Did January really just pass me by?

Haha... wow this years going quickly already. So many exciting things have happened so far this year. The Boy and I got engaged, we visited London, my Dad retired and gifted me enough money to write off a significant amount of debt, I've been offered and accepted a more important job at work. 2011 seems to be off to a good start.

Saying that, I'd like to take next month more slowly, settle into my new job and take stock of all the changes happening around me. And of course, once February is over the hubbub of birthdays starts again and I'll be busier than ever with requests for hand-made gifts.

Here's a list of some of the things I'm looking forward to in February:

• The lifting of the post-Christmas blues. The emotional comedown after Chrimbo gets me every time and the end of January always finds me a little bit lost.
• Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Rabbit this year, same as the year I was born. Looking forward to a home-made Chinese feast!
• Closely followed by Valentine's Day. A romantic meal for me and The Boy and love-themed treats for family and friends.
• The weather getting a little warmer... maybe... please?
• Finally getting a handle on our finances. We made a budget last year, we've tried it for a month and in February we get to tweak it.

Honestly though, what I'm really getting excited for is the Wedding, with a capital W. It's going to be a long way off, but I've got loads of things to share over at http://slogwedding.blogspot.com/ in the coming weeks. My Boy proposed to me, I still can't believe it and I grin to myself about it all the time. Ahh I best get off before I get too gushy on you!

Working in retail sucks at your soul...

It really does. I really try not to be negative on this blog but there's nothing like being shoved, elbowed and sworn at to dampen your holiday spirit. Ok, moan over! I had a WONDERFUL Christmas. I got so many lovely p.resents and I spent time with everybody I love, even if some of it was by webcam. I can't wait to get round to playing with all my new toys, haha!

I've been so bad at posting on this blog! I've been writing in my paper diary instead. I'm going to run off now and make a cup of tea and watch some more of the Ally McBeal boxset The Boy bought me for Chrimbo.

Ally McBeal makes me feel so nostalgic. I remember cuddling up with my Dad and sister to watch them when they were on TV first time round. :D

No smoking, but lots of snow!

Hi blog! Sorry for all the neglect and whatnot... y'see I, erm, ah! I have no excuse but hey, I've got a bit of time now, lets catch up!



I've had to take the day off work today because of the snow. I don't know exactly how much snowfall we've had but when The Boy and I went walking this morning it was knee deep, and it's been falling thick and fast since then. Needless to say I couldn't get into work today, all public transport has been suspended until tomorrow. I'm getting pretty worried to be honest, I can't afford to have any more time off but at the moment it doesn't look like I'll be able to go anywhere tomorrow either. Money worries aside though, the snow is beautiful and we've had loads of fun playing in it. My poor doggie has to pee under the picnic table because it's the only place the snow isn't higher than her head! According to the forecast it's going to be snowing on and off for the rest of the week, but I hope it clears up soon.

In other news, I haven't had a smoke in five days and it has been haaaa-aaarrd to get this far. I'm coping better than I expected actually but I keep getting these intense cravings/urges for a cigarette and I need to just sit and shut everything out for a while until it passes. My cravings are worse at work, they're triggered by breaks and the end of my shift. When I'm at home I can just knit or read to occupy myself. It REALLY helps that The Boy is quitting with me this time, I was worried that quitting together would be less successful because we would both be weak but in fact it's been the opposite. We've had the strength to say no to each other. It's great, and I'm starting to feel more confident about my ability to achieve my other health goals once I've got quitting smoking under my belt!

30 Days of Truth: Day 8

It's coming to the end of my time off work and I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm looking forward to returning to work, but I'll be glad to have something to do with my days. I'm slightly disappointed that all the things I planned to get done in these two weeks haven't really come to fruition. No point in regretting what I can't change though ey?

Day 8: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.

At first I thought I had nothing to write about for this entry but then I remembered a pretty bad time in my life that wasn't really caused by an individual alone, but a group. It was back when The Boy and I first started going out. We worked together at a video game store and were aware that company policy dictated we wouldn't be allowed to work in the same store. Despite that, we were honest about our relationship from the start, we informed our superiors and were told that it wouldn't be a problem as long as we were professional. So we were. For a year we worked together and not once did our relationship get in the way of work, not even when The Boy was promoted to be my supervisor. Then our manager quit to work for a family business and things got really crap.

The company hired a new manager who had no experience working for an electronics retailer, trained him for a week, and shipped him out to our store. On his first day the new manager, S, called me into the office and gave me a speech about how having The Boy and I work together was bad for running the business, pointing out a day on the holiday calendar that we'd booked off together. I was then informed that the solution to that problem would be for me to transfer to another store. I refused on the grounds that the new store was two hours away by public transport, far too far for me to travel for a four hour shift, never mind the fact that I'd worked in the store since it opened and felt I'd played a large part building it up from nothing.

A few days later I was asked to sign a contract change. S wanted me to change my contracted hours and one of the new shifts would coincide with one of my university lectures. I'd been a student the whole time I'd worked for the company and thought it was outrageous that it hadn't been taken into account when S had been rearranging my shifts. Just as I was starting to worry about where the situation was heading, The Boy was signed off work sick for a month. With the most senior member of staff out of action, S began relying on me to run the shop (no experience remember). I worked my ass off for a month and during that time, S confided a few things to me. First, there were a LOT of vicious and untrue rumours circulating through the other stores about The Boy and myself and our work conduct. Second, one of the colleagues from another store wanted to transfer to our store but, due to the fact I had some history with her boyfriend, she absolutely refused to work with me. She also just so happened to be the Divisional Manager's favourite and it was at the DM's insistence that I was asked to transfer stores. When I refused to sign the contract change S had been instructed to make me redundant. The day before The Boy was due to come back to work S took me to one side and said that he was impressed with how I worked and thanked me for helping him transition to his new role. He said that if I stayed at the store and worked through Christmas (the store's busiest period) he'd "try" and convince the DM that I should keep my job. I just laughed, told him I was resigning and never returned. I got a new job with a reference from my old manager.

I loved my job. The staff were like a family and I poured my heart and soul into the store and worked upwards of 60 hours a week, a good portion unpaid. At the end, when I learnt what I did, my life was turned upside down. It made my life Hell. I still can't believe something I loved so much ended that badly and I haven't been able to work up the same passion for any job I've had since. It broke my heart.

Sorry for such a long entry!

I'm writing my 30 Days of Truth. If you are writing yours, let me know so I can follow along!