Category Archives: Misc

NaNoWriMo

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It comes to that time of year when a couple of my good friends go and ask me “Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year?”

NaNoWriMo Mind Map

For those who don’t know, National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel within the month of November.

I’ve signed up before to do it, had a fairly decent plot but then it’s all fallen apart. I’ve started with a mind map (see above) this time. It’s mostly my worries but it’s helped!

November’s always been a difficult month for me. I’ve always found myself being really busy. It might be constant Saturdays of rugby, it might be being drowned in a sea of university work, or it might be my penchant for procrastination.

This year’s going to be difficult too. Partly because I’m going to be spending half of November in Spain: first in Barcelona and then at my Gran’s near Alicante. I don’t want to be thinking about my novel when watching Barcelona play at the Nou Camp.

But I’m determined to do it. I’ve seen friends go on and succeed with their NaNo pieces, and some have even gone on to write a 75,000 word book in November. I don’t care if it’s rubbish (it will be), I don’t care if anybody doesn’t see it (which they won’t because it’ll be rubbish). I just want that happy and relieved feeling that my friends get when they hit December 1st thinking “Thank god it’s over, I’m so pleased I did that.”

2011 will be the year I win at NaNoWriMo. I can’t guarantee the Booker Prize but I will write 50,000 words in a vague plot behind it.

Who’s with me? And what coping strategies do you have?

Recipe Time: Banana Bread

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You have over-ripe bananas. You enjoy baking.
What do you do?
You combine them.

So last week I made banana bread for the first time, much to Dad’s disgust as he hates bananas!

I used a base recipe from the BBC Food website then adapted it with a slight change of ingredients.

Ingredients
285g/10oz wholemeal self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
110g/4oz butter – plus a bit extra for greasing, even if you’re using a silicone mould like I did
225g/8oz light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 slightly over ripe bananas
85ml/3fl milk with 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice/vinegar (the original recipe says buttermilk but I’ve found you can only seem to get that from Waitrose so I opted for the “stuff you generally have in the fridge” method)
1tsp vanilla extract/flavouring

Method
I followed the exact method from the website and the creaming and folding videos are really worth watching – I wouldn’t have thought to fold in the flour with a metal spoon instead of a wooden one!

Et voila!

Banana Bread

And yes it tasted delicious! If you try the recipe then let me know how it went!

Recruitment Agencies – They’ve gone digital

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In my quest for post-university employment, I sent myself out to Birmingham City Centre to hit the agencies. I went to the following places: Randstad, Key Personnel, Office Angels, Blue Arrow, Pertemps and Brook Street.

I got positive responses from all of the agencies, they liked the fact that I’m a graduate and that I have office experience, but instead of taking a paper copy of my CV, they all wanted me to email it to them so that it would go straight onto their databases for their clients to search through. Only Blue Arrow took my CV from me, while Office Angels had a look through it.

You might think that it was a waste of time then?

I don’t think so. From each of the agencies I got a contact to send my CV to, rather than a generic “recruitment@suchandsuchaplace.co.uk”. At least I know who is going to be dealing with my CV and I have somewhere to email my queries to or an updated CV as it changes and adapts due to experience. I hope to establish a working relationship from the contacts I have been given: they will see what jobs are suitable for my level of experience and I have to give them all of the information necessary to assist them in the search while continuing to conduct my own job hunts.

Here are my top tips for using recruitment agencies

1. Do your research: If you know what area you want to work in then search for agencies that will give you that. Don’t go to a recruitment agency that specialises in catering or engineering when you’re after office work.

2. Take a map: Many of the recruitment agencies in Birmingham are on New Street but there are some hidden away in smaller roads. I did a Google search for “Recruitment Agencies in Birmingham” and they were plotted nicely onto a Google Map for me. You will find that having a map with them on there will help you plan your route carefully as well.

3. Don’t forget a paper copy: Despite only one agency wanting a copy of my CV, you never know when someone may want to look at it.

4. Take your laptop with you: One thing I should have done after I finished my search was to take myself away to somewhere with decent wifi coverage such as Starbucks or even a Wetherspoons and email the agencies my CV there and then. It’s fresh in the mind then.

5. Don’t worry or be nervous: Something I’m prone to doing, but just take a deep breath and relax, they’re trying to help you.

A new chapter

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So much stuff has happened since I last updated my blog! And I should really stop apologising for the lack of posts, it’s my own fault.

My life has been full of many highs and lows over the past five months that to just have got through the rollercoaster ride (and I’m not keen on rollercoasters, hence the metaphor) is an achievement in itself.

I was helped along the way by some great friends – especially the Tonkers lot and my rugby family, actual family members, and staff at university.

So in short and in no particular order I have:

- Finished university, getting a 2:2, which I am really pleased about
- Experienced two tragic losses, both of them close to me. One being our dog, Matt, who was 11 and a half, a really really close friend, who was such a lovely lady
- Failed my driving test a couple of times – whoops – nerves just get the best of me
- Watched a lot of rugby. What more do you expect from me?

So now a new chapter begins, one where I’m not in education, that’s scary. I’m on the big job hunt at the moment, applying for this and that, trying to get work experience here and there. I hope to find something soon, don’t we all, but the big challenge is not to get too down about the failures.

I plan on using this place a lot more, definitely. I’ve been playing with the layout, I’m happy with my green and white look to it, but I know that the inclusion of red will equal Christmas so I’m staying far away from there!

I’ve got to keep positive, keep working hard and take whatever opportunities I can!

2011 Sports Predictions

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While I’m not a big fan of the whole New Years Eve celebrations and such, what I’ve always looked forward to is reading the newspapers for the sports predictions for the year ahead. And I do look back at the end of the year to see how right, or wrong, they have been.

So I decided to see if some of my Twitter followers and I could predict just as well as the newspapers. None of us are experts, just fans, and like with the newspapers I will be looking back and reviewing the predictions at the end of the year.

Continue reading →

Writer for hire.

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This week has started with my debut as a guest blogger, writing this 6 Nations preview for the Gaffers Sports Blog.

I’ve ebbed and flowed when it’s come to writing articles, part of it comes down to confidence in my ability, but when it’s something I’m passionate and knowledgeable about then I’ll happily write 1000 or so words on it. I think the ebbing and flowing shows in the irregularity that I blog too, something which I’m keen to rectify.

I think its essential to get into the groove of writing and to find your own style, which is something I’m trying to develop with the pieces that I’m working on. Audience is very important too; I’ve written two pieces on the 6 Nations, a tongue in cheek humourous one for the blog 7 Reasons – which is set to be published on Saturday morning, and the more serious one for the Gaffers Sports Blog. I found it very easy to move from the humour to the serious, something which I was slightly worried about attempting at first as I wrote the articles back to back on Sunday afternoon.

I’ve also found that I enjoy writing to briefs more than coming up with something myself. I enjoy the research and I more than often find that I like the topic more once I’ve looked into it, so I’ll always keep an eye out for it in the future. It can also help with looking at things from a different perspective too.

So if anyone’s after a guest blog or fancies setting me a challenge, then get in touch!