| It has been a long while... |
[Sep. 13th, 2009|07:34 pm] |
Ok - it's been a while since I even logged on here, let alone posted anything... But this year has been crazy.
I submitted my honours thesis and graduated with first class honours (woot!) and then proceeded to send my CV to every archaeological company within Australia that were listed in the Yellow Pages.
Sounds dodgy, right? Wrong. It actually worked.
I got an email from the owner of one company in December, telling me to ring him in January. Obviously I had forgotten by then, and one day completely out of the blue, got a phone call from him... Offering me a full time position with his company in Melbourne. I said I'll think about it over night (re: work out whether I could live off what he was paying, would be able to find somewhere to live, etc.).
The next day, I rang him back - and said I'll be there in a week.
Crazy.
Or at least that's what the other girls at the company thought, when I rocked up a week later having found a place to live already (albeit that didn't work out so well)...
So, I am currently living in (and loving!) Melbourne!
My job as an archaeologist is pretty good, better when I get to work on good projects (obviously!) and am not stuck in the office for more than two weeks at time. My work colleagues are awesome - and I've become really good friends with a few of them.
I've also found good housemates! When I first moved down here I was living with an older (like only 40 or so - but older than me, and made more apparent because I didn't have any friends down here) couple, but they turned out to be nutjobs, so I found a posting for a sub-let on gumtree.com, and the girl who posted it and I clicked, so I moved in.
Incidently - her former housemate was also an archaeologist. Weird!
So - we lived together in that house for a while, and I fit in with her group of friends, and we've recently moved houses and added a third housemate (one of her friends). Which is working out really really good.
I've decided that living out of home is good, even though Mum and I rake up hefty phone bills due to the calls between the two of us. And of course I miss my furry Loki so much it hurts.
Well, that's the catchup update for now. |
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| And so its nearly over |
[Oct. 11th, 2008|12:10 am] |
I've just spent the last couple of hours putting final edits into my honours thesis and realised that I'm beginning to feel happy about it. I'll print out and read over the whole bloody thing tomorrow night to check everything over (wording, referencing, structure, etc.) - I can't handle doing any more tonight.
And then come the 20th October, I submitt it for examination.
"A Forensic Study of Disarticulation, Scattering and Scavenging"
Not the most eye-catching title, a bit dry and boring really, but it shall do the purpose. Especially since that is exactly what my thesis is about anyway.
It's been a horribly long year, which has gone spectacularly fast. Odd, right? In December I'll graduate and move out into the big wide world. It's terrifying, but very very exciting at the same time. The idea of "the black void" next year makes me tingly. And even thinking about where I'll be this time next year is just too much at the moment. I hope I'm somewhere or doing something exciting - or at least interesting.
Sleep is calling, my brain is starting to shut off the night, and I have the most lovely new black with bright pink stripes pj's. I wish I could wear them to work tomorrow. ;-) |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 21st, 2008|06:36 pm] |
Ok - so once again I haven't written in here for a long, long time.
I'll use my favourite excuse - I was too busy. In this case it is partly true, but laziness and lack of bler also contributed.
I suppose a lot has happened since my last post, which was during my downtime between getting back from international travels and actually starting my honours project.
Currently I am attempting to finish my coursework for honours, I have a seminar to give on Monday, and an annotated bibliography due on the 6th June. I think having coursework during honours is lame and a pathetic attempt in pushing more people through. I've been working pretty good on this presentation (I refuse to let it be the train wreak my last one was in April!). The main object I have to the seminar presentations is that they're not even on our honours thesis, or in any real useful way related. It's annoying. I could be doing my annotated bibliography, then getting started on analysing the data from my fieldwork.
I have finished fieldwork though. It was good, but I'm glad when it finally ended - it was a good point for it to end.
Now all I have to do is the analysis, and then write my thesis. Hmmm... That should be fun. But at least it's interesting. While I don't mind researching thanatology (my current seminar topic) it feels like void research and a waste of time. That's why I'm picking controversial topics to discuss within the seminar, just so I can get a lark out of it somehow. Last time my seminar was on decomposition, so I had fun showing photos and videos of decomposing pigs from my own research. The cringes from some of the forensic anth grad dip students (who don't like fieldwork, getting dirty, or dead things - WHY are they doing forensic anth???) still make me laugh - especially the ones who actually came out to see my pigs during my fieldwork time. Ha.
Ok - maybe that sounds horrible - but why on earth would you study forensic anthropology if you can't deal with gore, maggots, dead things and fieldwork? It doesn't make sense to me...
Well, better back to the grind stone - I only thought to post since I got an email saying I hadn't posted for 15 weeks... Is there some new function where you -have- to post within a certain amount of time or they call your journal 'dead' and close it down???
Hmmm... |
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| Reality can sometimes Suck |
[Jan. 31st, 2008|12:03 am] |
I'm back. Well I've been back in Australia since the 10th January, so honestly I'm back and being really lazy.
After a fantastic holiday involving much drinking, shopping, walking, the London tube, walking down the Eiffel Tower, walking up Scottish hills/mountains, and the plane flight home from hell -- I came back to discover nothing had really changed...
And considering I was away for seven weeks is kinda pathetic. Is that how it always is after getting back after a bit? Nothing changes? Hmm... I don't want life to be like that for me. I want to be out there, doing something that I love and enjoy, and experiencing new things along the way.
Anyhow - I arrived back a day late (bloody Qantas and getting stuck at JFK for a whole night!), and was rearing to start work on my honours project only to find that my supervisor had buggered off a week earlier than I expected for his excavation/holiday period! Every annoyed, especially since I can't actually do anything or plan properly for my field project until I talk to him. Bler!
Loki has kept me entertained though. Sir Lachlan (aka Loki) is my new puppy. I even drove up to Sydney to pick him up last week with a friend. He's adorable, a complete nut, loves water, and occassionally remains me of a gremlin. But I'm in love with him already.
How surprised I was earlier tonight (or really just before) when I finally got round to checking out VH only to find it's gone. While I'm sad, the Golden Age of VH had finished a while back for me when all the old-crowd started to drift off. And so I drifted as well. Uni kept me busy, and meeting new people in RL. I'm always going to remember the good times though. I think I've got a CD or folder (on my old computer) with all my VH stuff still... Maybe I'll go and find it next week... Just to relive the good olde days. ;-)
Now - I'm trying to motivate myself to start prep work (like building makeshift cages, research or reading) before my supervisor does get back and I do actually get to start on my project. Since it's been so hot, maybe it's best I've had to wait a bit - not that the heat is letting up much - decomposing pigs still smell whether it's hot or not. Le sigh. |
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| It has been a long while.... |
[Dec. 19th, 2007|01:32 am] |
Ok - I'll admit it - I only remembered about LJ this evening (or early morning since it's now 1:32am England time).
Yes - I am in the United Kingdom! And have been here since the 21st November. It's fantastic over here. Of course there's things which is really don't like (the customer service SUCKS so much it's nonexistant in the majority of places, and all the post offices I've been into have been bare, kinda like being inside a cement box) but there are stacks of things I do like (my brothers, red telephone boxes, blue police boxes, red double decker buses) so it all evens out.
I was in Scotland for two and half weeks which was nice - one week doing a Haggis tour around the west coast and highlands, the second wandering round Edinburgh and Stirling by myself (and a bad trip up to Aberdeen) and a weekend visiting my Scottish relatives (which was intersting!). Now I'm battling my way through a horrible cold (which I've had for a week!) and sightseeing my way through London. On Friday we (my brothers and everyone else here) are heading down to Cornwell for our Christmas week which should be awesome.
Despite the Christmas decorations, crazy people shopping and wrapping paper everywhere it doesn't quite feel like Christmas for me yet. Perhaps that's because it is cold here, while Christmas and my birthday are hot hot hot! I really hope it snows while we're in Cornwell - I know that it is very very very unlikely, but I can hope eh.
I turned 21 last week. It's kinda freaky. And thank you Cicero for the happy birthday message! I still haven't properly celebrated yet since I've been sick since before my brithday, but hopefully I'll be right by the end of the week. :-)
Ok - there's a good book, blanket and comfy sofa bed calling my name. Good night. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 16th, 2007|10:45 pm] |
Do you ever feel so close to breaking point it feels like you're hanging onto the edge of a cliff by your fingertips?
That's how I feel tonight.
It's friday night. I leave on Wednesday. I need to have a complete draft of my Kiandra report by Sunday evening. I'm also working Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Can I do it?
Damned if I know - but I feel like crying and never stopping at this point.
I just have to keep on reminding myself that this time next week I'll be chilling out with my two older brothers in London. Freaking London!
Nothing has sunk in yet. It still feels like months till I actually leave - whereas logically I know it's in five days.
Bloody hell. |
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| Cultural heritage = boring |
[Nov. 5th, 2007|12:09 am] |
I'm writing a report for my Introduction to Cultural Heritage class at the moment. It's not hard (bloody easy) but is so boring. Half of the report, my lectuers just expect us to paraphrase a previous report on the area... Gah!
These last three weeks have been a joke. And not a good one either. This week is slightly better after I finish this report and get to start on one for my Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology class. Both are due on Friday.
Then after that I get to finish (ie. start) my Kiandra report, and organise getting ethics clearance to kill pigs for my honours research project. I'm not looking forward to either of those... especially since I leave for the UK on the 21st November, and need to have both done before them.
I deserve this holiday! |
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| Busy, busy, busy.... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2007|10:41 pm] |
Ok - So once again it's been a long while since I last wrote. I have been super busy though, which makes me feel slightly better with falling off the end of the earth (I actually feel as if I'm hanging on by my fingertips at the moment).
What's new with me?
Trying to finish my last semester of coursework! I only have two assignments left, and both of them are due next Friday. Yay! Not-so-yay is the fact that I still have my Kiandra report (from the excavations in Feburary and April!) to do. And finish analysising my artefacts. Heh. All before the 21st November...
Oh - and also get ethics clearance from the university so I can actually do my oh-so awesome Honours project next year when I get back from overseas. Hmm... I should be freaking out more, since I only have 18 days till I leave Australia for seven weeks (YAY!) and so much to do between now and then... But so far I've managed to pull through (still keeping my good grades as well - which is a bonus), so I'm sure three weeks of pretty much non stop uni work will be fine. I've already done three, so what's another three weeks? ;-) |
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| Planning and Itinerary - only 65 days till I leave for overseas! |
[Sep. 16th, 2007|10:54 pm] |
Right - so just to procrastinate some more, I created a broad outline of my itinerary to send to my brothers and their girlfriends (in the hope that at least one out of four will reply!).
Here it is:
Alyce’s Trip
21st November 2007
Depart from Sydney Airport
22nd November 2007
Arrive in London
23rd November 2007
Adam’s 30th Birthday!
Mon, 26th November 2007
Leave for Scotland either today or Sunday 25th November
My current idea for this phase of my journey is to do a Haggis Tour - the Compass Buster (http://www.haggisadventures.com/Scotland/Compass-Buster.html) leaving Edinburg on the 26th November, which would mean I would have to travel up to there on the 25th.
This tour would last till Sat 1st December.
Now – depending on what Nick wants to do, since it would be really cool to visit the relatives together in Peterhead (and we need to book accommodation fairly early), if I did the Haggis Tour (which I am seriously leaning towards) then I would be available for travel up there from Sunday 2nd December. Alternatively, if Nick can’t get that Sunday to Tuesday (or whatever) off, we could do it the next weekend (Fri 7th to Mon 10th December) which would probably be better, since I could do my own thing in Scotland from 1st to 7th December and meet Nick in Aberdeen to catch the bus together up to Peterhead. Another alternative is that if Nick is unable/does not want to come – I’ll go visit the relatives by myself.
10th/11th December 2007
Arrive back in London after roaming round Scotland
12th December 2007
My 21st Birthday!
22nd December 2007 (?)
Leaving for Cornwell where we will spend Christmas and it will hopefully snow
25th December 2007
Christmas!
28/29th December 2007 (?)
Arrive back in London after trip to Cornwell for Christmas
31st December 2007
New Years Eve!
7th January 2008
Depart from London Terminal Four
7th January 2008
Arrive JFK
7th January 2008
Depart JFK
9th January 2008
Arrive in Sydney
So that is the basic outline of the main things I have planned at the moment. Adam said he and Nicky were going to keep an eye out for really good deals on stuff to do, and if they find any to probably book it for me... I'm not sure how I feel about that, but we shall see how it goes.
Now - off to finish this horrid statistics assignment! God damn all statistics and how bloody useful they are in my area of study! |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 9th, 2007|08:13 pm] |
( Patronus Quiz )
I am still around (somehow). This is the first time I've looked a lj for a while though, so it was nice to catch up reading my flist. What's been happening with me? A lot.
I'm attempting to plan my trip over to England, while juggling five classes at uni this semester. Unfortunately all of the classes are very important so I can't slack of in any of them. *dies* It's been busy (hence the non-internet) and is only to get busier since next weekend Floriade starts and I'll be working a fair bit.
Floriade time is the busiest time of year at work. Unfortuntely for me there has been major upheavel in staff changes in my area. Which means a totally new main supervisor who still sucks at her job is no way as good as Marg ever was. Plus - there is only three of us still there who have ever worked during Floriade before, so it should be very "interesting". Stress, hilarity at mistakes made, anger over the general disorganisation of shifts and lunch breaks, and why the bloody hell am I here when I could be doing uni work, are probably going to be my main emotions for the next month. Heh - should be dandy. |
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| So entirely true! |
[Sep. 9th, 2007|07:58 pm] |
"If there are one or more people on your friends list who make your world a better place just because they exist, and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the Internet, then post this same sentence in your journal."
Stolen from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) quickcrimson |
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| Half Good Half Bad |
[Jul. 19th, 2007|03:00 pm] |
So far my day has been half good, half bad.
Thing Number One: Work
I drop into work late this morning to talk to my boss and explain my availabitly and (seven week long) holiday. She's not there so had to leave a note for her. Then when I go and get my pay, I open it and there's a card in there from her saying how much she appreciated my work over the last two months and how she couldn't have done it without me. I then start to feel a bit guilty about having to take days off during Floriade time, especially since they're not by choice. Then after I leave work and look more closely into my paysheet, I see that she gave me $200 bonus. See half good, half bad.
Thing Number Two:
Since my phone has been screwy, I went to the phone store and told the retail assistant what was wrong with it. Apparently it's a Motorola problem. There's apparently 'glitches' in the software of my particular phone. Unfortuntely my warranty ran out three weeks ago (I thought it was a two year warranty, but apparently only a one year!!!) so I don't have the option of sending it off for free, and getting a replacement phone for two weeks. Great. According to the sales assistant, I can download the new software off the internet. Also - this has been happenning to a fair few people with the same phone as me.
What I want to know is shy didn't Motorola, when they realised there were 'glitches' recall the phone or at least send a notice out through the phone company so we knew what was happenning. I thought it was -illegal- not to recall them and send new ones, or offer to put the new software on them free of charge.
Anyhow. I'm upset now - and my mostly good day has turned bad. But I'm going to go and see if I can find this software and what I have to do to put it on my phone myself. And then send Motorola and email asking what the hell is up.
Gah. |
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| Errands for the day.... If I can be bothered |
[Jul. 19th, 2007|10:07 am] |
I slept in today. And it was fantastic. But I have to get started on my errands for the day.
1) Telling my boss at work my avaliability - including the weekend days I need off during Floriade, and my seven week holiday to the UK - I was thinking of going with "it's mostly good news for me, and mostly bad new for you..." or something along those lines. I can't wait to see how she'll react.
2) Dom's 21st birthday present - we're getting him a Wii, and am picking it up today - finally
3) Going to my phone store - for some odd reason my phone turns itself off, and on Tuesday (during my Honours prep class when a guest speaker was doing a workshop with us) turned itself back on - very embarrassing when it rang
4) Drop into the travel agents and ask about travel insurance
5) Finish my Human Evolution readings and maybe find some specific articles
Not a lot to do. I'm going into uni for the whole day tomorrow. My Kiandra director said that I could split my window glass (which is my project) from the bottle glass and start my analysis, even though we still have cataloguing to do. So yay! No more cataloguing for me unless I absolutely feel like it. Take that Kat - you hypocrite! |
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| Another triade on the scanned HP novel |
[Jul. 18th, 2007|06:08 pm] |
Like many other people I've found out that there is a copy of the -whole- new HP book on the web.
I have a friend at uni who found snippets of it early this week, and bribed me into buying him a beer so he wouldn't ruin it - it was worth it. Last night he messaged me saying that he had something interesting that would give me a head start - I thought it was uni related...
When I saw it today (he has a shared office with computer) it was a scanned copy of the new HP novel. Heh - the quality is horrific, I looked at one page (the first) and I could barely read it without zooming in so many times.
I figure I'll just walk round with earphones in till 9:01am Saturday (when it's released here) and be careful with what emails/journals/etc I open up till then - I refuse to have this spoiled. My friend actually said that people were talking about going to bookstores the morning its released and starting to read the end and stuff - hence the earphones... Better to be safe than sorry.
The people who do things like this are pathetic though. Whoever wants to ruin something like this for sooo many people much be (excuse the language) a sick fuck. |
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| Off to London I go |
[Jul. 17th, 2007|11:24 pm] |
Oh. My. God.
I booked my ticket to and from London tonight!!!
I leave on the 21st November from Sydney and leave London on the 7th January. This means I'll be spending Adam's 30th Birthday, my 21st Birthday, Christmas and New Years with my brothers in England!
::Oh so excited::
Unfortunately I have a shit-load of work to do before I can even think of leaving the country :-( But having this awesome trip waiting for me at the end is giving me way way way more incentive to work really hard.
Yay! |
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| Up coming DOOM |
[Jul. 16th, 2007|09:46 pm] |
I suppose it's too early in the semester to have a complete break-down...
But that is completely what I feel like doing now. Which is kinda pathetic since it was the first day back today, and I only had one class.
Unfortuntely this one class (Cultural Heritage Management) which I thought was all theoretical, is actually partly practical based. Gah. Like I don't have enough to do as it is. And the practical days are going to be held during Floriade, which is our busiest time at work, and I was hoping to be able to pick up some more shifts since they -need- me and would pay pretty damn good as well...
I'm basically doing five courses this semester:
1) finishing off Kiandra - we still haven't finished cataloguing all the artefacts, then there's the analysis and reading stage, then the writing of the report...
2) Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology - sounds like it's going to be fecking fantastic - but there's one practical day with a mock crime excavation, and I want to do really really really good in this class since it's basically what I want to do as my career... And the lecturer is the guy I want as my honours supervisor next year...
3) Supervised Research - This is actually me doing the Human Evolution course, but pretty much self-taught. It looks like I'll be having a meeting each week with Colin Groves (which is intimidating - just google him to see!!!) to discuss the readings for that week going off the lecture slides he provided me and the reading list (which is fucking huge!)...
4) Research Design and Analysis in Biological Anthropology - I wouldn't be doing this course by choice, but it's a prerequiste for hopeful people who want to do honours next year, so I'm taking it. There's a shit load of work, reading previous thesis... statistics assignments most weeks... preparing an honours topic proposal...
5) Cultural Heritage Management - run by the same guy who did the Mungo course I took last year, Dave Johnson, and his two buisness partners, Rob Paton and Stu. Sounds slightly interesting, but feels like they are getting students to do their work for them *shrug* whatever - I should be able to get good marks fairly easy (hopefully!)
I feel much better putting all of this down in writing - I know what I have to do, and so I'm going to start doing it.
In better news - saw the new HP movie and actually quite enjoyed it. Missed bits (like all the others) but found it better than the first four movies. Maybe just because Fred and George were so much taller and hotter.
*le sigh* I'm going to start doing some work now... |
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| First Day back... |
[Jul. 16th, 2007|08:35 am] |
So the first day back at uni for semester two 2007 is today. w00t!
That sounded sorta sarcastic, but I am actually excited... It means I get a break from working at CG and wearing a uniform the majority of the week. *shudders* I hate uniforms.
I'm trying to decided whether it's worth going to the gym this morning before going into uni early and fixing some stuff up. I think that it would be -- but it's all foggy and cold and kinda miserable outside that I'm not keen on leaving the house...
I think I will anyway - it will get me awake and pumping. Plus I haven't been exercising much and have *cue doom music* put some weight back on. This may be because I had a stint of quitting smoking (something I'll be starting again this week - and not failing this time) and eating a lot of sugar due to trying to stay awake at work - but I figure now is a good time to get back into it.
Am going to see the new HP movie with Mumsy Darling this evening, which should be good. I've even straightened my hair because I don't want to look too 'uni-student' in front of Mumsy Darling's co-workers.
Oh well - better get started then - it's going to be a long day ahead of me. :-) Wish me luck! |
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| A little bit of a rant |
[Jul. 10th, 2007|10:35 am] |
Some background info to the rant I'm about to commence upon:
I've been doing a class a uni which is has a major practical component to it.
We started an excavation in Feburary at Kiandra but were evacuated after a week due to bushfires. We went back in April for another week to finish up the excavation and found way more artefacts than we could comprehend. Unfortuntely due to other uni commitments, a lot of people couldn't put in a great deal of time until after the semester finished - which was about four/three weeks ago. So a few of us have been going into uni over the semester break and trying to get all the cataloguing done - but we're still not even close.
Kat, one of my classmates for this class is obviously pissed and getting on her high horse about not enough people doing the cataloging. Late yesturday afternoon she sent this email to the whole class.
Now is this me being sensitive - or is the tone of this communal email rude and trying to lay on the guilt? Whatever - either way I replied to Kat with my own comments
Ok - maybe I was sorta pissed off about her email. Who is she to tell us how many hours we need to spend per day cataloguing? Nobody. She has no power over us - and understand why some of us might not be there -- and damned if I'm going to try and bother explaining.
Anyway - this morning, which has me sorta pissed off again - was a reply from her.
I'm not even going to bother replying to this.
The reasons why I haven't been going in this week:
1) I've been in all holidays despite working five days a week, many of those all days
2) I work in fucking Gunghalian and live in Spence -- that's a half hour/twenty minute drive to uni
3) I thought I deserved to have a couple days without going into uni since I worked six days straight - which has made me really tired, and I just wanted to go home after
4) I'm not the one who went away for a week or two - I'm the one who was cataloguing in that time
5) I've had family staying with us these last couple of days - and had to do the whole "family thing"
So basically Kat can fuck herself. And I'm rethinking my want to go into uni today on my last day off during holidays, and deal with her.
NOTE: I have tried to place the majority of this under lj-cuts, but for odd reason it's not working, no matter what I try. Sorry! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 4th, 2007|04:56 pm] |
All I could wonder today was "why on earth did I agree to work the all day shifts today and tomorrow? Why? Whyyyyy?"
I know the simple reason - because I like the money.
But I am not well today. There's been coughing, a foggy headachy head, tiredness, sniffles... Basically a head cold. But it hasn't been particularly dandy having to work with it - especially when the weather totally sucks and the only place I really want to be is in bed, or on the couch in front of the fireplace (which has a fire going in it).
That's where I'm slowly making my way to. The couch. Once I finally get off my butt and start the fire. Then I lay down and have a short nap.
Mmmm... nap. How lovely. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 3rd, 2007|09:31 am] |
I think I'm coming down with a cold.
Which totally sucks because it's the first time in over a month since I've had three days in a row off work, and now I feel all gungy and sick-like.
Last night was fantastic in a very odd way. Since I had gotten my results yesterday (and was very pleased with myself) Mum and I had Turkish takeaway. Yum Yum. Then I completely crashed and fell asleep on the couch for three and half hours, waking up to watch Boston Legall. Very odd. Like usually I can nap in the evening, but not full on crash.
So anyway, apart from waking up with a dry cough and a throat which hurts, today is looking out to be ok. Eventually I have to go into the archaeology lab for a bit, but I think this morning I'll hang round the house a bit. Nan and one of my aunts are coming down tomorrow so I should do a bit of cleaning, but at the moment I'm quite happy sitting here at the computer.
It's something I haven't done for a while. Recreational computer use - how I love thee so. |
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