I was nearly late for work again tonight due to a combination of hellish traffic in Durham City and getting a puncture on the way to pick Chris up from work. I heard an odd thumping noise coming from the front end of my car but couldn't work out what it was. I asked Chris to get in and rev the engine so I could have a look and he managed to stall the car. That dislodged the spiky nail thing that was ripping into my tyre and we could hear the air coming out so I went into Chris' work and rang the RAC. They were great and only took about ten minutes to get there then a further ten to fix everything up (take the crap wheel off and blow my spare up and put it on) and we were off again.

How daft the world is that I have had to apply for a credit card so that in the future I will have enough of a credit rating to be able to get a mortgage *rolls eyes* I don't want a credit card, I've never wanted one and I certainly don't need one for the money... I don't spend money that I don't have and I never will. I've only been in the red once and that was because the bank cocked up and put my student loan into the wrong account (never worked out how they managed that).

So now I'm awaiting an ASDA card coming, if they'll give me one. Why ASDA? Well I'll get 2p off each litre of petrol I buy with it, every November I'll get vouchers and I should also get special offers throughout the year, which is great cos I only buy petrol for ASDA and I get most of my shopping there too. Another good thing about this card is that I can set up a direct debit to pay it off every month before the interest kicks in so I never have to pay more than I've spent and won't incur any fees cos as I said before, I don't spend what I don't have. Also, I only intend to use it for buying my petrol so there'll never be that much on it and I'll be able to keep better track of how much I'm spending on petrol.

me/ responsible spender ;)

As Chris will be starting his new job tomorrow, today we went shopping for smart-casual clothes for him to wear there. He doesn't have to wear a shirt and tie but he got two new shirts along with two pairs of smart trousers, a jumper, and a zip-up jacket that he can wear over a shirt if the office is cold in winter. He looks well smart and I'm dead proud of him. Here's to tomorrow :D

As I said on the phone to my mum and nana this afternoon, I've got some good news and some not so good news.

The not so good news is that I didn't get the job interviewed for last Friday. Apparently I came out second choice of the eight interviewees and my interview was excellent but I didn't have as much experience as the person that got the job. However, I was tipped off that there would be a few Group Managers retiring soon and that they'd really like me to try for those posts so I've to keep my eyes peeled for them.

The good news is that Chris did get the job he interviewed for on Friday and he'll be starting on Wednesday! Everyone's thrilled to pieces for him and we're so happy that he's no longer unemployed. Tomorrow we're gonna go and sign off at the job centre at last so thank god they gave us out money last week. After that I'm taking Chris shopping for some appropriate workwear.

I made a decision today to redevote myself to my faith. Whilst I was studying for my degrees I really didn't have the time and energy to give to its proper study and implementation and I regret that, so I'm throwing myself back into it with a vengeance. Just call me the library witch LOL

The interview this morning seemed to go very well; there were lots of interesting looks and writing down, they asked questions in relation to what I was saying rather than telling me I'd missed bits out and hopefully I'll find out on Monday before work. Chris' interview this afternoon seemed to go well for him too although he was only in there for fifteen minutes compared to my almost hour.

After the interview I went to see Vickie and baby Evie. Evie was asleep when I got there but she had to be woken up to be weighed by the health visitor so after that I got to have a cuddle and tried to keep her occupied and stop grizzling while she waited for her mum to finish with the health visitor. Then she had a feed and went off to sleep again until I was just about to leave and she woke up to say goodbye and give a few gorgeous little smiles. I lovely to see her again and to have a good long natter with Vickie because we've not really seen very much of each other this year. We talked about everything from babies and wedding to houses and benefits, an adult conversation at last! LOL

So very tired tonight *yawns* I'm not sure why cos I had a great sleep last night and I'd not really done much today other than finishing off the washing. I did have to go to the Job Centre to ask about some letters the DWP sent this morning but everything's OK and we've finally had our claim processed so they're gonna be giving Chris some money now and we get backpay from the end of May when all this arsing about started. That's a weight off everyone's minds.

Other than the usual stuff, I've been doing a lot of sewing as I've bought a crosspatch kit of a little grey bear with a pink blanket that I'm making as a christening present for Evie. It'll have her name stitched on it above her date of birth and birth weight. I saw some really cute baby Hallowe'en costumes in ASDA this afternoon and would have loved to recommend them to Vickie but Evie's still too small for first size clothes at the moment so they wouldn't fit. However, I am going to visit mum and baby after my interview on Friday to see how they're both doing. Apparently the health visitor's coming at around the same time so I may see more than I bargained for LOL

It looks like I didn't get the job I went for on Thursday as they haven't called me. I'm not too disappointed as the hourly rate was lower than I'm currently getting and there were so many that applied that I'm just pleased that I even managed to get to interview. Besides, I now have another interview on Friday for a higher paid and more important job. I don't have much confidence that I'll get it but I'm astonished at being shortlisted so I'll do my best and see what happens.

We had a very productive day at work this morning; me and Rebecca managed to relabel 118 books between us and also stripped a further five bin bags full of books alongside serving the handful of customers we had. All in all a job well done and we managed to beat our previous record of 103 books relabelled since we started having to tot them up at the end of the shift.

This afternoon we had visitors too because nana and aunty Janet were having their hair done so they and my uncle Malcolm, along with my cousin Nickeee for a few hours, came for lunch and tea. It was nice to see them again cos it's been a while and after dinner I made a pot of Nicaraguan coffee, which me, mum and aunty Janet had with a shot of caramel syrup. My dad's on conference in Liverpool this weekend so we didn't have to put up with his crap jokes and attempts to ply everyone with alcohol ;)

I'm at work again and I am wondering about the sign in front of me at the desk. It says " Service Point opens at 09:00", the same as the one in front of the porter who is at the enquiries desk (I am at the issues desk). So far tonight two people have tried to return books to me, one has asked for an Inter-Library Loan (not sure if I should have let him have that one), two more have asked if I can issue books for them, another one asked for help with the self-issue machine after he broke the receipt feeder, one wanted to reserve a carrell, and another wanted to know where she could buy printer credits (at least I think that's what she was asking).

The Inter-Library Loan guy was probably alright, same as the self-issue guy (even though he broke the machine and I don't have a key to be able to get in and fix it), printer girl and carrell guy (the information's on our website as far as I know but I helped them as best I could).

However, the whole point of self-service hours is that the library staff aren't meant to issue and return books etc. The porter's here for security, to lock up and make sure I'm alright. I'm here to process the books from the return bins and shelve them if appropriate, and issue any books that are on reserve because they can't be accessed without a member of staff. Most people get this and even those that I can serve usually ask if it's alright for them to have their reserved items but tonight I can't understand why people can't read my little sign when they seem perfectly able to read the porter's sign about five metres away LOL

Went for my interview this afternoon and it was OK I guess. There was a panel of three, all of whom seemed very nice and friendly people. They laughed at me saying I couldn't bring my degree certificate because dad's put it up on the wall and seemed to respond well to everything I said. They wrote loads down and had few questions for me other than the usual set they have for all positions in the county of that scale. Altogether it was good but I'm not going to get my hopes up too much because I don't want to be let down. They said if I was successful then I'd get a phone call between about 4-5pm so if there's no call, I didn't get it *crosses fingers*

On a slightly brighter note, my bits and pieces from CILIP arrived today including my membership card, which I have proudly shown dad and Chris cos it has my post-nominals on it LOL

Good news or bad news?

Bad news: following my trip to the colorectal clinic this afternoon, it has been decided that I need to have a barium enema in order to make sure that I haven't got polyps.

Good news: Vickie has asked me to be Evie's godmother and I said yes!

Every cloud has a silver lining :D

Chris and me went to have a look at Finchale Priory today but when we got there we discovered that they only open on weekends and bank holidays so we couldn't damn well get in. Then we saw a sign saying that when they are open, the adult admission fee is £2.30, meaning that the leaflet we saw the place advertised has both the opening hours and admission wrong cos we thought entry was free. Then we discovered that in order to get out of the place we'd have to pay two quid to get a token so that the car barrier would lift up and I could drive out! I asked Chris if he faniced trying again on Saturday when I've finished work but he reckoned, and I agree, that for the £6.60 it would cost us, there really wasn't that much there to see. I think we may be making a second quest to find Castle Eden Dene on Friday.

In other news, keep fit was good tonight despite me gaining weight this week rather than losing it and sweating like a whore next to a ten pound note during the routine. I did feel really good afterwards, even though me and mum looked like two beetroots, and my back didn't hurt too much this week. I'll be back on the diet wagon that my dissertation threw me off this week. I've already started today by refusing to even contemplate getting cake when we went out for lunch today.

The Xmas shopping is coming along since winning the auction yesterday. We sent the cheque off for that this morning so hopefully it shouldn't be too long before it arrives. That and my order from Amazon.co.uk. I saw a little bit of something for my mum today too so I just bought it cos it wasn't very expensive and I knew if I went back to get it that they wouldn't have any or I'd just forget about it altogether. Mum mentioned that she'd like a new one of these and this one's a rather different type to what she already had so I'm quite chuffed with it (yes I know I'm being very cryptic LOL). We also managed to pick some things up for Chris' mum's birthday but sadly we picked up the wrong box in Whittards (they all had the same damn packaging) so we'll have to get one of the pressies changed. Thank god I kept the receipt and got money off with my student card.

The dissertation has been finished and handed in. All my books for it have been returned so my account is clear. A strange sense of liberation is seeping out through the veil of tiredness. I am no longer a student and by Christmas I will have some more letters after my name; Lady Vampy BA(Hons) MSc! Who's a clever little bugger? LOL

This coming week's going to be busy with hospital visits and a new shift at work. Also I;ve got a job interview on Thursday for a library assistant position in a local public library. I'm hoping and praying that I'll get it cos I so want a permanent full-time job and this one's 37 hours per week rather than the 17 I'll be doing from the start of October if I'm still working for Durham Uni. The hourly pay rate will be less but the hours more than make up for that and in time the pay will increase anyway. Also if I do get this job, I'll actually be able to afford Christmas and my next car insurance payment.

Talking of Christmas, I've done something that I usually never do before October week; I've bought someone a Christmas present already. I saw it a while ago but Amazon.co.uk were doing a deal on the new Terry Pratchett book and Chris wanted something too so I figured I may as well add it to my order so that I could click for the free postage. I've also got two auctions on watch on eBay so hopefully by the end of tomorrow, my dad's pressies will be bought and paid for. I'm thinking of getting my brother a lump of coal...

The wall has been plastered, sanded, reskimmed, sanded again and given its first coat of paint. Sadly it looks a bit shit cos you can see really easily where one paint ends and the other starts when the light shines on it from a certain angle. Turns out that this is probably because I should have got emulsion in stead of vinyl silk but then I didn't choose the first paint colour and wasn't even here when it was painted so I can't be expected to know everything. The upshot of this is that it looks like I'll be painting the whole of that wall when I get back from work tomorrow afternoon. Thank god it's only a small wall (the width of the bed, about 4'6").

I had my final interviews this morning, which went really well and lasted an hour because the person I was talking to kept getting side-tracked and cos she knows my dad she was asking me questions about my work and studies etc. It was good though and at least now I'll know who I'm talking to when she phones for my dad in future.

Finally, we got some good news today; Chris has an interview on Wednesday for an admin assistant position with a local bathroom company. Dad also knows that guy that runs it and works with his wife so he's gonna try and put a good word in in the hopes that it'll further his chances against whoever else is going up for the job.

Today I have mostly been... in hardware stores. As the plaster began to bulge and come away from the wall yesterday I decided to go to B&Q as soon as I could and got some multi-purpose filler and a little tool to do it with. Unfortunately they didn't have a colour scanner to match up the paint we needed to the colour of the wall as it is now so we went to Homebase. They scanned a piece of plaster that I'd pulled off the wall and matched it to one shade above the one I'd picked out by eye. The guy that was doing it said he thought the colour I'd picked was a better match as it would be too light otherwise and when he put in that I wanted a silk finish rather than matt, it came out with the colour I'd picked.

So when we'd returned home, and I'd managed to get the sticky label crap off the plastering tool, I pulled away the loose plaster and set to work filling the 6" x 12" area that needed doing. It took about half an hour to get it all sanded, filled and smoothed out to a reasonable state. By the time I've got home from work it should be dry enough for me to give another light sanding and possible another thin coat of plaster if I think it needs it. If it looks fine then I'll give it a wash and then put the first coat of paint on. Otherwise, I'll be painting tomorrow as soon as I've got back from my interview.

Tomorrow I MUST get my arse in gear and actually start writing up these interviews or I'm gonna be in the shit with myself *smacks hands*

Today has been a productive day although not in the dissertation sense. I managed to get all the washing done and dried so now it's in piles in the spare room waiting to be ironed. I took my dad around on his errands this morning, which took an hour but he bought me a puzzle book as thanks so I didn't mind. Then when I got home I found that the council had sent one of the application forms I asked for so I filled that in then sorted out my application to CILIP, got the whole lot printed, put in enveloped and posted off. I should be getting two more forms to fill in this week, sooner rather than later I hope.

Unfortunately, this afternoon I noticed that there was a huge crack in the wall above my bed, which has got worse as the evening has progressed and the plaster is sagging quite badly now. Dad reckoned there was no way to fix it and the whole wall would have to be reskimmed but I stood my ground, backed up by my mum, and said that if I pulled the loose bits off I could easily replaster the whole and paint it up again. I've done it before on a smaller scale when a huge lump of blutack pulled an egg-sized piece of plaster out of the same wall about two years ago. I fixed up the coving that was departing from an adjacent wall at the same time so I reckon I should be able to do this. I'm gonna take the piece of plaster with the paint on to B&Q to get it colour matched cos they don't do the same colour paint anymore and I had to mix my own with acrylic paint and water last time to get a near match.

A very sad thing happened today too. My uncle's mum died in her sleep last night. We knew that she had some heart problems but she was waiting for test results to see if she could have an operation to fix them. She's not been well on and off for the past few years but I really can't believe she's gone. She was such an active and vibrant person regardless of the medical problems she had. I feel so bad for my uncle and aunt because they, and the rest of us, aren't over losing my grandad yet so this muct have been a real blow for my uncle. Also, they were planning on going down to Canvey Island, where that part of their family lives, for a wedding this coming weekend. I can't imagine how I'd feel on my wedding day if I'd lost my nan the week before. Sleep well Dot...

Why do people have to go on endless holidays when I need to see them for my interviews? I have my last interview scheduled for Friday morning, less than a week before my dissertation's due but I'm determined to get my head down and get as much done before then as possible. I have to be up early tomorrow to take my dad out so the rest of the day will be filled with getting the washing done and writing as much as possible.

Another pet hate of mine today is the Job Centre. Somehow, my claim for Chris still hasn't been processed properly, leading to me receiving a letter from the DWP telling me that I don't even have an open claim. Turns out that all the documentation I sent off was lost somewhere between Stanley and Sunderland so the powers that be decided that I hadn't sent it and my claim should be voided. Someone managed to find some of it and then had to hair round a building somewhere in County Durham trying to find the rest of my forms and all the shite they'd asked me to photocopy (twice). Some of it must have been found, the rest has been sent off again by post and fax (just to make sure). The people at Spenny Job Centre even said that I should complain because no one listens when they say anything about the messed up situation.

On a lighter note, last night me and mum went back to keep fit and really enjoyed ourselves, despite sweating like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately, since we last went we'd both piled on weight so we're making a concerted effort to get back on the wagon and try and slim down a bit before I graduate in December (I will wear that tweed skirt). Today has gone very well, so I allowed myself a small bowl (and it was small too) of ice cream as my daily treat. Tomorrow I may have a biscuit instead. I even made myself a proper lunch of pasta and spicy tomato sauce to keep me going in a healthy way, and there's plenty for tomorrow too.

Been to work this morning... my god it's getting monotonous in that place. We had all of three people come into the library and one of them only wanted to know if the computer room in the Education department was going to be open today. On the upside, me and my co-worker got to have two decent sized breaks (one of them included chocolate digestives) and had a good natter about her new house.

Also, my legs are still fairly smooth :D

Today, for the first time in so long I can't remember, I shaved my legs with a proper razor. Most people would think "eww yer hairy cow" but there is a reason for this. Up until now my psoriasis has been so bad on my legs that shaving with a normal razor was impossible and if I tried to have a go I lost so much blood that the water would run red. Even shaving with an electric shaver proved difficult as it irritated the skin on my legs. Now, however, I am as smooth as a baby's arse despite a little blood loss from the few remaining patches of psoriasis. This is a rare occasion hence it's blog-worthy-ness :)

In other news, the Lost board game that I ordered back in July for Chris' birthday finally arrived this morning. I guess that emailing Amazon.co.uk and asking if I was ever going to receive it did some good. I also got a £3 voucher for the inconvenience, which cut a nice little chunk off the cost of the new Sims 2 mini add-on, especially as that order didn't qualify for the free postage that I usually opt for.

So very tired *yawns* I was woken up early this morning by the combined sound of my dad yelling at my brother to get his arse in gear and get off to college and my mum trying to jump-start my brother's car because he left his side lights on and it drained the battery (for the second time).

Chris is also a bit under the weather, which always makes me feel down too so I'll probably end up having a sleep this afternoon. I might be able to persuade Chris to join me for a nice bit of nuggling :D

I uploaded the few pics my mum took of Evie yesterday to my pooter so if anyone wants to see the little babba, leave a comment and I'll see if her mum will let me post one on here.