Running on empty

I started running again last month and I'm taking it a bit more seriously than I used to. Granted, I'm still not very fast and I don't go terribly far; but I'm paying a lot more attention to how fast and how far I'm not going. Why? I've decided that I want to run the Dublin City Marathon. Not this year (it's on in 2 days, so I've left it a little late to train!) but maybe next? At any rate, it's on my list of things to do before I die (see my50.co.uk).

I was watching a comedy show called Dan & Becs a couple of weeks ago, and Becs was talking about a website called 'mapmyrun.com'. I thought it was part of the joke, but checked it out anyway. Sure enough and lo and behold, there it was. A great way to keep track of all my runs and how quickly I don't do them and how far they're not. It's made me feel so inadequate that I'm pushing myself a bit harder so that I don't look like a total loser if someone happens to look at my profile/runs/training.

So, now I'm almost up to 6 miles, at least 2 mornings per week. It's a start.

A Coffee for the Teacher

I think one of my students asked me out yesterday. It's been a long time since anyone has asked me out, so I'm not sure if he did or not. In my day, you wouldn't ask (or be asked) in front of other people. Perhaps the fear of rejection outweighed the mild interest in the actual answer?

Anyway, I was helping a group of students work on a web assignment and I suggested that I should start charging for extra tuition, but said that a hot cup of coffee on my desk before the next class would suffice. Then he said: "Forget the coffee, will you come for a drink with me instead?"

I just laughed. "Aha ha ha!" The other students laughed. He laughed. I said "You need to make sure the link is relative, or else it won't work when you put it up on the server", desperately trying to change the subject, or at least get back to safe ground.

Is it really conceited to think that he might have been asking me out? Still, I do hope he wasn't actually serious. Oh God, that would be awkward.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Oh wow! This book was great. Death tells the story of a teenage girl growing up in a small town in Germany in the build up to and the early years of the second World War. There's an accordianist, a Jew in the basement, a boy, a library and a Fuhrer. I won't tell you anything else about this - just say READ IT!

Being a student isn't as much fun as I remember

So I've been out of work for two weeks. I kinda like it. I'm supposed to have one more week off before I start my PhD and lecturing schtick, but coz I'm such a sad little go-getter, I've signed up to do a seminar course and a consortium next week. I may have slightly underestimated the amount of work I'd have to do to prepare for it.

The result of this was that I spent the last fortnight, allegedly on holidays with my family, ignoring my husband and yelling at my kids to "shut up, mommy's reading", or "be quiet, mommy's working", or just plain "go away and annoy your dad, mommy's busy". I'm not proud of it. I'm just saying, is all.

Anyway, I've 2 days left before the seminar course begins and I've read 10 of the required 16 papers. I also need to meet up with one of the other students and prepare a presentation based on 3 of the papers I haven't read yet. I've also got to read a bunch of research proposals and prepare another presentation based on my own for the consortium. And I still haven't had a chance to review the course material for the lectures I'm supposed to start giving on Monday week...

Busy, busy, busy.

Sick again!

This is just so bloody typical. I've only been back in work since last Tuesday and I've only got to keep going until Friday and I'm properly sick again. I have the stinkiest throat infection - my third this year! I haven't eaten for two days and I can't even drink water, because it hurts too much to swallow. Also it won't stay down and if I thought it was painful going down, it's way, way worse coming back up! I've lost 7 lbs in the last 3 days. (Normally, I'd be quite pleased about losing 7 lbs, but there's something deeply unhealthy about this particular weight loss, I feel...) The doctor reckons I may need to consider getting my tonsils out. Boo hoo! A double dose of antibiotics has been prescribed. Yuck.

Get well soon to me.

Things to do in work when your brain is dead

So, I've been back in work for a day and so far I have successfully managed not to actually do anything that could be construed as work.
I have had some serious personal internet time, caught up on lots of emails, played spider solitaire for an hour or so, updated my blog, read other people's blogs...
You might think that I would be very proud of myself for sticking it to the man. But I'm actually having a small crisis of conscience and I am so bored right now that it's not even funny.
I'm about to go for an extended coffee break and then make a serious effort to find out my login ids for various applications and even try to do something constructive for the rest of the day.
Maybe.

Lots of stuff

I have just come back to work this morning after nine months' maternity leave. It's a bit of a bummer, but I can now finally reveal my news to the world: I've quit my job. I'm going to start a PhD in September and I'll be doing some undergraduate lecturing to keep a bit of cash coming in.

In other news, it was my birthday last weekend (boo-hiss!) and Conor gave me the best birthday present in the world, ever (yeay!). A 1969 MGB GT. Gorgeous! These aren't actually pictures of my car, which is blue, but they look exactly the same. Except for the colour. Which is blue.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

So, I read the last Harry Potter book and I will admit that I enjoyed it a great deal. Not to spoil it for anyone, but I had kind of guessed the twist when I read the sixth book. I am a little disappointed in JK though - I think she wussed out at the end. Though I suppose it is really a kids' book...
Anyway, for all you Potter fans out there, I don't think you'll be let down. It's exactly what you would expect. Anyone who doesn't buy into the Potter phenomenon, don't bother reading this, because it's exactly what you would expect.

Pottery

Well, I didn't quite line up to get a copy at midnight, but I did go to my local Tesco's on Saturday afternoon and buy the latest (and last) Harry Potter book. And I interrupted myself reading 'The Book Thief' to start it. I'm four chapters in and so far, it's just as Pottertastic as any of the other books (take from that whatever you will!) Review to follow...

News still coming...

Sorry to be such a tease. I haven't got the official confirmation I've been waiting for so I'm still not ready to reveal my new life plan to the huddled masses. It is coming soon though. I promise. (I hope!)