after thinking about it on a off for a long time i have now decided to go with a contract mobile phone. I had been spending way too much on pay as you go, so now hopefully it will be ok. I am really excited about the new phone I got free with the contract :)

and here it is :)



it is really cool, takes photos, plays music from an mp3 player and the radio, records video... and yes it does make phone calls and sends texts as well!

let's see what's been going on here these past 7 days... not that much really... students have come back to uni and are just as confused about things as ever really... but I guess that's ok. Gives me an opportunity to earn some cash. Plus I did have a good time making my first year students do presentations. I also showed a prospective student around the department, that's always fun. At that point they are always so excited about coming to university and they are full of energy. Wednesday night we met with a few friends at the new Tapas Bar in town and it was a lovely evening. Neil has decided to treat us as it was his pay day that day so we had booked a table and just had a nice evening sampling different kinds of Spanish food. Still not sure what the Spanish word "Tapas" actually means, but from the food we got i assume it must be something like small portion or something similar. The next day I met a friend from uni for an evening meal at Wagamama which was excellent as always. I just really love the food... and now I have another friend to go there with :)

Last night we went out for a friend's birthday, had a few drinks at the Impy which was nice. At some point a whole load of superheros walked in which was quite funny. But in that humid weather they must have sweat like pigs in their costumes...

I have also recently joined facebook. I was a bit resistant at first, but it is much much better than myspace! Well that's just for me. It is helpful to get in touch with uni friends from my time in the US and also got back in touch with a friend from London who (whom??? English sometimes is still really hard) I hadn't heard from in a while. So that is really cool. And also just to share photos between friends... and to waste a bit of time sometimes ;).

last week

I have been having a good week I think... still fairly quiet as students are still away. They will be coming back to campus this weekend and taking over again. It is actually good that they are coming back because it means I can earn some money giving them advice again ;)

Anyway, the week was fairly quiet in general, although we have been quite busy in the evenings. Monday we were supposed to meet some friends to go to the cinema but they cancelled on us so we met up with other friends for a drink after Neil was done with work at the new Tapas bar in town. It all looks very new and flashy and at the same time in combination with the weather makes you feel like you are in a completely different place. Tuesday we went to the cinema to see "The Curse of the Golden Flower" was nice to look at but a bit too bloody for my taste. Wednesday a friend of mine took me out for an Indian meal as a late birthday present, Thursday night we went to a concert up at the university by a band called Hayseed Dixie. They were fantastic, very entertaining and the music was so different from anything you hear on mainstream radio... very good. Last night we met up with friends to BBQ and then watch BRICK on dvd. It was as odd as the first time watching it... but still a good film. The dialoge is incomprehensible though!

yeah that was my week... not sure exactly what the weekend will bring besides some work which I was too lazy to do in the week and maybe some poker in the evening today...

first day back

wasn't so bad actually. I had a meeting first thing in the morning, which was fine. Just some changes on the horizon for the student services at the uni and one of my many jobs might be changing at some point in the next couple of months. Not sure what but he just wanted to give us all a heads up for it, which is fair enough. Then was in the library for a little bit and then met a friend for lunch. After that I went to my office and then went to see my supervisor to let him know that I am back and when we should meet up to talk about things. Still nothing about the upgrade, still the meeting hasn't been set... this is getting a bit annoying. I handed in my report at the beginning of February and now it is the end of April soon... I really hope I will hear something soon. then did a bit of office stuff, booked rooms for tutorial meetings next week and updated my diary with a few things. And then I met up with a few friends for a Starbucks before meeting Neil after work. We then met up with other friends for a drink and sat outside at the new Tapas Bar in town. Such a lovely warm evening.

had a nice couple of days getting used to being in Exeter again. Thursday Neil and I went to see a film called Climates - probably the worst film I have ever seen. I am not even completely sure what the main problem was... maybe it was because I didn't understand the language and also felt like I couldn't relate to the language at all. Friday I met a friend in town for coffee which was really nice. We got caught up and it is always nice to see her outside of uni. In the evening went grocery shopping and afterwards went for a drink at a little pub in a small town outside of Exeter. Yesterday I felt a craving for a Wagamama meal so I went and had a late lunch there... very yummy Chicken Katsu Curry and then met up with Neil briefly during his afternoon break. In the evening we went to play poker with some friends. And today was a fairly lazy day... went into town for a bit enjoying the weather, then came home and made food and then watched Lost in Translation on DVD. I saw it was coming on the telly this evening, but I didn't want to watch it with commercial breaks so I thought I can just pop in the DVD. all in all a very nice few days! Tomorrow it is back to reality.

back in Exeter now

after a long day of traveling in a car, a plane, a bus and then a train I have arrived back in Exeter. now I am avoiding unpacking ;)

last day already

and it is my last day in Germany already... I can never believe how quickly the time goes by when I am here. At least this time we managed to get most things done and today I am seeing a few of my friends. ok better get to my packing again...

Maschsee Hannover

went to Hannover (Lower Saxony's capital city) to enjoy Easter Sunday by walking around a lake in the middle of the city. Here are a few pictures:

not much going on today. Fiddled with my mom's computer for a while to make sure it still burns CDs and got rid of some useless software that she never uses. Now it seems to be ok... at least what she wants works now. Not much else going on today either. Maybe watching some tv and just generally be lazy. Tomorrow we are going to have easter dinner a few days early because my dad might need to go away for work again on Saturday .

just took this picture of the very colourful sunset outside

not much has been going on here. Yesterday my mom and I went shopping in a suburb of Hamburg with my aunt. We had a good day going through the usual shops and then had lunch at a steak house. It is the best steak I have been able to find so far, even in the States I haven't had a better one in the 5 years I was there. Anyway, I got a few new shirts and bought a PD James book called "The Lighthouse" I think. The bit on the back cover sounded quite good, but first I will have to finish reading "Shopaholic and Baby" before I can start another paper.

We didn't get tickets to go to Starlight Express this trip, so we will have to do that later in the summer. I might just plan a short trip sometime in the early summer maybe in June and then go again for my friend's wedding in August for a bit longer. But I will have to talk to Brian about that first, he will be retiring at the end of the academic year (at least that's what he's been saying the last year) and I don't know who will be taking over my PhD supervision. So I have to figure out how I can deal with going away on holidays. Also with the personal tutoring I always have to think about the students and whether they might need me or not.

Oh I got a 6 CD set with Tchaikovsky's ballets for 19 Euros today. I had been looking for a CD with the whole Nutcracker ballet on it, but never found anything decent. Will be listening to it later. I hope it is good, it is by the London Symphony Orchestra.

yesterday my mom and I decided to go for a nice walk by the river Elbe near Hamburg where my aunt and uncle own a little Hotel and Restaurant. The weather was lovely and we enjoyed a walk by the water. Then we went by my aunt and uncle's for a bit but they were busy with customers wanting lunch so we only had a glass of water and then left. On the way home we drove by my other aunt and uncle's house and had coffee and some waffles and had a really nice chat.

had my hair cut this morning, and now I feel like I am 16 again or something close to that age. I always look much younger when I have shorter hair... but I guess almost everyone does in a way. Anyway I thought the spring is coming so I should get rid of my long hair again... saves loads of shampoo too :)

sunshine and ice cream

just got back from a little outing with my mom. We drove around in the converitble and had some ice cream at the lovely italian ice cream parlour in town. I am really enjoying the sunny weather here... but the meterologists on tv are saying the weather won't stay and it is getting colder... hope it will stay at least a little bit longer.

in Germany now!

I have arrived in Germany and I am already having a great time... we are being very lazy already. Monday was a long afternoon of travelling after a very lazy morning and lunch at Imperial with Neil. Then I got on the train to Reading and then on the bus to Heathrow from there. It all worked out fine and I got to Heathrow with about an hour to spare before I had to go to my gate. The plane left on time and we almost arrived in Hamburg on time as well. And by the time my mom and I had driven home it was half past 11 at night... long time of travelling really... I left Exeter at 3 in the afternoon and got to Germany when it was half past 10 in England... so 7 hours... I guess it isn't that bad...

Yesterday we went to see my grandma and my aunt in the afternoon. We met in town where my grandma lives and had some tea/coffee and cake at a really nice café and then wandered around town enjoying the sunshine for a while. It is really nice out, still a tiny bit chilly in the shade, but in the sun you can almost be out without a jacket on...

Today started just as lazily with getting up after 9 and then having breakfast and now I am sitting here on the computer updating my blog and manning the phones while my mom is out running a few errands. When she comes back I will have a look at her computer to see if I can get some things to work again... she said she deinstalled some programmes by accident... but I think it is more likely that my dad got on the computer and randomly got rid of some things and didn't check that the files weren't needed for anything else... ah well... Not much else planned at the moment. We might go see Starlight Express at some point while I am here but we also might do that in the summer... then we have a bit more time to plan things.

I guess that's all that's going on at the moment here... more to come later

The Jeremy Kyle Show

I just switched through the tv channels after Frasier was over I found that the Jeremy Kyle Show is on... guess what the title of today's shows is? My Mistress won't let me go back to my wife... that poor man looks like he will be bursting out in tears any minute telling the nation that he has such a problem now being 45 that he got all the cheating out of his system and wants to go back to his wife... do people really do anything to be on tv?

thanks to all of you who made yesterday a very lovely day! I had such a good time and was truly surprised about the very yummy birthday cake... THANKS SARAH! And the best part is that tomorrow there is more birthday stuff going on for me as I am meeting my friends from uni for dinner and maybe drinks afterwards :) That will be nice.

mystery solved

such a nice day out there today... puts me in a good mood, which is never that difficult on my birthday :) Already had a few texts (neil and my cousin) and phone calls (my mom and my grandma) and I have opened the box and found the "big" present.



there was a card too which my mom made



It turned out to be a bathrobe...



very nice and blue and very fluffy! Pictures should appear on flickr soon!
I am looking forward to the rest of the day now... will meet a friend for a quick lunch and then later meeting Neil for dinner at ASK and then we are going for drinks with some friends which should be fun.

mysterious box

This box arrived in the mail today from my mom... I am very intrigued, but I will have to be good and wait until tomorrow to open it when it is actually my birthday. I had to pick it up from the collections office this morning and then took it to uni with me, but the size of it made it a bit awkward as it didn't fit in my backpack so I ran my mom to ask if I can open the box and carry things home that way, but she said that would give things away plus the actual gift isn't much smaller anyway... anyway... I guess I better stop thinking about it so I will stop here... will reveal the secret present tomorrow :)

Lord of the Rings Musical???

I was just browsing the internet a bit and saw that a Lord of the Rings musical is coming to London's West End... Maybe this should be a surprise, but it still is to me. I thought things usually went from the Stage to the Screen, but this one is the other way around... curious how it will do

finally....

I am starting to feel better. My voice sounds a bit funny, and I have got a runny nose now, but besides that I am feeling much better compared to Thursday and yesterday. Even went out today and enjoyed it quite a bit to be out in the fresh air. Yesterday morning I went into town to get some more paracetamol and I just didn't like being out. Anyway... been watching lots of DVDs and even some TV. Last night I enjoyed some of the Red Nose Day stuff while some of it was a little uncomfortable, but then again that's what Ricky Gervais is know and loved for isn't he?!
At the moment I am just waiting for the laundry to be done so I can finally get to bed after hanging it all up to dry. Was in desperate need for that just as cleaning the kitchen which I did a little earlier. That's usually a good sign that I am getting better when I can't stand looking at the piles of dirty dishes...
But even though I am feeling better I am still glad that tomorrow is another day off. Monday should be fairly quiet at uni which will be nice. No undergrads will be around... they are now off for their 5 week Easter holiday break... lucky them. Well, if I wanted I could take more, but I am only taking 2 weeks off this Easter. But more about that later... now it is time to get my washing and then I will get my well earned rest.

having a cold

is a pain... I was feeling a bit funny Wednesday in the day, and yesterday when I woke up I felt really bad. I had a few meetings at uni, but lucky one of them I could reschedule and the other one was fairly quick so I could come home right after noon and then crawled into bed and watched DVDs all day while napping as well... today i am feeling a little better... but loosing my voice so I am trying not to talk too much and am drinking lots of tea and having soup...

Becoming Jane

Just come home from the cinema after watching 'Becoming Jane'. The trailers made it look really good, and it didn't quite live up to that... but I still enjoyed the film. Very much a chick flick though...

rain again

I am sure you know there is this stereotype about british people that all they talk about is the weather... and when you read what I am writing here you might think I am becoming more and more British, but you can't believe the weather we have been having here. Almost every evening (and most days for that matter really) in the last few weeks it has been raining and just now I looked outside and sure thing it is raining again... I am starting to have enough of this.... but hey at least I don't have to be outside at the moment... (Neil I hope you made it home dry!)...

let's see what has been going on these last few days?
Monday started with a pretty boring committee meeting I had to go to in the morning and then I saw a few students during the day to get some paper work sorted and then saw a friend who is off to the US for a couple of months now to start writing up her thesis. I am so jealous that she can escape this weather, but then again I would miss my friends here and Neil even more...

Tuesday my supervisor cancelled our weekly meeting 10 minutes before the meeting when I had come in earlier especially for the meeting... then I did some work instead and then met a friend for lunch and then went to a workshop on how to manage stress during the PhD. That was really interesting. She went through a few tips on how to notice the first warning signs of stress and how to reduce it that way, and also what adrenaline actually does in the body... all quite scary that it all happens automatically at a time when you don't even consciously realise that you are stressed out!

Yesterday was Neil's birthday, so I left uni early and we went to the cinema to see "The Science of Sleep" the new (?) film by the guy who directed Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. Neil had really been looking forward to the film, but I think we were both a little disappointed. I was fairly confused about what was supposed to be real and what wasn't... and especially with the end of it. Still it was enjoyable to watch and a few of the characters were quite funny... and the animations were really awesome. After the cinema we went for food at Old Timers and then about an hour later a bunch of people joined us for birthday drinks for Neil. It was nice to see people again and we made plans to see some of them this weekend... and I get to go to WAGAMAMA again :) I am so looking forward to that already!

Today was fairly boring... I saw my friend who is off to the US again, she wasn't supposed to be in again today, or wasn't sure anyway if she would have time to get together, but we had a quick lunch and for the rest of the day I tried to re-teach myself how to use SPSS for data analysis. Then I went to by the bookshop to say Hi to Neil before he went to college this evening and then got some food for dinner. After dinner I watched "American Dreamz" on DVD which was enjoyable... Hugh Grant playing himself... very funny in bits and just the usual in other bits...

weekend

had a really nice weekend. Friday I decided to stop working earlyish... I had a quick meeting with my supervisor in the morning and then had to take a friend to the health centre a bit later as I thought he may have a concussion after having fallen off a horse (twice!!!!) that morning, and he just looked quite bad. But the doctor said he was fine, he just should watch out for a few things and make sure not to get on a horse in a few days. then we decided to have some lunch while we were there and then went back to the department to try and get some work done. I couldn't quite focus on work, so I just decided to go into town to try and find a birthday present for Neil... the weather was not the best as it has been here for the past few weeks really, so I didn't stay there long either, just got the present, and some food for dinner and then went home.

Saturday I met a friend in town for a coffe in the afternoon, and then cooked dinner for Neil and I. In the evening we went to a housewarming party that was quite interesting (I won't say much more here)... and today we went over to Neil's parents for lunch. It was lovely to finally meet them properly. I had met his mom briefly for a cup of tea before christmas, and since then we had been trying to arrange a day to go over for lunch or dinner.

and I have just finished watching Top Gear and am now watching The Conspiracy Files programme on BBC 2. Time for bed soon... Monday morning will be here sooner than I want

PS: This is my 100th post :)