In other news, how great is Doctor Who so far?!  Loved Partners in Crime (I keep on wanting to put Partners in Time) and loved Fires of Pompeii even more.  I'm as big of a Latin geek as you can be whilst still being rubbish at Latin.  It's like... I like the idea of knowing Latin, I just can't quite pull it off in actuality.  Maybe I'll get there, one day...

I have, of course, been very very busy doing not much at all.  School is good (except this week the year 6 and year 5 teacher swapped classes and it was really weird having a different teacher!), life is OK, and I'm still hopelessly broke *sobs*  I NEED MONEY.  I hate being this broke.  Especially with my Mother, my sister, and my best friend's birthday all coming up in the next couple of weeks!  I'm a bit stuck on presents, so I think there may be lots of crafting going on at AlexHQ (otherwise known as my bedroom!)  I've pretty much decided on what I'm making my sister; I'm going to make a patchwork cushion because she likes house-y stuff, and an accordion scrapbook with pictures of her at different ages.  She's really hard to please because she expects really expensive presents and I just can't do that right now.  I'm finding it kind of stressful just thinking about it.  I'm not sure about my Mum and Jeff yet.  I might get Jeff a load of witchy themed stuff because she loves all things witchified.  If all goes well I'll post up pictures of my handicrafts!

I guess the only interesting thing I've done is see Kate Nash!  I'm not a mega keen fan but some of her songs make 

me chuckle.  I saw her on the 5th at Preston's Guild Hall.  I went with my sister Hazel and her best friend Becca.  We ate at Frankie and Bennie's before and thankfully because we were running late we missed the support and arrived just about 5 minutes before she came on.  Which is perfect because I despise watching support acts and hate all the waiting around, especially when we have standing tickets!  My choice would always be sitting but as Hazel was paying it's her call!  (She also paid for dinner which was really generous!)  Apart from not being able to see KN due to unnecessarily tall people in the audience, it 

was a good gig.  She plays guitar and piano (and isn't great at either, but to be honest her playing talents aren't really the appeal) and flitted between the two.  I could only see her when she was playing the guitar.  The best thing was having a laugh with Becca and Hazel.  Me and Hazel sometimes don't get on the best but I had a fantastic funny time.  She's a big fan of live music so obviously she's in her element. Maybe I should try to go to more gigs with her.  Anyway, overall it was loads of fun :)  I wouldn't necessarily want to see her again (like I could see Tori Amos a zillion times and not get bored) but I'm glad I went.

If it wasn't an earthquake, I think our house is about to fall down!

Work Obviously.

Piano Lesson  I really, really need to practice more.  I'm doing my Grade 3 exam again.  I failed it once by two marks, then scraped a pass by two marks, then studied for Grade 4 until it became obvious I was getting nowhere (due to circumstances not due to me being a bad pianist, I swear!).  I know it's a little weird to go backwards, but I think it is good for me.  My aim is to get a distinction.  To do so, I need to do more practice!!  I found it hard to get out of bed most days last year, never mind sit at the piano, and I'm finding it hard-going getting back into it.

Wow, I think I found my calling. I went to do two weeks Work Experience at a school in the last week of November... and I've kind of not left.  First of all I did my first two weeks - and then I got so interested and figured I wasn't going to get a job two weeks before Xmas, so I may as well stay so I could put "Voluntary Work" on my CV for that period.  And on the last week before Xmas the Head asked me if I would like a part time job.  So here I am.  I'm a Teaching Assistant in Year 6 specifically employed as a 'SATS booster' person, which means I work with small groups with the goal of helping them achieve their best on their National Tests.  So technically I am out of a job when they are over :(.  I work till 12.30, which is good as when I'm not working I usually sleep till then anyway, and I have a really good hourly rate so the pay isn't too terrible, especially for such short hours.

Anyway, I can honestly say I LOVE IT.  I have never felt so passionate about a job ever.  I look forward to going in every day.  Sometimes I get a little annoyed when I think of how I would do something in a different way (not to my actual class teacher, I feel very lucky I'm with such a good teacher - she's got a perfect mix of strict and laid-back and I feel I'm learning a lot being in her class) but that's completely facetious from an untrained TA so I try not to entertain too many of those thoughts!

The upshot of this is that, whilst I said that I would never step foot in a University again, I may do the dreaded and do a PGCE.  Dependant upon variables, like, if I can afford it, if I get a place, if I still want to do it in September which is the next time I can apply.  I’m still very tentative at the moment, but I think this could be It.

Currently watching

Torchwood  Yummy boys, cute girls, big cars, big guns, scary aliens, what more could a girl want?  And geek!Owen?  the. cutest. thing. ever.  They totally redeemed that character in about, mm, three episodes for me.  Also, season two OWNS season one big time.

Ashes to Ashes This has my love simply for the fact I watched DVDs of Life on Mars so I would be able to watch this.  And discovered LOM is the most brilliant thing in the world.  Am also enjoying A2A but I miss Sam :(  Incidentally, it is somewhat disturbing to see a menacing clown guy whispering my name out of the TV screen.  Test Card Girl still beats Creepy Clown guy though (do these characters have official names/designations I wonder?)

Lewis How did they manage to make Morse without Morse?  Genius!  I adore Hathaway.

Should I be worried that all three shows are spin-offs?!

I just went on TIB

for the first time in months, opened a random thread, and didn't recognize any of the posters.  It was like the Twilight Zone.  I used to spend hours on there.  I do feel sad I don't spend much time with my Blythes anymore though.  Hopefully with the light improving I will be more inspired to take photos.

Disneyland

Am seriously obsessed with going to Disneyland Resort Paris.  I went once, for a day, ten years ago this summer.  I've got it into my head I'm going to go again this summer, so I'm going to try my hardest to make it happen.  I love Disney so much it's like a sickness!  I've got my whole trip planned and everything.  I have a whole folder in my bookmarks just for DLRP sites.  I went to Borders at the weekend just to get a new guidebook that's out.  See?  Sick I tell you.  

Digital Scrapbooking

My mother is a fan of scrapbooking, but I just think it is so messy and expensive.  But lo and behold, I've discovered the world of digital scrapbooking.  I love it!  no mess, little cost, and I get to geek out at my computer for hours without parental disapproval!  Score!  I can't say I'm particularly good at it yet, but I enjoy it and that is all that matters to me :)

Anyway, rambling is over for today.  Toodles! :)

   It took me absolutely ages setting this up and putting everything private on the other (didn't want to delete as there are some lovely comments I don't want to lose) and making my avatar and banner!  My banner, by the way, is the first I have made myself!  I recently got photoshop and am wondering why I never did before!  it's amazing and I'm quickly becoming addicted.  I only got it because I've got into Digital Scrapbooking, but I'm using it for so much and I love it.

   Anyway will write proper post later today.  I've promised myself I will write at least two entries a week, because if I leave it longer I forget all the exciting/good things that happen, and it's so much easier for some reason to remember the bad stuff that I want a record of the good stuff.

Alex xxx (alex.robinson)