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April 28, 2005
We're in the money
I bought my flat almost two years ago for £13,000 - a pittance - and house prices have been steadily rising ever since. Even so, when the folks opposite me put their identical flat on the market last year for £115,000 I was gobsmacked to say the least.
Thing is, it wasn't on the market very long before they withdrew it. "Aha!" thinks I, "they over priced it, they were never going to get over a hundred grand for it".
Only, the other day, another For Sale sign goes up. I don't know what their problem is, maybe they don't like their neighbours (muahaha!) so I had to investigate just out of curiosity. What the...?
The latest asking price is £119,500. Looks like I might have made a small profit!!!
Posted by lilliebet at 09:51 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
April 24, 2005
How do you advertise a website?
It's not like you can walk around wearing a sandwich board - well, I suppose you can if you have a webcam.
A while ago I was asked to help out gathering news and articles for a website Divorce and Back. It's a great source of information and support for anyone going through the divorce process but it's been a slow process getting it off the ground.
Although it caters primarily for people living in Australia and New Zealand it's a global subject. Divorce is pretty naff wherever you live after all.
So how is it some sites are bouncing while others just muddle along? What does it take (apart from getting Google to sit up and take notice) to get people interested?
If you were going through a divorce and looking for advice and support, what would you be looking for in an internet site? Or, if you were me and trying to get people's attention - how would you go about it?
Posted by lilliebet at 02:53 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Chock-a-blog!
My good mate OldGuy asked a question at the MT Forum yesterday and the good people over there gave him the benefit of their knowledge but, in the end, it was me who answered it for him. So this got us thinking: why not create our own forum on lilliebet dotcom where we can discuss blogging; share blogs we enjoy; and get inexpert, but friendly, help with problems we're having.
You can join in at Chock-a-blog (Chock-a-block, get it? Oh never mind.) We'd appreciate your input :-)
Oh and the rest of the site's pretty nifty too!
Posted by lilliebet at 09:30 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 22, 2005
I will get run over today....
... I'm wearing navy blue socks with brown pants, getting run over is a nap.
No I'm not about to start describing what I wear everyday, just trying to placate the gods of misfortune before they spot my fashion faux pas ;-)
Posted by lilliebet at 07:54 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 18, 2005
One down ... HOW MANY to go?
Well I did it. I'm so proud of myself, I finished it... my first assignment. I have another ten to do before the end of these two years but this one has to have been the biggest hurdle. Whether it's a pass or a fail I will still feel a sense of achievement (although I hope it's a pass, I don't want to have to go there again).
My friends have been a great help too, thanks ever so much guys :-)
Posted by lilliebet at 08:24 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 17, 2005
GEGS
Scrambled eggs that is. Which is what I'm eating right now of course. Which got me thinking what a brilliantly versatile foodstuff eggs are. Which led me to think about my real question. Which is...
You know the first ever guy who took the first ever bite out of the first ever onion? Why did he take a second bite?
Posted by lilliebet at 10:09 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 16, 2005
OMG is that the time?
OK I have three days to complete my first DMS assignment. If anyone catches me blogging, playing around in the forums or (heaven forbid) surfing the net - give me a good stiff talking to.
Um.. except for this of course, this is OK, I mean....
... oh hell, gotta go!
Posted by lilliebet at 10:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 15, 2005
What would you do without them?
My daughter's gone away for the weekend but she left me a little present before she went....
.... a soaking wet towel right smack in the middle of my bed which I didn't discover until it was too late.
I miss her so much!
Posted by lilliebet at 07:52 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
April 11, 2005
The Worth of a Man
I got my new Child Benefit order through today. For anyone outside the UK, that's a paltry sum the government gives all parents/carers toward the upkeep of a child/children. Currently it stands at £17 a week. Wouldn't even buy half a pair of shoes (or as some would say, one shoe).
Ah but... I am also a sad, lonely, unmarriable woman so I get lone parent benefit on top. Wow!
This currently stands at 55p per week (about 25 cents). So there you have it guys, that's what the government of this sceptred isle think you're worth. Wouldn't stand for it if I were you ;-)
Posted by lilliebet at 07:48 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 10, 2005
tea, teach, teak, teal, ____, teapoy, tear
... and the missing word is...
Team, yes that's right Team! Wikipedia has this to say about the word team...
A team comprises any group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team.
So I'm thinking I stop calling my team a team and start calling them a group.
But you're their manager, why don't you do something about it...?
...because, and correct me if I'm wrong here, the team ethic isn't something you can "make 'em have". It's intrinsic, you can't learn it, or can you?
There are certain specifications you trip off in an interview because you know it's expected of you:
• I have excellent organisational skills
• I am a good communicator
• I am a team player
It's there, in every job description, "the ability to work as part of a team is an essential criterion for this post". So if you don't have that, why apply?
To be fair, for the most part, my team is a great team. We have to be, we work in a very pressured job, our deadlines are extremely strict (the SysAds have had to drag me screaming from the keyboard before now so that they can take the system down) and, being understaffed, we are all carrying an extra burden. But one squeaky cog in an otherwise finely tuned engine makes the whole vehicle grind and judder all the way to it's destination (if it gets there at all).
I'm sure I shouldn't be venting this here but it's a matter very dear to my heart, it's majorly pissing me off and, if I were to open my mouth in work, I don't think I could be very professional about it.
Bleh! I'm off to Google for "how to turn your squeaky cog into a precisely crafted component."
Posted by lilliebet at 10:57 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 09, 2005
Happy New Year?
I've had nothing deep and meaningful to say for a long time now. No, that's not right. I've had a lot of deep and meaningful stuff to say but it's not all about me and I would have to tell half a tale in order to preserve the privacy of someone very important to me. So I've chittered and chatted about insignificant stuff; I've tried to bury my thoughts in the site and the blog; conversations with friends have been superficial and blase; all this in an attempt to cope with what really matters.
Day by day my life is changing and not for the better. I have no control over these changes, they're not of my doing and they're tearing me apart. The logical part of me knows there are ways to deal with change and there are steps I can take to make the transition easier but the heart of me, the part that doesn't want to let go, has been winning the battle up to now. I cannot let go.
Bill will have something insightful to say. He will tell me to live life as I want to live it or find my own path or some other wise words but, as much as I want to, I cannot see the path, I cannot find my own way. My heart is looking for the path back to a life where I was happy, where things were fine, where every day was a joy to wake up to. My heart won't listen to what my head is telling it.
I want to tell what brought me here, why I'm in this sad, awful place. I want to hear that "time is a great healer" and "there's always someone worse off than yourself." I want my friends to be able to tell me to buck up and get on with my life. Most of all, I want to buck up and get on with my life. But it's not easy and I'm not strong.
If I can't go back in time, can I please go forward? Can I please be transported to a time when this is over; when I'm no longer sad; when I can laugh again, real laughter, hahaha laughter. No, I don't suppose I can.
Posted by lilliebet at 09:00 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 08, 2005
We Shall Not be Moved
The RMT have called a two-day strike for today and tomorrow. There will be no trains to get me to work. You can imagine how gutted I was when I told my boss yesterday I'd have to work from home today ....
.... he's picking me up in an hour! :(
I don't know what the Railmen's demands are (except maybe they're fed up of having to drive over the desperate souls who throw themselves on the line with alarming regularity!) but these two days will hit the network pretty damn hard. Today is Ladies Day at Aintree and tomorrow is, of course, The Grand National
Much as it will inconvenience me, not to mention several thousand eager race fans, I hope they get what they're asking for. I wouldn't do their job for a gold clock. The abuse and aggravation those guys put up with would try the patience of a saint.
More power to your elbow guys!
Posted by lilliebet at 06:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 07, 2005
That's My Boy!
Last night AC Milan beat Inter Milan 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League
Me: How did the Milan game go last night mate?
Son: Two-Nil I think
Me: Who to?
Son: Milan
I'm still not convinced he's mine :P
Posted by lilliebet at 07:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 06, 2005
The strain is beginning to show
Yesterday I filled in a form for an employee and sent it over to the Pensions Fund. Today it came back. I was looking at it, trying to figure out why they had sent it back, the information was all correct. Then it hit me.... I had signed it in the employee's name....doh!!
I think I need a holiday!
Posted by lilliebet at 09:52 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 04, 2005
Time is relative
I've been thinking about these comments here and here and, for a moment, I considered allowing anonymous comments. I decided against it, for now. I'll think more on this later.
However, in order to respond to said comments, I had to enter my uname, email and URL - in other words, I had to go through the same process as anyone would who wanted to leave a comment here.
Typekey registration takes a couple of minutes and is required only once, leaving you free to comment on any MT or Typepad blog whenever you chose so what's the big deal? Do you really not have enough time to do even that?
If you enjoy reading and commenting on other people's blogs, those few minutes are surely worth it.
Posted by lilliebet at 08:44 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 03, 2005
Didn't I just read this one?
Blog that is. I've been doing a lot of "blog surfing" lately and I have to say, there are some great ones out there. Photo blogs, funny blogs, just downright interesting blogs. There's also a lot of dross!
Now before anyone takes umbrage and tells me just how dull and boring mine is - it's OK, I've read it, I know!
But my point is that (and this seems to be mainly an American thing) 99% of the bloggers I've read discuss politics, news and their cats. What is that with cats? News and politics are important topics and we should all have a point of view but bloggers seem to do them to death and, let's face it, the BBC (NBC, CNN, whoever) got there first. By the time you blog it, it's just a rehash of old news.
People are interesting, people are fascinating in fact. I want to read about you! Who you are, what you do, what you think. Maybe what you had for breakfast and the colour of your socks are pushing it a bit far (brown, laceup shoe woman knows who I'm talking about) but come on people, there must be more going on in your life than the TV? Isn't there?
Posted by lilliebet at 10:37 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 01, 2005
Um... dare I ask?
Anyone who knows me will also know Bill Gray. Bill writes great articles, I'm always first in the queue to read them when they get their weekly airing at CastleCops. If you haven't already, take the opportunity to read them, Bill has a way of writing that makes you stop and say, "Hey, I do that!" or "That's me he's talking about." He sees something in human nature that most of us don't recognise until he slaps us in the face with it but he certainly gets you thinking about things. He also has a very positive, forward-thinking view on life and I envy that because it's something I just don't seem to have.
At least, not when things aren't going my way.
Take last night for instance. For the past couple of months, a friend and I have been putting together a website (you'll have to see it when it's ready) and I pushed the idea of a new theme, a new look, for the site until I got my own way. It looks great and it gave me a renewed spark of interest, it's been hard work and I have been flagging a bit recently. So feeling all perky, I set about adding web links but, wait! The module's not working, damn!
I asked my cohort his opinion, "a bug in the new theme" was his suggestion. Damn again! So I dug in my heels and determined that I would either prove it wasn't the new theme that caused it (did I mention I'm pig-headed?) or I would fix it and quietly gloss over it so as not to look too foolish. I spent two hours last night trying and testing every conceivable angle, but nothing I tried made the slightest difference. Time was running out and so was my patience. By the time he arrived on the scene, I was completely miserable and ready to throw the monitor out of the window.
Five minutes of prodding and poking and he'd sussed out the problem and fixed it. Can I venture another Damn! here? OK, it wasn't a bug in the theme, so I should at least be happy about that. In fact it was caused by something I had no knowledge of or control over whatsoever, so what's my problem?
I suppose it's being made to feel like a helpless female and, yes, I know it's all in my own head but it wrankles nonetheless. I've spent months trying to learn this stuff and when it goes right I'm so chuffed I'm like a little kid, even over the little things, but when it goes wrong I get so frustrated with myself I could scream. In fact, I generally do.
If it was anyone else, I'd be telling them there's nothing they could have done about it. Because it's me though, I get mad.
Why do I set myself higher standards than I set others then curse myself when I don't meet them? Guess I'll have to wait for Bill to cover that one, I may learn to give myself a break.
Posted by lilliebet at 08:27 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Just call me frustrated...
This is the second day of me realising there are so many things I can't do, this frustrates me beyond belief.
Yes, I know Google is my friend but sometimes Google is like several thousand friends all shouting different answers at once and I can't sort the wheat from the chaff.
Thank Frustration It's Friday!
Posted by lilliebet at 07:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack