Miss C's Funtime Blog

Meteor Showers and Beach BBQs

2011-10-09T22:10:00.000+01:00

You may have heard that last night was the peak of activity for the Draconid meteor shower, which was predicted to be a disco in the sky. So, like one does with an event like that, I packed myself and four friends into my little Escort, drove to my caravan by the coast and set up on the beach. We had picnic blankets, many layers of clothing, a couple of disposable barbecues, lots of meat and bread, drinks and torches. We were all set. So we settled down, adjusted our eyes to the dark, and spent a few hours watching the clouds drift by. Of course! Of course it was cloudy! There was only a damn meteor shower going on! A few brief patches of clear sky afforded us the opportunity to see a couple of space rocks burning up in the atmosphere, but nothing like the forcast 'meteor storm' that I had been promised. Sad times indeed.

Although I do recommend post-sunset beach BBQs to anyone. An excellent evening.

A To-Do List Follow Up

2011-10-07T23:58:00.001+01:00

My last blog ended on a to do list which I gave a time limit. I've got an ongoing list on my bedroom whiteboard that regularly has items for months. Many, many months. The list itself becomes part of the decor and I stop noticing it, so giving myself a target date for completion seemed a practical idea. So a recap & follow up:

1. Resign from current employment - check! A very simple phone call was made, my old superior will be contacted and my p45 will be winging it's way to me. Hurrah! Uncomplicated situation for the tax man.

2. Leave current union - online unsubscription. So is my membership terminated? Who knows!

3. Join a teaching union - had a look. Haven't decided which one is for me yet, so I'll ask around some teaching folk and see who's recommended in the land of teaching unions.

4. Have a look for an in-date CRB or fill in the form - I'm checked to the eyeballs for protection of vulnerable adults! Loads of the bloody things. Any that are suitable for working with children, that haven't expired? Of course not! Why, that'd be too easy! Form filled in, awaiting insertion into an envelope. Must do that tomorrow.

5. Eat leftovers for breakfast/lunch - and lovely it was too!

6. Maybe get a swim in, if there's time after all those phone calls and forms... - nope. It's not that there wasn't time, I was just a bit lonely so I invited myself for dinner with my aunt & uncle. Lovely :)

I also did a fair bit of waiting around for workmen & mechanics & phone calls & whatnot, a friend popped over & I gave my car some of the fluids it needed. So that was my Thursday. Today was busy again, topped up on petrol, dropped my brother off halfway to Uni, fed a friend's ferrets while she's on holiday, picked up my cousin from school, made dinner for 6, then rocked out on rock band for the rest of the night. So now it's quiet time, and me and my kitties are snuggling up and having a (relatively) early night.

Tomorrow is going to be exciting, I hope. Fun for sure. I'll blog about that after it's happened though :)

Night all!

Thing are Finally Occurring...

2011-10-06T01:56:00.000+01:00

Before the end of the summer term, I applied (unsuccessfully) for a handful of teaching jobs. I then spent every other week up and down from London to the coast looking after my nan, so gave up on trying to live any sort of normal life. I then tried (half-heartedly, I must admit) looking for jobs as the new term began. Clearly, this isn't the way to find full time employment. But now things have changed. I sent off my GTCE application, called a supply agency and got signed up. Things are moving forward - my life has had it's engines stoked.

Supply teaching is not something that I liked the sound of. I can just picture the many supply teachers I have seen throughout my life tormented by 'the naughty kids'. Primary, secondary, even at college - they all come in with best intentions, just doing what they've been asked to. And they get hell for it! "Bugger that for a job!", I always thought to myself. So God knows what I've let myself into. I've been reassured that it isn't anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be - as with all jobs, there are horror stories, but played the right way, it's an inspiring and satisfying line of employment. So, I took a deep breath, and with a little trepidation, called the agency, arranged a meeting, and less than 24 hours later I was sat in the office filling in the (massive amounts of) necessary paperwork. Don't get me wrong, I am so, so excited about the thought of being back in the classroom, and even more so at the thought that I wont have planning to do every evening, but I am frickin' terrified. How do you do it? The first time, I mean. Walk in blind, no clue what you'll be teaching, who you'll be teaching...

So I'm taking deep breaths. I could be in a classroom in the next few weeks. Wow.

Also, an amazing woman and good friend of mine has had a little chat with her superiors, and they've agreed to let me volunteer in their Reception class every Monday, starting next week. So this whole teaching malarky seems to be going somewhere. Which is fantastic, because after all the thousands of pounds & 3 years of my life spent training to do it, getting a job in Asda seems a tad rubbish.

Tomorrow's to do list:

Resign from current employment
Leave current union
Join a teaching union
Have a look for an in-date CRB or fill in the form
Eat leftovers for breakfast/lunch
Maybe get a swim in, if there's time after all those phone calls and forms...

Also, a friend of mine in the States has a third grade class who have sent me a whole bundle of letters that I can't wait to get replying to! I am so excited at the thought of having my own class one day, and having American penpals for them!

So anyway, my first proper post regarding teaching. There may be more in the future...

5:40am

2011-08-29T05:59:00.002+01:00

It's very early. Or rather, it's very late. I've been lying here for hours now, wanting desperately to fall asleep but not being able to thanks to restless legs. It's not fun. I just got up to shake them off a bit, and now my cat is curled up on my lap, dozing, purring, and just generally being god damn cute. I am doing none of those things. Partly because I don't have vocal chords to purr.

I've opened the curtains and the window (just a little... There's quite a few bugs on the outside of the window that I would prefer didn't "accidentally" find their way in here). There's a bit of light out (I'm looking forward to sunrise now that it's clear there will be no sleeping), and the frequency of cars on the main road is increasing. Sod going to work at this time of day. Some seagulls were screeching a few minutes ago, so the food waste disposal trucks have probably just left the yard to start picking up people's crap. Again, sod going to work at this time of day.

I thought I'd sleep well tonight. I was busy today, looking for jobs and teaching supply agencies to join (because it turns out, I do need some income to survive), dinner with the male parent & boy sibling (Chinese buffet. I ate far too much), and then a few hours of sorting out the many things that I have into boxes so that they can be easily stored in the hallway, ready to come back in when the furniture is rearranged. If I was alone I'd have just carried on hefting bookshelves & my bed around, but as it is, the noise of doing that would be a bit unfair on my sleeping brother in the next room. At least I'll be able to carry on earlier than if I'd slept. This is all such trivial nonsense, and I do apologise. To whom, I know not. It is highly unlikely that anyone would happen by my blog. If you are here, well done, and hello!

It's getting quite light now, and the 6:06 sunrise is only 10 minutes away.

My cat is so asleep he's stopped purring. WAKE UP WORLD! It's a new day!

P.S.

2011-07-06T15:26:00.002+01:00

Thought the blog needed a bit of a spruce up. Enjoy the new Spring/Summery layout :)

First post of 2011...

2011-07-06T14:53:00.000+01:00

Well that's not very good of me. I haven't posted in over a year, and even that was just an 8 word complaint that still holds true now.

So wagwan, 2011? I passed my final teaching placement, passed all of my courses, and am now an almost qualified teacher. Just waiting on the piece of paper that says so! I'm currently in the process of applying for jobs, which, to be fair, isn't going too well, considering there are less than 2 weeks of this term left and there aren't many jobs around now... gah.

Also this year, I took myself back to the US for a 2 week break and went on a girl's holiday to Spain which was fantastic. Lots of time spent in the pool, the sea and creeping in the shadows to avoid burns. Which worked, but meant that I came home looking like I'd spent the week in a cave.

So now that I've made a brief appearance back on my blog, which was clearly a tool for procrastinating because let's be honest - filling in job applications is in no way fun or exciting, it's time for me to depart once more. Maybe I'll remember to come back when I get a job. I might tell you about the joys of embarking in the teaching profession.

Or I might forget again, until next year.

...

2010-04-26T19:36:00.000+01:00

Lesson plans are the bane of my life.

Whoops....

2010-04-21T06:12:00.000+01:00

So, last blog post? Weeks 2 & 3. Been here? 14 weeks. So um...let's say I'm not great with keeping this up to date. I just did a little rhyme there.

The past 11 weeks have been good. I'm so settled here, I'm actually a little sad to be going home. Of course it will be great to see everyone again, but back to London? Not my idea of fun. Back to the realms of needing a job? Not appealing. Although saying that, I've got some fun stuff planned for the Summer.... BBQs, beach parties, slip/sliding, Folkestone, driving around in the sun.....ah, summer. That's if I get back. Thanks, Icelandic volcano.

Although the eruption did provide me with a good laugh with a Facebook group called 'Volcanoes in Iceland? What's next, earthquakes in Tesco?'. Lovely stuff. (Only works if you're British/been in a few British supermarkets though).

In case you cared, since the last post I spent a week in New York with my mum (she flew over for a little holiday & to see me), drove up to Canada with some folks & spent the weekend in Toronto/Niagara Falls, and had a day trip to Washington, DC. Enjoyed the latter places very much, New York not so much. It's basically just London, but way bigger, and I've spent more time than I ever cared to in London. But I can say that I've been now, and don't really need to go again any time soon.

Plans for the next few weeks - spending the weekend in Pittsburgh with the girl who rescued me and took me in like a stray from the airport at the end of Spring Break (hmm....maybe that needed a post to itself), Baltimore to see Gogol Bordello and drink at Bad Decisions the weekend after, and then it's the last week of the semester so I'll be getting rather wasted, alongside finals. And then everyone is buggering off to their home countries (volcano permitting), and I'm here alone for another 2 and a half weeks. I've sort of got places to stay here, but I wanna visit some stuff! Going to Indiana state for a few days to visit some people, and that's about it, plans wise. Suppose I should start looking for things to do soonish.

Some more America! (Weeks 2 & 3)

2010-02-28T12:03:00.000Z

Yup...still here. And once again I have to apologise for my extraordinary ineptness at updating a blog. So this one is a follow up to the first America post, and as it helps with continuity I expect the best way forward is to talk about weeks 2 & 3.

Week 2 - Didn't do too much, was my first week of lessons here at the Uni so I was taking it easy. Went to Wolfie's some more, listened to Lady Gaga some more, ate in Eat & Park at 3am, and even visited some elementary schools. Obviously I had to take this picture:

And thus ends week 2. Mega exciting, huh?

Week 3 - Settling into classes now. It's still snowing! This week, I visited Goodwill and bought 5 tops for less than $20. Bargain. Visited some more restaurants (there are a fair few in town...), and the highlight of the week was a very pleasant evening at Katie's parents house. You don't understand just how good it is to have a freshly cooked dinner, and eat it in a small, quiet room, instead of a large dining area with food that's been sitting on hotplates for a questionable amount of time...

So, not a particularly eventful fortnight, but I'm still enjoying it!

Ameeerrrriiiiica-ca-ca!

2010-02-15T08:40:00.000Z

So much for 'yeaaaahhh! I'll clear out my blog and then only write interesting things about America, and I'll update alllll the time!'

Pff. I'm a bad blogger. Fact. I have all intention to do it, and I don't, so I apologise. But while I'm here I might as well update you a bit on what I've been doing.

Week 1 - Let's start at the very beginning which is, as a wise woman once said, a very good place to start. Had to wake up stupidly early (4am...) to leave for the airport. I don't remember the journey so I'm guessing I slept the whole way. I've not been to Heathrow before, but it seemed nice enough. Check in was simple, had a really expensive but pretty nice panini with Mum & Noel before heading down to the boarding gates, via a good frisking and some x-rays. The flight was alright, I had a window seat so I got to watch the miserable, snowy, grey clouds fizzle out and make way for brilliant sunshine, which is always nice! Breakfast on the plane was actually pretty tasty considering it looked like this:

So anyway, the journey passed fairly quickly I suppose. I listened to some music for a bit and then spent ages going through the film selection, which was pretty decent actually. I watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs followed by Momento, which together killed a fair few hours. Lunch was this pastry thing, which wasn't as good as breakfast but still nice. I'm actually a little dissapointed that my flight home is a night one and I wont be treated to those hash browns again. So, arrived at Toronto airport about 11:30am, and had to hang around in the boarding area until my next flight at 5:30pm...Jesus that's a long wait. My advice? Take a damn travel adaptor in your hand luggage. Fail for me. Lost at Mahjong for about 2 hours, laptop died, did some crosswords. Pretty uneventful. Eventually boarded a 37 seater plane (seriously...smaller than a bus) and chilled out, had a little nap. Arrived at Pittsburgh airport feeling a little bleh, so I called a hotel, they sent a car for me, and I got a room for the night. It was pretty decent actually, the bed was about 3 pillows wide, and it had tv and internet for free (not that I could get on the net...what with the lack of suitable plugs). Considered having dinner (I could see Pizza Hut from my window!) but decided against that and went to bed about 8pm, slept for 12 hours and completely avoided jet lag :)

Got the car back to the airport at noon, and had a couple of hours to wait for the IUP guys to pick me up. While I was waiting, I decided to grab something to eat. 'Hot Dog & Chips' it says. 'Great!' I think. I could go for that. So I go in, grab a cheese dog (oh my god...there's cheese *inside* this sausage), and look for the chips. Hm. No chips. I'm a little perplexed at this point, so the cashier helpfully points me in the right direction.
This, my dear, is not chips. This...this is crisps. Ok, I get that we've just experienced a cultural difference, but what the hell? Why would you have a hot dog, and crisps, as a meal? Just doesn't make sense! Bleh. The hot dog was nice though.

So they came, picked me & a few others up from the airport, got lost in Pittsburgh on the way through (one way to get a tour of the city, I suppose) and eventually arrived in Indiana, PA. Seemed nice enough, but it was late and I was tired. So I met my room mate, met my room, met some other international students, met some American students, met some huge portions in some restaurants...basically, it was orientation week and we did a lot of meeting and learning and whatever. You know, orientation stuff. It was good, they planned a few social events so that we could mingle and make friends, which is always good. It'd been snowing in PA for a little while so when we arrived it was pretty deep already. I'm amazed at how much snow some places can have and still continue working, when England just comes to a stand still at the first hint of a snowflake. Losers.

During the week we were introduced to Wolfies, a local bar, and had hours of fun playing air hockey, pool, drinking Tequila Sunrises and dancing to Lady Gaga. At the weekend, Katie (American girl, new friend) took me, Anna (New friend, room mate, English) and Nicolas (new friend, Argentinian) horse riding, which is always fun! Had a bit of a fail moment getting on the horse in the first place, but we had a lovely time strolling around. We're hoping to go on a trail ride through the woods one day when the snow eventually buggers off.

So that concludes week 1. Seeing as this post is a bit meaty already, I'll post each week's frolicks seperately, just for ease of reading. You might want to make a cup of tea, or have a nap between reads.

Happy New Year (again...)

2010-01-02T00:22:00.000Z

It's come again! A new year. In fact, a new decade.

But anyway, the point of the post.... I'm going to America in 9 days! Eek! This time last year it was just something that I'd been told was possible, and was thinking about. Now, I've got flights booked, I know where I'm staying and pretty much just need to pack. I'm just waiting now.

I'm planning to actually update here more often now I'll have things to talk about, whether I remember and/or get round to it is a different matter entirely.

Placeeeeebo :D

2009-03-20T20:46:00.000Z

New Placebo song, where have you been? It's been so long! I cannot believe how much money I willingly parted with to get an album. Ok, so an album with a few extras. A box set worth of extras....extra songs, live albums, books, handwritten lyrics, vinyls, etc, etc. It's worth it, right? Right? I suppose my collection wouldn't be complete if I didn't get it, and I'd only regret it later if I didn't get it. Right?! I've got all the other albums, the special editions of them, the DVDs, a few of the singles, some vinyls, posters, a neon light for god's sake (see below)!

I don't know why this is the only pic I have of this...

The album is a good'un though.

It's Spring, and suddenly the sun comes out.

2009-03-20T19:57:00.000Z

Oh no! I'm slacking at this blog writing malarkey!

The weather has been amazing this past week! Considering how much snow we had a few weeks ago, it's pretty much summer!

Makin' Cakies

2009-02-16T02:07:00.000Z

So, a little off from what I normal blog about, I've been baking today and thought somebody might enjoy what I've been making, so here is a full step-by-step instruction blog complete with photographs to help you along as you make the wonderful cakey goodness that is Cakies. I call them Cakies because they aren't quite cakes, but aren't cookies either. Sort of in the middle, but you can make them go either way depending how you prefer them.

So, first up, ingredients, and other things you will need:
- 4oz Sugar
- 4oz Margarine
- 6oz Self Raising Flour
- 1 Egg
- Chocolate (I've gone for a bar, but chocolate chips work great too)
(Click Here for a good site for conversions)

- A mixing bowl
- Scales
- Baking Tray
- Greaseproof Paper
- Whisk (if you don't have one, just use a wooden spoon)
- Wooden Spoon

Step 1: Prepare!
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/350F, and get your greaseproof paper on your tray. I know some people like to grease trays, but I always just use paper for these Cakies and I've never, ever had a problem. This is always a good time to get your chocolate chopped up if you're using a bar, I like big chunks in mine, so that's what I've got!

Step 2: Margarine & Sugar!
This is the part where you chuck it all in and get it looking like more than a collection of ingredients.
First, put your margarine into your bowl, and add the sugar to it (just as a note to my picture - if you use your mixing bowl with your scales, make sure you always set it to Zero when you put the scale tray back on!)

Then, give it a blitz with your whisk until the margarine and sugar have mixed together to form a creamy yellow substance, like so:

If you don't have a whisk of any kind, just use a wooden spoon. This will mean more arm power, but it gets the job done just as well.

Step 3: Egg & Flour!
The egg is very important as this is what binds the rest of the ingredients together. Crack your egg into the marg/sugar mixture, and add a small amount of your flour. Give it a whisk until it's all mixed in, add the remainder of the flour, and whisk again. By this time you will have a thick sort of cake mix.

Step 4: Chocolate!
Pour your chocolate chunks/chips into the mixture, and fold in with a wooden spoon, until you're happy that it's thoroughly distributed.

Step 5: Baking Tray!

I always go for a whole tray of Cakie, but it would work the same if you wanted to spoon blobs of the mixture onto the baking tray instead. I prefer to bake it all together, and then cut it into slices. This way, the centre pieces are amazing and so soft! This choice is obviously completely up to you though!

Step 6: Into the Oven!
Go on, pop it in! My Cakie took 15 minutes to cook, obviously this will depend on the oven.
Please take note! Your Cakie will come out soft. Do NOT judge it by how firm it feels - it will firm up when cooling. I have made this mistake before, and the outcome isn't great! It will have started to brown off at the edges, but will probably still be pale in the centre (see my picture below). Just take it out of the oven, and leave it as it is on the baking tray to cool down. When it feels firmer to the touch, slice it up into squares, and use a spatula or other flat utensil to gently peel each slice from the baking paper, which should happen with ease.

If you want it to be more like cookie dough, take it out sooner, you just want it warmed through really. If you want it to be more like biscuit, leave it longer in the oven to dry out some more.

I love it the way it is - soft and Cakie! ^_^

Step 7: ENJOY!!

It's been a cold week....

2009-02-05T20:55:00.000Z

Ok, this is going to be a picture heavy post. (Click them for the full sized image)

I'll start with Chinese New Year - went into central London with a couple of friends, their baby & my young cousin to see a bit of the celebrations. It was absolutely packed! We watched some of the singers/dancers in Trafalgar Square for a bit, which was good. Saw this incredible picture drawn on the floor in chalk by a homeless man. My drawing talents stretch about as far as stick men....

It snowed heavily all day on Monday, and apparently will do again this weekend. I don't think Winter is gone at all.
So, some pictures of the snow, which includes the 'Gigantic Balls' phenomenon:

And the first hint of Spring:

Also, I've been making. Well, customising actually. These are for my best friend's baby:

And here are some shoes I attacked for a friend in my infinite boredom:

Right well this is overly long now, and no one even reads it so it doesn't matter too much!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2009-01-27T00:12:00.000Z

Indeed, Happy (Chinese) New Year! Welcome to the year of the Ox!

Just wanted to say, how awesome are these shoes?! Just to point out, I am really not a shoes person. I own 10 pairs of Converse that I live and die in, and a pair of flat black shoes for placement. But yeah, if they weren't over £60, they'd be mine already! :(

I love the little robot on the buckle! Awww. Anyone feeling generous?

:)

So much for blogging...

2009-01-01T15:43:00.000Z

Well that went out the window quickly. I completely forget, should get myself into a routine or something. So, it's been a while. Done half a year at Uni, had my 21st birthday, Christmas, and now it's the first day of a new year. Welcome, 2009.

So what do I envision for this new year? No resolutions - I can make silly claims that I know I can't stick to at any time of the year. Therefore, I've decided to go in with a new approach - 'Do It'. It's for times when I'm unsure. When I've got to make a choice. What's the worse that will come of it? Looking a bit foolish? Oh well, that's life. You have to grab it by it's proverbials and shake it about a bit. I've been far too bored recently and need a bit of a wake up. So here it is. Doing It.

I'm going to celebrate every occasion and get my work done. I'm going to volunteer somewhere and I'm going to make some friends and some money. I'm going to get round to seeing people I haven't seemed to have time for, go on some interesting holidays and I'm going to relish every moment. I'm gonna learn stuff. New, interesting stuff. I'm going to learn things about myself, about my friends, and about the world. And then I'm going to see if I'm a different person this time next year.

Happy New Year everyone.

Had a mad few days....

2008-09-22T23:53:00.000+01:00

Finally at Uni! All the months of build up and I'm finally here! It's quite exciting, but at the moment I'm absolutely knackered. Stayed in Saturday night and had pizza and drinks with the girls I'm living with, went out Sunday Evening, came back quite late, then had to be up at the crack of dawn today. Got my timetable and it's not too demanding....2 days a week pretty much for the next 12 weeks. Not too bad!

Had a bit of trouble getting on the net - you have to go onto the internet to register for the internet.... Obviously sorted now though.

It's not time for bed, another early morning awaits!

Busy busy!

2008-09-15T19:48:00.000+01:00

It's been a bit full on recently, I'm constantly doing something! Spent a weekend down at my cousins new place in Wiltshire, during which we took the dog for a walk down the road and bumped into a lot of tourists and a pile of stones:

We went into Salisbury and saw the Cathedral, but just from the outside as we were poor, and they charge:

I've spent a lot of time with the kids (my cousins) recently, as they aren't back at school, which has been fun. Spent the day at a converted barn which is now a big indoor soft play and climbing area. Was nice and empty because everyone else is off learning elsewhere.

There have been birthday parties and days out galore, and it's not over yet! The littlun is 2 tomorrow, so we're having a little get together, then my uncle's birthday is Friday, so there will be another get together Thursday, and then.......dun dun dun!

Saturday! Moving to Uni! I can't wait. I'm so, so excited. I've been looking forward to it for an entire year now, and I'm 10 times more excited than when I was about to start at Queen Mary. Which was rubbish by the way, hence the new start.
Also on Saturday we're off to see Thomas the Tank Engine at the cinema. That's in the morning, and from there I'll be getting my stuff and moving on out. I'll literally be going from child to adult in the space of about an hour.

I'm so excited, I could eat a Crunchie right now!

I've been stripping today!

2008-09-02T21:05:00.001+01:00

My nan is decorating her spare bedroom at the moment, and whilst stripping off the top layer of wallpaper, look what we found underneath! (I say 'we found', my nan did already know about it, what with it being the wallpaper she put up many years ago!)

And the linoleum floor:

Those two matching but different coloured wallpapers were in the same room, the pink on 2 opposite walls, the blue was on the other 2. I love it! I'd be pretty happy with that wallpaper in my room now!

Shouts BINGO!

2008-09-01T11:47:00.000+01:00

Went to Bingo last night with mum, my best friend and her mum, and won the grand total of £32.50! "Wow", I hear you exclaim! "How do you intend to spend it? Not all in one shop I hope?" Alas not, mother paid for my books, so she got it all.

But that's ok, I'm sure she'll be lending it back to me in a few days, for I am properly skint!

I like Bingo, even if it is just a non-violent way of getting old ladies to hand over their pension. I hope when I'm old I can be the sort of old person who still plays Bingo, but has become the one who Shushes talking 'youngsters'!

Welcome to the world of blog?

2008-08-31T16:20:00.000+01:00

Someone lovely told me they thought I should have a blog - so here it is. In all it's blogging glory. Not much to report today, so I'll just leave you with a picture of my kitten, Wally.

Awwwwwwwwwwww ^_^