Today is the 30th birthday of the man I love most in the whole world.

He is beautiful.

He is articulate.

He is a good provider.

And…

he is a very “special boy.”

So if you see Ross Williams today…

wish him a Happy 30th Birthday.

And be sure to compliment his cowboy boots.

Okay, folks. This doesn’t usually happen, but I’m stumped. Maybe it’s because it’s after midnight and I’m TIRED. But I can’t think of the name of a short story/novella I read in high school and it’s REALLY annoying me, as I want to get my hands on it.

Basically the premise is about boys at a private school. There is one boy who sort of stands out as a bit of a mischief maker. He wears his school tie as a belt, and he’s always getting in trouble. For some reason all the boys jump out of a tree into some water to show how tough they are. The mischievous boy ends up breaking his leg, and when the doctor’s go to set it, marrow escapes, poisoning his body, and he dies.

Sorry for the spoilers if you haven’t read it, but DAMN. I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. Please help!

I was reminded of this story tonight while doing a crossword puzzle. The puzzle had a hint about a “wading bird,” which I realised was an Ibis. It reminded me of the short story, The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst. I suddenly recalled many a short story I wanted to re-read, and I found a GREAT resource for short stories.

If anyone is interested, click here.

Anyway, I’m REALLY trying to figure out the name of this story so I can go re-read it. For some reason I keep thinking it has a name like, “An __________    ____________.” And the word “pearl” keeps coming to mind. I have no idea why.

If you can think of it, PLEASE let me know.

Starting time: 10:44 PM
Name: Kathleen Rebekkah Vyktoriah (Katie)
Sisters: Amanda Elayne (Manda)
Brothers: Joshua David (JD) and Padraic John (Pat)
Shoe size: 7 or 8 (UK) 10 or 11 (US)
Height: 5′8

Where do you live: Wokingham, Berkshire, England
Favorite drinks: Water. I can’t drink fizzy drinks or alcohol.
Favorite breakfast: Pancakes with sausage patties all drenched in maple syrup. Or biscuits and gravy. Mmm.
Have you ever been on a plane?: Haha. I used to be a Flight Attendant, so planes were kind of a prerequisite. :)
Swam in the ocean: Amazingly, no! I have paddled in the ocean severally, but I have never had the pleasure of actually swimming.
Fallen asleep at school: I used to miss entire afternoons worth of classes by falling asleep in the school TV station.
Broken someone’s heart: I very much doubt it.
Fell off your chair: Quite a few times. Including once in 8th grade while wearing a miniskirt and very tight corset top. The fecking hottie of our class pushed it out from under me and laughed.
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call: Yes, but only because there was a family emergency I was waiting to hear about.
Saved e-mails: I always save emails.

What is your room like: I have a small office in the house which holds a computer desk, several three drawer cabinets, SHELVES UPON SHELVES of books, a load of cubbies, a guitar, loads of candles, incense and aromatherapy oils, and all of my art supplies.
What’s right beside you: My computer tower to my left (which is covered with stacks of unfinished paintings) and a bunch of paint brushes, paintings and cameras to my right.
What is the last thing you ate: Chicken Korma. About three mouthfuls, which is all I can stomach these days.
Ever had chicken pox: Yep. Don’t remember them, but I have a nice little pockmark scar on my forehead.
Sore throat: Erm… hasn’t everyone? I’ve had strep throat and tonsilitis more times than I can count.
Stitches: Only from surgeries. Never from injuries. I have over 400 stitches/staples in my stomach. HA!
Broken nose: Twice. First time because my little brother swung a two by four at my face when I was 11. Second time because a cabbage patch kid fell off the top bunk bed and onto my still recovering face.

Do you believe in love at first sight: It’s happened to me once. It didn’t last.
Like picnics: I don’t really think I’ve ever truly been on one.
Who was/were the last person/people you danced with: My cat Gypsy. Right before she stuck her claw in my face.
Last person who made you smile: Ross. He’s useless with his tool…. by that I mean the screwdriver…
You last yelled at: The cats. They are completely nuts.

Today did you:

Talk to someone you like: I talked to Ross and the cats. So I suppose so! I also talked to Sara, the lovely nurse at the endocrinology clinic who vampirically assaulted me with needles.
Kiss anyone: Ross and the cats. I’m an affectionate bugger.
Get sick: Hehe. I threw up water on the living room rug. Woops!
Talk to an ex: Nope. It’s not that time of year. ;)
Miss someone: Certainly. I have a lot of someones I miss since I live in a foreign country!
Eat: I did! And it stayed down and didn’t hurt! Thank god for lanzoprazole!

Best feeling in the world: When I hold my cat in my arms and she falls asleep purring adorably at me.
Do you sleep with stuffed animals: I sleep with my hubby and a teddy bear called Not Quite.
What’s under your bed: Floor. We’re currently sleeping on a mattress.
Who do you really hate: Joanna Daly. She’s an Irish cunt who deserves to be flayed. (For Legal purposes, I’m going to pretend that I’m joking here)
What time is it now? 11:01 PM

SECOND SECTION
Random:
Is there a person who is on your mind now: Yes.
Do you have any siblings: 3
Do you want children: Yes. One day. In a few years.
Do you smile often: I have no idea. Not consciously.
Do you like your hand-writing: On occasion. I have pretty writing most of the time.
Are your toe nails painted: Ha. Well, there’s the tiniest dot of colour on the very tips, which is from them being painted about 5 months ago. Go me!
Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in: I don’t have a bed! I have a mattress on the floor!!
What color shirt are you wearing now: Blue
What were you doing at 7:00 p.m. yesterday: Very little, I’d wager.
I can’t wait till: I’m rich.
Are you a friendly person: No. Go away!
Do you have any pets: Two lovely cats. But I prefer Muse to Gypsy. Mostly because Gypsy is a soulless ghoul.
Where is the person you have feelings for right now?: I couldn’t rightly say as he’s not with me right now.
Did the last person you held hands with mean anything to you now?: Since that was probably my husband, I’d assume so.
Do you sleep with the TV on?: No
What are you doing right now?: Getting tired of questions.
Have you ever crawled through a window?: I’m sure I have, though I can’t think of any specific instances at the moment.
Can you handle the truth?: Who can?!
Are you too forgiving?: Possibly.
Are you closer to your mother or father?: I trust both of them with different emotions.
Who was the last person you cried in front of?: Ross.
How many people can you say you’ve really loved?: Besides family? Two.
Do you eat healthy?: I have no choice in the matter!
Do you still have pictures of you & your ex?: Yep
Have you ever cried because of something someone said to you?: Yep.
If you’re having a bad day, who are you most likely to go to?: My mommy and daddy.
Are you loud or quiet most of the time?: Quiet. Unless I’m being intentionally obnoxious.
Are you confident?: I wish I was!

THIRD SECTION
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Getting ready for my junior year of high school
2. Staying up late on the internet talking to strangers
3. Hanging out at Stateline Speedway with my friend Lisa
4. Enjoying the sensation of being a teen driver
5. Planning my escape from Irvine, PA

5 things on my to-do list today:

1. Give Ross a backrub
2. Write a book
3. Redesign my art site
4. Read magazines
5. Paint pretty things

5 snacks I enjoy:

1. Solero ice cream bars
2. Chicken bites
3. Yogurt
4. Prunes
5. Cheese sticks

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Pay off the debt of everyone I care about
2. Design and build my dream house complete with art studio
3. Set up a trust fund for future children
4. Donate money to my favourite charities
5. Open an art gallery

5 of my bad habits:

1. Picking scabs
2. Being too critical
3. Shopping too foolishly
4. Being incredibly messy
5. Not keeping promises

5 places I have lived in:

1. Warren, PA, USA
2. Laredo, TX, USA
3. Phoenix, AZ, USA
4. Charlotte, NC, USA
5. Imperial, CA, USA

5 jobs I’ve had:

1. Flight Attendant
2. Engineering Assistant
3. Waitress
4. Recruitment Consultant
5. Marketing Coordinator

Time now: 11:17 PM

I’ve been working on a painting for a few days, and I decided to video the process. So far I’ve put in about 9 hours which I have condensed into a 5 minute video.

There’s still a ton left, but I haven’t done it yet. :) The results are below!

I start my new job tomorrow! And while I’m sort of scared and worried that I’ll not impress them, I am really looking forward to this new stage of my life.

Yesterday, I went to Bracknell to go shopping for any supplies I might need (by that I mean beauty supplies with an occasional focus on stationary). I wanted to fix my hair. I’ve dyed it so many times that it doesn’t hold colour very well at all. And though I’ve recently had it cut nearly chin length, and all the dead fluff is gone, it’s still not in the best of shape. But I wanted it back to my natural mahogany colour, so I bought some more dye.

BIG. MISTAKE.

As it turns out, the shade I got was just TOO dark. I look like a goth! As I never see any sun, my skin is pretty pale and fish-like, and this hair makes me look like Elvira’s fat sister. Grr.

So today when Ross gets home (he’s on the south coast visiting his parents for a couple of days), we’ll go out and buy some MORE dye. This time, I think I’ll just get a highlight kit, as I think the only way to get rid of this darkness would be to bleach the whole head, and that’s not something I want to do. Some highlights should sort it out nicely (I HOPE!).

Anyway, this past weekend, I talked to Ross and was able to get him to front me some cash for a new computer. My old one was making grinding noises and sounded like a machine gun. And I was having trouble uploading pictures from my cameras since there was no SD drive, and the USB ports wore out my (very expensive!) batteries.

So now I’ve got an HP Pavilion with SD drive, Pocket Media Drive, loads of other ports, 160G hard drive and over 2 Gigs of memory. Yummy!

I’ve also recently invested in a couple of new diaries. I’m the worst organised person ever, and my new job is going to mean BIG organisation. So I got a pretty purple diary which will be carried with me everywhere, and a smaller pocket diary which will be used at work. Yay!

I DID manage to buy some new makeup yesterday. I got L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder in Honey, which I’m HOPING is a good match. I tried it on my hand, and it disappeared… That’s a good sign right? :)  And I bought also a L’Oreal Paris ColorAppeal Trio Pro for Blue Eyes. It’s got three shades of eyeshadow which all work together nicely. You outline your lash line with one shade, wear the second shade as eye shadow, and the third shade is for highlights.  *shrug*   Lastly, I bought a L’Oreal Paris Glam Shine 6H in Everlasting Beige.  By the way, buying L’Oreal was completely unintentional.  There weren’t even any good deals on (for the record, No 7 and Max Factor both had free stuff deals going on… what was I thinking?)!! But the makeup did seem to be just what I was after, so no complaints….

Actually, the hair dye was L’Oreal as well! And I DEFINITELY am complaining about that! Grr. Toooooo dark!

Okay, enough bitching. Ross should be home any moment (I hope!), and I need to decide whether we should go ice skating, to see a movie, or just cuddle together all day.

Decisions decisions…

Another silly meme, this time stolen from my wonderful friend, Maz.

Go to The Urban Dictionary, type the answers to these questions in the search box, then write the first definition in the results list.

1) Your name?: Katie

A standing handjob performed usually in public places.

“So we went around back and my girlfriend gave me a Katie right there in the hallway”

An absolutetly gorgeous person. Someone who is so amazingly beautiful its almost physically impossible.

“That girl is so beautiful. She must be a katie.”

the name katie is usualy given to one who happens to do exceptionaly well at pleasing their partner. katie’s happen to be very good at making the opposite sex rather “turned on”. one would not regret having been with a katie.

“i want a girl like katie, one who can turn me on and tease me but do a good fuckin job at it ;) mmmbaby!”

2) Your age?: 26

750ml of alky

1 mickey + 1 mickey = a 26

3) A friends name?: Natalie

a sexual encounter with a someone you aren’t in a relationship with.

“i need a couple of natalie’s to forget about suzie.”

4) What should you be doing?:  Showering

To shower. Code for male masturbation and blowin giz all over the place.

“After Emmanuel talks to me he puts up his away message that says “showering” “

5) Favorite Food?: Corn

Something I shitted the other day that I never ate.

::Looks in toilet::
What!?… I never ate any corn!

Originating from the fine campus of Cornell University comes this unique, rarely used term. Saying that a girl is “Corn” means, she is so fucking hot, so beautiful, so utterly drop-dead gorgeous, that you would happily eat the corn out of her shit. Can be used as a great pick-up line or friendly compliment

“Damn bitch, you are Corn!”
or
“Baby, you’re more Corn than Green Giant”

6) Hometown?: Warren

when you take a shit, and laugh after.

“harry could be heard from the washroom as he let out a thundering warren.”

7) Favorite color?: Turquoise

Anal intercourse. A corruption of the French idiom, à la turc, meaning, in the Turkish manner, meaning anal intercourse.

“Do you like it turquoise?”

8) School you go to?: (went to) IUP

Best damn college in Pennsylvania

“Hell’s yeah i go to IUP, you can’t handle my skittles.”

Acronym: I Usually Party.

more accurate: I Usually Puke

9) Last person you talk to on the phone?: Mom

The constant flow of cash and ass whoopings until the age of 18.

“Dude my mom kicked my ass when I blew snot all over her new dress.”

10) Your last name? Williams
A slang term for Bills

“I’ve got stacks of williams’ I need to pay.”

Slang term for the Perineum (area between the male genitals and anus). Similar to Gooch, Grundle and Choad. First used by Jonathan Blostone and Jake Reed, this phrase refers to Robin Williams’ role in the motion picture Patch Adams. Williams’ performance is scatty and confusing, and no one can really tell whether he intends for it to be comedic or dramatic. It’s niether here nor there; niether dick nor ass.
‘Williams’ is used primarily in the South of England.

“He’s got a cracking williams.”

“Apparently he’s got a 16 inch williams.”

I’m always surprised these days when my very grown-up-with-a-mortgage-and/or-children type friends regale me with tales of money won playing online card games! Games of chance where money is involved is one of my least favourite things. I like there to be skill in my gambles, even if it’s not entirely a gamble that way.

An online staple of my life growing up was the Friday night poker nights that my family used to have. More specifically, BlackJack. Unfortunately for me, everyone around the card table seemed to have some sort of inside knowledge that I wasn’t aware of. I simply was not good at the game.

And with the advent of online poker, BlackJack is a huge temptation for me. I have something to prove, even if only to myself. In looking for tips and tricks, I found bet365 Casino and its BlackJack Strategy Guide (and the Basic Strategy Guide). This is a handy reference tool which is useful for newbies as well as experienced BlackJack players.

It explains things like the difference between hard and soft numbers and splitting aces. I only wish I’d known some of this before! This is a virtual online 24/7 casino which lets you play any time you want. They even have BlackJack tournaments you can enter for big money. The top 50 players win money!

It’s self-professed heart pounding fun!

Please make sure you gamble responsibly.

So after much soul searching, Ross and I decided that in order for me to find the job of my dreams, I needed to really focus on only applying for roles that would make me happy, no matter what money it is. So to combine my love of art and writing, I decided to pursue a career in marketing.

I started about three weeks ago, sending CV after CV out, registering with agencies and REALLY trying to find “the one.”

I finally got two interviews. One is a fairly local company who were in need of a Marketing Coordinator. The other is all the way in Maidenhead, and it was a Marketing Admin role. Both were amazing opportunities. I had the first interview last week, and they somehow liked me. They asked me to come back and give a 20 minute presentation to the Sales Manager.

The second job I interviewed for earlier this week, and they were great too. The money was fantastic, and the prospects were good for the future. I was divided.

Thinking I wasn’t good enough for the Marketing Coordinator role, I pinned my hopes on the second company since they seemed to LOVE me at the interview.

I was told I’d have an answer yesterday, and I never got the call.

Today, I had the second interview at the first company, and despite being sick and very nervous, I managed to NAIL the presentation.

I got a call within an hour and a half offering me this prestige position. I immediately called my agent from the second job and told them I needed an answer today. They came back to me quickly and said that I hadn’t got the job offer from the second job after all (a more qualified candidate came up), but that they were offering me a DIFFERENT position within their company.

Following my heart and my mind, I knew that there was only one job I wanted.

So next Wednesday I start a brand new job as the Marketing Coordinator for a company I will henceforth refer to as Current Employer.

Bam. I am ridiculously overjoyed.

I took the

Here be my results…

Your Existing Situation

Seeks a close and understanding bond in an atmosphere of shared intimacy, as a protection against anxiety and conflict.

Your Stress Sources

Distressed by the unsatisfactory state of some close association. Feels unable to do anything to restore affinity and mutual trust, and considers that she is tied down in an unhappy situation from which she cannot escape.

Your Restrained Characteristics

Wants to broaden her fields of activity and insists that her hopes and ideas are realistic. Distressed by the fear that she may be prevented from doing what she wants; needs both peaceful conditions and quiet reassurance to restore her confidence.

Circumstances force her to compromise and to forgo some pleasures for the time being. Capable of achieving physical satisfaction from sexual activity.

Your Desired Objective

Seeks the determination and elasticity of will necessary to establish herself and to make herself independent despite the difficulties of her situation. Wants to overcome opposition and achieve recognition.

Your Actual Problem

Anxiety and restless dissatisfaction, either with circumstances or with unfulfilled emotional requirements, have produced stress. She tries to escape from these by denying their existence, concealing her dissatisfaction behind a proud but illusory claim to self-sufficiency and independence.

Your Actual Problem #2

Depleted vitality has created an intolerance for any further stimulation, or demands on her resources. This sense of powerlessness, combined with frustration that she cannot control events, subjects her to agitation, irritation, and acute distress. She tries to escape these by stubborn insistence on her own point of view, but the general condition of helplessness renders this often unsuccessful. Is therefore very sensitive to criticism and quick to take offense.

Have you ever really annoyed yourself by forgetting what password you had on your “super secret” documents. While I usually use the same password across a myriad of sites, programs and documents, once in a while I will protect a random spreadsheet or something and then completely forget my Excel Password.

Now, though, there is a program which works with Windows, Word, Excel and many major software brands to reset your password WITHOUT rebooting your whole system. Score!

This is a great product for scatter-brains like mine. It’ll definitely save me time down the road when I KNOW I would normally spend an hour trying to think of what I could have somehow chosen in a fit of stupidity.

Over on LiveJournal, a couple of my friends are doing a meme which goes like this:

- Go to Music Outfitters
- Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year.
- Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorites. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember/care about.

So as not to be antisocial, I went ahead and did my bit. And it makes me very sad….

I mean, I graduated in 2000. And while these songs will EMBARASSINGLY bring back a lot of happy memories… our music wasn’t really setting the world on fire now was it?

*sigh*

Here we go:

1. Breathe, Faith Hill
2. Smooth, Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
3. Say My Name, Destiny’s Child
4. I Wanna Know, Joe
5. Everything You Want, Vertical Horizon
6. Maria Maria, Santana Featuring The Product G&B
7. Bent, Matchbox Twenty
8. Amazed, Lonestar
9. I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden
10. He Wasn’t Man Enough, Toni Braxton
11. Higher, Creed (ed. note: this song was one of two that changed my life… I know that makes me an incredible loser, but it’s true)
12. Try Again, Aaliyah
13. There You Go, Pink
14. Thong Song, Sisqo
15. Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down
16. Jumpin Jumpin’, Destiny’s Child
17. What A Girl Wants, Christina Aguilera
18. Doesn’t Really Matter, Janet
19. Music, Madonna
20. Back At One, Brian McKnight
21. Bye Bye Bye, ‘N Sync
22. You Sang To Me, Marc Anthony
23. I Need To Know, Marc Anthony
24. Get It On Tonite, Montell Jordan
25. Incomplete, Sisqo
26. I Try, Macy Gray
27. It’s Gonna Be Me, ‘N Sync
28. That’s The Way It Is, Celine Dion
29. (Hot S**T) Country Grammar, Nelly
30. Bring It All To Me, Blaque
31. Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely, Backstreet Boys
32. Hot Boyz, Missy Elliott Featuring Nas, EVE & Q-Tip
33. Back Here, BBMak
34. It Feels So Good, Sonique
35. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl), Nine Days
36. With Arms Wide Open, Creed
37. Be With You, Enrique Iglesias
38. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You), Christina Aguilera
39. No More, Ruff Endz
40. All The Small Things, Blink 182
41. The Way You Love Me, Faith Hill
42. I Turn To You, Christina Aguilera
43. Never Let You Go, Third Eye Blind
44. I Need You, LeAnn Rimes
45. Thank God I Found You, Mariah Carey Featuring Joe & 98 Degrees
46. Let’s Get Married, Jagged Edge
47. My Love Is Your Love, Whitney Houston
48. Then The Morning Comes, Smash Mouth
49. Blue (Da Ba Dee), iffel 65
50. Desert Rose, Sting Featuring Cheb Mami
51. The Real Slim Shady, Eminem
52. Most Girls, Pink
53. Wifey, Next
54. Wonderful, Everclear
55. Oops!… I Did It Again, Britney Spears
56. I Wanna Love You Forever, Jessica Simpson
57. Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche ), 98 Degrees
58. Take A Picture, Filter
59. Otherside, Red Hot Chili Peppers
60. Big Pimpin’, Jay-Z Featuring UGK
61. Purest Of Pain (A Puro Dolor), Son By Four
62. He Can’t Love U, Jagged Edge
63. Separated, Avant
64. I Wish, Carl Thomas
65. U Know What’s Up, Donell Jones
66. Faded, SoulDecision Featuring Thrust
67. Only God Knows Why, Kid Rock
68. Shake Ya Ass, Mystikal
69. Bag Lady, Erykah Badu
70. Meet Virginia, Train
71. Party Up (Up In Here), DMX
72. Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do), Mya
73. Forget About Dre, Dr. Dre Featuring Eminem
74. That’s The Way, Jo Dee Messina
75. Swear It Again, Westlife
76. The Next Episode, Dr. Dre Featuring Snoop Dogg
77. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart, Britney Spears
78. Crash And Burn, Savage Garden
79. Yes!, Chad Brock
80. The Best Day, George Strait
81. How Do You Like Me Now?!, Toby Keith
82. Where I Wanna Be, Donell Jones
83. My Best Friend, Tim McGraw
84. Broadway, Goo Goo Dolls
85. Dance With Me, Debelah Morgan
86. Don’t Think I’m Not, Kandi
87. I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack & Sons Of The Desert (ed. note: This is the OTHER song that changed my life that year. Slightly less embarassing than the first.)
88. Better Off Alone, Alice Deejay
89. What’chu Like, Da Brat Featuring Tyrese
90. Cowboy Take Me Away, Dixie Chicks
91. I Like It, Sammie
92. 24/7, Kevon Edmonds
93. Girl On TV, LFO
94. Bounce With Me, Lil Bow Wow Featuring Xscape
95. What About Now, Lonestar
96. I Don’t Wanna, Aaliyah
97. Independent Women Part I, Destiny’s Child
98. Shackles (Praise You), Mary Mary
99. Waiting For Tonight, Jennifer Lopez
100. Gotta Tell You, Samantha Mumba

Okay, so if you have been living in a bubble and DON’T already know about the creative genius of one Mr Joss Whedon (he of the giant forehead and creator of the Buffyverse), you probably don’t know about his newest amazing endeavours.

Thanks to the hilarity of the writer’s strike earlier this year, Mr Whedon was not allowed to let his juices flow. So he had to figure ways AROUND the strike to still get his unique voice(s) heard.  So what is the answer?

DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-A-LONG BLOG!

A three-part mini-series available online for ONE WEEK ONLY. The first part (ACT 1) debuted this past Tuesday. The second part (ACT 2) appeared yesterday. And the final part (ACT 3) will go up TOMORROW!

I will make my feelings on this very clear. If you are still reading this instead of going straight there and immediately viewing this one-of-a-kind event, you need to be bitch-slapped by Captain Hammer.

Expect a full review once Act III has been released.

Until then, dear readers… I bid you adieu.

As I mentioned recently, I had a job interview yesterday for a marketing role that I was really keen to get. As I also mentioned, it is a pretty senior role that I never thought I could get. Well, as it happens, I did really well in the interview, and they’ve asked me to come back in on Monday and give a presentation!

They want me to basically give a two part presentation involving

1/ a demonstration of how I would quickly and efficiently familiarise myself with their company and products.
2/ a fictional product they want me to develop a marketing initiative for

So I have four days to get something put together. I’m supposed to spend about 20 minutes talking, after which I’ll be given yet another grilling, this time by the Sales Director.  The job in question is to actually be the ENTIRE marketing department for this company! o_O

They’ve gone through two people in two years, and they want someone fresh, enthusiastic and full of ideas. I think I put it across very well that I am the person for the job….

Only now I’m wondering if I really am.  It seems way over my head. I don’t have any marketing qualifications, nor do I really have any concrete marketing experience. I haven’t claimed any experience I haven’t had, but I’ve “marketed” myself a certain way to achieve a good result. But now I’m sitting here doubting my own abilities and thinking of various reasons not to do the interview!

I’ve given presentations before. In fact, as an ex-flight attendant, I can boast experience of public demonstrations to up to 50 people at once! So presenting to two people should be no issue. Especially as this will be a big part of the job if I get it!

I went out today and bought a book titled “How To Market Your Business - A practical guide to advertising, PR, selling and diret and online marketing.”  I’m hoping it’ll help me come up with some great ideas.

I wish I knew why I so often talk myself out of the positive things in my life. I guess I feel like if I don’t try, then I can’t fail. What I need to get through my head is that not trying IS failing.

Bah.

I suppose my attitude isnt helped by the fact that I’m ill. I got a headache before bed last night, and I woke up with a terrible migraine this morning. I wound up in bed until 2 PM! I spent all day in excruciating pain, nauseous and feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.  A bath, some lemsip and a lot of quiet seems to have helped, but I’m still not feeling great.

Anyway, in other news, yesterday I attended the Endocrinology Clinic at the Royal Berks. I’ve been waiting for an appointment since I got back from Brno.  Basically while I was in hospital, they found out I had low cortisol levels, and as that can be life threatening, I was made an emergency priority when I got back.  (Of course, the fact that I STILL had to wait an extra 5.5 weeks despite my emergency status just shows how difficult the NHS can really be.)

The short story is that I am going back on Tuesday morning for the test that will determine whether I definitely have Addison’s Disease or not. They will draw blood, inject me with some horomone, and then draw blood again at half hourly intervals. If I have the disease, I’ll be on hydrocortisone for the rest of my life. BOO! If I don’t have it, they will slowly wean me off of the 25 mg per day I’ve been taking.

In other other news, Ross and I had a fight tonight. He left the house a couple hours ago, and I’ve no idea where he’s gone. I’m not sure I really care right now.

Not much updating being done lately. I’ve been busy with other projects. Most notably, looking for a new job. I realise that twice in the last month I’ve said I found one… but neither of them were any good for me, and I’ve found that I am simply settling for jobs that mean nothing to me.  Now that having a baby has been put off for at least two years due to my recent stomach surgery, I am wanting to put myself into a job I can love and grow with.

Because of this, I’ve decided (with support from Ross) to go after a job I’ll really love. I’ve settled on pursuing a career in Marketing, as it combines a knack for writing with a knack for art and thinking outside the square. I think I would be really good at it, and I’m very keen to find a perfect role.

So far, though, luck hasn’t been with me. I’m visiting a recruiter today to sign up for temporary work while I wait for a permanent role to come through. And tomorrow morning I have an interview for a Marketing Coordinator role. I think I’m too junior for it, but they’ve seen my CV, so they must know that I have limited experience. It’s well paying, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get it. Or at least that it helps me to grow in my interview skills.

The other thing I’ve been working on is a new website. I wanted a place to track my progress on my arts and crafts, so I have started kraftygurl.org. It’s pretty bare at the moment, but in time I hope it’ll be a haven for my artistic endeavors. Especially as I’m hoping to branch out from paintings to full crafts. I have so many ideas, and I’ve been taking pictures of some of my work for a while now.

In other news, I have been falling behind on my 101 in 1001 list. I’m not reading books as fast as I ought to (I have 26 of 50 completed right now), and I don’t visit the cinema enough. That said, Ross and I went to watch Hancock last week, and because I complained to the manager about a dickhead with his cellphone out the whole time, we got free tickets for any movie we want to see any time. I’m thinking I’d like to see the new Batman film on opening night. Bwa ha ha. We never got to the cinema at night, as it’s expensive. So it’ll be nice that price isn’t a consideration.

Last night we watched Sophie’s Choice on TCM, and it was so upsetting. Even though I already knew what happened (it’s a classic - doesn’t EVERYONE know?), it still broke my heart. Meryl Streep was amazing as Sophie. Her accent, her beauty, her drama. And Kevin Kline was excellent. In fact, I related to him a LOT. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit crazy, myself. I can kind of see myself as a mix of Sophie and Nathan. Eep.

Anyhoo… not a lot going on this end. Sorry for all the spam posts lately, but a girl’s gotta make a living somehow, and PayPerPost pays pretty well usually. Although none of my last 4 posts have been approved yeet, and it’s been DAYS. So I’m not sure what’s going on. I may have to complain.

As I’ve said many times on this blog, and as you’ve also no doubt gathered from the sheer number of review posts here, I am a proud member of PayPerPost.com. I get offered money to honestly review and/or pimp out sites, products and services across the net.

Today I have been asked to review a website for graduate career advice & jobs database.

On first impression, the site seems to take a comprehensive look at informations for graduates throughout Europe. It features news, a career database, opportunities to work abroad, and a whole host of information for personal development.

I am immediately drawn to the “Lifestyle” section of the site, which features articles about Entertainment, Fashion, Food and Drink, Gadgets, Health and Beauty, and Travel. I am impressed at how the site is laid out. I even click on the site map to get an idea how it is all put together. Here again I am impressed. It is broken down by geographical area, and I am happy to find an easy link to Western Europe: United Kingdom.

Upon clicking, I am given two choices. The default choice is a General Information category which gives advice on Job Hunting in the UK (including links and a hint to read any job adverts carefully!), Application advice, CV advice, the application process, and a little information about the author of the page. The second choice is a Sample CV, which opens… well, a sample CV. It shows you what your Resume should look like to compete in the job market.

The site is very interactive, with several helpful articles. It even comes in three separate languages so as to be helpful to most Europeans.

If I was a graduate, and if I was in need of a job, I’d would definitely bookmark the site. In fact, just glancing through it has given me some excellent ideas about where to start my NEXT search!