MRDWC YO!!!
I didn't even know this was happening until two days before when LRT shared a link for it! And that meant that the next three days were pretty much booked with me staring in awe at men in lycra. No different from my usual weekend programme I hear you cry!
But alas Sunday was my first day as a temp for interflora. A job I approached with much trepidation as I had been an operative in the fiery pits of a call centre before. My first day was an intense learning experience, not what I expected. I was expecting to be put on a phone and told to get on with it. As it turns out the sink or swim atmosphere of my previous place of work has made all other office based occupations appear tame by comparison.
But all was not lost I would be home in time for the final at 19:00! I was yet to see a truly close bout in the tournie so was hanging my hopes on the final for such an occurrence. I get home at 18:15 and load up the results page hoping to see who was in the final. I am greeted with an update stating that three bouts had been brought forward by two hours and the final was now at 17:00. I was utterly bereft, for about 20 seconds. Then I saw that there were some ridiculously close bouts to watch! So I've got some bouts in the bank to help me pass the time! Oh and as always my nod to SDRG for introducing me to roller derby! And here's some of my thoughts on some bouts I saw on 2013!
The group of people I was trained with at Interflora: Ben, Ruth, Dan, Gina, Ellie, Carol, Alison, Mark, Hannah and I am ever so sorry I've forgotten the last girls name! If she's reading this and feels wronged please feel free to contact me and I'll sort you out with a cookie :-D Yet to be taken up on my cookie offers, makes me think people are wary of burly men bearing baked goods
So chocolate everywhere. Sounds like a dream right?
I get home and decide I'd like join two separate pieces of chocolate together. How would you achieve this? I've come up with two options:
1. You could place the two pieces next so that they are touching. And then heat some more chocolate and either spread or pipe the liquid choc onto the join.
2. You could place the two pieces next so that they are touching and then apply heat directly so that they melt and merge together.
I went for option two and was rather impressed with the results. Here's how I ended up with melted chocolate on my hands, face, clothes and kitchen. I pick up the still mostly melted piece of chocolate with my right hand and it immediately starts to lose structural integrity.
In my haste to correct my mistake my left hand comes into play impacting the falling half and sending it flying towards the ceiling. My right hand, which is holding the other half, is the only limb close enough to prevent chocolate impacting the ceiling. I throw this half from right to left and reach for the ceiling bound half. I'm too slow and only manage to deflect it towards the microwave. And that ladies and gentlemen is a great example of why more haste does not necessarily result in more speed.
And this was in March! Now to May :-O What happened to April? Well the insane world of shift work 15 minutes away from my house started coupled with my woefully inadequate preparations for an exam. Oh and I got hammered and my mum saw me :-S not ideal. But then again that's what I get for living at home. Time to fly the nest, again. I'll leave for good one of these days. When I figure out what it is that sets me ablaze.
So today was the day of my CIMA exam, believe it or not its the third time I've sat this bugger. It's not that the exam is difficult or that I'm particularly dense. I leave the mystery of why I haven't passed this one yet to you dear reader, whoever you may be. Up bright and early and look up the route from the train station to the exam venue. I decide to plonk myself in a cafe and study my socks off. I actually do much reading on the train, followed by an hours kip. Man I sure do love train sleep! I also love mid afternoon sleep. Not a fan of proper sleep thought. I wonder why!?
Anyhow upon arrival I walk to the first cafe, a ginormous starbucks, nay nay I say. Onwards to a nice little Nero, not feeling this one either as I amble past more pretentious little cafes I decide to buy a massive bottle of water from Tesco and set up camp outside the exam venue. I read through key areas and make notes, test myself and generally look busy so the people entering the building will leave me alone. I am extremely sociable but I wanted to focus so no chitchat! Problem is I have a friendly face and "kind" eyes, wtf does that mean? I'll take a compliment where I can get one but doesn't everyone have kind eyes? Not one but two separate folk strike up conversations with me I play nice before burying my face in notes. The best of the two was a young man who asked me "what are you doing?" by which he meant what paper are you sitting. I was eating a salad, at the time, whilst quaffing an energy drink, more on that later, so I was thoroughly confused about his question about what I was doing. Surely it's evident that I am eating vegetables! I do however twig what he's on about.
So the time to sign in has come, involves walking up with a printed out admission thing and a photo ID. Neither lady can say my name at the desk so we have a bit of banter about my exotic name and I go back to my brooding seat. So everyone's signed in and they ask us all to assemble so they can give us the exam spiel: Not phones, no paper, no leaving within the first hour of the exam etc. I down the half can of monster and swig some water to keep my hydrated. And I sit down and begin reading the paper, we are allowed 20 minutes reading time. I am overjoyed the paper has been crafted with things I can do! Analysis, pensions, substance over form, basic consolidation and a cashflow statement! About 15 minutes in I am yanked from my joy cloud by the building pressure in my bladder, it is demanding to be voided. I quash the urge and decide to go after reading time is over. They instruct us to begin and I shoot my hand up. I am kindly informed that I can't leave the room for one hour after the exam has started!
So here's my quandary, I have a paper that is eminently passable yet all my energy and attention is being drained by my overly full bladder. Gah! So I plough on with a basic analysis question. Having completed it I look up and see that only 10 minutes have passed! Head down I am determined to make a go of all the questions before looking back up at the time. This too comes to pass and only 40 minutes have passed. I feel hot, I can hear my heartbeat in my ears and my breathing is shallow. Someone sneezes causing me to flinch! Enough's enough I stick my hand up and this time I'm informed that if I can't hold it then I can go but only if it's definitely an emergency. It wasn't an emergency but they let me go and return.
Worked till the last minute on that paper. I usually finish ages ahead of time and twiddle my thumbs whilst cracking my knuckles. So the moral of the story? Always go to the bathroom before an exam,
