S W E E T O B S E S S I O N S

Hi girls.

I've been very busy with various activities, which is why I haven't been in here for ages.

Glad to hear you had a great holiday, Lise. The pictures are lovely. We're still hoping to get out to Orlando next summer.

Row, I hope you and Andy are feeling better now. Sorry to hear Oliver is having problems at the moment.

Hey Row, I know your headaches. I'm still at home with my depression, now my third week. Yesterday, our doctor came again and gave me another week in and has now sent me to a neuro-psychiatrist. Not too keen on going though and so I haven't called for an appointment yet. My depression started with those lousy headaches too and I've only had it the once I was at home.

Thursday last week, I send a mail to my biggest boss to tell her I can't cope with one of my closest colleagues and that I can't express myself decenlty face-to-face, hence the e-mail. Her reply was that she wants to discuss it once I'm back ( ) with my head of departement there as well... So I basically shouldn't have send the mail because it did nothing good. Now I got a text message from one of my colleagues who said that our head of departement isn't too pleased with my e-mail. What business does my boss have in telling my colleague anyway? They really don't get it over there.... I so need another vacation to set things straight for myself.

Anyway, on to the better or at least different news. I have my solo piping competition this saturday and last night, we quickly decided that I'm going to learn one new tune. I have until tomorrow evening to know it by heart and hopefully be able to play it on pipes...

Row, wish Andy well with his back.

Lizzie - feeling slightly better today.

Oh dear we are a sorry lot aren't we! So to us all!

Hello ladies! Sorry it's been so long. I hope all is going well and if anyone's giving you trouble you just give me their address I'll sort them out! I had a pretty chill day today. I got up really early this morning to vote in the election and then went back to bed until I had class in the afternoon. I basically didn't exsist today.

Yes... definately for us all.

Ducky I'll send you my bosses address OK? You can go 'fix' Lizzie's boss too afterwards..

Only another day off for me now, and I'm starting to get all stressed about the very idea of it... dammit.. why are jobs necessary? I'd be delighted to be a lady of leisure.. LOL.. Ah well it's nearly Christmas...

Live long and prosper everyone..

Definitely all around!

Yes, Ducky, you can go and fix my bosses too.

Nearly Christmas indeed but here it's slowed down by the 'Sinterklaas' stuff. Otherwise stores would already been storing their Christmasie things and now it's just the other things. LOL. I recently went to the British store (StoneManor) we have in Brussels and bought us a box of Christmas crackers. Just a bit of a Brisith aspect here for Christmas. I might go back in a few weeks just for the fun of it. It's a great store anyway. Oh and I bought Christmas cards in English! No need for long hunts for decent, funny and English cards this year.

I'm starting to feel better again and I'm happy about that. We have next week Tuesday off anyway so it might do me good to pick up with a four day week first. There will be trouble for me though because I had the guts to send that mail about my colleague but I don't care right now. We'll see how things go and if it's too insane, I'll just stay home again. I've made an appointment with the neuro-psychiatrist after all and perhaps he can recommend me to stay home for the rest of the year or something. LOL.

Lizzie you all

Big hugs all round to everyone. Lets all eat some it's sure to make us feel better

I saw the new James Bond movie last night - very good, although there were no cheesy one liners in this movie, which was a shame. What's James Bond without cheesy one liners

Tonight SD and I are going to see Al Green at the Royal Albert Hall so I might make an effort and put on a smart pair of trousers instead of my usual jeans.

ANyone doing anything firework wise tonight? Remember Remember the 5th of November

I thought of you last night. I was at Robert's house and he has satellite so listens to British radio channels and they were talking about Guy Fawkes.

Had a good rehearsal last night so I hope things will go well on Saturday. Fingers crossed.

Lizzie

I'm on the job ladies~!~ *puts on her ninja costume and gets ready to kick some ass*

Oooh james Bond!! I'm dying to see it, I love me some Daniel Craig. I just saw Changeling the new Angelina Jolie movie on sunday. It was fantastic.

Glad you're starting to feel a bit better Lizzie. Hope you continue to do so...

I went back yesterday.. it wasn't SO bad.. as my &*^££$ boss was off... but he'll be back today.. so I'd better prepare... I hope we start to slow down for Christmas soon....

Now I suppose I had better start thinking of Christmas... can't I just get someone else to do it all this year? LOL..

You could ask Auntie to do it for you...

Yesterday evening, I got a phone call from one of my colleagues. The situation at work hasn't changed much, my bosses are walking about like thunder clouds and the entire court knows about a confidential mail I've send to my higgest boss. Well, nothing new to me. Today I got a text that one of my good colleagues is leaving and though I'm sad she's going, I'm also happy for her that she managed to escape the hell hole. It might mean that I could be transfered to her departement which I wouldn't mind. Well, we'll see how things go on Monday when I get back. We've got Tuesday off anyway so a one day start might be good.

I've gone out to buy myself a set of badminton rackets. I've been playing every week for a month now and borrowed the equipment from somebody else but I thought it was time to get my own things. I still enjoy it and I'm slowly getting better so it's a good way to get a bit into somewhat of a shape. Once I've dropped another 5 kilos, I might take up climbing but that's for the not so near future.

Hope you're all having a nice weekend! I'm playing my solo piping competition tomorrow so I hope it'll all go well. Report will follow tomorrow evening.

Lizzie

Good luck Lizzie! with the piping and the evil bosses...
Are you from Belgium?
We just watched the film"Brugge" the other night, which is actually hilarious. It has Voldemort and Mad Eye Moody in it, too. We were once in Brugge about 10 yrs ago or so, and throughout the film hubby said he wished we'd be there again. The whole film is about how pretty the town is... (beside the chases and the shooting, I mean).

And Row - you are invited to Israel, we don't do Christmas here, you can hide and go back afterwards... (plus I bet it is much warmer over here).

ANYWAY- we might visit London this year again!!! Noga is 12, which is a special birthday for Jews (boys have Bar Miztva at 13, girls have that at 12). Her dream was going to London to see musicals which she was crazy about for some time and knows many quite well. She might quit this fancy till next summer (you know kids), but London is still the target of the next trip.
And so - if we are there - there is a chance we'll meet again for real.

Yes, Daph, I live in a small town less than an hour away from Antwerp. I've been to Brugge as a kid with our school but really should go back some day and be a tourist in my own country.

Ok, sorry that I didn't report on the competition last night but my feet were very sore and I was distracted by Harry Potter on the telly.
Two of our band were competing and for the boy it was his second time and for me, just the first. I had a team of three people around me though and they tuned me very nicely. We had to play three tunes and my first one could've been better but considering it was my very first time, I'm quite happy with the result. Out of the eleven final contestants, I ended in ninth place. Perhaps a bit odd that I'm happy with that but as it's a Dutch competition and they like to push the Flemish towards the back, I'm quite pleased. Besides, it's still not last.

The boy however, ended seventh and he's usually very full of himself and thinks himself to be among the better players. He's even convinced he can't learn anything new in our band though we're all going through a time of learning so there'll be much for him to learn still. We always get the sheets with the comment from the judge (a Scottish pipe major of course) and I'm quite pleased with what he wrote for me. I know my pressure is still a working point but my fingerwork is good for which I'm happy. It's easier to learn about pressure than having to learn all the finger movements from scratch.

OK, I'll end the babbling about piping here because I could go on for a while but don't want to bore you lot to death.

I'm going to work tomorrow for the first time after four weeks at home. We've got a national holiday on Tuesday though so it'll be a short week to begin with. I'm more nervous for tomorrow than I was for yesterday so please, cross fingers for me in the hope that I'll be transferred to one of my old departements.

Lizzie

Well done, Lizzie. For your first competition you did very well.

Best of luck tomorrow at work.

Crossing fingers for you Lizzy! you sound happy so maybe the good mood can help taking things better at work too...
(I don't know you of course, but I was reading recently...).

I also have a first interview on Wednesday, for working at my new profession (art therapy). I am so unsure of myself I hope they won't notice it... it is in a kind of hostel for young kids who were taken from broken homes and are raised in a house with caregivers. They looked for all kinds of therapists to work there.

I have been at home for 12 years (not working outside) and it is hard to start behaving decently and formally like normal people do..