Patchwork Life

Nearly a year?! How did that happen?!

2009-02-01T20:49:00.002Z

Okay, so it's nearly a year since i blogged last, crazy, no?

So, i was thinking how i hadn't blogged lately, despite reading several blogs, and i think i should get back to blogging now! *sigh*

Hmm, how do i update for an entire year?!

This could take some planning....

TaTa,
*H*

Happy Saint Paddy

2008-03-17T22:10:00.002Z

Hey! Time to party, it's St. Paddy's Day!

Okay, so i missed the parade, and the pop star,

but i did drink some loverly Irish cider, with blackcurrant of course!

Ah, St Patrick's Day in Ireland

for a change

TaTa
*H*

Scaredy Cat

2008-03-08T20:58:00.002Z

I'm scared!

I have a presentation to give in front of my school on monday.

The data i have are, according to the comapny that produces the kit i used, iffy to say the least!

Because of the kit design *sigh*

okays so only 6 weeks of work thats seemingly meaningless....

Hmmmm, think i'll have to be vague until i can confirm results!

TaTa
*H*

rain, rain, go away! come again another day!

2008-01-26T21:55:00.000Z

Okay, so i used to live on the south coast of England. It used to be relatively windy, rainy and cold.

Obviously i was not aware of actual weather.

Here, where i live now, it RAINS, and when i say rains...... i mean for a full 24 hours. Or more.

Here, it is cold. Bitterly cold sometimes. *Brrr*

Here, it is windy. The kind of windy where if it's in your face, you cannot breathe. If it's behind you, you walk more quickly. That kinda breeze that feels refreshing, once you're indoors!

Okay, so I have been to the gym! I plan to go again, lots! It is fun, especially when it isn't crowded. Although I'm pretty sure three guys were laughing at me running, I'll let that pass and pretend they were laughing at the woman on the bike in front of me who was pedaling at a pace where if she were actually on a proper bike, she would have fallen over for lack of momentum. jeez!

Other brilliant news is my b/f, *R*, has secured himself a PhD post.... at the university I am at! yay! I didn't doubt that he had the potential to do this, but was slightly concerned as we were honest about our relationship and i thought that might have some impact, even on a subconscious level. He found out that actually he was first candidate for two posts, and they asked him to decide which he wanted to be put forward for. He is such a smarty-pants!

TaTa
*H*

Gym!

2008-01-14T21:37:00.000Z

I went!

I psyched myself up, got all dressed and trundled down to the gym all ready for the 2.30pm induction session on Sunday..... it was great, no rain, a nice walk through the park, then i was there! yay!

but the induction guy had "gone home for personal reasons". Fine! No problem!

"The next sessions are at 6.15pm Mon-Fri."

"hmm, okay, i cant make that (work) I'll come back next Saturday"

"ooh, actually there is one set for 7.30pm tomorrow"

"excellent, can i book onto that one please?"

and that is how the gym gods smiled on me on Sunday.....

today (Monday)

a twenty minute walk down dark streets (park was locked for the night) and it was raining.

this is how the gym gods chuckle at my expense! hehe!

Anyway, it was cool, the induction guy was a little "straight forward", but when i asked a question at the end he seemed friendly enough. hehehe, new-gym-phobia solved!

Hurrah!

tata
*H*

Running? no. Sit-ups? yes.

2008-01-13T10:55:00.000Z

The running has not been happening. *sigh* I need to do an induction at the gym, which are only done at certain times, which owing to work is tricky. Why do they schedule times so close to normal working hours?! Its not like I can teleport myself there! However, I have devised a plan to get to one this week! yay!

Now for the upside; I have been eating better and doing sit-ups! So even if I haven't dropped weight by running, I certainly feel better in myself, and the sit-ups help no end!

Work is going well, I submitted an abstract for a conference, even tho I don't have the data yet, but I figure it gives me something to aim for! Motivation: to not look stupid by turning up with nothing! It has definitely got me heading in the right direction!

Okay, that's all for now, I have work to do (Yay! Boo!)

Tata
*H*

How does time go by so quickly?

2008-01-06T19:12:00.000Z

Okay, so i'm a bad blogger...

not posting since August is just not on,

so,

I apologise!

thats not to say i havent been reading blogs tho...... ive been keeping up with new campains,
new boyfriends and dieases!, new babies! more new babies! (seriously, how cute?!), general crazy funniness from chicas one and two (in no particular order!), and new house, new shoes, new iphone and the cutest new dog.

So, what do i have to say for myself? well, running has been almost non-existant (boo) but its about to start up again.

I came back from holiday in Morocco mid-september and found i had approximately 36 hours to pack and move for my PhD post.... in Northern Ireland! yay! not a problem, i travel light!

So, i'm now no longer in the south of England, i'm in the North of Ireland! hehehehe! It a bit different here, i moved from a fairly large town, which seemed like a small town to a proper City! yay! this is a good thing because who doesnt love a city?! Plus, it snowed here, and i got to make a snowman this weekend, which i took a photo of but its a bit blurred (stoopid laptop camera!)

I've started my PhD, and am loving it so far, which seems to be at odds from what ive heard from other PhD peeps, which has me a lil worried, ho-hum! But i have myself a fab supervisor and very friendly people who i work with, which makes lab life a lot easier.

My new-boyfriend i mentioned in the last post is now my long-distance boyfriend, which is working out quite well because we still see each other fairly regularly and are in contact daily. And..... *shhhh* he may be coming over here too, depending on his whole PhD-ness.

Will let you know how running goes next post!

TaTa
*H*

How has it been sooooo long?!

2007-08-13T09:02:00.000Z

Okay, this is madness! how has it been so long since i posted last!

hmmm, so, an update maybe?

well, I have now finished uni! the last year was defo as busy as they suggested it would be. I was even losing sleep at night about it, which is a sure sign i was stressed. i never lose sleep. never.

I graduated in July, a glorious sunny day in the middle of horrible rainy days. BTW, i got a First! hurrah! plus a couple of awards, so it was a pretty special day for me. Plus, my dad and best friend E were there, plus it was my boyfriends birthday and he graduated with a first and an award also! yay!

so, a boyfriend?

yep! i have a boyfriend after being single for....oooh... three years. He's lovely, and i met him at uni so he's a lil younger than me! hehe! but that's all i say about it for the moment i think. Y'know for his privacy and all that.

I went to the Isle of Wight festival, and had an amazing time, even tho i was pretty ill for the entire time! here's the line up. Snow patrol, Muse and The Rolling stones were amazing (obviously). Paulo Nutini was a huge surprise, i used to think he was rubbish, i was so wrong! Plus he was drunker than Amy Winehouse, which is supposed to be quite an achievement! hehe!

The best "find" of the weekend tho was Arno Carstens, someone who i'd never heard of, someone who is hugely successful, and someone who is an amazing performer (with his band).

Back to academic stuff..... I'm due to start my PhD in Belfast at the end of September, which is a lil crazy as i have nothing sorted! i soooo lack organisational skills! I don't even know how im gonna move my stuff over there. hehe! ahh, it'll all sort itself out, i'm sure of it!

Oooh, and i joined my uni gym.... even tho i've graduated! My other gym membership came up for renewal.... and they wanted an extra £100 a year. That gym was recently taken over by new owners, but as they have done nothing to improve the gym i can't see how they justify this increase! I took advantage of the uni offer of £60 for three months membership, which takes me right up to when i go to N. Ireland, perfect! Plus it has helped me get over my fear of exercising in front of ...... boys..... fit people.... and young people! eek! well, i found that actually it's not that bad!

I figure in N. Ireland i'll join the uni gym, so that i have something other than work to concentrate on.... plus i wont have the same social network, so it'll give me something to do socially *sigh* :) Uni gym's are a bargain, even if you're not a student!

Hehe,

Well, i'm off now.... hiking some stuff down to the charity shop today! Could be a couple of trips!

Take Care
*H*

P.S. Even tho i haven't blogged, it doesn't mean i haven't been keeping up with other people's blogs!

News! News! News!

2007-04-04T10:28:00.000Z

I'm soooooo excited!

I've been accepted for a studentship!

If all goes to plan, i'll be starting in late September.

In Ireland!!!

Yay!

TaTa
*H*

Brain Chips

2007-02-05T09:36:00.000Z

In the UK, there's an advert to promote science graduates becoming teachers. On this advert the feature pupils suggesting ideas to improve life via science.

One girl suggests a computer chip that stores information for your brain, so that your brain doesnt get too full.

I want one!

TaTa
*H*

Very scared! where does time go?

2007-02-04T08:35:00.000Z

Hello!

Blimey, time flies!

This is gonna be a super quick post as i'm revising for an exam..... had one, not too bad, one more to go this semester! hurrah!

but,

I'm scared. I hate exams. I hate exams more when i put myself under pressure, which is, erm... all the time!

Can you believe some people in my class turn up having not revised....at all! this is final year people, these marks count!

Anywho.... i'm applying for PhD posts, hence the pressure! Need a great degree!

On the running front.... nothing for the past three weeks.... going insane, hate it! But will defo run on tuesday afternoon, after this exam!

Hope everyone is good.... i'm reading blogs, even if i'm not writing!

TaTa
*H*

Apparently, my time-keeping sucks!

2006-11-12T14:22:00.000Z

Well, in my very first post i said I'd post AT LEAST every week (erm... yeah). I had this crazy vision of me being super-dooper organised, and having a proper schedule for my life.... mainly university, running, socialising and ahem, work.

The first week of October was the first official week of my final year at uni... and crikey! They said it would be "busy" .... they said "not to work mega hard in the second year for fear of burning out in the third".... they said "try not to have paid employment in the third year, you don't have time." Yeah, didn't believe them. Hmph! I knew it would be hard, and i knew the work load would increase. I didn't know that that meant reading from the moment i wake until the moment i sleep. I actually think that its not physically possible to fit in just the required reading, let alone any extra reading! Though i am not complaining..... i am thankful for the opportunity to be at uni. I'm definitely enjoying it, even tho it's tough going. I love learning new things!

Right, now for the real fun stuff. Although, not so much. Running! I have had a stoopid amount of injuries/illness which has stopped me running. I mean, i have done some running, but it hasn't been consistent. The first ridiculous thing was i somehow did something to my quads that made it painful to walk downstairs..... not upstairs or on the flat..... just going downstairs, and slopes. i don't get it. Stopped me running for about a week for fear of making it worse. If any proper runners read this... can you explain this, please! Don't know what caused it, but don't want it again!

Then i finally caught "fresher's flu".... about two weeks after the fresher's arrived. I also pulled some strange muscle in my neck, so couldn't turn my head to the right. Just walking to the shops hurt (I thought walking would be better than running... i needed to get some exercise). When i got to the shop i found my right arm had also been affected.... i couldn't pick up a pack of vegetables, my arm was too weak. that was worrying, but it went away after 48 hours.

Then i scraped both of my knees on a night out. The less said about that the better i think! One of the scrapes took ages to heal, which didn't stop me running, but when i ran i found my knees were bruised and sore so took another little break. tsk!

I have managed to fit in a few runs, nothing amazing, but during all this palaver i managed to make a 5K in 32:02. Hurrah! just watch them seconds falling away!

Over the last few days i've really buckled down and sorted quite a bit of uni work out, so i am planning on fitting in at least 3 gym sessions this week. Really need to do something... i feel horrible if i dont run, although i do walk or bike everyday.

As for socialising, i went to the Fresher's school disco... Dressed in school uniform, naturally. I went to a Pirate Party, organised by the Rock Society, dressed as a pirate. Arrrgh, dancing on a boat to rock music Arrrgh! And i went to a Halloween event... to a nightclub on a pier... dressed as a witch because i couldn't find my cat tail.... which is good because there were soooo many girls dressed like cats this year. Before all of these events i managed to finish work due so i even managed to enjoy myself, hurrah!

Ooh, and on the work front.... i handed in my notice! Eeek! For me this is very scary because i have worked ever since leaving school, even if only part time while at college, then full time when i left college, and back to part time while at uni. Not sure how not working is going to be. I really need to focus all my efforts for the next 8 months on getting the best degree i can.

Ok, a brief catch-up,

TaTa,
*H*

Quick update, very busy!

2006-09-24T09:28:00.000Z

Hey! Guess what.... i ran 5K in 32:19...... which is a whole 16 seconds quicker than normal..... ooh, feel the excitement. Yeah, i know..... still slow, haha! I tried several 7mph sections.... which felt quite good, for about 2 mins!, I found that i needed to slow down a lot before getting back to my normal 5.8mph. Hence why overall it only helped by 16 seconds. But it was fab to watch the miles increasing more quickly!

I got three runs in this week, all 5k.... and would have got one more done on Friday, had it not of been for the monsoon-like weather, which i was totally unprepared for.... no coat, no umbrella (which would have been useless cos i was on my bike!). So, when i got home from uni i was literally completely soaked.... all of my clothes.... including my underwear! a stoopid amount of rain. I stood in my hallway and stripped, found dry clothes and mopped up the puddle of rainwater. I just didn't want to go back outside again, so skipped the gym. Boo hiss!

At university I'm still doing the bacteria time course...... so lots of spread plating.... and thankfully no more fires like last week! My only hiccup this week was due to my poor concentration while making an agar media to make the plates. I use a type of media that needs slightly more added agar to make it a lil firmer. I made two bottles.... and put double extra agar in one, and none in the other..... which i didn't realise until i took the bottles from the autoclave... and one was an amber colour.... which is far darker than it should be. My lovely technician said to use it anyway.... so i have 20 plates of too soft agar (should be fun trying to spread bacteria on them!) and 20 plates of super-firm agar. Jeez! Thankfully i'm only at the practicing stage!

So, thinking about swimming this week.... eek! me, in a swimsuit, in public, oh lordy! It's been about 2 years since i last went swimming, and i'm weirdly nervous about it! Ah well, it can't be that bad, i'm sure!

TaTa, *H*

Project time has arrived! Yay!

2006-09-16T10:22:00.000Z

Hello, sorry its been so long since my last update... been very busy!

UNI NEWS FIRST!
My project supervisor finally let us start! It was supposed to be Thursday of the week before, but he postponed until Monday 11th. Not that i was surprised. I should have started my project in June.... I wanted to start my project in June..... I had told work I was leaving, and had arranged to move to start my project in June! Grr! oh well, c'est la vie!

But, Monday arrived.... and I had no email telling me that it was postponed so I set off for university! Its about 30 mins away. I got there, and just walked through the front doors.... the security man held it open for me!.... so much for security during the holidays!

My project is a microbiology related one, so I get to have lots of fun growing bugs! I can't say too much about it because of possible uses to companies at a later date.

The first day was just media preparation (for agar plates), and lab safety lectures..... I was instructed on how to use the autoclave three times, then given written instructions. Not that I'm complaining, an autoclave can be dangerous what with the high temperatures and pressure... and I'm scared! nah, seriously, its perfectly safe if used correctly. hehe!

Tuesday was actual microbio work.... practising techniques..... I thought I was doing so well, until.....

Wednesday, when I realised I had forgotten to dry the plates before spreading the bugs.... resulting in a bacterial lawn instead of the individual colonies I wanted. Opps! So, repeated the test again on Wednesday, and prepared more plates in the afternoon ready for use on Friday.

Thursday, went in briefly to check my plates for growth... Success! Individual colonies!

Friday, I checked with my supervisor that all was good to start a prelim-test... he said yes... so I did the first section of a time-course study. I'm so excited that I finally got to start my project! now, if only I can keep the enthusiasm up for the next 15 weeks!

erm... I should admit I had one slight "accident"..... I set fire to a beaker of 70% ethanol. opps! While sterilising my spreading rod, I dipped it in the ethanol.... flamed it in a busen flame to remove the ethanol.... realised I didn't need it straight away, so put it back in the ethanol. The rod must have had some ignited ethanol on it.... its a clear flame, so you don't see it. I thought it was odd when the plastic spreading rod started to melt! hmm, will try not to do that again! I have never set something on fire that has a clear flame, so it was a new (and interesting) experience for me!

RUNNING NEWS
Only got two runs in this week, should be able to fit more in next week.... I think the key is to take my running stuff to uni with me so i can go running after uni, but before i go home. Genius!

Both runs were 3.1 miles.... both at 5.8mph.... both followed by elliptical for 20 mins. Definitely have to go more next week. I seem to go crazy if i don't work out 4 times a week minimum.

Got in long walks and core exercises and sit-ups (boo hiss!) on other days, but i don't count that stuff as proper.

*E* did her first 5K run at the gym this week. She wasn't too impressed when i stood next to her at 2.99 miles and told her to keep going, but she did it, hurrah!

TaTa
*H*

Edinburgh, WoW!

2006-09-07T22:53:00.000Z

Ok, got back from Edinburgh v. late Tuesday evening, after a crazy 9.5 hours on trains, 30 mins delay between trains, one ferry ride (a whole 3 mins!) and a taxi ride. Felt strange to be home, even after only being away since Saturday. The house had a nice but odd smell of flapjacks, which I decided to ignore. Hmm. Peculiar!

Anyway, Edinburgh is a...maz...ing! Such a pretty city, full of fab architecture. Very hilly tho. Going from street level down side-alleys brings you out onto roof-tops of other buildings, and the buildings are super-tall, which originates from the fact that building had to be down upwards rather than outwards to increase capacity owing to the big valley which was un-buildable on. As a result the city is in two halves, Old Town (with funky lil shops, pubs, restaurants and boutique shops *yay for the cheese-monger*) and New Town, which has more regular high street stores, and pricey designer shops.

We (thats me, *E* and my fellow course student *B*) stayed in a youth-hostel (hurrah for back-packers, ah, the memories!) which was literally being built around us, but was clean and secure enough, and most importantly.... cheap!

Although there was an issue with hot water in both the hot and cold taps, and little hot water in the shower, but, ho-hum.

Saturday night, we were so tired all we did was go for some Italian food, and then head back for sleep. Oh, get us, Party Animals!

So, Sunday, we did the touristy bus tour thing to get to grips with the layout, and learn a bit of history. Then *B* bought a fabulous dress from an indie store in Old Town. We headed back to the hostel to get a bit of a kip before heading back out in the evening. We ate food from a Jacket Potato shop (Edinburgh is over-run by them!). I had a pitta tho, filled with veggie haggis (yum) and cheese (yum). So Good! That night was nearing the end of the Edinburgh Festival (hugely famous) and there were fireworks from the castle, which funnily enough is on a hill!, set to the music from the ballet of Romeo and Juliet.

I really really strongly dislike fireworks. Yeah, I know, odd. Party-pooper. Whatever.

But it was ok. Most impressed by the heart shaped red fireworks. Don't even understand how they work!

Lil tip for touristy people next year.... head to Waverly Bridge for an excellent view.

Monday was the University of Edinburgh open day for undergraduates, so I wasn't expecting much info for me.... I'm looking to do a post-grad course, hopefully next year..... which is good, cos there was very little info available, even when I asked people (ahem, professors... try to help a bit more!). The most helpful person I spoke to was a PhD student, who, bless her, was very helpful. Yay! Even so, i went to the Biology talk... and the "facilities" tour.... which consisted of the science library, and the canteen (ooh, stunning views!), but alas, no actual science labs or equipment. I was shocked. This is a top five University for Biology.... yet no labs were shown or equipment demonstrated. Think I'd be disapointed if i was looking for undergrad placement. *E* spent the morning climbing a hillside called King Arthur's Seat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur

The rest of Monday was spent eating at a fab restaurant....... buying fudge and shortbread.....and feeling kinda ill, so I went to sleep at about 9pm, and didn't wake up till 8am the next day. Crazy!

Tuesday was rainy, we bought yummy cheese from the cheese-monger http://www.ijmellischeesemonger.com/default.htm (hehe!) had the bestest-ever hot chocolate (Santo Domingo) at http://www.plaisirduchocolat.com/ Old Town Cafe and went to catch the train.

So, Just to recap. Edinburgh is Fabulous in every way that I can see. Love it. Just hope I can convince someone to grant me a studentship.

TaTa
*H*

P.S. *E* ran her first 3 miles on Wednesday, and no knee pain thanks to her brace. Hurrah!

Quick update...

2006-09-01T08:50:00.000Z

Hey, v busy.....

quick update.... Didn't make it to the gym on Tuesday, but did loads of walking! yay!

Wednesday, went after work. Ran 3.15 miles, but I've forgotten the time, oops! *E* was running with her new knee brace, but pulled the safety cord out at 2.89 miles and couldn't be bothered to carry on... Boo hiss! how annoying!

Thursday, went to gym, my running was allllll over the place. hmm. ran until 1.5 miles (5.8mph) but needed the loo, but made the mistake of running the last coupla minutes at 6.3mph. when I got back from the loo 5.8mph seemed to slow, so notched it back up to 6.1mph for a while, but couldn't get into the right pace. dropped back down to 5.8mph (so little, yet such a big change!) but felt too energetic to run that slow. soooooo,

I decided to go mega quick (for me!) and went up to 7.3mph till I made 1 mile... then I was at the point where I probably coulda thrown up (lordy) so stopped.

went on the cross-trainer tho...

*E* didn't run cos she'd whacked her other knee at work on the corner of the door, ouch!

today I am packing for my lil trip to Edinburgh. I am going to check out the university for the possibility of postgrad courses (how excited am I?! erm, VERY!) and check the city out too, tho I hear its fab! just means sitting on a train for the most part of Saturday to get up there, and Tuesday coming home again. think I might go insane!

but I'll tell ya all about it when I'm back!

TaTa
*H*

Phew! What a weekend!

2006-08-27T15:57:00.000Z

Busy, busy, busy!

Well, Friday, I went into work (as I was working all day it meant I couldn't go to the gym, which cos its a small independent gym only opens 8.30am to 4pm on a Friday. Yeah, I know. Madness.) to find that Big Boss Man had visited the store, just his own Big Boss Man did not accompany him. Thank Goodness we stayed behind to make the store Magritte-esque! We got 96% in our store evaluation, hurrah!

Actually had a lot of fun at work on Friday... not only was there a lotta work to be done (makes the day pass more quickly) but also the customers were fun for a change too... not one of them was rude or in a bad mood...in fact some of the blokes were quite flirty... must be something to do with the sunshine, and the area where the shop is has a lot of passing trade from the lucky people who finish at 3pm on a Friday, oh, and it was pay-day!

Walked to work on Saturday (about 35mins, at 4.0ish mph) , because again, the gym isn't open on weekends. pah! So also walked home. Hate not doing exercise of some kind everyday. Even walking makes me feel better. Stopped off at the supermarket on the way home, and saw the guy *GG* that I've kinda had a crush on for a decade. He waved at me. I waved back. it was all very nerdy. made me smile tho. Then I talked to *GFS* a guy that everyone in my town knows, because he is unique (hmm, that sounds better than it is!).

But all the excitement was saved for today when I found out my friend *L* is pregnant! Yay! so excited for her! She's done everything the "right" way too..... went to uni.... got a career.... got married.... and is now having a baby. Fab! Well done *L*!

So, *E* comes back from Reading Festival tomorrow... hopefully with some fab photos that I can post. Think Tuesday will be spent shopping and at the gym... yay! We can finally get some running done! Oh yeah, and Starbucks, hehe!

TaTa
*H*

Technology sucks!

2006-08-24T20:36:00.000Z

Ok... I have an admission to make... I didn't run yesterday.... and I feel bad!

was planning to.... but.....

got kept back at work to prepare for "Big Boss Man's" visit..... only for him to phone late to say he wouldn't be making it to check out the store.

My main job yesterday was to scale death-defying heights to obtain "donkey cards" and to cover blocks with patchwork newspaper. Yes, I know.... very technical. Gawd, work turns my brain to jelly, can't wait for university to start again! Actually, the newspaper thing was quite fun.

By the end of the day, with everyone doing random jobs like that (my deputy painted the white fitting rooms....white.....again. Madness, no?) the store looked good, and dare I say it: quite artistic! businessy-man, very much in the style of Magritte, but obviously, less magical! (and no bowler hats). Its nice to go into work and feel good about the presentation of it!

Anywho, all that kneeling on the floor in funny angles yesterday did something to my ankle (or so I thought last night) but when I woke this morning my ankle was fine but I'd pulled a muscle in my thigh. Boo hiss! But I was naughty in a good way and went to the gym today anyway....

planned just on 10 minutes running cos I thought my leg would hurt... but I had no pain so kept on going.... for 35minutes (hurrah) . Not looking at the counter until 23minutes meant that I had no idea that my mileage and calories weren't being counted. hmm, nevermind, wait till I finish and it'll say.

erm.

nope.

god knows what button needs to be pressed (there are only 6) but none of them told me. then I pressed a couple in sequence and the screen went blank. grr! Technology hates me!

anywho, all was not lost cos I knew I was running at 5.8mph (sooper-slow, I know) so I covered 3.3miles.... yay! Small victories! Thought I'd take it easy on the elliptical, and do work on muscles other than quads, and I made sure I stretched well, so hopefully my leg will be no worse, or maybe even sorted out! Feels good now.

It's oh so quiet here at the mo too..... *E* has whisked herself off to Reading Festival and won't be back till late Monday. Fine. Leave me here then. Tsk!

Now, how to keep myself occupied and outta trouble for four days..... hmmm?

*I will get better*
TaTa *H*

Much weirdness with the moisturiser

2006-08-22T07:04:00.000Z

Hmm, I tested a new moisturiser on my face last night.

woke up this morning.....

much weirdness!

like I'd painted a fine layer of PVC school glue over my face, I have a strange peely mask thing.

that's NOT supposed to happen

Don't like it. Well... peeling it off is quite fun..... but can't be doing with this every morning! Jeez!

back to Olay. tsk!

Anyhow, on the running front! Oh my word, I love!

so, Thursday I ran 3.15miles, yeah? yeah! and was so excited! Friday, I ran.... got to 0.5 miles and needed the loo, but kept goin till 2.0 miles, when, y'know, really needed the loo (damn the squash I drank!) and thought it was a sensible place to pause. Then ran the extra 1.1miles to make the 5K. There is dispute in the house about whether this counts or not..... I say not... *E* says it counts cos it's not like I stopped for a cup of tea and a magazine, I stopped cos I needed to stop for a good reason! I see her point, but I don't think on such a short run it counts.

Monday: *E* came to the gym with me. I soooooo wasn't in the mood for running, but went anyway. Even when I stood on the treadmill I thought, "nope, don't wanna" but I did. Ran for 2.85 miles (forgot my time) cos *E* wanted to up it from 2.7 but didn't want to stress her knee out.... think she's gonna need to get a support brace..... so we going for a slow increase each time she runs with me.

*Timewarp*: back to Thursday. Went out Thursday night with my brother *J* and my Dad for my Dad's belated birthday celebration. Went to an all-you-can-eat Indian restaurant. Normally I don't like this type of restaurant cos it puts a weird psychological pressure on me to eat too much (the more you eat, the more economical it is!), and with Indian food its a nightmare, cos its sooooo nice but sooooo bad for me! The only genius thing about it is its self-serve, and laid out in a canteen style, so you get to have a lil bit of several different dishes. Magic. So, managed to control myself relatively.... and dessert there is good.... fruit, jelly, and suspicious rice-pudding, which looks like tuna-mayo, but tastes yummy.

Saturday was also party day.... this time my niece's 4th birthday party... within 2 minutes of arriving I had jam on my jeans from sticky hugs from her. I managed to arrive after most of the kids had gone home (I had work, I swear!) so it was fairly quiet, thank goodness! I cannot believe my niece is four already. Makes me feel old! My sister-in-law is looking fab cos she's been on the Lighter Life programme, which combines (in my view) a seriously low low-cal diet, with therapy sessions so that you learn about your relationship with food. Part of me thinks its a bit quackery, but the results she has achieved are amazing, and I guess if it works.....

Sunday: went to a different town to the one that we normally venture out to on a Sunday. The one we normally visit means *E* and I can get in 45 minutes of walking to and from it, plus walking around it, which means we get exercise as well as having fun shopping (genius!). This other town is 6 miles away in the other direction, which would take 1.5 hours in each direction, and considering the shops only open 10am(or 11am)-4pm it seemed like too far to walk, so we caught the bus (£3.25 return each, Holy Cow! Maybe we should have walked....)

Therefore after watching Dirty Dancing on DVD when we came home, we did an exercise video (Rosemary Conley: Shape up and salsacise!). *I really must point out that Rosemary is a star when it comes to weightloss... her really easy plan of low-fat food, calorie limits and recommended exercise have helped me lose and maintain my weight for ages now* BUT.... think *E* and I have got to a fitness level past her DVD range... when she said happily "now you're in the real fat burning zone" *E* and I glanced at each other and said "don't think so".... and this was after doing the first two sessions back to back, and literally jumping the moves. Pants. So we're going to try a Nell McAndrew DVD.... she's a fitness demon!

Anywho, back to real-time.... Its Tuesday, and I have tons of jobs to do today....I really want to fit in the gym too (who am I trying to kid?!... in reality it's my priority!). *E* has gone to Chichester shopping with her mum, so i'll be on my lonesome, probably distracting myself with the "in my pants" game.

*I will get better*
TaTa *H*

Running up that hill... In my pants.

2006-08-17T15:50:00.000Z

It's a game (before you ask!).

You pick a song title.... then add "in my pants" after. Yes, it's juvenile... but hey! it keeps me distracted while running! Obviously if you're British its more childish, cos "pants" are undies here (in a cheeky kinda way!).... whereas i guess its less fun for Americans or Aussies. Tsk!

anyway, i just got back from the gym... literally grabbed a drink and had to blog cos.....

i ran 3.15 miles (32:35).... I'm so excited! That's a 5K run! In one go! hurrah!

I owe this small victory to the "in my pants game", "Voodoo Child" by The Rogue Traders, and "Promiscuous" by Nelly Fertado (which reminds me of Bolder ,who just doesn't quit, anything! and played the video on his site a few weeks ago)

Plus, added bonus... i got my bike fixed, so now i am no longer riding with the brakes on. Its so much easier. Suprisingly. D'oh!

*i will get better*
TaTa *H*

So the weekend didn't hurt too much, yay!

2006-08-15T21:16:00.000Z

On Monday, i ran 2.7miles, with *E*'s help! we planned to do 2.6 (slowly, slowly, catchy monkey!) but did 2.7 for some reason... not sure why, because we're trying to follow a plan, but hey-ho! *E* was like "ok, so lets do 2.7" (yep i was in shock! but figured, while she is in the mood to run, run!)

Tuesday... *E* went to the gym in the morning due to a sorta date in the afternoon (alright for some!), while i decided to clear out some junk from the living-room before gymming it in the afternoon. The amount of "stuff" that i aquire is obscene... need to de-junk!

My running machine felt kinda weird, the belt felt like it was snagging or something so my run was a bit odd...

2.0miles at 6.0mph, walked for 0.15miles (3.8mph) ran to 2.50 (6.3mph) walked for 0.03 (got scared the belt was stopping!)... then ran to 3.1o miles (33.22ish i think)....

....cos i had to check the belt was moving properly... which it seemed to be at the end, but i told the gym guy anyway.

So, not sure how/if that is an improvement... so I'm gonna count it as 2.7miles like yesterday, just to keep me sane!

I'm aiming for 2.7 miles again tomorrow night, even though i said last week I'd keep this week the same.

I have a meeting with my project manager tomorrow morning.... I'm hoping he's gonna tell me everything i need to know to prepared fairly quickly so that i can start at least by the beginning of September. Think its gonna take a fair bit of work, and the more i can do before the new semester, the better! gives me lots of faffing time!

*I will get better*
TaTa *H*

The weekend blunder...

2006-08-14T09:34:00.000Z

Thinking this weekend might lead to a bit of a set-back!

Friday: Out for uni-friend's brother's birthday.... mucho fun.... mucho drinks..... oh dear! does two hours of dancing equal out so many alco-calories?! i hope so.....

Anyway, during the night *E* and i were talking to one of the guys there (an army-guy), and i mentioned the possibility of triathalons in the future (obviously I'm not quite ready yet!!!!) and they both laughed(!) and said only crazy fit people (like pro-fit) do them (which, y'know, i get you have to be fit... but i read blogs of people who have families, hold down full-time jobs and what-not and still find time to train and compete.... its not like its not possible) and it got me thinking.... how many people would do this kind of thing if only they hadn't convinced themselves its not possible?! Its not like I'd win or anything, but i think it'd be fun! What's wrong with ambition?!

Saturday: well, didn't get home till 3am... So slept till 9am..... threw my whole day out. I'm a slave to routine apparently! Who knew?! Got not much done (and there was a whole list of to-do's, bother!) didn't get my bike sorted either.... Guess that's today's job! Did go for a longish walk tho, just to get my body moving! Was meant to go to the cinema in the evening, but was too tired to stay awake for a whole film!

Sunday: up at 5.30am discussing with my friend *P* whether we should do a car-boot sale in the rain or not.... decided not.... people don't tend to buy when its raining, and our stuff would get wet! Went back to sleep till 9am (dammit- routine out again!) *E* and I met up with *P* for lunch and shopping (so far so good) then we visited our old regular pub which has been re-furbed.... (this is where it goes downhill). Had a coupla drinks.... then went for a pub-meal (oh, pants... pasta in white wine sauce, and garlic bread... no, no, no, no, no! And pudding ...nooooo!)

so, this week: focusing on trying to burn off the ridiculous amount of calories consumed over the weekend. Grr! So bad!

TaTa *H*

Can't quite believe it

2006-08-11T15:41:00.000Z

Hey! I've run 12.5 miles this week (5 sessions of 2.5 each) which I know to most of you runner types is like... one... or two normal runs? Well, go on, snigger away, I don't mind...

but for me....

its great!

I love... the fact I've done 12.5 miles..... L...O...V...E it!

gonna stick with that distance next week too....... then I'm gonna up it to 15 miles.... I've bet myself I can do it!

Today's run was good, got to 2.32miles without looking at the counter and it was all feeling pretty comfortable.... small pain in my left ankle made itself known at the start, but was gone within 90 seconds, so couldn't have been serious eh? pretty certain I could have gone to 3.0 miles today, but I will not overdo it! might try it next week tho..... *I will get better*

can't wait for the day when its normal to go out for my 8 mile daily run.......

TaTa *H*

I've been soooo good!

2006-08-10T22:40:00.000Z

Wednesday: went to the gym with *E* and yet again ran 2.5 miles. hurrah! *E* ran 2 cos she's having trouble with her knee.... Maybe needs one of those tube support things.....

Thursday: went to the gym on my own (*E* wanted to rest her knee, wise girl!) was worried that I wouldn't have the motivation to run on my own for that long.... much easier when there is some one to gasp-chit-chat to. But I ran 2.5miles (25.54minutes) although at 2.30miles I thought my legs were made of lead.

Think I'll try for 2.5miles tomorrow, and all next week and see if I can increase it the week after that. Half the battle is not looking at the counter..... madness!

maybe *E* and I will be ready for a 5K sometime in October. I think we could safely do it now, but we really don't want to be last, even though just finishing would be a triumph. Last would bring us down!

on a university note: My project supervisor is back from his jolly holidays and has deigned to e-mail me suggesting a meeting next Wednesday morning. I emailed back saying "I'm there!". Playing it cool, as ever! I know! but I can't help it, I wanna know what's going on, and I've waited 9 whole weeks now! how patient am I?! Well, very actually!

hmm, I should really grab *E*'s camera so I can show you my sports bra injuries..... On my shoulder and back, you wierdos!

Anyway, TaTa *H*

Stock take.... the Trilogy

2006-08-09T07:04:00.000Z

Yesterday morning at this time the store was half way through stock take... why oh why can't we have an evening stocktake like other stores? why 7am start? grr! hehe!

anyway, it was a good result.... leading to a lil bonus in everyone's pay-packet! hurrah!

worked till 2pm, then set off for the gym.... got to gym... realised i'd left my shorts at work.... rode back to work to get them and got back to the gym 35 minutes after i wanted to be there originally... boo hiss! *E*, needless to say, had done her 2.5 miles in that time... which meant i was *obliged* to do 2.5 again too. Motivation!

i did it... i tried not to look at the counter (which i find helps) but looked at 1.59 minutes.... 1.10 miles, 1.23, 1.43, 1.71, 1.93, 2.0, 2.25, 2.30 (legs started really aching at this point!) and 2.45-2.50 miles. so the not looking worked well. not.

hmm, wonder what i'll manage tonight?! *I will get good*

woke up with the same killer headache i had last night.... probably dehydration from the warm overnight weather, so i'm drinking some squash to make it go away.

TaTa *H*

so sleepy!

2006-08-07T21:23:00.000Z

Alright.... just thought I'd check in quick before bed-time comes a-calling (no, i haven't turned into some weird hibernating old person.... Its stock take..the trilogy tomorrow!)

the weekend was annoying!

Saturday: after looking forward to an Indian meal with family (looking forward... as in all week looking forward too, grr!) for my dad's birthday, my brother phoned to cancel.... due to illness.... 1 hour before. So dad and i decided to go for a Chinese meal instead, which was gooooood! Then we walked home... well, i walked him home... then he insisted on walking me back... then he walked home again! crazy!

Sunday: crikey, i know the gym isn't open on a sunday, but i think more calories get burned on this day than any given weekday... i walk and walk and walk...

went for the usual starbuckage.... coffee and skinny carrot cake (mmm!) with *E* and my recently dumped friend *P*... Then they strutted of to a fun day on the common, while i strutted back home to meet dad for his (proper) birthday.... i took him for coffee and cake (yes more cake!) in a nearby town. Trying to pay was an uphill struggle as my dad for some reason feels obliged to pay for everything (bless him!) but i explained that he shouldn't pay on his birthday!

Today: The gym was amazing..... i went with *E* and we tried my new ploy of trying to watch at least six music videos before looking at the stupid timer.... 2.09 miles had passed!! without even feeling it! hurrah! so we decided to carry on to 2.25miles... then onto 25 minutes.... and then i forced her to carry on until 2.50 miles (at 25 minutes it was 2.42, so i thought we might as well!) Think *E* dislikes me strongly now! hehe!

so the big achievement for monday is..... 2.50 miles in 25.51 minutes.... yay! i'm soooo pleased!

so.

pleased!

TaTa *H*

is H too informal?!

2006-08-04T21:47:00.000Z

Friday at gym: 2 miles in 20.50minutes, pah! down a bit from yesterday, but figure its end of week, so i'll be all charged for Monday..... i expect big things! Worked on my quadraceps tho, so that should help.

so the guy who works at the gym (*S*) decided to ask me a question.... and called me *H*.... which i thought was odd, cos he didn't know my name (he musta guessed it from the log-book)... and..... he called me *H* .... can't figure out if i was suprised cos he knew my name, or cos he used my name.... seemed informal considering i don't speak to him, but Miss *H* is too formal! but anywho, guess i'm weird like that!

Plus... Iron tablet update! the problem with my low iron has been sorted ..... (i think)...I haven't had my second blood test yet, but running is far easier as my legs haven't felt weighted down, which i'm thinking is a direct result (?) of lack of iron (i had the same sensation last time my levels were low too). Maybe is just psychological as i only made the link after being told my levels were low, or maybe i just need to pay more attention to my body!

Emailed my project supervisor.... no reply.... big surprise!

I'm off to bed now,
TaTa *H*

Yay! i figured out the linky bit! (Other Blogs part I)

2006-08-04T09:54:00.000Z

wow, computer stuff is simultaneously very confusing, and very simple... not sure how that works, but hey!

now i can send you off to random sites so that you can see the blogs that inspired me to start blogging! They are mostly sporty-type ones, but some are completely non-sport related! such as today's.....

i'm gonna try to post these in the order that i started reading them, so if you wanna see if yours is one of them, you'd better keep checking back!

Ok, so the first blog (http://www.shewhoeats.blogspot.com/) is written by a gal called Chika, who is based in Japan, but seems to travel for most of the year (lucky, lucky, lucky!) This year i think she has been to Hawaii, Australia and good old England. I found this post while looking for a recipe... you can guess by the title that she blogs mostly about food.... and i was impressed by her photos. Wow! the things she makes not only sound yummy, but they look yummy too! Her photos are amazing!

Chika is a busy woman.... so blogs tend to be sporadic, but defo worth the wait... plus if you read Japanese, she writes more regularly at http://moichizen.exblog.jp/ .

well, i'm off for now, things to do before the gym!

TaTa *H*

hmm, does 0.1 miles count as an improvement?!

2006-08-03T22:07:00.000Z

Hey! so.... I ran 2.10miles, no stopping..... in 21.54 minutes.......

slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.... or something like that

so, is this an improvement.... 0.1 miles extra?

given my rough days running that I've had recently I'm counting it as a definite improvement.... Tomorrow i'm gonna aim for a MASSIVE 2.2miles (crikey! (yes i know!) Steady!)

but, y'know, I want results... and sadly only i can provide results.... so I guess it down to me. Hurrah!

now if I can just stop checking the counter every 2 minutes.......

TaTa *H*

pat on the back and a cookie for me!

2006-08-02T21:28:00.000Z

well, no cookie actually.... kinda defeats the point of the exercise... but it woulda been nice!

well, 5.8mph.... for...... not 1.75miles, oh no! .......but............ 2miles,............. 2 whole miles, ..............

in one go!

hurrah!

for me!

i'm so excited, now i'm thinking about tomorrow..... can i go further?! i hope so!

TaTa *H*

speeding thru time!

2006-08-02T08:27:00.000Z

Eek! where did July go? why is it time is moving by soooo quickly?! what is going on?!!

August is gonna be a busy busy month..... first up i should find out a bit more about my third year project.... my project supervisor gets back from his (very long) holiday on the 3rd.... so i've only waited a good two months now..... Jeez! Hoping to be able to actually start the project mid-august.

next up, a few days later is my Dad's birthday.... think me and *J* (my bro) are taking him out for an Indian meal... hurrah, so looking foward to that! yum!

then it will be my niece's birthday.... cannot believe she will be four already...... crikey! she starts infant school in September.... bless!

cannot wait for the gym tonight.... i'm listening to The Crystal Method "Drive: Nike + Original Run" album which is apparently designed for runners.... a 45 minute run anyway.... has a good beat to the songs. I find songs have to have the same pace as me runnning to be of any use. (a guilty secret.... Girls Aloud have the best workout music!.... i'm sorry!)

And its cooler today..... high of 21C, but it should be 19C when i hit the gym, yay! makes moving so much nicer! Gonna aim for 1.75miles tonight (still at 5.8mph) little by little i will get better!

so.... just the fun of work first, guess i should go get ready.....

TaTa *H*

hmm, what was i on earlier?!

2006-07-31T22:07:00.000Z

think maybe i was tired..... tired and rambling.... yeah, thats my excuse. tired!

anyhow, made it to the gym, was so tempted not to go cos it was windy and raining (hate riding in the rain!) but still went..... hurrah for me!

stuck to my 5.8mph, ran 1.50 miles, then used the cross-trainer (35mins) before doing my sit-up routine, what a show that is! pah! Think i will stick with 5.8mph till i hit 20 mins, then up it to 6mph again. i'll see how it goes, eh?!

going to the gym early tomorrow while *E* goes to the hairdressers..... then we're going out for lunch with the hope of attracting some male attention........ hmm. its really time we made more effort!

off to bed now, night night!

TaTa *H*

Stocktake: Part Deux!

2006-07-31T10:52:00.000Z

So today i was up with the birdies again..... stocktake for a different brand of the company i work for... doing them a serious favour!

Couldn't run in (see monday24th july's entry) because i had nowhere to wash/change (and figured noone would want to spend time in a stockroom with me after a run.... i can barely stand it myself!) so i rode my trusty bike.

2 minutes to leaving the house and the heavens opened..... with some crazy rain... so quick as anything i stuffed jeans into a bag, found my coat and left....

to say i was resembling a drowned rat when i turned up at work would have been being kind. bleugh!

this time the HHT data was right, and all was done by 10.20am, hurrah!

right, now its 1pm, and i'm off for a nap before the gym this afternoon,

TaTa *H*

All is not lost! hurrah!

2006-07-28T21:38:00.000Z

hey, just a quick update on the running situation.... the wanting to be quicker.... but getting stuck with the distance......

well, i dropped back to 5.8mph (yeah, i know.... what difference does 0.2mph make?! eh?! , well, quite a lot psychologically apparently!)

well. at 5.8mph i managed to run for a 1.5 miles (15.51 minutes), which i think is better than 1.0miles at 6mph (10.00 minutes) because not only did i not have to stop for water/cos it was 1mile/cos it was ten minutes/whatever..... but it was also a really comfortable run

yeah i wanted to go faster....

but i talked myself out of it for the sake of having a good running day.... then i did the crosstrainer too.... focusing on quadraceps! hurrah.... and it was 3 degrees C cooler today than it was yesterday, so that mighta helped!

but yay!

TaTa *H*

Fraud Landis?

2006-07-28T12:14:00.000Z

Hmm, sounds like dodgy news for the new Tour de France champ.... lets hope it is an anomaly that is explainable by the biochemistry of trained sports people....

During the first semester of last year at uni we covered sport fraud as part of "forensic biology". It was amazing to me how many ways of upping performance in non-legitimate ways exist.... as fast as methods are established for testing, new methods are created and used by people wanting to "achieve" in sports by gleaning an unfair advantage. Not only this, but ways of avoiding being detected too.... some are just plain disgusting, some are physically dangerous.

It is frustrating to find that a person admired has cheated.... not only for other athletes competing, but for the supporters who watch from the sidelines, and perhaps aspire to achieve too. It is also a wonder that sports people who spend sooo long training are willing to potentially damage their bodies by using artificial "boosters".

guess we'll have to wait for the "B" test results, and hope for an explanation.

in other news! after my awful day at the gym on Wednesday i tried to take it easy on Thursday, perhaps I've been pushing myself too hard, or too often, while its so (relatively!) hot. It was annoying, i sooooooo want to be better, but i seem to get stuck at a certain stage for ages before improving. For example, running at 5.5mph (seems so slow to me now!) i couldn't break 10 minutes for weeks, then one day, i ran for 15 minutes without trying... the following couple of weeks i continued to improve and i was easily running 20+ minutes at that speed.

Thats when i decided to improve my speed.....

i figured it'd just be a case of running the same distance at a faster pace, but... at the faster pace i can't seem to do the same distance without needing to walk a bit/drink some water half way through, which seems to cut my motivation somehow.

so today i'm gonna drop back to a 5.8mph pace, and see how it goes from there.... have a nasty feeling i'll want to speed up.

dammit, i will get better!

TaTa, *H*

hmph, not to plan!

2006-07-27T08:50:00.000Z

so, went to gym with *E* last night after work....

got on treadmill, and just couldn't work up any enthusiasm..... grr!

1.89 miles in 22.00 minutes.... rubbish! couldn't get into a comfortable running pace, and i have no idea why?!? grr!

went on the crosstrainer for 40 mins to make up the calories burned, did mainly quadracep work. by the time i got off of it my legs felt like jelly! much shakiness!

hehe, funny thing tho.... took a while to click! i went to donate blood a few weeks ago, and found that my iron level was too low to donate, which has also happened once before (last summer). Normally its fine. buuuuut, i was thinking this weekend, and thought, hmm, iron is important for haemoglobin.... which is important for transporting oxygen..... and muscles need oxygen.... hmmm! click! (d'oh, i'm a biologist for crying out loud!)

so instead of doing the eating apricots and cornflakes thing (the blood donor nurse suggested red wine and dark chocolate!) to bring my iron levels back up i decided to start with some iron supplements....(don't worry, it was suggested by the nurse too, but i normally prefer to do things like this more naturally)..... just to help increase my iron a bit quicker.....

i'll give an update of if i feel it has helped in a coupla weeks..... i'm hoping my legs will feel less tired!

TaTa *H*

6.75 minutes does not a workout make!

2006-07-25T21:20:00.000Z

hey! i had a fab day at the gym, yeah it was hot, yeah it was tiring, but i now feel fab!

did 2 miles in 22.35... woulda been quicker if i could run straight thru, but needed to break for water.... must learn how to drink and run!

then did the crosstrainer for 35 mins.... was really easy, time flew by, thanks to the music channel playing some good beat filled music.... particularly liking "Man-eater" by Nelly Fertado and "Voodoo Child" by The Rogue Traders. There is nothing more annoying than when the music channel plays some dire ballard that has no pace to it.... grr!

then went back on the treadmill for my cool-down... (which generally isn't much of a cool down as i'm still in the mood to work, but it was too hot today)... so i'm walking at 4mph on incline 7.... and a woman who had just arrived started running on the treadmill next to me... for 1 minute, 35 seconds.... then she got off.

odd, i thought

then she went on the crosstrainer

ahh, maybe she was doing a mega-speedy warm up, thinks me

5 minutes, 14 seconds later.... she stops... and leaves!?!

very confused! (was i!)

so she put in 6minutes, 49 seconds of effort! wow!

there seems to be a craze at my gym for this kinda "workout".... i've seen several woman arrive and leave in the space of 10-15 minutes.... is this a new way to exercise?!? i'm confused.... would there be any benefit to "exercising" like that?!

i don't get it!

TaTa *H*

5.30am? Does this make me a hardcore runner?!

2006-07-24T10:09:00.000Z

Okays.... so... got up at 5.30am..... had orange juice, brushed teeth, put on running clothes. Sorted! (whose bright idea was this?! oh yeah! mine...... grr!)

left house at 5.55am.... jogged thru the park (slightly up-hill) as a warm up.... then erm, walked past some houses... (got embarrassed in case anyone saw me... although it was before 6am, but still!)

Ran along the promenade bit by the waterfront, then did some quick-quick running thru the building site. Walked over the bridge, had some water, then ran down the VERY long, VERY straight, VERY boring road that leads to town... hurrah!

Once past the main road we ran till we arrived at work.... sweaty and panting! At 6.30ish, we think.... Once again forgot to time our run (dammit, dammit, dammit)

thank god noone else was there! Had time to cool down and stretch, wash and change before either boss arrived, so that was a bonus!

so, 7am came, and the stocktake was due to begin.... with brand new HHT zappy things.... but....

none of the barcodes could be recognized! HQ said new computer package couldn't be sent till someone arrived at HQ (9am).

9am came..... nothing..... bloomin' technology!

9.20 came....... nothing..... hmm....

9.40 came....... you've guessed it.... nothing.....

9.50 came.... confirmation that stocktake is cancelled, rescheduled for 5 weeks time at least....

10am, store opens (1hr late!)

so, that's 3 hrs pay for three people, no work done.....
2hrs extra pay for 4 people......
and the two stock-controllers need paying too! haha, i don't see the area manager being happy about that!

but, the upside was testing the run to work.... (we ran the long way, btw!) i guess in five weeks time we get to do an action replay (this time with a damn watch!)

Tata *H*

Tomorrow's Friday?! Already?!

2006-07-20T21:17:00.000Z

Yikes! Scary to think tomorrow is Friday.... days have gone by without me noticing! eek!

well, Tuesday i went to the gym after work with *E* and did some more quadracep work.... also did some running.... but blimey the quadracep thing is magic! haven't noticed much difference with running yet, but it sure makes riding my bike easier! wow!

also rode out to the beach on Tuesday as it was such loverly weather! Hurrah, i like where i live when its good weather.... its just boring when its bad weather... saw some runners moving their stuff along the waterfront.... rather them than me, think i woulda burnt to a crisp in minutes thanks to my stoopid pale skin! grr!

On Wednesday, temperatures reached a record high for July, yep it sure was warm, i was glad to get to work where there is air-con! such a luxury! The staff room was still boiling, what with its mainly glass structure (i know what you're thinking... is every building in England made from glass?!?!.... erm, no) but it was great going from cool to warm to cool again! Gave the gym a miss tho (regretted it later, boo hiss)

Today i was up and at the gym for a morning session, which is almost unheard of (usually because of work or uni- my gym doesn't open till 8.30am!) but it was great! i made sure i had a smaller breakfast so that i wouldn't get a stitch while running, and that and the cooler air made it fabulous! did 20 mins on the treadmill... i forgot what distance i did (damn annoying, i like to keep track) then 35 mins on the stepper doing quadraceps, then ten minutes walking on incline 7 to cool down. i was home by lunchtime, feeling very much alive. I did my stretches and sit-ups at home while waiting for my dad to pop round. time efficient!

*E* and I have something exciting planned for Monday.... we need to be at work for 7am, so we've decided it would be fun if..... we..... ran there! we'll leave at 6am(ish) so hopefully not that many people will see us! That should give us time to have a wash, rehydrate and eat some brekkie! hopefully.....

you never know...... it might become a regular thing!

if only we worked somewhere that had showers (and a gym! wow! that'd be fab!)

one day... when i get my degree... maybe!

Tata *H*

weekend fun! soooo bad!

2006-07-17T08:30:00.000Z

Hey, hey! such a fun weekend, tho calorie counting went a bit out the window, boo hiss! but it was fun!

friday: went to my gym, a bit late (an hour before closing) and got the evil eye from the staff who i assume wanted to go home early. (working in retail i completely understand... people who shop 5 minutes before we close annoy me sooooo much, especially when its been quiet all day!)

but, i needed to get my quadracep work in, which i did, but after some running (2miles, 22:23). the stepper machine has a setting for quadracep, which you do backwards (retro-stepping! hehe!) I stepped for 30mins, and really felt it too! On saturday i was riding my bike and my legs felt so weak! eek! i guess its recovery time!

Anyway, saturday i went out for a birthday celebration (not mine!)..... mainly sitting in beer-gardens in a town quite close to me... on the seafront. The town is so pretty, with parks and planted areas, i guess i should have taken some photos to post! It was a pub crawl so i there was some (limited) exercise to be had... and i had cycled there. I mainly stuck to bacardi and diet coke (52 cals/per shot) but also had three pints of cider and black (250cals/pint) and a sambuca (no idea!/per shot) The evening was rounded off by some dancing in my second favourite club... an alternative/rocky place. It was an excellent night, and gave me the chance to catch up with friends, hurrah!

Sunday: got up earlyish, wandered to Starbucks for lunch (a bit of a Sunday ritual for *E* and I), then walked along the seafront, was such a beautiful day again, very warm, sooo sunny! it was great! I think *E* and I must of walked for a good 5 hours. We were definately exhausted when we got home again! So i'm hoping that made up for Saturday night a bit! *crosses fingers*

Its another hot day today.... so will either go to the gym later today, or this evening if its cooler, or go for a run outdoors, not sure yet!

Tata, Have fun! *H*

Much variableness....

2006-07-13T21:53:00.000Z

Ok, so i'm sure that's not a word, but ya get what i mean?

so, Tuesday, i did my allotted time on the runner... then some extra work, stepper and more running, and all was good, right?

hmm, Wednesday was not such a triumph......

i went to the gym with *E* after work, and something just wasn't...... happening. Grrr!

it was hot.... and i kinda knew this, the weather report said it would get hotter in the evening (not that i believed that!) and i was on the treadmill closest to the open door (my favourite, dunno why, but routine counts me thinks!).

There was noooooo breeze at all, not one puff of cool air at all......... weird, cos my gym is virtually on the shore... always breezy!

so i got hot! very hot! and it wasn't comfortable, so it didn't happen.

i ran 10 mins at 6.5mph, but then was toooooo hot!

so i walked for a bit, ran a bit more, but couldn't get a comfy pace, so i steppered on the stepper machine (cross trainer whatname) for 30mins... hmph!

but today.... yay! go me!

i ran my 12 mins at 6.2mph, walked for 4 mins on incline 7 at 4.0mph, then ran another 7 mins at 5.9mph.... then steppered some serious steps for 30 mins........ then walked another 10 mins at incline 7, and 4mph as my cool down-ish.

pretty good considering it was still hot (how dumb is it to have a gym in a conservatory?!?)

think tomorrow i'll do some quadracep work, give my lower legs a break! they say a good way to improve quadracep strength is retro running... hmm.... odd!

on a musical note.. (hehe!) the new muse album is fab.... the new snow patrol album is fab and i'm thinking the new soul asylum album is pretty good too....

anywho, tata, *H*

Hurrah! Cycle is broken!

2006-07-11T22:36:00.000Z

erm, that's the vicious cycle of being sad, not working out, being down cos of not working out, therefore not wanting to work out.... and so on.....

not my lovely mountain bike which gets me to the place of working out! that would be a disaster.... it would take me sooooo much longer to get everywhere!

anyway.... i ran my 12 minutes at 6mph.... then i did some speedwork, alternating 5.5 and 6.5 mph each minute for ten minutes. then i did the groovy stepper machine thing for 30 mins and then did another 15 mins of alternating 5.5 and 6.5mph.

was a good, good day at they gym! Loved every minute! ....then had a glorious bike ride home in the sunshine. A Red Admiral butterfly landed on my treadmill machine today... right over the time counter, resting out of the sun, then it fluttered away back outside.

anywho... running at 6.5mph is magic, sooo can't keep it up for long, but it feels far more natural than 5.5 now.... but i hope overall it will let me run normally at 6.0mph soon.... get my lung capacity up a bit!

Oooh, and Paula Radcliff announced her pregnancy today, and that she'd continue competing (really?!?) and in her media release said she's very happy and finds it easier to run when she's happy... so i guess mood effects performance even when you are a world champion runner. eek!

I'm toying with the idea of trying out a 5km race soonish (well, this year at least!) but dunno if i can overcome my terror of organised sport (ie, PE at school!). I think so long as i don't come last it will be fine.... tho i'd probably just be happy with finishing!

On a uni note.... my project supervisor has emailed to say i didn't get the project i wanted (with a company, boo hiss!) but i could do the same project title at uni, which is good, given that i've started researching and all....

Can't give away too many secrets, cos the company might "purchase" my research later on (plus, y'know, a Nobel would be nice....), but i can say it involves bacteria (yay!) and packaged food.

how nerdy am i?! hehe!

tata *H*

Quiet House

2006-07-10T20:26:00.000Z

Hmmm, my house is so quiet now.... guess you don't realise how much noise a cat makes until they are no longer there. No cat bell ringing, no plodding as she trots down the stairs when the fridge is opened, no miaowing to have the door opened, no purring to wake you up. i miss her.

I have not been running since wednesday, mainly cos i have been too sad. I know this sounds like an excuse, but my mood really effects how my workouts go. If i am happy: workouts are far easier, angry: i work harder, stressed: running lets me think things through. But sad, just makes it all seem so hard. I wonder if this is the same for everyone?

And, of course, this is part of the problem, because i know if i work-out, put in that bit of effort, reach a target, i will feel better. Its proven.... exercise makes you feel better!

Vicious Cycle!!!

So, i am going to the gym tomorrow morning.... and i'm gonna run, run, run.

My aim is to run 12 mins at 6mph, then see how it goes from there. I can run longer at a slower speed, but i wanna up my overall speed so i'm going to do some speedwork training and see how it goes.

My theory is "Think positive: act positive: be positive!" .... erm, maybe....

Tata *H*

A sad, sad day

2006-07-06T15:44:00.000Z

Today has been rubbish as far as days go....

This morning, my cat was ill, all sleepy and depressed, so i took her to the vet... literally, i got up, saw her, put her in a cat-box and left for the vet... She was that ill looking.

Thankfully, the vet saw her within 5 minutes of me arriving....

She suspected a tumor and whisked her off to the vet hospital for blood tests and x-rays....

about an hour later i got a phone call to say she was anemic and had a tumor in her intestine... an inoperable tumor..... the vet had called to say the kindest thing to do would be to put her to sleep.

I managed to grab a lift and got there to see my cat in a very sorry state.... so poorly

it was particularly worrying as two days ago, she was fine.... so the vet did what she had to do, and my cat had a very peaceful ending....

Thank god we can do for pets what we cannot do for humans..... give them a dignified and peaceful end to their lives when it becomes clear there is no future other than continual suffering and pain.

Tata *H*

The "Bodies" Exhibition

2006-07-05T21:52:00.000Z

Hehe, i know i said i'd post yesterday, but by the time i'd got home, i was too tired. Oops, sorry!

Also, i shoulda put a *warning* by the link on Monday.... if you find bodies (dead) in any way distressing, or the thought of them being displayed, then PLEASE don't click the link!

Actually, even as a biologist i had reservations about viewing the exhibit, not for the "eugh, it's weird" thing, but for the feeling that people deserve to be treated with respect when they die.

I have to say i was pleasantly surprised with the exhibit, not only the standard of the specimens, but with the scientific and dignified way they have been presented. Basic scientific facts, written in a clear and understandable way are given with each display.

It was ~AMAZING~

The detail visible, provided by special scientific techniques was, at some times, literally breathtaking. The section on veins, arteries and circulation was incredible.

It has been said that this kind of information is not needed by the general public, and for interested people there is a wide selection of medical texts that present detailed diagrams. I held this view until i saw the exhibit.

I have definitely changed my view.... The exhibit has enhanced my knowledge, and the comments book at the end of the display showed others also felt this way... although there were negative views of the exhibit too, which is fair enough... dead bodies aren't everyone's cup of tea!

But the point is, it is a choice to view.... nobody can force you to go!

i was initially hesitant, and i have completely changed my mind.... maybe you would too.

I defo recommend going if you get the opportunity, and if you wish too, of course! It will defo make you think in a different way about your body.

I cannot post photos (and nor would i!) because cameras aren't allowed. So if you do wanna see, you'll have to go yourself.... there are several exhibits dotted around the world!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On a completely different note...... for the journey home yesterday i bought a copy of "Runner's World". It is the first running magazine i have bought, and was mostly pleased, except some of it seems a bit "elitist" and some articles and letters gave the view of looking down on beginners.... i really hope this is not the overall view! otherwise i'm screwed!

But it did give good advice on how to up my game when running.... Apparently i need to be faster!

So today at the gym i tried a 6.0 mph pace, instead of my normal 5.4mph. It was FUN! i made a mile in a mere 10 minutes (obviously!) and didn't feel much worse for it (except for the heat in the gym..... it was 30ish degrees C again today, so in the gym was Very Warm!) It was FUN!. So after a rather measly ONE mile i needed to stop, drink and wipe my face with a towel (blegh!). But it was FUN! And i carried on.....

I'm gonna try again tomorrow...... i like this going further quicker.... magic!

Beautiful Day!

2006-07-03T08:34:00.000Z

Today is gorgeous!

The temperature is gonna rise to about 30 degrees, which is pretty good going for England, hurrah!

I love the summer, i'm definitely more of a warm weather person, the only downside is that my gym is in a building made of glass, so its a bit like working out in a greenhouse! i try to avoid mid-day obviously, but it is still harder work in the heat.

So, last night i went for a run with *E* around a fort. It was scary running outdoors... Well, i have run outdoors before.... but this was in daylight!!! Eek! People could see me!

Before the run i had that horrible feeling of "school sport's day"... eugh! (ok, i'll admit now, sports was my least favourite part of school, except netball, which was ok). it's weird that i still get this feeling, because its been 11 years since i left school!

anyway, this run was different to previous outdoor runs.... which have been on the pavement... because this was on a trail which runs around the perimeter of the fort.... so not flat, and not free from obstacles. A kinda scary hazard is that fishermen use the moat, and their pontoons are accessed from steep steps, which aren't visible until you're next to them. All i can say is thank god we chose to run in daylight hours, otherwise we'd have been swimming the route! All we'd need is a bike ride, and tri-here-we-come!

I can't give any times or distances, because i forgot to time properly, and the distance i haven't worked out yet. so more of a fun run than a training run, but good none-the-less.

Tomorrow i'm off to the "bodies" exhibition in London (http://www.trendandculture.com/bodies/). I'll post about it when i get back!

Ta ta, *H*

My Blogging Debut!

2006-07-01T12:52:00.000Z

Hmm, how to begin?!

hmm, well, first of all, i'll talk about why i've started a blog. It's actually a surprise i've made it this far seeing as i'm rubbish with all- things- computer.

anywho, i've recently been reading some blogs, which have got me hooked. This may be related to my diversion tactics from revising for my recently taken exams, or it's because these people blog about stuff i'm interested in, as well as their everyday life occurrences. I'll talk a bit about these other blogs in future posts, and maybe you'll visit them and get hooked too!

And, so..... i decided to start this, to join the lil blogging community, y'know, get with the tech-age, and see what happens. Maybe nobody will read, and that's fine. Maybe someone will stumble across it and read a while, and somebody may regularly read and leave comments (ooh, the possibilities!)

So what is my blog gonna be about? Erm, well, i'm a (mature?!? their label, not mine!) undergrad biology student and i have a bit of a thing for running (even tho i'm not that good at it, i really love it!) so it's a fair bet i'll chit chat about that (i'll try not to blog about actual biology stuff tho!), as well as the more general everyday stuff.

My blog is called Patchwork Life because i kinda feel that's how life is for me, and for most people, a life made up of many different parts, some aspects may not be relevant at all times, but still exist, and more parts can be added along the way. (It's nowt to do with quilts!)

So, i'm gonna aim to post once a week, at least, tho i expect it'll be more.

Ta Ta, *H*