Tenterhooks

Despite my crossing my fingers that the place I applied for a job at on Saturday would read my resume and instantly call me today, there was no such phone call. I hope they've read it, but you can't tell with online applications. Which sucks. Because I want the job. If anyone from VGH is reading this, seek out my resume and phone me......

I went jogging again today, but didn't manage to match yesterday's acheivement of doing the course with only one stop. I stopped more than once, because the calf muscle that I ripped a few years ago decided it was going to seize up about halfway round. But, I did manage to get up the hill near our house in once go! Go me. I am beginning to rediscover how cool it is when you realise that you can run without feeling like death the entire time. This will not help when I try running 26 miles and collapse, but I am not as unfit as I was before I signed up for this whole shebang.

The woman house-sitting above us while the landlady is in Costa Rica tried to burn the place down today. I got back from jogging to find the doors and windows open, the fire alarm screaming, a neighbour looking concerned, and the woman flailing her arms about in an effort to get smoke to disperse. Apparently she lit the fire (it's 14 degrees here, why was this necessary?) and then 'discovered' that the flue was shut. Probably because the landlady didn't think someone was going to light a fire in this weather. Hence much smoke. After trying to wave papers and tea towels at the damn alarm for about five minutes it was obvious she wasn't going to get anywhere, so I got a stepladder and attacked the alarm. This did not take much genius, but it seemed like this idea had not occurred to said housesitter. And it worked. Good start to the housesitting then.

It has stopped raining here, which is good because we were starting to think about stockpiling gopher wood and tar. It may even be sunny tomorrow (whisper it quietly). It's going to be such a shock going back to England. I've never had a January so warm in my life as it is now here. Denise asked me yesterday what jacket she should take to England, and said that February was likely to be fairly decent, right? I fell about laughing. February is the worst month of the year in England (it figures that I was born then) and it sucks totally in Manchester. It's damn cold, and it rains a lot. Thank god for our weather here - we actually had to turn down the heating and open the windows today, cos the flat was getting stuffy and hot. My once-snuggly duvet is now blindingly stifling. But I am happy about it.

Having written that, I just realised that it is my birthday in two weeks and a day. That scares the hell out of me. I will be 26, and so far I have a good few failed relationships behind me, I have no real job, and I still rent. Can I not at least sort one area of my life out?!! Oh, and I'm now officially nearer 30 than 20, ouch. I planned to be settled with a significant other by this point in my life. There have been a couple such significant others who I could have (and still would) settle down with, but they're not the settling down type. I do pick 'em. Sigh.