Alien vs. Predator Requiem & the Mystery of Why I Am Watching It

So I am watching Alien vs. Predator Requiem. I say watching but as I'm supposed to be concentrating on my NLP course I am more glancing over every minute or so just to see what is occurring. What is occurring? Not a lot. This move is crap.

My confession is that I haven't seen the entire Alien movie (the first and original) the full way through. Don't get me wrong I have seen the movie but not from start to finish. Over the past many years I have managed to successfully watch half an hour at a time before I finally cave into the terror and turn it off. With this movie however I have made several high brow critical comments such as 'if the rats run that direction follow them you idiots,' 'that is not a rat you friggin tosser' and 'dude could get away with pretending he is a tall Rastafarian with these bunch of idiots.' I'm not rating it highly as you can tell.

The reason why the original works for me is because I feel physically tense when I watch it. Even though I know what is coming and the element of surprise is somewhat diminished it is still uncomfortable enough to be interesting and scary. In this movie I am more like 'yeah, yeah, yeah facehugger blah blah blah.' I will also forever love the fact that the original introduced one of the first strong female characters in a genre where women were pretty much cannon fodder. Without Ripley who knows if we would have had Scully, or Buffy or any other kickass female ending with 'y' like....Gerry for example!

Watching this though reminds me of a conversation I had once with my friend the Fluffy Duck. In Alien vs Predator there are two primary opponents, the aforementioned Alien and the aforementioned Predator. Humans are merely the background event, primarily running around like fools trying and failing to not get impregnated or killed. We aren't rooting for the humans merely just hoping that the ones we like will get out alive. In this particular good vs. bad guy movie we are supposed to be backing the Predator. He (are there any she's?) is the 'good guy.' I could now launch into a pseudo feminist rant about how the Alien's are all female, the Predators are all male and that this is a sexist movie designed to perpetuate that female's are crazy hormonal creatures driven soley by their purpose to reproduce and males are the strong 'heroic' balance restorers. But I wont.

What I will say though is we are supposed to be supporting this guy:-

Really? REALLY? Now don't get me wrong, if I am faced with Mr. Pincer above I have a better chance of surviving than faced with Ms. Slimey below.

One look at me and any self respecting Alien would go 'hmmm hello nice fleshy incubator' but then they aren't particularly discerning. Predator would have a look over and walk off laughing. Worthy opponent I am not.

But for some reason we are supposed to find this decent behaviour? If you are weaponless and defenceless you are supposed to go 'why thank you mighty warrior alien race for not destroying me, you are of strong and wonderous character.' As I said to my friend, the Alien isn't inherently evil. I don't want to come face to face with one but they are acting on their base urges. Evolved to ensure their species survives whatever the cost. Pleasant? No. Neither is the real life Spider Wasp which Alien was supposed to be based on. Check it out here if you want.

We are led to believe the Predator has a higher degree of consciousness yet they are still very happy to hunt other species. Hmm familiar. It is a creature with a supposed higher moral compass that is quite happy to kill other sentient creatures for funsies. I am curious as to this guy's motivation if I'm completely honest. If a shark or lion or other predatory animal attacks there is usually some basic evolutionary motivation behind it. Food, threat, reproductive challenges. If a person attacks another person what is their reasoning? If you know what is right and what is wrong and still act in a detrimental way to others is that not wrong?

I feel like I need to sit the Predator down and find out exactly when he felt that his mummy stopped loving him.

That all being said I really am rooting for the dreadlock guy but here is a nice video to further support the fact that he is a douche.

Better Late Than Never

I apologise. I’ll tell you why though you know it already. I was doing so well, reinstating the  blog and making regular updates that clearly kept you oh so thrilled and then…. well I got a little slack. Life happened and both thumbs dropped off, I got kidnapped by pirates, aliens abducted me, I became queen of my own utopian dynasty. Ok life happened and I got lazy. I’m sorry because I did swear to you (my one loyal reader) that I would update next week and several weeks later here I am.

So please forgive me and allow me to update in style. Or because I don’t know how to update in style please allow me to share all the funness (is that even a word? Webster’s says no) and life happenings with you because sharing is caring after all.  

I last updated on the 14^th April to brag a little bit and so I am going to brag a little bit more because a week later Huw and I got this little guy…

Haaaaaave you met Barney Stinson? Well no you haven’t because I am introducing you to him now. Barney is a Long-Haired Golden Syrian Hamster which essentially translates to sooooo cute and fluffy!!!!!!

I’ve owned a hamster exactly the same breed as Barney before, his name was Cookie and if I could demonstrate his personality by humanising him Cookie would have worn a top hat, maybe even a monocle and would have carried a walking cane swishing it dandily (is dandily a word? Webster’s says yes). If I could demonstrate Barney’s personality I am looking at a different character. I’m seeing a leather jacket wearing, cigarette smoking and motor bike riding type of person. Sort of like-

So far I have learnt that you can’t watch Top Gear or Fast and the Furious or leave the window open on busy days because Barney doesn’t like the sound of cars. He also cannot stand Annie Lennox. He will pretty much go for anything if it is made of leather and has taken tiny little hamster sized bites out of my bag and purse before I’ve noticed. He will chew for hours on his cage bars rather than gnaw at any of the hamster chew related products purchased for him and then he will wilfully dangle upside down from the suspension bridge. So far Barney has peed on the wall, chewed through several cushions and is determined to dig his way down the sofa. Plus monkey nuts are his crack cocaine. Boy will go crazy to get his paws on one of those things.

Frankly he is a bit hilarious to watch. Anyone that says hamsters don’t have personalities clearly has never owned a hamster and I double dare them to put anything leather near him and see how long it lasts.

The other news I guess is that I’m leaving my place of employment after 5 years. I was starting to feel so down and doubt myself about my ability to do anything remotely work related. Then I got a phone call from someone who had spotted me and mentioned a potential job opportunity for me. Long story short I interviewed and got a new job. I am being replaced by two people at my current work place so I feel vindicated that when I said I was busy I wasn’t just talking pants.

I feel a mixture of emotions. I’m sad that I am leaving a place where I have worked and enjoyed working for a long time with the knowledge that I will not work with some excellent colleagues again but I am also grateful that I have had the opportunity to meet those colleagues and do what I was able to do.

I’m also feeling that glorious feeling of excitement and nerves you get before you do anything new. It’s been a while since I’ve been the new girl and I’ve already got all those little voices in my head –not the scary kind- whispering all their doubts. Forget the butterflies in my stomach; I have great big bats flapping around in there. In fact sod the bats. I think I’ve got a case of Batman.

For a long time I haven’t been able to get round to reading anything and I've really missed it. Now I am fully ensconced in the Song of Ice and Fire series (aka Game of Thrones) and am trying to rein it in a bit because the series isn’t finished and I’m exceptionally greedy and want to have it all. I had a wonderful moment last weekend when I realised that I just couldn’t and wouldn’t put one of the books down until I had finished it and for the first time in a long time I sat reading until the sun came up and then went to bed when I finally closed the cover. That is the power of stories.

On that note I bid you adieu and will try and update next week, I might not have the powerful stories but I do like to tell them.

Squee Moment of the Week/ Moment for Others to Be Absolutely Terrified:-

I have booked my first driving lesson.

 

Gerry's Many Treat Weeks

Oh dear. I have not been very good at updating. Memo to self- must be better.

The past few weeks have very much been treat weeks, not to say I haven't been working hard. If I had a ball I'm sure I would have busted it.

So this occurred...

And this...

And also this...

And not forgetting this...

 

I'm about to eat my jambalaya. I am naughty but I will be signing off. Will be better next week I promise and you will get a nice lengthy update then. I swear.

 



Squee Moment of the Week- all of the above baby. All of the above.

Disney vs Misery

As I am off to Disneyland Paris on Monday, sorry let me say again in case you didn't hear me, as I am off to Disneyland Paris on Monday I would like to 'theme' this weeks post accordingly.

I would like to share with you this hilarious (well I find it so) video that has been going viral. Take a little moment and enjoy...

Watched? Enjoyed? Good. The guy is called Jon Cozart and appears to be a scrawny kid from Texas who has a real talent at singing, pulling great faces & putting together a brilliant parody of what happens to some of our Disney princesses when the happily ever after is over.

For those of you who have chosen not to watch the video because you think it's mushy Disney crap I recommend that you click play. Ariel's ecosystem is being destroyed by oil spills and whaling, Aladdin has been arrested in the War on Terror, Belle is going to be burned at the stake by her crazy village and Pocahontas is going Last of the Mohican on our arses. Who couldn't blame her? She was after all the grand old age of 11 when she met John Smith who was pushing on 30. I guess child protection laws weren't in effect in Colonial America.

What I love about this most is that someone who clearly loves the Disney can also see the twisted side of it all. And, as I am talking about twisted I would also like to share the Twisted Princess series on Deviant Art created by an artist called Jeffrey Thomas. I cannot help myself, I am clearly a morbid creature.

I happen to adore the Disney movies- the art, the songs, the way I just feel better after having watched a Disney movie marathon. Maybe it's because life can be crap and sometimes, just sometimes, it's nice to escape into a world where 100% of the time the good guys win, the girl gets her man and the bad guys end up falling off tall buildings/ clifftops/ aircraft.

Then, when I am feeling particurly NeilGaimany I like to dabble in the dark side and sample from the various reminders of where these stories actually came from. Modern authors are getting in on the act. Neil Gaiman has his 'Snow, Glass, Apples,' a re-telling of the Snow White legend from a more sympathetic point of few of the step-mother. Angela Carter has her anthology of short stories based on fairy tales in 'The Bloody Chamber,' a book I love so much that I really, truly wish I had written it myself.

The modern authors and artists get in on the act where it comes to the horrifying side of Disney but I happen to have a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales and for anyone who knows about this sort of thing knows that the source material isn't exactly sunshine and happiness. Cinderella as an example has a glorious section describing how each of her step-sisters start hacking away at their feet just for the chance to squeeze into the shoe. The prince notices the blood seeping from the slipper and realises that neither are his gal. I know people can be desperate to not remain single but c'mon ladies....

When I was younger The Little Mermaid was all I wanted. I had the games, t-shirts (not the doll though- curses!) & the books. As an adult I have two copies on DVD, one I can watch and one for 'collectors' purposes and I went to see the Broadway play when I was in New York. I also remember reading the original version when I was a child and was both fascinated and horrified. No Flounder or Sebastian but instead tongues being cut out, sisters offering knives for a bout of heart stabbing, feet that bleed when our heroine dances and a far from happy ending when she loses the man she loves to another woman and then turns to foam.

Say what?? Isn't it fantastic. For every 'modern' re-telling of anything involving a fairy story just go back and look at the original. It's nothing new- these writers just want to go back to the source.

People complain that Disney have perverted the true fairy stories. Well yes. And no. If I had a five year old I would be much happier with them watching the Disney way of life and frankly there are moments in time when I am far happier regressing to my 7 year old self and singing my heart and soul out to 'Tale as Old as Time.' However when I am feeling a bit more 'mature' I like to read fairy tales as they were originally intended, warning's about the evil, bad and sinister.

That's the great thing about Disney and fairy stories. Sometimes you're in the mood to read about women making sacrifices (by er, not committing murder) and spending eternity earning a soul and other times all you want to do is watch colourful fish dance around a red-head.

So I shall enjoy my little trip to Disney, wear the Mickey ears and meet the characters and maybe when I'm back I'll start on that mini fairy tale I've been trying to work on when it's cold and damp...

Squee Moment of the Week:-

Spent last Sunday watching big burly Rugby men doing their thing at Twickenham thanks to an invite from my friend Beth :) It was bloody fantastic! Though not too bloody thankfully. We were so close to the try line that we could see sweat and tears (not that there were any, this isn't football) and muscles and... well I'll stop now before I get into trouble.

Zombie Nation

This week has been the week of epic fails. Ok well not epic but maybe fails. Statistically this week I managed to achieve 1 out of 10 things I was supposed to do. Though that one thing I did achieve has a 'yay' factor. Drum roll please....

Disneyland Paris is booked! Yayayayayayayayayayay! Feel free to go to their website (here) to peruse and pretend that you are me in two weeks time, running around the place like a five year old out of their mind on old school blue smarties. It's for my birthday you see and I have never felt so excited about turning 28. Well, when I put that number into writing my excitement dims a little.

Something I read once about my star sign claims that I am the perpetual child, I told my mum this and she quite agreed though I don't think it is anything to do with my star sign just a side effect of my glorious (hehehe yeah) personality.

I didn't update this last week so my apologies, I can't say that I had anything better to do but did manage to get in a little road trip. The company I work for has research offices in Cambridge and last week I headed up there to deliver a bit of training. I'm getting used to this training and presenting lark and in the past few years have delivered to all walks of life but I found nothing more intimidating than the idea of presenting to Scientists who will one day cure cancer (probably), especially as all I could think about was that their presenter can't really do her 8 times tables in her head.

Cambridge, as brief as I saw it, was lovely and the offices where I went were brilliant. I am clearly easily swayed by chrome and glass but the building was just so shiny. I got an office tour and one of rooms we walked past was the Biomedical Laboratory. It's a room for the elite and as I didn't have clearance I wasn't allowed in but I enthusiastically pressed my body against the glass, stared at the yellow uber-hazard bin and passionately whispered 'this is where zombies are made' whilst having flashbacks to 28 Days Later. Of course I didn't actually do that but sadly it's not 100% off what I nattered to the tour giver about. I don't know if I'll be invited back...

That then oddly tied in with a weird conversation I had this week. The Zombie Apocalypse. When faced with one of these-



-Who would win? Huw or me? The debate raged (and I really mean raged) for an hour and a half. If I'm honest and I really didn't want to be at the time I think Huw might win. He is stronger, fitter, faster and dare I say more ruthless. I tried my best to convince him that in the event of The Zombie Apocalypse I would be leaving him to eat my dust whilst some Zombie's chowed down on Huw a la dente but let's face it, I have trouble walking up the stairs at work. They most definitely would be having fillet of Gerry.

The one thing that came out of the debate was how my pottery could finally be useful. I made two vases that would successfully crack a skull like an egg, and as I demonstrated during the week you can just fit them over your hands and wear them like vase-mitts. Then if you swing like crazy for five minutes you would be able to achieve a small but important Zombie kill count. Then whilst you take an exhausted break because those things weigh a friggin ton one of the Zombies would get you from behind. Ok, let me re-think this and get back to you.

Squee Moment of the Week:-

My trek to and from Cambridge was absolutely heinous thanks to being a non-driver and so I had to trek with everything through London on two trains and two tubes. I would never commute through the City as people that do so are in fact, soulless. I can see it in their eyes. However after lugging computer and bags and self for days on end a nice tall gentleman saw my shoulders sag at the thought of climbing up a long flight of stairs and did a nice job of carrying it all for me despite having his own stuff. We joked about my lack of Popeye muscles and how he wouldn't steal my bag because ladies clothes aren't his thing. It's squee because I had already been sworn at once on the tube and was starting to think that nice people do not travel into the City when a small act of kindness at the end of the day by a complete stranger really cheered me up. Nice randoms exist. So Mr. Tall Guy With Glasses and More Muscles Than Me Who Will Also Probably Survive the Zombie Outbreak- thank you. This week's squee is for you!

Little Life Journey

This week I have been kissed by the Angel of Computer Death. So far my home laptop has been behaving like a spoilt child but at least it's alive and functioning semi-well. My work laptop however appears to be going a different way as it's looking more and more like an an old horse that needs to be put down and turned into a Tesco lasagne. No? Too soon?

After a two hour warm up time on Thursday it died a death on Friday, was given the IT kiss of life and a spanking new upgrade and then...died again for real five minutes later. I am not the most patient of people but I'm sure you will be delighted to know that I refrained from smashing it into teeny tiny pieces and dancing on its grave.

Anyhow, rant about machines over. I did write a few more paragraphs following that one ranting about how you should and shouldn't send an email but I got bored writing it so assumed people would get bored reading it.

What I do want to mention is something that was said this week as part of anonymous feedback for a work event but first, let me take you back. My first ever job was working at a dry cleaners when I was 17. I did this because I was at sixth form college and needed the money to get to and fro each day and to also pay for any books needed. Even at that age it was very much a case with my parents that if I wanted to do something than I better pay for it myself. Which I did.

Then I decided I wanted to travel before university and because the dry cleaners couldn't get me the hours I quit and worked for Woolworths. During my Woolworth's experience I worked the clothes section, the toy section and the sweet section. I can tell you stories about the pic 'n' mix that would make your toes curl. This I did, and enjoyed, until I took my pennies and travelled for three months. After that I left home aged 19 and went to university.

During my time at uni, for those who know me and those who have seen the pictures, know that I partied hard. Also during this time I worked hard. I had a work placement in a school for children with physical disabilities, took part in the School Association Scheme, was selected to work for the Mind charity before the voluntary scheme folded, mentored three GCSE students and volunteered as a youth support worker. In holiday's I was a temp washing dishes and serving posh people drinks.

After university I have had three roles in two companies. During this entire time I have signed myself up to two online courses with the Open University, several online courses via the company I am currently with, adult learning classes in the local education centre, a NLP Home Study course and am currently in the process of applying for my Masters degree. All whilst working full time.

Now everyone is different, I get that. The reason why this particular bit of feedback stuck in my mind is because I enjoy learning. It doesn't even need to be beneficial to your career. If you have seen the pieces of 'pottery' that I have made after that particular adult learning course you will understand that it wasn't a benefit to anyone at all. I enjoy learning and it appears that I am starting to make a career out of it. So the feedback said this:-

Provide incentives for us to go on training courses. This can be money or gifts.

I won't say much more other than the company we work for will pay for people to go on courses or will pay towards it if it has a career benefit. So if there is training or learning that is relevant to that person they will get it for free. Let me say that again. They will get to attend free courses that will benefit them whilst we pay them to work for us.

Like I said everyone is different but I wanted to share my little life and learning journey with you because you can imagine the look on mine and two of my colleagues faces when we came across that particular note.

What's the saying again? Never look a gift horse in the mouth? Well clearly the horse that person was looking at was inbetween two buns and a piece of lettuce. No? Still too soon?

Squee Moment of the Week:-

This is what I found on Valentine's Day in my freezer. If you know me you know this is a very very very very good thing!

Quiet Week, Presuppositions and Shea Butter Legs

My week has been a rather quiet one, some stuff went down but I don't care to share that publicly as it has been successfully resolved 'off-grid' as it were.

After a doctor's appointment on the Wednesday I remembered why I hate doctor's surgeries. Rude receptionists, appointment's running late (this time 40 minutes), other people staring at you trying to work out why on earth you're there and the worst thing is the people that are clearly sick. I'm talking about the snorting, coughing and spluttering where you can practically hear their lungs fill up with something pretty gross. *Shudder*

Luckily I managed to not catch anything (memo to self to check temperature) and saw the week out by having dinner with a friend at The Boatman and had a nice long walk in the rain today. Turns out that the ducks in Guildford will come to you when you make kissy noises at them.... not too sure what worries me the most. That they will walk towards you or that I chose to make the kissy noises.

Today I would like to share my six favourite NLP presuppositions. Wow sounds exciting right? Well I think so but then I am a nerd.

I mentioned a while ago, albeit briefly, that I am studying a NLP Practioner home study course and slowly but surely I am making my way through it. What I covered today was the 15 NLP presuppositions and at the end of that half of the module they asked us to write down our favourite six and why. I'm not going to write down why I am choosing the six but I will include the six and the explanation behind it.

So here goes:-

1. Respect other people's model of the world.
We all have an internal representation of the world. I say the word 'chocolate' to you and what comes into your head? Do you just see the word? Do you see a brand? Do you see a product? The chocolate itself? Maybe you think of some chocolate you ate and at a particular time. Maybe you even see the Aztecs.

Everyone has different perceptions, beliefs and experiences and it's this rich tapestry of our backgrounds that provide our model of the world and no one's is the same. You don't have to like someone else's model of the world, you don't have to agree with it but you have to understand that this is their model, their interpretation of the world and it's not wrong just because it's not yours. Respect other people's model of the world and you will find you have greater success at understanding where they are coming from.

2. People are not their behaviour.
Ever have a bad day? Ever lost your temper at someone? Last week I got so overwhelmed that I snapped at a colleague and walked off. Completely out of character and not a behaviour that I am proud of. If everyone assumed that I am that behaviour then they would think that I am not a particularly nice person. That would suck. I like to think I am a perfectly nice person just on that day I was tired, overworked and irritable.

I am not that behaviour. Other people that are shit to you are not that behaviour. Again, like everyone's model of the world you don't have to like or agree with the behaviour you just have to understand that the person isn't their behaviour. People might not be able to be changed but behaviour can be.

3. All behaviour has a positive intention.
If this presupposition is in your mind when you interact with others it will change your view on how they are behaving and even on how you are behaving. Even if there is a behaviour you don't like if you think that the intent behind it is positive than you can start to try and understand why someone is behaving that way and also change your own behaviour to it.

4. The most important information about a person at any moment is how someone is behaving.
Essentially not what someone is saying but what they are doing. If someone is sat in front of you sobbing saying that they are ok there is something incongruent going on. It works on more subtler levels as well. Sounds obvious right? You'd be amazed at how something as obvious as this clearly doesn't translate as much as you would think.

5. No failure, only feedback.
So you didn't get the result you wanted? You set out to achieve A and you acheived B? Failure right? Well no. Ok you achieved B but the whole point is you achieved B. If you've achieved anything it isn't a failure but a result. If it isn't the intended result what needs to happen is you need to listen to the feedback, take the unintended result as something to learn from and go back and do it again until you get the intended result.

I guess this one is a case of wash, rinse, repeat. Adjust until it works, this presupposition takes you from affect to cause. Instead of accepting an unintended result as an affect on you, put yourself as the cause of the action and then you become the cause to action.

6. The meaning of the communication is the response you get.
You're talking to someone and they start getting angry with you. Or they start crying. Must mean something is wrong with them. They are really not listening to what you are saying.

Well this one is saying that actually, the meaning of the communication is in their response not what you intended to communicate. If you are getting a response that you didn't think you were going to get you need to do a check on the way you are getting your point across. It isn't the person you are communicating to's responsibility to understand you, it's your responsibility to communicate effectively so that people understand you. If they respond in a way you weren't intending you need to change the way you communicate.

As a personal example I was having a conversation last week with two people tha,t from their perspective, was coming from a good place. During this conversation I started to get upset and reacted in a way that surprised them both. For a while I was thinking, why I am acting like this if they are telling me this feedback is coming from a good place. Actually I understand now that if I was reacting in a way they weren't expecting (which I was by starting to become emotional) then they needed to change the way they were communicating their message.

So there are my six. You may find the information above some of the most interesting information ever or you may think you just wasted 5 minutes of your life. If it's the latter maybe I didn't do my job of communicating to you properly, but hey give me my feedback :)

As a quick aside my squee moment of the week involves this company:-

I was organising my toiletries over the weekend because I have way more than a human being should have and I have a lot from Soap and Glory. So much so they should just hire me to be one of their testers which I would gladly do. I now have my products arranged in a way so that I can actually find things I need and as part of this re-organisation and product finding mission I have started to use a lot of stuff I didn't know I had, including my Soap and Glory items.

My legs are now so smooth that if we had lino instead of carpets in our home I would be happily getting from room to room by sliding on my bum.

Crazy Pet Lady

I like to go onto the RSPCA website and look at the animals. When I am done there I go visit the Dogs Trust and Battersea Dogs Home websites. Then whilst I look I start getting incredibly sad because for every adorable dog or cat or guinea pig that I see I get acutely aware of the type of websites that I am on and why there are so many animals on there.

If you ever want to read something truly sad don't pick up a book of fiction, instead read the news feed on the RSPCA website. Today's offerings include an eldery collie stolen from his owners, put in a plastic bag and dumped in a canal; two teenage girls kicking a kitten unconscious and puppies being thrown from a moving car.

Yes there are people that exist in this world that think the above is a) ok and more disturbingly b) fun

For me the equation works like this:
Gerry + Guinea Pig + Chocolate drop + Refusal to do Ccrcle trick= Happiness

For some other people in this world the above equation for happiness clearly calls for pellet guns and animal torture. Those people are more than sick. I don't think a word has been invented for how I really feel about them, but give me an hour with them and a plastic bag or moving vehicle and I'm sure I can make my feelings known.

I go into Pets At Home to stare in the guinea pig enclosures like some weird sort of cute rodent stalker but if I were to ever get another pair of piggies they would most definitely be rescue ones because I have my doubts about anything that comes out of a chain pet store (mainly because I doubt how they source their 'stock') and also because animals that have been treated as something less than living during their shorter- than- people lifespans deserve to be truly loved.

This week's blog was going to be me writing about how busy the last month has been which is why I haven't updated in a while yada yada but my mum called me this evening to say that my one remaining guinea pig Wilbur died this morning. Thankfully she died of old age and peacefully, found on her side with her nose touching her food bowl. She had owners ridiculously dedicated to her every cavie diva need, a good life and peaceful death which is a lot more than some.

If you are thinking of getting a pet make sure that you're dedicated to it, you are getting a living creature and not a household accessory. Whether your choice be feline, canine, rodent or reptile you should treat it with the love and respect that anything with a beating heart is rightfully entitled to.

My squee moment of the week is this picture:-

This is Wilbur and Dougie when I first got them (about 4 weeks old in this picture). They have earnt a squee because it's due to their adorable and crazy personalities that I now have a crazy love for guinea pigs and will probably give a good few more pairings from rescue shelters a loving home.

 

 

 

First Week 2013

Hello all (or my one reader or whoever)! I hope your first week of 2013 has been gloriously productive or wonderfully relaxed whichever you were aiming for.

I want to brag a bit about my New Year's Eve because I very much enjoyed myself. I realised some time ago that I absolutely hated the type of New Years Eve where you spend 50 minutes in the cold waiting to get into some bar or club where, once in, you can't get a drink or hear what your friend's are saying to you.

I used to think I must have been quite boring not loving this way of seeing in the New Year until various Facebook statuses from people made me realise not a lot of other people like doing that either.

So, as something which is fast becoming a tradition, Huw and I have spent the past two New Year's Eves in a hotel. Last year we stayed at Beaumont Hotel, Winsor and this year we stayed at Macdonald Frimley Hall, Camberley.

I much preferred the Macdonald Frimley Hall. The hotel was only half an hour to get to from our house, was beautifully old with modern conveniences and the service was wonderful. When the staff said they would do something they would actually do it. So I saw in 2013 eating steak and brownie ice-cream following it up with champagne and truffles. I just really wanted to rub that in your faces.

I read something the other day, that instead of having New Year's resolutions every time something good happens you make a note of it and place it in a jar. Then, at the beginning of the next year you take all your notes and read what wonderful things you have done. I'm not going to keep a jar but I will be writing my happy things here so:-

Squee Moment of the Week: Has to be the aforementioned seeing in the New Year with my partner whilst consuming steak & champagne.



This week I also signed up to do an online NLP Practioner (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) course. Thank you Groupon for the discounted prices! Yes I may have discovered the joy of Groupon- please check it out it is rather wonderous (http://www.groupon.co.uk/).

I'm very much wanting to focus on my development this year and to try to keep my brain from rotting away so I've started what is a rather interesting course, I don't know if it will get me anywhere in particular but just for personal interest. If I come across any shareable nuggets of info I will include them here.

Next week is going to be quite full on for me so I feel like sharing the plans. Doing my usual montly induction but will be travelling up to Tipton in the West Midlands to provide another induction for an acquisition and then will be travelling to Wales to celebrate Huw's mums 60th. Hopefully I will remember where it is I need to be and when!

Have a good week all!