As lefty says, why, why did I bother with a travel agent? well, because it was a good deal. It still is a good deal, but just they have cheesed me off a bit. I will know next time. they are still dullards, but it is going to be a GREAT holiday. I know it.

This weekend I went to a recruitment fair at the Exhibition Centre to help man the stand for work. Whilst it had the capacity to be quite an eventful day, in reality, it was fairly dull. A lot of people getting confused with the company name and thinking we are a recruitment agency and a lot of people who were more interested in the free pen than the chance of gaining employment with a dynamic, exciting company.

It amazed me that so many people came to this event dressed as though they were heading for a hot date with their sofa and a pizza. Surely if you are attending an event with the intention of schmoozing potential employers and trying to get a job, then you would make the effort to wear
appropriate clothing? Why would you turn up looking like you have been living in a skip for 6 months? Or not wash?

Anyway, after an exhausting day of standing around with people I don't really know and talking to people I had no desire to employ, some well-deserved retail therapy was required. The only thing that can save me now is shoes, I thought. But it wasn't to be. It must be a sign from the
retail gods for me to wait til I get to Old Navy. Old Navy is my favourite shop in the entire world. I hope it does not fail me. The website promises things of greatness.

Saturday night we went out to dinner in Milngavie - ooh la de da. We went to Classic India which I would recommend. The staff are very accommodating and polite and always eager to please. The food is great and plentiful and the prices are very reasonable. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday evening, but was a lovely evening nonetheless.

Yesterday was Aleks' birthday, so we met Andrew and Aleks and went out for lunch with my Dad in Paisley. It was a nice afternoon and afterwards went in pursuit of retail therapy again, this time with books. Was more successful this time. I love books. I am reading (sneakily, as it's not my birthday yet) a book about a man who reads the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. It's very witty and educational. I am up to the Us already. I have had to actually hide books in work lately to stop myself from reading them before our holiday. I plan to read all the way across the Atlantic. Which might be a bit boring for Lee - but then I can force him to learn Japanese with me - I have bought flash cards.

Our mould problem in the bedroom continues. I know have some horrible, ugly chesty coldy flu thing brought on no doubt by breathing in the spores that torment me from behind my nightstand. I can smell it and feel the moisture and it is pretty gruesome. We have invested in a dehumidifer to tackle the offending organisms. And then we can paint it again and hopefully we can pretend it never happened. Lee bought some skooshy stuff to
pply to the wall which we should not touch, look at, or get in our hair or in the water supply. So, people of Maryhill, I apologise in advance if any of you are inadvertantly are poisoned by our mould-relieving treatment.

The news today is full of the "arctic conditions" sweeping the nation. No, not the Arctic Monkeys for a change - the sub-zero temperatures, several foot deep snow drifts and schools and roads closed. The sun is splitting the sky here like it hasn't done for a long time, there's not a hint of a breeze and it's actually not that cold here in Glasgow. I am gutted. Snow is my most favourite weather ever. I am muy jealous of a workmate's snowboarding trip last week - I saw the photos and wanted to poke him in the eye. Which makes me wonder why we are heading for the sunshine-laden shores of California again and not a snowy mountain somewhere...