Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Handed Notice In

Hello, just handed my notice in at my Landscape maintenance job. A move I have been thinking about since I put the house up for sale.
I am hopefully signing the contract with the buyer at the end of this month. After 2 years of landscaping on my own, taking briefs, designing and building, my most recent job was nothing short of a street cleaner's position. Not that there is anything wrong with a street cleaner, they provide such a valid service to the community, something I will appreciate from now on. It is amazing how much litter people do chuck aimlessly out of their cars and pockets as they spare no thought for the high vis.(bright yellow waistcoats) clad council workers not to mention Landscape maintenance Foremen who have to use one of those grabber sticks my nan used to use to retreave a Kleenex from the coffee table, to get the offending items safely in to a bin liner.
I am off on my travels back to San Francisco. My mother's home is there and I am planning to take a 12 week trip back there for a gander at potential job prospects, investment and who knows what else? Well, actually I know. I am searching for a gay male friend. Someone who can help me on my small quests to find the US equivalent to Boots and a decent beer. After traveling to the gayest city in the world since I was 15 it is about time I got my self a gay friend. I feel every girl should have one. There will be some plus points and also undoubtedly negatives. Exactly what these are will remain a mystery until I have conquered my quest for a queer.
I am still planning to release a book and feel that life is for living and it is all merely research for the book we all have inside us somewhere. It has taken me a year to come up with a concept and a title. Now I have these it is party time until my research is complete and my womb starts to scream "the clock is ticking biatch". Only then may I settle down and push out a few sprogs.
I am trying to get a new picture on my profile as the one I have is a bit old now - Since I have been a none smoker for 22 days!! Update on this fact is I am now 7lbs heavier. Never mind, the toy boy sexercise sessions will soon put pay to that slight increase.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Get a Toy Boy

I thoroughly recommend acquiring a man a few years younger than ones self. Since I managed to pull one using the Byonce Knowles ass-wiggle in da club a few weeks ago I have made many life changing alterations to my mundane existence in London post bombings.

I HAVE FINALLY GIVEN UP SMOKING; having a fag after sex usually meant lighting up at the end - But when sex actually goes on longer than 6 minutes I think it is a bit inconsiderate to keep lighting up in between thrusts.

I AM COMFORTABLE NOT WEARING ANY MAKE UP; this is due to the complements I have received from my new beau regarding how youthful I looked when getting out of the shower. I guess what he meant was that without foundation (well tinted moisturiser - this is the noughties) the creases near the eye, mouth and forehead area aren't quite so obvious.

I HAVE BEEN TO THE GYM...TWICE IN 2 DAYS*!; this is probably because he is a 6 pack wearing Adonis type male of the PE teacher variety.

I CAN SWIM 40 LENGTHS IN A REAL POOL WITHOUT RESPITORY AID; perhaps a result of my first point.

I PURCHASED A NEW PLATINUM RAMPANT RABBIT; well, we couldn't let him see the old past its sell by date original version. Same principle of dashing out to TK Maxx and purchasing shed loads of new French designer knickers

Any negatives? Well duuuuuggggghhhh - he is 4 years and 8 months my junior, and that aint gonna change EVER!

*this has not happened since I graduated with a Sports Science degree in 1997!

Friday, August 05, 2005

Bridget Jones a Reality

I used to laugh out loud at the old bat Miss Jones, Bridget and the original one from Rising Damp. Now I am nearing 31 and I am beginning to realise that to snigger at a poor woman's inadequacies at getting along in life with or without a mate is not on. I would only be laughing at some of my girl friends. Drinking a bottle of red or two on a Monday night could only be stuff of the movies I pressumed, but it is so true these days, and it is not even winter.
It is such a bummer our clock ticks as quick as the egg timers sand when you are trying to put a load in the wash, rinse the dishes, cut the bread and sweep the laminate flooring all before one manages to even open the egg box. Sometimes I think it would be so easy to be a middle aged divorced man wit a gold digger pleasuring him on a weekly basis.
This is why we get a dog.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Life After Nearly Getting Wed

I have not been arsed to Blog since Easter, and after reading my old posts today I decided it was probably time to come clean about the reason I started Blogging in the first place. I am not usually so mysterious as I have many friends with whom I blab on to about my mental life.
I feel it is time to blog the real me. I have been on a mad journey since last October, when I finally broke away from my Ex-Fiance. I was due to be wed on Dec 28th 2004 and cancelled the big day last June.
So with over a year having passed by with such speed I can finally reflect on the ups and ups and downs I have experienced since I made the decision to change the course of my life.
I have stopped my 3 a day splif smoking habit. I realised that I could not obtain any illegal substances while on the South American trip and saw this as a perfect opportunity to shut the door on my student days and days of hiding behind a big cloud of smoke. So far so good. I can see clearly now. I realised that due to my stoner status I was ignoring and not quite grasping the reality which was my unsuitable relationship with my fiance and at the same time immaturely hanging on to my student image. Grow up woman, you graduated in 1997!
Stopping smoking the green stuff also made me realise I was addicted to nicotine;as it is obligatory to mix the green with the tobacco my dependence on Marlboro Lights alarmingly increased from 6 a day to over 20 a day while on my travels.
I can now happily say I am trying my hardest to quit the cigs. It will be 2 weeks on Monday since I let the dreaded weed past my lips and with all my new found strength and willpower I feel this habit may have been cracked too.
My final habit which took so long to crack was my 5 year relationship. I have no malice to convey and wish him luck. It is so difficult to realise your fairytale will disperse into a nightmare unless you have the strength to give up the ghost.
Many months have been spent deliberating, hours rationalising, reasoning and regurgitating over the phone with him and to my dear friends. Emails are not the easiest way to communicate with someone when you are dealing with such sensitive matters, especially when one is in England and the other is in S America.
It took some doing but he is out of my life. I would love to be friends but that will never work, so we said our final goodbyes and can try and get on with our lives.
I am still writing my book and have a title and a structure. The structural element was really hard to think up and this alone took me 8 months. Let's hope I can fill in some of my old stoner time with my writings, anything is better than an ashtray full of roaches, a life living with a roach and a future with no hope.
XX

Monday, March 21, 2005

Yorkshire At Last

Ey Up,
Just to let you know I am back in my home town of Keighley for a week. Back in the big smoke on Easter Monday.
Happy Easter for then by the way - bet you are wondering what happened to me giving up smoking for Lent? Well, it lasted a day, then resumed and lasted two days. Now I am back on about 5 smokes a day, so I guess I will not be getting an egg this Easter, and the priest will probably dish out a fair few Hail Marys if I even attempt to set foot into a confessional box. I am a looser, an addict, a chaver, pikey git.
I was out for dinner with Sarah's boss Glyn and a few mutual friends on Thursday and I managed to go through a case of wine, a wonderfully sumptuous glass of Port and a brandy without even thinking of a fag. However it was the coffee that did it. I had to make several excuses up just so I could justify lighting up in such lovely none-smoking company and succumbed to sucking the ass off a M Light even though my head still yells "Think about it biatch....It is your giving up for Lent thingie". I began to wish I had given up something easy like eating dog pooh sarnies, but oh no, I decided smoking would be my goal for this religious occasion and I failed miserably. Why is it so hard? I usually manage to do what I say I am gonna do without any problem, but it seems the enemy Mr nicotine put a stop to that. Now I feel even more miserable as I have let the Lord down! I am a good Catholic girl by the way, but have chosen not to do the church thing since the nuns stopped whipping me with their rosary beads at 1st school. I do however still indulge in the odd pressy at Christmas and a few chocy eggs at Easter, and of course my children will have to endure the same bible bashing, I mean studies as I did.
Anyway, I am here at my grandparent's house, just finished the washing up after being fed a delicious granddad stylee spag bol. Oh what it is to be home. I have been sleeping in my old room and still love routing through the cupboards looking for family treasures and memorabilia, such as 1st swimming certificate for 10m, and old GCSE course work and the infamous family photo albums.
I must say the chair at the top of the landing still gives me the willies as it has lion's feet and a weird carved back, I feel eyes following me round the landing. Probably spy cams installed by granddad. He seems to be more technically minded than me (would not take much though), I am actually blogging from his PC right now. Bless him, he has a printer and a scanner too. Deffo more hardwear than me. Note to me. Buy a printer when one gets a job.
Talking of which, I am still on the look out for a temp job. I am not surprised there are so may homeless in London. The streets are paved with empty McDonald's wrappers and Starbuck's cups. No work in the temping field. Therefore I am back to the old trade and am digging up grandma's garden for some hard earned pocket money. I wish I had done the audition for Corrie all those years ago- I would be famous right now and not worrying about the growth speed of snowdrops up here in comparison to down South. They are well into their blooming season in San Fran - Mum gave me the low-down on her bulbs the other week. Mind you an American snowdrop is as big as a sunflower here - Typical, they have to be bigger. But in this case not necessarily better - Don't you prefer the tiny little specimens?
Ok I am loosing the plot a bit. Must say I have been reading a lot lately as well as dealing with loads of pants down to the knees builders who are doing work on the house. My life does not warrant a daily or even weekly blog. I am however open to jokes for the speech I am making at Leanne's wedding on April 16th - any suggestions? Please, I only know a few 'Knock Knock' jokes, the main one being the old Dr Who one - which although very topical right now is about as ancient as Camilla Parlker Bowles Chief Bridesmaid.
See Thee,
Jo x

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Estate Sale

Dear all who are calling me complaining I am a lazy blogger,
I must apologize for my lack of effort in the blogging department but I have been a busy beaver of late. Mainly catching up with old friends and getting my fill on the gossip front. I have also been entertaining quite a few estate agents and have even been offered a job by one of them. Apparently my negotiating skills are some what shark like so I would fit in their shoes - that is if I was staying here.
As you know I am not, I am planning to get to America as soon as possible, with the land of opportunity at my feet I am sure I will be coming up with a pretty alternative lifestyle change which will not involve selling houses. On this subject however I would like to use this page to tell you about my estate sale. Rather grand title I know - It is an American phrase for car boot sale. Since I no longer have a car boot from which to show my life times collectibles I am having a sale at my home a week on Saturday.
I am currently dragging stuff out of the cupboards, cleaning and pricing them up and putting them in my pristine shed to sell to the neighborhood. There will be some bargains as I have still not got a job and my shoe fetish is suffering to say the least. My feet are still not too sure about being covered up after wearing flip flops for 5 months - however they are really chilly and I am in need of some warm boots. Hopefully selling my pan collection can aid this purchase. So if you are interested please feel free to ask questions - I am considering eBay for the electrical stuff. I can assure you they are all in fantastic nick.
Ok back to it. Hope you are all well, I wish I could organise a party before I depart, however this is not practical as my buddies seem to be living from John O Groats to Lands End. I will try and give you all a call before I depart.
Big Love to you all xx

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

For Rent

First of all I should post the most important fact de jour - My mother is OK - Biopsy results came back clear. However she needs to be kept an eye on as she is a bit lumpy in the breast area and needs to have mammogrammes every six months. It is a good job she does not know how to use a PC or else I would not be getting my pocket money this week!
So it is back to the Harper of old, I can feel a few jokes coming on - One of them being the sheer injustice I discovered yesterday when I had a dreaded Estate Agent to my castle to tell me how much I was gonna make becoming a landlord. Hummmmm, I decided to reserve judgment on the guy, who was called Chris and looked younger than Garath Gates. But I cannot bite my tongue any longer. What a rip off. Renting one property is not a fast way to becoming the next Richard Branson. The fees are extortionate and I am compelled to let the world wide web know what to expect if they go off traveling for 5 months, come home, become a landlord and get the hell out of dodge back to the land of opportunity.
The finders fee, which consists of putting an ad in the local paper and posting the property on the net., conducting credit checks on the tenant and collecting a deposit and 1 month's rent is 750 quid (please not I do not have a pound sign on this PC).
Then that is it - I am on my own, living 6,500 miles from home and I am responsible for collecting subsequent rents and dealing with any problems which occur such as malfunctioning washing machine etc etc.
Dealing with failing electrical equipment and hassling people for non payment of rent is not an ideal job if one is living 8 hours behind the UK and have a 10 hour flight to contend with when the demands call for it.
So, the full management package may seem appealing, that is if one is prepared to pay 65 quid a month on top of the finders fee to leave the Agents in charge. This does not insure one against anything. As a landlord one would be expected to accept the Agent's work men visiting the house to carry our any required works and would just get the cost deducted from the rent before it even reaches the bank account.
The inventory of items is costly, approximately 70 quid for the initial checks then the same again for them to calculate the exact extent to which the tenant has fleeced you of your life time collection of pots, pans and crockery.
Each time a 6 month lease is signed the finders fee is payable and the tax for one traveling abroad is automatically deducted from any rent at 22% or 40% (I do not get these figures, but I am sure I will once I speak to my accountant).
If all of that is not enough one has to change the mortgage to let out a property, which will cost about 500 quid, get all the gas safety certifications from a Corgi registered geeza and make sure any furniture one leaves is fire proof!
I have slept on the idea of renting, and as I am only planning on doing it for 6 months and have no intentions on planning to live here again. It seems that out of the 6 months rent I will only get 3 months, the Agent will get the same. Now if he looked like Garath Gates and has as big a willy as Jordan put it in her autobiography (yes, I can admit to reading this but only as an aid to get me to sleep through the jet lag!) I may be prepared to throw away so much lolly. But he wasn't, and I don't think I will thank you very much.
I am getting a second opinion this evening, which means hoovering, dusting and hiding all my mess under the sofa yet again. Then listening to all the dribble about what I will be liable for if anything so much as a cup of tea gets spilled on the carpet.
Decisions, decisions I want to sell, however all my elders are advising against this, as it is an investment. So is putting the cash in a high interest account. What are the tax implications? Any comments?

Sunday, March 06, 2005

This is me and a Peruvian jewelery seller - I am modeling my purchase - Cat's Eye earrings. This guy tried to get us to go meditating with him. I have mentioned him in an early posting. Posted by Hello
I can not rotate this pic - I am not too hot on this at the moment - Give me time. This is the Sarong Man at Ipanema Market Posted by Hello
Cable car view from Sugar Loaf - the main beach pictured is Copacabana. Posted by Hello
I am getting giddy posting this - It is the cable car ride up to the top of Sugar Loaf - The Christ statue is the little point in the middle of the range in the back ground. Posted by Hello
The beach at the foot of Sugar Loaf Posted by Hello
This is Mr Alfonzo and me in the appartment we rented off him for the biggest part of our stay - We named him the Brazilian Del Boy - Classic case of Grecian 2000 Posted by Hello
A view of Sugar Loaf Mountain from the heart of Rio Posted by Hello
Our second day in Rio - This was taken up at the 1st stop o the cable car up Sugar Loaf Mountain - Note the Christ the Redeemer statue in the back ground  Posted by Hello
Sarah and me in our favourite restaurant Felicia - We were hooked on the sorbet cocktails Posted by Hello
This is me on Ipanema Beach, Rio Brazil Posted by Hello

1st Set of Pictures

Hey What Up - Or Wup (my Yorkshire abbreviated version),
I have finally had the time and have inclination to get set up posting pictures - I am not sure how to get any more of them on to the site so I can then download to the Blog - So the ones I have posted today are from the 1st set I took in Brazil. I wish I could figure how to put them all on here for you so you could flick through them like a regular album - Well, I am getting there. Patience my dears - I may surprise you.
Mum gets her biopsy results tomorrow so I am slightly concerned - did not get much sleep last night. I am soooo trying to quit smoking too. All this is really heart stopping and cigarettes are lethal. It is really hard to quit. I had one at 3am and not touched one since - about 9 hours and I have been asleep for most of those. All I am doing is staring at the packets of duty frees I have laying round the place.
Monday tomorrow and I am waiting to get a call from one of the plethora of agencies I have signed up with for temp work. I had the shock of my life when I was asked the min hourly rate I would go for I had to say 6 quid!!! My God I have not worked for such a paltry sum since I did a month at Grandma Wild's Biscuit factory during my A'levels!
Anyway I am so trying to get the house packed up and get myself a renter in from the 1st April - Then I am planning to move back to the States - My mum could do with the help and I am not even gonna try and get acclimatized to this place again. I have too much under my belt since I left here in October and I really need to get back in the sun. British attitudes seem to suck too. I can not let anything interrupt my karma right now.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

Trying to Post Pictures

I have SO much to say and no time at the moment - I am on about 40 wpm typing now and have the luxury of my own home to type - however I am on the lap top and have not quite realised how hard it is to really go for it. So I will be back tomorrow with a concise update of my life since Brazil. I will tell you I did have 2 weeks back in California and I am definitely going back as London SUCKS. I had made my mind up before I left Brazil, but I have had to come back to sort our my affairs.
I am usually full of wit (not shit dear friends), but as you all know my mum was in for a biopsy yesterday on a lump they found on her left breasticle. She gets the results on Monday, so keep your fingers crossed.
All I want to say is it is absolutely freezing cold in London - In fact snow settled the other day leaving the garden white and clean - just settled long enough for me to hide in the comfort of the house and pretend the garden was ok left to its own devices. I must say not too much damage occurred during my absence so I will have to fight off the sunshine blues and get my bottom in there soon.
I have posted a picture on my profile - It typifies me, fag in hand. I must admit I am trying to quit however it seems very hard when one has a house full of duty frees!
Late x

Thursday, February 24, 2005

San Fran Do the Best Shots

Hi Bloggers,
Just to let you know I have been really busy the past week. Busy NOT writing 2k words a day on my book - merely researching for it. I guess my book will be based on a drunken 30 year old - Yes, I have done nothing but dine out twice a day and drink shots of Jagermeister and Red Bull 'blasters'. I have been frequenting my old haunts in Half Moon Bay California, The Harbor Bar and the Brewing Company and I have also had a few nights of debauchery in San Fran itself - There were masked as shopping days but visiting a bar for a cocktail at 2pm does not make much time for frequenting the many wonderful shops the city has to offer.
I have been spending time with my mum, who is going through a tough time of it after being called back after a routine mammogram. She has just been told today about her next trip to the hospital which will be for a biopsy on a couple of lumps they found in one of her breasts.
I will be changing the tone of my blog for a while as I will be documenting the days ahead and if it comes to it how things pan out when you discover such a shock as potential cancer in the family. There is no humour to be had in the 'c' word. But since a couple of people close to me are going through the same thing with their parents I think the diagnoses should be documented as it is not something that does not happen to you. This blog is about me and contrary to popular belief my holiday had to end somewhere.
I should be back in the UK in a few days, just trying to swing a stand by business class ticket, then it is back to the house in Kent, and back to office work for a month to pay my bills and get ready for Leanne's wedding.
I have been aware of my mates in the past few weeks, and thank the boffins of Sillicolne Valley for the invention of email. I just wanna thank you all for being somewhere in the world for me. I love you all.