I know... I know... I'm terribly late
I have been sufficiently chastised for my lack of updates on many fronts. So here is an attempt at a recap...
While I have been known to post novel-length posts, I'm thinking I'll break this one up cause otherwise it may be the War And Peace of LJ posts. And I rather doubt I will reach Tolstoy's eloquence.
So here is what's been happening in my life since.... oh... I guess I best go back a bit to before New Year. Dang... I am late!
My Christmas was wonderful!! I think it may very well have been one of the best I have ever experienced. Oddly enough, even though I was staying in the house of a vicar, I never went to church. Jack and I actually slept in on Christmas Day while everyone else did the religion thing. We visited his Grandfather and then his Aunt's family that evening.
Sadly, I did kinda do one bad thing. I slipped up with my pills and wasn't doing so well by the time we got home. I was mostly okay for the visit (I think) - though my memory is fuzzy. But then I collapsed just trying to get out of the car. I scared Jack pretty bad. I felt awful about it and was trying something fierce cause I knew he was upset, but he practically carried me in the house and got me my pills. When I was feeling better we went back downstairs for presents. Doing that at the end of Christmas day was different, but I rather liked it actually. He spent too much on me. Silly man. My fav was a lovely silver silk dressing gown!
On Boxing Day we went to his sister's house. That was fun! His nephews are so much fun! And they all thought it was funny that I had never seen Christmas crackers before. And we helped put together the boys' new lego pirate ship. I think I want one! So many little bits that were nice. And the cannon really fire!
I just really like Jack's family! And the interactions amuse me. I think I will never forget the look of horror on his sister's face as he was telling her some of his views about the existence of souls - way to rock the boat! And I had to smile as he was chatting with his younger brother. Conferring about how much time girlfriends take up (his brother is in his first serious relationship - it was cute, and I'm sure he'd hate if it he knew I said that).
The next day Jack and I went to Derbyshire with his parents and some friends of theirs. It was a lovely trip! That place is so lovely! I wish I'd gotten some post cards. But Jack and I are planning to go to the peak district when the weather warms up anyway. We'll see it again. :)
And silly me - I didn't get a single photo of any of it! I really must get a camera. Remembering to borrow someone else's just never happens.
After we got back to Beverley we spent a couple days just enjoying some time when we didn't have to do anything! It was nice. I don't know when that will ever happen again. Granted, I wouldn't want it too often, but it was a nice few days. For New Years we had Mike and Helen over for dinner. Jack actually commented about us having a remarkabley grown-up New Years - having another couple over for a nice meal. But I think we made up for it with our silly games. We played scrabble (cause they were appalled I had never played) and then played with the Wii until the wee hours of the morning (get it? Wii... wee...) Nope, I don't think we're all that grown-up yet!
Lizzy and I tried to go to Cardiff in early January... but my car decided to not get very far. The problem was the clutch cable, which wasn't too terrible to get fixed. Sadly I've had other car problems since then - broken electric windows and central locking being the biggies. I'm getting the locks fixed, but the windows are terribly expensive so I'm gonna leave them for now. Maybe I'll find money somewhere. (yeah... right...)
Lizzy and I did eventually get to Cardiff though! We drove all the way to south Wales to see a pantomime... cause it was starring John Barrowman! For those poor souls who don't know who that is, he plays Captain Jack in Dr. Who and Torchwood. Since our initial plans fell through, we ended up there for closing night. And I'm soooo glad we were! The actors were doing the final night right - adlibs and naughty stuff all over! At one point they were all on the floor doubled up in laughter cause they were cracking each other up and couldn't get their lines out! John Barrowman actually scolded the audience for going even further with the innuendo: "Hey! Family show! Remember! Family show!" Yeah, there was a reason most of the audience was adult and female!
While we were in Cardiff, we also went to the Dr. Who exhibition down by the bay. I have a TARDIS on my desk now! :) Okay, so it is a little coin bank... but it is a TARDIS!
Most of January is this odd blur of money problems, misery of dealing with stupid people at work, exams, and preparing for classes to begin in a remarkabley chaotic atmosphere. The University is irritating me with their lack of organization and apparant inability to do anything in a timely manner. That has pretty much carried over into the beginning of February as well.
Classes have begun and my timetable suddenly seems very full. I'm working as much as I can (cause I need the money desperately). They're starting to treat me decent and (disturbingly) being very nice to me because they know I'm not happy with the work or pay, and they don't want me to quit. I've even had the owner approach me and beg me not to quit. I have not had time to look for another job because I have every day so full as it is. If I stumble across one that is particularly interesting, I try to get an app in. But I think I've put in for all of two - neither of which wanted to consider a student. Figures.
I've done some number crunching and come to the conclusion that there is no way in hell I will have enough money for my final tuition payment. The most disturbing part was when I added up the cost of all the transfer fees or international transaction fees - I wasted about a grand just on that! And that is sterling, not dollars! Add to that the fact that the dollar is doing so poorly and the pound is doing so well - which meant that this last loan check didn't go nearly as far as I planned back in September. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter now. I'm
figuring that I will talk to some people I know in the history dept and see if they will still let me sign up for classes for next year. I'm pretty sure they'll let me sit my exams, but they won't let me have me results. Which is frustrating, but doesn't matter all that much I suppose. It isn't like my marks will change if I have to wait until autumn to find out what they are.
I've also been contemplating some scary big thoughts for the future. Many different things have sparked this. Part of it is the number crunching: how much money I don't have, how much student debt I do have, how much more debt I will acquire. I've been contemplating the various things I want and looking at how some priorities have changed in my life. I don't think it is truly feasible for me to go with my original plan. And anymore the most important things in my life are right here. And I don't want to lose that for anything. I'm looking at some options and have some meeting scheduled with advisors who might help in the next couple months. I'll figure it out, somehow. Cause I refuse to let it go otherwise. I've kept things together on sheer stubbornness before. I'll do it again if I have to.
And in simple, happy future plans... come summer we're going camping in Scotland for almost two weeks! Mike and Helen booked the spot already. It is east of Edinburgh and near the coast. I'm sooo looking forward to it! I haven't been proper camping in ages! I may need to scrape up some funds for camping supplies. Probably be much cheaper than having stuff shipped. But still. woohoo!!
Jack finally cracked. He became a vegetarian last March. It wasn't for any ethical or health reasons - he just wanted to see if he could do it for a year. But he didn't quite make it. He first broke when he was on one of his business trips and watched some lamb go to the next table while he was at a French restaurant. And last weekend I cooked him a proper sunday roast with roast beef and yorkshire pudding and roast veggies and gravy and everything. Cause he's been wanting it for a while. We had carrot cake too We both still eat mostly veggie (me more than him actually), with a bit of meat now and again .
So there it is! That's pretty much up to date I think... Life moves on... Today I have some work I should do later... but at the moment I'm relaxing and contemplating making some cookies while I read. And Jack pops in with interesting tidbits of what he's reading - though I'm planning to steal that magazine as soon as he's done with it anyway.
While I have been known to post novel-length posts, I'm thinking I'll break this one up cause otherwise it may be the War And Peace of LJ posts. And I rather doubt I will reach Tolstoy's eloquence.
So here is what's been happening in my life since.... oh... I guess I best go back a bit to before New Year. Dang... I am late!
My Christmas was wonderful!! I think it may very well have been one of the best I have ever experienced. Oddly enough, even though I was staying in the house of a vicar, I never went to church. Jack and I actually slept in on Christmas Day while everyone else did the religion thing. We visited his Grandfather and then his Aunt's family that evening.
Sadly, I did kinda do one bad thing. I slipped up with my pills and wasn't doing so well by the time we got home. I was mostly okay for the visit (I think) - though my memory is fuzzy. But then I collapsed just trying to get out of the car. I scared Jack pretty bad. I felt awful about it and was trying something fierce cause I knew he was upset, but he practically carried me in the house and got me my pills. When I was feeling better we went back downstairs for presents. Doing that at the end of Christmas day was different, but I rather liked it actually. He spent too much on me. Silly man. My fav was a lovely silver silk dressing gown!
On Boxing Day we went to his sister's house. That was fun! His nephews are so much fun! And they all thought it was funny that I had never seen Christmas crackers before. And we helped put together the boys' new lego pirate ship. I think I want one! So many little bits that were nice. And the cannon really fire!
I just really like Jack's family! And the interactions amuse me. I think I will never forget the look of horror on his sister's face as he was telling her some of his views about the existence of souls - way to rock the boat! And I had to smile as he was chatting with his younger brother. Conferring about how much time girlfriends take up (his brother is in his first serious relationship - it was cute, and I'm sure he'd hate if it he knew I said that).
The next day Jack and I went to Derbyshire with his parents and some friends of theirs. It was a lovely trip! That place is so lovely! I wish I'd gotten some post cards. But Jack and I are planning to go to the peak district when the weather warms up anyway. We'll see it again. :)
And silly me - I didn't get a single photo of any of it! I really must get a camera. Remembering to borrow someone else's just never happens.
After we got back to Beverley we spent a couple days just enjoying some time when we didn't have to do anything! It was nice. I don't know when that will ever happen again. Granted, I wouldn't want it too often, but it was a nice few days. For New Years we had Mike and Helen over for dinner. Jack actually commented about us having a remarkabley grown-up New Years - having another couple over for a nice meal. But I think we made up for it with our silly games. We played scrabble (cause they were appalled I had never played) and then played with the Wii until the wee hours of the morning (get it? Wii... wee...) Nope, I don't think we're all that grown-up yet!
Lizzy and I tried to go to Cardiff in early January... but my car decided to not get very far. The problem was the clutch cable, which wasn't too terrible to get fixed. Sadly I've had other car problems since then - broken electric windows and central locking being the biggies. I'm getting the locks fixed, but the windows are terribly expensive so I'm gonna leave them for now. Maybe I'll find money somewhere. (yeah... right...)
Lizzy and I did eventually get to Cardiff though! We drove all the way to south Wales to see a pantomime... cause it was starring John Barrowman! For those poor souls who don't know who that is, he plays Captain Jack in Dr. Who and Torchwood. Since our initial plans fell through, we ended up there for closing night. And I'm soooo glad we were! The actors were doing the final night right - adlibs and naughty stuff all over! At one point they were all on the floor doubled up in laughter cause they were cracking each other up and couldn't get their lines out! John Barrowman actually scolded the audience for going even further with the innuendo: "Hey! Family show! Remember! Family show!" Yeah, there was a reason most of the audience was adult and female!
While we were in Cardiff, we also went to the Dr. Who exhibition down by the bay. I have a TARDIS on my desk now! :) Okay, so it is a little coin bank... but it is a TARDIS!
Most of January is this odd blur of money problems, misery of dealing with stupid people at work, exams, and preparing for classes to begin in a remarkabley chaotic atmosphere. The University is irritating me with their lack of organization and apparant inability to do anything in a timely manner. That has pretty much carried over into the beginning of February as well.
Classes have begun and my timetable suddenly seems very full. I'm working as much as I can (cause I need the money desperately). They're starting to treat me decent and (disturbingly) being very nice to me because they know I'm not happy with the work or pay, and they don't want me to quit. I've even had the owner approach me and beg me not to quit. I have not had time to look for another job because I have every day so full as it is. If I stumble across one that is particularly interesting, I try to get an app in. But I think I've put in for all of two - neither of which wanted to consider a student. Figures.
I've done some number crunching and come to the conclusion that there is no way in hell I will have enough money for my final tuition payment. The most disturbing part was when I added up the cost of all the transfer fees or international transaction fees - I wasted about a grand just on that! And that is sterling, not dollars! Add to that the fact that the dollar is doing so poorly and the pound is doing so well - which meant that this last loan check didn't go nearly as far as I planned back in September. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter now. I'm
figuring that I will talk to some people I know in the history dept and see if they will still let me sign up for classes for next year. I'm pretty sure they'll let me sit my exams, but they won't let me have me results. Which is frustrating, but doesn't matter all that much I suppose. It isn't like my marks will change if I have to wait until autumn to find out what they are.
I've also been contemplating some scary big thoughts for the future. Many different things have sparked this. Part of it is the number crunching: how much money I don't have, how much student debt I do have, how much more debt I will acquire. I've been contemplating the various things I want and looking at how some priorities have changed in my life. I don't think it is truly feasible for me to go with my original plan. And anymore the most important things in my life are right here. And I don't want to lose that for anything. I'm looking at some options and have some meeting scheduled with advisors who might help in the next couple months. I'll figure it out, somehow. Cause I refuse to let it go otherwise. I've kept things together on sheer stubbornness before. I'll do it again if I have to.
And in simple, happy future plans... come summer we're going camping in Scotland for almost two weeks! Mike and Helen booked the spot already. It is east of Edinburgh and near the coast. I'm sooo looking forward to it! I haven't been proper camping in ages! I may need to scrape up some funds for camping supplies. Probably be much cheaper than having stuff shipped. But still. woohoo!!
Jack finally cracked. He became a vegetarian last March. It wasn't for any ethical or health reasons - he just wanted to see if he could do it for a year. But he didn't quite make it. He first broke when he was on one of his business trips and watched some lamb go to the next table while he was at a French restaurant. And last weekend I cooked him a proper sunday roast with roast beef and yorkshire pudding and roast veggies and gravy and everything. Cause he's been wanting it for a while. We had carrot cake too We both still eat mostly veggie (me more than him actually), with a bit of meat now and again .
So there it is! That's pretty much up to date I think... Life moves on... Today I have some work I should do later... but at the moment I'm relaxing and contemplating making some cookies while I read. And Jack pops in with interesting tidbits of what he's reading - though I'm planning to steal that magazine as soon as he's done with it anyway.