Where am I?

The footie was terrible at the weekend - both teams played badly but my old team won. At the end the wife got into a heated argument (i.e. nearly a full on fight) with another woman who told her that she should shut up and not bother coming back. The wife is a very passionate supporter and as well as getting behind the team towards the end she was also telling them just how bad they were (which the commentator on the match highlights that night also pointed out). This other woman obviously thought that this isn't on and took her frustration out on my other half. We seemed to be seated among a group of regulars, forming a little clique and the presence of us strangers didn't go down to well. Being made to feel uncomfortable amongst your fellow supporters is enough to put you off going, especially at the price of the tickets. My day just got better on returning home and news of a family crisis reached me, hence my absence from here over the last few days. But that's a story for another day.

Bad loser?

When I was growing up I was a fan of our local premiership football team and dad often took us to the games on a Saturday afternoon. Since moving in with the wife my allegiances have shifted to her team. This afternoon the two teams are playing each other and we have tickets. My problem is who to support? I'm thinking I'll decide at half time based on the first half performance. Or sooner depending on the size of the Black Cat fans surrounding me. Last time they played up here we also went and my old team lost, much to the delight of the wife and her family!

A tale of two houses

We had to go into town this morning so I popped into the estate agents selling the house we have the offer on, just to see if they had a detail sheet for it yet (they don't and we're hoping as we offered so quickly they won't bother). As I was browsing for our little would-be palace I overheard a phone call to a Mrs Banks, the same name as the people we are hoping to buy from, at which my ears pricked. The agent said he had had another offer of £160K but still had to sell their home and was this similar to the other offer they had. If it is the same Mrs Banks then it is similar but slightly higher than our offer, which they were happy to accept. If it is the same Mrs Banks then both us and the other people wanting our would-be palace have to sell houses before being able to proceed. What are the chances of there being two Mrs Banks selling a house in the same price range with the same estate agents?


UPDATE at 15.45: The couple who viewed here the other night want to come back later this week for a second look in the daylight. The problem I have with this is that for the next 72 hours the wife will be cleaning, tidying and generally getting stressed while I keep track of how many times I get told off for leaving my shoes/cup/body lying around! Bless her!

Some people!

The new job I’m waiting to start is pretty much just an extension of my old job (only new title and more money – progressing from post-grad to post-doc) so I am occasionally popping into work to make sure that no one steals my pipettes or tidies my desk (a necessity since someone put my lab coat in for the laundry, never to be seen again – those stains represented hundreds of hours of hard labour and if it was smelly it was to keep people who would otherwise distract me away). Anyway, today I just happened to be in time for a departmental meeting, unfortunately. Firstly, it was chaired by a little man suffering from little man syndrome, full of his own importance and talking down to us all. Secondly, why is that whenever a meeting could be over with relatively quickly there is always someone who wants to discuss all the fine details that affect them personally yet affect no one else? It was just before lunch time and whenever she stopped to take a breath you could hear the bellies rumbling, mine included. I'll have to try and avoid the next meeting, trouble is I can't remember when it is!

Remembering

I was watching the remembrance day parades this morning and, among other thoughts, wishing I knew more about the history of the early 20th century and the two world wars in particular. I dropped history at school as soon as I could as I just couldn't see the point of it. All we seemed to do was how castles why castles were built on a hill surrounded by a moat and I think the wives of Henry 8th must have been taught because I can remember 'divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived', just don't ask me to name them. Perhaps all of this did shape the Great Britain we live in today but more modern history might have been more relevant to life today.

Adjusting

I'm starting to get used to having nothing to do. I'm getting to grips with day time TV schedules, my only complaint being that 15 to 1 isn't on anymore and Countdown just isn't the same without Richard Whiteley. The new 'Deal or no Deal' is completely addictive. The first time I saw it I thought it was the most boring, pointless 45 minutes of TV I'd seen in at least a week but the following day I found myself glued to the screen and now heaven forbid anyone interrupt me between 4.15 and 5pm. Then there's weakest Link followed by Eggheads and all of a sudden the day is over. I am debating whether when I start work again I should start early so that I can be home in time for all of this. Countdown starts at 3.30 so I would have to leave work at 3.00 at the latest which would mean starting at 7am. Okay, maybe not, especially as I used to struggle to get there for 10! Perhaps my priorities will have to change again.

Bodies

At last, I have dug out the credit card and purchased a router so I can now get on the world wide interweb anytime, any place, so expect more irrelevant ramblings and details of semi-significant moments in my life. Not now however since Bodies is starting and there is nothing better than a bit of blood and gore interspersed with bare breasts on a Saturday night.

Holidays

As I have finished writing up I am now on holiday for the next three weeks. So, this afternoon I went to the seaside! Actually we walked for hours. The wife took me around a park I've never seen before and we had probably the longest conversation we have had in many weeks - mostly planning what we want to do with our new house. That which has been keeping the wife occupied over the summer is over and out of her hands and the Phd which has filled every other thought I've had for the last four years is complete. Today has been like the days we used to have when we first got together and that first summer we spent together, before life got in the way. The difference today is that I love her even more than I did then and I can't wait for us to move into our new home.

March

Not wanting to wish my life away but I can't wait for next March!
Juliet Turner is touring and will be in the north east. We travelled up to Glasgow to see her last year and have been waiting for another gig ever since. Her live album came out yesterday - go and buy it now! Go, now! Ahh that Irish accent...

I have a life (sort of)

I finished my Phd thesis last week and got it submitted - all I have to do now is wait for the viva - joy! I have spent all weekend feeling guilty thinking that I should be working, instead I have had a life! Two days running we have been out for lunch, last night we went with a small child to a firework display, complete with fairground rides and most of today has been spent with my nose in a book. This however was not the type of book I am used to - this was a piece of fiction! Actually it wasn't, it was Gladys Reunited by Sandi Toksvig - a v funny read, but more biographical than fiction, including lots of stuff about American history. Next something really trashy. But to finish the weekend, a bath and a bottle of wine for the pair of us - time to get our life back.

Thoughts on today

I have developed a bit of a habit of talking to myself as I work. Now this
is fine when I'm locked away at home with only the dog to disturb but back
at work I'm wondering how long it's going to be before I get told to "shut
the f*** up". I prefer working at home for other reasons as well. 1) free
coffee (I haven't paid any tea money recently and daren't risk pinching even
a tea bag) 2) I got out of bed at 8.30am and still didn't start work until
nearly 10.00 and 3) the reason for 2) was that it took me 20 minutes to find
somewhere to park and there is no guaruntee that when I return to my car it
will still have four wheels and all windows in tact. I wouldn't mind so much
if they would steal the whole car as the insurance would pay towards a nice
shiny new one, but the locals aren't clever enough to get it started!

Frustration

I have sat around at work all day doing nothing (because I have nothing to
do for a change, not because I can't be bothered to do what I should be
doing) waiting for an email so that I would have something to do. I have
been logged into my email all day and repeatedly pressed the 'check mail'
button. So how many emails that I was waiting for do you think arrived?
That's right, none. Zero. And how many other emails arrived to take my mind
of the email that hadn't arrived? That's right, none. Zero. Not even a reply
from the wife about nothing in particular. Not even offers of cut-price
medication to improve my sexual performance. And not even one, single offer
of a penis enlargement. Am I to take it that I am unpopular.