Blimey-crikey!

So long has it been since I've blogged that I was completely unaware that Google have moved in and taken over Blogspot, thus I had to create a Google account to get back in. And what if I didn't want a Google account...? Tough sh*t!

Anywho, it's raining. Proper peeing it down actually, hence my venture back into blog land! We've been weeks without a good rain, in fact I don't remember the last time it rained - April showers were a no-show this year.

So, it's a bank holiday weekend, and I'm sat at home, all alone, blogging. My friends have disperesed to all corners of the country (nobody in London is really from London), the boy has gone hiking with the lads (100 miles in three days, very manly, grrr - he'll be getting p*ssed on right now!), and I am bored. Yesterday I went to the gym and tidied out my wardrobe. Today I did some ironing. What a rollercoaster. Gonna wait for a break in the rain then make a dash for the high street in an attempt to entertain myself!

Managed a trip to Camden Market with the girls on Saturday though - love that place. Reminds me so much of Harajuku (except there are tall people) I intend to get my ass up there as much as poss. They even have takoyaki (second rate, of course, but not bad). Dying to freak up my wardrobe with a few select Camden gems, I've just turfed out a bunch of stuff I used to wear with pride as quirky and cute in Japan, but it just won't cut the mustard in superficial-chic London (yes, I've bought into it and love it). Alas the usual story prevails; I'm skint and will have to wait until next month, or the month after that, or maybe Christmas?

Happy NY

Now, I realise that saying Happy NY on January 20 shows a little tardiness, but I've been incredibly busy with er, erm... ummmmm, watching TV?

OK, it seems the only excuse I can come up with is a rediculously slow internet connection that tests my patience, thus by the time I've deleted all the invitations to chat with 'fun, sexy Russian' and try viagra for half price from Hotmail and fired off a couple of job apps, I just can't be fussed to attempt to be witty, entertaining and blog-tastic!

Even now I've run out of steam, so I'll just let you know that I've had one job interview so far this year (went quite well, but is bit of a commute and given the extortionate fares and unreliability of London transport...) and a couple of positive-sounding phone calls and am feeling quite optimistic about landing something good (ish) by March.

Until then, I shall soldier on doing my bit for the council - 'Putting You First' - whatever.

Merry Christmas to all my fans!!

Hey guys,

Work is dead and done 'til 2007 - nice! And in true working-for-the council style I've spent the last week doing sweet FA at the office anywho!

So I'm off home to Donny for ten days to drive my mother up the wall (she'll break before I do - she especially loves it when I tut every time she reaches for the Walkers)!

The amount of fun I manage to gauge while up there will of course be directly portional to the amount of free drinks I can weadle out of friends and relatives (poverty seems to be pushing me back into the teenage habit of swiping bottles from mum's drinks cupboard...).

Thank goodness the new year job-swapping frenzy is almost upon us - must bag myself a respectable salary!

Be good x

Just in time for Christmas!

I'm off the blocks!

As of Monday I am staff communications assistant for the London Borough of Merton, updating their intranet with daily news and staff bulletins and writing/editing their staff magazine.

It also happens that the head of PR and Communications at Westminster will be joining the team for 6 months to improve the department - how's that for fortunate timing?!

Lace up them walking boots

Hello boys and girls - anyone still read this thing? Well, things are looking up. Despite the fact that I'm still destitute, I've landed some temp work that will cover the rent, and I'm interviewing left, right and centre for journalism-related positions (some rather tenuously related).

Interviewed for editorial assistant with Estates Gazette magazine yesterday (commercial property - whoop, whoop!) - it's exactly the kind of position I want with good scope for promotion. Fingers crossed for a second interview!!

Had a few pieces published by The Big Issue mag recently - work experience only but all good for the portfolio.

And I may have landed a job as a receptionist at a publishing company - which I'm less than thrilled about but there are some editorial duties involved and it would ease the 'rent day!' panics. The HR manager left a rather chirpy message on my voicemail this evening...

It's like climbing Fuji in winter.

Someone always has to take it too far..

Should you find yourself srtuggling to fill the hours, try this one:

http://www.animalsontheunderground.com/bird.html#

Me like maps

Ahh, the humble tube map - love it and loathe it. This is how I navigate London, and this is why I haven't a clue.

We're not daft, we all know it's geographically mis-representational (liking syllables today), but for folk like moi, who haven't the foggiest where places like Farringdon are, it's a starting point.

My reason for rambling on about such a done-to-death topic is that it happens to overlap with my latest feature, called 'Plonkers who live in London but don't even know where Regent Street is or how to get from Green Park to Picadilly Circus without using the tube' - still working on the title. While messing around on Google(TM - gotta watch your back these days), otherwise known as 'researching', I found this dandy little mutating map thingy that I wanted to share with you.

Take a looksie: www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/maps/realunderground/realunderground.html

Quick whinge

Today is Wednesday, which means study day, which means no commute - hoorah! Also means I have time for yesterday's whinge, but it' hard to feel the anger when you're sitting in your pyjamas, sipping tea and listening to Chris Moyles spinning his twisted genius.

I believe I was riled by dumb people and Ken Livingston. Lemmings - folk on the tube are lemmings. One person stops by the entrance to the platform and everybody else stops behind them, until you've got a whole bunch of people squashed and complaining they're too hot while half the platform is empty. They then proceed to do the same on the train - crowd around the door because the thought of moving down the carriage just hasn't occured to them.

People should be trained in 'the art of underground common sense'. Prats.

And Ken Livingston? Apart from being a egotistical moron who thinks London is the centre of the world and thus his platform for world domination, he also has the audacity to keep hiking up the price of the bloody tube. It'll soon be 4 quid minimum fare for the joy of sweating it out with the lemmings.

I predict a riot.