hannahdavies.net

Having a good time at Timico.

Left hand aching slightly because of awkward keyboard angle.

London tomorrow!

Different view from the desk

I started work upstairs today in the Small Business Department.

I actually get things to do, rather than shadow someone (which is normally the practice), and I like to be kept busy!

I am trying to discretely take selfies like this without people noticing.

Wore the new H&M trousers today, and, sadly, they are quite uncomfortable to move about in. I spend my day sat down though, so it’s not too much of a problem.

Spot the Timico lanyard

Dad’s Office

During my five weeks off from university, I have spent three days in Dad’s office in Newark in an attempt to get some revision done. Largely, this has been successful, due to a lack of distractions and quiet working environment, with Dad sat opposite me working so I feel that I jolly well should be doing something. However, today I brought my laptop with me to research interpretations of French poetry, which has resulted in watching BBC news 24 as the Boston manhunt is uncovered, and writing this blog. Only one poem has been vaguely revised. I have, however, done an hour grammar and translation test which in some way makes up for it.

As I was washing up the plates from which we had eaten fish and chips for lunch, I thought how I quite like being in a work environment and wondered if I’d ever get a job in a place like this. Then the reality of work was emphasised to me even more; one of Dad’s colleagues was reiterating to me the importance of internships. Without showing your experience of work, how can you expect to be employed against those who have done the work, gone out there and got the CV to prove it?

Nowadays, internships are a prerequisite for getting a job, I am constantly reminded of this through university emails, and competition for them is rife. My question is how do you beat this competition? Is it having previous work experience? If so, this is a vicious circle, and my chances aren’t looking likely. I haven’t had a proper job before. I have voluntary experience and year 11 work experience in a day nursery, but apart from that I have babysat, delivered papers and been a CD player operator for dance exams (DJ Han in da house). A lot of my friends have had several weekend jobs by now.

Dad suggested that if a child comes from a low income family then working has never been an option but a necessity, therefore forcing them to gain valuable work experience. So those who are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy their lifestyle from their parents’ income need to be motivated to work anyway so they can rely on their own pay slips. Money doesn’t grow on trees.

I do sometimes think that no one will want to employ me because I haven’t had a job. As a student, is it acceptable to say I haven’t had the time for one? I understand that I am very fortunate to have been able to get by financially without a regular income. Hopefully this summer I can find some sort of work to add to my CV, I feel the world of work is waiting for me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwDMFOLIHxU

VS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbPED9bisSc

Here is the current state of our trampoline. Look at it. Yeah it’s a bit gross. But should we ‘make do and mend’ or get rid?

Keep-

It would be relatively cheap to restore, a new pad around the side and a net are £20 each.

It brings fond memories of when we were first given it for Christmas and nobody even realised that it was disguised under a tarpaulin in the garden. Joe couldn’t get off the thing and Tadcu really praised him for his bouncing ability.

We have new neighbours around John’s age so it would be good for them all to play on.

It’s a proper good bouncer.

I like to lie on it in the summer, looking at the trees and the aeroplanes from an octagonal perspective.

Sell-

The new neighbours have one anyway.

It ruins the grass and is a pain when mowing the lawn.

It takes up valuable football playing space and John would prefer a nice goal.

It does look a bit gross and it probably getting dangerous.

One third of the family isn’t at home to go on it.

Mum seems keen to restore it and keep it so that’s probably what will happen. I don’t really have strong thoughts on the matter because I don’t plan to be at home that much (no offence fam). So that’s the latest, exciting news from the Davies household, while I’m still here. From next week onwards the Durham life restarts, back to my other world.

This evening we had homemade chips and fishfingers/ham/chicken goujons for tea. When asked if we should have peas or baked beans with this combination, I said I would like peas, provided that we had enough ketchup to give the moisture to the meal that baked beans would usually bring. Turns out we had two sachets taken from kfc in the cupboard, so I assumed that would be fine, Dad was going to bring a bottle of ketchup home with him later anyway. John had his bbq sauce, Joe needed no sauce. All was well.

As I neared the end of my first sachet of ketchup and went to retrieve the second and final sachet that was on a plate on the table, to my horror I noticed that it was, alas, gone. Before long, it became apparent that John was happily squirting it onto his chip butty. That was when panic struck. I still had two out of four fish fingers left and a pile of chips and there was no way they would go down without a tomato flavoured liquid accompaniment. As I paused in shock, Mum took the ketchup from John (what was left of it) and started frantically squidging it onto my plate. Phew.  John begrudgingly went back to his bbq sauce and finished off his chip butty.

Just as John had finished his butty, and just as I was starting to run out of ketchup again, and began to consider heating up some baked beans, Dad walked in from work, surprisingly early, bearing the glorious gift of a bottle of ketchup. For me, it was perfect. I could finish my meal with a satisfying amount of ketchup. For John, poor boy, it was disastrous. He had just finished his chip butty which he really rather would have liked to have with ketchup.  Feeling guilty, as John had just stormed off, I saved John my last chip with plentiful amounts of ketchup. It was the least I could do. Perhaps deservedly for not originally sharing ketchup, my act of kindness was not met with gratitude, rather he questioned ‘Only one?’ and I was still the guilty party and he munched it down. The lack of forgiveness via partaking in a hand shake or high five from John’s part proved that.

The moral of the story is always make sure you have a good stock of ketchup at home, and if you don’t, refrain from cooking a meal that requires it. Or, perhaps I should say that the moral probably is share, share, that’s fair or something along those lines.

Going along with that good old rouge condiment’s theme, here’s an oldie from 2002…  (I may or may not still remember the dance moves) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D76fxU85bUg

Blogs and vlogs have exploded recently, and I myself have become slightly addicted to YouTube during my weeks at home from uni for Easter, or, as they put it, vacation. I’ve seen tutorials, OOTDs, days in the lives and all sorts of craziness that people have decided to share with the world. Vlogs seem to be the way forward, and are basically, as the word suggests, video forms of blogs. I think they’ll take over.

Anyway, I’ve realised that although I don’t always have the time or energy to keep my own blog going, I can write the odd article about this and that, now and then. I have things to say, even though they aren’t that interesting, and enjoy expressing things via the written word. I don’t think I’m cut out for vlogs because no one likes the sound of their own voice. But I’ll do the blogging malarkey if I feel the time is right.

Talking of words ending in ogging I saw an advert on TV the other day for Channel 4’s ‘Dogging Tales’.  What has the world come to? Then my hairdresser told me she had seen it and recommended it, if only because it was so bizarre. Consequently, I haven’t checked it out.