Where have you been?

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

I know I have posted this before, but I've been to more places now! Sorry (again) for being a rubbish blogger. I have spent about 3 weeks living sleeping dreaming Brownie Holiday which is very dull for anyone who isn't a) a Brownie Guider or b) a HUGE fan of the Mr Men...

I have signed up to run 10k in July for Action for M.E. If you're feeling generous, my fundraising page is here. Help to inspire me to run!!

Soon I will post soon! But in the meantime, where have you been??

AWOL

I am alive. Some of you will already know this of course. Anyway. I live, I breathe, I sleep. No updates for a while due to everything fun being blocked at school (grrr) and actually not having much to say. Oh and the internet is dodgy at home and I got bored of Blogger crashing!!

News:

Loving new job, but finding it very tiring. Roll on half term!!!

Phil and I officially move in together in two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watch this space....

Am in two plays at the moment, "Treasure Island" with Ottershaw Players and "Little Red Riding Hood" with Byfleet Players. Consequently I spend most of my time trying to remember which play I'm doing at the time and which lines I'm supposed to say...

Will be back in half term I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok ok ok... I said I wouldn't post, but then I found out that I had been linked/mentioned/used (in a good way) on Nourishing Obscurity... A mentioned blogger is a happy blogger.

PS: the photo at the top of my page, and at the top of the post on NO, is by my dad whom I probably should have credited before now...

For all you women...

Q: How many women going through the MENOPAUSE (or PMS) does it take to change a light bulb?

A: One! ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out (as long as the TV and beer fridge still worked). And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the stupid light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS!But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 4 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!! AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE "F&*%$£G" LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER CARRIES OUT THE RUBBISH!!!! IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF CRAP THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET ROLL !! . . .

With apologies to Helen Fielding (and Bridget Jones)

Cups of tea: 3 large (not v.good)

Cups of coffee: 1 large (not v.good)

Glasses of water: 0 (very not v.good)

Lines of Chocolate Eaten: 3 (not good, but choc is fair-trade and therefore allowed?)

Cookies eaten: 2 (ok, except that the only other thing I’ve eaten is 2 slices of toast)

Work done: minimal (very not v.good – deadline is fast approaching)

Naps: 45 mins (awful, bad, terrible)

Blogs read: numerous (very very very bad)

Blog articles written: 3

Television watched: none (very good!)

Games of Solitaire: none (very good!)

Please stop writing interesting blog articles. In the last 2 days I have found 4 more people I want to read on a regular basis. I am never going to get my thesis done.

Lots of little nice things

I found an old purse in my car a few weeks ago. Didn't look in it, as I thought it had been in there too long to be of any interest. Mum found it the other day - it had a £20 note in it!

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I lent some books to a friend of Phil's mum as Nina is worried that her 2/3 year old son is beginning to stutter. Sergei was adopted from Russia last year, so has a lot on his plate for any toddler, so I lent these books to put Nina's mind at rest. She gave them back a few weeks ago, and again I didn't look in the envelope cos I thought they were just books. I opened the envelope yesterday and found she'd also given me a bar of fruit and nut chocolate!! Even better, it's Fairtrade, therefore guilt-free, therefore calorie free :)

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Mum was given a voucher for Jigsaw for Christmas. She doesn't want it so she's given it to me, as she owes me some money. I am very excited about legitimate shopping opportunities, though looking at the prices on their website, I'm not sure how much I'll get for my money. Anyway, I'll post pictures when I've been shopping!

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Last but not least I have been awarded a Power of Schmooze Award from Chris. My first Blogging Award - I'm so proud. I now have to pass it on to 5 more people... So, Pete, Chux, Liz, Becky & Anna, here you go!

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What a lot of loveliness for one post. Back to Project Doom and Gloom now....

Apparently

So there we are. Small children, old people, and others are welcome!

Opinions please

What is the general consensus about the new look of the blog? I like the picture at the top, but really wanted it along the top of the page and not in the left hand corner...And I'm not sure about the fonts. Or the colours. Its all pink, which is nice, but is it reader friendly??

Can you tell I don't want to do any work today?

Bloggiversary!

I have been a blogger for over a year! How strange. Not only that but my Budapest post was my 100th...small fry for the likes of Liz etc, but still, who would have thought I had that much to say??

Blog fans, it’s been a while. I’ve been meaning to write for AGES but never seem to get round to it. Oh, and we don’t have any internet at the moment, so I haven’t been able to sit down and bash out an entry for sometime.

Going up to see the Marathon this weekend – I know at least 3 people running. It seems an entirely crazy pursuit if you ask me, but then, what do I know. I do my 5k every year for Cancer Research UK, (don’t worry, I’ll be asking for sponsorship nearer the time) and I do get all enthused and think about doing a 10k, or a half marathon. It’s not happened yet, but maybe one day. I really would love to run the marathon on behalf of “Action for ME”, not only cos it’s a charity I have a link with, but also (slightly flippantly) – how ironic it seems to be running the marathon for an ME charity…

Since I last blogged I’ve been to Budapest (see next entry), been rehearsing and panicking about the play (see Adventures for more details) and manically writing essays. My life seems to have gone out the window somewhat, especially as I have now started part time work back at MMRI (where I was last year).

I’ve been reading good books (another entry to follow) and trying not to shop too much. Phil and I are still debating the location for our summer holiday, and also trying to work out when to go taking Wimbledon, Women’s Henley and Shakespeare into consideration…Trials and tribulations!

Right, more work is necessary now – only 1 hour and 20 mins to go – hurrah!

It's not my fault!

and it's official!

When I am navigating to the uni online library catalogue, I have to type "li..." into the address bar. The first site that comes up? liz-and-harvey.blogspot.com. So it's not my fault I keep procrastinating. It's the silly internet and it not knowing the alphabet!

Finally

I have updated Adventures in Amateur Dramatics

I warn you though, I was grumpy when I updated it...

And I have created three powerpoint slides. I'm working badly even by my standards....

Long time, no blog

I would love to say that my absence has been caused by a fit of essay writing and hard work... Well sort of. The internet has been down at my house for well over a week, and as I only get 39 mins at the local library (why 39 mins? it's a mystery), I've not been able to write properly. Also, with the essay writing that needed to be done, I have actually been working....
So news... I have new glasses (if I could work out how to take a picture I would); I was sent a red rose and chocolates last Wednesday; my friend Beth is getting married :) ; Teechers is up and running again (I will update Adventures in Amateur Dramatics soon!); I'm applying to Greenwich University for next year.
I think that's it... Life sort of just barrels on, without a by-or-leave! OOOh I am re-reading all the Anne of Green Gables books, and am now at the penultimate one. I swear I read these books over and over when I was little, but Anne's House of Dreams seems almost brand new to me. Hmmm...

Holiday plans are afoot, and I may well be able to go away earlier in June than I was expecting. The choice is now between Morocco and Croatia, so I am busy reading my Lonely Planets trying to make a decision. Not that Phil won't be involved too....

Back to reading about mathematical development in children. I am hoping that it will soon become plain why I am so terrible at Maths. Then again, maybe not...

Message for Pete.... (or anyone else with computer knowledge!)

Do you know how to get a flickr badge on with the new Beta-less version? I can't work it out for love nor money, and you're a computery type! Thanks!

In fact, can any one tell me (simply, I'm quite blonde when it comes to computers) how to personalise my page a bit more? Ho hum...

Oh help.

I'm still in the library. Obviously, I'm still blogging, so I can't expect much sympathy, but hey. I've been here for about 3 hours, having already sat in on a speech therapy session today with my friend Liz from the MSc. Really interesting, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm justified in being tired! Anyway, the essay plan is at 600 words. The essay itself is only 2500, so it seems a little ridiculous, but there we go. Anyway, I'm boooored. (small child on long car journey voice).

I am having a good old panic about getting this work done, though I can't really complain, as I am wasting some time each day reading other people's blogs (**random thought: does anyone else have a "system" or order in which they read other people's blogs? I know that I do - I tend to go to Liz's first (most likely to have written something), then click on the ones down her list that I normally read (Shirl, Anna, Shirleen, Chris, MaryB) and then from there (depending on how much time I'm wasting) I read other people's from those blogs.**), but anyway, I'm worrying about it, because I'm home all next week and the house is in CHAOS. Last time I was there the washing machine was in the living room (not because it had danced there like Liz's though...), so I'm highly unlikely to get much done. I can live at Phil's, I suppose, but don't want his parents to feel obliged to look after me. (Oh to have a flat of our own...Sigh)

And now I'm worrying about Christmas. Not that whether I'll get it done or not (I have a "feeling" that Christmas is just one of those things that happens... and Starbucks were playing Christmas music today, so it's definitely on!), but what on earth I should buy people. I know its not about presents, but I do so like buying people things. I have seriously thought about buying everyone a donkey in Ethiopia (or something), which would be novel, but I can just imagine my brothers' faces..."Thanks Clare, a donkey... Just what I always, um, wanted?". Mum is easy, her handbag is falling apart. Dad, I'm sure there's a book out there somewhere, or tickets to the theatre. Phil on the other hand??? I have no money this year (damn studentdom), but still want to buy him something nice. I bought him cufflinks last year, albeit not as nice as some of the ones you can get (when I say nice, I mean expensive). I don't know what to get him this year! Boys are rubbish to buy for aren't they? Any help, as ever, gratefully recieved.

Maybe he'd like a donkey. Or a sneezing elephant.

5pm...must get on!

Rubbish

I have been rather a lax blogger of late. I would love to say that this is because my life has suddenly become really exciting. It's not. It's because my life has suddenly become quite stressful with lots of essays. So, I have been spending rather a lot of time in the library, which doesn't really inspire my creative blogging juices.
On a rather more exciting note, or rather one that doesn't revolve around the library I have joined a choir, and am now doing three dance classes a week :) The choir is really hard work, but good fun, and we're doing a concert in a few weeks. Dancing is also great, nice to do something relaxing (ish) after a day in the library. And beginner's tap is hugely entertaining, if slightly frustrating because I can't get my feet to do what I want them to do!!!
Anyway, I'm still here, commenting and reading other people's blogs, so I just thought I'd drop you a line :)

Blogger survey

In my recent perusal of blogs, mainly found through links off other people's blogs (for example, Chris's from Pete's, Liz's from Chris's), I have decided that there is a definite trend in the interests of bloggers. Of course, this is probably rubbish, and I have probably just read people's I like because they have similar interests to me, and to each other.But nonetheless, I am going to publish my theory...

"Bloggers are often people who are involved in creative works, either aspiring writers, or avid film/theatre goers, etc..."

I am doing a small survey on the amount of people involved in blogging (not just on Blogger), who are writers (in particular). I think I can name about 5 blogs of people who are aspiring authors, or indeed, involved in writing for a career already. Similarly, I know people who are actors/directors (amateur or otherwise), who blog.

I'm just nosey really, and it's more interesting than reading about neurons!

Does any one know...

why my profile has slid all the way to the bottom of my blogging page?

getting into the spirit of this now...

In the true spirit of blogging, I have decided to review things I like. And things I don't, if I don't like them.

Things I like at the moment:

• Sandi Thom "I wish I was a punk rocker (with flowers in my hair)" - great voice, could be a real summer hit I think.
• José Gonzalez's album Veneer. The song Heartbeats from this album is the lovely guitary one on the Sony Bravia advert with the bouncy balls. Really good chill out music.
• The West Wing. I am a newbie at this, having only just started watching it, but am slowly catching up by watching Phil's DVDs. I'm half wy through season 4, but keep seeing trailers for season 7 on More 4...
• Holidays, and organising things for them. I'm off to Madeira in 2 weeks and have today sorted out my travel insurance and a hire car for 3 days of the week we're there. Exciting stuff.
• My new camera: Casio Exilim ez750. I'm becoming a right camera geek, but it takes amazing photos (I take no credit for them!). Check out my flickr pages on the link to the right.
• Birthdays: nuff said...

Things I don't like:

• The heat, and there being no breeze. We have 2 fans and two open windows in my office, and all thats happening is that all the papers on my desk keep making a break for freedom.
• Working when the weather is nice - it sucks.
• Feeling ill. ME isn't much fun, especially not in the heat (see above) as you can't sleep.
• Football fans with flags on their cars - it's not going to make them win!!

There, that's better, and I've used up some valuable time of the day, and it's almost home time!

Well, so here it is...

I started this blog so as to have something to do at work when it gets really dull, and also to be able to have a rant from time to time. And also, I suppose, to have a record of what I get up to on my gap year, and when I'm at UCL next year.
So, who am I? I'm Clare, I'm 22, I graduated from Durham University (Collingwood College) last year and as such am gap yearing again. I fill my time with working (temping actually, which is very dull), rowing for Weybridge Rowing Club and a little bit of acting when possible. Next year I'm off to University College, London to study for an MSc in Human Communication, which will hopefully further my career prospects, whilst also interesting me and giving me more letters after my name (I'm working on the alphabet). After that, who knows?
Maybe I'll work it out in the process of blogging...Answers on a postcard please!