Dec 2007 - Little People, Large Strops

[strandedatseasonsgreetings]

Will this do everyone?

Awww Skid

Damn them skid!! Try and think of it as a practice run I suppose...

I have a friend here in Wellington - someone I met through MN actually, "Welliemum" - who does medical research for a NZ university. As part of her job she has to put together reserach grant proposals to get funding for her research from foundations etc that fund research (including Govt). Sounds crazy but that is apparently how it works. And if her proposals are unsuccessful then she's out of a job...

Yes my tummy does look amzingly flat, although I find it quite hard to focus on that at the moment as all I see is the long tape covering the incision and the new belly button which looks rather weird at the moment! Plus still a lot of bruising. They removed 3kg of skin and fat - the amount of skin removed included my old belly button so that maybe gives you some idea. Sorry if TMI! Supposedly it will all have settled by about 3 months so if you're still interested will post a photo on here then...

Am taking new man with me to my brother's birthday celebration tomorrow night. It will be interesting to see how he gets on with my family! Throwing him at the deep end rather...

ooh hope it goes well buzzy - have you told him about your op yet?

Yes that is the way things work in academia - if you can't attract funding you're out - it's a dog eat dog world and you need a thick skin - unfortunately mine is quite thin!

clara - yes other stuff in the pipeline but by getting an interview I increased my chances of about 1/300 to 1/7 so feel like I am back where I started still at least I got shortlisted. Someone told me that if I got shortlisted for an Oxford JRF (which was what the interview was for) then I will definitely get something else (as in nothing else is as competitive)- easy for them to say though...

Skidd, I think that's a really good point!! Making it to the short list for an Oxford JRF is amazing. You will definitely get something before long.

OK well I told him and he took it very well - said he'd suspected something but didn't want to ask. Just that I'd been rather evasive about specifying exact nature of surgery.

Dinner with folks also went off well and now he wants me to meet his mother who is visiting this week from Taupo (about 5 hours north).

How's the unpacking going clara?

Yey Buzzybee - it must be going well if new man wants you to meet your mum!!

Skidd - something WILL come up!! At the end of the day the panel thought you were worth considering to want to speak to you.

Buzzy - unpacking is still a nightmare, although this weekend we did manage to sort out the girls' room by making their new bunkbed, chests of drawers and wardrobe (it wasn't a fun weekend although my main job was to keep the dd's out of the way so we went to soft play and also managed to somehow buy two gerbils!).

It all seemed so much easier when we didn't have boxes of STUFF...

Skid - agree with everyone else, I am sure something will come up, you got on the shortlist which has to count for something.

What a shame skid, good you got positive feedback though.

Buzzy all sounds like it is going well with the nm

Clara stuff is a pita I agree, and dc have so much of it! Will be nice once you get it all unpacked though.

I have post drinking shame after Saturday night. Drank far too much too quickly and although I could still think fairly clearly I totally lost control of my body and was staggering around looking a right mess I was trying to dance but my legs kept giving way from under me. Only other time I've been like that was when I had my drink spiked but this time it was just me being stupid.

did you get a snog though clairey?

No snogs.

There were no attractive men out at all sadly.

Wierdy dreadlock boy who's chat up line last time was "have you ever been with a black man before?" approached me again and said "tell me when you are leaving and I'll come with you" Double . Told him his chat up line had been shit last time and that one was worse, and surprisingly didn't tell him when I was leaving. Was he really expecting that to work????

(as in puke, not envy) - what a horrible man. At least you got chatted up though. I can't remember the last time I was wolf-whistled let alone chatted up and to think that I used to find it all such an annoyance... what I wouldn't give for a leery stare and a 'corrr look at that' now

DS has a big lump on his head, smacked his head against a wall in nursery

He is okay though, had him checked out at A&E as GP refused to see him - they said I had to go to A&E, grrrrr!

BT - what a pain having to go to A&E - at least he's ok though.

Skid - you need a holiday in the Caribbean. EVERY woman, no matter what size/colour/weight/age/marital status gets wolf whistled/chatted up/commented on. It's compulsory for men to try it on with every single woman they meet. It's not particularly flattering though!

Oh no poor ds BT hope he is ok.

Skid I walked past another wc today and he said I was fit, quite liked it tbh But why is it I only attract wc's???

It was like that in Mexico too clara and I hated it - wouldn't mind a 10 minute window of it now though...

BT poor Daniel, glad he's oK though

clairey

No not the same if men are hitting on everyone. But a little bit of attention goes a long way with me these days

How do you know so many wc's? I can't get one round here for love nor money. There was one lot who came round here a few years ago but were very dodgy. They cleaned my windows once then declared they were the dirtiest window's they had ever cleaned (which I found very hard to believe - you could still see through them and everything!) and demanded extra money for cleaning them! Needless to say I have not used them again....

Oh yeah and I feel totally invisible now too, if it makes you feel any better (except in St Lucia where obviously I was the hottest thing since sliced toast )

Erm dunno, the ones I had ages ago were horrible but when we moved to our old house our landlady used wc and he was really friendly and fit so when I moved I called him again, esp as he has to go through the house to do the back so I wanted one I knew I could trust. But there are a lot around here, the last sunny day we had 5 different window cleaners down the road (told wc that and he wasn't happy cos the whole road used to be his til he sold his rounds)

ah now I see how it all got started with your WC clairey - had to come through the house, nice cuppa on offer, bit of a chat... previously I thought you must have tempted him in by undressing to your sexy lingerie accidently on purpose

Just got another rejection from another fellowship , at least I didn't have to go though an interview for it, and the girl who got the job for the interview I went to is in my department swanning around and [fragile ego emotion]!!

How rude clara! As if that is going to make you pay up - they should have gone down the flattery route - oh your windows are so clean and shiny I couldn barely see them, you must be such a domestic goddess...

Quick question - be honest - does my new name make you think of skid marks? And if so, should I change it? And if so what to???

What you mean I was supposed to pretend I was half naked accidentally rather than just tearing my clothes off when I saw him at the window?? Gosh!

Erm it didn't until now

Shame about the job and very annoying about the other girl.

Ha ha Skid, I agree - it haddn't made me think of skid marks until you mentioned it....

Personally I think you should stick with DrSkid, you deserve it. And sorry about the fellowship and having to work with the person who got it. Just put salt in her coffee or something!

I have just receieved an email from MN telling me I have been chosen to be on the panel to work with Innocent developing their new smoothies! How exciting!