In pursuit of Health, Wealth and Happiness

Birdie85

I tend to take random mid-week 'Me Days' off work, just say you want to have a catch-up day when there'll be no-one or nothing to distract you. Or you've got an old friend visiting and they're only free for a catch up on Wednesday. Or you've got the dentist and a smear test all in one day, what bad luck eh?!

Dinah93

Scary dentist work or hospital appointment and they could only fit you in in the middle of the day?

Tete_en_l'Air

I over think things way too much! I'm sure no-one'll be interested why I want a day off! Maybe I'll make it Grandma's birthday and 'take her out for the day' or something!

shrimpy_80

Following on from Birdie - you could just say you want a day in peace to have a declutter - then if anyone asks how it went you will be able to answer in great detail without fibbing!

Tete_en_l'Air

Haha, yeah - I try to keep things close to the truth if I can. I supposedly 'went to Ireland' for the weekend last time I took time off for school, had to remember not to update facebook all weekend with stuff I'd been doing at home, and act all tired and hungover on the Monday - hard work!

Tete_en_l'Air

Well long time no write - I have been over on Dinah's thread chatting but not updating my own actual one. In short, I went along to my interview day on Wednesday, I didn't go too badly and was certainly one of my better-performing interviews, but I was unsuccessful straight away.

I felt very rubbish yesterday - all the stresses of my current job seemed to come flooding back - I've been OK with it all for the last few months because I've been looking to the light at the end of the tunnel but now it's dawning on me that even though universities say they want a minimum of two weeks' school experience, in reality the vast majority of people have a lot more than that. There's still my 2nd choice and clearing but I really had my heart set on the SCITT. Obviously I'll go where I can if indeed I do get any offers.

My back-up plan had been to TA for a year from Sept if I wasn't starting a course, but someone was asking earlier how much they get paid and I was really shocked to find out how low it is. I thought it was about £14k, but actually it's more like £13k pro rata - they're not paid for holidays or break times so basically only get paid for about 5 hours per day, and it comes out at something like £4-6k a year! I don't think I could even live on that let alone try to put some aside for the uni year as well. And knowing how tiring it is (I basically did the same as a TA when I was doing my school experience) I don't think I'd be able to take on an evening/weekend job as well It all feels ever so slightly bleak at the mo. But I'm pondering. I have a lovely psychologist friend who I bounce my ideas off and she counsels me a bit when I feel undecided. There's plenty to think about and this is just the first hurdle.

I've been getting my finances in order a little bit this afternoon: I've finally put together a spreadsheet to track my petrol incomings and outgoings. So far I'm down about £30 but I haven't put my claim in for either December or January yet - I'm not going to until this fiasco with the tax is sorted. I'm trying to put aside all my petrol payments as savings anyway and just sort of swallow the extra cost on a monthly basis so this doesn't really affect me for now.

February (since Jan payday) has already been an expensive month and I have £321 to last me until the 26th. But I have paid in advance for a few things including holidays and weekends away so at least they're things I won't have to pay later.

As discussed on Dinah's thread, I'm continuing my de-junking into Feb. I got quite a lot done in terms of having a massive tidy last month, and was at the stage where I could then go through drawers and wardrobe and de-junk properly but then I got the interview call and it all went haywire.

As did the diet so I'll be weighing myself on Monday morning and starting myfitnesspal yet again! I have kept up with the running though even through all the snow, and am still ahead of my mile-a-day target. I'm up to a 10k distance again - just have 16 weeks to double it and add a bit when I do the Edinburgh Half Marathon

That's it for now, am off home and going to spend my weekend de-junking, running, crocheting and pondering!

Igamogam

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

Well long time no write - I have been over on Dinah's thread chatting but not updating my own actual one. In short, I went along to my interview day on Wednesday, I didn't go too badly and was certainly one of my better-performing interviews, but I was unsuccessful straight away.

Sorry to hear about that but dont give up!

My back-up plan had been to TA for a year from Sept if I wasn't starting a course, but someone was asking earlier how much they get paid and I was really shocked to find out how low it is. I thought it was about £14k, but actually it's more like £13k pro rata - they're not paid for holidays or break times so basically only get paid for about 5 hours per day, and it comes out at something like £4-6k a year! I don't think I could even live on that let alone try to put some aside for the uni year as well. And knowing how tiring it is (I basically did the same as a TA when I was doing my school experience) I don't think I'd be able to take on an evening/weekend job as well It all feels ever so slightly bleak at the mo.

Must depend on where you are because my TAs certainly take home more than that! As for a second job remember there are jobs in the holidays such as play schemes which pay quite well. I had a TA who did that and then went on to teaching although she did go down the graduate training route rather than university, as she got paid!


That's it for now, am off home and going to spend my weekend de-junking, running, crocheting and pondering!

Good luck with it all !

Tete_en_l'Air

Thanks for the encouragement Igamogam. I had a good chat with my cousin-in-law last night, she's midway through her PGCE and had loads of suggestions of different routes into teaching, so I know there are plenty of options open to me I just need to stop being a twit thinking 'But I really wanted THAT option!!'

There's a teaching roadshow thingy on in Newcastle this Saturday, and I happen to be meeting the girls up there for my birthday weekend get together so I've registered and will pop in for an hour first thing, just to have a chat and get some advice really. Can't hurt to chat in person to some of the ITTs either I guess!

In Health news, I'm going to give the Harcombe diet a go from tomorrow. I've been eating like a total gannet since about November, even though I did SAY I was getting back on the wagon after Christmas. I think with calorie counting it's so easy to cheat a little, whether by underestimating portion sizes or just thinking 'Oh I've only gone 100/200/300 cals over the day's target...' EVERY day, or even by forgetting to log something on MFP and go over without realising. So I've heard lots of good things about Harcombe and I've decided it's time to try something a bit drastic. The first 5 days really cut out a lot of food - you're basically allowed meat, fish, veg and water! I think because it's only five days it shouldn't be too hard to stick to, esp as you can eat as much as you want. The thing I'm worried about is cutting out coffee. You're allowed decaf but I drink coffee with milk and sugar and they're both banned so it's out for me - it'll be really hard I think. Anyway, I'll weigh in in the morning and will go from there.

shrimpy_80

Good luck with the Harcombe Tete! Do you drink tea or just coffee? I am a bit of a tea addict and am trying to switch it around a bit, redbush is really nice and is caffeine free. If you aren't overly keen on tea to start with though it would probably taste hideous!

Tete_en_l'Air

Morning Shrimpy! I do drink tea, but again it's with milk ... I've never tried it without. I try to drink fruit teas as much as poss at work (since there's annoyingly never any milk and I'm sick of being the only one who buys it) and thought I'd just drink those, but was quite dismayed to find that they contain actual fruit and are therefore banned (even fruit sugars count you see). So I've had a 'detox' tea for breakfast with aniseed, fennel and cardamom and I have a box of chamomile, fennel and plenty of peppermint as I definitely like that! I tried rooibus a while back but it was too delicate for me, like Earl Grey which I don't like either. I like strong Yorkshire Tea! Just having my first try of natural live yoghurt on its own - could really do with some fruit or honey to balance it a bit

Weighed in this morning at 11.4 which is only 3lbs off my all-time high. Losing 15lb will take me right to the middle of my happy zone so hopefully I'll see as good results as others have...