New job underway

I have now officially started my new job and talk about hitting the ground running! My days are filled with endless meetings and training and problem solving and handovers - what have I let myself in for! On a serious note, I am looking forward to the challenge and putting some of my studying to use in the real world.
Rehearsals continue for Oklahoma! and I have now also started attending rehearsals for a show called The Revue at Eastwood Theatre in October. It will be a mix of songs from well loved musicals such as Evita, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia and Wicked.
My last day in my old job was nice - I got a lovely orchid from my pod and taken out to lunch for Thai food - yum! I went for after work drinks at the Butterfly and Pig (£18 for a bottle of house wine - ouch!!) and ended up drinking far too quickly because we were told that our bid on a house in Pollokshield was unsuccessful. So it's back to the drawing board and on to offer number 4 - surely we will succeed sometime soon??!
On Saturday we took a trip to Greenock to see the poor car which we have now been told is fixable... £7,000 worth of damage is seemingly not enough to write off a car! The poor thing looked so sorry for itself all stripped down to its carcass. It was probably also jealous of the beautiful hire car we were given - an Alfa Romeo Spider. However ironically the electric roof didn't work so during all the wonderful weather we had we weren't able to get the roof off! I eventually complained (because we aren't going to get that many sunny days in Scotland!) and we were given a Renault Megane Coupe and thankfully the roof did work this time! Afterwards we went into town with Ross's folks and had delicious Italian pizza and people watched on Buchanan Street in the sun which made me think I was on holiday. Saturday night was a quiet one watching Mr & Mrs (which Ross are I are great at!) and Britain's got Talent (it was the Scotland episode but there was no sign of my sister and I in the audience - boo!). On Sunday I met up with my good friend Anna. We had many a good night out as teenagers dying our hair and drinking Hooch! Anna now has two gorgeous kids so we were talking lots of grown up things like marriage, houses, children and gardening! At night, my sister came to rehearsal with me so hopefully I've persuaded her to auditon in a few weeks (although we will need to practice the dance audition a few times to get it right!).
Today is a big day for Rangers fans - Glasgow has turned into a sea of blue scarfs and painted faces. I'm not sure whether to join in the carnival atmosphere or go home for a bath! Knowing me I'll join the party! x

Crash test dummies

So, it's been a very eventful couple of weeks since I last wrote. I went to London with Lyndsey, Claire and Billy from my work. We flew into London City which I love (you think you are landing on water) and we found our way round the DLR and tube just fine. At night we planned to have a quiet one in advance of our meeting with Business Development colleagues the next day however we ended up in a gay bar singing karaoke until 2am - oops! I was persuaded to go up and sing Mr Jones which nobody in London knew but it was fun nonetheless! I was exhausted at the weekend so we had a quiet one. Donna and Neil came round for some chilli and games - we played Mr & Mrs and Wii games before Ross fell asleep on the floor! On Sunday I helped out at my opera club auditions so we have now cast the whole show for Oklahoma! On Sunday night I went to the Radisson with my pal Aileen for the British Institute of Innkeepers annual black tie dinner dance courtesy of Aileen's brother Russel. We had a great night with a lovely meal and loads of free booze (thanks also to my pal Karen at the Radisson!). However I always suffer after a night out on a school night - in fact I was tired the whole week afterwards.

I did however manage to find a house we were both interested in which we have now both viewed and put in an offer for - fingers crossed! I'm not saying any more at this stage though because I don't want to jinx things - and we have been so unlucky previously (oh and did I mention how much I hate estate agents???)

Last Friday I picked up my wee sis in Ross's car and headed to Aberdeen for my friend Angela's hen night. BUT, we only made it as far as Perth because we were in a car accident. Yup, we were smashed into a Perth roundabout by a driver going far too fast and unable to stop in time. Their car was mangled and our car is still in Perth probably written off. A police statement, breathalyser test and ambulance trip to hospital ensued but we both lived to tell the tale! Plus, we even managed to get a train to Aberdeen for the last few hours of the hen night! I will post a photo of the mangled car if I ever see it again! Oh and I will also post a photo of my fantastic new dress I bought in a vintage shop for the 'sex and the city' themed hen night. I'm now back in Glasgow with a sore neck and feeling sorry for myself but at least the insurance will sort it all out.

Oh and nearly forgot some exciting news (which has been overtaken by the car crash story!) - I got promoted at work! I am now a Programme Manager with a team of 5/6 staff and managing several programmes including People's Millions on itv. I'm really chuffed about it because I had to go through verbal and numerical reasoning tests, presentations and interviews but I guess I need the extra money if we get a new house! Ross and I celebrated the promotion with a lovely meal at The Restaurant.

Today was a well needed public holiday and it was a glorious day in Glasgow. I met Donna for some dim sum and then lay in the back garden getting burnt! We also managed our first BBQ of 2008 - barbequed salmon, yum!

That's all my news for now. Sending love to my wee nephew who has a bump the size of an egg on his head after falling down the stairs! xx