I’ve just added a page to the site about how I’ve suffered from labyrinthinitis over the past three years. It’s probably the most personal thing I’ve ever written on this site and merely skims the surface of what I actually went through but it’s not a place I care to revisit. I don’t know why I felt the urge to write about it at all but it has plagued me for such a long time and if it helps someone else - then so much the better.

Labyrinthinitis is a very debilitating inner ear virus that affects everyone differently, and as a result there is no cure. The lucky ones are back on their feet in a couple of weeks but most medical journals fail to mention that some ppl are affected for years. Basically, the virus damages the tiny hairs in the inner ear which send signals to the brain and the brain cannot make sense of the information it is receiving - cue dizziness and nausea. It can take the brain months to compensate and retrain itself to read the signals properly, hence the reason it takes some ppl so long to recover. I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but taking medication such as sedatives, prevents the brain from doing this and actually does more harm than good.

It is also better to move around as much as you can because this helps your brain cope faster - again something I found out after the fact. [more]

Argh, I got bored with the last layout pretty fast and there were parts of it just really annoying me because I know I could’ve done a whole lot better. So, I was messing around in PS again with a picture of Liv Tyler and came up with this image which I think is better than my last effort.

I’m so determined to learn how to do these graphics! I’ve already decided that I prefer soft and dreamy graphics rather than grunge style and I absolutely must have sparkles in there somewhere. LOL! I’ve gone for a plain background because I’m not sure I really need a different background colour behind the content and navigation. I know the navigation looks clumped together in IE but, well, tough luck.

I guess I’m in the mood for soft, dreamy and simple!

I need some feedback on a very serious subject that has been bothering me for a while. Namely, blogging!

When ppl leave comments on your entries, what do you do? Do you reply via e-mail, read but don’t reply, read and reply with a comment below it?

What is the proper netiquette for such things? I’m never sure what to do!

It’s been a really looooong week and I’m so glad it’s Friday! I started the week with two trainees to look after despite the fact I’ve only been there five minutes myself. On top of that, while they were doing my job - I was off doing someone else’s work for which I get a total of 30 mins training. Thankfully it wasn’t hard and the reception part I kinda made up as I went along.

Yesterday, I had to toddle along to the bank with about £10,000 worth of cheques in my bag. (Well, I actually got a taxi and the driver was a very lovely Irish guy but he was married with three kids.) Anyway, I deposited all those lovely cheques and imagined for a brief second what they’d look like in my bank account. They’d be very happy and I’d look after them really well.

Today, I had to do the banking which meant inputting all the data into the spreadsheet and making sure the cheques were all signed, etc. So that meant even more cheques passing through my hands.

Some paperwork was lost in another dept so of course that meant our dept was blamed since it passes through our hands first. I even had to search through the bins so we could prove that we hadn’t dumped it by accident. Needless to say, the paperwork will be found elsewhere and we won’t even get an apology.

The best thing about today was the member of staff who burned her toast and set the fire alarms off. We vacated the building toute de suite and much teasing of above staff member ensued. Then, two fire engines filled with hunky firemen screamed into our car park and that diverted the attention of every female member of staff for ten mintues before we got made to go back to work!

Okay, you know there is something seriously screwy with the climate when Scotland is hotter than Hawaii and the Caribbean! My brother was off his work yesterday with heatstroke since he didn’t think to put on the sun cream at the weekend. Dork. Me? I’m proud to say I am still completely tan free and as pale as the day I was born! Me and the sun just are not compatible.

I got a few strange looks at work when one girl asked if I was going to have my lunch in the park since it was so nice. I said no way because a) I was hot and sticky enough and b) I didn’t want to be sneezing all afternoon. LOL! Her arms were so red they were luminous! Skin cancer kills, ppl!

I put the mailbag outside in the box late in the afternoon and the sun was shining directly on it - the padlock was so hot I almost couldn’t hold it!

Ugh, it was so hot last night, I really didn’t sleep properly which probably explains the zombie impersonation when I finally got out of bed. I obviously left my brain in my bed though because I forgot to lift my lunch! Our building doesn’t have a canteen so all we have is a little van that comes by just before midday. Good job I noticed in time, otherwise I wouldn’t have been a happy bunny.

The great news is my cousin is coming to work with us! She applied for the job a few weeks ago, had the interview last week and she gets her letter tomorrow confirming she was successful! There was no nepotism involved though because they don’t know we are related, not that it would have mattered.

Okay, need to go soak my head and get settled for the night because it is CSI finale night! Lots of Nicky angst! *sniffle*

I have loads of things to be getting on with but it is just too hot to do anything. I was tidying up my bedroom this morning and sorting out all my craft drawers but had to quit half way through until the sun moved round to the front of the house. The sweat was literally pouring off me and my t-shirt was sticking to my back. UGH! I hate cleaning at the best of times and the heat wasn’t helping.

I’ve been trying to mess around in PS all afternoon but I just want to curl up on the keyboard and go to sleep. I hate feeling so tired all the time.

Roll on winter…..