In pursuit of Health, Wealth and Happiness

Dinah93

Hey hon, just been catching up (your thread had more natter than mine so I've ended up replying here first - is that odd?) on what I missed while away.

My mum mentioned she got your email, I don't know if she replied yet. She's not back at school yet as the doc thinks she needs councelling before she returns to deal with some anxiety issues she's having since grandad passed. Anyway I think you'd find she has almost nothing but good things to say about teaching. She said today 'it's not the job that's getting me worked up, I've always loved that, it's just sometimes you feel like some teachers are just school kids who never grew up enough to leave!'

Glad shred is going well - for some reason I'm irrationally scared to start it again. I started almost exactly now last year and then wound up pregnant 2 weeks later!

Tete_en_l'Air

Just a quick hello from me, I'm hoping to be tucked up in bed by 9.30! Managed to get my work emails down to 48 from something like 113 this morning - go me.

Commute in the rain took ten minutes longer and was about ten times more stressful than it was on Friday (although in fairness I DID have the wipers on full blast) .. so I can only imagine what it'll be like in the rain AND dark in a few weeks' time.

NSD today, and kept under my calories, but was hungry

Had a bit of progress with the friend's cousin, spoke to her on the phone tonight and she was pretty positive but I had to really emphasise the urgency of needing some experience - she was under the impression I'd get a place on a course and THEN get some experience but I had to explain it's the other way around. She also kept mentioning CRB checks, but I was under the impression you only need them if you're going to be left alone with the children. So need to look at that quite urgently too.

Argh, it all feels such a rush and there was me thinking next September was ages away! I've had a bit of an up, down day really!

Shrimpy, I absolutely agree with our 'what if?' thoughts there. I'm so guilty of this, I dither and dither over things until the moment has past and then regret not just jumping in, so I'm trying to take the bull by the horns a bit.

How are you feeling this evening Kitty?

Dinah, haven't had a reply from your Mum but I knew you were all away at the wedding. Poor thing, hope she's doing OK, she lost both parents in very quick succession. Not to worry if she's going to be off school for a while, I have put feelers out with a couple of other work contacts too so hopefully I should manage to get something before half term, and I'd love to do another couple of weeks elsewhere later in the (academic) year too.

Sounds the same as most jobs though - it's not the job, it's the awful people! Other People are just insufferable aren't they?

Right I really am going to my bed, up early for the shred and more battling idiocy. I have a bit of a to-do list this week which I need to write down too, it's all floating about in my head at the mo....

Kepp

It is scary how fast time goes when you're trying to get things organised! Try not to panic too much though, things have a habit of going from seeming like nothing's right to coming together almost overnight

Did I remember correctly that you're off on holiday soon?

Tete_en_l'Air

Yes - six weeks tomorrow til I go down to London then six weeks on Thursday til I jet off to NYC!!!

That's around the same time as half term and I really want to get some work exp under my belt by then and also have my application almost done. Really soon for something that won't start til a year from now!

N.I.M

Tete you are going to LOVE NYC. The food, the scenery, yes it has awesome scenery if you know where to look, the films being shot (I saw bits of The Avengers and/or The Dark Knight Rises being shot. Just be aware that PETA will be protesting there somewhere, usually up by the horse drawn carriages outside central park (quite forgetting that if they get the carriages banned all the horses will be shot and dozens of people will be out of business) and its like 6million degrees on the subway platforms.

Bring your camera

Tete_en_l'Air

Argh, I'm having camera anxiety NIM! At first I thought I'll DEFINITELY take my snazzy expensive DSLR - because I'm going to NEW YORK. But. It's really heavy around my neck if I'm going to be walking around a lot and I'll be scared of bashing it and really, if we're rushing about I'll not be faffing with my own settings (where I have to take about 20 shots and they're all blurred anyway) so it'll only be on the auto setting. So I should take my little digital which is actually really good itself. That was what I'd decided til last weekend when I took my DSLR out and realised just how GOOD the shots are, and now I'm undecided again. I might just take both. Halp!!

N.I.M

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

Argh, I'm having camera anxiety NIM! At first I thought I'll DEFINITELY take my snazzy expensive DSLR - because I'm going to NEW YORK. But. It's really heavy around my neck if I'm going to be walking around a lot and I'll be scared of bashing it and really, if we're rushing about I'll not be faffing with my own settings (where I have to take about 20 shots and they're all blurred anyway) so it'll only be on the auto setting. So I should take my little digital which is actually really good itself. That was what I'd decided til last weekend when I took my DSLR out and realised just how GOOD the shots are, and now I'm undecided again. I might just take both. Halp!!

If your thinking of getting yourself a christmas present I (the wedding photographer I work with) suggest picking up something in the middle over there if you can. But carrying a DSLR will be a nightmare cause you will walk a LOT...D had it easy, she brought a packmule

Tete_en_l'Air

Hmmm, I don't really fancy bridge cameras TBH, I'm a bit all-or-nothing! If camera stuff is really cheap over there tho I might think about treating myself to a new lens.

Wondering if I could sew myself some pretty cushioning to go on the strap..?!

Also would love to hear your (and anyone else's) recommendations for NYC!

Kepp

I thought you were going to France? I must have made that up! Just made me think about it as I'm off there tomorrow :j

I love NY, I have been 3 times Now where did that debt come from?

Are you looking for touristy things to do such as Empire State Building or some stuff that's a bit different?

Tete_en_l'Air

I went to France last year? And Ibiza in August..? Where are you going in France? Ahhhh, bread, cheese and wine!!!

Well we'll be doing most of the touristy things as it's our first time, we've bought one of those attraction passes for the queue jumpers and as it's a bit cheaper. From what I've read MOMA is worth doing more than the Guggenheim, which is just nice to look at?

I need to do a proper list really, as we've discussed it but not got anything concrete. So just looking for recommendations of 'must dos' that we may not have thought of, and nice restaurants and good places for cocktails maybe?

We like our indie/alternative/60s type music so hopefully we can find somewhere like that for a night out, or I wonder if there are any bands playing...? Something to check. We've already booked to see an off-Broadway play too, with Paul Rudd in :happyhear

And although we want to see the big shops like Tiffany's and Bloomingdales, we want to find some good vintage places for actual shopping.

Also what would you say your budget was per day for the essentials, ie food, travel and attractions?

Ooh I'm getting myself all excited now, best go and dampen my spirits down with some work!!