I’m fed up reading about other blogger’s going on holiday or planning holidays, I’m so jealous! In the past few weeks I’ve read about Rhys’s American dream, Han going first class to Florida, Jenn & family hitting the beach, Starlet being attacked by evil seagulls in Wales, to name but a few. Lucky, lucky people - you really are. The last time I was on holiday was in 2003 and that was a weekend in Dublin with the boyfriend. Before that I think the last time I was abroad for a proper 2 weeks in the sun holiday was America when my little brother was 4 - he’s now 15!

There’s only one real place that I want to go in the whole entire world - Las Vegas, baby! I’m been fascinated by the glitz, glamour, lights and gambling of Las Vegas for a very long time which was made a hella lot more intense with by my obsession of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

It’s my dream to stay in either Circus Circus or the Luxor before I’m 30. The boyfriend agrees, he’d love to go to Vegas too. And I kind of have it on a promise that if we ever went to Vegas it’d be acceptable to get married - and that’s never, ever going to happen in Scotland!

As always, the problem with going to Vegas is the money. We’re both terrible at saving money even for nice things like holidays and things. Plus we’d need gambling money so we’d have to stay in one of the many other hotels in las vegas that aren’t as famous or expensive as the Stratosphere or the Four Queens hotel just to fund our fun!

Anybody else been to Vegas? Is it really as magical as it’s made out to be?

Guess who forgot to take her site of maintenance mode?

I was all in a tizzy yesterday, my MTP coursework is due in tomorrow and I was still no where finished it yesterday even although I’ve had three months to complete it. So obviously, uploading a new theme was a better priority.

Anyways, course work is now finished (all 10,000 words of it) and I know there’s a few loose ends needing tied up but I don’t want to see that folder until at least…tomorrow when I’m up at head office.

I’d ordered Avon stuff through their website on Friday night / Saturday morning and I thought it would have arrived by now. I got loads of stuff in their special offers section, mostly moisturisers and night creams, along with some bath creme. I can’t wait to try the Avon Invisible Light Illuminating Make Up Base, because I’d like my skin to look all perfect without having to wear foundation. We’ll see if it lives up to my expectations for glowing, soft focus, English rose skin.

I was originally looking for some sort of spot cream as well but couldn’t find anything that fitted the bill. For some unknown reason for the past month or so my skin’s been acting up and going all gross - dry and oilly! It’s a nightmare, especially as I don’t feel comfortable in makeup. I constantly think I’ve got it all wrong, or have a line running the length of my chin where I’ve not rubbed it in properly even if I know I have. Anyway, the boy’s in work take the piss out of me when I where makeup since they’re not used to seeing me in it! I’ll just have to keep a look out for natural acne treatment ideas, since I’m not a fan of chemicals on my face (uh, yes..I know I’ve contradicted myself here but moisturiser is badly required when you live in Scotland, the lack of sunshine and constant horrid weather makes my skin really dry).

If you have any recommendation, please let me know. I’m feed up looking like a teenager again.

For anyone who is going to this year’s T In The Park festival in three weeks I’ve found a copy of the map of the campsite from the eFestival’s Forum.

I’m quite excited that the arena is bigger than previous years, but there’s still the walk of death up the side of the NME/Radio 1 stage to get in and out of the arena to the campsite. I hate that walk with a passion, especially when everyone is leaving the arena to get back to the campsite and it’s mobbed with people - it’s a nightmare in the mud.

I am worse than a kid at Christmas waiting for T In The Park - bring it on! The worse bit is not the waiting but the remembering what to take with me. It’s a long walk from the campsite bus drop of to the area where we like to pitch our tent (yellow area, usually). And I’ve got all my clothes, food, drink, sleeping bag, airbed etc to carry that distance so I like to pack my luggage light, but also have to remember that I need to pack items for sunny weather, rain, cold, scorching heat - Scotland is notorious for it’s random weather patterns.

We’ve managed to get most of our stuff in, all I have to buy is a double airbed - it’s the one luxury I allow myself all weekend.

Everything I’ve done today seems to have broken or screwed up. I’m not a very happy bunny.

For a start this site went berzerk. Totally and utterly broken. And the best bit? I didn’t do anything. Hadn’t touched it, or logged on, in days. After reinstalling WordPress 15 times in an hour, finally everything is back on track except the fact barely any of my posts or pages have tags anymore, or if they do it’s the wrong ones. But I’m working on that as we speak.

What I really should be doing is finishing off my work for the Management Training Program since our next meeting is on Wednesday. Seriously thought I was finished but I’m no where near completion. I can see an all nighter on Tuesday happening.

I went shopping earlier for a few things for T In The Park which is 3 weeks away. So excited. I bought a waterproof jacket (it’s Scotland. That means rain), a pair of brown army-style shorts, bag to keep my tickets, camera and purse in, a million pairs of socks and a new top which is white and lime green with swallows and polka dots. It sounds horrendous, but it really is lovely. Spent more than I meant to, but hey what’s new?

The one good thing that happened today was RTDOBE’s Doctor Who episode. It made me *squee* outloud. A lot. And cry, laugh..generally become a hysterical fangirl again. I knew Bad Wolf before Donna said it, because I am the Bad Wolf queen. I just can’t believe that A) I need to wait til next Saturday to see part two and B) I’ll miss part three because I’ll be at T In The Park.

Expect a full review once I rewatch it…and have some sleep.

I’m reading journals and blogs of friends both old and new and everybody is going away on holiday somewhere utterly cool this year. New York, China, Russia, Denmark. Me? Balado. Which is in Scotland. And where the greatest music festival in the world takes place on the first weekend of July each year - T In The Park. Although so far there’s only actually a few bands that I want to see - Newton Faulkner, Primal Scream, Scouting For Girls, The Hoosiers, Reverend And The Makers. I’m a bit worried that the Sugababes and Will Young are playing, Geoff Ellis what are you thinking man?

So, the countdown begins. It’s only 11 weeks away. Well actually, it’s in 11 weeks. And I can’t wait. Question is, are any of you going to T this year? Or any other music festivals?

Lack of access to a computer, never mind the internet, is taking it’s toll on my blogging. It’s not, however, taking it’s toll on my writing - I’ve discovered writing in a diary again after about 3 years of publishing my thoughts only online. When I first started blogging I kept up a hand written diary, a warts-and-all LiveJournal and a less personal blog. I must have had so much time on my hands then!

My laptop, which I thought I had finally fixed, is well and truly dead. There’s nothing. Nada. Won’t switch on, won’t charge up. I think I might just take my hard drive out of it and sell it on eBay for spares/repairs. It’s a shame, such a great laptop! I miss my little Inspiron.

Won’t be getting a new one for Christmas though - I’m getting a kick ass digital camera from the boyfriend though. I can’t wait, I love taking pictures but my camera got dropped a few weeks ago and now it’s really blurry and taking yukky pictures. I’m hoping to get a Flickr Pro account in the New Year too, and start taking at least one picture every day. I want to be able to look back in five or ten years and say ‘Oh, that night was awesome…Nintendo Wii’s are sooooo old skool’ or something! And laugh at dodgy haircuts!

Can’t believe that it’s Christmas so soon, thankfully I’ve finished my shopping though - I’ve spent nearly £600 on presents mind you! Well worth it, everyone will adore their presents since I put a hell of a lot of thought into them. That’s me penniless til the next pay day mind you - in January!! Hopefully I can convince one of my mates to have a house party so I don’t have to borrow money to go out. And then I get to watch the Hogmanay edition of Still Game.

I found out yesterday that Asda, one of the most horrible companies in retail, are to open a store in my home town. They will be putting in an application to the council within the next few weeks - and I will be putting in my complaint against it.

Ok, so the area where they wish to build this 60,000 sq ft building is derelict. It’s covered in graffiti and there hasn’t been a company opened in the office buildings that currently stand there for at least five years. Yes it needs a new company to move in, but why not utilise the current office buildings that stand there? If South Lanarkshire Council lowered their rates, somebody probably would move in - Vodafone were the last inhabitants, I believe, and they didn’t last very long at all due to spiralling costs.

Why do I have such a problem against companies like ASDA? Probably because I work for an independent convenience retailer. Granted, we’re part of a symbol group but we’re still independent..

I know how hard it is to get customers through the door of a small shop with a large supermarket down the road. I know how badly sales are hit when a new shop opens, or said supermarket gets a re-fit. I see how much stock costs and the low markups on everything. I might not own the shop I work in, but I know how hard it is to keep it afloat and actually make a profit.

With monopolizing stores like ASDA and Tesco moving into every spare piece of land in the country it’s making life for the small, independents hard. In fact in East Kilbride town centre there are shop unit after shop unit lying completely empty, their To Let signs more of a common occurance than actual shops. The place is becoming a ghost town, and the council are going to sign it’s death warrant by allowing ASDA to open on a nearly-out of town piece of land.

Imagine the situation. Mrs Smith needs to go and buy her grocery shopping for the week. Plus she needs to buy a new pair of trousers for a birthday party she’s attending at the weekend. Oh and buy a present and card for the party…while she’s at it she’ll need to put on her Lottery ticket and top the car up with petrol while she’s out and about. Currently her only option for doing this is going to either a local, independent grocery shop then a card shop and then drive to a petrol garage which might or might not have National Lottery status - so she might need to go somewhere else to get her ticket. Plus going to a clothing shop somewhere to get her outfit. By doing this she’s giving at least four different retailers her custom.

If ASDA opens she’ll be giving her money to one, money-grabbing, world-polluting arsehole of a company.

I can’t wait for the letters page in next week’s East Kilbride News. I for one will be signing the petition against ASDA in East Kilbride…I know that somebody will start one. And if they don’t…well, I will.

Everybody loves a good gossip, wither it’s about the next door neighbours nightly visits from a strange young man (ie.. my happy-married-mother-of-5-neighbour!!!) or the latest scandal about Britney’s custody battle. It’s human nature, really. Hell I know that I’ve spread gossip on my blogs before…mostly about celebrities and their scandalous lives mind you, not about my neighbours. Don’t think that’d go down to well if they ever found my website. When I come to think about it, every single magazine that I read is full of celebrity gossip.

That’s why I can’t wait to see the new TV show from the creator of The OC, Gossip Girl on The CW. It premieres tonight in the USA so I’ll probably need to wait for ever to see it over here in Scotland. Still it looks awesome, it’s based on the books by the same name and is about extra privileged teenagers who live in Manhatten’s Upper East Side. They find out that the local party girl is back in town via the blog of an unknown, going by the name of ‘Gossip Girl’. She relays all the town’s gossip via her blog, where every body logs onto to find out who’s fallen out with who and who’s asking who out!!

Sounds like an awesome idea for a blog, it’d be cool to find one based on my town…as long as I was never mentioned!

I’m currently looking for websites to add to my ever-growing list of webpages. I’m aiming for at least 100 links for each category and you’re link may only be entered into one category.

What’s in it for you? A link from a PR4 site! All you have to do is comment below and tell me which one category you would like to be included in.

Paid to post
If you regularly post entries on your blog which are sponsered, pick this category

Female Blogging
If you’re a chick, pick this category

British Bloggers
If you live in the United Kingdom (Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales or the Channel Islands), pick this category

Advertising-Free
If your blog contains no advertising (ie PayPerPost, AdSense, banners), pick this category