Money Makes The World Go Round

A moment that made me laugh this week:

Moss: Too much information!
Jen: What? That she had a baby. Moss it’s a natural part of life.
Moss: It’s not a natural part or my life and I aim to keep it that way.
IT Crowd

It’s been a funny ol’ month. I seem to be swearing a lot more than usual and am starting to crave alcohol at unusual times. I’m not claiming to have formerly been a saint as there are moments in everyone’s life when a good old swearing session is called for. I prefer to do it when I think nobody’s listening then regain composure and get on with things. Seen as 90% of my time awake now is spent at work, this process has become somewhat difficult to maintain. I’ve turned from Moss in the IT Crowd (see his example of  swearing please!) to Cartman from South Park. There was one day at work where I thought “Screw you guys, I’m going home.” But then I’d have no job and money is the only thing that’s keeping me going. Oh and the thought of my trip, naturally.

I’m like a social experiment these days. I can see it now…Subject A is experiencing high levels of stress, is sleep deprived and dehydrated. Let’s throw in an angry Turk and see what happens. That’s what the conclusion of yesterday was. I wish people wouldn’t start arguments with me that they can’t finish. Even though he walked away I still say I won.

Another one for you. Someone stole my tie at work. Why? An apron I can understand as I only have one and if there was one on offer somewhere I think I’d nab it too. I’m sick of washing that damn thing. But a tie…really? It’s maroon and yellow. It’s a step down from a school tie. I’ve now learnt that if you leave anything (and I mean anything) unattended, it will most likely be taken. Sheesh, I know the job’s minimum wage but…a tie, really? Ok, maybe it’s just me that thinks it’s weird. I’ll move on.

It’s been made official now. My full time job has been advertised and they are now interviewing. It will be a tough challenge for them to find someone as awesome as me, ahem. It’s weird coming face-to-face with my possible replacement. Interviews take place at Head Office all the time and I usually end up having a nice chat with some of them. It makes a change as I’m normally talking to my computer or myself. It’s not come to the point where I’ve named it but I’m definitely closer to Castaway madness than anything else. Luckily at the moment I’m just shouting at emails on the computer, so technically it’s not the computer itself I’m talking to. Anyway, this was different. I found myself taking a step back and being a lot more judgemental. I know I shouldn’t care but part of me wonders what will happen once I’m gone.

This month I’ve also decided to take a break from the books. I was poring over every LP/Rough Guide books I could get my hands on. The plus side of that is that it’s given me plenty of ideas for my trip. The major downfall is that there is no Karl Pilkington guide to RTW trips. Of course every guide book is going to talk up each and every city. One book had a whole chapter on Auckland. I didn’t think there was that much to do in Auckland. I guess I’m just going to have to find out for myself which is part of the adventure and unpredictability of it all. Either that or find a group of people who look like they know what they’re doing and follow them or join them if they are tolerable.

It’s come to that point now where I have to do all the serious financial preparations for my trip. Normally I put off these kinds of things off as I hate talking to my bank. But instead of it being a simple standing order, I need to make arrangements so I can access my money abroad without silly charges. I also need to let my bank know I’m going or things could get messy. So no, I can’t put it off. My bank, which I’ve been with since I was 14, has just refused to give me a credit card to use abroad. Arse. So I’m not off to the greatest of starts.

I’m also trying everything in my power to raise funds. If anyone’s got any ideas please share them. I’m eBaying everything I can find that’s worth selling. You know those news stories where someone sold a used tea bag for a tenner and a piece of string for £2.50...load of bollocks. People are tight. Gone were the days where you could innocently add an extra pound on p&p to make some money back. You get condemned now. They’re up there with the car boot scavengers. I’m trying to sell my car on eBay. I’m doomed!

Fingers crossed I get a boost in funds or my blog will have an early death…

Say What Now?

So all of you know by now that there are some people in this world who can’t seem to grasp the difference between Daniel (male) and Danielle (female). I’m used to being called Daniela at times but Daniel...Daniel!?! 

See above for the most recent incident. There’s no mistaking it for anything other than Daniel. What hurts me most is that this was written by a work colleague...a friend! Someone I’ve worked with for nearly 2 years. Let’s just say it’s a good job she feeds me chocolate. Oh, and before you ask, there is nobody named Daniel who works in our office. This is definitely meant for me *sigh*

But fear not, I feel there is light at the end of the tunnel. I received the following email last week:

Hi Danielle

Do you remember when I rang you about 4:15pm yesterday. Well Jill was stood behind me when I spoke to you and she said I called you Daniel instead of Danielle, so I don't know if you actually noticed but if I did it was only a slip of the tongue and I apologise, I was in a bit of a panic. I had a problem...and needed it sorting before I left at 4:30pm so was probably a bit anxious, but I thought about it last night and felt I had to email and say sorry.

Best wishes and sorry for my slip

Flipping heck, I think word is spreading fast! It would be nice to think that one day I can live in a world where everyone knows how to correctly say/spell my name, hmm...

Does That Make Me Crazy...Probably

Dear brain,

Firstly, I’d like to thank you for getting me this far. You have certainly surpassed many people’s expectations and that’s always satisfying to watch.

There have been times where rational thought had been on holiday and social embarrassment took the reigns. There isn’t a blog entry big enough to fill in the silly mistakes and embarrassing moments made but hey, everything that has happened has led up to this moment. I am going to travel around the world so there are certainly no regrets…that I can think of anyway!

I feel like this trip is a fresh start for me. There isn’t a clear path or any sort of direction to my life right now which is something that would normally petrify me, yet I feel exhilarated.

But, I digress, the reason why I write to you today is, in the nicest way possible…well…you need to sort yourself out mate. I don’t know where you’ve been for the past couple of weeks but I feel like I’m on my own right now. I honestly didn’t know what day it was yesterday. I’m finding myself forgetting things. I'll ask somebody something and then that memory will be gone in a split second. I won't remember asking the question or what the answer was. I’m like an old woman! I still know how to dress myself and put one foot in front of the other so there’s nothing significantly wrong. But there are times where I completely glaze over (Homer Simpson style) and all thoughts trickle out of my head like a slot machine hitting jackpot.

It always happens at crucial moments too so your timing is terrible! Why couldn’t you go kaput when I’m listening to drainers or when the adverts come on the telly. Instead, it’s whilst I’m at work. I feel like I’m losing the plot. Ok, I have figured out that I work more hours than I sleep so I’m not doing you any favours (working 24 out of 48 hours is fun, you should try it!), but still…

Don’t fail me now! We only have 8 weekends to go and then you get a rest. I’ll make sure we have some quality duvet time and the only decisions you need to process will be what to eat and when to pee!

I was hoping the thought of relaxing on a beach in Fiji, meditating in Japan or eating a pretzel the size of one’s head would be enough to get you through this but I was wrong*. Now let’s give a final push…now I sound like I’m giving birth. Calm down, you already know that I would never put you through that kind of trauma. We’re coming to the final stretch now and we’ve tripped over a few times but let’s make it a sprint finish (like this peppy guy!).

So to conclude, we need to be more responsive and less retarded, thanks.

Big love,
Dx

*I’m rarely wrong and if I am, I’ll fight to the bitter end before I admit it! You’ve been warned!