Joyeux Anniversaire… yeah, right

Well, I spent this morning trying to choose a BSc dissertation topic, this afternoon working (either working my way around campus trying to fix peoples internet connections, or chasing around campus to try and track down a set of keys that I needed in order to progress with someone’s broken internet connection).

Would have been going bowling this evening, but it’s been postponed till Wed.

And hey, now I’m 22. Well, not quite yet – I was born at about 10pm.

Another year gone, and I’m no further on in life – 22 wasted years. Ho hum, at least maybe my 23rd year will be better.

Read Full Post »

The Beginning of the End… and the rebeginning of my final year.

Well, here I am. I’m in my room in hall, and my course starts next week.

…actually, I’m not. I’m in Uni to use a computer room, as my installation of Windows has gone for a burton. I need to reinstall it – silly thing. Oh well, at least it’ll give me the chance to install Ubuntu as well.

I’ve started my new job already – really nervous about it, but at least I don’t have a workplace as such.

To be honest, it feels really strange to be back here. I’m having trouble getting used to the idea. I’m also having severe trouble writing this post – too much change at once, and my head is struggling to catch up!

Will try and post more fluently on individual stuff… think it would help me to process everything if I can get it out in semi-intelligent type.

Read Full Post »

Financial Rearrangments

I doubt my credit report knows what’s hit it. It hasn’t seen this much activity since I became a student… three years ago!

My finances are, frankly, a mess. Not the “Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage” kind of a mess, more a “shoved in the corner, forgotten about, and occasionally prodded to check for excessive mould” kind of mess. I have accounts here, there, and a few other places, with varying amounts of money in. I have some money that was deposited by my parents when I was very young, but I don’t even know what company holds the fund, since the documents are with my parents. I do know it matured when I was eighteen, and is now sitting around gathering dust (and very little interest). I’m seriously tempted to reinvest it, since it’ll be better to have it locked away from temptation, but I don’t know where into, or how.

So, I’m clearing out and reshuffling. I’m cancelling my existing mobile contract, and have already taken out one with twice the number of minutes for half the price. Similarly, I’m going to apply to Smile for transfer of my student account. I think I’ll keep my existing student credit card, which I (er… mostly) use responsibly. though I must admit it is tempting to cancel it just to get out of a monthly subscription that that I haven’t yet managed to cancel (and which is costing me about 17€ a month!). Though writing this has just reminded me to send them another email. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to phone them up… I guess the international call charge will be cheaper than letting it continue to run on.

I’m also in the process of opening a current account with a certain building society that doesn’t charge for transactions/withdrawals abroad to be my new second current account. I have an existing one with BigMajorBank that I’m going to keep open – I have no overdraft facility there, and only a Solo debit card, so there should be no repercussions from this. And I’m too lazy to walk all the way to the Post Office when I want to pay a cheque in, given that said bank has no less than three branches right on campus…

Now to tot up my incomings, outgoings, and make a budget to be transferred monthly into my secondary account. Scary stuff!

Read Full Post »

Just Checking In

To say that I’m back. Oddly I got the same number of visitors as usual despite not posting for an entire fortnight. Anyone care to theorise on why this might be?

I plan to post in more detail later, but chaos is upon in me in the form of preparations for a new academic year, new accommodation, new GP, and further progression towards the new me. Moodwise I’m a bit down at the moment, but this time there was a definite trigger, so I reckon it’ll ease off in time.

Apparently depressive tendencies run in the familly, though “not in the way manic depression does”. My grandma and uncle have both had it, and possibly my dad as well (without recognising it himself). They haven’t indulged in quite the extremes of it that I have though, so I can’t blame it on genetics.

Seeing my parents next week, though they’ve arranged their trip down to be the day after I start work, despite my having warned them that if they did that I wouldn’t be around, and they should come earlier, and have consequently started moaning that I “only want them for a taxi service”. *hefty sigh* Oh well, I did try, looks like some form of miscommunication gummed up the works. Unsure how to explain that to them without pointing the finger at anyone (including myself!).

Feels strange to be back… I’d just gotten used to being at “Zion”, and suddenly I’m back home, looking for my chequebook so I can settle the rent I owe them. Also hungry, but not sure if I have much food in the house (and I’ve just eaten a 75g bag of pretzels, which didn’t fill me up at all. I’ve put on about half a stone in a fortnight, which might suggest I need to eat somewhat less.

Is there a special place where chequebooks hide? Do they hold secret parties in a faerie realm, along with pen-tops and odd socks? Or is it just me who can never find one when I want it?

Read Full Post »