wagwaan?

Love these videos at the moment...

This one because it's a very clever vid - but also the song is quite good (Through the Glass by Stone Sour - the singer is from Slipknot!).  It gets really interesting about half way through, so patience people!

and this one cos I just love these guys.... This ain't a Scene by Fall Out Boy

Busy!

Well thank goodness it's nearly the weekend, that's all I have to say.  It's been a funny old week.  Board Meetings and other meetings every day, directors in the office from the four corners of the world, making sure their every need is met. Phew, I'm exhausted!  It's like this every other month, actually, but this week it's been more tiring for some reason.

I've been pretty creative in my spare time, but lots of what I'm doing is for people who may or may not read this blog, so I'll spare you all but a little glimpse.

Oh yes, and last night what a lovely surprise I had. I had told Claire that I needed her to step up and do some cooking as I was going to be home late. She said she would read the recipe and sort it out. What she didn't say was that would put the hoover round, plump up the (old) sofa cushions the way I like them, clear off the dining table which is usually hidden under a pile of (her) stuff, clean the kitchen AND clear her bedroom up too. What a lovely girl I've raised :)   So people who are rude about teenagers need to come and meet mine. And it wasn't till this evening that I wondered if she had a hidden agenda ROFL!

So I'm off out in a minute to get some cat food, which might stop the pitiful meowing that is going on in the background. Then I'll make dinner. And then, I might, I said might, get to come online tonight. Oh, but only if I can fit it in before my fix of "Five Days" on BBC1 (really really good drama, the best the BBC has to offer).

PS: I managed to upload that card I made with the card generator - see a couple of posts below. It's so cool!

Just love these, and I haven't even got an iPod :D   Seeing as we're talking technology, the geek in me NEEDS the new iPhone. I am in lurve. Last night we watched the Steve Jobs presentation, and I was practically clapping in glee.  300 quid doesn't sound too much - and I'm poor. It's surprising how much you're willing to pay when you really desire something, eh?

I'm a true scrapbooker at heart...

Little things amuse me. This is so cool - found it on Mir's blog. As a scrapbooker, I have a love of all things paper, ephemera, that kind of thing. This is a digital version of that (go here to have fun yourself: http://www.blyberg.net/card-generator/ )

Sometimes I scare myself silly....

Excuse me while I exhale....  Yesterday I scared myself a little. I've been organising this Board Meeting in St Moritz for March (and no, I don't think I'm invited, oddly enough!), and yesterday my boss casually announces that they all come back on the Monday morning not the Sunday night. So I'm a night short for something like 15 or 16 people. Heeeeelp!  I'm sure I flushed beet red, but anyway, I quickly dashed off an email to the woman at the fancy hotel and waited. And waited.  And panicked. If this were any other big hotel I wouldn't worry, but this is a hotel in a very fancy ski resort, and what if they are full up on the Sunday night?  That lasted all day, during which time I thought I'll resign, I'll go and temp somewhere, I obviously can't do this etc.   Of course, at 5pm when I got the answer saying of course we can accommodate you, I was about to do cartwheels down the corridor!  To say I was relieved was the understatement of the year. 

So I'm not resigning, I haven't got the boot (I hope) and I will be made permanent at the end of February, all going well. Note to self: double check all your details when making bookings.   Of course, this shouldn't happen to a pro like me, but hey, I'm only human.  The sense of relief is still palpable today!

And more good news - DD got the recovery disks for her laptop from her dad, and she has just phoned me to say it is working and that she is reinstalling everything as we speak. So fingers crossed, by tonight she'll be back online and able to finish her coursework due tomorrow (!), and I may be able to do some blog and email reading more regularly...

See ya!

Oh pooey !

I do hate not having a functioning PC!  DD's laptop is still dead, and I don't have time at work to log on here, but thankfully OH brought his laptop along tonight....  Thank you for your comments: I'm still being a morning person. Kind of.  Last night I did the Paul McKenna relaxation CD and the cats both thought it would be fun to come and lie on me, but I just pushed them off and drifted off to the sound of Paul M's voice. Very nice.  Shall have to persevere.  Lots going on, but no time to blog!  But I will catch up later this week. That's a promise :)

What did I do yesterday? I reprogrammed my brain...

Now that might seem strange, but hear me out!  I bought the Sunday Times because they were giving away a CD by Paul McKenna - and a funny thing happened when I read part of the article: I had an Epiphany! (well, that was quite appropriate, seeing as it was Epiphany weekend...). A light bulb moment if you will.  There was a questionnaire, and you answered (a) or (b). I was mostly (a). And that meant I was more likely to say "I will stop eating chocolate and being a slob" rather than "I will eat tofu and exercise every day". Can't see the difference? Aha! It is subtle but oh so obvious when you hear it: if you are a person who tends to "leave the negative" rather than "reach for the positive", then you are less likely to succeed in your endeavours.  Think about it for a minute...  And the strangest bit was the question about how to stop smoking, because the way he described as the most likely to succeed was the one my dad used all by himself, some 30 years ago: after years of smoking Gitanes sans filtres and Capstan Full Strength, he decided one day to BECOME A NON-SMOKER. He didn't say "I'll stop smoking" because he'd tried that loads of times and it never worked. He decided to reprogramme his way of thinking to actually BECOME a non-smoker. He didn't crave a fag or accept one if it was offered, because he didn't smoke. He hadn't "given up", he just didn't smoke. And there is a tiny but powerful difference.

So by now, McKenna had my full attention! And to start with, last night I decided I was "a morning person" -something I've never been up till now- and for good measure I decided I was also going to be an "evening person" too. Anyway, I got to bed really late because Wayne was over and I was using his laptop and we got chatting and watching TV and anyway, it was really really late when I finally fell asleep. But before I fell asleep I repeated to myself "I am a morning person". So when I woke at 6.25am, instead of saying to myself that I could afford to lie in bed for another 20 minutes, I got up and said chirpily to Wayne "I'm a morning person!!" (he groaned back at me).   I went and had my shower, washed my hair, put on make up (!!!) and had breakfast, and I was ready to leave on time and not flustered.  It had worked!

I'm not silly enough to think that one day is enough to change the habit of a lifetime, but it was a pretty good start, don't you think?

This one makes me laugh!

Sat and watched this one with Wayne last night, and we were going "oooh that's cold!!!" - it was quite funny. And now I have it on the brain. Girl power ;)  (n.b. the music doesn't start immediately...)

MY MUM'S COMING HOME!!!

MY MUM'S COMING HOME!!!

MY MUM'S COMING HOME!!!

MY MUM'S COMING HOME!!!

Can you tell I'm excited??? My sister and brother met with the doctor and they've given the date of 9th Feb for my mum to come home! And DD has just reminded me that things happen for a reason, because I have that single to Paris for 11th Feb so I am hoping to be there for her!!!!!!

I'm so happy I could scream!

Thank you all for listening, and thank you for your support when my mum was so poorly and the neurologist was so pessimistic about her outcome.... (Jen skips away happily!)

Just a quickie

So today I have the use of OH's laptop for a few minutes, and I just have to update my blog. I love weekends :)   Yesterday my lovely neighbour Judy called to say the boys were going to have a jam and did we want to come over for pizza? I love her to bits and miss her terribly, what with her moving away to deepest Dorset for her job, so of course we jumped at the chance. Plus, OH was desperate to have a go on the bass, as young Michael is supposed to be fixing it.  We had pizza and champagne (I had some in the fridge), which is a frightfully posh mixture, don't you think? And then we all trooped down to the basement for a couple of hours of jamming. Judy and I filmed a few of the impros on her camera, so I can't wait for her to upload them!  We were supposed to go back tonight, but I've just had the call to say her lodger, Chris, came off his bike very early this morning and is in hospital in London. Luckily he is fine, barring a very bruised ego (and testicle!!), but he is being kept in for observation.  What a lucky boy. That's 3 people now - my nephew, Michael from next door and Chris the lodger: all have had motorbike accidents recently, and it scares the living daylight out of me!  Luckily, they are all ok, even if my poor nephew looks like a matchstick as he has lost so much weight, and he is still in hospital.

Today, it was boring shopping/washing etc, but I'm just grabbing a few moments on the laptop before OH needs it back to do some revision for a course he's on.  So, cheerio and toodle pip, and I'll be back soon :)

ETA: Michael is touring with Ben Lee Tyler, and their single is out now. You can buy it on Amazon. I really hope they are successful.