Update

Is it healthy to spend around 6 hours a day reading god-awful tabloids while dressed in pyjama bottoms and a football shirt? Probably not. Dad pointed out I'm only a tightly scraped back hairdo secured by a scrunchy away from being a contender for 'Miss Birkenhead'.

So I haven't exactly had job offers pouring in, and even if I did I'm not sure what I really want out of this life. I haven't seen any of my friends, and I haven't done much thesis writing. My life is a series of badly written tabloid articles, web browsing and faffing interspersed with sport..

The sport is going ok though- I'm training for a 10k and I've just posted my application for the Anglesey marathon. I will decide on a charity to run for nearer the time. I think under the circumstances MIND might be appropriate, but I'm open to suggestions. I'm going to have a go at football (soccer to you americanised peeps- I'm not investing in a helmet and shoulderpads just yet) too.. all distractions are welcome :-). I need to do some climbing too, but I might wait until summer, brrr... can't Russia send it's unwanted wether somewhere else?

I'm happy, it's just my life seems pretty hollow right now. I will sort it out- get up at a sensible time, keep my mind focused on anything for more than 3 seconds at a time, get a job, get fit... It's funny, I have an idea for a novel that has a central theme of 'does what we do define who we are', and I was going to argue that no it doesn't, but I seem to be proving that it does.

Sorry, I'm rambling on now. Love to the few friends that read this, you are all very nice and important people xxx

Jetboil

Should I be worried that my lovely boyfriend bought me a present that includes the phrase 'may explode' 7 times in the instructions?

I love my jetboil, but I'll freely admit I'm scared of it. Dad was brave enough to try it, even though we were using the wrong king of fuel- it's pretty tough to get hold of the right fuel here. Dad reasoned that if the canister fits on the stove it couldn't be TOO dangerous. Luckily, we didn't have to reflect on the irony of his words later- no explosion ensued...

Other stuff... hmm, well.. I was second choice for the USL job. As the enigmatic Roy Walker used to say 'it's good, but it's not right'. I'm currently looking for alternative employment.. stacking shelves, filing, polishing toilets or bum wiping.. we shall she what fate has instore for me this time (can't be worse than a geophysics phd can it?)

I'm also back in training, and actually enjoyed running the last few times I went. That can't be right, can it?

Belated happy new year...

Left: A cold new year piccy taken by Andy.

Feliz nuevo ano! (Of course there should be a tilde over the 'n' in 'ano'- I'm not actually wishing you all a happy new anus....

We did the cheesy Times Square new year thing... Seven hours of standing in a cold, dull square watching a pot noodle gently steam, for 2 minutes of going 'wooo' as a disco ball slid down a flag pole. It's a funny old world. We weren't without entertainment- we did have a woman with the most amazing inflated lips to goggle at for a few hours. We did get to see Puddle of Mud, P.O.D. and OK Go, all of which made being forced to sit through a Mariah Carey song a little more bareable.

When I got back I had a job interview for a tech post at SOC. It went ok, but I'm not expecing to be offered the job. I should know this week, so they aren't keeping me in suspense for too long. I may have to start looking for a job here this week- debts to pay, usual story.

I managed to see friends, both in London and Southampton. Jac and I went and giggled through March of the Penguins.. It's visually stunning, but audiably atrocious. It's like a cross between Pingu and a depressing wildlife documentry. It's beautiful though- go and see it but take a walkman.