I asked C if I could borrow a tripod from her and she gave me one of her spare ones so I have been playing with that and my new remote control for my camera. I’m slowly learning.

Got another job interview letter today. Also got through to the last round with another job. My details have now been passed to the HR dept in the USA for their input and approval. It’s good to know I passed the UK bit. I should hear by the middle of the week. I’m crossing my fingers.

Going for Sunday lunch with P&E tomorrow. Really looking forward to it. Had a good chat with them on the phone this morning and I really fancy seeing them.

I’m enjoying my time off. I love getting stuck into one book after another. You don’t often get the opportunity. The library system is all online so I can book and reserve things from home and then just pop in to collect them when they’re ready. Result!

I am loving my flat and living on my own. The most noise you get here is when my upstairs neighbour hoovers! Bliss! So unlike the hell hole that was Thorburn Square. I shudder every time I think of Delphine. She was so noisy, so inconsiderate. A drunken junkie. Oh well you’re bound to have at least one nightmare flatmate on your journey through life. That which does not destroy us makes us stronger…

OK time for chores…or maybe Criminal Minds and a cup of tea. So very rock and roll!

Blessed Be

X

– From the iPhone of Technominx

The news in brief:
interview at Norwich City college last week went OK, but it became clear a couple of minutes in that 95% of the role was dealing with the one essential competency in which I was weakest – Virtual learning management systems – specifically Blackboard. There is no doubt that i could do the job, but I’d have been pipped at the post by anyone with more experience in that specific area…and indeed on Friday I learned that I was. Although it was not a particular surprise, I was disappointed. I do like to be useful and these couple of weeks since my QM contract ended have been a little frustrating for me. I can sit about and do nothing much for a limited amount of time, but I like problems and tasks to get stuck into. I like earning my way.

Mum and Dad came down at the weekend. I now have new curtains, made by my mum and a shelf in the wardrobe – made by my dad. The place looks much better! I do love my little flat, which is a good thing considering how much time I am in it at the moment in a bid to keep my spending down.

I did go out after dinner with my folks and M on Friday night. We met A and eventually ended up at the pub – we were so late though we missed all but the last 10 mins of the band. I had been drinking white wine all night and was very ill indeed all day Saturday. I ended up having to have a nap late saturday afternoon! I felt much better afterwards, but if my insomnia was bad before it’s worse now as my body clock has somehow got turned totally around and I haven’t been able to sleep before 5am for the last 3 nights. On the plus side I am getting a lot of reading done! I love curling up with a good book, and everything is silent all around in the middle of the night. It’s a very peaceful time to read. The scary bits are extra scary though! No Stephen King for me!

I’ve been reading The Vampire Diaries. Not because of the TV series, but because of a recommendation from a friend. I do like the stories, but the writing is even more simplistic than the Twilight books. I like both series, but i have to turn off the grown up in me and read with my inner teenager. The Sookie Stackhouse novels are much better written and because their heroine is older they’re less prone to overly gushy hormonal emotional outpourings. Divorce will ruin your tolerance for that stuff.

I popped to the hospital today. My uncle was taken in yesterday. I put a bunch of audio books on my ipod for him and have left it for him to borrow as it must get pretty boring – especially since you have to pay quite a lot to use the TV there.

I’m off to see H tonight. I’m fixing her laptop in return for bolognaise! I have my bag of tools packed. It feels good to be doing some type of IT work. I know I’ve done a little bit for Q5 last week but I like the hands on stuff. If i don’t find a job soon I can see me dismantling one of my laptops and doing a totally unnecessary refurb just to get my geek on.

I saw a junior QA position yesterday. They don;t necessarily want QA experience but are happy to adapt from other IT skills. I am working on a cover letter for my CV. I’ve been interested in QA for a while but considered that boat to have sailed after I’d committed to a career in support. Maybe it’s time for a change? I love IT Support. I love helping people and working directly with users, but I have gone about as far as I can. I am happy to stay in the field forever, but maybe this is the type of opportunity that life puts in your way for a reason. Just like when I went from Information Officer to IT. It was not a career I had given a lot of thought to – but it matched my natural skills and competencies so well that it felt like donning a familiar jumper from the time I started. Something to think about.

I have finally made a start with my camera and have been taking some pictures. They’re not ready to post just yet – to be honest they’re worse than if I’d used the ‘auto’ setting – but at least I’m starting to understand why the picture didn’t take the way I wanted it to. Once the crocus’ open, I’ll see if i can do any better. Narrow that aperture…blur that background and master that spot focus….

Rightio – I need to get myself cleaned up and ready to see H.

Oh! Before I go! I am gradually weaning myself off TBG (I know, new anacronym – I’m not explaining) Lusting over people who are too taken, too young, too timid, or too dangerous to my sanity is just too much like hard work!

Blessed Be

Le Minx

No he wasn’t psychic – I had my new big grown up camera with me. I planned to use the snow as a subject for some lunchtime camera practice.

Anyway, he began chatting about photography. He had a little point and click digital camera with him and for a millisecond I though how strange that he should have approached me and my big ole scary grown up camera…but then I saw his camera bag…he whipped out his yummy Olympus (OK that sounded rather rude) and then began to thumb through a mini portfolio he kept in the bag. Talking me through the shots. He was softly spoken and I found it hard to hear. I could only hear every other piece of advice and comment he made. It was infuriating. I wanted to ask him to slow down, I wanted to take notes. Instead I smiled lile the enchanted idiot I was. I didn’t want to break the magical spell of his soft voice.

As he left the bus he passed me his card and stopped outside the door…he told me to take a photo of him. As proof.

So here is my hastily grabbed snap. i didn’t have time for anything fancy….or frankly to even focus properly!

Here it is.

and that was that.

Who was he? Barry Lategan. He created one of the most iconic images of the 20th century. He took ‘That’ photograph of Twiggy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2009/nov/23/photography-twiggy