I'm ashamed...

Absolutely gutted. I know that I hadn't written anything in my blog for a while but for TWO WHOLE MONTHS?!

I'm a little bit disappointed with myself. In my defence, I am out of the house for twelve hours a day five days a week - travelling to and from work on trains and buses, blah blah blah... And one of the last things I wanna do is set up my laptop downstairs so that I can get the internet on it (our home computer is overrun with viruses and we don't have wireless, unfortunately...)

:(

Of course, that doesn't excuse anything.

SPECSAVERS

Life at Specsavers is going well. I think I know enough now to feel comfortable in doing any task that anyone's asking for me to do for them. People are starting to trust me with doing different jobs around the store. But I still haven't finished my three month probation though. Everyone tells me that I've got nothing to worry about but I can't help it. It'll be the biggest weight off my shoulders ever.

I've read one of the shittest books in the whole world. 'No Time for Goodbye' by Linwood Barclay. I bought it because it was a murder mystery and I never read them. And this book made me realise that I never read them for a bloody good reason!

I've put down a deposit for a house to rent in Didsbury in Greater Manchester and will be moving in on Tuesday. Ecstatic. I feel like I've been waiting for this day all my life. Can't wait to have my own little personal space again where I can start writing properly, hopefully.

And I've also walked in on my younger brother snogging his chavvy girlfriend on the settee on Valentine's Day Evening over a bottle of wine, some beers and a toffee cheesecake.

The bleeding romantic.

Not a lot has happened really. I've just been working my arse off at work and not been very social at all. But as soon as I get my arse to Manchester, that's going to change.

List of things to do on arrival in Didsbury:-

--- Get fit and healthy (I'm actually craving healthy food and reeeeeally wanna join dance classes and the gym),

--- Pass my probation period at work,

--- Start writing properly again,

--- Start planning a holiday (preferrably to New York or Las Vegas or any other phenomenal city in the US)

--- Generally be a happier human being and a general breeze of fresh air for everyone around me.

I haven't been the happiest bunny of late but that's all soon to change.

To be continued...

P.S. I need another hair cut.

XD

I miss writing...

I miss having writing bursts that actually inspire to 'carry on' the story after 100 or so words.

I miss having the time on my hands to call myself a writer, where I can just sit and write for hours on end.

I miss Matthew Meadows. And owe him a sincere apology that I don't have a fuckin' clue how to start his story.

I miss writing for the hell of it, instead of having to worry about craft/layout/publishing needs/target audiences.

I miss having people who actually want to read and critique my work.

I miss being around other people who wanna be writers too.

I miss reading other people's stories.

:(

I've only gone and eaten my own words, haven't I?

One of the nicest Christmases...

EVER

... this year.

No arguing with my mum. No bedbound spells with the flu. It all went ridiculously swimmingly.

:D

Wickedddddd.

Hope everyone else had a cool day too!

And can't WAIT to hit the sales on Tuesday!

YAAAAAY!

It's Christmas Eve...

I am a firm believer that Christmas Eve is better than Christmas Day. Without a shadow of a doubt. The annual trepedation and excitement that builds up on that night while you're sat on the sofa in a brand new and crisp pair of PJs, watching 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' or 'A Christmas Carol', is so much better than the anti-climactic day afterwards, where the excitement of gifts disappears after minutes and the most eagerly-awaited meal of the year proves to be just another Sunday Roast with additional pigs-in-blankets.

Now, this is the first year where I've been this much of a BAH HUMBUG. The weather's been shocking, which has led to stressing about whether or not I can get home after work from Manchester etc. etc. I haven't been able to get paid until the 21st December, hence, having to buy Christmas presents in the mad rushes of the Arndale centre in my precious half-an-hour breaks at work. And breaking my inner pact with myself to ensure that I was out and in my own flat by Christmas time is still tearing me apart.

It should be a joyous occasion, I know.

But I DESPISE Christmas family traditions!

Because I know for a fact, that my mother will be pissed by noon so all the other minutes spent in the day will be ruined. Since moving back to live with my parent's after university, I have regressed into a teenager and am going through the teenage rebellion stage six years too late. I want my hair cut again (mostly because I know that it annoys my mum), I want my tattoo and some more ear piercings and I've started pissing off to my bedroom for hours on end within the day.

This, however, I will not be able to do tomorrow because, let's face it, it's Christmas bloody day. I'm not getting any presents because I'm saving up for my flat/house in the New Year. And the dinner tomorrow is going to be an even bigger shambles than it was yesterday.

Chances of having an argument with my mum on Christmas day - 4/1

Chances of suffering from the flu - 8/2 FAVOURITE

Chances of sitting through the Queen's speech - 3/1 (regrettably)

And chances of Saturday 25th December 2010 being a generally all-round good day - 100/1

No one really gambles anyway.

I attract weirdos...

Weirdo #1

I was waiting for the Hull train on platform 13 at Piccadilly and this guy sits next to me. He was drinking Red Bull and stank of sweat. He asked me which train was the Hull train and generally tried to make conversation with me but there was something a little off with him. I stood up when the train arrived, told him that this was the one he wanted and he stood RIGHT behind me waiting to get on the train. Got on, found a seat and tried to mentally communicate with everyone who walked past me to sit next to me. But, my luck, Red Bull fan sat next to me.

Wasn't very happy. Pretended to be asleep, which I think he bought until Stalybridge, where he then proceeded to badger me with stupid questions like, "You seem very tired," AFTER 'WAKING ME UP' and "What are you doing this Christmas?" After expressing my reluctance with staying at my parents he then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to go back to his country with him and spend Christmas there and, on my refusal, said that I should get to know him and that girls are allowed to have boys who are friends... BEFORE LEADING IT ONTO SOMETHING MORE. 

Now there I drew the line. I said very loudly on the train, "I don't wanna spend time with you this Christmas and, to be honest, you're making me feel a little uncomfortable," to which he shut up and left me alone, seeing as I'd attracted half the carriage.

Bollucks.

Weirdo #2

Short and sweet. On the bus home from work tonight, when a pissed up old man on the bus was getting off, he leaned into me and said... wait for it...

"Keep smiling, love. You'll get a boyfriend that way."

@_@

HOW DID HE KNOW?!

Am I a magnet for creepy men?!

Double bollucks.

Get me out of here.

It's been a while...

Commuting to and from Manchester most days is starting to take it's tole on me...

AND IT'S ONLY WEEK TWO!

Absolutely gutted. I'm up at 7am most mornings to fight over the shower with my brother and then run down to catch the bus, a human invention that I'm fast growing to despise. Then on the train, which I don't really mind. 8 and a half hours of work in the day and then back on up to Piccadilly station, on a train, on a bus and walk home. By this time, I'm lucky if I get home for 8pm... where I'm usually too shattered to do much else then to strip off, put some PJs on, take a load off, watch some telly, climb into bed and sleep before doing it all again the next morning.

But I'm glad that I'm finally doing something. It's annoying that the world's suddenly started to go all 'The Day After Tomorrow' on us and fuck up my day. No doubt, my constant fear of falling over in public will materialise some point soon... despite the fact that I'm remaining constantly vigilant.

I'm making 'friends' at work. Not enough to be invited round for dinner or anything yet but it's a start. I've called a chavvy colleague a 'dog', to which his response was, "You know, it normally takes people about a month to come out of their shell but you don't really give a shit, do you?"

:)

Soooo many people have got my name wrong and said, 'Laura' or 'Lorna' or 'Lauren'. But I don't mind. It's an odd name, I know. At least people remember me now for a being a nerd with a weird name. The fact that I actually have a friendly personality - even in the intimidating environment that Specsavers was, on the first couple of days - is just an added bonus.

An even better first impression I think so was for the lovely ladies in the office, where I was invited up for measurements for the new uniform. So you can imagine, standing in a room crowded with other people taking measurements, was not the best of times to find out that your bum is a good inch bigger than your boobs...

Not the biggest revelation for a woman ever, but the fact that my tits are the size of small countries anyway, it's slightly alarming.

:/

Nevertheless, roll on the upcoming weeks.

Objective of the week: Make more friends.

"So it begins..."

No, this is not an ode to 'Lord of the Rings'. But a celebration of the moment I commenced work at Specsavers in the Arndale in Manchester. 

Well, it all began on Tuesday to be exact. But as I'm staying over at a friend's this week to ease settling into work a little better, I haven't been able to get my arse to a laptop long enough to chill and write this blog. However, here we are now.

I'm not going to lie to you... It was soooooo freakin' daunting the first day. With 75 members of staff within the store...

OH-EM-GEE

I walked into the staff meeting as shy as God knows what! I stole away with a cookie for breakfast (complimentary, of course) as I didn't want to look like a greedy bastard on my first day...

You go, cute little hamster.

So aye, played Pictionary/Charades in the morning to celebrate what sounds like a pretty phenomenal Awards Ceremony on Saturday... Absolutely GUTTED I missed out on it. Rumours clarify that it was all very sex, drugs and rock and roll which I can't wait to get involved with. 

:)

And then I got started. I'm on the Pretests Department, who get people ready for the Optometrist. AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S REALLY COOL!?! I actually get to use some of the machines and take pictures of the back of people's eyes! 

Like this!

Weeeeeeeird!

And thenwe send them off the the Optometrist to do the rest. 

It's a really cool environment to work in. Already, after my third day, I feel ecstatic that I'm there! Maybe it's only the fact that I've been unemployed for moooooooooonths, I don't know. But I know that I'm very very thankful that I went onto the Arndale website and checked for this job in the first place. 

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Am shattered though, like. I'm not used to being on my feet 10 hours a day! Maye have to indulge myself in a footspa when I get my arse down to Manchester finally. 

Workin' 9 till 5... 

;)