Hello weekend

I had a job interview yesterday. I have absolutely no idea how it went. I don't think I can ever judge these things very well, because I get in there and as soon as the first question is asked I seem to forget everything I've prepared and just start spouting a load of verbal d. It was an internal interview so I knew the person who was interviewing me but I'm not sure whether that made it better or worse. 

There will be another stage yet, the next one with the main person you will be PAing for if you get the job, and I think at the end if the day it all comes down to chemistry. If there's no chance of developing a great working relationship together then you won't get the job. As my PA colleague said when I caught up with her after the interview yesterday: "It's like a marriage without the sex".

I think they're keen to get someone in quite quickly so I might hear back at short notice for the second stage early next week. Fingers crossed. 

So this had been on my mind since Wednesday and along with my opticians appointment my mind has been pretty occupied (no Mrs Optician I am not wearing contact lenses right now *cough*) and I haven't had much chance to think about my trip to Manchester this weekend, which has come at PERFECT timing after a busy week. My oldest and dearest friend moved to Manchester to study at Met over 6 years ago and never came back home to stay. I guesstimate we have been friends for approx 18 years. 

As these photos were taken over a year apart, that green v neck sweater must have been a favourite of his. 

He always comes home to visit his family and me but a trip for me was well overdue so am currently on train (searching for wifi) on my 3 hour train journey with nothing to think about other than writing blog posts, reading the news and reading Bridget Jones (and fretting about my interview feedback but determined not to think about it). Bliss. 

I haven't been for a run for a week now. I was supposed to go yesterday but I had a headache from the mega early start and from concentrating on the motorway in the pitch black and horrendous rain. I haven't been doing nothing though:

Sunday: 30 min swim

Monday: 30 min swim

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: 30 min swim

Thursday: 30 min swim

Friday: rest

Saturday: rest

Not a bad week but aching to get out for a run so shall make it happen on Monday. 

Dans x

Whizz-Kidz Neon Nightwalk

On Friday at 7pm my colleagues and I took part in the Neon a nightwalk for a Whizz-Kidz, our charity partner which provides electric wheelchairs and other mobility equipment for disabled children to help them lead more active lives. 

We were a bit apprehensive because the weather forecast was heavy rain all through the night, and as my colleague was bringing along his 9 and 5 year old children, we were a bit concerned the weather would put a real dampener on the night. 

But it only drizzled at most (this was still a little miserable when matched with gale force winds!) and the night was EXCELLENT. We all really enjoyed ourselves and managed the 10 miles in 5 hours, rounding up at Whizz-Kidz HQ at midnight, with a few toilet and refreshment breaks in between.

If you're gona do it you may as well do it properly ;)

It's so awesome to walk so far around London at night and take in all of the different scenery. We walked past all of the famous landmarks, passed a lot of amused and supportive people, and had a fantastic time raising money for our lovely charity. 

I think the total raised for us on the night is nearing £5,000, so pleased with that. We are soooo close to our £35k total fundraising goal and me being me now wants to push it to £4k... We have two months left and anything is possible!

Dans x

If I said I didn't like pretty things I'd be lying

I would love to still be in birthday mode but it's so busy and hot at work and my party seems like a gazillion years ago. I am on a health kick which means no sugar to get me through the day, although I just popped out on lunch to get some washing detergent and softener and was mega distracted by the sweet aisle. I had a quick glimpse and then remembered how rubbish I would feel on my run later if I stuffed myself full of chocolate now. 

I am planning to get my 2/4 run completed today, I have absolutely no reason not to go so I'm going to get out there tonight and give myself tomorrow off before running 3/4 on Friday and 4/4 Saturday morning, which will complete my goal this week. These small goals are definitely helping me because 

1) they feel small enough for me to know I can complete them and 

2) it keeps things fresh and exciting

So as I'm tired and hot and a little bit bored today, I thought I'd share with you some of the gorgeous gifts I received from my amazing friends and family this year. Btw this is mainly to remind myself that there is still some joy in life when turning 25, and that 25 isn't as boring as the life I have seemed to lead since Monday. 

My sis had a plastic replica of a library lamp that I absolutely fell in love with. When she was about to give it to me, it broke, so as an amazing surprise she bought me this brass one for my birthday, which goes perfectly on my dressing table. 

Ok so it's a fact universally acknowledged that I have inherited wonderfully chubby fingers from my dear Father. Even when I lose weight, the fingers don't budge. I think I'm still having a hard time accepting this although not as much as when I was in school when I used to hide them under my uniform jumper. Anyway, my bestie most amazing friend ever bought me this gorgeous Pandora ring that features my birthstone Peridot. It's SO PRETTY.

I love my new Cath Kidston iPad case from DC's sister. I think it could double up as a hand mitt when it gets too cold. It just looks so comfy. Check out the mess on the floor from where I got all iPad-excited and threw my rubbish. 

Yes is really happened. And no I didn't share it. Well actually I gave DC a bite but he took off much more than I was happy with so I told him his time was up and he had to go get his own salted caramel cheesecake chocolate slab. This was the first thing that was demolished on bank holiday Monday. 

I got a lot of vouchers too which I'm wondering whether to save or splurge, but that's for another post ;)

Dans x

5 more things I didn't tell you while I was gone...

1. Trev was finally taken for a clean, his first since I bought him six weeks ago... I have to admit it was getting a little shabby with how much I've been driving him around! DC took him for me as an excuse to get out of glossing our skirting boards...

2. It finally came around to my turn to cook for our office's Munch Club. One lady bakes every month so because I was last to move upstairs to the office I had to wait 12 months for my turn! My mum came around the evening before and we spent a good few hours baking. We made date slices, peach patisseries, and cupcakes... they were all yum and went down really well in the office, plus they were all mega easy to make.

3. I started planning my half year conference at work. Other than one mega mishap of changing the date, I really need to crack on as it's on 11 July and I haven't got much planned at the mo. Around 50 of the management team come together every half year for a business review, and it's a great chance for everyone to get on the same wavelength in regards to how the company is doing, and also a nice opportunity for the management team to get together from all across the country and catch up and see each other. I've booked our evening entertainment, which will be a game show style team event with rounds such as Catchphrase, Buzzcocks etc. I'm hoping I pull it all off!

4. In the weeks that I've been MIA, I lose 2lbs at weightwatchers, then put on 0.5, then put on 1.0... so I'm back to where I started. But now that a holiday is hopefully in sight, it's time to get bikini body ready!

5. My sis and I made sausage pasta on my Thursday bake off night and my sister wasn't too impressed with what the skins resembled, so I'll leave you with this image...

 Dans x

How to not spend all of your salary in Sainsburys

Once, I tried to get through the Sainsburys door not by pushing it open as normal people do, but by swiping my work pass to try and gain access.

And another time, I was really annoyed because me as well as an elderly man had been queuing up at the self service checkouts for at least ten minutes, when suddenly the fire alarm went off and they made us leave both without me buying my Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter and the old man without his loaf of bread.

But then again it is about the only place that still stocks a Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter bar.

As you can see, Sainsburys and I have a love / hate relationship.

It should really be enough that I do my weekly shop at Sainsburys. I mean, an hour and a half on a Saturday afternoon among screaming kids and people who just will.not.move.their.trollies.out.of.the.bleeding.way is enough to make anyone go insane. But not me. I find myself there at least every lunch time and sometimes twice a day...

...I think it's because I have an obsession with spending money, and Topshop is too far a walk from the office.

I also think it's because DC is too lazy to drive to Tesco after work and always uses the excuse 'well Sainsburys is just down the road from you so you can go on your lunch break'.

I could literally spend all of my money in there. Maybe it's because I love bad food and expensive magazines. It's definitely not to check out the security guard (if you saw him, you'd know what I mean).

I really should start leaving my purse at home. Or get a more interesting obsession, like an addiction to clothes instead of food and magazines (oh yes, I already have that too).

Dans x

How to cope with stress without demolishing a chocolate bar

Does anyone have the magic answer to my question?

I don't have much willpower, that's a well known fact. So when I'm sitting at my desk at work, having a hectic and stressful day over trivial things that all add up into stress central, what do I do, reach for an apple? Oh nooo don't be silly. An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but the last thing I want in a moment of need is one of those. No, I am talking about a peanut butter Kit Kat chunky, a doughnut, or a packet (yes a packet) of white chocolate and raspberry Sainsburys Taste the Difference cookies.

Last week and this week I've been trying to make steps to stop the sugar overload when I'm under the weather and snowed under with work. I've actually not been going out on my lunch break so that I'm certain I won't grab two chocolate bars on the way back to the office... one for the journey and one for my desk. Instead, I've been keeping to my healthy snacks and staying indoors for my break, to stop the temptation. Well actually that's a lie... I did really well last week but this week didn't quite go to plan. I blame Mrs Crimble, for her giant chocolate, delicious, impossible to resist macaroons, and I also blame Nakd bars for doing absolutely nothing at all to curb my sugar craving.

So I am completely expecting a 3lb weight gain tomorrow at weigh-in (I'm not exaggerating - the scales are not my friend right now) and I know exactly why, and I think I need to ban myself from Sainsburys to keep away from the sugar. If only I could be one of those people who drink water when they're stressed, or do yoga, or sing a song... or something. Nope, a Sainsburys ban for me.

Dans x

Less play, more work...

...I think this may be my life for a while! I started working at my place of work (a big corporate plc) in November 2009 after getting a job on reception. I liked it (it got me out of waitressing) but after a while it wasn't challenging enough and I started to get a bit fed up. Luckily I was approached by the PA to our CEO at the time about a PA job opportunity that had come up, and I jumped at the chance.

Soon after in May 2009 I was promoted to PA and had my own little amazing office upstairs, supporting the Group Company Secretary, Business Development Director, and a MD of one of our operating businesses within the Group.

I LOVED it, but it was exhausting! My line manager, the PA, was notorious for being a little harsh and controlling (that's putting it mildly) but I was grateful for the job and continued to pull my weight.

Our company was taken over in December 2010 and seems as there was already a CEO in our takeover company, my line manager was put at risk of redundancy and therefore me as well. it was a terrifying time but at the same time it helped to be in there working at Group level as it was a lot easier to find out what was going on. My Company Secretary boss left the company as did my BDD and I fought for my role against the idea that my MD's requirements were not enough to fill a whole role.

However in the end I didn't lose my job and I became soleley PA to the MD. Let's call him M. I moved upstairs to where M and his business central functions were based, and I can promise you I have never been happier. We clicked, we had a great working relationship, he let me have full control over and access to everything - diary, appointments, emails, phones - it's safe to say I did everything for him however that way of working worked fine with me. It's easier when you have full access in a PA role. Your boss's week and evenings is packed full of appointments and outings so when he's not available, who is going to sort things?

And so I trotted along happy for two years, supporting M and his management team.

Until suddenly on Monday, M left (I can't go into why). That's it, gone. And then there was the small problem of the fact that I didn't find out until 9.30pm on Thursday evening when M rang me because he found out no one had told me and I was going to roll up to work on Friday morning none the wiser.

This I felt was a smack in the teeth and has really made me reevaluate my thoughts and feelings about my role. I am still trying to get my head around it. I thought I was a valued colleague, I was right up there with M, at the top of the business, his right hand man, and yet no one thought to tell me.

Putting this aside with a good few wines on Friday evening (I thought I'd be up for the karaoke but I wasn't quite), I came into work on Monday knowing that I'd be meeting my new boss (yes they move fast). I was on edge all weekend and nervous all morning - what is he like? Will I lose my job if he doesn't want to be based here? But the question most in the mind was, how will he want to work? Will he run his own diary? Make his own appointments? Could I shove things into his diary without telling him or would I have to ask his permission? Will I even be needed?

I know it's all so trivial but all of these little things add up to keep the business running. So anyway after some sleepless nights over the weekend, I met my new boss yesterday and he is lovely. Really great. It is going to take a lot of time and effort to get things established between us but I'm really hoping that we can get a good way of working sorted and that he won't decide he doesn't like me and therefore get rid of me (have seen this happen).

I know I have the experience and strength in me to do a good job, and I have more than proved myself over the past couple of years. But I really love my job and I really want it to work.

Only time will tell!

Dans