new house

so we are finally in the new house! the cats are settled and laying about as normal, and after 2 days of intensive unpacking, things are starting to egt back to normal.

the garden is a disaster area, but the rest is really nice, and i feel very at home there. i have been having a bit of a stressy weekend, as i dont like disorder, and so this whole disaster area home was a bit of a grrrrr. but now it is all done i am feeling a lot better.

i have also been SO SO busy today. i did a seminar in portsmouth, then a lecture to 220 people at southampton, tehn a lunchtime paper to 6 (!) people on my research then i am also teachgin this afternoon. what i erally want is to crawl home and die on the sofa, but i am going to yoga tongiht, so sleep will have to be posponed until after.

got the keys!

and soent 2 hours there this morning cleaning. it is supprising that althuogh the builders have jsut left, them seem to have left a lot of dusty frubby dirt for us! still, it all looks nice now.

i am having a day where little things seem to be winding me up:

my parents: faffing over house. well meaning but annoying after a while
work: still have no idea who is supposde to be in some of my groups.
phd: supervisors have suggested i "reframe" the last chaper which is a ncie way of saying rewrite.
pg forum: not everyone has gotten backto me so I can sort the time table or call for papers.
cats: feeling abondoned
husband: grotty and tired
old house:site of wmd hit
garden: lokos like the somme
hair: bad.
knitting: packed some where!

gulf war

today i am teaching for a bit, then traipsing up to ringwood (with i think is near bournemouth) to interview a gulf war veteran for my phd. this chap was in the raf and I am really looking forward to hearing from him.

then, wait for it, I AM PICKING UP THE KEYS to the new abode! woohoo. i am so glad that everything has gone ok. the lady buying our rented house has apparently pulled out, so the land lady is stuck with it. who says karma doesnt exist?

plan for saturday

davids brother and work/school amigo lloyd are comming in the van at some ungodly hour to start loading up. We are going to try and secure a space on teh road by parking our cars there friday night.....
the cats are going to a spa. well, almost, the are going to my friend sophie, who will spoil them rotton and thus avoid moving trauma.
all the STUFF (loads and loads of it) is piled up in the dining room, to be movde without trapsing up and down stairs.
rachel is going to new house with her friend alison. (who is a super star) to unpack, make tea and generally look pretty.

things yet to do:
pack the kitchen
clean whole damn house
check myself into nearest mental ward!

PS- if you are my SP6, make sure you dont send anything to the old house as of now!

packing

this is my life for at least a week. whilst i am the queen on unpacking, I actually hate putting the stuff away in boxes. it makes the whole house seem so bare and empty. so if i dont blog much, it is becuase i am failing to wrap up plates in newspaper, and acidentially taping up boxes with cats in!

pressies!

yesterday my latest pressie from my secret knitting friend arrived. I am so lucky, I got: some special SELF PATTERNING sock yarn, snazzy sock pattern, some coloured pen (great for dyslexic old me) a cute cute camper van key ring, some double pointed needles.... i am so spoilt! my frien yvonne has promised to show me how to use the needles, so this is a whole new type of knitting for me! exciting.

i have spent today merging two draft chapters into one uber chapter on visuality and the gulf war, at least the phd is progressing. also, i did some teaching today, and that went great, so it looks like the time spent preparing is paying off.

on the downside, there was a fatal accident on the road into portsmouth and the whole city was gridlocked. i dont mind the traffic (cycling lecturer comming through!) but it is a sobering thought that someone who left for work today will never get home. I didnt know them, but I hope they didnt suffer. I am having a day that puts my minor stresses into perspective.

exchange is today!

woopdie doo! so at least the house thing is moving on enough that we will have somewhere to live come the move next week.... now all we have to do is pack!

work iswell at the moment, dont get me wrong, it still feels like enough work to drop a donkey, but all my teachign is going like i thought it would with no major panics or disasters, and the students seem to be responding.

all is not so good for poor david, who has man flu.. . that is, he has a big stinking cold and had to have a day off to make friends with the duvet. as i understand it he was avalanced with grateful cats who are normally left to their own devices in the day, and were glad of company with hands for cuddles. mind, despite his yunkness, he still cooked dinner and made me a packed lunch, so i feel looked after.

secret knitter

yes, i am excited as today I am posting my package for the SP6! I read her blog when ever I can, and she seems lovely!

other than that, I am teaching all the time this week, so dont be offended if i dont write, i am up to my metaphorocal eyebrows in stuff people want doing!

new project

yesterday i began my new project, it is so pretty! wanna see? mind, i am not sure mine will look as nice as this as this is a first attempt knitting with kidsilk haze rather than just stroking it like it is an expensive silver tribble!

how hard can it be?

very hard! i have had 50 ish emails from new students who cant find my office. this is not good news, as it is apparently beyon them to look on the 3rd floor when the other offices are on the second! bless, they all got 3 a's for a levels, so at least they had the brains to ask. i was so never that cute.

house

i went to see the house today, and it is looking great! the floor is down, and the decorating is nearly done, in fact it is looking almost finished.

bit of a shock at the vets yesterday, the kitten has no balls! yet he is still a boy! this supprised the vet, and she is going to have to do an operation to try and find them in side him. poor thing, apparently if you leave them, he would get cancer. kitty crisis!

no exchange today

no, in fact, no exchange on the house until next week, so we can do it when all the work is one an not put a retention on the realease of the mortgage. (them be grown up words!)

i went to work in chichester today, i spent 3 hours getting little 6 yr old kids to interview wwii veterans, they all seemed to have a great time, and for once my acaemic education wasnt in vain!

last night was the agm of the PG forum at uni, and I get to be president this year! SO i will now only reply if you call me la presidenta.....

apart from that things are good, the smitten kitten has to go and have his bits checked today pre to having them chipped n' snipped, but he seems ok.... (becuase he doesnt know, he will yowl like mad once in the box)

the plan is to finish my brother wrist warmers tonight, then start knitting a top for moi in kidsilk haze and another wool held together. sexy.

teaching

imaging the scene:

you spent all summer writing the handbook and sweating over questions
you wrote a powerpoint presentation
you lugged the handbooks and carefully selected handouts half way across campus

and only four of the little buggers turn up. forget knitting, i will need valium soon!

total lock of knitting

yes, this week hjas had a TOTAL lack of knitting. I have been working hrad on my article and egtting the teaching ready, and when i come home i have been falling asleep on the sofa. although, yesterday i was woken up by david with beautiful bunch of roses and lilles, which was so nice to nearly made me cry! i think the work pressure has turned me into a total soppy rachel.

i am starting the teaching on my new unit today, and although it is totally full with eager little historians, I am please with the amount of planning i have done and i think it is ready to be seen by someone other than me! so, i will let you know how it goes.

i did go and sign the papers for the house yesterday, but the actualy exchange isnt until friday, and then we can relax as we wiull have somewhere to live at the end of the month! got to go now and get on with work.... i hope you are enjoying your job as much as i enjoy mine

monday

or more like monay, as the D on my keyboard is broken... so the spelling which I know can be crap, may be worse toay.

i am starting my job today, the one i didnt get.... i have a few teaching hours this morning so I am going in nice and early to get organised, and find registers and course books etc.

then i have to rish back, go to the bank, pay bills, then drive to the soliciters. then i have the doctors in the afternoon, basically, it is really really busy. really. but, the sun is shining, and I feel really relaxed and great after the weekend.

hurray for the weekend.

Yes, I am doing NO work at all this weekend. (except watching films for teaching, which doesnt count) I have instead been bumming around with my lovely supportive husband, doing grown up things, like, BUYING a washing machine and a fridge! This is exciting, as this Monday I have to go to the solicitiers to sign the papers for the house!!woopie dooo. I think our lives are changing in so many ways, this has to be a good thing. Moving on!

I have also been to see my mama, and she is well. Adam has a stinking hangover from a boat party, but says he has learnt a life lessson: beer, wine and vodka will do you no good.

David is running in the Great South Run today, so 10 m in uner 1.30 to more or less beat last year...... I am going to watch, an was thinking of taking my this-week-deserted knitting, the writst warmers for the bro.

some issues again

ok, so first thing, i didnt get the job, but, actually its ok. i think they gave it to someone they knew who is a nice guy. plus i have been offered a few hours teaching here and there so i can quit teaching a-level. i am feeling very calm about the whole thing, so all the pre interview hysteria was for nothing and probably just made me more stresed.

i am going to spend the weekend editing my article, and watching dave do the great south run! how amazing is my boy!

still not heard about job

woll type more when i do

interview day

and i feel AWFUL really nervous and my stomach is doing its own crazsy circus thang. urgh. write more when I find out.

tuesday

is turing out to be a good day. my good friend janet stayed over last night, and has been converted to the joys of having cats. she said "they said on my feet and made a noise like a car." sahhhhhh. is is always nice to bring someon into the joys of having a fur-some friend.

we also went to italian place for dinner and ate A LOT of pizza. yum. david weas very kind to drive, and i am still feel bad for laughing at his parking!

today, I am doing the ocrrections on my Friendly Fire chapter, and amazing my supervisors by actually handing some work in! I will them be xdriving to teach a-levels. ouch.

job interview tomorrow, so wish me luck.

some issues

office: I am now moved and more or less sorted.

party last night: very nice, especially the puddings.

phd: no work being done on that as I forgot to email the more recent chapter draft to myself. doh!

interview: a crushing fear come across me when i say the word. i met one of the other people being interviewd mast night and she is 1- blond 2-chatty and bubbley 3-obviously loved and adored by all those lecturers present. i have no chance.

cats: happy as far as I know. loving that the bed more blankets on it.

david: the finger nail is now falling off from when he shut it in the door and he is training for the Great South run on Sunday. (i am very proud)

teaching: all up in the air

moving house: also all up in teh air and i found out today i cant have the sink i really love. gutted.

computer: office one CAUGHT FIRE this morning!

other work: plodding allong nicely

PG Forum drinks: all organised but I am dreading it!

knitting: red wrist warmers for my brave account lckly brother

Dinner: out tongit to celebrate the brain of my amiga Janet, was has dammit, finished her Thesis! Girl you rock!

one party down

and one to go.... last night wasnt so fun, so i am sure the one tonight will make up for it.! we are making orange collete (chocolate niblies) to take, so they should go down well. i dunno again what to wear, but i might stick with the same knitty lace cardi and see what the looks like. unless any one has any inspirration?

parties

unusally for me, i have two parties to go to this weekend. i am not a big fan of them in general, especially with the mob of people who i dont know and they are all doing salsa which i am too clumsey to do, means i usually end of sitting all hufty and feeling fat and incompetant. however, the party tonight is likely to be like that, but david wont be there to hide behind (he is going to london to see the parental units) so i will have to try and relaz. howeber, the party tomorrow, is at the lecturers house where all the staff will be from the uni i am hoping to get a job at..... i am going to read the papers to try and appear vagly intelligent and hav something of interest to say. maybe this might involve football, and maybe not, but i am quite nervous. the biggest thing, as ever, is i dont know what to wear. i am an unsure of what to wer kind of girl, espcially as my boobs tend to be fighting for a ttention the whole time. hummm. any ideas?