Well, bugger me!

We got our results last week.

I got a 2.1 and I was quite pleased with that.

Jonathan got a 2.1 and I guess I was pleased with that.

I mean, can you imagine the grief and the snide comments and the one-upmanship I would have had to inflict on Jonathan if he hadn't got a 2.1 too!

But, just so you know, my average was higher than his.

Not that I'm bragging.....

It wasn't my fault

Theo announced he wanted to go on holiday with his friends this year. I thought he was too young (at 16 and a half) and he has no common sense so we said it wasn't a very good idea but by way of a compromise we agreed to let him bring a friend on holiday with us.

So, we booked a week in Ibiza for the half term holiday. Jack was coming with us. We thought Ibiza was appropriate as my mum and dad had christened Theo and Jack 'Kevin and Perry' years ago when they were at primary school.

We went for 'bargain' rather than 'luxury' (or even 'ok') but I thought for a week it would be fine. Although we live about 5 miles from Leeds/Bradford airport we never ever seem to be able to get a flight from there, so we were flying from Newcastle.

We reckoned we'd need to leave our house at 7.00 to get there on time, but Jack turned up at 3.00 which made Theo fanny about a lot, which delayed me, which meant we didn't set off until 7.30, which was just about ok.

Except it wasn't cos some broke the A1, and the police were running round waving and making everyone do U-turns up the slip road. So, after touring through Co Durham without a clue where we were going, we missed the check in by about 3 minutes.

Which, rather annoyingly, was probably less than the time it took the car park man to tell me all about him losing his driving licence when he was a bus driver and had a crash with a police car and now he had his licence back and this was the only driving job he could get but he really enjoyed it although the hours could be a bit anti social and did my car have any bumps or scratches on it and the car park was less than a mile away so there should be no more than 2 additional miles on the clock when I collected it so he wouldn't be joy-riding around in it and would I sign for the mileage etc etc.

The up-shot being it cost another £350 for new flights the following day and £150 for 2 rooms for bed & beakfast for 5 at the Premier Inn (very nice actually - lovely comfy bed) and £16 for the taxi to take me to Tesco Extra to get some beer and wine to drown our sorrows.

So much for a cheap break.

Almost there

One more exam to go tomorrow morning. Can't bloody wait. Had enough now.

Jonathan finished today - I'm a teeny bit jealous.

Small, cute, furry and very, very DEAD

Ok, so it's been a gazillion years since I last blogged.

But I've been really, really busy with these exams (and other crappy stuff) which I did last Wednesday, then I had to do my getting-drunk-to-get-over-the-trauma for a day or two. And now I'm going to be wrapped up with the next pile of shite due in in 2 weeks.

But hey ho - let's go - as the Ramones once said.

Anyways - my life has been very typically my life and stuff has been going on. For example:

Ambulance came to our house for Ysabella last night - she's ok, but we were a bit scared by the massive lump on her head. I wouldn't have called an ambulance, just taken her to casualty but her friend dialled 999 and then they turned up. Had to do the decent thing and not drink, just in case she deteriorated and needed taking to hospital. She didn't. Lump receded thanks to frozen peas - and she didn't get any sense knocked into her. She ran into a railing. I can't believe it - she ran? Like, when did that ever happen before??

However, a funny thing happened on the way to the..........

It wasn't on the way to anywhere, it was when I got there. In the library, at uni.

There was Sarah and Nic and I doing a team meeting thingy in the library at Leeds Met. We'd finished our team meeting and they were getting ready to go, but I was staying on to so some Business Tax revision (yes, really.) So they were packing up and I got my Bus Tax file out and decided I would go for a fag before I got down to it, so decided to spread my stuff out to 'claim' my place. Once everything was arranged, I thought I'd take the important stuff with me (phone, memory stick and purse) when I popped outside. So, still chatting, I leant over to get these things and I looked down and screamed.

Now, I'm not squeamish but the sight of a small rodent slightly - no, mostly - dead, wedged IN my file did make me jump - a bit. But then I started to laugh.

So, everyone in the library fell silent and I was laughing like a hyena. I couldn't explain, just point. Eventually Sarah and Nic noticed and after a slight yelp they were laughing too. Some young blokes wandered over to see what was going on and one of them ran off screaming "it's a rat, it's a rat" - what a big BABY!

Anyway, after about 15 minutes, I regained my composure, wrapped it up like a badly wrapped boiled sweet in a piece of scrap paper and dumped it in the bin.

So I'd just like to thank my lovely black cat for the little pressie - oh yes, Houditoo (don't ask!) I know it was you.

I need HELP

Anyone good with Quants? (Don't ask me what it means cos I don't know)

What I need to know is how I test for COLLINEARITY.

How do I know if I've got it?

I have done a regression analysis.

I have done a correlation analysis.

What I need to know is:

a) How I tested for collinearity, and
b) Have I got it

Willing to send results on if anyone can help.

I'm desperate.

And old.

And drunk.

List of crap excuses

Here's why I haven't blogged for ages

1) I've been to 2 funerals this year

2) I've sat 2 exams - had to defer the third until Easter

3) I have a appalling timetable this semester which means I'm travelling for more hours than I'm being taught

4) I've been spending time with my friend Lynda Big-Lungs who is heartbroken (see 1) above)

5) The PC broke good and proper

6) Jonathan fixed it but I coudn't get on the net

7) It was Theo's 16th and Ysabella's 13th birthday

8) I got very drunk on a Friday, twice, so, to all intents and purposes, missed the Saturday, twice.

7) I'm a lazy cow and currently wallowing in misery (well, everyone needs a hobby.)

Yoo Hoo

I'm here.

A belated Happy New Year, and I hope you had a good Christmas.

So what are my excuses? What have I been up to? No excuses and not a lot really. I was poorly, then there was Christmas, and the kids were off and we needed to revise for exams that started TODAY, and Jonathan's dad died and it was just life (and death) getting in the way of other life stuff.

I even had to sub-contract the writing of Christmas cards - to Ysabella. She skanked me for £5 - but I was getting desperate. I'd have paid more - but don't tell her that.

I haven't had to chance to keep up with everyone else's blogs, and I don't have the time to read back thru 2+ months so I'll just have to jump in and hope I keep up.

Got the funeral on Friday - great timing cos it's the same day as my business taxation exam, so I've got to defer it until Easter. As my feelings towards Jonathan's dad were pretty well known I don't feel a need to add anything on the subject really. It'll be weird seeing my sister- and brother-in law after 7 years. And Theo and Ysabella couldn't even remember their cousins names. Oh what a happy reunion it will be.

What more can I say, erm, I actually liked all my presents this (last?) Christmas, so thank you to everyone x x.

My second favourite present was a mug from 'you-know-who-you-are' which said 'Queen of Fucking Everything'.

And I think that just about sums me up.