Blogstop

I've obviously not been around my blog since March so wanted to remind you all you can find me and my updates on Facebook mainly. Lots of pics there so do add me to keep in touch.

Comment here and I'll still get your message but don't expect updates any time soon! Sorry!

Thanks for reading! You never know, I may yet be back...? Jxx

Crusiad Walk for Life 2009

Sorry I've been vacant for so long!

And now I'm just back to promote my latest venture...

I'll be doing the Crusiad Walk for Life this year (June 7th) and would love your support!

See: Crusaid Walk for Life Website for information on the walk!

Visit: ME!! to see my personal sponsorship page!

All support will be very gratefully received, no matter how much or how little!

Thank you!

Still luvs ya all!

Jay xx

Snow freak!

Other than having a rough time at work (you don't want to know the details), I've not got much to say right now but enjoy the video of our pussycat re-discovering the winter wonderland! More snow please!

Extermiwhy?

I think D is getting a little perturbed by my obsessions... He doesn't see the point in adding the model of a Supreme Dalek to my collection! It's not enough to have just the Black & Gold Daleks though - I need the Supreme one to complete the set! It's logical! And it was only a fiver from Play.com...! It's not like I bought the two foot radio controlled version...! Jxx

Cats Christmas!

Family Christmases are so lovely!

We treated the cats to a new play tunnel thing which I couldn't resist giving them early - Pern has been more into this than Eric! Very 'in' to it!


Of course, on the big day, they were keen to assist us in the unwrapping process - more for the paper than the present contents of course! Pern will sit on anything that she thinks we might want to use / move!


On the day, the cats were overwhelmed by a cat-nip toy from Cilla (my American Online-Auntie!) so their ham was wrapped up on boxing day as a further treat for the dearlings!


Eric was never really sure about all the decorations!


And it often all got too much for Pern who reverted to her natural state!


Jxx

A short reading list from 2008

I had a plan to read a book a week in 2008 - but like many things, I didn't quite reach my intended goal. However, I did get through a fair bit of literature, some books good, some books bad. Twenty four books (that I remembered to note down) had a start & finish absorbed, however entrancing or forgettable and so, I present to you, with star ratings, my reading list of 2008:

Pebble in a Pool by William Taylor ***
Comfort & Joy by Jim Grimsley ***
The Man of the House by Stephen McCauley ***
Getting It by Alex Sanchez *
When You Don’t See Me by Timothy James Beck ***
Chart Throb by Ben Elton **
JPod by Douglas Coupland ***
Straightening Ali by Amjeed Kabil *
The God Box by Alex Sanchez*
My Best Man by Andy Schell**
The Trouble Boy by Tom Dalby**
The Tin Star by J L Langley**
Dance on My Grave by Aiden Chambers***
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka***
Chemistry by Lewis DeSimone***
Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon***
Back Where He Started by Jay Quinn***
My Side of the Story by Will Davis **
The Gum Thief – Douglas Coupland***
Daytime Drama – Dave Benbow**
An Imperfect Arrangement by Chris Amisano**
Microserfs – Douglas Coupland***
The Salt Point by Paul Russell**
The Boys on the Rock by John Fox**

I was particularly impressed by the brilliance of Douglas Coupland yet let down by the drainingly familiar tone Alex Sanchez. Marina Lewycka was an unexpected pleasure with her Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (I'm currently reading her Two Caravans) and Jay Quinn remains one for me to seek out more!

I'll see what delights (or otherwise) 2009 have in store for my reading taste! Jxx

Adipose!

My delightful TorchwoodForum Secret Santa got me one! Yay! Should hopefully spur me on to loosing some more weight this year...?

Come on Secret Santa - Reveal yourself...!

HNY

Happy New Year!

I'll be back soon...!?

Jxx

Double fail!

OK, so I've been quiet again for a few weeks... Life got ahead of me and I just couldn't seem to catch up! Once I'd got five or six blogs behind on the challenge, it just seemed an ominous task to try and double or treble post and so the event stalled... I also failed to complete the required 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo... I scored a respectable 35,000 in the end but again, life took over and there were so many other things to fit in...

So, what other things?

Well, I popped to Liverpool to see friends (images on Facebook as always) and had a great time visiting the newly re-vamped city centre and took a trip to Chester, which is rather beautiful still!

My friend Pat will of course love this photo in particular:



I hit Birmingham NEC for the Memorabillia event (again, more pictures on Facebook) and met my hero - Gareth David-Lloyd! OMG OMG *squee* and all that! I'm still not quite over it!





And my mother joined me for Memorabillia (managing to speak to Gareth enough to embarass me wholly - "You're the reason my son's here today!" she cheerily chirped, whilst I gibbered!

Mother & I also hit Leicester's new centre and I had my first Yo Sushi experience - how cool is that place? Food is lovely and it's really groovy inside:




I've also been preparing for Christmas a little, with some shopping expeditions and the creation of the Celebrity Male Advent Calendar I make for D each year:



The lights are the special addition to this years model - the problem is, I try and better the previous years version each time and it's getting more and more difficult to do!

And we bought a gift for the cats that I decided couldn't wait:



Pern is into it (must be the catnip) but Eric is being wary... We'll see how it goes! I'm all for getting a kitten (or chickens) in the New Year too, depending on sweet talking D and discussion with the vet so we could have another fluffyness to play with it too soon?!

So, I hope that little round up explains some of my absence and makes up for the lack of recent posts? OK, it probably doesn't entirely but it's a start! I'll try again to keep you up to date in December... Jxx

Day Nine on day fourteen! (Wiiiiiiiiiii!)

So, I've been away for a few days and that's had a knock on effect with blogging of course, having failed miserably to set up mobile phone blogging (no idea why the damn thing won't work! Buggerit!) So, here we are on day fourteen with a ninth entry for the month - still ahead of my usual efforts but now five entries down on target... hmmmm!

To make matters worse, I'm working 12 hours today - yes, I got up just that little bit early to get a post in here before I start my shift! I'm that committed to you, my delightful readers - SO LEAVE ME A COMMENT - just so I know this isn't all in vain!

So, what have I to tell you? Well, I'm more than happy to relay that after some months of waiting for a decision, our ward bid for a Wii, Wii Fit, TV & Stand through charitable funds (WRVS - bless 'em) has been approved! This isn't just a bit of fun for the nurses on breaks, but to me gives us a chance to provide some much needed exercise and general 'something to do' for those of our patients who end up in long term isolation. Nothing worse than staring at four walls all day? Now they'll be able to bowl, box & baseball, twist themselves into any combination of Yoga poses, tightrope walk & hula!

Am pretty chuffed at this outcome. It'll have a real impact on some of those people who most need the stimulation. It also gives me a buzz knowing that I managed to submit an application worthy of consideration by a team who vet hundreds of such applications... Go Me! Go Wii!

PoMo = 9/14
WriMo = 20948

Jxx

Day Eight - Halloween Pictures.

A few of my favourite pictures from the Halloween party at my mothers!

I was playing a little before the party really got going...







...and mother was playing with the Dalek!




'D' managed once again to produce a great pumpkin - just a shame he wasn't there (he was being amazing at a conference in Telford!)



And I played with my ghost!



PoMo = 8/9
WriMo = 15266

Jxx

Day Seven (On Day Nine) - Unanounced?

OK, last entry was a day ahead, this one is three days behind...!

I've had a busy few days, what with work and life and stuff. Work's been interesting recently, with an announced, 'unannounced' visit by the Healthcare Commission meaning a mass of work being done to ensure we are meeting the standards we profess to in our policies and literature. In reality, this meant ensuring everyone possible had received their Infection Control training, that all wards and departments were clean and clutter free and that staff were aware of and adhering to policy. It's about what we should be doing that so easily has corners cut to it when we're overworked.

Thankfully, being a relatively (8 year old) new ward, we're generally clean and have a fabulous domestic team that keeps us that way (our latest environmental audit score was 98%) and so it was more about staff training and awareness (also very good already) and de-cluttering those areas that'd become a little overcrowded (namely the store rooms!) One of the biggest challenges was ensuring nothing was being stored 'on the floor' - whilst boxed up, items should still be on shelves rather than floors, to allow for cleaning but with limited storage space, it can be a nightmare to effect this. It's taken a lot of work with the entire ward team and frantic matrons to get everything above floor level but the staff have been pretty great in maintaining this.

Of course, having attained the standard (much easier than some places really) we weren't actually visited by the Healthcare Commission personally (can't say I wasn't relieved). I do however want to build on what we've achieved in integrating a new 'Productive Ward' initiative to help us be more efficient in how we run the ward, to allow us a little more time to spend caring! It all sounds good on paper and I've heard great reports about this initiative so fingers crossed we get selected for the first wave of introduction of this new plan... I think we can only go from strength to strength!

PoMo = 7/9
WrMo = 15266

Jxx

Day Six - A Day early...!

I'm cheating a little as I'm not convinced I'll get blog time tomorrow so this is Thursday's entry!

Did you see the fireworks last night? Pretty cool huh? (hehe!) We've had loads just recently, being a multi-cultural society here in Leicester, Diwali kicks things off with what feels like weeks of displays lighting up the night skies.

We don't usually go to an organised display as we're never quite motivated enough to do so all though I recall a fairly fun one a few years back at D's old school, where his younger brother was studying - gosh, thinking about it, he's just finished secondary school so that must've been longer ago than I thought! How time flies!

I might have dug out some of the sparklers we've got sitting in the bureau downstairs by the time this blog entry should be read so maybe we made pretty patterns in the autumnal dusk last night?

Hmmm...

PoMo = 6/6
WriMo = unknown at this time!

Jxx

Day Five - Laziness!

OK, so I may have had a little too much to drink last night but watching the election results come in the USA was compelling and I was up later than intended! I was of course pleased with the outcome!

However, today hasn't really been a feel-good day for creativity and I've yet to write any NaNo! Damnit! I hit 11219 words yesterday by fitting in a few moments of frantic typing at work but I was hoping to reach 15000 today... It'll be a struggle!

I have however fuelled my Torchwood obsession by booking a ticket to 'The Hub 2', a convention being held in Northampton next year! If all goes according to plan, I'll at least be in the same room as Gareth David-Lloyd! *swoon* And of course, a lot of other freaks, erm, friends from Torchwoodforum will be there so I should have a good weekend... D isn't really interested but I've booked a double room on the off chance he'll want a weekend in a hotel room...?

PoMo = 5/5
WriMo = 11219

Jxx

Day Four! (Did I mention the cat?)

Around six years ago, amidst all the purring, Pern, our black & white cat was noted to have a slight heart murmor. This was deemed to be only a small problem but she was referred to the local Cat Cardiologist for review. At this time, having performed an Echocardiogram, they determined that she had a Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy! She was started on Atenolol, a cardiac medication used in humans but at a very small dosage obviously and we were advised to have her repeat Echo'd in three years. This we did and thankfully saw no worsening of the condition and were set free for a further three years.

Anyway, a few weeks back, we headed again for her three-yearly Echo and were thrilled to find that her condition, if anything, has improved! She is to remain on the medicaiton, which is no real hassle to give but has been discharged from the specialist! We're all very pleased... Although Pern seems unbothered either way! She's still purring away, though she has taken to sitting on my legs on an evening... Finally, some expression from her that she actually likes us!

WriMo = 10053 words
PoMo = 4/4

Jxx

Day Three...! (For want of a better title!)

Back at work today but managed a few NaNo words on break... Of course, I'm on break now as I write this! Honest!

Came back from a few days off to a hoarde of emails again. I have no idea how we used to communicate throughout the hospital before email. Everything nowadays ain't happening unless it's emailed. yes, it's good to have that record of who said what and when but it can go a little too far... I've caught myself about to email someone who's sitting in an office ten meters from the ward entrance! Crazy!

Perhaps we've dehumanised communication. It's easier to say something when you're not face to face? I sent some rather damning feedback on a training course to a fearsome individual by email last week. I doubt I'd have been so daring face to face. Of course, I'm still going to have to stand in front of her again some day and deal with whatever she throws my way but the safety of my office can blind me from that kind of thought.

I do have a telephone next to me but even then, half the time we're so tied up with actually work that we can't answer the phone... I've left three messages on answerphones so far today and one of those I re-iterated by email shortly afterwards! Information overload?

Anyway, gotta get back to work... need to make some posters for charity collections - Children In need & a (No)Christmas card appeal...!

WriMo = 8949 words
PoMo = 3/3

All good! jxx

Day Two!

Yesterday's post was my 300th blog entry! Pretty good going, despite the lack of attention over the past few months!

When I started out, I wasn't sure how long I'd manage to maintain a blog but I'm a few years down the line and it seems I can sustain something, albeit a little vague, scant or boring at times...? This month will no doubt be filled with a host of inane entries but considering I've made 300 (301 now!) if I can add another 30, that'll boost my blog entries by a whole 10% in one month! Pretty cool...!

My other challenge started well as it happens, managing a whopping 2,613 words on day one and right after this ramble, I'll be adding to that total. Id like to make 5,000 words in the first few days to set me well on the road before work rears it's ugly head and life starts to get in the way! I'm already negotiating computer usage during planned visits to friends and I've made plans to carry my memory stick at all times to allow me the chance to add a paragraph at any given moment, wherever I may be... Heck, I might even have to grab a spot in an internet cafe for the first time ever if I get that sudden urge mid-shop! Can you believe I never have internet-cafe'ed!

Anyway, time to top up the coffee cup and get back to the novel... We've still got to fit some kind of social life around the month so the sooner I get to it, the sooner I can close the laptop lid again for the day and enjoy the other things in life that make me happy... Which includes D, who's tolerance this month will be really stretched! Jxx

PoMo vs WriMo! Day One!

Day one, first of November... The start of the two challenges!

So far, PoMo is in the lead... But then, I'm in York having just attended mum & dad's Halloween party - this means I'm nowhere near the previous fifty thousand words of WriMo so I can't begin to start writing the next fifty... I'll need to remember where I'm at to encourage just a smidgen of continuity!

Can I count blog words towards WriMo too?

Part last night was fun! Not many attendees... Naughty invited non-rsvp'ers but it was good to see the young families and an old face!

Took a few arty light pictures and painted my left hand fingernails black (to get into the Halloween spirit) and then drunk Gay Beer (don't ask) and a little bit of Mulled wine till the early hours!

Looking forward to the kick in of coffee & Pepsi to jump start my brain again...! Jxx

Bloody Home Hub!

We may be seen as fools for sticking with BT for our home interent connection but we've had reasonable service with BT and they did offer us a new Home Hub 2.0 which was nice... Until it didn't arrive!

Having contacted them about this lack of equipment several weeks later, we did get a hub & hub phone sent fairly quickly, with apologies and having connected it to the computer, I was thrilled to find set up was pretty pain-free and - OMG - we were able to file / printer share on the home network for the first time ever!! Yay!

Two big thumbs up for BT Home Hub...?

Well, on Friday, the whole thing went tits up (following a software upgrade it wanted to make of it's own accord)! Whole wireless network stopped working for no apparent reason! Grrr!

Sudden;y, the Mobile Phone & Laptop just simply wouldn't connect to the network! Phone couldn't even find the wireless signal and the laptop said it had a great connection but wouldn't load any internet pages!

This has been a real headache to sort out! Several hours wasted on refining settings, checking the help topics in the manual, the online help, the help programmes installed with the hub and still not a blip of improvement on the connection front - frustratingly, the main PC connected fine so it kept saying everything was ok!!

However... In their uselessness regarding delivery of equipment, BT had (shhh - don't tell) sent us a second home hub! Rather than attempting customer services for a long drawn out: "have you tried turning it off and on again" conversation, going through all the steps I've already repeatedly taken, we figured it might not hurt to just try the new hub - why didn't we do this hours ago?

Whole thing works great again! File sharing, internet, printing... I've re-packed the old hub in the box all neat and tidy like - they can have it back if they want... I'm sticking with the new version - and just to ensure there're no more upsets, I've disabled all the BT software from the main system! Don't want updates and such messing up a configuration that works! I reckon the old hub was just faulty but I don't want to take the risk of software settings being a root cause!

Let's see how happy we stay this time...!?

So, would I recommend the BT Home Hub? Well, it looks good, allows easy file / printer sharing, has a broadband phone with it (may cost more but we got it free!) and it's simple to set up... But if they're gonna go pop at the slightest moment of software upgrades, I may have to re-consider our internet supplier when the contract comes up for review...! BT don't have the fastest speeds on the market (though we get fast-enough!) and despite great customer service in the past, I do want (and expect) a fully functioning, hassle-free service! Jxx

NaNoPoMo...?

I've signed up again for NaNoWriMo - in order to attempt to finish the novel I started in 2005... 50,000 words in thirty days is a tough prospect in itself, without having a continuation path to follow but when else will I find the motivation to finish what I started? It would be nice to have a draft 100,000 word novel to play around with - who knows what publication may be lurking around the corner...?

However, in amongst this witting chaos, I noticed another challenge... NaNoPoMo - the Bloggers response to NaNoWriMo offers mad fools the chance to sign up to a blogathon through November - writing a blog entry for every day! (National November Posting Month - NaNoPoMo)

OK, so I've tailed off my blog in October, having been busy and uninspired but this challenge still gives me a sense of longing - how cool would it be to manage to blog every day in November?

My realistic chances of achieving this are small - I work full time, with some 12hour shifts and I'll be away for some of November but I could make up for gaps with two or three posts on some days couldn't I?

I'm not committing myself to this one but I may make a greater effort in November to fill Wooley Insights with more information, discussion, reviews and nonsense to at least get things moving again around here...? If for nothing else, than for my own sense of achievement - and to give me something to do when the words dry up in NaNoWriMo...? Jxx