Quit..rest ..restart . Diary no.3

Gigervamp

Yep, you will. The agencies might tell you what to cut out.

anna_1977

I would do as previously suggested state that you were not out of employment - you don't need to list every single job you've had. Have you put narrow margins on the page to try and squeeze it onto 2 pages - remove references if they are names on there and just say 'references on request'.

I know you say you're OK financially but i am getting concerned that you're still not earning. You've not made any big purchases recently but you are paying a normal standard of living cost, flat bills and a personal trainer which we all know isn't cheap.

Just concerns that's all ....

another_casualty

Thanks Anna Am taking everything on board .
What am I doing now? Well , my left elbow has swollen up out all proportion, so I’ve just managed to get an early morning appointment at the doctors . I am now having a sugar free hot chocolate at the local coffee shop . You could say I’m a little anxious

anna_1977

oh no [poor you, I hope the elbow isn't too painful!! Hot chocolate should help

let us know how you get on

x

another_casualty

Thanks Anna
Well, I've got olecranon busitis . ( spelling ?!?)Amazing really, I pick up the strangest of conditions , but never really stuff like colds and flu etc:rotfl:
I have been given penicillin capsules to take . If the heat , redness and inflammation is the same next week then I go back to Mrs.Doctor
If on the other hand( or elbow) , the redness and heat have reduced then I just keep taking the capsules until the course is finished.

Mrs.Doctor is very good and thorough . I have been told off for not going for my 12 week blood tests etc. So, back to doing as I'm told.
I did ask about the weight issues with the 2 steroids I take .
She did tell me to keep on seeing Mr. Trainer or I would be really huge
Judging from that, feel that once / if I can come off of those the gas balloon will be deflated and the weight will fall off .
Good appointment at very short notice . Signs of a very good surgery.

lessonlearned

Hi AC.

Sorry to hear about your elbow, but glad you've found a good doctor. Hopefully Mrs Doctor will be on your case (in the nicest possible way) and will be monitoring you.

Try not to worry too much about the weight, I'm sure that once you can start reducing the steroids it should just melt away, in the meantime you are doing really well getting into better shape with your trainer helping you. I know they don't come cheap but it sounds like a good investment in your future health and longevity.

Re the job hunting.....yes I would look at summer vacancies. There's bound to be some around and you never know what they might lead to. It gets you back in the market at least.

Re the cv.....definitely get some help with it. Also you might need to tweak it a little for different of kinds of jobs. All purpose generic CVs don't usually "sell" the applicant very well. They can be a bit bland and boring. It's better to try and target your CV for the job.

All going well here. Had a couple of offers my house, a tad on the low side so I am holding out for better ones.:rotfl: I can hide my time.

Still waiting for the predicted mini heatwave for the bank holiday, :rotfl: hopefully it will arrive soon......

Have a great bank holiday.

another_casualty

Thanks LL:) Good luck with the house. Have you started looking for something ?

Had a pretty good weekend . Bournemouth Friday, friends garden on Sunday & gym yesterday . Mr. Trainer still very supportive etc
However, I will contact my specialists secretary to ask if it's ok to reduce steroid intake . He normally does Tuesdays only but I may give her a call tomorrow and see if I can get some advice .

Regarding the food, I made a couple mistakes and a couple of days on cider and Guinness over the weekend . I told mr. Trainer yesterday , he basically told me not to over worry and that I'm doing great in my approach and determination etc. The mistake I made : buying a Paddington bear Cookie tin and chocolate tin . Cheap and cheerful. However , I didn't think that there were actual cookies and chocolate included. As I was off the bread , the cookies were digested rather swiftly . :rotfl:

Received a letter from EDF . As of course it is May , I knew that the price of gas and electricity will rise inspite of me being fixed on their best tariff for another 1-2 years. No problem there . However, I looked at the summary. I have been given a refund of £214.64 for the gas.
They were trying to knock my direct debit to £16 instead of £49
I gave them a call and asked them to keep the direct debit at£49
The electricity has gone up to £67 . I am constantly using electric gadgets so no big deal really. Hopefully I'll get a refund in 12 months time for the gas again. I'd rather not be in debit and have a nasty surprise later.

I have been doing something wrong when recycling. There has been a notice put up..no plastic carrier bags . I have been putting the recycling in those Sainsbury's carrier bags .Didnt realise.
I put my rubbish in those as well. I saw lots of white plastic bags tied up in that bin. Surely carrier bags can be put in there??
My next door neighbour seems to be taking responsibility for any issues in the close. Not a bad thing I guess but I know that I have to watch over my shoulder regarding recycling and rubbish.
I may have to get white rubbish bags just to keep the peace.

Speaking of the close: the upstairs flat opposite me has been up for sale for over a month. I haven't seen any viewings yet. I could have missed one or two . I think it is overpriced tbh. The rooms are bigger than mine . However, the kitchen and bathroom is exactly the same as the one I inherited . I've definitely put value on mine . I would say the seller/ estate agent has overpriced it by £20,000imho.
The internet is a handy tool:rotfl:

Got 6 monthly dental checkup. I have been paying a monthly fee into a dental plan , so this shouldn't cost .

I put some insect mesh on the living room window . The skinny sticky tape doesn't stick well on the window frame, so I had some Velcro.
Will have to buy more Velcro . It is very expensive . I was thinking of making some frames that just slot in/ over the window frame .

I didn't get the last job I applied for . I saw it advertised on indeed email. At least I'm beginning to get involved again . It wasn't my field of work tbh, so it's not a massive disappointment .
My cv has been trimmed and rejigged. Hopefully one day it'll all click in place.
Amazing really, 2 years ago I was stuck in that "job" in the city.
The stress and strain of getting out of that . One thing I realised then as well. When I was doing the late shift or days/ weeks solo , I was scoffing my face with lucozade crisps and chocolate. In the coffee shops on days like this I was having those big iced coffees . No wonder I was a gas balloon.:rotfl: No lucozade for at least 6 months now .

anna_1977

Hey AC - am I reading correctly that you pay over £130 for gas and electric??

That's an outrageous amount for a 2 bed flat with only 1 person in occupancy! I am £85 in a 4 bed house with 3 people there & get a small refund each year. Please please check you really are on a good deal - it doesn't sound like it

Great that the trainer is still pleased with you.

Sorry to hear about the job but keep plodding away - something right will come up

Gigervamp

But Anna, AC did say they tried to reduce the DD, but he asked them not to, because he'd rather be in credit. He can get it refunded, so in a way, it's like a savings account (just without the interest).

Personally, I'd rather reduce the DD, and pay the extra into a proper savings account, but I'm not AC!

ToeDipper

Hi AC

I'm a long time lurker and hope you don't mind me jumping in, but for comparison my partner and I live in a 1990s flat, not especially warm, no gas at all so heating is from storage heaters. Our electricity is £60 per month averaged out over the year, including heating and hot water and also including a little wiggle room in case of a cold winter.

I would definitely recommend taking the time to switch all your electricals off and on again one by one and watch your meter to get an idea of how much energy each of them uses. Even if you don't change how you use them now, you will know who the main culprits are in terms of electricity use and if you need to cut costs at any point you will have a good starting point!