Daddy's Home

Yup, and so I have returned. In a very not-like-me way, I can't be bothered to write a good deal so I'll just say had a good time - downsides included spraining my ankle on day one and being unable to walk for two, and arguing with my parents during the periods when they couldn't smoke for hours on end due to flying - but a good time was had. I'll say the rest with an...

( Extra Super Duper Menorca Picture Post Extravaganza!!! )

2 n d J u l y
Strange attraction - she looks just like someone I know. Spinning and twirling on stage, throwing me a glance every time she's not involved explicitly in the choreography; probably wondering how a 20-something Goth came to be sat on the outskirts of a children's performance of 'Grease' (and I'm wondering the same thing myself). She has one of those thick Spanish accents you can hardly understand, and I wouldn't even try to pronounce her name. I wonder why she's looking at me, of all people.

'It feels like forever, but no-one ever tells you that forever feels like home. . .'

Something just feels wrong about watching a children's performance of 'Grease' whilst listening to 'Death Blooms' by Mudvayne on my Creative Zen.

Where's Noah when you need him

That comment about Stafford not being affected much by the flooding turned out to be quite misguided. Our house is virtually on a hill, you see - every direction out of our street is more or less down varying degrees of hills (which is why I hate riding home from work, every bastard way is uphill!) but when I went into work for the first time this week on Tuesday, I couldn't help but notice as i entered Silkmore Lane that the lake opposite the shop wasn't where it usually is. In fact, it wasn't even opposite the shop anymore. Let's just leave it at that.

Sale's where obviously down as people couldn't get to the place, but they've been talking about shutting the shop over the weekend if it rains again and they've canceled deliveries, too. They're paranoid about the water getting into the warehouse and destroying everything (where as my approach to this is more 'hopeful') so they had me and Dom shifting all of the massive telly's and putting them on the top shelves in the back. No wonder my fucking backs been killing me all week, it's a wonder neither of us are death from telly-on-the-head syndrome as we staggered up the ladder balancing these wide-screen bastards on our shoulders.

Today's the frantic day-before-departure packing for Menorca next week. I went into town to buy either some 3/4 length trousers, a sleeveless vest or a hat, and got neither so ended up buying a Rammstein Live DVD and a Stone Sour album. I'm not exactly sure where they come in to the whole packing situation but there ya go.

Shit

I had no idea about all this flooding until I turned the news on a few hours ago. Stafford doesn't seem to be that badly affected (the worst of the rain came when our Patio flooded a little bit which I somehow doubt will make BBC News 24) and so I didn't get any hint of what's going on in the rest of the country which, to sum it up rather bluntly, is that they're totally fucked. People have died, a child has been washed away and twenty people are currently trapped on a collapsing roof with two helicopter teams attempting a rescue. It's heavy stuff.

I've been left with a strange feeling of humiliation from the whole Christening affair yesterday, which was part of the reason I didn't want to go. It wasn't enough that I just don't agree with the ceremony or religion but would respectfully attend anyway, but people had to constantly try to stir me into debates with them. And when you have 60 dogmatic followers who consider the very existence of doubt as a 'sin' trying to make you justify your lack of beliefs (which is odd since I always thought the burden of proof was on those with the religion) it's not easy to get any kind of point across no matter how much logic you have to your argument. But not everyone was like that - the rest (and all this obviously excludes family members) simply refused to even make eye contact with me. So that was fun.

I wonder if they had Xbox 360's, too

Just been watching a show about Egyptian Mysteries whilst eating my dinner. Was really fascinating - stuff about how modern technologies such as aircrafts and submarines are depicted in hieroglyphics and how they may have mastered flying before we did. I've always been interested in the idea of past civilizations having already had a lot of the stuff we 'invent' - I remember reading stories about Bulbs and Batteries being found inside ancient artifacts, although if I went and looked around a pyramid I doubt I'd see a light switch anywhere. Would kind of ruin it really wouldn't it? It'd be akin to discovering an ancient tomb where you expect to find billions of pounds worth of treasure and finding a Plasma Screen TV instead.

I'm still aching to go somewhere like Egypt. I know Jack would like to go sometime. And hell, we can just drug Matt and put him in our luggage if needs be.

Good luck to Bex who did what I'm unable to and walked out of her shitty job last week. I would do the same but that's what I did at Boots and it took me forever to find a job so I'm too paranoid that I'll end up living on the streets and eating out of bins and discarded bags of chips. Still haven't heard back from any of the jobs I've written off to yet, the bastards. As I said before, I probably wont hear from HMV and WH Smiths as there aren't any jobs going there according to Connexions, but I'm hoping to hear back from GAME atleast. I mean, I'd have thought 5 years retail experience would have worked in my favour!

Oh well, at least I have some things to look forward to this month. Going to Brum (and obviously Scruffy Murphy's) with the guys on Friday, Sophie-Mae's Christening on Sunday (oh joy, I can barely contain my excitement) and then going to Spain next week. And speaking of Birmingham....

Currently Listening to Metallica - One
Current Mood OK

Searching continues...

Went into Connexions today, which is a place in town where you can find out about Job Vacancies at the stores that are too lazy to advertise them in the papers. There's a good 20 or so Jobs listed on the sheet I took but only two or three of them are really things I can apply for once you take out the adverts for Managers, etc. So, I'll be writing a CV out and sending it to Game and Argos. Out of the two I'd rather work at Game (though not sure if I'd like working the till), though I'd be alright handling deliveries at Argos, too.

Haven't heard back from the places I sent letters to, though it's probably because - according to this list - there aren't any vacancies there.

Just had a motherfucker of a thunder storm. It was great. I went to the shops with mum while it was happening and saw a massive bolt of lightening come down what looked like 100 or so yards in front of us. She was terrified, of course, but I loved it. We don't get much of this dark, grey, rainy weather these days but I love the mood it creates.

Preparing for the worst...

I wrote out my resignation letter for work last night. No, I haven't found a new job yet (I haven't even given the shops that I sent letters to time to reply yet) but I'm that dead set on leaving now that I can't see any reason I'd ever change my mind. Having it written down on paper just makes it feel that step closer - all I've got to do is fill in the space I left for when I'll be leaving, and then I can hand it in along with two big fingers stuck up to the Co-op!

My allergies have been playing up big time this week with Millie being here. I've had an itchy eye as one of the symptoms for about 5 days in a row (funny how it's always the same eye, damn discriminative allergies!) as well as sneezing fits. And also I had to let her out into the garden a minute a go and so now she has that ever distinctive 'wet dog' smell. Nice.

Margaret and Cilla (manager and suck-up) cornered me at work on Saturday when someone had told them I was a good drawer and as a result I 'agreed' to draw an A3-sized poster for them advertising a Pirates dress-up day. I only agreed cos I felt pressured into it, but the more I think about it the more I'm going to have to get the courage up to tell them to stick it. I'm going away in 3 weeks and have yet to draw this months Violet, I don't have time for their under-appreciated Pirate crap! The problem is that Margaret is a very intimidating woman who can find something to complain about in the most innocent of a statement so she's probably going to go in a mard with me over it. Oh well. It's not like work can get much less enjoyable at the minute.

Higher Aspirations

Millie's been a grumpy bugger today. I think it's because I didn't come straight downstairs after getting up this morning - she's one to hold a grudge, you see. She's been ignoring me all morning and kept barking whenever I left the room. Oh well, wasn't as bad as yesterday when the window cleaners turned up - I had to literally wrestle her to the ground at one point.

Looks like she might not be here for the whole week after all, though, there's been a death on James' side of the family. Its his Grandmother, so they've all come home from their holiday. I didn't know her more than a couple of meetings (she was about 100 and was at the age where she was doing things that if you ever end up doing, you'd want someone to shoot you) but i feel sorry for James' mum, must be bad for her that she wasn't there.

I've taken a new approach to Job Applications - writing to pretty much every shop I can think of in town and asking if they have any vacancies (and trying not to sound too desperate). I've decided I'd really like to work at HMV or somewhere - I love music, I love games, I love DVDs, it would be perfect. Oh please, please send me an application form.

I've also decided I'm going to have a go at writing and Self-Publishing a fictional diary, in the vain of Adrian Mole, Dracula etc. It came after reading old Diary entries on another site and thinking "This would make a good book". I have realistic expectations in that it probably wouldn't be a huge seller by any means and outside of my friends and family (and even that's a stretch!) maybe only a few people would buy it, so I'm gonna aim it locally. Unfortunately this presents a few problems - should I make it an adult book (which I'm inclined to), and if so how much swearing do I use - true to life or not enough to offend?

Aaaagh. It's not fun being so talented :(