It's only been this week that it hit me that I didn't have to do barefacts for Thursday - and it has made the world of difference to me. I can actually feel myself being so much mroe relaxed and happy... and that's even with the stressful launch of our new website taking place over the past few days.

And yes, that's been more than a little stressful. The nameserver changeover took longer than it should've done, and due to the left hand menu needing to be duplicated 9 times for the different sections, we managed to change over whilst it was still in password protected mode. But nothing ever goes 100% smoothly, so apart from the obligatory moans on the Bulletin Board I think it's gone pretty well. Well, I'm proud of it anyway, and I've worked damned hard on it. :) It just pisses me off when people moan about it being later than they wanted it to be, when I have been working my arse off for months on it. Do they think I just sit in my office and twiddle my thumbs?! No, I work damn hard.

I'm finding myself looking forward to starting my 'proper' job. Being a sabb is more than proper in terms of stress, pressure etc etc, but not in terms of how you are treated and paid. Many people think that because you are elected they own you, and have the right to say whatever they like about you, without it hurting at all. But it does. So I am looking forward to being treated as a real member of staff, not a semi-slave, and paid a nice amount of money. :)

And living with Ben in a proper flat - I can't wait for that.... :)

Well, I've calmed down a little now. As you can see by my comment on Thursday about the interview at Soton ("I'm definitely not expecting to get it, much as i'd like to, but it was definitely a good and useful experience that'll help in my job hunting future") it was a massive surprise to be called and offered the job on Friday afternoon, and it still hasn't sunk in, I don't think. It's amazing. Ben and I are moving to Southampton in 2 months time!

I spent a couple of hours yesterday looking for flats on the net - we should be able to get somewhere furnished for beterrn £400 and £450 a month, which would be pretty cool. Ben doesn't have a job yet, so it'd be good to live either close to the uni and on the main bus route (so he could get into the city centre if he worked there) or close to the centre and on the bus route, so I could get to the uni. It's really exciting. :)

I spent a lot of yesterday in work (after sitting out in the sun for a bit!) and the Union website is almost ready for launch. I'm heading in again soon, to work on a couple of sections I haven't looked at, so hopefully by tomorrow it'll all be ready to go. I'm sure there'll be some teething problems, but the new site is so much better than the current one, that it'd just be good to get it up and running.

Right, gonna go jump in the shower now, then head to work.... on a Sunday!! :D

I got the job at Southampton!!!

From July 1st I will be Undergraduate Recruitment Officer within the University's Corporate and Marketing Services.

Wow :)

I have a new toy! It's a very sexy Minolta digital camera, one of the icklest I've seen, yet packed full of functions and really easy to use. I've been having a play around with it at work today (cue: lots of pictures of sabbs sitting apparently staring into space!) and it's really really cool. I'm happy. :)

The job interview went well - I'm definitely not expecting to get it, much as i'd like to, but it was definitely a good and useful experience that'll help in my job hunting future. Southampton, despite being very very wet (it tipped it down all day) was really nice, and we're still looking to move down there even if I don't get this job. Ben came down with me, which I am soooo grateful for, as he really kept me calm and made me actually enjoy the experience.

Ben's work seems to be going ok at the moment, although he needs to do more for a presentation that's a week today. But it'll all be over very very soon, and hopefully everything'll work out ok. He's a clever guy and deserves to do well.

Righty ho, better get going....stuff to do, people to see, emails to write.... and photos to take!!

Work today has been slightly less quiet than last week as most of the staff were back today, but oddly enough I felt a little cut off from everyone in my office. Everyone else is based off the Activities Centre, and my (big) office is slightly set apart right by the outside door, so sometime I don't see some of the Membership Services staff for days on end! Ben was around quite a bit to keep me company, and Chris W popped in for a while, so at least I wasn't all on my own!

I'm doing some work at home at the moment - planning an advertising package for the magazine I'm planning for the middle of May (crickey, that's not far away)! Hopefully I can blitz it tomorrow and actually get some revenue coming in, cos it's gonna cost an arm and a leg to get done. I've had a couple of quite expensive quotes, so I'm hoping that some cheaper ones will come in tomorrow. *Fingers crossed*.

Ben and I spent the weekend working on his application form for a job in Gosport, and we've almost finished it now. Application forms take SOOOO long to do that it's unbelievable. Well, if Wednesday goes well, I might not have to fill one in for myself for a while!

The last week has flown by faster than..... something that flies very fast! I've had a week or so off work because of UniS Closure Week, but it only seems like yesterday that we were kicked out of the Union at 4pm on 8th April. I've spent the past week trying to help Ben with his revision (in the limited capacity that I can actually help with Maths and Business degree work!!) and the time has shot by. We've watched a few films, had some yummy yummy food (thanks to a tesco.com delivery) and now... I have to go back to work tomorrow! Hmph.

Only 2 and a bit months left here now... in fact, exactly 10 weeks (as I've just counted on my wall planner). On the whole it's been a good year, I'm glad I stood for election, but I'm ready for a change. I've been in Guildford for coming up to 5 years and it's time to move on. Ben and I have been looking at short term lease furnished accommodation down in Soton, and if I get the job it seems we could get something for under £500pcm... then if we like the area after a few months we'll begin the dreaded (and exciting) househunting! (That's actually buying somewhere of our own.... really crazily exciting)!

Ben's looking for jobs, and is applying for a couple down in Hampshire as well.... they're nothing to do with his degree, but as they're working with people/kids I know he'd be amazing at them as he's done loads of youth/community work.

Well, in a week I will have more of an idea whether I might actually have a job for the end of June..... so fingers crossed (for both of us). :)

Over the last few days I've been blitzing the new union website, and it's looking pretty damn sexy. Claire and I have been working flat out on the welfare section, her doing the amazing job of writing all the content, and me searching high and low for good pictures, as well as formatting thigns a bit, and it's all looking great. The current site has so little information on it, and the new welfare section alone has almost 40 pages!

Oh, and the media section looks very groovy too.

News of the week: I have a job interview! It's a pretty cool job, in the Marketing Department of Southampton University, working on Undergraduate Recruitment, so i'm keeping everything crossed and doing loads of research so I can be as prepared as possible. it's on the 21st, so wish me luck!! :)

It's been a busy week. On Sunday I headed off, along with 5 other USSUers, to Blackpool for the annual NUS Conference. I had an interesting few days, got very frustrated with a lot of things, but learnt a lot as well. We stayed in a lovely hotel called "The Cliffs", and I shared a split room with Chris (effectively 2 seperate rooms with a bathroom between) which was groovy. I missed Ben loads, but we talked on the phone each evening 2 or 3 times, and sent copious amounts of text messages, so t'was ok. :)

We got back on Wedndesday, and since then I've been working play out on the new union website. it's starting to look really really cool, and has loads more content than the old one. I'm trying to figure out how to present the News on it now, but hopefully it should be all ready for launch to the big wide world soon...

I have UniS Closure Week off from Thursday, and I'm quite looking forward to it. Ben has a lot of revision to do, and is finding it hard to settle into it, so hopefully when I have some free time I can do the 'encouraging girlfriend' thing for a week!

I'm starting to think more and more about the future now... Ben and I really need to get job hunting, cos we really want to have somewhere to live sorted by the time our rents end in Guildford (June 30th for me, and about July 15th for him). I can't wait until we actually know where we're going to be living next year.... hopefully it's somewhere nice.... and cheap....!