cosmic_llin | Entries tagged with work

Sorry for the spam, this will be my last entry today. ;)

This is mostly a post to say I've signed up for

fandom_stocking again this year - it's a delightful and low-pressure festive fandom exchange, and the last two years I've had lots of fun doing it. If you'd like to stuff my stocking, it's HERE. I would love to stuff yours! Let me know if you have one! :D

Hmm, what else? I am looking forward to Christmas, shopping two-thirds done, Christmas concert with the choir imminent, Christmas tree going up sometime this week probably, aaaall the fandom things to be doing this month, been to some theatre (including Sharon Gless in A Round-Heeled Woman, OMFG), going to some theatre (including BONNIE LANGFORD IN SPAMALOT AAAAAAAHHH MY HEART), work driving me mad, writing going well on and off...

How are you, flist? I've been a bit busy and offline-y recently so let me know if anything's going on with you!

So,

mini_hannah,

silly_cleo,

carawj and I set ourselves a challenge to post more regularly, so here's my stab at it. Although I actually posted fairly recently. ;)

* Second draft of the novel is coming along bit by bit. I was stuck on a bit that didn't work because of things I changed late in the first draft, and it took me forever to figure out that the whole problem could be solved by the scene in question taking place indoors instead of outdoors. *headdesk* So now that's sorted out - onward!
* Also working on a new project, a website for kids... still in the planning stages, watch this space...
* Bit frustrated that I suddenly have a lot less writing time, since I'm back working in the office, which means three hours commuting every day. On the flipside that's three hours reading time, but it's not the sort of commute where writing is really possible, or I could alternate. I'm really not enjoying being in the office. Working from home really suited me and going in every day stresses me out and makes me unhappy. I'm going to try to find something else.
* But yes, silver linings etc, I achieved my aim of reading a lot in September partly due to my stupid long commute. It was only ten books, but three of them were the insanely-long Tawny Man Trilogy, which I quite enjoyed but which annoyed me in places. Before that I read some factual books, mostly feminism-related, some good short stories and a couple of new-ish fantasy things I'd been meaning to get around to. Next up are a couple of quick little Star Trek tie-ins before Snuff comes out this week.
*

silly_cleo and I joined a choir! It's lots of fun so far and I really have missed singing.
* We went to the Entertainment Media Show (Collectormania) the other weekend, which was a thoroughly disappointing experience, but at least I got my picture taken with some guy dressed as a Klingon? So it could have been worse.
* Spent yesterday having Yom Kippur dinner at

carawj's grandparents' house. I've been there a few times before but this was the first time I've been invited to Jewish Stuff, so I was very pleased (and nervous) to go. I had a nice time and now we have lots of leftovers, hurrah!
* Life shows no signs of getting any less busy - theatre trips, stays with my dad, visits from various friends and family, outings, innings... lots of fannish things coming up over Christmas... not going NaNoWriMo this year so I'm sort of looking forward to a bit of a quieter November than usual...

Current Mood: busy

So, I have reached that great and magical milestone. Quarter of a century. One box up when I next fill in a survey. I am twenty-five years old.

( Ramblings about my life, ahoy! )

Also, just to say, there are several things I intend to reply to, but they're all in tabs on my laptop, and my power supply is broken. New one should be arriving soon, and in the meantime, I'll try to remember what I was going to comment on!

Current Mood: contemplative

1. FYI, Deanna does not actually crash the ship in Star Trek: Generations. She does a very good job of flying the ship in the middle of a battle, and by the time it starts crashing she’s lost helm control and Data is the one who eventually gets control of the thrusters. Also in this movie she wears sailor drag and is all perceptive and in charge of things. Why have I not seen this more times?
2. I am TIRED.
3. Remember Kerry Weaver on ER? Wasn’t she AWESOME?!
4. One of my Christmas presents was a cookie jar in the shape of a certain Doctor Who character. Now when people come over and want biscuits we ‘fetch the Davros’. This tickles me.
5. On a similar note, used our lovely new teapot from

bunnyvon for the first time the other night, to much acclaim.
6. Strategies for passing time at work becoming sillier. This morning M and I chose new names for everyone in the office.
7. I have new glasses! They are red. I am told they make me look like a crime-fighting librarian.
8. These new headphones are not as good as my old ones. My old ones are, ALAS, broken.
9. I want January to end soon, please.
10. There is nobody in the world like

carawj. She is incredible and I love her WAY MUCH. I know this is soppy but I don’t care, the world should know how amazing she is.

Ok, ok, I suck at the internet... and communication in general, lately, sorry guys. And I know I keep saying this in each of my sporadic postings, but I'm really going to try harder now to keep up with LJ. I haven't been at all, though, for months, so if you've said stuff I should know, link me!

( Updates about me )

So, I had a really boring day at work, and I was all cross because I had a sore throat, and no money to buy lunch with, and it's cold where I sit, and all these silly things.
But I was quite looking forward to going to see Mandy Patinkin in concert with

sashavangenius this evening. So I was glad when work was over, and I went to Leicester Square to meet Sash, and we went to collect our tickets from the box office, and then went outside to work out what to do until the show, and coming out right behind us was only ELISABETH FREAKIN' SLADEN. I was stunned! Then she went past, and I flailed like an idiot to Sash...
We saw her a couple of times over the course of the evening, but I was a bit too shy to say anything, plus she was on an evening out and I didn't want to be pushy, especially since I've already met her at a few events. It was different the time with David Tennant because he doesn't ever do conventions, so I knew I had to seize my chance! (Incidentally, that was in the very same theatre, the Duke of York's! Spooky, eh? Next time I go there, I'll be disappointed if I don't see one of my favourite Doctor Who stars!)
So that was exciting, and it was a good concert anyway, and Sash got her Sunday in the Park DVD signed by Mandy Patinkin at the stage door afterwards, so we were both happy.
And then, when I got home, my new Bonnie Langford CD was waiting for me, even though it wasn't supposed to be delivered until mid-February. Hooray!

1. Sorry for long absence and rubbishness! Soon I shall catch up - I owe lots of people comments and long emails, and you shall get them!
2. Work very good but hardcore! The girl who usually does BBC2 isn't in this week, so I've been doing loads of her stuff. Good for me! Also, got shouted at by a BBC scheduler today! I feel I'm going up in the world. It totally wasn't my fault, though.
3. Commute is killing me slowly. Especially waiting in the cold at Acton Town for the horrible, mean District Line. Can't quite believe that I am daily spending three hours on the tube.
4. New Year was great. Went to

bunnyvon's. It was really great to see all the girls and hang out over the holiday. Miss you guys!
5. Saw Bonnie Langford in panto on Monday with

carawj. OMG!! It was so thrilling! We went to the stage door and I took Jazz at the Theatre to get signed, but when Bonnie mentioned it I just stood there like a freak instead of telling her how I've been listening to it non-stop since Sash got it me for Christmas. I am such a dork. And I'm usually quite calm in the presence of awesomeness.
6. Going to see La Sladen in panto on Sat! Exciting! Both this and the Langford panto are Peter Pan, so

carawj and I will be in a good position to compare...
7. Found a sandwich shop near work that does a cheese ploughman's on white!! That's it, I can never leave Ealing now.
8. Have been salivating over shelves and sofa beds on the Ikea website. Watch this space for pictures of my shiny new room, come payday.
9. Having my first proper piano lesson on Tuesday evening! Yay!
10. I want pie.

Current Music: It's A Fine Life - Bonnie Langford

( Grumbling )

( Pleasantness )

In about two weeks time, I will be even more similar to Sarah Jane Smith than I already am...
Yes, apart from being quite short, sarcastic and afraid of heights, I now have a writing job in Ealing, and make a living from the BBC!

Yes! I got that awesome job!!
Ok, so writing TV listings for EPG and iPlayer isn't quite the same as being a journalist. And I won't actually be directly working for the BBC, but for another company that works for them, but I will still be writing exclusively BBC listings, so it's almost the same.
I can't believe I'm going to be able to say that I work in TV! And that I make a living out of writing. Ok, so, it's not in production, and it's really more editing and proofing and summarising than real writing, but still. It's a really good start!
I've been waiting on tenterhooks all week, and they finally called me last night, just as I was on my way in to work at the theatre, so I didn't have time to squee to anyone about it!! And then I was on the downstairs bar by myself, and the crowd was one of those annoying ones that won't leave even when you put all the lights on and start really obviously clearing everything up...
So it was quite late by the time I got out, but Justin said I could have a free drink upstairs, and there were still a few staff round who'd been on the upstairs bars, so I had a glass of wine to be sociable... And then Kayleigh got another pint, so I got another glass of wine... and then another...
I came home on the night bus at about three. Kayleigh, Lorraine and Justin were still going strong when I left. And now I'm up for work and I still feel kind of a bit drunk... And I've got to go into the office and tell them I'm quitting...
Have a nice weekend, everybody!

Stuff in my head:

* Happy birthday Els! Hope you had a wicked time.
* Urgh I feel so ill. I've been trying to shake off this horrible cold all week, and I just feel so drained and limp and fuzzy. Had a funny turn on the tube this morning, the Piccadilly line is very airless. I know that it's my own fault really for working too much and eating rubbish at stupid times of day. Day off tomorrow. I think I shall have a long lie-in and just lounge around the house. Maybe tidy my room a bit. I rearranged it and it looks good, but very messy.
* On Wednesday I interviewed for an amazing job. I should hear this week. Please cross your fingers for me if you have a second to!
* Today was the Elisabeth Sladen, Tommy Knight, Daniel Anthony signing at Borders! It was a terrific day. I did badges! There was food! I gave The Sladen a letter that some of my Kitezh kids wrote her. Other cool stuff. Possibly longer post later.
* Really missing Kitezh lately, actually. Feeling a bit emotional about it.
* I am sort of worried about Christmas. Fear it will be all forced jollity and people going off to cry in corners. Also, I have no money for presents.
* I don't like having two jobs. It makes me feel like I'm always rushing. Again... hope I get this one I interviewed for t'other day. It's in Ealing! Which, shockingly, looks nothing like TV-Ealing, since TV-Ealing is actually Cardiff...
* Oh self, stop moaning! You live in London, you have your own (small) steady(ish) income, your friends are great, the SJA is on every Monday, and your hair is cool. Blessings. Count 'em.
* In fact, self, why are you still up? It's half three! Being crazy-wired for no apparent reason is not a good enough excuse.
* Love and hugs to Penguins and associated persons!

Had a very full few days!

1. On Friday, Sash and I went to a Q&A with Joanna Lumley. Oh my gosh, she is so cool. I mean, I always liked her as an actor, and I really respect all the stuff she's doing for the gurkhas, but oh, in person, she's so marvellous! Very friendly and sweet, full of useful advice for the actors who made up most of the audience, absolutely hilarious and an excellent speaker all round.
2. The act at work this weekend was a guy called Hans Teeuwen, a Dutch comedian. He's not quite like anything I've ever seen before, and he's terrific. There are some clips of him on YouTube but they're mostly in Dutch, unfortunately for me!
3. Thinking of spending a couple of days in Wales this weekend. Which means, because I'm working Friday night (until 1.30, eep!), that I'll have to go first thing on Saturday morning, and come back last thing Sunday night, for work on Monday morning. Ooh, or, if I ask work nicely, maybe I could work Monday afternoon instead of morning, to have an extra night at home... time to start sucking up, methinks...
4. I've barely been in the house all week, and my room is still a tip. How does this happen? Big tidy-up today.
5. I got a lovefilm free trial, and got By the Pricking of my Thumbs to watch Bonnie Langford (she was great!), and ended up unexpectedly falling a bit for Greta Scacchi - I definitely prefer Tuppence Beresford as a lonely alcoholic, is that wrong?
6. I also got Trial of a Timelord for the commentary - I would like to marry Colin Baker now, please. He may not be as pretty now, but he's so clever and nice and wonderful!
7. I wish there was such thing as a West End Theatres season ticket. If that existed, I wouldn't mind not having any money. Well, I would... but not very much. There's so much stuff coming up that I want to see. Hopefully by Christmas I'll be able to afford at least a couple of things!
8. Hope everyone has had a nice weekend!

OK, I'm blogging from work, bad me...
So, I was opening the post just now, and I found an invoice from the temping agency for my services...
It's ridiculous! The agency are getting basically twice what they're paying me - I mean, I know they're obviously going to take some for their stuff, or they wouldn't make any money, but seriously, they're making as much out of my work as I am?
This makes me more tempted to go for the permanent position that I'm currently filling in for - because obviously I should be in for a pretty big pay rise if I got it...
Hmm.
Actually, I can't believe what I do is worth that much money. They're crazy! I wouldn't pay that much for me...

Feeling considerably cheerier and less dramatic today!
Partly because I've got a temping assignment and some shifts at the theatre - I feel a bit safer. And also, the temping assignment is the same really nice one I was on before I left (the girl they had in the interim was rubbish, haha!) and so I feel a lot less like going away to Wales just threw all my London stuff upside-down. Finances are still a bit wobbly, but hopefully I can get things back on track.
I just need to accept that this is going to be a weird time, and make the best of it.

A challenge for you, flist: I need to find a song about a woman who is ditzy/annoying, but secretly awesome. Upbeat would be best. Some of you may guess what I need this for... Any suggestions gratefully received!

Current Music: Suddenly - Xanadu Soundtrack

Graduation tickets arrived this morning. Eep. Have to order a gown and stuffs.
Last courseworks are in this week, exams mid-to-end of May.
BY JUNE I WILL BE A FREE WOMAN.
And what am I going to do? Well... good question. I'm applying for jobs and things, in London. I've applied for one that's so super-perfect that I can hardly think about anything else... you know when you just know that you would rock at something?
Hope I at least get an interview.
Househunting in London with

sashavangenius next week. Plus some shows and stuff.
Oh God, I wish I were living there already, with a flat and a job and a clue... this is the first time in my life that I've had absolutely no idea what would happen in the immediate future, like, the next couple of months. It's sort of an exciting feeling. Also scary.
On a side note, ZOMG, how much do I love Donna Noble? Catherine Tate is impressing me no end.
What is also impressing me is this gorgeous weather we've been having - shame I have too much work to do to properly enjoy it, but it's nice to know it's there!