TV ate my life

My team leader thinks I'm a psycho!

She completely nicked my notebook and read some of the fanfic I was writing, so it would be understandable if there was anything really bad in there (which there kinda is in other books) but the worst she found was someone getting punched in the face and a description of the feeling of blood dripping from his nose. Which, I mean, what's wrong with that? So she's told everyone I'm a psycho who's writing a book about people getting murdered and (I don't know why) anal sex in a field. And she says I'm the weird one?

(I corrected her on that last point by the way. But someone will die in the story so I left that part alone)

I've been out of internet-land for a whole day and a bit, so sorry but I've not been keeping up with my flist. I'm not ignoring you, I've just been busy with evil!work.

I bought some Ipod speakers today, but they make this loud high pitched hissing sound when they are turned on that you can hear over the music, so I'm going to have to take them back. Which sucks. Apparently I'm the only one that can hear it too, but it's definitely there, so I don't know what's going on with that.

I think I have successfully got my mum into Supernatural. Last night she agreed to watch two episodes, and today she actually asked to watch more! Hee! She's finished season 1 now and we're three episodes into 2. I knew the season 1 finale would get her. And soon I'll be able to inflict the end of season 2 on her too! Muahahahahaha!

Okay, so all the stressness from the last entry is over, which can only be a good thing. And I didn't have too bad a time on either night out. Wednesday we went straight from work to this hotel bar where all the sales people had had their meal, and were given £50 each because we had to work (I was almost given my money twice. Lucky thing for my boss I'm honest!) and then hung around there listening to cheesy music before a couple of us headed on to Atic for some decent music. Thursday (which was my birthday) I was very hung over. Probably not as bad as Sarah though, who we practically had to carry home because she was trying to crawl.

Saturday everyone went home after work, except me. My plan had been to hang around in the office for an hour or so and watch Stargate on my Ipod (got a video Ipod for my birthday, the awesomeness!) but someone who lives in town invited me round to hers. Everyone met up for a meal a little later. It wasn't that great, and probably not worth the £15 we had to pay for it. But it was worth that much not to be talked about behind my back, as that's the treatment that everyone who didn't go got. They went out afterwards, but I didn't stay long, partly because I didn't want another hangover, partly because I'd already spent all my money and mostly because some moron spilled some revolting Red Bull drink on me.

So, now the only stress thing is cards, which I really don't want to do. So maybe I won't. I dunno.

New SGA! How cool is that? Must watch...

But not yet, the staying up late is killing me, this is shaping up to be my 5th night in a row of going to bed after 3. At least I get to lie in tomorrow though.

I'm getting fic ideas again all of a sudden. Strange how that happens, they sort of come and go. Actually, it's been ages since I last finished a fanfic, I think my last one was the Traders fic '5 Days'. No idea how long ago that was, but it wasn't recent. Talking of Traders, I got an urge to watch it the other day. I sort of stopped part way through season 4, then never started to again. I really should watch the rest.

I have also recently begun to rediscover my Numb3rs obsession. And The Dead Zone is back on Sci Fi. I've missed some, so I have to catch up.
And Lost on Sky 1! I did cheat and download the first three, but after this Sunday I'm just as "aaaaagh" as everyone else.
Monk Christmas special last week. Wtf? But of an odd time for it, isn't it? But then this from the show that brought us the Hallowe'en show in July...
I'm really not sure about Torchwood. I mean, I love it, but I don't know if I love it as much as I expected too. I'm hoping for much better things in the second half of the series. Then again, the next ep looks to be all about Toshiko, she's not that interesting, I want to know about Jack, damnit!
Also, I'm loving Robin Hood. I didn't think I would, and it's not amazing or anything, but I'm still loving it.

Finally, an update from real life. I've been at my unpleasant and boring job for 6 months now, which apparently means a pay rise! Cool! I'll have to stop complaining as much. Well, maybe not. But an extra 60p an hour is pretty good. They're having their Christmas do part way through December. I said I'd go, but now everyone's talking about dressing up really posh and buying new clothes. If they do, I'm not going to go.

Right, I have a ridiculously long Numb3rs fic to finish reading. I was a fool to start it, I'm going to be up all night and then disappointed because I knew when I started that it was a WIP.

I'm going down to Bristol on the 15th October, partly to visit my sister at uni, mostly to see AFI. The plan was to get a train down Sunday morning, arrive sometime mid-afternoon, go to the show, then have a look around Bristol with Jennie on the Monday morning before getting a train back up in the afternoon. And then I tried to book a train.

Getting back was no problem, but getting there they must have closed some of the track of something, because all I can do is get a train to Sheffield, change, train to Birmingham, bus to Gloucester, train to Bristol. It would take around 7 hours. Which means that unless I want to arrive exhausted and headachey, five minutes before the show starts, I'll have to go down the day before. Which would be fine, apart from I work Saturdays. And the trains are all messed up then too, so there's no chance of getting a later one.

So then I get in yesterday, and my mum tells me she's found flights from Leeds/Bradford to Bristol. £35 each way, only marginally more than the train. And gets me there in an hour instead of 7. Unfortunately, there aren't any during the day on Sunday, so I'll have to go on Saturday morning. But, she says, they'll probably go fast, so Id best book them if I want them. Problem is, I haven't got the day off work yet. Getting a day off work involves filling in a form and waiting about a week to find out whether it's been accepted or not. By which time it would probably be too late.

And so, I book it. I figure I'll fill in the form at the next possible opportunity and hope to hell they okay it. And now I'm worrying that they won't. I think I've done something a little stupid! But it's booked and I can't get it refunded. So whatever they say, I'm not going to be going in on that Saturday.

Well, I'm giving them over a month's notice, and it's only the second day I'll have had off. And I've never called in sick. It'd be a bit unfair for them to say no, wouldn't it?

Oh dear...

I was rudely awoken at half ten this morning, half an hour before my alarm was due to go off, by work asking me to go in. I can never turn work down, because I need money, so I rushed and (despite Sunday buses) managed to get in for 12. Worked til 7, they asked me to stay til 10, but no way. So I didn't get any tidying done at all. Never mind.

I got back at quarter to eight, walked the dog, bought some food and am now making curry. I was planning on watching more Monk, but I might watch Galaxy Quest instead, get my Tony Shalhoub fix that way. (I watched some of The Siege last night. I'd forgotten he was in it, because I saw it years ago before I'd ever heard of him, but he's got a huge part, and he's really good Not my kinda film really, but worth watching just for his performance. Seriously. I don't think that's just the obsession talking.) On the other hand, I might catch up on the Atlantis episodes that my Monk fixation has caused me to miss. Or I might just sleep, because I'm kinda exhausted.

How did I manage to not know the 5th season of Monk had started?!
BBC 2 haven't even shown 4 yet, have they?

I've been asked to work four hours tomorrow, which sucks since I was looking forward to having a whole day off, but I'll get money, and it's the first bit of overtime I've been offered in weeks. I need to grab any they can give me. At some point I'm going to have to start looking for a better job. Preferably a full time one with less ridiculous hours. I just wish I had any idea at all about what I wanted to do!

Ah well, best go to bed.

Talking of bed, I decided my mattress is rubbish, it's all destroyed and slopes to one side, which hurts my back. I've been putting up with it for years, but I finally decided to get a new one. So I went to choose one today. Got a real posh one, it's so comfy! I'm all excited about getting it. Won't be delivered for three weeks though. Which sucks a bit.

I hate the fact that I can't enjoy weekends any more. Friday I work till 10, then have to get home to sleep because I'm there again at 9 the next morning, then Saturdays 9-8 leaves me so exhausted that I'm usually too tired to go out anyway. I might see if I can convince my sister to go for a couple of drinks tonight though, since she's off on a 5 week holiday to Greece on Monday, so I won't see her for a while. I'm very jealous of her for that!

My friend who cancelled on me last minute last week did exactly the same thing the next day too. She was only going to come round and listen to some music or something, but something unavoidable came up at the last minute. So I haven't bothered texting her since. Which might be a little rude, but it's not like she's said anything to me either, and I don't want to try to make plans again only to have them cancelled an hour or so before we go. That's what happens when people get boyfriends, I suppose. It always happens, and it's pathetic. So she can get lost.

Right, time to get ready and go to work. For eleven hours.

I really need another job.

Hee! I took my speakers to work last night, I figured that once most people had gone and I was sitting on my won (very few people stay till 10, so we're usually pretty well spaced out by then) I'd listen to some decent music instead of Galaxy FM that they always have on. But I was a little annoyed when the guy next to me was staying till 10 and seemed to be enjoying the dance pants. He wasn't though, and he was going on about going to Piper and Spiders, which I took for a good sign and asked him why we always have rubbish music on. He agreed with me, so I got to listen to good music anyway. Which was cool.

I am so exhausted. I went to bed way late last night, and then Jennie rang me in the middle of the night to be let in because she'd forgotten her key.

I was reading an issue of New Scientist from a couple of weeks ago at work today, and I came across something that had me having to press the mute button so the person who called couldn't hear me laughing. A couple of years ago, there was a study into whether or not people preferred normal to GM foods. The study was done in a shop in Canada, where customers were offered two kinds of sweetcorn, GM and non-GM. It found that people bought 50% more GM then non-GM. The study was actually awarded a prize by the British Food Journal for most outstanding paper of 2004. Apparently the results aren't as accurate as the paper suggested though, because rather than being labeled GM and non GM as the paper claimed, a campaign group called GMWatch has published a photo of the study, showing the non-GM corn in the store. There is a big sign hanging above it saying "Would you eat wormy sweetcorn?" Yeah, I wonder why that didn't sell as well as the other stuff!

Read the article here if you want, it's only short.


Completely unrelated, but the latest issue of New Scientist has an article about genetic engineering (of humans this time) and it mentions a gene therapy trial. Same day I read it, I went home and watched an episode of ReGenesis, and someone mentioned the exact same thing, so I knew what he was talking about. Very cool, made me feel all clever!

My day off tomorrow. Now, I know I was all complainy about the long gaps between days off, but apparently I have no right to complain, someone there is having his first day off in 8 weeks tomorrow. I think he wanted that many extra hours though, but still... And anyway, I have next Saturday booked off. This time next week I'll have seen Def Leppard. How cool is that!?