cheryl s

cheryl_s @ 2004-10-20T15:45:00

2004-10-20T06:03:30Z

will just copy and post what i put as 2 entries on the dopamine boards, cos i'm short on time in a net cafe, sorry....

hi everyone, i'm using darren's uncles pooter in hong kong atm...been here a week now, and fly to adelaide tonight. its about 29 degrees and humid here, but i've kind of got used to it now, which is just as well cos it will be 36 degrees in adelaide when we land. hong kong's great, very busy, no-one owns a car cos public transport is varied, cheap, clean and efficient. the food's excellent, i've eaten more rice and noodles this week than i've done in my entire life. chinese puddings suck though. their idea of dessert is red bean soup. i've been to the beach a couple of times just to get away from the crowds really, i think i'd get claustrophic if i lived here full time..every building is a high rise. its very pretty at night though, when all the neon lights are on...even the big banking towers are lit up like xmas trees. i'll post some pics once we get to oz and can hook up our digital camera and download them.
gonna go repack our cases now ready for tonight

later peeps
xx

hey, am in adelaide at a net cafe, so just a quick one...found a place to rent after a nightmare few days looking round at shit houses...we've found one thats recently done up, with a new kitchen, and they allow pets, so we've done ok there really...also the landlords are a nice friendly couple who live 5 mins away and have said they'll help out with anything we need to know about oz....we've opened a bank account with a lovely bank person who gave us entertainment and dining out vouchers that she had kicking around at home and wasn't using....people are so friendly here!....we also had our first ever car crash...we were crossing a busy intersection on sunday, we were on green and some idiot ran the red light on my side and hit the car....i saw it coming but there wasn't a damn thing we could do, we were just lucky he didn't hit where i was sitting but got the rear side instead...ripped the entire back bumper off the rental car...anyhow, we'd taken the extra insurance so it cost us $300 but coulda been a lot more otherwise. to be honest i was just glad to be alive! they all drive like nutters here....adelaide is the accident capital of australia and i can see why!
right, gotta go look online for jobs....later!

xxx

cheryl_s @ 2004-09-26T19:38:00

2004-09-26T18:42:13Z

last entry for a while, though will update from net cafes along the way if i can. we fly on the 4th, but net access gone from tomorrow.

this week has been way stressful, and only gonna get worse. hopefully once i'm on the plane, i can relax a bit, cos if we've forgotten anything then, its too late!

bye for now!

cheryl_s @ 2004-09-24T11:01:00

2004-09-24T10:06:49Z

i have new hair. £80 and 3 bloody hours, but its worth it. i can't post any pics, cos i didn't like the ones darren took - the hair looks nice, but as usual my face is totally unphotogenic - so i'll describe it instead. its layered and 'chopped/feathered' throughout to remove the weight at the side and give me a thicker fringe which is swept over from a low side parting. its dyed dark brown/black, with a wedge of bright pink done underneath going from the front round to the back, so that the black is on top in places and kinda mixes in with the pink. damn its hard to describe! i may have to post a pic!

anyway, new haircut, new life. We leave preston on the 30th sept and fly off on the 4th oct, so i will be incommunicado for a fair few weeks.
au revoir!

cheryl_s @ 2004-09-14T16:07:00

2004-09-14T15:17:49Z

8th wedding anniversary today. wooo. not really feeling romantic, too pissed off that we are STILL waiting for contracts to be exchanged on the house.
my mother visited last week to see baby amy, and as usual managed to stress out and piss everybody off.
off to see dad this weekend, for probably the last time before we fly

cheryl_s @ 2004-08-21T19:59:00

2004-08-21T19:04:35Z

after what seems like the longest and most difficult pregnancy ever, and a week of being induced, my sister has had her baby. its a girl - i'd had a premonition it would be, and weirdly, when i spoke to my dad, he said he'd had "one of his premonition dreams" - that it would be a girl too. so THATS where i get them from! i've just got back from visiting the hospital...they're calling her Amy...she's cute, but the whole thing makes me want children of my own even less, if that's actually possible. no sirree, not for me! the crying goes right through you - i can kinda understand how some mums reach the end of their tether and wind up battering them, and they're so damn heavy to hold after a few minutes - i left the hospital with back ache - imagine carrying that extra weight inside you pulling on your spine for months. eek.

cheryl_s @ 2004-08-17T19:18:00

2004-08-17T18:26:54Z

high drama with my sister's baby....it hadn't moved yesterday so she popped up to the hospital, the heartbeat was fine, but because its the second time in 2 weeks that its gone a while without moving they made her stay in and said they would induce her. Its only 3 days overdue for christs sake. and for those that don't know, inducing means they stick 2 hands up you and rub this gel that feels like fire on your cervix. and it doesn't always work. it can take days and 3 or 4 goes before it works. they tried once yesterday, and were meant to do it again at 9 this morning but 'couldn't fit her in' so shes had to wait til 5, by which time any effects from the first lot of gel have worn off! then they've said if after the 3rd time it doesn't work they'll break her waters, then give her a caesarian. in the meantime although nothings happening, they won't let her go home at all. fucking doctors - if the heartbeats fine, why can't they let it come in its own time, not this fucking conveyor belt mentality to deliveries where they resirt to caesarians at the drop of a hat. all this is doing is stressing her, and the baby, out...shes cried solidly for 2 days now cos shes that miserable.

in other news:
the new hifh single is rad
my interview with will is up on imsoscene
i miss douglas

cheryl_s @ 2004-08-16T10:29:00

2004-08-16T09:40:32Z

its been a busy couple of weeks
saw douglas in wolverhampton
then last week saw hifh in manch, then travelled to york to see them again, interviewed Will, and stopped over with darren's sister. that was my last ever hifh gig, unless they make it down under. lots of really tall people there...maybe thats why their tees are made so long in the body. dates for the october tour are floating around already and its really annoying.
then over to cardiff to see the last ever douglas gig. 16 song set and i was at the front. words can't describe how awesome it was. and col did something really sweet during the set that made my week. it was so hard to say bye to him and jamie afterwards. can't believe i'll never see them again. i was so depressed the next day. still am really. oh, but i also got up on stage for the first time ever, to dance on the last song. and immediatley suffered from the 'oh shit, 900 people are looking at me' thing and made sure there were other people stood in front of me.
then it was off to matt's, to see pitchblend play. nice little venue, but apathetic crowd response. its the last time for seing them play too, tho Rich refuses to accept that he won't see us again and is talking of doing a gig in preston before we leave. like that'll happen.

my sisters baby is now overdue.

cheryl_s @ 2004-07-27T17:47:00

2004-07-27T16:53:39Z

i've lost 4lbs in my first week of dieting. go me!

to celebrate i got myself a nice new pink bra, lots of new knickers (don't new pants just feel wonderful the first time you wear them?!), 2 new pairs of trousers and a pair of shorts. a little excessive maybe...i didn't intend to buy that much, but when i find trousers that actually fit, i have to get them.....especially as i only have 2 pairs of trousers in my wardrobe that fit atm.

spunge last night was great....lovely to see them in preston, and the crowd was better than in bradford the night before. think i might have lost some of those 4lbs jumping around to them! was sad to say bye at the end tho, especially to jarv, who's been really sweet to us. we're gonna keep in touch and try to get them over to oz some time in the future.

cheryl_s @ 2004-07-26T22:57:00

2004-07-26T21:58:19Z

Jarv from [Spunge] is officially the sweetest bloke in the world evar.
I want to adopt him.

cheryl_s @ 2004-07-21T15:27:00

2004-07-21T14:32:48Z

i got chocolates....lots and lots of chocolates....which i have given to my sister, since i'm dieting as of monday. although i haven't the heart to throw out/give away the iced sponge cake with "Goodbye Mrs Sagar" written on it that i got from my classroom assistant. i also got several bunches of flowers, which the cats are happily destroying, one petal at a time. and a pot plant, which i can't take to oz with me.
and 2 bottles of wine. and a little cd player. i think that one qualifies as the decent pressie.

today i have:
had my hair cut (only an inch, i'm still growing it)
bought toilet roll
got new glasses and sunglasses
smoked too much
watched 'without a trace'
and been squirted with a water pistol by some little kid while on my way to the bus stop

cheryl_s @ 2004-07-15T18:23:00

2004-07-15T17:24:25Z

1 day to go.
i am tired.
i hope i get decent presents.

cheryl_s @ 2004-07-10T14:39:00

2004-07-10T13:41:43Z

so....my dad comes to stop with my sister for the weekend..and we're meant to be spending time together...seeing as this will be the last-but-one time that i see him before we go to oz....but no. over the course of last night i develop a stinking head cold...i feel like death warmed up, and am unable to spend today with him, as i'm too ill to go out. fucking typical.

cheryl_s @ 2004-07-04T13:29:00

2004-07-04T12:44:22Z

yesterday was a busy day
up at 7:30 (which is an ungodly hour on a saturday) to drive down into the depths of shropshire for the wedding of my old best mate from school. got there to find out that the main meal and speeches were 4-6:30, then there was a break then another 'do' in the evening with a bar and buffet. since we didn't know anyone there, we decided that we would make an excuse to get out of the evening one, and go home via wrexham
why wrexham? because dopamine were playing and it looked like the last chance we'd get to see them before we emmigrate, and i had been so pissed off when i'd realised it clashed with the wedding. so i rang jon to get directions to the club and we were in wrexham by 8. doors weren't til 9, and first band (who were appalling) didn't come onstage til 9:40, so by the time dopamine had played it was midnight, and we had to shoot off home. i was knackered. i also felt daft being at a gig all 'poshed up', but nevermind. it was kinda hard to say goodbye at the end...they're the first set of people that we've had to say bye to...these next few months are gonna be difficult, every time i see someone its gonna be to say bye. but dopamine might be touring oz next year...sam says they're trying to sort something out, so hopefully we might see them over there.
still, i feel a bit depressed this morning. and tired. it was gone 1am when we got home. and on the answer machine was a 10:30am message from my sister going "you lazy cunts.....you're still in bed....answer the goddamn phone!" pffft.

cheryl_s @ 2004-06-27T13:05:00

2004-06-27T12:10:29Z

lots of gigs ahead!
finally got round to ordering spunge tickets for july

then found out hell is for heroes are doing a small venues tour in august, so booked manchester on the 9th. then found out they're also doing fibbers in York on the 11th. fibbers is TINY. so i texted darren's sister who lives there and told her she NEEDS to go. so she texted back and asked us to go too, but darren can't, so i will be getting the train across, stopping the night, and us two girlies will have a fabulous, if rather cramped and sweaty, night at Fibbers :D i'm so excited! i also have the last ever douglas gig that week on the 13th, and my sister is due.
3 gigs and a baby!
in the words of steve irwin....WOOOOOHOOOOOO!

cheryl_s @ 2004-06-24T19:23:00

2004-06-24T18:24:26Z

16 days to go
i broke the news to the kids today
they don't really understand....going away to live across the world is too alien a concept for kids who have sometimes never been off their own estate.

and dragonninja is no more
seems like everythings winding down
i feel i'm going away at the right time
don't know what to do about goodbyes tho
i haven't the time or money to do a two week tour of the uk visiting everyone. and i know if i try to organise something it won't suit everyone. i haven't even organised a staff 'do' and i leave in 16 days! don't think i really want one anyway.

cheryl_s @ 2004-06-21T20:10:00

2004-06-21T19:11:27Z

19 days to go
and so much to do before then
i wish i could sleep properly

cheryl_s @ 2004-06-14T13:04:00

2004-06-14T20:11:48Z

decided to take the offer from our next door neighbours...they came round to look at the house tonight and really liked it.....so once contracts are signed we can start booking planes etc. wheeeee!

cheryl_s @ 2004-06-13T20:21:00

2004-06-13T19:29:22Z

complications on the house front

after accepting the offer at full asking price from the pregnant couple (who strangely have not been back for a second viewing), our next door neighbour (who is loaded) has said he wants the house.
his partner that he lives with has 3 daughters sharing a house in longridge - she wants them to move into ours so that she can keep an eye on them, and then they can rent out the longridge house.
he's offered an extra 2k over the asking price, with 10k deposit up front (which would mean we have the cash to book flights etc ahead, and therefore cheaper than last minute). he's also willing to let us have total flexibility on dates for moving out, which would make timetabling the whole move a heck of a lot easier from a co-ordination of cats, furniture etc point of view.
what do i do?
the hardheaded business women in me says 'take it!'
the soft part of me doesn't want to mess around a pregnant couple.
why does everything have to be complicated?

the final douglas gig is on Fri 13th august at cardiff coal exchange (with capdown, the take, adequate seven), DJ thing after til 2a.m.
darren and i are gonna stay over, so if anyone wants to come along and meet up with us and have a final night out, let me know!

cheryl_s @ 2004-06-10T19:17:00

2004-06-10T18:24:06Z

s'pose i should really update

we put the house on the market
4 days later we got an offer at full asking price
WOOHOO!
today we found out the outstanding mortgage is less than we thought
double WOOHOO!
darren has seen a job advertised in adelaide that could be ideal
and i only have 25 working days to go!

life is sweet

(which is nice cos i spent the entire week of halfterm in a deep depression....bloody hormones i assume... it wasn't good)

saw my sister last night - in the four weeks since i last saw her she has suddenly developed an enormous bump...she now, finally, looks pregnant. also saw chris, her husband, for the first time since all the unpleasantness. he was just like he had been before it all....it was weird. hard to believe that all that shit actually happened now.

cheryl_s @ 2004-05-31T14:31:00

2004-05-31T13:32:21Z

ok, when i look at it, it hasn't worked, yet all the info on my editting page says it has....is anyone seeing a picture of hugh jackman beside this entry? let me know!

cheryl_s @ 2004-05-31T14:27:00

2004-05-31T13:29:07Z

my first attempt to actually use a picture on here....took me friggin ages to find a program that would shrink it without fucking the picture up...lets see if it works

cheryl_s @ 2004-05-25T17:39:00

2004-05-25T16:43:30Z

2nd day without smoking
cold turkey by the way
though darren is on the patches
but considering i go for up to 10 hours at a time without at school, i should be able to do it
the addiction is more a mental habit thing than a physical addiction i think

current music: the copperpot journals - pilots ...i got it in december on the recommendation of hifh's will, but i'm only just really taking the time to listen to it now....its actually pretty good in an atmospheric kinda way

cheryl_s @ 2004-05-24T20:27:00

2004-05-24T19:28:27Z

better write something as i haven't written in a while

the house is almost finished....should go on the market in about 2 weeks time.....it looks dead good, we're making a big effort to keep it clean and tidy. however this evening Tom decided to piss behind the chair in the living room, on the new carpet. we were not amused. he had no earthly reason to do that. its not like his litter tray is full. so he is now permanently banned from the living room and banished to the hall.

went to my cousin craig's wedding this weekend. craig's my favourite cousin and it was nice to see him finally settle down (hes 30), but i was dreading the wedding cos Ailsa'a family are very posh. i was the only woman there not wearing a hat, and darren was the only bloke not in a suit. my aunt margaret didn't look happy. we hardly knew anyone there, cos neither my mum, sister or dad went. well, dad wasn't invited. the food was posh crap - all style and no substance. darren got a caffeine withdrawal headache and nearly passed out. so we left as soon as the meal was over and drove to my dad's place, an hour away, to stay the night. then dad decided he wanted us to stay for tea on the sunday, so it was 10:30pm when we got back to preston last night.

would like to go down to matty's this weekend...pitchblend are playing 2 gigs on the saturday...but darren says no cos we're skint...he's such a spoilsport :(

in other news, i gave up smoking, as of today. being in the car is the worst cos i have nothing to do then. i'm ok when i'm busy.
in my slightly irritable state i am rediscovering my love for SOAD's Toxicity album.

cheryl_s @ 2004-05-13T18:38:00

2004-05-13T17:47:33Z

amusing things this week:

one of my kids rewriting the story of 'Water into wine' with Jesus as a con-artist who nips out to the shops to refill the jugs with wine!

one of the kids who was in my class 2 years ago spotting me on the Junior yard and proclaiming loudly to her friend "thats my really old teacher there!"

in other news:

SATS is going well, though the kids are stressed
results so far have been better than i ever hoped for
1 kid in particular i am very proud of...i had her as a year 1 last year and she struggled so badly that we kept her in mine this year instead of putting her in the straight year 2 class....she was so poor we wanted her statementing. the progress she made this year has been phenomonal...both academically and emotionally. shes grown up a lot. and so far has acheived an amazing 2A in maths and 2B in reading (2B being the national average, and 2A higher than average). i'm so proud of her i could cry.....actually when i marked her reading comprehension today and realised how well she'd done i did a little (i'm a softie!)...can't wait to tell her mum, cos she was so worried about her lack of progress last year. i'm gonna give her the class prize at the end of the year :)

cheryl_s @ 2004-05-03T17:28:00

2004-05-03T16:37:53Z

*sigh* so once again dragonninja is annoying me. i note the 'totp' thread that ian replied in has been locked. shame, cos i was gonna post a reply, since the most sensible comment in it so far had, surprisingly been from kimie...

"hey were not saying that their rubbish and we hate them and they can fuck off, i havent even seen it but people are just stating their opinion that in their mind it wasnt the best performance they've done, people arnt going to like everything so their just voicing that. Nothing wrong with that."

kudos to kimie.
i would start a new thread but its not worth the effort. and it would probably just get ian madder. the boy can't take criticism.
but it would have started...

"ian sweetheart
we love you dearly
but you're not a god
and those of us with some sense, maturity and backbone refuse to treat you like one
doing so would be unhealthy for us, and you."

i would also have pointed out that the amount of appreciative/praising threads on dn far,far outnumber any with criticism in them, but does he ever reply to those? nope.

anyhoo, i'm painting today. i hate gloss paint. it is evil. and i am covered in it.
but the house is slowly starting to look better.
we get the new carpets put in in about 2 weeks time, so we need to have all the decorating done by then.
then all we need to do is the outside of the house, the gardens,and clean EVERYTHING.
:(
o wel
it'll all be worth it in the end