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The end of an era... [23 Mar 2005|05:44pm] [ mood | touched ] Welcome to my new life! Last week was all packing and leaving parties (plus the usual office hours!). On Sunday I went to the Fenay Bridge with some girls I went to school with... who'd have thought we'd still be in touch after all this time? Monday was the big leaving do from Leeds, twenty of us went to a lovely Thai restaurant in Headingley, after we'd been in our usual pub of course! On Tuesday Alex and I went to a Po Boys concert with Rebecca and Suzanne, so it didn't matter than I missed the Saturday one. Wednesday night was my leaving do from Taekwon-Do. When it sinks in that I've really left, that'll be the thing that seems like the end. Some things I expected, such as being put in the middle for carousel sparring (sparring everyone who's there in ascending order of how hard they are), and the drinking game leaving card signed by everyone, but some things were completely unexpected, such as the 'this is your life' photo album they made me, the white gold and diamond necklace everyone bought me, and the card from Kay which said 'please don't leave'... I'm very sad to leave that fantastic group of people who have given me so much over the last six years. In a way the feeling reminded me of when my dad died, because it was one of those events which really makes you remember how much everyone likes you... On Thursday and Friday I packed up all my stuff in the office. Poor Nick must be lonely in there by himself now, the place looked very strange by the time I went on Friday. It was actually quite hard giving back my keys and swipecard. On Friday night I shared a girly bottle of wine with Alex and Michelle, and on Saturday the three of us went for lunch with Al, Jenny and Nikki... I couldn't have gone without seeing them again after Wednesday... Then on Sunday I moved here. Since it's the start of something completely new, I decided to start a new journal. I invite you all to join me at ice_queen82! I'm perfectly happy for people to follow me from this journal to that, but I don't want people who discover me at my new journal being able to follow me back, so please bear that in mind... Thank you all for being here with me... 1 cup| bring me coffee!

And lo! I return [17 Mar 2005|03:23pm] [ mood | tired ] Where have I been? Well... That would just take too long to explain right now! You are a Brainy Girl! Whether you're an official student or a casual learner, you enjoy hitting the books. You know a little bit about everything, and you're always dying to know more. For a guy to win your heart, he's got to share some of your intellectual interests. A awesome book collection of his own doesn't hurt either! What Kind of Girl Are You? Take This Quiz :-) More later, before I move!! 2 cups| bring me coffee!

I thought there were supposed to be sheep in Wales? [28 Feb 2005|12:51pm] [ mood | working ] [ music | Radiohead - Paranoid Android ] Three weeks left at Leeds... Still have a lot to do! My supervisor gets back tonight. Tomorrow night we're all off to the pub. I don't think there was any locally brewed beer in Antarctica! Unfortunately there's not any Black Sheep in Wales either... which is a shame, as I was going to stick Black Sheep beer mats into a map of Swansea in appropriate places, and stick it to the front of my supervisor's office... This weekend I'm visiting thepet and thebeigeside in Oxford... I can't believe how long it is since I left... pitpe and zugzwang are graudating on Saturday too, so hopefully we'll be able to see them coming out of the Sheldonian in their gowns... and CC might be coming up from London on Sunday too. I'm really looking forward to it. Might end up going to Swansea at the end of the week after, and moving the Sunday after that... 3 cups| bring me coffee!

I have a floor! [27 Feb 2005|07:25pm] [ mood | accomplished ] [ music | Radio 1 - Reflekt - Need to Feel Loved ] I have tidied my room. I can now walk around it without having to jump over stuff! I'm leaving for Swansea three weeks today. It looks like everything has worked out for where I'm going to live. Now I just need to sort out what I'm going to take... Right, better go, have twenty worksheets to mark tonight... 2 cups| bring me coffee!

Shiny Happy People [25 Feb 2005|01:15pm] [ mood | hungry ] [ music | REM - Nightswimming ] Did I tell you I'm going to see REM in Manchester in June? :-D I was going to go with Alex and Michelle, but by the time we'd told some friends in The Sair (with its classic rock jukebox) on Friday night, seven or eight people wanted to come too, so we booked our tickets first thing on Saturday. I really shouldn't look at new laptops. The first time, I bought a digital camera. This time, I bought an ipod. I've wanted one for ages and I've done so much teaching this semester that I think I'm allowed to spend a fraction of the money on non-essential items! There are some lovely pictures from Antarctica this week, and they might well be the last ones... 2 cups| bring me coffee!

No going back... [24 Feb 2005|03:35pm] [ mood | hopeful ] I have just bought a one way ticket to Swansea leaving on March 20th... I hope I'm doing the right thing... bring me coffee!

Best look busy! [22 Feb 2005|08:31am] [ mood | working ] [ music | No Doubt - Ex-girlfriend ] My supervisor will be home from Antarctica this time next week. Was really pleased to hear from her yesterday, she's back in Rothera. On Thursday we had a research group meeting and the slide after the title slide was one Adam made with a picture of her which said "Shit, she's coming back... best look busy!" which we wanted to print off and stick up round the department. I did a presentation as well, I have to stop being nervous in front of academics I know or I'll never be able to stand up at conferences in front of academics I don't know! We're also going to buy her a T-shirt as a welcome back/sorry you're leaving/happy 40th haha present, which says "One by one the penguins steal my sanity." The snow here's amazing, if it carries on like this I'll have to start coming into the office in hiking boots and waterproof trousers! Least I'm in the right department. bring me coffee!

Good shopping day [13 Feb 2005|09:32am] [ mood | tired ] [ music | The B52s - Love Shack ] The Continental Market was on in town yesterday, so Alex and I went. It always pours down when they come, they must think it's like that here all the time... We were both shopping for outdoor equipment yesterday, Alex because she and her bloke are going snowboarding at Castleford tomorrow, and me because I'm going on a glaciology course in Italy in September (hopefully) and I don't think many places will be selling the right kind of clothes that far outside the Northern Hemisphere skiing season... Alex and I used to have this theory that we couldn't both have a good shopping day at the same time, but we proved ourselves wrong. I got a 3-in-1 coat (waterproof and windproof) for 45 quid reduced from 100 (Alex got a thick snowboarding coat for 40) and we both got some sallopettes for 27 quid each (we had to get kids ones to fit us, lol!!). We also managed to get a free DVD each of Les Miserables (the film not the musical) by buying some tabloid newspaper or other (yes, I'm a real newspaper snob). I guess we just have to be looking for the same sort of stuff on the same day... Forgot to mention, I got Honours for my dancing exam... I seem to have improved since I was a kid! I get a little plaque thingy and a certificate on Tuesday. Cheers for these, thepet! Queenie- Girl Power itself. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing. People find you a bit scary and unfair. And yes, *I* may like you but others find your cheeky ways a bit irritating. Ignore them. You can, after all- you're the Queen! Which of the main Blackadder characters are you? brought to you by Quizilla Lord Blackadder What smashing Blackadder character are you? brought to you by Quizilla Blackadder. You are as cunning as a fox that's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University. You've always got a mischievous idea and a witty retort ready at hand. Which enduring Blackadder character are you? brought to you by Quizilla Done all the BA marking this weekend, just have the BSc marking to do when I get back from TKD... bring me coffee!

Synchro cars [11 Feb 2005|05:58pm] [ mood | amused ] [ music | Whatever Adam and Tim are listening to in Tim's office ] Well, we have reached the stage of drinking beer at our desks and racing the remote control cars around the place. Yes, I have one now, and it's on the same frequency as Adam's so the remotes interfere with each other, lol. Went out for Jenny's 30th on Wednesday. We worked out way through the cocktail menu in Rock Cafe, then some of us went to Visage. I was the only relatively sober person in the car on the way home (except the driver, who doesn't know his way round town) so I had to give directions to everyone's houses, oh dear! Our supervisor was 40 yesterday so we sent her an email. The weather in Antarctica sounds awful at the moment! We reckon that'll affect the flights out. bring me coffee!

How bizarre! [10 Feb 2005|08:34pm] [ mood | amused ] Your Life As A Mary Sue Name DOB Favourite Color Your name is Shannon Janeway Your love interest is Legolas Your uber!spiffy power is you are the greatest warrior in all the land Your major source of angst is you have been wrongfully accused of a crime People love you because you are so angsty and they want to help you You will fall into Middle-Earth and join the Fellowship This Quiz by rosie_cotton - Taken 1097 Times. </a> New - COOL Dating Tips and Romance Advice! bring me coffee!

Disgustingly healthy [04 Feb 2005|05:16pm] [ mood | amused ] Six weeks left at Leeds... I have an unconditional offer to start at Swansea exactly when I wanted to. I went on an excellent course on Wednesday, 'Writing for Research Students in the Sciences'. I'll be getting loads of demonstrating money, and reasonable amounts from invigilating, expenses, refunds, and tax rebate right when I need to move. My work's going well, and I feel like I know what I'm doing. It's probably not surprising that the safety officer in the department said to me yesterday "You're looking disgustingly healthy, but then, you always do!" I'm not sure whether to be flattered, offended, or otherwise... 2 cups| bring me coffee!

Somebody's watching me [30 Jan 2005|02:37pm] [ mood | good ] [ music | Faith No More - From Out Of Nowhere ] Last weekend I was looking at laptops and ended up buying a digital camera. It's funny, last week in the office Brian was saying jokingly "your phone's your camera, and your camera's your mp3 player," and I now have all this... My digital camera is also a webcam, so I set it up yesterday and FW, Duckie and I waved insanely to thepet, all through the miracle that is modern technology. Speaking of which, I have made some really cool fly throughs of the digital elevation model of the Radarsat mosaic of Antarctica... Entirely non-academic, but my glaciology group presentation is going to be so cool! I've also found out that I have the software to do it at home too, although maybe not the processor speed... I had a very geeky afternoon yesterday, and worked out how to telnet into Leeds from home, and copy files across with WinSCP. I couldn't ssh into Swansea though, it kept denying permission... If I didn't like it in the office so much, I need never go in again, hehe. Had lots of fun as well this weekend though. On Friday we gave up working at about four, went to the pub, and had a good laugh. On Saturday I went shopping with Alex, who picked me up at 8:30am "so we can get a parking space," so of course when we got there we could actually have had 127 parking spaces in just that one car park... We kept going into McDonald's for free coffee and stuff though as we had loads of vouchers (oh wait, maybe it was because nothing else was open yet), and I got an O'Neill top from Adrenaline Junkie for 5 quid and Natural Born Killers on DVD for 2.99. Michelle was also visiting from London this weekend, so we went out for a meal last night and then for a few drinks in a posh new bar near town (after first having issues about how to get three people into town in a Smart Car, which seats two...) I did a dancing exam this afternoon, for the first time in at least six years! I thought it went quite well, and so did my teacher (they're not meant to watch but I knew she was watching us in the mirror), but it'll be a few weeks before I find out how I've done and get a shiny plaque for the collection... And to the men in white coats... well, the men in white coats that I don't know... I say You are: Normal! Congratulations. You are normal, like our friends the Hanson brothers here. Maybe perhaps too much. (Hey, at least they don't look like girls anymore!) How's your sanity? brought to you by Quizilla Please send me my tapathon sponsor money if you haven't already, cos I've paid it all in now and I could do with it back. Big thanks x 7 cups| bring me coffee!

Minbari not born of Minbari... [27 Jan 2005|07:57pm] [ mood | melancholy ] [ music | Holocaust memorial program on BBC2 ] You are Commander Jeffrey Sinclair! Tall, handsome and a hit with the women, you know everything there is to know about the station. While some would call you foolhardy for your daring deeds, others have no doubt that you're a true hero. Which Babylon 5 Character Are You? brought to you by Quizilla What? But... I wanted to be Londo like thepet. Or Delenn... Though Sinclair does have his moments, no? War Without End... 4 cups| bring me coffee!

Back in the old routine... [25 Jan 2005|09:57am] [ mood | happy ] I'm being productive this week :-) I should also be able to get to all three Taekwon-Do classes, and dancing. Term started yesterday so I get my second years back this afternoon, which means I can start clocking up money again, hooray! More cool photos from the Rutford Ice Stream... Whats does your personality rate from 1-10? by morning_prayer Your first full name Your personality rates a 12 your best quality is youre pretty inside and out your worst quality is I dont know...nothing? this is because you were born this way Quiz created with MemeGen! bring me coffee!

More posh than chav II [23 Jan 2005|05:11pm] [ mood | amused ] [ music | Ski Sunday ] I know you're all sick of me posting links to the Antarctica diary, but please check out the photos and movies. They are absolutely stunning... Alex and I went snowboarding yesterday afternoon. It was fun but much harder than skiing! We also watched Shaun of the Dead last night which was very funny, so big thanks to thepet and thebeigeside for that :-) Tally Ho! You are 54% Posh Sod!! You are a wopping 21% Chavtastic Like god_send_death, I am more posh than chav... bit surprised at how much I scored on both tests though! bring me coffee!

"I'd like to tell you it's not always like this in here, but that's just not true!" [21 Jan 2005|12:43pm] [ mood | working ] I have finished invigilating! Woo hoo! I've made over a hundred quid out of it (after tax, some of which I'll get back eventually as they're charging me the wrong amount). That's enough to go snowboarding five times at the Ski Village so Alex and I are going tomorrow. Nikki's in hospital this week, so I've been to see her twice. Hopefully she'll be out of there later today though, she's a bit fed up as she's been in since Saturday. I got loads done in Swansea, and met two girls in the department who've got a spare room in their flat. It's in a nice area half an hour's walk from the university, the rent works out unbelievably cheap when it's split three ways, and I'd have a sea view from my bed. How cool is that? It's also the first time I've been in the department in Swansea and met some of the same people I've met before, other than the people in my research group, so that was really nice. We've got a new girl in the office here this week. She's really nice as well, and she used to be at Oxford (Somerville College). I keep saying to her, "I'd like to tell you it's not always like this in here, but that's just not true!" Last night we were all drinking wine at our desks (left over from a research group meeting and donated) before we even got to the pub... bring me coffee!

Invigilation kills the mind... [17 Jan 2005|04:57pm] [ mood | working ] Invigilating is boring. Money is good. Antarctica is cool. Diary has been updated. Had a very productive week in Swansea, but can't be bothered to write about it. You Are 23 Years Old 23 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. What Age Do You Act? Not bad, not bad... bring me coffee!

Sponsor me! [14 Jan 2005|04:08pm] [ mood | thankful ] If you want to help people with lung cancer, please sponsor me for the Tapathon I'm in on Sunday! It's for the Roy Castle Foundation (he famously died from passive smoking). I've been in this event twice before, but not since I was sixteen, and each raised over ten thousand pounds, so please let me know if you want to sponsor me. I'm putting all the money in myself on Sunday and collecting it back off people later. Oh, and wish me luck! Thanks x 5 cups| bring me coffee!

Burning the candle... [09 Jan 2005|10:19am] [ mood | working ] [ music | Phil Collins - Against All Odds ] Tomorrow I need to be up by 5am. This is probably the earliest I've ever had to get up without deciding it wasn't worth going to bed and staying up all night, such as when I would have needed to get up at 03:45 (or something) to get the flight back from Iceland. This is because I need to be in Swansea at a reasonable time tomorrow, and so need to be on the 06:16 train, which means walking to the station as there's only one possible bus I could get and I'm screwed if it doesn't come. I get back at 11 something on Friday night, and am invigilating at 9am on Saturday, so need to get up at 06:25. Someone's having a laugh, right? This might be the last time I'm in Swansea before I move down there. I reckon the accommodation office will tell me it's still too soon to try to find somewhere to live, though, but I'm going to try... I've had the office to myself all week, although people have been in and out of the other three offices on my corridor. We all went for a drink in the Terrace at the end of the day on Thursday, then to the pub Friday night, and out for a curry afterwards. There's supposed to be a new girl starting in mine and Nick's office any time now, so I'm looking forward to meeting her, although I bet she turns up this week while I'm in Swansea and Nick's off snowboarding... The week after next I'm invigilating all week, which will be deathly boring but decently paid. I've decided to spend any money I make on going to the Ski Village with Alex (when she gets her car back from being fixed after having a metal bar fall on it), before I'm too far away to go at all... 3 cups| bring me coffee!

Professors who go off and do cool stuff... [06 Jan 2005|04:05pm] [ mood | thankful ] [ music | Adam's mobile ringing (the Nokia tune) in the next office ] The bad news: The university website has promptly been updated on the fate of Prof Macgill. Am I glad I'm not in the School of Earth and Environment today... The good news: The Antarctica diary has been updated for this week, and there's a photo!! My supervisor's the little one. Natch. My other supervisor has also emailed. I was a little concerned (hehe) as a) I know he had his fortieth recently, and b) I sent him a 10,000 word literature review before Christmas, so I'd come to the conclusion that he was either a) still out celebrating, or hung over, or b) had stopped communicating because I sent him a 10,000 word literature review, lol. ;-) Note: The link to the photo from the diary doesn't work as it's .jpg there and .JPG on the actual photo. Try both, I'll edit this post when she notices and changes it. bring me coffee!

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