lilliebet: August 2005 Archives

« July 2005 | Main | September 2005 »

August 31, 2005

Upper Gwladys Street

Of course it goes against the grain to advertise on behalf of a Blue but I have to give this blog a plug.

Why?

Well remember the guy with the sad face who sits opposite me in work? Well OK you don't but he's a rabid Evertonian and talks about little else all day so I suggested he share his views with the rest of the world in the form of a blog. (I kind of hoped my ears would get a break but somehow I doubt it! lol)

Being a complete blog noob, he asked me for some help so I set about designing something fitting for him and Upper Gwladys Street is the result. Yeah I know it won't be to everyone's taste but, if you're an Evertonian, I think you'll like it.

Good luck with it Ste, nice start :)

Posted by lilliebet at 07:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 30, 2005

A Blast from the Past

Sitting on the train this morning I got a sudden whiff of aftershave from the guy sitting behind me. It was the one an ex boyfriend of mine used to wear and it brought back sudden memories of evenings out together, him all freshly showered and reeking of Izzy Miyake, and the fun times we used to have. Boy we used to laugh when we were together.

Sadly it all went to pot and, in the end, things turned real ugly and those are the things I remember. I'd pretty much forgotten all the good stuff, until this morning that is when that smell sparked a memory and it really made me smile.

I guess that's true of a lot of people when relationships turn sour but why do we focus on the negatives so often when there is so much more to gain from the positives?

It's like right now, there's a guy who I would say is the best friend I have. We have so much in common, we feel and think alike on so many subjects but we are also different enough that there is some spark and variety to the relationship.

Sometimes though, that spark ignites and we have the inevitable bust up. Well, yeah, these things happen, get over it! Problem is, we tend to focus on these negative events far more than we do on the great stuff. Why is it in relationships, be it friends or family, a lifetime of love and loyalty from a person can be dashed out by a needless petty argument? And why do we sometimes feel that healing our rifts isn't worth the effort? Is it really that hard to get over ourselves and enjoy our friends?

So I ask myself, is this funny, lovable, fantastic person, who brings a huge amount of joy and laughter to my life, worth that little bit of effort? Well of course he is, I just hope he thinks I'm worth it too.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:19 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

August 28, 2005

The Mystery of the Lemon Tart

A couple of Sundays ago my daughter and I were off out to Wales for the day but my son didn't want to come with us. So on the Saturday night I left him strict instructions as to what he could have for his dinner and, more specifically, what he couldn't have.

"I've taken a lemon tart out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for tomorrow night. Now I want you to promise me absolutely on pain of death that you won't eat it tomorrow while we're out."

(You have to do this. He's 17 but when it comes to food you have to talk to him like a seven-year-old.)

"I promise, absolutely on pain of death I won't eat the lemon tart while you're out on Sunday."

"Good man!"

I got up next morning to make breakfast before we left and there, in the fridge, was a half-eaten lemon tart. I woke him up.

"But....but....you promised...."

"Yeah, I promised absolutely on pain of death I wouldn't eat the lemon tart while you were out on Sunday.......

.....so I ate it on Saturday instead!"

Posted by lilliebet at 08:57 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

August 25, 2005

¿Cómo se dice en Español?

Impressed?

I took Spanish at night school a couple of years ago. I was studying for a GCSE over two years but right in the middle of the course, the adult learning centre decided to do an about face and change to a conversational Spanish class. As it was free, I couldn't really argue and I stopped going.

I stopped because there was a purpose to me doing a GCSE in the first place. One of the local universities have a three year degree course - Business Studies with a language (one of which is Spanish obviously) and I was toying with the idea of giving up work and enrolling.

My dream at the time was to do this course and move to Spain to live. The idea of not having to where socks all the year round was probably my biggest motivator lol. Unfortunately at the same time I started seeing a guy whose name I'll withold but I do believe it's literal meaning is "obnoxious bloke who stomps on dreams". (It's true, look it up ;-) )

But he was a long time ago, and I hope he's gone as rusty as my Spanish (ooh bitchy!). I still have all the materials though. All the books, dictionaries and course material. So I think I'm going start again, only this time I'm going to teach myself. I have a head start after all.

Posted by lilliebet at 10:13 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

When Blue Skies are Grey

Everton sadly went out of the UEFA Champions League at the first hurdle last night after a second 2-1 defeat by Villareal.

But you're a Liverpudlian, why do you care?

Two reasons actually. The first being that the guy I sit opposite in work is an Evertonian and I will have to endure his sad face and detailed discussions of how "we wuz robbed" all day.

The second, rather more serious, reason is that this was the first time Everton had reached Europe since English clubs were banned in 1985 following the Heysel Stadium disaster in which 39 Italian football fans were killed when a wall collapsed following a riot by Liverpool fans. Everton were on a roll in 1985, had qualified for Europe and were destined for glory. The action of those so-called fans snatched that from them.

By the time the ban was lifted three years later, Everton's fortunes had waned. There's a shedload of money to be made in Europe and the Blues' had been denied their opportunity following Heysel. By 1989 the club had been hit by money troubles and battled relegation for several seasons. The prospect of European competition was a pipe dream..... until last season, 10 years on from Heysel, when they battled their way to fourth in The Premiership to qualify. It looked like Everton were on their way back.

There are several cities in Britain who boast more than one football team but Liverpool is unique in some ways. In other cities, the team you support is governed by religion; which side of the river you live; all manner of things. But in Liverpool, there's no such boundary, it's just personal choice. Even families are split Red/Blue (I have a red son and a blue daughter).

This is a good thing because rivalry tends to be a lot friendlier than in other cities. At the match and in the pub Blue Noses sit amongst Rednecks, banter abounds but for the most part it's good natured. There are, however, some die-hard Evertonians who carry enormous chips on their shoulders and they're painted red! They still blame all things Liverpool for their misfortunes of the last ten years. Last night's loss will add to their resentment as Liverpool continue their own European campaign.

Everton's flirtation with European competition was short-lived but let's hope it isn't their last.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:46 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 24, 2005

Ch-Ch-Changes

No it's not a stammer, it's a Bowie song.... oh never mind.

I've finally cracked it - the Firefox/Stylesheet problem that is - and I'm chuffed to bits about it. I really love this starry theme, it's very "in ya face", a real diversion from the pastels from before.

So I've gone off on one in the last couple of days creating a multitude of themes which will be rolled out at appropriate times (can't wait for Hallowe'en).

So I'm thinking I'll change the way I post too. At the moment I just jot down random thoughts if and when they occur.... that sometimes leads to huuuuuuge gaps in the calendar and I don't like that.

So from now on I'm going to try to blog every day. I might fall down on that because, being honest, there are days when nothing happens. Like last Monday for example - absolutely the most boring day in the history of the world. Oh except my son came home from work covered in diesel and fell asleep on my bed before his bath. Do you have any idea how many washes it takes to get the smell of diesel out of your bedding? No, neither have I .... YET!

Anyway, on with my campaign to bring changes to my life. I've just had my second annual mortgage statement which means I'm now into the third year of owning my flat. Why is this important? Because I bought the flat through the "Right to Buy" scheme and got an ENORMOUS discount (I paid a third of the rebuild value, the rebuild value is about a quarter of the market value) but, if I sell within three years, I forfeit the discount. So I just need to hold out for 11 more months and I can sell it without penalty.

And then the world is my lobster! lol

The minute I get a buyer, you won't see my heels for dust. I don't know where I'm going to go but I'm not sticking around here. This is going to be the biggest step up my Ziggurat but I can't wait!

Posted by lilliebet at 10:00 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 21, 2005

I believe in cutlery heaven

There must be one. Where else does all my cutlery go? I've bought at least three sets in the last year and yet we have to have our dinner in shifts because there are no forks.

Unless of course my kids are melting them down and selling them for scrap. Hmmmmm.....

Posted by lilliebet at 10:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Star Spangled Banner

Yes I know, now it looks a bit US of A but I like it and my daughter thinks it's really cool so it's staying for a bit...

... obviously Firefox doesn't like my blog any more than my site so, if you're using it, you're probably wondering what I'm blathering on about.

Trust me... it's totally cool and groovy now ;-)

*Edit: Well it seems that has to go because it's totally screwed up in FF! That's it, I give up.

Posted by lilliebet at 03:00 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 20, 2005

Um....

Well OK I got carried away hehe!

I found a great source of backgrounds at GRsites and I fell in love with the Union Flag background so I just went for it.

It might not stay.... we'll see.....

Posted by lilliebet at 10:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Background Check

Woohoo! I wanted to bring the blog alive a little, I think I achieved it. I guess it's rather busy but, compared to the flat, prawny background I had before, I love it!!

Now that I know how... I'm going to enjoy experimenting.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:35 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

First Step

OK the climb starts here.....I'm applying for a job.

"Big Deal!" I hear you say, "you've done that plenty of times." Yes I have but this one is something of a departure for me and here's why...

I know I've touched on this a couple of times before but I wanted to get it in proper perspective and be honest about the whole thing.

Four years ago the HR & Payroll department I work in went through a restructure. At the same time, we bought the Oracle HR Management System (nightmare!) and a new SysAdmin team was set up. I applied for, and got, the job of Systems Administrator, there were seven of us. All good so far. Unfortunately, Oracle HRMS wasn't quite what it was cracked up to be. When it was introduced, it was expected that many payroll jobs would be lost because Oracle was all-singing all-dancing. I dunno, maybe we bought our copy from the weasel faced guy at the Computer Fair??

So anyway, I was asked to stay in payroll until such time as Oracle was running full throttle and I could be spared. I agreed, no problem, happy to help. I'm still here! I didn't mind too much, I loved my team and was very proud of what we'd been achieving over the last few years so, for the greater good, I soldiered on but I was always concerned that I was missing out.

Just recently though, the threatened job cuts have reared their ugly heads again. Only they're not in payroll as expected.... they're in SysAdmin. The team is being reduced by two and the duties of those two posts are transferring to payroll.

It was at the point of hearing this I threw my dummy out of the pram! I'm the only SysAdmin who never physically took up the role and the others have all the experience. It was obvious to me that when it came down to interviews I'd be on a hiding to nothing and it just seemed so unfair. I'd sacrificed my opportunity for the sake of others and it had come back and bitten me on the arse. So I sulked, stamped my feet and was pretty bloody childish about the whole thing. In short, I was a cow! Luckily Bill was there to slap my arse and tell me to behave myself.

So OK I stopped pouting and, when our Senior Manager asked for expressions of interest in transferring to payroll, I volunteered. I can't say I was ecstatic about it but at least I'd have a job .....

.... and then I stumbled on something that Bill had written. It wasn't an article - it was more like class notes - but I read it a couple of times and it really hit home with me. It was about selfishness... not the miserly, miserable form of selfishness but about doing things, living your life, for your self. At least that's what it said to me.

So I thought again about taking up a new job; learning new tasks and skills; starting over; and I made a decision. If I have to put myself through all that, I'll do it my way, for me. So I'm applying for this job. It's a totally new direction for me and I'm definitely not qualified or experienced in this area. In fact the chances are I won't even get an interview but that isn't actually important and I certainly won't lose sleep over it. What's important is that I'm taking positive steps to change (improve) my life and I'm doing it for me.

This is only the first step....

Posted by lilliebet at 03:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Up, up, up the Ziggurat lickety split

zig·gu·rat(zĭg'ə-răt')
n.
A temple tower of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories.

[Akkadian ziqqurratu, temple tower, from zaqāru, to build high.]

So as I was saying, I read something the other night which made me take a very deep breath and a long hard look at myself.

I've known for a long time that I needed to make changes, I've been in the doldrums far too long. Most of what was going wrong for me is starting to come right (you know money problems, kid problems, the usual stuff) but the other night I realised that all this does is bring me back to where I was, it doesn't move me on....

So I thought to myself "OK I have a mountain to climb, I need to set myself some goals" that sounded kinda strenuous (lol) so then I thought "No, not a mountain - a ziggurat. Not goals - steps. Some will be small, some large. Some I won't achieve but, when that happens, I'll just take a different step. There are many different ways up the ziggurat and I will find my way to the top..... I'm already working on the first step....

Pardon? Oh the title? Well it's something Rimmer used to say in Red Dwarf. He was always seeking greatness but remained one of life's failures because he never actually did anything, he waited for greatness to come to him... sadly, it never did.

Posted by lilliebet at 12:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 18, 2005

The Winds of Change.....

I had a revelation last night. Not entirely of my own making I grant you, it was inspired by something I read. But big changes are coming, positive changes and, right now, I'm pretty excited.

No time to stop.... I have things to do..... see you back here soon.

Posted by lilliebet at 07:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 14, 2005

FireFox Sake!

All over the internet I bump into the little Firefox logo, usually accompanied by five minutes of preaching on the evils of IE. It's the internet equivalent of Jehovah's Witnesses knocking at my door. Thanks, but no thanks!

Yes, I understand how much more secure FF is than IE. Yes, I understand about all the wonderful add-ons. Yes, I know Bill Gates doesn't need me adding to his fortune but the simple fact is Firefox and I don't get on. Don't ask me why, I really have no idea but I don't like Firefox (and, yes, I have tried it.)

And anyone who tells you you won't get hijacked using FF is deluding themselves and you. IE is a bigger target because more of us use it but Firefox is not immune.

I'll admit I probably know more about security than most similarly average users because of my time on staff at CastleCops but keeping IE secure is simple enough for all of us.

Install all critical updates
Use a firewall and update regularly
Use a good anti-virus programme and update regularly
Immuinse your system with Javacool's SpywareBlaster
Use Spybot and Ad-Aware SE regularly
Practise safe surfing!

Absolute security is impossible but with sensible surfing and regular scans, even IE can be hijack free. Trust me.

Posted by lilliebet at 10:32 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

August 13, 2005

It's the little things in life....

I finally realised the benefits of my kids growing up, going off and doing their own things. I just wandered through the house in just my underwear... haven't done that in years. LOL

Isn't it funny how the smallest things can seem like luxuries when you have kids?

Posted by lilliebet at 02:02 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 12, 2005

In Space Everyone Can Hear You Blog

Are there no lengths that bloggers won't go to to be heard?

MindComet are offering bloggers the chance to have their blogs transmitted into space via a commercial satellite. The idea being to add the blogs to the information being broadcast to any passing ETs. Apparently this currently includes all TV and Radio signals this planet has generated over the past hundred years.

Go to blogsinspace to be a part of it.

Why do I get the feeling OldGuy will be the first to sign up?

Posted by lilliebet at 08:02 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 08, 2005

Out of the Mouths of Babes

You see lots of examples of people being dropped in it by their kids' honesty; the times they've wanted to curl up and die when the little angel has voiced something they've overheard but I wonder how many people could say their kids had almost stitched them up for murder....

When I moved in to my building, there was an older man living in the house next door. He was a rather odd guy, some of his "eccentricities" only came to light after he died but we were neighbours for more than ten years yet we never spoke. That is until one afternoon when all the local kids were having a tea party in our back yard. Suddenly, in the midst of the merriment, huge pieces of wood and building debris began flying over the wall from next door.

I dragged the kids out of the way and yelled for him to stop. It was only at that point he bothered to look over the wall to see who was there but rather than apologise, he just started to rail on about people throwing their rubbish into his yard and damaging his roses. Yes, I agreed, it was outrageous but no less outrageous than slinging dangerous objects at small children. He ranted on for about 10 minutes, during which I was perfectly reasonable but told him in no uncertain terms that his behaviour was unacceptable. Eventually he relented, apologised and shuffled back indoors grumbling about the youth of today.

It was only a week or two later he was murdered. At 8 o'clock one morning, he was bludgeoned to death and his body set on fire. When I got home from work that night, forensic teams were still sifting through the ashes and there were police everywhere.

That day was also my birthday (are you seeing a pattern here?) We were having a small family gathering and I was in the middle of opening presents when the police knocked wanting a statement. There wasn't a lot I could tell them: I left for work at about the time he was murdered but I saw and heard nothing unusual. I knew nothing at all about it until I got home that night. Then they asked me about "Amos" (that wasn't his name but the kids had dubbed him Amos the first time they saw him and it stuck). What was he like? Did I know much about him? Nothing at all, was my reply, we'd never spoken.

Which is when my little darling decided he would help the police with their enquiries. "Oh but you remember Mum, you had that big row with him last week.....!" Ah! Perfect timing son.

I must have looked like a blithering idiot trying to talk my way out of that one. I can only give thanks that they already had the offender in custody. Apparently he'd gone straight to the police station and handed himself in. If it wasn't for that and the fact that Officer Dibble had a sense of humour (and probably embarassing kids too), I might be scratching this on my cell wall right now.

Posted by lilliebet at 09:54 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

It's all gone quiet over there

It's been ages since I blogged anything which is weird because there's been so much going on.

I think it's probably because I've got that urge again... to say things I shouldn't... so I'm keeping quiet to be safe. My big, fat mouth is forever getting me into trouble.

But it's a beautiful sunny day and, apart from an army of fruit flies who've invaded my house, everything's right with the world.

I had a long weekend (sheer bliss) and spent Friday and Saturday wedged into the couch watching England beat the Aussies at Edgbaston. Occasional glimpses of Cannon Hill Park brought back memories of living in Birmingham. Cold, I think, is the one word that springs soonest to mind.

I went to Wales for the day yesterday, to visit my Nan. She insists on speaking to me in Welsh all the time and I insist on answering in English but she's chuffed enough that I understand. Trouble is she does it to my daughter too and she doesn't know a word of Welsh. Somehow though she seems to be able to blag her way through and that scores her huge Brownie points. Clever girl that one!

We had several glasses of wine with lunch and when we got back from Wales we carried on to the Brooke for several pints of lager. All that was rounded off later with crispy duck and another bottle of wine whilst watching Ocean's 12 (which I now have to watch again because the wine got in the way of the understanding...). I'll be glad to get back to work tomorrow to detox.

So that was my weekend, riveting stuff eh? I'm always impressed by people who blog every day, just stuff about what they did that day, yet they manage to be interesting. Don't they ever have days where nothing happens? Obviously I do, you can tell by the huge gaps in the calendar. But I thought I'd give it a go, just this once. Thanks for listening :-)

Posted by lilliebet at 04:12 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

lilliebet

.... another point of view