I have some stunning views to share. All I need to do is get the computer to realise there's a camera attached to it. I won't hold my breath - getting the modem installed took the best part of three hours.

While I've been gone, my hotmail account got deleted. I've reclaimed it, so I hope there weren't any important emails.

I have a lot of catching up to do. I have to install various softwares and I also want to actually see some of this space station work that's being carried out as opposed to reading and seeing blurry pictures.

I'll write soon. It's good to be back.

Lee's nearly been at work for four weeks, so far so good. He's enjoying the job, making friends with his work colleagues and feeling happy in general.

He's got a house, looks very nice from the picture and from what's been described. Hopefully he'll get to move there on Saturday if all goes well, although someone is unhappy with the electrics... Hopefully it won't affect the move in date. We all know Lee needs is own space to put all the stuff he's acquired over the years!

At work he has a task to do by July, it's challenging but he's making progress with it... His first thought was that it would be impossible to do but things seem to be fitting into place so it'll be do-able.

Well he's finished his first week and it went well I think you'll all be glad to hear. He was tired but happy which was expected.

He's found a house to, somewhere which is home to many of the other employees of the same company!

Also the lucky sod finishes at 12.30 on Fridays... not even a full weeks work! Lol!

Post Number 193.
I've been putting this post off as long as possible. I suspect I won't get another chance to write today or tomorrow.

So here I'm sat, on the day of the Queen's birthday, with butterflies in my stomach. Not literally mind. Just a mixture of nerves and excitement. Mostly the latter.

Everything is packed for tomorrow, most of my stuff is packed for when I find somewhere to live. All my files from Dad's PC are on CD and I've printed out all I'll need from the internet.

That's about it folks. Family and I are going out for a meal apparently. Should be good - I don't want to go anywhere special though. A nice pub will do lovely.

There's not a lot else I can say. The world cup song by Embrace has been released. It's a wee bit on the crap side in my opinion, but we'll have to wait and see if it catches on.

The blogs I usually would read are available from the newly updated "regular reads" link over on the left hand side. There's also some of my favourite websites that usually take up much of my spare time. Noise to Signal is a good one.

Enjoy the new series of Doctor Who - I know I will. I enjoyed the first episode apart from the 'gushing' at the very beginning. Oh, and I only noticed the big error once it was pointed out!

I'll miss the end of battlestar gallactica, so I reckon I'll just buy the DVD set later this year. I've already missed loads of episode. Not as many missed episodes as 24 though - I've missed half the series so far! Terrible eh?! Well, not on the grand scale of things.

Okay, that's it. Good bye, good luck and best wishes for all of you between now and July. Take care.

Progress Update.
Well it feels like this is really happening now. I've been in a bit of a daze over the past week and STILL haven't told everyone who I want to know.

To bring us up to date:
I've washed the necessary clothes and I've worked out a budget for the period whilst I'm in a B&B looking for a house. I have 4 weeks to find a place, I don't know if that's enough but I'm gonna give it my best shot! Hopefully I'll get paid at some point during this 4 weeks - that way I'll be able to have a proper meal (not joking).

Met Tracy today in the town of Crewe. It was an okay place - I'm not sure what I make of it though. We got accosted by a very drunk woman - friendly but verrrry, verrrrrry drrrunk - as is customary on our trips. Won't see Tracy again now for 4 or so weeks, unless I'm lucky.

I wanted to go and visit the railway museum in Crewe. The first hard bit was finding the ruddy place. When we finally did, we found it was shut. Still, at least I know how to get there now. Just being around some of the trains today recalled my desire to work as a volunteer in some sort of preservation society for steam loco's.

So we spent the rest of the day wandering around Crewe. It was a small place. We did a bit of window shopping and sat in the sun for a bit. Can't say there was a right lot to do there.

Well that brings us up to date. Now for the important future info...

As of Saturday my only access to the internet will be through my mobile phone. It takes me a good 20 minutes to set my phone up to send email / post to this blog; so for all intents and purposes you won't be hearing from me until I have an internet connection up and running.

I have what I call a roll-out budget. From the time I secure accomadation I have my major purchases and general cash-flow planned out. An internet connection should materealise within the first 2 months so you can expect sporadic updates between late May and July.

Bit more job info - though I'm hesitant to post too much. I have a job title - Engineering Technician. I'll find out more once I start. I get to wear a shirt and tie. Not too keen on ties, but I do look good in a shirt and I've been hoping for a job where I can wear a shirt and trousers. I'm going to have to go shopping for shirts and ties - I didn't budget for this so I'm not sure how I'll pay for them :-s

So apart from a little shopping, all I can do is wait. If there's one thing I hate it's hanging around! I get restless. I now can't get to sleep easily. So my eyes are itchy and bloodshot. My knees and back hurt - though this isn't helped by all the fence building I've been doing in Dad's back garden.

Well, the snooker is on. May as well watch that then.

I'll post again before I go. It'll be strange without the web (I'm not expecting web access at work).

Wheels; and Motion Thereof.
Today the planning begin. Though some play of a certain Worms 4 demo I downloaded yesterday may also occur.

I have this picture in my head of a rusty, heavy old train roaring into life. The steam flowing, like life blood, through the tubes and pistons. The fire getting hotter with the nice new coal bought specially for this occasion. There's people running around oiling the beast; ready for it to pull away from this station. Moving for the first time in years, it will creak into life. Begrudgingly allowing the wheels to turn.

Now that I know my start date I have arranged, with kind help of the company, some temporary accomodation. I've decided to leave it until I'm there to look round properties. Then I can look in the papers too. I could do it online but getting around to view the houses would be more awkward.

So the next step is to get a budget sorted. Then I can work out in what order things need to be bought. I want a new car for instance, but that will have to be much lower on the list.

Last night I did a bit of celebrating. We (3 of us) got through two bottles of champagne and a 4 pack of lager. Reassuringly expensive (and, by my standards, chuffin strong) lager. My head seems to be spinning. I shall have breakfast in a bit - that should help. Then I'm off to Coventry (again!) to pick up a key, to drive to Brum to unlock a door, search for a tape then lock said door again, then drive elsewhere in Brum to deliver said tape.

I think I'll play Worms 4 after I eat.

TTFN

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got the job like didn't I. In Wales like.

Super.

Smashing.

Great.

Can't Think Of A Witty or Apt Title.
Well, day three of this week is now upon us. Day one was fun; a lot more fun than I thought it would be - I met some nice blokes and I sold myself well to people who were actually listening.

The journey there went to plan, I found the place with relative ease. The final island everybody went wrong on mainly due to the lack of signposting! 4 other candidates were there - I expected far more.

The day was split up quite nicely. I was relaxed, the environment seemed nice and the interviewers were nice and chatty.

There was a chat to start with; talking about me as a person to discover what my ambitions were and what my personality was like.

Then there was a technical test which I did well with to say I'd not been doing much electronics for a year. Anything I didn't know I managed to talk around and when I did know something I talked about it in some depth.

The final test was a commercial awareness test. I had covered some of this earlier in the day and I reckon I did okay. I showed that I understand business the depth of my knowledge should come out in the wash when all the interviewers collate their findings.

I left earlier than planned and managed to get back in time to go out for a birthday meal with family. Nice meal, wine was strong though :-s

Day two was far worse. It took 5 hours to get there as opposed to the 3 hours I was aiming for. So I only had an hour to eat. Ended up going to Kwiksave for some snacks. Didn't have a chance to use the toilet.

The view however - driving through Snowdonia was beautiful. I remember turning round this sharp corner, emerging from a foresty area and being confronted by three bloody huge peaks. I think they actually class as mountains - they were rocky and snow covered.

Anyway, back to the interview. I was kept waiting for half an hour before someone came to meet me, but these things happen so I thought little of it. The interviewers didn't seem as relaxed as me and at times I felt like I was causing a nuisance. There was minimal interaction too and I don't think they were listening all that closely. They didn't ask many questions either. I didn't have any questions to ask as they had all been answered and no-one knowing exactly what I would be doing made it a bit hard to ask about the job! I was also whisked off to different places and so didn't get a chance to use the toilet.

So the interview ended after a good hour and I left on a relatively happy note. Got back in the car and made good time on the journey back - took the three hours I aimed for. Finally got to use the toilet when I got near home cos I went to a pub for some food. And good food it was too!

Was absolutely shattered by the time I got back. So I went straight to bed. I'm still knackered now.

Another Interview Eve...
...and I'm still up at nearly 1am!

All day interview tomorrow. Good company, but don't fancy my chances against what will undoubtedly be all the fresh students who graduate this year. I'll go, be relaxed and hopefully enjoy the activities.

Interview the day after over in Wales. That is more promising but I'll be shattered. Hell, I'm shattered now, never mind Tuesday!

I can't be bothered going into it now, but an MD rang me last week and started asking silly questions. So he got silly answers. For some reason he still wanted to meet me for a longer chat on Thursday. Ye Gods!

Over on Biggedybong.com I have provided my £7 this year. Not a lot, I know, but I was concerned over the owners motives for the request. Plus I have precious little money as it is. Talking of Biggedybong.com I have finished my week as chaiman of the CCCC. Crap story, but some classy suggestions (even if I did have to look up the songs being suggested). It's now in the hands of someone far more capable and I look forward to business as usual.

I am tired. I have to be the other side of two large cities by 09:30 tomorrow. It's about 40 miles through some of the most clogged up motorway in the country. Nice. I'll be getting up at 04:00 then.

Well I'd best get some kip while I can then eh?!

Night all

One Minute You're Down...
The next, you're right back up again.

So I've heard back from the interview on the 17th March (or somewhere around then). They say no - because they don't have anything that would appeal to me.

Then I rushed around the West Midlands helping people. This I enjoyed - as I always enjoy helping others.

I now have copies of my graduation photo's to send up to my ex-land lady. I get to write a nice long letter now. If only I could remember her house number - was it 13 or 31?

So anyway, I heard back from a recruitment consultant who, to my amazement, has secured me an interview. The job comes extremely well paid and sounds just up my alley. One problem though, the interview is next Tuesday. The day after what I thought was my last interview. This week I've got the results of two interviews coming in. If I do get a job offer from them - do ya reckon I can hold them off till Wednesday?

Answers on a postcard.

A friend of mine has passed his driving theory test today - so things are looking up for him too.

What a kerfuffle!

Bugg'rit!
I've managed to bugger up two things in two days.

Firstly, much to my delight, I found I had won this weeks Cheesily Cheerful Chart Challenge over on Biggedybong.com. So the rules say that I get to choose the next story. Could I find a funny or even mildly interesting story? Could I heck as like! I'm sure the feeling of embarrasment will fade when this weeks round is over.

If you don't know what the CCCC is, then I shall point you to here to learn (just scroll down a couple of items).

The second thing I managed to bugger up was the preparation for today's interview because there was no preparation whatsoever.

Interview was okay though. It was what I expected, and it is definately a case of reaping what you sow (only it'll take a few years to get there).

Anyway, enough whinging. Do you like the picture? I took it over the weekend. It's one of the pansies that I bought for Mum for Mother's Day. But she needs a load more plants so I'm taking her plant shopping this weekend - I'm paying; well, it is her birthday.

I have a few things on my mind; nothing of great importance. I have a complaint about how "Head & Shoulders" seem to be moving away from their multisex shampoo & conditioner all-in-one product and splitting them up into multiple products tailored for individual genders. I have further complaints about the regions road network. And I'm bloody well finding it hard to get to sleep.

I need to ride my bike on the mornings again. Only stopped due to interviews and other such demands on my time. So tomorrow I'll ride over to Tracy's house I think.

Oh, unfinished business, the new game I bought was called Rise of Nations. Can't remember the other link. But I will mention Celestia - don't know if I did before. Top program. Dr Who is probably restarting on Saturday 15th April, though the BBC have since removed that info from their site.

This CCCC stuff is nagging at me. I was so excited and failed to deliver. Well, so far. Let's wait and see how it goes eh?

I'll shut up now.

Car Wash Day.
Yesterday I thought to myself "I know, I'll wash my car tomorrow morning". Well up I get at 09:00 and guess what? The bloke up the road is washing his silver car.

So I have my breakfast (porridge if you're interested) and get the hosepipe out and fill a bucket with soapy water and get on with washing my lovely green car.

Lately I've noticed a funny smell - somewhat like the smell of the bloke who fixed my car recently. So I have taken the seat covers off and am at this moment washing them.

Well I just went outside to get some photo's for todays blog and guess what I see? Another neighbour washing his silver car (pictured). His drive is somewhat nicer than ours (as is his car) so I took a photo of him.

Some might say that such a photo is voyeurism. I would say that you can't tell who he is and I gained no pleasure from taking the photo. Though I did laugh when I thought he was hiding from me.

Anyway, I've still got to hoover my car and clean the windows. Shouldn't take too long, but I'll wait until after dinner. I think I shall have ham sandwiches today with a pork pie on the side. Large glass of vimto and lemonade and I'm sorted.

I watched Question Time last night. It was an edition from Moscow and was being broadcast on BBC World. It's worth a watch (and you can watch it again online for the next week) mainly because there was quite a debate to be had. As with all Question Time's, they never last long enough. Well, the good one's don't last long enough - the ones where people are actually passionate about their subject matter.

In the absence of any job news or anything else quite frankly, I shall tell you about my dream last night...

My dream was set in a mansion that was once the childhood home of some bloke. I was a journalist or something similar and followed him as he returned to the place he grew up. I must have been making a documentary or something.

The bloke got very excited when he noticed a hidden door was still there and he ran, with me and the homeowner, down a secret corridor into a room that seemed like time had forgotten it. He was so happy because he had had to leave in a hurry and hadn't taken lots of stuff that he now wished he had. And it was all in this room.

Well after all that excitement, I needed the loo so I went off and somehow ended up upstairs in my Nan's house using her bathroom.

Well, I'm off to make me butties. Have fun today won't you, whatever you're doing, wherever you are. It's Friday and that means that time for relaxing can (and should) be made. Take care.

Good News or Enjoy It While It Lasts.
Hello there. I'm pleased to report that yesterday's interview went well. Sounds like a fun job. Stressful, but fun. I have to wait a week or so to hear back from them.

So, next week I have an interview on Tuesday. While I was out I got a call regarding an interview on 10th/11th April.

So last night I enjoyed the confident, successful feeling that seldom shows its face these days (that's not to say I don't feel happy - after a 30 mile bike ride; I feel damn proud of myself). I went to a pub with Trace and had a nice meal of scampi and chips.

When I got home later I watched the latest episode of Battlestar Gallactica (yes, I thought it had finished, but it hasn't - blame Sky). I then went to bed and watched Green Wing and then Ghost Squad before falling inot a gentle slumber. I slept well until my lovely sister woke me up asking me for money. Like I'll have any money - she's the one who works!

Have I mentioned that I've bought a new computer game? It's upstairs and I'm buggered if I can remember the name, but I'll get a link for you should you get that bored.

You know what, just as I was giving up hope, up come 4 interviews in quick succession. There's a lesson here - it goes something along the lines of "keep trying".

I'm sure there's loads more I could say; but my teeth need brushing, I feel like playing games and I want to read some other blogs. Oh, and I have trapped wind, but you don't need to know that.

TTFN

[none]

Just to let you know, Ill be fine. Tomorrow Ill focus
and suddenly regain my confidence and all will go
well. Until they ask me if i have any questions. Every
time, without fail, most of my questions have already
been answered. Just how nosey am i expected to be?!

Right, ill switch me phone off and get some kip. Night
all. Hope things are going well your end.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

[none]

Hello. A message from my mobile this evening. I dont
do this very often cos it takes ages to set up.
Anyway, to my point...

I have another informal interview tomorrow afternoon.
Im currently lying on a bed, watching a documentary
about kids who dont try when theyre at school. Its got
me feeling nervous and guilty. Im questioning whether
im really trying as hard as i could; asking myself
what more i can do. Then wondering why im doing all of
this half heartedly.

This keeps happening you know.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Persistence.
It takes a special type of person to keep fighting the wind. Day in, day out. Pushing onward against a relentless storm.

That aint'nt me - I'm just too stubborn to move.

38 CV's (pictured) going out tomorrow. I went to a shop the other day to buy my stamps and I emptied two tills of their stamp supply. The lass serving me was completely unphased, I was impressed. It's not every day you get asked for 54 stamps.

My informal interview went well. Still no word on those other two though. I haven't emailed them today like I was going to. I don't know if I want to - where is the line between me showing an interest and them making me interested in joining them? I have to try a bit more - I've barely scratched the surface of effort.

Oh, I hear back in a couple weeks from the interview as to whether there could be a job for me or not.

No personal, family history or other news from me I'm afraid. Mainly cos there isn't any news of the former types. I'll be going to bed shortly. I suggest you do the same. It's cold out and the commonwealth games will be repeated during the day.

Night all.

Interview Eve.
No, not some lass by the name of Eve - I mean it's the day before an interview. I'm not going about any particular role - more to have a look round and see if there's anything for me.

So I've not been able to do any specific research of the company. Sure, I've read about what they do and I know how big they are and I know what sort of role I'd like at the company.

Other than that, I've not done anywhere near as much as I should have. I've got what I want to say sorted in my head, but I haven't rehearsed much. I'll only change what I'm saying to fit the situation anyway.

I went for a reccy today. Went up to where the interview will be held and also drove around their other sites too. So I have a plan for tomorrow morning - I'll need to get up before 08:00 which shouldn't be a problem as I've been waking up at 08:22 each morning anyway.

I'm not that nervous - a few butterflies but all I have to remember is how well my last interview went. The only thing bugging me is that it's not a job I could walk straight into - I would need a short perios to get up to speed. However - isn't that the same with all first jobs? I come pre-programmed with an overview of my field and it is industry where I will specialise and look at a specific subject in detail?

I've not sent out any more CV's and I've not been out cycling. Weather is nasty out , so there's my excuse. I have now had 10 replies; 3 of which were hopeful. Talking of those three, I have no new news regarding the informal interviews I've been invited to. One company is acting quite odd in my opinion. The other hasn't called me yet so I will call them on Monday. I have one application going through an agency which I should hear back about next week.

You know, I never envisaged that after leaving Uni I would have to apply to so many companies. I have days when I wonder why I am bothering. But I always pull myself up and keep trying. It is common sense that if I keep going to interviews and dealing with companies then I will gain experience in selling myself. So over time I will improve to the point where I eventually find a company willing to take me on.

It's coming up to a year since I last did anything electronics related. My knowledge is getting rusty and my cognitive competence has been steadily decreasing despite my best efforts to keep my brain ticking over.

Some members of my family ask why I haven't got a part time job yet. My answer is simple; if I get a part time job I wil still be in the same position I am in now. The only difference will be that I have extra commitments. I couldn't earn enough on a part time basis to support myself and so to my mind a part time job is pointless. If I were to get any old job I would want to do it full time, support myself and make a career for myself in that job.

The obvious answer to this is that earning some money is better than earning no money. But I do believe that my being immediately available is a strong selling point that gives me an edge over other applicants. I don't see how working part time for Sainsburys is going to add to my appeal.

So the search goes on, I still play Sudoku and chess to keep my brain warm and I just scrounge off my parents. What a life.

Grrrr...
I hate being fobbed off.

So last Friday I got a phone call. Told to organise a date for an informal interview on Monday. Got a call Saturday, telling me to do the same.

So Monday I call the companies back. One, at time of writing, is busy - I'll try later. The other, and bear in mind I spoke to a different person this time, just wanted me off the phone as quick as possible.

I didn't give up without a fight though - managing to finally get a half decent response out of her. She will be pestered over the coming days. Two weeks indeed. My arse is it two weeks - lumping me in with "other" applications she can't be bothered processing. I emailed her first thing this morning and she only read it after me prompting and pointing!

I did get another call though today. A third company - interview on Friday, details in the post. Now that's more like it!

Good Morning.
It is silly o' clock and I can't be bothered finding a nice picture to go with this post.

Did 12 miles today - tackling another of the big hills of the area. Did it quite quickly - about an hour and a half, but then, apart from one or two very steep hills, it was relatively flat and I could get some speed up.

15 or so applications sent out yesterday. Today, will see 6 applications sent off. Add to that the one nice recruitment consultant *shudders at thought* and you have 7 jobs applied to in one day.

Time is all mixed up in my head. I am going to bed now. I will get up at 9, feeling groggy and dizzy. But I shall percivere (or however it's spelt). Breakfast, post CV's, bike ride, shower, dinner, applications, tea, print CV's.

I'm not trying to sound ungrateful - I enjoy being wanted in different places. It's just that I've been trying to pack quite a lot of time consuming tasks into one day. When all runs "to plan" I can get to bed before 23:00. Still, I'm two hours earlier than last night.

So, until tomorrow...

Another Busy Start to the Week.
That's right - you read correctly.

Monday I went for a 12 mile bike ride; tackling one of the largest, steepest hills in the area. Completed that in about 2 hours so I'm very pleased with myself. Even if I was nearly blue by the time I reached the summit! But I did it - no stopping either. Dead chuffed.

Well I then had a shower, like you do, then went out to buy Dad's B'day presents. I also did a little search for companies before heading over to Tracy's house to make sure she got her work done.

She did very well and I was impressed. She also was kind enough to cook me some tea, which was very well done. Especially considering that her last effort involved chips and a cremation.

Well I got to bed about midnight and had some strange dreams - one involved riding my bike in the nude. Scary.

Then Tuesday, today, came along. No bike ride as I spent the morning printing of 6 CV's for the companies I found yesterday. I then went to the library after dinner and continued looking for relevant companies. I managed to compile a shortlist of over 100 companies that I thought deserved checking out. I'm now in the process of printing out another 15 CV's.

I've missed loads of TV lately. Well, I say loads - there was Planet Earth from Sunday, Watchdog from today as well as today's Stargate episode. I need to catch up on Battlestar Gallactica too.

I mentioned a while ago that I had given blood. I don't know if I've ever mentioned how I seem to have two active accounts with the NBS - meaning they don't have all of my donations on one record. I've asked for them to merge the accounts but I'll have to ring up again later in the week to check up on them.

I plan to go riding tomorrow. Another challenging route this time. Then, again, shower and off to library.

I'm in the process of building a list of all the companies I've applied to for Electronics jobs. I won't put it up for a while yet though. I aint'nt silly you know.

Take care all. Sorry for my recent absenteeism - hopefully you can see why.

What a Week.
Not that anything in particular has happened, I just couldn't think of a good title. Though I have done a bit this week...

First of all, cycling. Knees have been hurting so I've been taking it easy. Did a 5 mile ride on Wednesday in 45 minutes but gave up due to pain, cold, wind and snow.

So not wanting to waste time I ploughed my efforts into sending my CV off to companies. Yes, actual companies rather than going through agencies. YAY!

I went to the library to search the directories and I have so far shortlisted about 80 companies whose websites I had a look at to see if I would like to work there. Of this 80, I have sent my CV to 25 relevant companies.

While I was reading these directories I had an idea. You see, believe it or not, it's pretty tricky trying to find the names of companies who employ Electronic Engineers. There are web based directories but their classifications are pretty loose and others are just plain dodgy. So, to make it easier for future people, I'm going to compile a list of all the companies I've applied to and make it available on my website.

In car news I now have a new wheel rim and tyre. So car is runnable, but I need to sort out a permanent spare tyre - that's just a case of swapping tyres and wheel rims.

A little bit of family history news - One of my contacts on Genes Reunited has discovered that I share two ancestors with him. I know it was bound to happen sooner or later, but this is the first so I thought it deserved a special mention.

I have also noticed that my body suddenly seems to be getting hairier. That or my hair is darkening again.

I need to say well done to people who have been getting results back from exams / assignments etc. There's quite a few of you and, on the whole, you've done well. So a YAY goes out to you.

TTFN

Good Evening.
Good day today - Long ride (3 hours), gave blood, went to library. Still not got all the details I need so I can't get posting but I should be able to get that sorted tomorrow night.

Unfortunately, fate got in the way of me doing things over the weekend and I would like to explain why in one of my rare rants; by their nature, they are entirely my opinion and may or may not have a basis in reality...

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. I think they are short on cash. They have attempted to close perfectly good schools. They seem to let historic buildings fall into disrepair so that they can demolish them and sell off the land. I'm not sure how linked the hospitals are, probably not at all, but while I'm here I want to complain at the selling off of perfectly good hospitals and their land in favour of centralising all the services at a site riddled with congestion.

So I think we've established that our borough is a little short on cash. Indeed, I believe our firestations are being renovated using voluntary donations of cash. So you wouldn't be that suprised to hear that the roads in this area are in a poor state of repair. I can't say they're terrible - there is an effort at providing roads. But they are pot-holed and/or subsided wherever you go.

Some examples: Stourbridge ring road has a part of it that, one day, fell out. Council patched it up. Little while later, it falls out again. We're talking about a collapse in the road surface measuring around 1 metre square.

High Street in Wordsley. This is where I had my "incident". I drove down here at night, in the rain. I saw a black patch on the road. Now in this area, patches on the road are no odd thing - you should see the road to my parents house; it's like a patchwork quilt. The thought process as I approached this dark ptch were as follows:

Look at that black thing, I wonder what it is?

Looks very big, doesn't look like a pot hole, I think it's just a patch (NB -
this assumption was my mistake)

Ye Gods it IS a pot hole and it's bloody deep and I've just gone into
it, the wheel's gonna blow, better hold the steering wheel tightly.

Ow, Ow, Ow - I'm still running, steering wheel feels normal, no cars coming
at me in a dangerous way, no pedestrians to dodge, everything does seem okay
doesn't it? Yes it does, okay, I'm gonna try and make it home. Resume normal driving with added caution.
(NB - this was another mistake, I should have checked externally).

The wheel rim was slightly buckled but tyre seemed to be holding its own. So next day I do my only vital journey. Everything goes fine until guess what - coming back into Dudley Borough, I hit another pot hole. This one was on a country lane, street light was broken and hole was hidden by a bend and foliage. So hit the hole I did. Only a small one, but enough to knock the air out of my tyre. Tyre gradually deflated on way back, so my speed decreased as I made it home.

That concludes my rant regarding Dudley Council, I will now finish the story.

So today I attempted to attach my spare tyre. Needed to de-rust the restraining nut for the spare wheel. Then the wheel nuts wouldn't come off - I was pushing hard, but the tools were bending under the pressure so I daren't try harder. I later found a stronger set of tools and managed it.

New tyre is quite possibly the same age as the car. So exterior wall is weak. But it should get me to a tyre place. That will have to wait until Wednesday. What with research and riding, my day will be busy enough.

Two Hours.
That's the time it tok. So average is looking good. Kept up yesterdays pace over longer distance.

Nothing else to report. Am in the process of applying to Telford companies.

Another Successful Morning.
Yes, after another bike ride I feel good. Only 6 miles this time - and a quarter of the time I spent out on my last ride. There were a few reasons for this:

Firstly it is snowing, and though I was in waterproofs, my face was starting to sting. So I didn't go far from home.

Secondly I was still tired after the mammoth ride on Monday, so I didn't want to go so far this time.

That said, and here's the third reason, I did push myself harder over the ride - using harder gears than I could have, taking on more hills in quicker succession.

So I think that classes as a good workout. If my shoulders stop aching then I might even have a go at some upper body work.

I really do feel better for the little bits of excersise I've been doing. Okay, so that's to be expected, but the difference is bigger than I expected. I need some dinner now, another reason I came back early (but then again I could have packed a lunch).

In other news, I have a new CV and covering letter - very kindly looked over by a woman who has to deal with CV applications in her line of work. So hopefully I'll get better results when I apply directly to some companies in Telford. Yes, that's right, I actually managed to find some company names. Woo...Hoo!

Take care all.

A Week In The Life Of...
ME.

Well, lets start on Sunday shall we - as good a start as any.

So I'm eating my tea and I decide to move to plan C as regards job hunting. There are four plans. So this is my penultimate resort, so to speak.

Plan C, however, requires preparation. Excersise to be exact - I need to get fit. So I think "let's start swimming".

So Monday morning I go out to the local swimming baths (I tried ringing ahead, but they refused to answer their phones - and it was the right numbers because I asked when I got there). Their public opening times were pathetic. So I went to our next nearest baths. Their public opening times were even worse (45 minutes a day to be exact). I now had a choice... keep searching or bugger it for the day and go home (it was now 3pm and I hadn't eaten yet). I chose to go home.

Feeling dissapoined, I was thinking about what I could do that day that would be proactive. Then I remembered that I'd seen a blood donation centre on my travels; so off I went to give blood. (after eating of course).

Bear in mind that I had a stomach bug just 9 days ago. This was why I couldn't give blood - I needed to wait 14 days, so I'm going back next Monday.

So I left the building feeling quite dejected. So I thought "lets get my hair cut"; I was determined to do something useful that day. £8.70 later, my hair was tidy and looking a lot better. I would have cut my own hair but I wanted to have the back of my head done properly. There aren't that many places round here to get a haircut, so I put up with the price. They do a good job, so I get some value for money.

Then let me bring you to today. Up I get, nice and early, with the intention of going cycling. Tyres needed pumping up, but that was easily solved once I managed to track down a pump. Needed to track down gloves, hat, bag, baggy trousers and water bottle.

Once all that was together, I set out at about 10:45. I returned, 16 miles and 4 hours later. I didn't realise I was so unfit.. an average of 4 mph?! Awful. I hope to improve somewhat.

So now I'm watching the olympics. I like Olympics.

I'll sleep well tonight.

Stomach Bugs.
There's a few nasty bugs doing the rounds lately. Last night I was lucky enough to experience one of these bugs first hand.

I think I've turned the corner now; I've not chucked up for 8 hours now. Need a drink, unduprisingly. I'm still dizzy and feel drained, again, unsuprisingly.

While I was out yesterday (I went over to Tracy's), I got a call from a recruitment consultant. This person actually managed to offer me something relevant, I was impressed. There's a real chance that they'll offer me an interview, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Also while I was out, I had a Chinese. It was nice.

Nothing to watch on TV. I usually watch Saturday Kitchen, but for some reason I can't face food right now. So I'm watching Discovery instead. I like to watch the old Sherlock Holmes films on a Saturday afternoon, but for some reason BBC 2 haven't got one on today. Shame.

I'm going to try and have a drink. I fancy orange huice, but I'll stick to water I think. Not sure if adding acid to my stomach is a good idea. One thing that sprung to mind last night was "what if it's the water making me ill?". My sis has had the same/similar bug recently. I doubt it is the water though - the water company would know by now, surely?

Take care everyone. Keep warm and healthy.

Sunshine.
Yes folks, there is sunshine. Purely in the weather sense you understand. It has sun shined three times today. Mainly for a couple minutes at a time. But this burst of sunshine has lasted a whole 10 minutes!

So I thought I'd be very kind and provide you all with a nice sunny picture of a nice sunny bit of grass from our back garden.

It's nice to be nice.

Oh, I've applied to a couple more jobs.

Told You...
that I'd show a picture of one of my "creations" for Sim City.

That's about it really. I stopped up until 3am this morning - just to see what happened when the presenters of Quizmania on ITV swapped over. I also wanted to see the end of one game. It took 1 hour 45 mins! I have to say that I found the Greg a more convincing presenter than Lottie. But I haven't seen much of her, so I can't really judge all that well.

I've finally read the instruction manual to my new camera and found out a few things. I'm also playing with joining photo's together. Wa. Hey.

Today I think I'll treat myself to a bath. Then I might treat myself to a hair cut, but we'll see. That involves going out, coming back and having a quick swill in the shower to get all the bits of hair off me.

Have fun

Tuesday Update.
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to Tuesday. It isn't a bright sunny day here, nor is it particularly warm. I'm still unemployed and some of the happenings over the weekend have been ludicrous in my opinion.

Yet, somehow, I'm happy. Tired, bored but content.

I have applied to four jobs since my last post. One in Edinburgh, one in Worcester, one in Cambridge and another in Tamworth. I'm due to hear about the Worcester job today so I may chase them up tonight if I hear nothing. The jobs aren't anywhere near what I want to do, nor could most of them lead to what I want to do. But it's problem solving - which is what I truly enjoy.

So now I'm talking to another of my parents cousin's! Again, a cousin of the female variety. A thought has just occurred to me - my family history contacts are predominantly female; why is this?

There's not much in the way of space news either really. New Horizons is doing well. Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter is in its approach phase (about a month to go before orbit insertion). Mars Express is doing well - coming up with some stunning pictures. Venus Express I haven't heard anything about for a while, so I don't think there's anything new to report there. We're still waiting for the Stardust project to begin its online analysis thing - I'm looking forward to that :-)

I'm creating my own buildings for Sim City. Yes, that's how bored I am. Expect screenshots.

TTFN

Official Announcement.
It is with regret that I must inform you that we are now switching to Plan B. I heard back from the company this morining and they won't be taking me on. The letter is quoted below. It was a 'nice' letter which is probably why I'm not that upset yet; that said, I haven't stopped trembling since opening the letter over an hour ago. So it will probably sink in later - what chance do I stand if I can't get a job I performed brilliantly for in interview, that was perfect for me and I was perfect for them? How am I supposed to get experience if an employer who is a great believer in training his workforce doesn't think I'm up to the job? Anyway, before I go out and visit family (and show off my lovely family tree project), here is the letter...

"Thankyou again for visiting [us] and I apologise for the short delay
in replying.

As you know, we were impressed with your abilities and it has been very difficult for us to make a final decision. Unfortunately, however, we have decided that your skills, at this time, do not fully match our requirements and we cannot, therefore, offer you the post.

We will be recruiting again some time next year if company plans come to fruition and we will certainly keep your name on our records.

We wish you every success in your future career."

This Just In...
New Horizons now has a "current location" feature. Updated hourly. Sweet.

Monday Evening.
Hello. No post for me this morning, but I didn't expect any. I'm expecting post tomorrow or Wednesday.

Found a couple more cousins on Genes Reunited. Not made any more advances though. I must finish that 'pack' for that bloke who got in touch last week. Still haven't finished the project for my Aunty either. I have all the info - it's just finishing it off that needs doing. So tonight I shall do the latter and tomorrow I shall do the other with a view to complete it.

Car is running nicely. Handbrake pulled up a bit further than usual last night, but I think I was being rough with it. Brake still works and the lever doesn't come up further than its meant to so all is well.

I've been playing Sim City 3000 again. I'm doing rather well by my standards if I'm honest.

Well, I've got things to be getting on with. Before I go though, I want to draw attention to this scandalous turn of events in London.

Take care

Money Update.
Everything is sorted now. Final bill came to about £510. I've had to use my credit card. I've had the card 3 years. I got it for when I went abroad on work trips and I've never used it since finishing that job last year.

Anyway, lets not dwell on that - there was a big coincidence to report today. I found my Dad's cousin through Genes Reunited!

Seperately, Mum has managed to take back one of our ancestral lines a couple of generations. So good news there too! :-D

Next big event is some time next week when I find out the result of my interview. Well, hopefully I'll find out. They can't delay the decision further can they? If they do, I might have to get in touch to try and find out what they're thinking; mainly cos of the aforementioned, inievitable credit card bill.

In other news, the forum at Biggedy Bong thinks I'm a troll. I'm not very good at forums - i'm too used to chatrooms. Plus I don't exactly have an encyclopedic knowledge of music so I can't join in easily. But I like reading what they say and I join in when I can - but that seems to bring the topic to an abrupt end. Oh, and as eager eyed readers will remember, I paid some of my hard earned student loan towards keeping the site open (Click here to read the entry).

My Money Has Flown The Nest.
For those of you following my plight, the repair bill has come to £435-74. Unfortunately, this is still only a total so-far as there is still the small matter of road tax which I have to pay by Tuesday. The very thing, may I add, that has raised the need for an MOT certificate in the first place. I think the road tax is £110 - I could have managed £110. It's now £555 and counting. Shock absorbers are apparently failing - they are roughly £50 each and ideally need to be replaced in pairs.

Why did I ever want a car?!

MOT retest is at 14:00 tomorrow. Cross your fingers those of you not doing any exams of your own.

In Adition...
* New Catalytic converter as old one has been damaged by the problem with the oxygen sensor
* Front pipe not being replaced now
* Front nearside shock asbsorber is now somehow travelling too far (told them not to fix that though)

Time is of the essence here. Time is of the essence and it's Thursday and STILL it isn't ready.

*bites fingernails*

Money, Money and More Money.
£360 and counting; that's the bill to repair my car. This includes the following work:
* New front pipe
* New oxygen sensor
* New handbrake cable
* Rear brake shoe dismantle and refit
* Diagnostic check
* Emissions check


Then there's the MOT retest - that will cost £20 if I get it booked in by Friday.


In the past year and a half of me owning this car I have replaced:
* Auxillary (alternator) drive belt
* Fuel pump
* Timing belt
* Front brake assembly
* New exhaust (back box and catalytic converter)

Then there's the expected small things:
* Wheel trims
* Exterior lightbulbs
* 3 litres of Oil

Okay, so the car is 12 years old and only original parts have had to be changed. But WHY do all these things have to reach the end of their lives at the same time?! Still, on the bright side there shouldn't be any big jobs left to do over the next few years!

Enough complaining. I have found more relations on Genes Reunited. Now my number of relations is up to 603, with 92 different surnames. Talking of surnames, below are two maps showing the distribution of my surname in 1881 and 1998 respectively...

I found out last night on TV (Balderdash and Piffle) that the word "set" has over 150 documented contexts and a 85,000 word defintion. You can see the definition for yourself online. Click here to go to the Oxford English Dictionary online and explore for yourself. On tonights TV there is Who Do You Think You Are - a very interesting show delving into the family histories of well known people - one person per show.

In Pluto news, things are going well, here's an image of New Horizon's trajectory leaving the Earth. Latest news can be found here.

Take care everyone.

Monday Morning.
Good morning - I must first brag about being up so early and having got up willingly. 06:25 I got up! I walked Trace to the train station and had a lovely stroll home. I stopped to watch the birds in the trees a few times too on this cold, frosty morning.

I haven't much to say really. I'm still waiting for job news (1 week to go) and car is being booked in to a garage today (hopefully). I have a few links I wish to give...

Firstly, online Sudoku. Secondly, a website that tracks ships online (almost live) - here is an example if you can't be arsed searching. Thirdly, I'm looking out for New Horizons being entered onto this Solar System Simulator.

And that concludes this post. Thankyou for reading.

FAILED.

Yes, my car has failed its MOT. I now have to fork out anything between £70 and £200 to put it right. I intend to do the smaller jobs myself; if you can call having to adjust the handbrake a small issue.

In other news, it appears the Pluto mission is on track to launch today. Fingers crossed!

News At Last.
Yes, it's true, I've heard back from my interview. Unfortunately it's not a yes but it's not a no either. The company are interviewing someone else before they give me a final answer at the end of this month.

So what do I do in the mean time? Do I wait around or do I assume the worst and move to plan B? To add to the mix, I have an MOT to pay for and car tax is due (also) at the end of this month.

I haven't had a round up of news for a while and I'm not going to do it now either. What I will tell you all is that the mission to Pluto (New Horizons) has been postponed until 18:16 GMT tomorrow due to strong ground winds. A couple of webpages of relevance to geeks like me can be found here and here.

You may have heard in the news that the Stardust mission has returned to Earth. The contents of the space craft (which is basically space dust) is being scanned. It will take until around March to do this. Then, the public are being asked to help look through the scanned images to find the grains of space dust. For the person(s) who find grains, you are rewarded with your name being attached to the science paper showing the findings. For a better explanation, look at the website.

Another webiste has come to my attention (okay, so I saw it on BBC News). This site allows you to look up the distribution (by county) of surnames. You have two further options - view the distribution as of 1881 or view the distribution as of 1998. It's pretty busy at the moment (none too surprisingly) but once demand has levelled off it should be very useful. I intend to use it with my family tree project that I've nearly finished.

And that is about it. I haven't included any Countdown clips today as it was rather tough - especially with the current champion!

Funny News.
Hello there. There being a complete lack of news today (still no word on the verdict of my interview) I have found this amusing story on BBC News Online.

So, let Ms Vorderman test your mind with this numbers game from Countdown.

Happy New Year.
A tad on the late side, I know. But still, it's the thought that counts eh?

Well here we are. 2006 is rolling out in front of us and I hope we all have at least some idea what we want out of 2006.

My aim is simple. To get a job. I intend to get a job by February; whether it be degree related or not. So there exists a plan A and a plan B.

Plan A expires once I hear back from my interview on the 11th.

So then, do you like today's picture? I took it a couple days ago - you remember, when the outside daytime temperature was -5C. I found it funny that the nightime temp was warmer than the daytime temp!

My list of links is going to be growing some more. One of Shaz's regular reads is going to be added to my list. And I must copy this link cos it was Funny.

Got to stay at Esther's over New Year. That was good. They even let me stay a few days which I really enjoyed. I kept worying I was imposing though, and I think I kept insulting them by accident. I'm even thinkng of taking up a new hobby - this combines two hobbies I'm already interested in plus a third that I've never explored before. Great eh?! I just hope I have somewhere to put all this stuff! I will have to draw a picture for you all.

I've recently started watching the Discworld animations. They're okay, I wouldn't say I'm a fan of them - I like the characters the way I've imagined them for a start.

Well, I'm going to update my links and then I shall draw a plan of my dream home and then I shall carry on preparing for my interview. Take care all.