The play's the thing!

I think I've commented before on how life goes in circles for me, with my passion bouncing around and lighting on one thing for a while, and then on another, then another, and eventually back to my original love. Well, it's been a long time since the theatre held my fancy, ten years, near as dammit, because it's not since school that I've been involved with it.

More recently it's been photography, or writing, or knitting, or sewing, or cooking, but ten years ago it was the thrill of setting up a play, planning the costumes, makeup, hair, helping the stage crew and lighting guys by passing them tools and fetching things - I adored the teamwork, camaraderie, adrenaline rush of putting something together for the public to see, without the stomach churning hell of having to go on-stage.

Right now I'm watching 'When Romeo Met Juliet'. To quote the BBC website:-

One city, eight weeks and two contrasting schools come together to put on a professional production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In a unique experiment, each school is cast as one of the two feuding families at the heart of the world's favourite love story.

Romeo and his Montague clan come from a Coventry city centre comprehensive while Juliet and the Capulets are from a Catholic school in the city's northern suburbs. Trying to get the show on the road is artistic director of the National Youth Theatre, Paul Roseby. Also on hand as mentors - one for each school - are Hustle actor and RADA-trained Shakespeare fan Adrian Lester and his wife, actress Lolita Chakrabarti. Can they help the teenage cast overcome their preconceptions about Shakespeare, and work with each other, to create a Romeo and Juliet for a new generation, iambic pentameter and all?

For a start I just love the fact that these are two schools that I'm familiar with through my voluntary work with young people in Coventry - I keep looking out for kids that I know (haven't spotted one yet mind). It's made me realise how much I've adopted Coventry as my home town now - I'm getting so excited to see it on the TV, feeling so proud that they're doing this here. I've really settled in now and it's going to hurt if we ever have to move...

Secondly - it's reminding me of the rush I used to feel helping get productions off the ground. I miss it. I've applied for a job that might let me experience something of that thrill again and I really *really* want it. Watching this has just prodded me into realising how badly. Dangerous position to be in - bad enough to be rejected for a job that one only wants mentally, but to be rejected for a job that one has become emotionally attached to? I wonder if I ought to start stockpiling chocolate and tissues now, just in case...?

I know that a job is just a way of making money so one can live, but I would so love a job that could be part of my *living*. One that I can engage with and feel truly passionate about. Too much to ask? I'll let you know :-)

May Day Round Up

So I feel like something of a fraud. There I was promising all sorts of crafts, reviews, family stories, cat related hilarity, randomness and the odd kitchen disaster thrown in for good measure and now, here I am, full time job, parading as some kind of yuppie. Hrm, from hippie to yuppie in one easy step...

I'd like to think we'd have more money from this little experiment, I'd *like* to, but it wouldn't be the case. One, because hubby and I had a brief little plunge into consumerism in an 'ahh, fuck it' way and two - because of the vet. It is also because of the vet that I find myself with so little time even after the job, cooking, shopping, washing, ironing and general miscellanea that fills my once carefree and loosely planned days.

As far as the consumerism goes, well, that's over. Hubby handed over the financial reins to me and I have put us on a strict economic diet. We get our pocket money each month which we can spend as we choose. Anything over that and there'd better be a *damn* good reason why. I sanctioned the bicycle helmet for Hubby who cycles to work, for example, especially with the nutso Coventarian drivers - in the event of a collision I would quite like his brain area protected, at the very least.

As far as the vets, well, that's still ongoing. Bramble decided to get a blocked bladder, cue one post-work trip to the vets, followed by a late night trip to the emergency vets, followed by a return to the regular vets, followed by a holiday home, followed by a Sunday afternoon trip to the vets, followed by an early morning transfer back to normal vets on Monday, followed by emergency transfer to specialist animal hospital in Birmingham on the Tuesday, right in the middle of the day. All in all several disrupted days, many hours of work lost (more of a problem for me than them since I'm on a pay-per-hour casual contract) and many hours of stress. Most especially when, Wednesday morning, Barley presented with the same symptoms: cue hysterical Milla. My mum, Gods bless her, drove straight up and stayed till Saturday, for which I was most grateful, even though Barley turned out to only have a short term virus and not the major drama of an illness Bramble is suffering from.

So far Barley has cost us about £260 and Bramble roughly £5011. Thank everything that exists that we had insurance. Especially thank Karen, the boys' Cats Protection Foster Mother, that we have higher level insurance so he's covered to £7,500 over his lifetime for each condition. What a pity that he's managed to burn through nearly his entire lifetime's cover in one week. At the moment we're still debating whether to go ahead with a potentially preventative operation to remove his penis. It's the 'potentially' that bothers me. We'd spend the rest of his insurance and some of our own money (it could cost as much as £3,500) if we knew that it would definitely help his chances, but that's not guaranteed by any means, so we're waiting until we talk to the vet on Tues.

Right now I am taking the piss out of the cat on a regular basis, and yes, I mean that literally. Every two to three hours I have to use a syringe to draw the urine out of his bladder through a tube sewn into his little pink shaved tummy. He's a very good boy about it, rolling onto his back for me and purring. Such a sweetie. It's weird the things you can get used to. His gentle nature and sweet temperament just reminds me how close we came to losing him and why we're willing to do these things for him. I just hope we can resolve this happily.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - a two week round-up

Oh dear oh dear - it has been a long while since I last updated, hasn't it? I do apologise if, for some reason, you'd been sitting around chewing your fingernails and wondering where I'd gone.

The good news is that I got a job. Yes! At long long last my job hunt has been successful and I've landed myself a part-time 'internship' of 9 weeks with a large UK charity. It's the break I've needed, because even if I fail to get the full-time position (which I've applied for and want want want) it is, at the very least, a rung up the job ladder, because it's recently, relevant experience working in the area which I want to enter. It's a big deal for me.

The bad news is that poor old hubby has had the 'flu since my birthday, possibly swine 'flu, but no oinking, so I can't be certain. He woke me up in the middle of the night shaking and sweating so badly I had to strip the bed and put fresh linen on. Therein followed all the many symptoms associated with the 'flu - aching, temperature, snotty, coughing, sicky etc... he's been in a very bad way.

The Ugly is that, on the same day that he came down with the hideous lurgy and I turned another year older, I had my first job interview for over a year and was fighting off a disgusting lurgy of my own. Nothing quite as bad as 'flu, but I'm sure you'll agree that a bad cough and cold can be quite debilitating enough to make life uncomfortable. Well, as I said before, I got the job and they asked me to start that Wednesday! So there I was, feeling rather rotten, new job to start, all the household chores falling on my shoulders plus all the extra work of looking after a 'fluey patient. I'm still amazed I stayed on my feet and kept working, to be honest.

I'm sorry I have nothing more exciting to report, but as you can see it's been a little one-track round here and that track was all about just keeping going. This weekend is the first opportunity I've had to just sit down and do nothing. Oh, but it's bliss. I have been so tired and ill and it is such a luxury to just slob around in my pyjamas and do nothing! Hubby is finally back on his feet enough that he is self-sufficient, so I only have to run around after myself and not him, also. I've been trying so hard not to let it be apparent at work that I've felt rubbish and, even though I have, I've still enjoyed the work and the office ever so much. I can't wait to go back and have another stab at it when I'm feeling 100% - I'll kick arse. Totally. Thank heavens for this long Easter weekend which is giving me the chance to recuperate.

Remedies to Ease Suffering From 'Flu
So these are the things I've been treating hubby and myself with - in his case to speed recovery, in mine to try and prevent catching it. What do you use?

- Spiced elderberry cordial - anti-viral and very soothing as a hot drink
- Lemon, ginger and honey drink - hot and soothing and full of immune boosting... stuff
- Vitamin C and zinc supplements - immune boosting again
- Paracetemol and ibuprofen in 2 hour alternating cycles for pain and temperature lowering
- Echinacea tincture - again for the immune boosting
- Watered down juices to stay hydrated
- Fatty foods to support the immune system and tempt the appetite
- Hot water bottles for warmth, cold flannels to cool
- Two cuddly cats - essential for morale.

New Start

So, today I take the plunge and re-start the great job search. My CV is polished and shiny (albeit somewhat sparse), my rather casual wardrobe has been raided for something a little bit smart and I have a list of places to see, people to talk to.

Now all I need to do is gather my courage in both hands and leave the house. I don't know why I'm so apprehensive. When it comes to my voluntary work or personal projects I am accomplished and confident - I can only assume that this is scary because it's new. Change is always a little frightening at first, but it's how you deal with it that shows your mettle and I am not short of determination. I coped with being disabled for so long, I can cope with being able. It'll just take me a little while to become accustomed to thinking of myself that way. It's a good thing though, a far more positive adjustment to make and I'm looking forward to bits of it - perhaps I should focus on those... sounds like incentive for another list!

- Meeting new people
- Seeing people on a regular basis
- New things to learn
- Confidence to be gained through new achievements
- Money!
- Opportunities
- Being able to enjoy my leisure hours more when they're rarer.

I think those seven things are worth being a little scared for, don't you?

Wish me luck!

A Site To Be Seen

Well today it was brought home to me how single minded I really can be when I get involved in something. I've been working on a website for the youth organisation I volunteer with, which we're right in the middle of launching. Whilst the backbone of the site was put together by a young woman in our Squadron, I have done the majority of content writing and tweaking - from the Boss' introduction, to the FAQ and the list of activities we offer. In addition to all this I have been taking, processing and editing photos to use for general publicity and on the site in particular, then uploading them and trying to get the dimensions right.

Today was spent setting up a Twitter feed, tweaking the widget so it fits on the page, notifying people that we have a Twitter stream (and a facebook, a blog and a site) and asking for co-operation from other Squadrons to do a link exchange. I was so absorbed in all this that I forgot to get dressed, forgot to drink anything and, most shocking of all to those who know me, forgot to eat lunch. I know - almost inconceivable, right? It was only when Hubby rang me at the end of his working day to let me know he was off to give blood that I realised what the time was.

All in all I feel it was time well spent. The Squadron now has a shiny new website that's both pretty and useful which will hopefully win them brownie points with the head honchos and attract new youngsters into the fold - something that's essential for the survival of the unit. On a more personal note, and something I only realised when a friend pointed it out to me, it makes an excellent addition to my CV. To have taken a unit with no media presence whatsoever and developed it within two months, albeit with the assistance of colleagues to some extent, so that it has full representation across the gamut of new media, some connection with the local press and to have supplied all the content myself - well, that can't hurt when I'm going for Media Communications jobs, can it?

If you're curious you can check the website here, do let me know what you think...
http://eightfsquadron.webs.com/

Oh, and if you have any connection with someone looking for a Media Comms assistant please pass my name along - I'll work for dry bread and water at the moment! lol

In other news I've dropped over half a stone now and am finally back in the trousers I was wearing when I met Hubby 5 and a half years ago. Only a stone and a half to go and I'm back at my ideal weight... we'll see :-)