Spoke to soon

On Friday I said I wanted to be in Scotland and it appears my wish has come true. I have to head north of the border for a job interview later this week. So the long, holiday weekend was just a long weekend that I spent working and preparing. Apart from the afternoon I spent tidying and cleaning so that I could actually get to my desk. Oh and we did manage to get out in the sun for a time but while the wife has gone a lovely shade of brown I just have a faint red glow on my nose. It can't be sunburn through, it's still only May.

That Friday Feeling

I'm working at home today trying to write but it's not working very well. I'm stuck. I want to be somewhere like this - even if it is raining (not that weather matters in the Highlands, it's a stunning place, rain or shine). Wish we could just jump in the car and head up north for the long weekend but alas it looks like I will be chained to my computer all weekend. I shall just console myself with the idea that the roads will be chocker with caravans and miles of tailbacks and convince myself that for that reason we are lucky to be staying at home. Tuning into the traffic reports will help. Yes. We really are lucky.

Celebrity

Celebrity Love Island, Celebrity Wrestling, The Farm... I'm sure there are more celeb reality programmes on at the moment but those are the ones I have had to actively avoid recently. Who are these celebs? As far as I can see they are famous for either being in reality shows or for sleeping with soap stars/footballers etc. Most of them I have never heard of. At least Big Brother starts again tonight. That will produce another round of 'celebrities' for the next few series of celeb reality shows. They should bring back Survivor, that was the best one, and they were normal people.

Doe a dear...

Although I love working from home, the wife + four year old + the Sound of Music video = a distraction. Not that I'm complaining, watching the two of them dance around the living room, singing at the top of their voices is more than entertaining, it is hilarious (and oh so cute). At this point I must appologise to the neighbours on their behalf!

...far a long, long way to run.

About time

After scoffing me for months about my blog reading habits i.e. that I read,
write and talk a lot about the things, the Wife last night said that she
wouldn't mind having her own blog. So watch this space - especially since
she is more intelligent, witty (and better looking) than me. Oh and she is
also an excellent writer, it was her words I fell for first - but thats
another story.

Distracted

I was going to post something else but got distracted by the last 6 minutes on Radio 2. You're Beautiful by James Blunt then straight into Adia by Sarah McLachlan - The most fantastic song in the world. In fact both of these songs make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! (Especially brilliant when played loudly).

Disbelief

I don't believe this! Not that three sisters aged 12 to 16 have all had babies. Not that they are receiving £600 a WEEK in benefits (which they claim is not enough - the family live rent free in a council house, don't pay council tax and get free childcare)! What really bugs me is that their mother blames the school. Another example of parents thinking that schools are responsible for their children rather than taking that responsibility themselves.

Oh my

So Greece won and the UK came third from bottom, thanks to Ireland for such a high placing. Do we need a referendum on the EU constitution - it would seem that the rest of Europe don't want to play with us! Having said that our song was pretty crap.

Have spent most of the day working since my next self-imposed deadline is looming and I think the stress is starting to show - I have knicker elastic tied around my head to keep my hair out of my eyes, I'm on my third cup of coffee this evening instead of my third glass of wine and have re-tuned the radio to Classic FM. It's got all the hallmarks of a long night.

It's all too much

A penalty shoot-out in the cup final and the Eurovision song contest all in one day - how much excitement can a gal take. (Un)fortunately I was awake ridiculously early this morning and then we went for a lovely, long walk in the sunshine so I don't have the energy to celebrate these two national institutions. Not that I hold out much hope for the UK entry, like last year, a TV talent show reject. I guess it will depend on how the rest of Europe sees the UK politically this time round. But what about Ireland - one of the most successful nations in the past - surely there song wasn't so good that it shouldn't be in the final!!

Hope for the future

See what scientists in this country can do when given the funding and the opportunity to do so. I know that the cloning of human embryos is controversial but the numbers of people who could potentially benefit from such research is huge. Diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Spinal Cord injury, Motor Neurone disease... the list goes on. If this technique is sucessful, there is also the chance to further develop the idea of personalised medicine leading to a situation such as treatments being tested to find the most effective for each individual. There is however still a long, long way to go in this field and I hope that the UN don't impose the world wide ban on therapeutic cloning.

This work in Newcastle just goes to emphasise that there is fantastic science being done in this country but with the lack of funding some of the best brains are taking their work abroad. I don't want to have to do that. Please someone give me the funding to carry on trying to make a difference by doing a job I love in my home country.

Thinking time

As I have no source of income at the moment I have had to resort to invigilating undergraduate exams. Getting paid bloody good money for sitting on my arse doing nothing for three hours at a time seemed like a good idea (and may do again once the money goes in the bank) but in reality it is the most boring way to spend a day. It did however give me time to do a little mental filing to get those jumbled up thoughts into some semblance of order (this was however only 3 hours so don’t be expecting too much coherence);

How and why do some women manage/bother to put on a full face of makeup (and then some in certain cases) and be wearing what to me should be Friday-night-on-the-town clothes for a 9am exam?

How long do I have to sit here to be at risk of DVT. Should I be doing those exercises you are supposed to do on an aeroplane? Next time I'll wear some flight socks.

Should I offer that guy in the third row a tissue – then he might stop picking his nose.

I hope I can get back to the car quickly after this has finished or the parking meter will have run out and what I’ve earned here will have to go towards a parking fine.

What is the proportion of left to right handers in the general population - according to this sample it is 1 in 9.

What could I do with the 40 quid I’m getting paid for this if I didn’t have to use it to pay the bills…

I'm still working on that last one.

Take the money and run

"We could buy a little vineyard,
Both get fat and brown.
Open up a jazz cafe the seedy side of town.
I'd have a belly full of children
You'd have a belly full of drink.
We wouldn't have to give a damn
What other people think"

Take the Money and Run by Juliet Turner

Analyse that

I had a bizzarre dream last night that I was being chased by Charlie from
Coronation Street! I was driving my wee car and he tried to run me off the
road in his lorry. I was some how able to run into my doctors surgery to try
and get away from him but he followed and started trying to stab me with a
fork! I had no idea why he was after me. Fortunately I woke up at that
point. Perhaps I should spend less time watching soaps. Strangely I was also
pregnant in this dream.
It has however reminded me to make an appointment to see the afore mentioned
doctor before she sends for me, the trouble is I can feel my blood pressure
rising at the very thought of it.

Addiction

I have a slightly addictive personality and I'm currently addicted to Sudoku. Sad I know but I can't help it. I spent the afternoon 'working from home' and spent most of it playing sudoku. At least they are available online or I'd have to buy several newspapers each day. However I think it's time to give up now and take the wife to the pub - it is the weekend after all and I have two whole days to play sudoku.

If music be the food of love

It is often claimed that the wife does more than her fair share of the cooking (and so she should - she is better at it than me). However, she has just put onion bhajis in the oven and turned on the grill then got me to do the microwave curry because 'I do it better.' Bless! She is forgiven since she has discovered James Blunt. It seems it may now be time to check out iTunes (and here was me trying to avoid using the credit card this month).

Writers block

I set myself the target of completing another chapter of my thesis by the end of this week but am completely lacking in motivation. I think it's because I'm stuck, I just can't seem to make what I have written flow properly and can't think of what to write next. It doesn't help that I'm still having to go into work all day to finish off the analysis of my last set of experiments. The last thing I feel like doing is then to come home and start working all over again. It might help if I knew I was going to get a job at the end of it but although there are a couple of irons in the fire, nothing is certain. At the moment I don't seem to have the self discipline - a firm deadline might give me the kick up the arse I need.

Road Rage

The wife had a case of road rage today. Not that I blame her. She came head to head with a bloke travelling in the opposite direction but with only enough room for one car to pass. There was no where for her to go but plenty of room for him to pull in. She stopped, pulled on the handbrake and sat with her arms folded looking out of the window. She then sat until cars behind him started beeping and he moved over. She then drove past and thanked him for moving over. I hope he feels suitibly ashamed.

Blue Mink

I love my wife. I thought we were out of beer but then she found some in the cupboard. I remember putting them there now. 5 mins in the freezer and they are perfect. Just like my wife. Who is now re-discovering the music of her youth. Loudly! Bless.

Nice

A few weeks ago I wrote about NICE wanting to withdraw certain Alzheimer treatments. Well they're off again. This time they are proposing that NHS treatments may be refused in certain cases because of age. But self-inflicted conditions such as smoking and obesity should not be discriminated against. Thankfully nor should lifestyle issues such as gender or sexual orientation! Next month NICE will be recommending a cull of all over 70s! In the mean time I'm off to become a chain smoking, obese lesbian. Can I reserve my hospital bed now?

A rare event

I got a well done from the boss man this morning. He should have a day off
more often. The good mood won't last.