I'm not crazy, I just have another conciousness in my brain

It's been ages since I updated here, but I'm doing so tonight because instead of being out buying my christmas tree, I'm stuck inside because of snow. Still, snow! and I have south africans on video and can complete the Paul Harris dance now I'm away from the office, so it's not a bad evening even if less festive than I intended.

So what's happened since I last posted?

I started my new job - it's all going really well and it was definitely the right choice, even if being so close to my workplace means I don't get snow days. I have a swipe card and am in the process of recruiting a minion: bow before my power. I do now have to iron work clothes though, which I had successfully avoided for the past 31 years of my life

I have achieved the coveted yoga sequence of going from a forward bend into a handstand and then into plank position all in one seamless movement. Go me! My teacher was right when she said I'd get it eventually, and private lessons have paid off. Now to make it look elegant...

There was a date with a south african man called Ryan, but I'm not sure how fussed I am about a second one - certainly not as fussed as him which is probably a bad sign.

I've received a distinction for my MSc ethnography module, and the first part of my discourse analysis module, and submitted the preliminary proposal for my final dissertation. I've just got to hope they accept the proposal and I'll be admitted to the final module.

I will be back soon with test updates. We didn't get any for the one dayers, because the results were wrong and therefore do not officially exist in lemonbellaland.

ETA: thanks for cards/presentsfringedweller heatherbelles and writan_bur

ETA Again: Thank you to fringedweller & laceymcbain for my virtual gifts. I only just noticed them because I am useless. fringedweller I will come and see kittens (even though I suspect they're quite large by now...). Any january weekends not good for you?

I had a job interview on Friday and, despite it being quite a bizarre interview, I was offered the position. It's at a freelance training company with a very innovative approach to training which I could certainly sink my teeth into and would be quite exciting. However:

It's freelance, which means whilst I would have a verbal guarantee of hours, and the wages for freelance are high, it's not the same as a fulltime job with guaranteed wage packet.

I was orginally hoping I'd be able to sign on to do 10 days a year - which I currently devote annual leave days for - but they want 2-3 days a month or full time 10 days a month, so annual leave isn't an option.

So I have choices:

1) Attempt to negotiate with my current employers to be released for 3-4 days a month. This isn't really an option as I already end up working evenings and weekends to get the job done. And I would like some sort of a life

2) Resign from my current post and take up the new one, with a gamble that a) I'll like it and b) I'll actualy get sufficient work. This isn't really a possibility either, as I'm still a bit too much of a coward to be entirely freelance. I hate the idea of not having a regular wage, even though the freelancing wages would be higher.

3) Contact the new company and explain that whilst I can't take up the position now, I would be very interested in working for them in a year when I plan to start my PhD. It's exactly what I want then, but obviously there's no guarantee that it will be available.

Okay, it's clear I've made that choice already isn't it? Graeme's penguin is impressed by my ability to ramble on and on and then discover I knew the answer already.

In other news:

Geraint lightened up my week by appearing with sheep in a magazine and being funny and geraint-like on TV

Graeme has been fabulous

I see my first cricket of the season on Tuesday: About bloody time

The butterpecan latte recipe did not work. Attention Mysterious Canadian Commentator/International Man of Mystery: You have failed me again. We should have spotted the flaw in this plan, owing to the recipe clearly being based on the concept that pecans can be made by mixing hazlenuts and almonds.

I won a shiny thing. And I had to have my photograph taken shaking hands and receiving said shiny thing, like when cricketers get presented with over sized cheques and champagne. Except I didn't get champagne. Or a large cheque. Or a cricketer.

I have a huge glass award that I have no idea what to do with and I can't exchange it for a kitten as it has my name inscribed on it.

I also got money, which should finally, finally pay off my student loan.

I know it's dull, but at least I'm not talking about Geraint Jones.

I have spent the day designing the flow chart from hell. I have managed to condense a total of 873 pages of information into a four page flow chart (complete with assessment tool), against all the efforts of Microsoft to prevent me from doing so.

I am going to dream of insertable arrows and resizing text boxes.

However, if anyone would like to know how they should carry out an Adult Protection Investigation, I'm your girl.

No takers? Okay, I'll go back to talking about Geraint Jones...*stares at score from Pro 40*... Actually, maybe I won't.