Stream of Consiousness

Still not taking my hot water and heat for granted.

My colleague is working at home today. I wish I was working at home today. But, you know, if I was working at home today, there would be very little actual work being done, and much more sitting on my ass, in bed probably if I’m honest, drinking tea, watching The Wire*, because, hello, the shit just went down and someone got shot! A someone I actually like on this show that is taking far too long for me to get into but that everyone whose opinion I care about when it comes to TV tells me I absolutely MUST watch…er, where was I? Oh yes, not working at home, which is just WRONG!

I could also be knitting. Because, as we know, I am a knitter now. Except I kind of suck, as shown by the fact that I’ve unravelled the scarf I am knitting my friend 3 times now. 3 TIMES! Because I don’t know how to rectify a dropped stitch. I should really read my knitting bible, that’s gotta be in there surely.

I could also be playing Zelda on my kick ass DS, although Zelda is actually kicking my ass and I have fallen out with it a little because it keeps making me start at the effing beginning of the castle every time I die (which is often), and then I have to go through the same damn level, and past the evil sentry things that hate me, with time running out (as shown by the delightful hourglass in the corner), just to get to the same place and be killed again. I am very tempted to just read the online cheats, which are actually bookmarked on my PC now. But I promised I wouldn’t. And so I’m not. I’m just sulking instead. It’s cheaper than buying a new DS when I throw this one at the wall.

Backing up to The Wire again for a second, I am something like nine episodes in and have just started to get everyone straight. I don’t think I was paying as close attention as I should have been, because I only figured out who Avon Barksdale is today, and I’m not sure of the names of anyone else except McNulty and Kima. Oh and Bubbles. I am slow. McNulty is not annoying me as much today, but that’s because he cried and threw up when that person got shot, cos he was all guilt ridden like, so I’ll let him off a bit today for the dodge accent and bad boy crap. It is tempting to talk like all the people on the show, but I generally don’t swear that much and me adding ‘and shit’ to the end of every sentence or calling people a mo fo just wouldn’t go down very well.

I’m starving. It is no where near lunch time. Today I have to finish a flyer, send out some review copies and info, and er…make sure everything is sorted for Thursday’s sales conference. Not looking forward to that. I have to do presentations. I talk too fast and get all red. Not pretty. But then we have a meal out, hopefully with something I can eat (mmmm food….) and the party on Friday, with balloons.

OK…I think this stream has run dry for now.

*Season One just in case anyone reads this and feels the need to add spoilers…PLEASE DON’T! Ta.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town…

I am finally starting to get into the spirit of Christmas. I spent today sitting at my desk wearing a Santa hat, shopping for new decorations for our work tree, and going ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ over the presents that had been bought. Every year we are given tasks for Christmas, either buying presents for reps etc, or wrapping. Rebekah and I were entrusted with some petty cash to go and purchase spangly new things for the tree. Ah the tree. The poor thing must be at least ten years old. Its branches are all droopy and it smells of dust. It spends the year in its box shoved in the basement storage room, surrounded by at least 30 years worth of old catalogues and end of year tax info. The usual decorations are…well loved. It was certainly time for new stuff.

After browsing the new Next Home store (and still mourning the loss of my beloved Fopp), we went into Paperchase where we found lots of cool decorations. I was leaning towards hot pink myself, but that wouldn’t have gone with the old ones. So we got some more gold, and silver glittering disco balls (which I love), and purple, and tinsel, and when we done, it looked grand I have to say. Still a bit droopy and old, but much better. I decided not to put the scary skiing snowman on, it ruined the effect don’t you know, but we added gold donkeys and sheep to the tinsel we hung around the room. I am trying to figure out a way to ‘lose’ the hideous fairy that sits on top of the tree, but so far haven’t come up with a plan. It’s either lost or an injury…

And now I am going to write Christmas cards for the first time in years. I really need some sort of Christmas music in the background…oh well.

And I started my shopping! Phew. I am trying not to be last minute girl again.

Shameless Plug

I am back at work today. The thought of all those emails piling up in my inbox was making me sweat more than my cold and I felt guilt ridden even though I am, in fact, poorly. I feel like a skiver. Of course I’ve come in and there isn’t actually anything in urgent need of attention so I could technically have slept some more. Oh well. I do feel a bit better, although I had a slight panic last night when I thought I’d developed a rash and even went so far as to roll a tumbler over it just in case. Turns out it wasn’t Meningitis. Or a rash for that matter. I must have been sat funny. I am such a hypochondriac.

Anyway, I can get through one day can’t I? I can make it to 5 pm I’m sure.

On to the plug:

Marcia has created an excellent website/pop culture blog concerned with all things tv related. It’s full of news and brilliant commentary and I can’t remotely do it justice so why don’t you pop on over to Pop Vultures and have a look yourself?

Continuing with things internet related, as of yesterday I am addicted to Stumble Upon, a website that lets you click through different pages by adding a button to your internet tool bar. Click, and you’re onto someone’s blog. Click and it’s news. Click and a crafts page. I get lots of those. My favourite stumble from yesterday was this bizarre thing. You click the horses and they sing. Or they do if you have Flash installed which I don’t seem to have so it’s not quite as fun at work.

Right, onto some work. Maybe.

In Search of the Lesser Known Black Cardy and Other Stories

Girly stuff, so unlike me.

Gah. I made the mistake of going shopping on Oxford Street in my lunch hour. I always walk the back way off the main street as it’s less crowded and you can actually, you know, walk with some speed and not spend ages trapped behind large groups of tourists whose sole purpose on this Earth seems to be to get in your way and slow you down (deep breath). I had three main aims. Buy a black cardigan. Get a book from Waterstone’s. Buy a birthday card. I managed one.

Do nice, plain black cardigans not exist in this world anymore or something? Did I miss the memo and the going out of style end of the line sale? You can have big fluffy black cardigans, ones with frills, huge knitted things with roll top necks that look itchy, cropped ones (!!!), that come above your waist, ones without sleeves, ones with poofy sleeves, lacy ones (dear lord), but a plain, normal, none fancy black cardy I can wear for work instead of my one jumper I have at the moment that is presentable? Non. I have even looked on the internet. I may have to wander to the dreaded Top Shop tomorrow, cos I couldn’t be arsed today, but their website didn’t look very promising either. Can’t wait to go home and go to a proper shopping mall and look around with actual time to browse without some impatient person up my arse. Who would have thought Meadowhall could be so appealing? I am so desperate for new clothes.

And Waterstone’s didn’t have my book.

But I got the card at least.

Yesterday the mice man came in to have a look around at work and gave us a report on the situation. Yes we have mice. We also have wood worm, which, turns out, isn’t a worm at all, but a beetle in this case. Who knew? They are going to bring in steel wool and traps, which I’m a little worried about. Am I going to come in one morning and find a dead mouse sitting by my desk? I mean, I can deal with a lot of things first thing in the morning, battling my way to work, sleep deprivation, but mouse carcass? May tip me over the ever crumbling edge. Also, mice carry salmonella. Didn’t know that either. I really need to buy some antibacterial wipes because I don’t think the polish is going to cut it with the unseen but deadly mouse urine.

My life is oh so glamorous.

The Chosen One

So I wasn’t the next Chosen One (ie, the next Buffy, a Slayer), so I was always picked last for games at school, and I wasn’t the girl the best looking boy wanted on his arm. So what I say, seeing as, it’s official, the mouse at work likes me best. How do I know this? It keeps leaving me little presents. No, not nicely wrapped gifts that show me it cares, oh no, every morning I show up and there it is, a little brown poo on my desk. Always in the same place, next to my diary. Do you think he sits there of an evening, having a bit of a read whilst doing his business? Thinking ‘Hmm, I wonder what Carrie is up to this week?’ Perhaps I should start writing little stories in the margins to amuse him, or draw funny pictures?

Or maybe it does mean I’m special. Maybe it’s good luck and I will win the lottery?  More likely he’s just decided my desk is his territory and I should move on over and give him room.

Nevermind, the exterminators are coming soon…

I apologise for my capital letter abuse

It’s Friday. I should have that Friday feeling. But I don’t. Instead I am incredibly hot and bothered because people are F***ING STUPID!!! I am doing mailings at work. I ordered labels through the company we usually buy addresses from. They sent me an invoice THAT IS WRONG. I have explained why it is wrong, with full details. She comes back and says it is correct (with the wrong info in the email). I explain again why it is wrong and also send her my final counts to show her, with evidence, why it is wrong. She says if it is wrong (IF, IF!!!) they will send me a credit. I don’t want a credit. I want a proper invoice with the right amount on it. This hasn’t been paid yet and it really screws up my mailings budget if I have to account for this money. The error is on their end. She made the mistake. Suck it up and send me another frigging invoice!

Good God. I hate stupid people. I am shit at maths and yet I still worked out what I should be owed very easily. It aint rocket science.

Ewwwwwwwww

Last week at work Rebekah came in to find a bread roll she’d left on the top of the fridge had a rather suspicious hole in it. We believe it had been chewed on by a mouse. So we have mouse-proofed all the kitchen, and I hadn’t thought anything more about it really, because it’s not like I’m going to come in and find one sitting on my desk staring at me…

But I hadn’t counted on Rebekah’s cry this morning of ‘There’s mouse poo on my desk!’ I thought it might be something else mistaken for it, but no, a closer (not too close) inspection proved otherwise. And there was loads on my desk behind my computer too! Ugh.

Have spent the last half an hour cleaning my desk and thinking I’ll never eat my lunch here again.

But, ok, it’s Friday so that’s nice. And we have a big new tv in the living room waiting to be tuned in (we have terrible reception though so need freeview box plugging in), and a ladder coming tomorrow so I can stop the hideous smoke alarm beep and change more light bulbs. Oh yes, and sleep lots.