Blimey, how do people do it? I have spent most of the afternoon photographing loads of cosmetics, and then uploading the pictures to ebay and filling in the forms to sell them. It’s taken me bloody ages, and There were only about 50 things. How do people do this full time?

It hasn’t been helped by ebay deciding, in it’s wisdom, that I can’t sell anything with ‘Dior’ or ‘Lancome’ in the heading. Although I can put it in the description, and can choose these companies from the drop-down list.

The reason they are giving is that the PayPal account isn’t verified, and that they have put ’selling limits’ on my account because of it. However, removing the word from the description allowed me to sell them.

Did a quick google, and it seems others are affected by this, and it’s nothing to do with PayPal being verified or not. It’s because these items are apparently prone to fakes.

How stupid.

Anyway, spent hours today (and a few hours the other day, putting some books up for sale), and so far have got one bid to the total of 99p. Time well spent, not.

I went to the hairdressers last weekend. Of course, we had the usual blank look from the guy who cuts my hair when I made some musical reference (”I have heard that song, but I don’t get why you are singing it?” after my, “Uh-uh-uuuuuuh, uh-uh-u-uhhhhh, uh-uh-uhhhh, uh-uhhhhh,” when he had commented on the deep purple stripe in my hair…..). When I went to pay, they asked if I wanted to book straight away, within 6 weeks because they had a special offer on. The receptionist said, “Oh, 2nd June, is that alright?”

“2nd June? That’s my birthday.”

“Oh, that will be nice, you can have your hair done, and then you can go out celebrating.”

“Well, I am not sure it’s going to be a celebration. I am thinking of going backwards, and just going into denial about my age.”

“Why?” she asked. By this time, the girl who had coloured and the guy who had cut it were also hanging around.

“It’s a big one this year.”

They all looked at me blankly.

“I’m going to be 40.”

“NOOOOO!” said the receptionist, “Really, you honestly don’t look that old, I thought you were late 20’s.”

Peter, bless him, “I knew you were old, but even I didn’t think you were that old.”

“Hey, keep this up and I promise never to go to another hairdressers, ever!”

I have put my foot down regarding my birthday meal (the family tradition, whosever birthday it is gets to choose the venue). For so many years I have gone along to 2nd or 3rd choice, because my dad is so damn fussy. “Well, you can always have a curry at the pub, where there’s food your dad likes….”

So, this time I have insisted we go out for Indian. And my dad can have whatever ‘English’ meal is on the menu, and not even moan about it.

Small victory.

I’d still rather not be 40.

I don’t know whether to be proud or disgusted that I am number two (how apt) on the Google search for -

pictures of a woman having a huge shit

I have had a really good day at work today.

Several things have just gone really, well, not exactly well, but *nice*.

First was the reply to an email I had sent yesterday. That was in response to an email I was sent yesterday, which in itself was a reminder for an email sent on Tuesday, asking for some data. I had ignored the first request, so when I got the reminder yesterday I thought I’d better respond, and so ran some data, and sent off the results he was expecting.

The email this morning was a real heartfelt thanks.

Followed by an email later, asking for my phone number, as he “had some questions.”

Oh well, so much for me getting it right first time, eh? I emailed back after lunch (after my morning spent in meetings), giving my number, and explaining that I had tried to ring him (which was true), but was told he no longer worked in that department, and couldn’t be got on that number (also true).

When he finally rang me at 4, it was pretty much just to reiterate his thanks. Apparently he has asked similar questions around the business, and mine has been the “best” response, in terms of time, and in giving him exactly what he was asking for first time. He then also went on to say he’d be in my office next week, and wanted to come visit for some more data….. But hey, I am easily buttered up!

Second thing was one of the women who works for me. Her son (aged less than 2 years old) hasn’t been well. She didn’t come in Monday because he was ill, then came in Tuesday. She doesn’t normally work a Wednesday, and when she came in yesterday said they thought her son had got chicken pox, so she might have to work weird hours, she was working it out with her husband so they could share the responsibility.

She sent me a text this morning to say it wasn’t chicken pox, her son was worse, and she would have to take this morning off. I replied saying that was fine, and hoped her son would be okay.

At lunch time I got another text, saying her son just had a bad allergic reaction, and that he should be okay, but that her car wasn’t well now, and wouldn’t make the drive into work, would it be okay if she had the rest of the day off. I replied that that was okay, couldn;t be helped, to have a nice weekend and that hopefully next week would be better for her than this week. Her text reply was - “Big thanku. I feel v lucky to work 4u. Hope u have good weekend too xx”.

Another thing was a meeting I had with people from around the business. To be honest, not that many people turned up. It is something I have set up since I started in this new job, and most of the people who attend are from my old department - there are similar meetings held, to which I also used to attend when I was on the ‘other side’, and they were always deadly dull, people used to moan about them and how they weren’t relevant. So I set up this new forum. There have only been 2 meetings so far, but the people who come have all volunteered - to the extent that there have been 3 representatives from a team of 8, where the people want to come because they feel they will get more from coming than from being told from those who do attend.

I remember the old meetings. You could just tell that it was a chore for most people to attend. They felt it wasn’t relevant to them, the information was inconsequental, they were there because their boss told them they had to be.

Today was totally different. There is one guy who is one of the most cynical guys in the department, getting all enthusiastic about what we were saying. There were people offering up info, and offering to share it (something which doesn’t happen nearly often enough in big business).

It’s difficult to describe, just the feeling of enthusiasm from all the people in the room.

And, maybe I am being bigheaded, but hey, this is MY blog, and there aren’t many places I can be this bigheaded. This is down to me. This is down to me being in this job. This down to the changes I have already done, and people trusting that I can make more changes that will materially affect their working lives.

Another meeting I had this morning was with the techie guys. Notoriously difficult to work with (although to be fair, this company does have the nicest, most helpful IT guys I have ever worked with), these people were almost rubbing their hands with glee at the new project I am proposing - something which is long overdue, wanted by everybody in the business but is just too bastard big, boring and time consuming for anyone to have ever bothered to really make the effort to get it off the ground.

These guys were coming up with ways we can ‘fast track’ this, so it will get to them quicker and they can start working on it.

The best love of all though, was Sainsbury’s, who have several offers on their wine at the moment, with many at half price, and then if you buy 6 bottles you get a further 30% off. On top of the normal 5% of 6 bottles.

I bought 6 bottles of wine for less than £17. Good wine. Including some sparkling.

Of course, I need more wine like I need a hole in the head (75 bottles at the last count), but it was a bargain, what can I say….

I went to step and yoga tonight (after my new LBT class last night, and I am planning on going to step’n'tone tomorrow night…).

When I came out I saw a missed call from LELI. This is fairly unusual, we do most of our communication through text, or face to face. In fact, most of the time we speak on the phone is when one or other of us is out of town.

I thought it might be important, so I rang him as soon as I got in the car, rather than wait until I got home.

40 minutes later, and all I had managed were a few, “Yes”, “No”, and “Oh Wow”’s.

It was almost funny.

About 10 years ago, I had someone reporting to me at work who was, quite simply, a nightmare. He was a new graduate who thought he knew everything, and would refuse to take advise on anything. Even worse, when I would ask him something specific, he would often ignore it and do something else.

I spent a lot of time covering his arse, redoing his work, going over and over the same simple things because he just didn’t ‘get’ them. At one point I actually made him cry (but, surprisingly, the Assistant Manager got the blame for that).

Anyway, it was extremely frustrating, and I would keep it all pent up inside me until the ex got home, when I would let loose in a torrent of moaning which could last half an hour, before he’d even got his coat off.

LELI did that to me tonight.

I could see that things were not going to work when I knew she was going to work for him. He is very opinionated, and quite forthright about some things, and if he thinks he is right he will refuse to budge. This I know, and handle him accordingly.

She is very opinionated, extremely forthright, but newly graduated and actually doesn’t know very much.

She is spending most of her time questioning LELI, telling him that her analysis proves one thing, when LELI - who has worked in the rather specialised field for 8 years - quite clearly knows it proves the opposite. They are spending more time arguing over stupid things than anything else.

He is asking her to do something quite specific, and because she doesn’t think it is right, she doesn’t do it. He finds out when he comes out of his all day meetings, after she has gone home, and has to stay in the office until 8.30 sorting it out, when it is needed for a 9 o’clock meeting this morning.

Today he made her cry - apparently for making the changes he had asked her to do.

I know he won’t be the easiest person to work for - and I am sure if I did we would be rowing on a fairly regular basis - but there are times when you just have to do what your boss says. If you think he is wrong, you do it his way first, then make time to do it the way you think is right, compare the results, and if you still think you are right then you present it to him. You do not point blank refuse to do what has been asked of you.

He is quite upset, poor dear.

Went to my parents for the weekend. Yesterday was my Dad’s 70th birthday, and he celebrated by having a barbecue round my sister’s house.

It went exactly as expected.

Apart from the argument me and my sister had - we don’t often argue, simply because I can’t be bothered. But this time, she had already annoyed me, so I went to sit out in the garden out of the way. She came out, and starting talking to me in her usual patronising way. I asked her, quite politely, to not talk to me like that. She looked at me, and started again. So again, very politely, I said, “It doesn’t matter what you feel, please don’t talk to me like that. Talk to me properly.” This seemed to annoy her even more, to which I responded, “I’ve twice asked you, politely, not to talk to me like that. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t.” She walked off.

But she was fine after that, so I feel a small victory.

I need to start asserting myself like this, instead of falling into the ‘younger sister submitting to the older bullying sister’ role that I usually do. Especially with the coming ‘family’ holiday.

I say coming family holiday, but it’s not until Christmas and New Year, and already it is being planned. I am annoyed because she hasn’t ordered 3 hire cars, she has only ordered the two. She also looked at me like I was an alien when I pointed out that I wasn’t going to share a room. “Why don’t you want to share?” “Because it’s my holiday, I am spending quite a bit of money on it, I really don’t see why I should have to share with my niece when we can book something bigger.” I was even more annoyed when she turned round and said that it’s not any more expensive to book 6 bedrooms rather than 5. So why didn’t she even consider that?

I know the answer to that. It’s because, “It’s Woman, she’ll just have to fit in because she always does.” Well, not this time, Einstein!

Been out for dinner with LELI tonight, showing off my new car. I would have let him drive home, but uncharacteristically, he had a few drinks, so I will let him drive next time. We found a Mexican restaurant, which was *real* Mexican, not the usual Tex-Mex that gets passed off as Mexican.

LELI pulled.

The very camp Mexican waiter.

He wasn’t impressed.

I am thinking of hiring a gigolo for the Christmas and New Year period.

My mother has decided that we are all going to go on holiday for her birthday this year, to Florida. As a family. Including my sister’s brother and sister in law, strangely.

I am already getting the pariah treatment, for suggesting that getting a 7 seater, and a normal car only to drive us around would not be enough. Apparently, suggesting getting 3 cars is just going to cause us so much hassle.

I have put my foot down though. I need to be able to escape them, and their constant outlet mall shopping.

I am just waiting for the argument when my sister tries to book a 5 bedroomed villa. No way am I spending that much on a holiday, and sharing a room with my niece.

So, if I can hire a gigolo, who is prepared to put up with the shit my family will give him (bearing in mind they still refuse to even acknowledge I know anyone called LELI, let alone spend evenings out with him), who will mean I have to have ‘my own’ room, then it may solve my problems. Okay, so I will still be sharing a room, but at least it will be with some sexy male, who may be prepared to provide ‘extras’.

Anyone interested in applying, please don’t all rush at once!

Got the new car today. Eventually. Had a real fiasco with the leasing company, including a big fight over whether they are supposed to give me £25 a month, or I am supposed to give them £25 a month.

I finally got confirmation that they will give me £25 back each month at quarter to 12, when the car was due to arrive at 12.

Ten past, and the receptionist rings me. “I don’t want to get you too excited, Woman, but I’ve just seen a transporter drive round the corner with a car on the back…..”

“Whoo hoo, I’m on my way down!”

And there it was. All shiny and black. The man reverses it off the lorry, and I sit in it, playing with the roof while he sorts out the paperwork. All was going well, until I was about to sign for it.

“This may be a stupid question, but I didn’t notice on the back that it said it was a diesel…..”

Well, that would explain the discrepancy between the contribution versus cashback.

Stupid idiots have ordered me the wrong car.

I rang the leasing company, who I can only imagine are rolling their eyes every time they hear it’s me on the phone. “Hello, it’s Woman.” “Oh, hi, have you got the car?” “Well, yes, I have A car. But it’s the wrong one.” In the silence, in my head I hear him saying, “FUCK!!!”

After another 20 minutes of phoning around the dealers, managers spoken to, a decision was finally made.

I have kept the petrol engine (if only to avoid spending yet more time dealing with these idiots), and they have agreed to pay me £50 a month. More than compensates for the extra tax. Not sure if it will cover the extra fuel costs, as this one is not so economical. But hey ho, I have my new car. And have been driving it with the top down, as the weather dictates!

I somehow never got around to watching the tv show ‘Life on Mars’. When I saw it was coming, I knew it would be something I would enjoy, but I always seemed to forget it was on, or more likely be out in my new found quest for fitness.

On the plane journey to Australia, apart from squirming over Daniel Craig, I also watched 3 episodes of ‘Life on Mars’.

God, what a brilliant show.

You always know a good show when you care so much about the characters.

I cared so much that when I came back I ordered the first series on DVD. I still only managed to watch one episode from the second series though.

This weekend I have watched all of the first series. I rationed myself to two episodes a day over the long weekend, which was hard - it would have been so easy to have sat down and watched the whole lot in one sitting.

I have pre-ordered the second series on DVD already.

Tonight was the last in the series. I knew I was going to be in, and had been discussing with Krazy K whether I would watch it, even though I had missed most of the previous ones working up to the finale. Or whether I would be able to save myself.

In the end my bad memory almost won out. It was 10 to 10 before I remembered.

And I cheated. Although I missed most of the story, I watched the last bit, so I know how it ends.

I’ve always been crap like that - I always read the last few pages of a book when I am about a quarter of the way through - enough to know most of the characters, nowhere near enough to figure out what happens in the end.

Still, I wasn’t disappointed. Can’t wait for the dvd’s to arrive.

If I hadn’t been a home birth, I would swear there had been a mis-up at the hospital.

Recent conversation with my mother -

Mom - “Oh, I had a really nice thank you card from Alex the other day…” Alex was a girl I went to school with. In fact we even went to the same playschool from the age of three. On and off through school days we were fairly good friends. I haven’t seen Alex for over 20 years.

Mom - “… she was thanking me for her 40th birthday card and present. I also spoke to her mom the other day. Alex is going to be organising a school reunion of all the girls, and she asked if you wanted to come. I told her you would love to.”

Me - “Erm….”

Mom - “It sounds wonderful doesn’t it?”

Me - “Actually, no, I think it sounds awful. Towards the end of school, Alex and I had very different friends, she will be inviting her friends, not the people I knew. Also, I have nothing in common with these people, why would I want to travel 150 miles, to spend an evening with people I don’t know, and didn;t even like that much 20 years ago?”