Hello ppl,

Well I currently have 3 filters one that most of you belong to as it is friends only...

One which is really personal stuff from past a present Called: Special - this includes information about past relationships and stuff I am currently going through.

And I am adding a new one called: Close - this will include conversations around sex and other stuff

I guess what I am asking is what do people want to be added to, not wanting to offend people,also of course some of you might not be added even if you want to read some of the more personal posts.

I will Screen all replies to this post.

Does anyone want a Google Wave invite.... have loads and was wondering...

have screen comments so you can give me the email you want me to send invite too.

Found this today, made me smile, and also think a lot.

http://tinyurl.com/5vwf5q

It is a YouTube thing.

I went home for 2 weeks holiday and felt like crap, came back to work last week and now feel 400 times better, what the hell is that about. Also had my appraisal last Monday, it went well I think, I did let them know that I only really plan on doing this job for 2 years at the most (so one more to do). I need a job in the city I actually live in, the travelling is getting to me now.

I am also hoping when I get home tonight that there will be a couple of builders quotes for me. I want to get my loft insulated and board a section (storage), and repair the guttering as water seems to be coming in from somewhere. Old houses rock, and to be honest I don't mind spending a bit of money it will make me happy to have a job and also a bit more proactive about making some money I think.

Dear reader,

you know my little rant about reading for fun yesterday and not reading because it is a chore. Well I was astounded to find upon reading my new book for the week yet another Nick Honby called "Polysyllabic Spree", that he kind of has a similar rant right at the beginning of the book. This book is unlike his other books as it is actually a collection of book reviews he wrote for a Christian publication in the States called "Believer". So far I have wanted to go and buy several of the books he has reviewed, not that I will till at least the time I have finished this book. Doing fairly well considering sometimes it takes me months to read a book; nearly a third of the way through and that is only from reading today on trains and when I woke up mysteriously early this morning (5:30am).

I am in London today had a meeting with the Young Peoples Team in Friends House and The Leaveners, which i think went well. I guess I find it hard sometimes to contribute because I am doing books in an office half the time, and it is never easy to see how doing books helps contribute to the wider community of Quakers in and around the country. I like being in Friends House as it means I get to bump into old friends while I am here which is always a joy, so today I am sitting in the offices of the friend talking with Jez, currently sitting at Oliver's desk, but that is ok I had some banter with him earlier.

Always good to see Jez, and others too. Ooo Oliver is back, better get off his computer, although it is tempting to stay here so he can't work and can have a break.

So am a bit late, but my very good friend double0hilly who at the time was living practically in the same building as me. Just realised that was almost 6 years ago.

Today's selection of cake was somewhat disappointing. Ok so I keep saying I will post more and keep failing to post more. So maybe it is time to just accept defeat and write when I will write. Last week was a fairly good week, it being a holiday and all. I went and saw my mum who now lives in Lewes near Brighton, the main benefit of visiting is getting to see the sea, which was muchly needed by me.

There is something about visiting parents that strikes a cord with me, I guess it is because they see you have changed but don't really see how to talk to you in different way, so are more likely to annoy you, and of course it is true that we annoy them too. So I was staying with my mum (Sophia) from Sunday to Thursday, and by the middle of Wednesday I was getting a little to tetchy with her and was contemplating escape. Fortunately I took a book and my Ipod, so escaped into them.

So the book in question was "Slam" by Nick Hornby, and I will say right now I read it quickly and enjoyed it immensely. Probably helped by lines like "never take your mum to a party", which made me laugh out loud a lot. Escape into books is a good think I thing, of course I should read more, but tend not to because it seems like hard work, but maybe it is right to just read for fun anyway, something I am now getting a hang of. You might find it funny me saying only now I am getting a hang of this, but when you have struggles with reading due to something like dyslexia, you often give up; so it is finally great to say "I enjoy reading" in a loud voice. Also I don't want to read things I will struggle with, or at least I don't want to right now, I have wanted to in the past, and will again probably.

What else, well I am still playing World of Warcraft (warcrack as they call it), and yes I am fairly addicted, although I think I am helped by being away in Birmingham 3 days a week and also other things I do for work around the place. It also helps having a house mate who distracts me from time to time with good stories about bazaar animals from the eightieth century. Did I mention Chris the for mentioned house mate, he is doing a Phd on eightieth century menageries, mad or what! Still where else am I going to hear stories about elephants dying on railway tracks, ok I know this one appeared in QI Stphen Fry's Quiz thingy (and yes I know thingy and muchly (above) are not words, but I rather like them), but bare in mind this was on of the few times I knew the story better than he did before he told it to the nation, which is a rarity although rather pleasing at the same time.

Oh and the cake comment at the beginning is true, Woodbrooke the place in which my office resides has cake at four o'clock every day and today I was disappointed, but we will see what tomorrow holds as I have a meeting at Friends House in London, which should be interesting if nothing else. Last but not least I am hopeful in the current mood, because i really am, it looks like I may finally see the end of year accounts out of the door, this is a happy occasion.

This might be stupid but I am thinking about it none the less. Yesterday when I was on the bus going into town to go watch Pride (photo's to come); at one of the bus stops there was a girl sitting back from the road crying she had loads of luggage and I looked at her through the window till the bus continued. I felt guilty not getting off the bus to go and see if there was anything I could do, so guilty in fact that I got off at the next stop and walked back, but she was gone. It has kind of been on my mind for a bit and I know I can't do anything about it, but I do kind of feel like I need to listen to myself more, listening myself saying "get off the bus" was all well and good, but not doing it is making me feel bad still.

I am slowly trying to pack stuff so that I am ready for next Sunday when i am hoping to move some of my stuff over from my current home to the new house along with doing a trip to Ikea, but we will see. I am going to see how much self control I can have with my budget, I might not be able to get everything I need but I will at least be able to look for some things. On Friday I think I might be purchasing a ladder and learning to put up curtail rails or poles depending on what the room allows, bearing in mind I think i will be TVless for the next couple of months still while I wait upon my deposit from my landlord.

So slowly I move.

Well hello, it has been a while, I don't think I have been posting enough really, but I guess that is down to not feeling much like it. Being single again I think was the right thing, I am happier and to be honest I was a little bit of a git, but I think we both were. Also I was becoming someone I don't like, I mean to say I became hostile because I was unhappy, of course I am to blame for failing to communicate how I was feeling earlier but then I can't be perfect not that anyone was asking me to be, I just felt stupid really in the end. But saying that I am happier, so I think it was the right thing to do this is not an evaluation merely me thinking out loud I suppose.

Leaving the relationship to one side for a second, I am also happy because I started my new job this week, I am now the Young Friends General Meeting Coordinator, which is a role I think I will enjoy massively and also I think there is a high chance that I can contribute in fun ways to the job. It is 3 days a week in Birmingham, so I am staying two nights a week there and commuting on Tuesday's and Thursday's to and from Manchester, I still will be working at Manchester Mount Street from time to time, just less as the real pressure to work for them has been lifted.

In other new my house is also almost ready for me to move into, I had the electricians in this week, and I have a gas man in next then a plumber hopefully the following week, and then I hope to actually move in around the beginning of September, but we will see. What with travelling down and up the country who knows when everything will work out.

Ooh! And in other news my house mate and friend got full funding for his Phd, so well done Chris.

Over 1300 views, my friends when they get drunk can be very funny when dancing/singing to Eurovision songs. Very popular UTube too.

Enjoy

So yesterday I had a job interview and I think it went really badly or at least that is what I thought. I have managed two amazing things this month, one to buy a house and the second is to get a job*. Amazing what can happen in a week. So yay and stuff. Of course the job is in Birmingham, am never one to make it easy for myself, but I am trying to find somewhere to stay two nights a week in Birmingham. I rarely say this by YAY GO ME!!!

*Subject to references.

Hello everyone,

I now own a

HOUSE

I suspect there will e a house warming in September sometime which of course I will let you know about. Already started thinking about what food to provide.

So I am off to London now, will be back Sunday. It feels all a bit up in the air, but this has been planned for months. I am going through the last of my dad's stuff with my brother and my mum, while staying with good friends. Staying in the flat would have been more difficult, at least this way i get to be with close friends and in a less awkward situation when sleeping and gives me some space from what we are doing each day. On Friday I am going to see the "Merchant of Venice" in the Globe with mum and seb, should be ok.

Pictures I keep forgetting to post, so they are on my facebook now: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7200&l=c8a51&id=504121007 I took these last summer.

Hello, I have been with Orange for 10years, and just lately I have been feeling that it is is not worth it. So here is the question, what would you recommend?

Basic facts: I use about 400 minuets a month and between 50 and 100 texts. I will want to keep my number but this should not be to hard.

Orange on the other hand seem reluctant to keep me as a customer anyway.

Grrrr!!

So as always it has been a while since my last post, and everything of course has changed since my last post. I am having an on going argument with N, new house stuff, old house stuff, Quaker stuff and I guess just friend stuff.

Not that it is all bad in any real way, but I do feel somewhat pressured at the moment. Money will be tighter, and expenses will be higher for the next few months. So I guess the biggest bit of NEWS is that I should have my house by the end of the month or very early next month, this is a little earlier than i would have liked mainly because I have my rental property till the end of September.

So yes people, know anyone who might want to rent a two bed flat in Victoria Park for a couple on months £550pm taking over my lease? Well it was worth a try, it is not the end of the world not being able to rent it out, but it would be nice not to part with the rent for August and September, mind you if i do find someone, they would be able to extend the contract if they wanted. And yes of course I am selling this but it would get me out of a bind, might just be able to work out something if you can't afford 550 a month, as I would still be saving cash.

OK enough of the sell. I keep missing Quaker events, I guess I make the decision to or am ill, or just seem to run out of time, but I feel bad about it, and I know it is me saying “you need to say NO sometimes” but I find it hard to listen to myself at the best of times. I am only really venting this, not doing much about it.

This month I helped start a Young Friends group in Manchester, I think we are going to meet on the first Sunday of each month and see how it progresses from there, I think I talk about Young Quakers (YQ's) a lot but then never really explain that YQ's are 18 to 3(ish) which I guess really means 35ish, but we don't really go to far into explaining what age we would cut people off. Anyway i think we are going to arrange walks, trips, shared lunches and stuff to do, it should all be fun. We may also try to twin some of our gatherings with other local YQ groups.

I am not sure how much to talk about my argument with N, I know that it upsets me to talk about it, but then I also know why it is upsetting N. I just can't do it right now. Maybe later.

Oh and of course I am rewriting my will too, nothing to complicated but it does make me feel a bit morbid.

So I signed a contract for my house yesterday, not just to wait for the seller to do the same. Feels like things are finally beginning to move. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a 23rd August hand over date.

I have been feeling a bit dizzy today, it is kind of odd. Not a feeling I like much. I just realised it is almost ten past two and I have not spoken a word to anyone yet today. Trying to tidy and get rid of stuff in my room, it seems like a good time to be doing such things.

I find it slightly ironic that I am not the only one not looking forward to going away this weekend, I am at least staying at a friends house in Newcastle, but this still does not really put me at any comfort as I am beginning to feel a little to departed from myself at the moment. YFGM is really just a distraction and I need to focus on me right now, plus of course I can't really afford to go away at the moment which makes it even more of a pain. I am thinking I have one more year in me then that is it I will be leaving the great expanse known as YFGM and going into a world where there is a greater mixture of age and responsibilities.

I have about a million things to do this week, and so am feeling less likely to stick around longer than 2 days, and to be honest I don't think I am staying beyond Sunday morning as I have been offered paid work on Sunday afternoon, and I need the Money what with Council Tax bills arriving at the moment.

Date: May 25, 2007, 13:20
***rethink ok I'm not going, I can't spend 50quid on a ticket, only earn back 20 quid on the Sunday, I just can't justify the money right now. This seems so silly "I am buying a house", of course I have no Money. I need to stop and put my priorities in order.***

I think I need to get out of the silly sleeping pattern I am in, I woke up today at nearly 12, I mean come on....

It is not even jet lag as I went to bed at 12. How come it is 4pm already... that was to quick. Maybe I need to go to bed earlyier, and then work back up to getting 7 hours sleep instead of 12.

So I went to Weight Watchers again last night and found that I have not gained a single pound while on holiday, shocked me especially after being in the States. Anyway I am happy, that mean I still have lost 23 pounds so far, and I will hope to extend this over the next few months as I really could do with loosing at least 100 pounds all together, more is possible, but I am not holding up to much hope of this as I am held back by my own cooking from time to time. I am aware that I might gain a little this week because I gave up hope of not gaining before I weighed in on Monday e.g. I gave into the cake monster (someone's birthday (David S) at the Quaker meeting house's staff meeting).

One of my friends changes the name of WW so that people don't know she goes, but to be honest I would be happier to let people know so that I don't keep being offered things I can't eat, which i find more upsetting. 23 pounds is just over a stone and a half (14 pounds to the stone), which for those of you using kg is 10.45kg (2.2 pounds to the kg). Stir fry's have been my main saviour I think, although soups and stew related dishes are doing well on the list too.

In other news my brother's mortgage people have stopped being such bastards and have finally decided it is time to pay me (fingers crossed), so hopefully on Friday the flat will no longer be mine, but will actually be Seb's. Also this will put my mind at ease when signing contracts this week or next week as I will have the full amount of money in an account so I can pay them. Mind you they only get a deposit till we actually exchange on my new home. I am hoping to get into the house on the 23 August, all so exciting, then I will just have to find a way of collecting all my stuff which is spread out in Chichester and London. At the end of next month me and my brother are sorting out the remaining stuff in the flats loft, to many plates and things, I do think that we might have come to an agreement about the paintings at last which is good, as it was my main worry. I do have a lot to be pleased about when it comes to having such an understanding family, I have been worried about my brother recently because of the stress he has been under but I am hoping this will of passed more not that mortgage bastards are being a bit more understandable.

I hate being pathetic, but I really miss sleeping next to someone I love. It is hard being honest about feelings sometimes, but I am getting used to this. Since leaving the States only 2 days have gone by where I have not spoke to N, we are being so bad about this, but then it is hard. At least it is only 7 weeks till we see each other again (here is Manchester), I guess so of you will meet N, too.