preparation, the (semi) live blog

17:00 - Right. Left work early so I could come home and work. Spent the last hour reading Perdido Street Station. Hmmm maybe I can justify it as an exploration into the morality of genetic engineering. I should really start planning

17:30 - Plan for the next six hours done. Easy money. Will just phone my mother for moral support.

18:00 - Bollocks. Plan no longer applicable. Never mind, will do research on the internet.

18:03 - Ooooh YouTube wants to work for me today!

19:48 - Phonecall from Doug wondering if he needs to pick up dinner or if I'll cook for him. Tell him to check with the people who will actually leave their rooms this evening.

20:15 - Actually, where the fuck are my housemates? They're blatantly in a bar having fun. Wish I was in a bar having fun.

20:39 - WooHoo! Three minutes of presentation done. And it only took me fifteen minutes to write. Wonder if it's factually accurate...

20:40 - I'll just check my facts.

20:45 - Bollocks.

20:47 - Hmmm maybe I'll just spend a few minutes checking through my reader...

21:55 - Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. Done fucking nothing. Shit, shit, shit. I'm going to be making acetates at three in the morning half crazed from lack of sleep. I have the strangest feeling that I was aware of this fact weeks ago.

21:56 - Oooh! Keys in the door! Doug's back. I should go and entertain him. It's rude to leave guests unattended and foraging for food.

22:43 - Well at least my shirt is ironed for tomorrow now. That's a good thing, right?

22:44 - Maybe I should just re-time what I have so far...

22:47 - What I have so far is crap. I should start again.

23:09 - Second draft looks exactly like the first draft. Begin on third draft.

23:37 - I really shouldn't be capable of writing a presentation this quickly at this time of night. Slightly concerned that other people will have spent weeks on theirs. Justifying it to myself in that this is an example of teaching capability and will not have three weeks to prepare and memorise before each and every lesson. This is far more realistic. Yes.

23:42 - Five and a half minutes. REALLY basic. Like, really REALLY basic. Maybe I should be focusing on one thing? All seems a little rushed. Fuck it. Don't care. It's almost midnight. Need to make acetates.

23:50 - Flatmates home. Need coffee. Rearranging seems to be a good idea. How does rearranging make something shorter? That's insane.

00:04 - Mmmmm. Coffee.

00:10 - Hmmm if I combine this section with that section then it might be easier to follow... then I can link it to that bit and I can spend longer on my examples. Ahahaha! I am a genius!

00:23 - A genius who is more interested in reading forums than finishing her presentation, evidently.

00:42 - Seriously.

00:52 - I'm out. Going to bed. I have a presentation without a point, no acetates and a headache. Will get up at seven tomorrow and continue the whole hideous process.

thoughts for Friday morning

I'm distracting myself from my impending Interview of DOOM by mindlessly blogging, these are the things that have occurred to me this morning:

I can't believe I've had Shadow Hearts 3 for over a week and haven't even read the manual yet. That's some serious willpower right there.

Holy logical reasoning, Batman! Birds really are going to take over the world.

Using air quotes around the words "mad skills" is even better than deadpan delivery of "Oh yes, it's off the hook" for uninterested sarcasm and makes me almost wish I still worked for minimum wage at GAME so I could use it to describe this year's Madden.

I probably should have taken heed of the subliminal messages in Litely's last blog post and worn flats today.

I can't believe I have to work this weekend rather than attending my friend's faux-wake. His fake spirit is going to be pissed that I didn't go and pretend to mourn him.

Why does my scanner keep deciding it no longer wants to perform the "scan" function requiring a full restart? What did I ever do to him?

Also: why is my scanner suddenly male? And is it entirely healthy to anthropomorphise office equipment?

(vanity + boredom)*something I should be doing =

Listage!

Yep that's right, I should in fact be reading up for my interview tomorrow but instead I'm watching Supernatural and blogging. So here for your enjoyment are the answers to 38 questions about me (the source they were ripped from was helpfully provided by Vermillion). Enjoy.

1. When you're home alone, do you still close the door when you go to the bathroom?

Yep, and I lock it. I live with flatmates, they have keys, and boyfriends. You can see where this is going.

2. If you have to go grocery shopping, would you rather go alone or with someone?

Alone, foraging for food is a solo activity although I always come back with treats.

3. It's your best friend's birthday, do you buy them a gift even though they didn't buy you one for yours?

We normally all agree to either buy gifts or none of us do, although if I see something they’ll really like then I’ll definitely buy it for them – doesn’t have to be a birthday though.

4. You win the lottery. Lump sum or small payments over a period of time?

Lump sum = bankruptcy within less than a year. I am terrible with money, if it’s in my bank account I will spend it. I feel that small payments are really my only option.

5. Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level?

Normally at a reasonable level. Unless I’m exercising, pissed off or upset in which case I want to blast it out as loudly as is humanly possible. Normally there’s singing involved.

6. Are you a beach person or a snowy mountain person?

I’m a snowy mountain person all the way. I do not do well in the heat. The second it gets over 25 degrees I start bitching and whining. I cannot do summer elegance by a long shot.

7. When do you brush your teeth?

Before leaving the house in the morning and before going to bed at night. Unless I’m coming home drunk in which case make-up stays on, earrings stay in and teeth remain un-brushed.

8. Can you watch scary movies alone?

Indeed I can for I am not an 8-year-old girl. I did slightly freak myself out by watching the original Ring movie on an unmarked VHS tape that my friend had recorded for me, though. That screws with your head.

9. Soft bed or firm?

Firm, anything else screws with my back.

10. Would you rather stay home all day, or be out and about with some friends?

Out and about with some friends. I do enjoy spending time alone at home but its normally through laziness. Once someone drags me out of the house I normally end up thoroughly enjoying myself even if I really didn’t want to go at first. Plus there are boys in the outside world. And beer.

11. What's one of your worst memories?

Being exploded. Oh OK, that’s too melodramatic I mean “in an explosion”. That’s one of my very favourite “bad parenting” stories – I’ll so a series on “why I no longer speak to my deadbeat father” at some point in the future, this anecdote’s the highlight (although technically this one wasn’t his fault, he was just a douche in the aftermath). For the record: No, I’m not horrifically scarred. Yes, I do have an unhealthy fascination with fire now.

12. Do you like to keep the peace or be confrontational?

I tend to keep the peace amongst my friends purely for an easy life, drama tends to irritate me unless I’m being told about it in the third person. If someone steps out of line concerning either myself or one of my loved ones then I won’t hold back. I am snippy and sarcastic with strangers on a daily basis during rush hour, I owe these people nothing and they annoy me.

13. Are you more likely to be with a large group of people or a few close friends?

I’m more likely to be with a big group socially – normally my close friends are in it. I’m at my best with an audience, the drama queen in me likes to play to a crowd. At home I’m normally hanging out with my flatmates.

14. What are your plans for October?

Well, hopefully a new job is in the works if my interview tomorrow (which I’m supposed to be reading up for right now as a matter of fact) goes as planned. I’d be starting at the beginning of October. Between now and then I’m moving to a new flat, saying goodbye to some friends and celebrating my birthday. Fun month.

15. If money were not a problem, where would you like to live?

I’m crazily in love with London even after four years of living here, ideally I’d like to stay but in a nicer apartment. New York looks like it might be fun too. I’d definitely need to live somewhere urban with shops, seasons, art galleries and good restaurants.

16. Are you close to your Mum and Dad?

I haven’t spoken to my father in over 7 years, not through lack of trying on his part. My mother and I speak on the phone at least once a day (I get very bored being on my own and so tend to call people if I’m not watching TV or playing video games, she gets fed up of being trapped in a house with a teenager –it’s a good arrangement.) I’m ludicrously close to my Stepfather too.

17. What is one fear that you can't seem to overcome?

I am terrified of being cut or stabbed. Surgery freaks me the hell out especially if it’s under local anaesthetic and injections have me literally crying with fear. It’s way too much of a violation for my liking and the thought of it makes my skin crawl. Tattoos don’t bother me because the needle only goes into the skin superficially. Piercings however freak me the fuck out. Getting my lip done was the scariest experience of my life and I spent an hour in the chair psyching myself up before I could even let the woman near me. Essentially I like the fact that my blood is on the inside and I’d like to keep it that way.

18. Are you good at maths?

For a “normal person”? Yes. For a scientist? No.

19. Do you kiss on a first date?

I’ve never actually been on a first date with someone I haven’t already kissed so it would be kind of strange not to.

20. Is there anyone that you regret ever meeting?

Nope. Even my most hideous ex-boyfriend had his advantages.

21. Rate your life on a scale from 1 to 10.

8.5

22. Would you rather have roommates or live alone?

Roommates, I get really lonely by myself. Even if I spend the entire weekend holed up in my room with a book I like being able to go and knock on someone’s door if I need something. My flatmates are very easy to live with too, I’ve had roommates that I didn’t get on with at all and some that I just couldn’t stand to live with but once you find the right people it’s just dandy.

23. Do you like any of your friends a little more than just a friend?

Indeed I do, I have a crush on an adorable geek but he’s not interested. Ah well, such is life.

24. Do you like to drive?

I can’t drive, terrible I know. I will learn at some point. Honest.

25. Do you hate anyone at the moment?

See above re: awful father.

26. Do you give money to homeless people when they ask?

No, never. I do however buy coffee or a sandwich on occasion.

27. A weekend in Las Vegas or Miami?

Tricky one. Miami if you can get me an appointment at a tattoo parlour, Vegas if I get to heckle Celine Dion.

28. When you go to the store, do you have a list or just buy random things?

I have a list, when I shop then I shop properly. I do tend to deviate though.

29. What do you wear to sleep in?

Depends on the season and who’s currently staying in my flat. Normally a nightdress or hotpants and a vest.

30. You have 3 months left to live, what do you do?

Get very, very, very drunk. I’m sure there’s something meaningful I could be doing but seriously: you’ve just told me I’m doomed before Christmas. Cut me a little slack.

31. You're having a bad day, what's one thing can make your day better?

Going to the cinema and losing myself in a movie.

32. Tanning beds?

Are the work of Satan and should be banned. I can see no earthly reason why they exist.

33. Is there anything you would change about your body if you could?

I’d lengthen my legs by about 4 inches, give myself some cheekbones and tone up my arms. The last one I probably could do something about but I’m too damned lazy to.

34. You wake up in an unfamiliar place, what is your first reaction?

Aw man! Again?

35. Is there anything that you should be doing right now?

Reading about the expression patterns of KCNV2, refreshing my knowledge of bioinformatic genetic analysis and re learning the developmental stages of the Xenopus oocyte. Not much.

36. If there was a way to know when and how you're going to die, would you want that information?

No way. I know me, I’d completely give up.

37. What is your favourite breakfast food?

My mother’s traditional English pancakes with sugar and lemon juice. Yummy. A fry up is never going to get old.

38. It's 4am, and your phone is ringing, who would it be?

My flatmate who’s woken up at the end of the bus route again, my flatmate’s boyfriend wondering where she is, my friend Ade telling me he’s pulled or someone who’s phone has switched on in their pocket. A startling number of people call me at 4am.


And that's me in a nutshell. Interesting or not so interesting there it is, in my defense I kept getting distracted by Jensen Ackles.

computer related thoughts of the day

It is entirely justifiable for me to buy another PS2 specifically to get it chipped so that I can play Grandia III

I really, really hate scanning. I mean it's fine when I have something I want to photoshop but not as the entirety of my job.

Surprising:

Mildly less surprising:




In my defense I am a geneticist with a very good memory and a thing for comic books and video games although I probably should only be in the 70s... right?

Taking online quizzes probably isn't a very good use of my time.

sum total

This evening I managed many things: I dyed my hair (and it's now a stunning shade of almost-purple), I messed around with my blog settings, I researched tattoo artists for my next couple of projects (I've decided on the amazing Kamil who just so happens to reside at my favourite Camden haunt for my half sleeve and Mantas down in Brighton for the black and grey piece on my back), I unpacked food shopping, I convinced my Mother that having purple hair a week before a possible interview was not a bad thing, I also watched an episode of Firefly and stalked some people on facebook.

This evening I failed to do many things: Finish my application form (and I repeat: deadline of tomorrow), do any kind of exercise, clean the bathroom after turning half of it pink or eat anything.

I knew that turning on my computer was not going to bring about any kind of productivity and yet I had no choice if I wanted to get anything useful done. Procrastination was inevitable. And now it's too late to finish anything, let alone start it and I'm way too hungry to stay awake and too sleepy to cook anything so bed seems like the only direction I can go in.

Never mind, there's always tomorrow morning - I mean, it's only my future. No problem.

...here we go again.

I haven't had a blog in years, and starting one isn't really on my to do list... except for one major factor which is the actual contents of my to do list.

Things I am avoiding doing today:

• Three weeks' worth of filing - because it will only take me about ten minutes and therefore can be put off indefinitely (if it doesn't take more than half an hour it really isn't worth doing).
• Emailing Miss F about wedding travel arrangements - because then I'll have to commit to booking a B&B and a train ticket, spending money is only fun if there's instant gratification involved.
• Putting through my orders - because I know someone is going to turn up at 4:00 with something urgent for me to do so I may as well leave everything until then.
• Writing 1200 words on backpacking in Fiji - because I've missed the July deadline so I don't get paid for it until August regardless of when I get it done.
• Flat hunting - because the very prospect of it makes my toes curl. Plus: it will involve me speaking to estate agents.
  

....and (this is the big one):

• Filling out a job application form. Deadline: tomorrow. Although it's useful that I have it as I can't actually do anything else from my list because the application is more urgent than everything else and hence must be done first.
  

God, I suck at life. Although I'm impressed that I can justify my suckitute, which is something at least.

Things I am doing instead of the things on my to do list today:

• Debating what colour to dye my hair this evening.
• Starting a blog.
• Rearranging our suppliers list.
• Commenting on Pajiba.
• Taking inventory of the stationery store.
• Arranging Friday night.
• Watching YouTube clips without sound.
  

It's an annoying mix of actual work and slacking which means I'll be feeling too guilty to take a lunch break. Again.

And that's my justification for starting a blog. Hooray.