Schedule · D · Case · I · revisited

It's been a very long while since I've had the time to visit... The little one is huge but little, and full of snot. Snot does wash out, contrary to popular belief, but it takes two washes.

I still have a job, following an organisational review - 95 job cuts at head office alone. So I'm feeling relieved, although slightly disappointed, as I was hoping to move jobs anyways - get something a bit interesting - but at least I should be employed for the worst part of this recession, I hope. That said, I've a recruitment agent coming to the house in about half an hour, so I'll be first in line when things get back on track - If they can find me a job that pays the same and is local, i'll pay them (well, not really, but I'll be very grateful).

I've now got a UK passport, so I've fully emmigrated. Hooray for the end of dealing with the UK immigration and nationality directorate!

Still not really speaking to my mother, and haven't spoken to my father in ages, and actually far calmer since ceasing the relationship. Currently having trouble relaxing from the whole possibly redundancy thing - can't imagine staying home and looking after the baby - I love her to bits, but I really can't cope with her for more than a few hours. Slept past 5am for the first time in over a year last week, followed by some really horrible nights - she got up at 2am on Saturday, and didn't go back to sleep until 5. We had to go visit her aunt and cousins that day. I hope she didn't pick anything up at her aunt's house - the place was so filthy and stunk horribly. She wouldn't eat her lunch because of the smell - had to take her outside and feed her in the car - the stale smoke hurt her eyes.

I know we should have another one - just so that the monkey's not alone when she grows up, but the thought of being pregnant again, or having to repeat what we've been through with this one, filles me with dread. She used to refuse milk, now she won't take solids from me unless she's starving. And she went through a month or so when she refused her bottle from everyone - unless it was spoon fed to her. She's a little fuss-pot. Amazing she's managed to grow with all her food issues.

She got her first balloon this weekend - a rip roaring success, but no pictures. And I get the best cuddles she has to give - not daddy - all for mummy. So I guess it's worth it after all, but I'm crappy and feel so relieved when she's at nursery. and so worried that I'm going to have to go and get her for being ill.

Right - best start making my way to the station to meet the recruiter. Haven't got any of the forms filled out for him, nor a copy of my passport - which, that said, I only received on Friday...

Normally, it's me who helps the fraudsters out. Yesterday, the fraudsters decided to screw me over. I bought 68 pounds (yup) of fish yesterday. Why? Because I was bullied at my door, and somehow, a man entered my home, and placed all this crap on my kitchen counter (and I can't tell you how he know where the kitchen was), and I repeatedly said I didn't want to buy it, I didn't want that much, I couldn't afford it, and yet - I wrote him a cheque for £380. And considering I can't afford to pay my petrol at the moment, I'm really angry. He represented himself as a limited, VAT registered company, and then told me if I pay cash there's an additional discount because then he doesn't need to bank the money (ie, he sort of launders it), and that he doesn't deal with VAT invoices, although he claims to be registered. There was also the fraudulent representation of his goods as fresh fish, never frozen - apparently he buys it from some guy up north, who packs it all up, labels it, with a use by date, and he repackages it, removes all the labels, and sells it as his own - another fraud.

I realised he'd also overcharged me (or at least his caclulations weren't working for me), so I went to try to find him, and ran into some rather nice people down the road who've had a similar problem. I was told to stop the cheque immediately, and call trading standards, and we exchanged details. She later got the bloke's car registration and we'll be sharing information this weekend, I expect.

So I've canceled my cheque, and looked into contract law, which says that if he's fraudulently represented himself and his product, the contract becomes voidable. I, as the innocent party, can then break the contract legally. Therefore, he has no grounds to sue me... And I'm going to call my contacts at the Inland Revenue and ask them what to do to get him prosecuted for tax evasion. I did tell the guy I worked in tax fraud.

If you're local - watch out for a guy selling under the name "Sachins Limited" The company "Sachins Limited" is registered in Newcastle, and runs a letting business. The restaurant of the same name in the same area is a curry house. This guy is a complete fraud.

And all that came after another wonderful day at work, in which I was told I was passive agressive, didn't have the maturity to work at manager level, or the skills, and, ever so kindly, informed that I dress poorly.

I'm just about to send my CV to Ernst & Young in Reading. Fantastic.

Happy Easter all.

1.Your Middle Name:

2. Age:

3. Single or Taken:

4. Favorite place to hang out:

5. Favorite pet/animal:

6. Favorite Band/Artist:

7. Tattoos and/or Piercings:

8. Whats your philosophy on life?:

9. Tell me one odd/intresting fact about you:

10. What is the craziest thing you've ever done?:

11. Ever been arrested/ gone to jail?:

12. Do you think I'm attractive?:

13. If you could change anything about me, would you?:

14. If you could change anything about yourself, would you?:

15. What do you wear to sleep?:

16. What is your favorite thing to do in the world?:

17. Would you go on a double date with me if i asked you?:

18. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?:

19. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

My brain is sort of snot-filled at the moment (pardon the potential imagery). The family that shares germs together and all that...

I've just read an article on the loss of the television theme song - and realised I know all the words to the Brady Bunch theme song - but if I sang it here and now - aside from the fact that there's no one else here, it's not a recognised cultural point of reference. The heathens this way didn't grow up with the Brady Bunch. Says a lot - doesn't it...

David's gone to America - sort of. He's actually got a conference in Niagra, but is staying on the Canadian side because it's cheaper (and apparently gets Brekkie every morning by a chef trained at the Ritz). I'm kina jealous - not only does he get to cross the border daily - he gets to go to America more than I do - annually. That's just wrong. I want to go home now.

At least I get some bonding time with Annabelle - she'll be a pissy-cat because David's not home to play with her, and I'll just be trying to get a cuddle out of her. If it weren't for feeding her, I don't think she'd like me very much at all.

David left the hob (aka - stove top) on yesterday - or rather, the day before. He made himself some rice pudding from a tin in the evening, and just left the damn thing on all night, and all day. I had a go at him, because I'm really not interested in burning the house down at this stage... Maybe he'll bring me back something nice. I hope he doesn't bring back another stuffed animal... ~yes - I'm very ungrateful - he chose to marry me however - you get what you pay for and all...~

Waiting for the pictures of our team's london excursion to come onto the network at the office - then will try to figure out how to post.

Going to drink my lemsip now....

So yesterday pretty much sucked, but not quite as bad as I had anticipated. There's my positive point of the day.

We had to trek around London non-stop for about four hours - no one seemed to appreciate that the girls might want to stop for a drink and/or a wee....
But I did get to speak to someone I'd never really spoken to before, and that was really good.
Came back on the rush hour friday tube - signal failure around paddington - switched lines along with seemingly thousands of others - crammed into another train - ran onto the train - standing room only - but chivalry is not dead, and a gentleman gave up his seat for me. No Krispy Kremes. - Made it home for 7.
And today - it's all about the Halloween preparations - I've decorated the house - got the webs and spiders and witched and pumpkins and assorted bugs and ghoulies up, started the baking for the office halloween cookies - I think I've done about 80 cookies. I figured I'd bake them this week, because they'll keep well, and ice them next weekend and through the week as I have more time.

David is working. I'm looking forward to his comments when he gets home - still need to carve the pumpkins.

And study for my exam.

My entire office is headed to London for the day - we all have to go (or else). As much as I love being bullied to going to work related events, I'm not particularly happy to spend a full day with people I don't necessarily like. I'm relieved that I don't have to stay for the meal, making a day starting at 7am finish after midnight.

Apparently, the AGM is in the morning, then there's a "social activity" which I understand involves traipsing around London in groups of ten or more on a strange type of treasure hunt, followed by getting to the Tower of London area for a meal. Sorry to miss out on the meal, but can't be asked - particularly not on a Friday. And to make matters even more pleasant - it's pissing down with rain at the moment (and is likely to all day). Fuzzbum woke me at 4am because she wanted to play, and david wanted to leave at 6:10 (granted, only five minutes earlier than I usually leave, but still... I need a winge.)

So I'm not my usual jovial self (it does happen - really).

I'm thinking of sending my husband and in-laws to the grand prix this summer. The whole three days. I took husband once, and promptly fell asleep in our £250+ seats, and beautifully sunburned my eyelids. My mother-in-law was aghast at this, and doesn't particularly approve that I'm not into motor sports - so lets get rid of them for three whole days - and I don't have to come.... and the £1k to do it is sooooo worth it. - Just need to ensure husband will be around.
Happy Friday.

Last year, I rather phenominally, and in order to live up to a reputation entirely created by me, backed hundreds of sugar cookies and decorated them (rather nicely, i must say) for halloween. I also did christmas cookies - and I did christmas brownies the year before, banana bread and oatmeal cookies for exam passes, red velvet cake for my birthday... falafel and biscuits - just to be original - for halloween.
So the problem is, they're expecting it again this year - I've already been told they're disappointed because I haven't baked anything for my last exam passes (but hey, I didn't get a pay rise either...), and I did have a really good time with the cookies. But I can't get to grips with our "new" oven (ie, the oven in the house we've just moved into). It's from 1991, and doesn't really get to the right temperature for a consistently long period of time. I'm going slightly mad. We had a really cheap oven in our rented house, which worked a hell of a lot better than this. Well - they're only my work colleagues. A little food poisoning never hurt productivity too much?