Daily Dilemma Number Ten- Am i finally getting itchy?

I had a shit day at work today. Nothing bad happened in particular... it was just a bad day. But for some reason i feel different about things today. All i've thought about is getting away. Seeing new places, and having new experiences. I want to go back to Paris, and i want to see Venice and Prague and Florence. I want to learn how to snowboard and i want to fly down pistes again.

But i don't want to go alone.

I want to share all these things with someone special you know? And it's not such an easy thing to ask. Steve and so many of my friends have travelled, and i act so 'yeah and?' around them. Truth is, i'm insanely jealous. I hate Steve talking about Australia because it's a big part of him that i'll never know and can never relate to, short of me dragging him back to show me how he felt, what he saw and what it all meant to him. I want to see a truly beautiful sight, and be able to share it with someone stood right next to me, holding my hand. I want to go so much it hurts, but i want to share all those moments with someone else. Which is easier said than done.

Daily Dilemma Number Nine- Ocean's Twelve is keeping me sane

Ever since i had a horrible experience (don't ask) at work a few months ago i've developed a rather weird sleeping habit when i'm faced with having to sleep by myself. It's when i'minthe dark that i don't feel very safe, and for some reason it helps.

I can only sleep when i have Oceans Twelve on my PC on a reeeeeeely low volume. Not just any old film though- it has to be that specific film. At first i thought it was just the hum of the computer that was helping me sleep... but it's not. I can't fall asleep unless i hear the starting credits and George Clooney's voice.

I'm worried i may be slightly unwell...

I'm back!

Oh yes!

Ray is kind of/sort of back on line....

New house, new house mates.... and of course... new dilemmas. But before i get started with stuff... it might be nice to start with a little visual catch-up of what i've been up to..

For starters... there's the house. I'd write where it is, but as i've proved to my housemates on many occasions i haven't got to grips with the actual address yet.. we moved in back in august and on the whole it's been quite fun. Me and Michaela get on like a house on fire... which is great because she always cheers me up when i feel crap- whether she means to or not. Gaz and Jonny are total angels to the both of us, and as a foursome we get along like a fucking family. It's just what i needed. I've had so many stresses with houses/housemates in the past (like in the second year of uni wheni had to three times because of random shit). We stay in and watch films, eat out, go drinking and shopping and have developed a rather unsavoury group obsession to Smallville.

Here's a small but hilarious collection of photos summing up what we've been up to since then..

So... Sunday August 19th... Turkey Cafe Birthday

August 19th was the Turkey Cafe's third birthday... and being true turkeys were were all there to celebrate.... looking gorgeous as usual. There's been a lot of staff changes since then... so i kind of like looking through the photos. Kylie has gone back to uni, Lewis has started uni and Tom left to go chase the ladies in Sheffield (i think he's just about chased all the ones here- only joking Barry!)

After a few hours of punch, fairy cakes and Red Headed Sluts (no connection to me i am told) all of un drunkenly headed over to Quebec for some gay danicng. I am sad to say that 1) yes, i pole danced for everyone.. 2) yes, everyone saw my bright white french knickers and 3) yes, i drank way to many blue wkd's... but that's our little secret. Everytime i end up in that place i can't help it.... i see the pole and think "hmm.... do i fancy a good ego-boosting show-off session?". Sober me says "Rach, come on don't make a show of yourself", but drunk me says "fuck it.. look at that greasy haired chav trying to get some burberry-clad cock by badly attempting to swing off the pole. You've had lessons, you've been a dancer.... show them what you've got.". Then all it takes is for one of my friends to push me in the right direction and then i'm off. Thank god Steve didn't see the dance that night.

Moving on... 31st August- Michaela's Birthday

Since it was Michaela's 21st it was only right that we celebrated in style, and since we'd not long moved in we thought that a birthday/housewarming would be a great idea. Loads of people came, including a long-anticipated late arrival from the turkeys that'sbeen working that night, and many of us got wankered. I say many of us....but i think me and Michaela were the worst. We were definately both showing our trademark drunk behaviour (Michaela: mad-dancing mixed with laughing and slurping from a can of beer... me: passed out on my bed after falling on the floor in the toilet with a few concerned friends looking in on me to make sure i was okay)

Morning after, and hangovers were nursed with a shedloads of bacons sandwiches and the leftover beer from last night. Which was nice.

16th September- Turkey Cafe day out/ Sunday Lunch

I'm beginning to think my next dilemma i write abut should be about how much i drink/get drunk/make a fool of myself... but frankly i wasn't THAT bad on this night. The whole bar went down to Colourworks for a nice sunday lunch (you should go- service isn't that bad... kind of) and then embarked on a mini bar crawl up Narborough Road. I was still getting to grips with some of the bars around Braunstone Gate, so it was good to learn my way around the place. Let's not forget, i'm from the other side of Leicester, where the streets are full of Wetherspoons pubs full of men that drink through the day to pass the time, dodgy kebab shops and nursing homes. Fun. I love staff days/nights out, because it's a great chance to chill out and be ourselves without having to worry about whether people are being served or whether we have enough ice... blah blah blah. I love those crazy kids so much, and it's great that we're all so close. It makes things much easier and work never really feels like work to me anymore.. which is exactly what i needed when i decided to take some time out after uni. I know i've made the right decision everytime one of the turkeys make laugh or we all get to catch up

29th September- Dad's Birthday/Bonobo @ Esko

Sadly, there isn't much to comment on here, on account that a certain naughty redheaded lady accidentally-on-purpose decided to drink too much alcohol and can't remember much of the night. Apart from:

- knocking loads of glasses over while trying to drunkenly glass collect at the turkey

-laughing hilariously with Becca with a £20 note stuck to my head

-throwing napkins and straws at Vaq and Josh in an attempt to make them serve me quicker

- cutting my leg on glass on the dancefloor.. and letting it bleed down my leg until a girl noticed it when i was in the toilet.

- threatening to glass Steve when i saw him chatting to a girl at the bar.

Not quite sure why i got so drunk that night really. I didn't mean to. I hear that Bonobo was great. The worst thing was, i pciked up these details over the next few days after the gig when friends explained why they were angry at me/being so distant. Never ever again.

So that's about it for photos- have a gander at my facebook pages for millions of more photos. Back with the blog!

Much Love,

Ray xx

I'm not dead! Honest!

No no no i'm not dead.... just waiting for my tinternet to0 arrive to i can finally sit down with a cup of green tea and write write write to my hearts content!

Watch this space!

Coming up:
-Photos of the Turkey Birthday
-Photos of Michaela's Birthday/ First house party at our new gaff!
-Where i am dilemma style!

Much love, as always!
Ray xx

New me vs old me

Above: Me, July 2006

Above: Me, June 2007

Packing musing

Well, yes okay. Should have moved in yesterday... but it didn't go to plan... new date is monday and i'm so behind on packing. How the hell can i have so much bloody stuff??

Makes you think when the contents that you hold dear are bagged and boxed up and are enjoying the afternoon sun coming into the dining room. I loathe sorting shit out... i'm a big fan of big piles of papers and sentimental items. But as i began to throw stuff away, something became really obvious. I've changed a hell of a lot in the past year.

A couple of days ago i found a Birmingham A-Z that was i was going to give to my friend. I used the map the very first and last day of my Birmingham life. Way back in 2003 when my dad and i were trying to find my halls of residence which were slap bang in the middle of town, and on the last day when i was trying to find the quickest route out when driving all my stuff back to Leicester as darkness was falling. Was it just a year ago that i graduated?

I have hundreds and hundreds of photos charting my whole uni life. The last photos of me are of the graduation night i arranged for my friends... and i look so down. I was so down. I was much bigger in appearance and you could see my insecurity etched on my face. Finding those the other day i kind of felt sorry for me back then. Not having the courage to break free from a failing relationship, not having the inner peace to just forget everyone else and be happy. Taking photos of my walls, i then see the last picture of me taken recently- a photo of me and Emma #3 on my sisters birthday. So much difference. New hair, new body, new smile. All the people that i've met during the last year have had a profound effect on me, and i will love them all forever for that. Course, i have my moments of paranoia (n.b it's only when i feel under threat or am worried i may lose something precious... so it can't be that bad right?) but i'm laughing more, smiling more and loving again.

So, new house on monday. Really excited... and yet really nervous. When i left for uni, i knew i'd be coming to live at home again while i took my post-grad thingy.. now, its different. I'm leaving forever. I'm gonna miss my Dad and Emma so much, although she'll shortly be joining me in city living soon. Big room, double bed and space for my pole. Perfect. xx

Daily Dilemma #6 revisited... the problem is getting worse and worse

the other week...



Turkey Cafe, stood in the kitchen with chef Olly looking at his Top Gear magnetic cool wall on one of the fridges...



Me: "Oi! You've moved this back haven't you?"

Olly: "Moved what?"

Me: "This wall, theres more gay cars back in the sub zero section. And why the hell is the BMW z-4 and the Bentley Continental been taken out?"

Olly: "Cos they're gay!"

Rach: "No they're not!"

Olly: "You don't know anything"

Rach: "Clearly, neither do you."

DailyDilemma #2- revisited! and solved (as of friday)

It's finally happening! I'm moving out! No more cramped space and nowwhere to take a certain handsome man back to. No longer do i have to sqeeeeeeeeze all my things into my wardrobe or under my bed. I'm so excited! Daily Dilemma number 2- solved! xx

dilemme quotidien #8- Oh non…

Il y a des mois j'ai promis lui et moi-même que je ne tomberais pas. Je me suis promis que je ne tomberais pas. Mais, je suis tombé. Et je ne sais pas quoi faire. C'est amour. Dieu. J'ai des ennuis. Je ne sais pas lui dire l'un ou l'autre….ils freak le dehors. Mais il me fait ainsi si heureux, et je ris et souris toute l'heure. Sure, il y a des mauvais moments, mais c'est une baisse dans l'océan comparé à l'amusement et les rires et des moments où nous avons. J'ai des ennuis. Et je ne sais pas quoi faire…

Random musing at 03:04

I can't sleep.... so i thought i'd write.

The last few days haven't exactly been easy. I made myself sick worrying and crying over the fact that i hurt someone really really close to me, and who practically means the world to me right now. Plus, there's the whole stresses of my family, work, money and moving in to the new house.... all in all... it's been a stressful few days.

But, i have learnt many things that i need to remember...hence the writing. Yes, i read my blogs too... they serve as a reminder you know? Anyway...

1) As the wise lady said "Exes are exes for a reason". Damn that girl, i hate it when she's right. This little peice of information may be very simple in concept but it's taken a long time to accept. But the lady is right- there's zero point stressing about the small chance that someone might fall back into the arms of someone they once loved, because if they really meant that much, then they wouldn't be exes right? Right. One thing i must remember at all times.

2) I'm worth something. I have to stop being so polite/selfless and quite frankly, a pushover. When someones offers to do something for me, it's not going to cause fuss if i accept. Like if a certain handsome man offered a certain redhead lady a lift home, she should not say no to the lift because she may be worried that he is going out of his way and thinks he thinks he has to when he actually want to because he likes too. Duh Rach.

3) Dont' stress about stuff you can't change. Ever since i was little one of my biggest problems has been taking on stresses that aren't mine. That has to stop. People will argue whether you try and help or not, and some things will just happen.

4) Stop trying to put labels on everything. If i'm happy, when is there any need to question and analyse everything. I'm extremely happy again, much happier and confident that i've felt in ages. And i know why. But be that as it may, it doesn't mean that everything must be examined and labelled. As a certain handsome man said "You think about things way too much".

Handsome man is right.

Daily Dilemma #7- The unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter

...Not Harry himself... i mean the whole film genre... is wrong to love HP so much at my age? And is it wrong that i all-to-easily shortened the film name to HP? More importantly, am i a geek?

I was on the bus the other day (for once not playing 'spot the clio'...a sign that i may still be sane..) and i began to see how many Harry Potter spells i could rememeber. Needless to say... i began to feel a bit of a twat when 'Expecto Patronum' (yes that is the correct spelling) rolled off my tongue...

Mind you, when you have the daily stresses i do, it's nice to have somewhere to escape from all the tension, atmosphere and stress. But thats another story for another time..

The photoshoot!

How the hell have i managed to go so long without writing on here? Hmm... well, lots to say as usual! First things first- my photoshoot photo FINALLY came through! Here it is...

I think i scrub up quite well...

xx

Daily Dilemma #6- Just how much can a girly girl know about cars before she is branded a beer-swilling, checked shirt wearing ladette?

Couple of days ago, ASDA car park... 9pm ish and raining

Steve: "... hang on, i want to park as close to the doors as possible.."
Me: "...not here though"
Steve: "why?"
Me: "cos we're next to a renault megane.."
Steve: "(groans) whats wrong with the megane?"
Me: "well, look at the back... i hate the shape of the back.. and it just feels too big and boxy. Clio's are all cute and curvy and the megane just looks a mess."

Couple of days ago, Shires Car park... late afternoon

Me: "I wonder what the most popular car model is in the uk... i see so many clio's around, but then again you see focuses and mazda's around all the time too you know?"
Steve: "i bet it's a ford make."
Me: "nah i bet it's a peugeot... like a 307 or a 206 or something....It's going to annoy me now- i'll check it out later."

An hour ago, i was sat on Autotrader.com looking for the top sought-after car models when it hit me. Uh Oh.

Since when did i know anything about cars??? Forever, my head has been filled with cocktails, shoes, the current issue of vogue, clothes, fall lines, art, photography and electro...when the hell did i begin to pick random things up about cars?

This could be a problem.... how can a girl who carries three different types of moisturisers, lusts after horribly-expensive summer dresses and spends her spare time dancing to keep fit know about cars? Is that allowed? Is that attractive?

I began to worry when i unconsciously began my new favourite game to make the bus journey home from town pass quicker... quessing the make and models of cars by only seeing the badge as they pass...sadly, i'm getting quite good at it. I now know my fiat puntos from my seat ibiza's, and my honda civics from my mazda rx8's- no more 'small green car' or 'long blue boxy car'. Up until recently, i could only describe my mums car as a 'red shiny sports car thing', now i know it's a MGF sports convertible (2001 model) in flame red..

I think i'll do some online shopping to help supress my growing knowledge about cars...

Fil avec ma tête ou mon coeur ?

Ceux qui me connaissent bon sauront que je suis très frappé. Mais dans un monde où je ne sais pas que se passe-t-il, fais je mène avec ma tête ou mon coeur. Je sais ce que je veux pour se produire… mais cela ne court pas la même manière dans ma tête. Il finit en larmes. Être raisonnable ou romantique ? Prendre un risque ou rester sûr ?

Daily Musing....the curse of the curvy woman.

Being the type of girly girl that naturally has as many guy friends as girls, you learn a lot about the male psyche; the things they love about women, the things they hate and the type of things they look for when visually searching the local bars, restaurants and shopping centres for their new lady-love. For example, i've learnt that guys aren't that happy about you gossiping with your best mate about them (unless it's how great they are in bed), they hate too much make-up and have no time for an ever-growing handbag collection... no matter how you try and justify it.

But one thing that constantly annoys me is the way men want to have their cake and eat it when it comes to how girls look- and that just isn't physically possible.

Boob men, leg men, face men... flat stomachs, pretty backs, nice hair... all guys have at least one part that they are always attracted to most. In the case of my exes... it's boobs (which makes sense... i like to think that i have a great rack) which are a natural attribute of the curvy body. But while guys want gorgeous boobs, or a nice ass, most are not able to understand that curves come as a package; boobs, ass, tiny waist. Note: there is no such thing as a woman with a big boobs and a size 6 frame. It doesn't work that way- unless Miss Size 6 goes to the gym 24/7 (and when will you have time for all that fun relationship stuff?), or refuses to let anything but lettuce pass their lips. Besides, what's not to like about curves boys? We fill out dresses, bikinis and jeans with our classic sillouettes, and don't look like we'd break at the slightest touch.

Wise up boys.
(Get off your soapbox Rach.)

.. and the list goes on

A homage to my favourite spirit. It's been made chav-tastic thanks to the idiots who made Smirnoff ( allegedly produced in Slough... cough cough), VK ice, Glenn's and Absolut. But my love of vodka is kept alive by respectable brands such as 42 Below, Lux, Stoli, Ultimat, Wyborowa, Grey Goose and Ketel One.


Bolshoi Princess

Glass: Champagne

Ingredients:
1 shot Czarna Porzeczka Blackcurrant Vodka (produced in Poland with rye-based vodka)
1 shot Stolichnaya Vanil (produced in Moscow- wheat based vodka)
1/2 shot Kupnik honey punch (made in Starograd Gdsnski, Poland)
dash apple juice
dash cranberry juice

Method:
Straightforward mix, shake, strain

Garnish: Starfuit

Comments: The Bolshoi is the world-famous Russian Ballet company, whose famous delicate moves and elegant routines are complimented by their impeccable strength and tone. Here, the delicate flavours of stoli vanil and krupnik work in tandem with the full-on hit of blackberries from the Czarna.

Citrus Dreamer

... made this one a few weeks ago..

Citrus Dreamer (mocktail)

Glass: Sling

Ingredients:
1 shot lemon juice
1 shot lime juice
dash elderflower cordial
dash vanilla gomme
dash kiwi syrup
half bottle ginger beer

Method:
Add all ingredients and blend with ice for a 'slush puppie' texture. Serve long in a sling and pile high.

Garnish:
3 Thinly sliced limes

Angel Cake

Not just a pretty face.... made this last night..

Angel Cake

Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned

Ingredients:
1 shot Cherry Marnier
1/2 Shot Frangelico
1/2 Shot Creme de cacao
dash strawberry puree
dash creme de fraise

Method:
Shake all ingredients and serve over crushed ice with layer of cream floated on top.

Garnish:
Single Cherry with stalk/ Single strawberry

Comments:
Remember eating angel cake when you were a kid? this tastes exactly like the pink bit... hints of cherry and strawberry with a hazelnut/chocolate aftertaste. Yummy!

Daily Dilemma #5.... a certain lack of daily dilemmas

So.... i began writing a blog with the view of being able to muse, mull over and well, generally MOAN about life in general.

It's the 25th June... and i haven't written anything on here for weeks. Why? Because i've been having too much fun! For once, FOR ONCE, i've been happy. Not just '''ooo i feel happy" happy, i mean karaoke singing, disco dancing, hysterically laughing, cocktail drinking, cheesy grinning, silly talking happy.

Being a nearly-trained journo... i know that good news is bad news... but what if there is none?

Personally, i kinda like being happy...

Daily Dilemma #4- SOLVED!

Problem: I'm ginger

Solution: Dye hair

Result:

see below!

Daily Dilemma #3- The Andy Lau obsession

I am in love with Andy Lau.

I think i maaaaaaay be obsessed. You've seen 'infernal affairs' right? If not, go see it. Anyway, i saw it for the millionth time a week ago and ever since then, i kind of keep having less-than-innocent dreams about him. And when i mean less-than-innocent... i mean the furthest point from innocent that you could possibly imagine..

I know... he's in Hong Kong.. I'm in the UK...but it could work right?

Right?

La fille meilleure gagnee

Mon côté anglais est une dame sarcastique confiante, et mon côté français est un romantique ayant la larme à l'oeil. Pourquoi est-il plus facile de parler des sentiments ici ?Mon ami s'est récemment réuni avec quelqu'un que j'étais vraiment étroitement avec. Et j'étais désolé. Mais j'ai eu le temps à chauffer au-dessus de lui et je pense que ce n'est pas ce mauvais. Après tous, parfois les gens juste ne cliquent pas, et nous n'avons pas fait. Je ne devrais pas la blâmer de celle, parce que je l'aime aux morceaux. Si elle est dehors là, j'espère elle sait que je ne suis pas fou, et cela il a juste fallu à heure de trier des choses parce qu'il était très inattendu. Mais la fille meilleure gagnée.

Ray X

Why i decided to stay...

I have been asked loads of times lately why i'm not getting a super-rich magazine job straight out of the course, and after having to tell the same story again to my course tutor today i feel like i should explain myself somewhere... and where else than my own blog?

Truth is... i'm not ready. I'm not ready to move across the country, and i'm not ready for that big job. I applied for a dream job in Bristol and i was really crushed when i didn't get it (my coursemate did) but then i thought that if i've have got it, what then? If i'd moved all the waaay down there... i would have gone to peices. I know that when i'm ready i'll kick ass, but right now university (x2) has taken it out of me. I need time out! No dissertations, no coursework, no required reading times a million... and at the same time no 9 to 5, no mortages and no deadlines.

I guess it's different for everyone, but right now, and for the moment, i''m right at home here.

So stop bugging me.

Ray xxx

It's not like i'm sat around doing nothing...(yet another rant)

So there i was... sat on msn chatting away to a mate i haven't seen for ages. And when i mean ages, i mean like four years ages. It's a lovely convo- a real catch-up about what we've been up to, and where we've travelled to blah blah blah. And then suddenly, with no warning, comes the question I've heard so many times in the same negative accusatory tone (WAIT: yes I'm well aware msn does not necessarily have a 'tone', unless you insist on pissing all over the page with icons and shit... acceptable if you're 15 and under or a sheltered geek. I mean when i have heard the question said out loud it sounds negative and accusatory).....

"So why the hell are you still single?"

Oooo the answers i was tempted to give... because i have incurable halitosis, because i have one leg, because i am blessed with a voice resembling Dame Edna- what are you supposed to say to that? I got the feeling that he thought I'd just been sat around watching TV for four years eating Doritos and McCain microchips- excuse me? It's not like I'm not fucking trying!! I'm failing abysmally, but please, go on and highlight the fact that i am single. Go on! My pet hate is when the same question is asked by a couple, who are sat in front of you, drinking out of their matching mugs and draped all over each other- as if they're saying 'oi ginger- what's up with you? do you not shave or something?'.

There's that uncontrollable urge to hit something again... i'll save it for when i'm at work later...

Ray 'i'm-honestly-trying-but-leicester-isn't-exactly-brimming-with-eligible-guys-willing-to-put-up-with-my-shit' xx

Dilemma #2- nearly homeless Ray

Today's dilemma is a long running one and may be solved! I think i've finally found a house! It's gorgeous and is slap-bang opposite none other than Mr Barry Stevens himself (i.e the Turkey supervisor not the hairdresser near new walk... stupid). I've got to go check it out... wish me luck! I could be living in town veeeeeerrrryyy soon!

And theres you thinking i was going to have a moan! ha!

Ray x

d'autres filles et moi...

Pourquoi quelques choses d'IS-IS il est beaucoup plus facile dire en français ?Il m'inquiète parfois que je donne trop loin trop rapide. Je donne à quelqu'un tout parce qu'il que je pense qu'il leur fera le séjour, mais à la place ils marchent all over moi. Ceci le prix que je doivent payer juste est été gentil ? Je ne sais pas vivre aucune autre manière. Il y a d'autres les filles qui semblent obtenir en avant de moi en gardant un peu plus de mystère. mais je m'inquiète que je doive donner plus pour suivre elles. Je ne sais pas...

Photo catch-up: Emma#1's burfday

Like all good parties... a good majority of it is spent gossiping in the toilets. Or in the case of emma's birthday, drunkenly defacing the University of Leicester's toilet posters (complete with the pulling of photo case thingys off the toilet doors in a red bull hype) and kicking each other.

Two weeks ago... and the photos still make me crease. What makes me laugh is that my photos can cover the time when gorgeous Emma #3 (demoted... naughty naughty) dissappeared from Brighton Beach for a while..

My version of the night starts with 'that-girl-wot-i'm-related-to' Emma#2 and Rosy. Met them after a crappy 6-12 shift...

Clearly i have arrived during some kind of bitching session. This is pretty much what Emma and Rosy do on a night out- drink/dance/bitch/laugh/deface things (Emma)

Emma #1 however, is busy having a great time. Rosy and i bought her a gorgeous pair of earrings and she gave me a big kiss to say thank you. I'm going to miss her when she goes to Leeds...

The Emmas in general are all very beautiful- right down to the tiniest details. Emma here, is proving that even the armpits of all Emma's are gorgeous. See? Not a hair in sight.

We tried to get on with a bit of group photo taking. Emma looks like a random girl that wanted to be in the photo. Genius.

N.b. My arm is not that big usually. I have it squashed against my side because my mobile was falling out of my hand. Just so you know. Rosy's dress is lovely. They do a similar one in Joy if you fancied dressing like her..

We saw Mike! One of the old supervisors @ the Turkey before Stevie started and Ryan left. He came from the Wyrell(?) and smoked loads of weed.

To do the 'Mike': you make a gurning type face, twiddle your imaginary beard hair and say in a scousey way "aaiii yallriiight. I'm gonna hav a bit o weeed nooww". Endless fun.

Note to self: never try and take a photo of Rosy and Emma by first saying "i want a really nice one for my wall. i don't have any of the three of us." It's a recipe for disaster.

Exhibit A. (p.s how the hell does Rosy make that face?)

So i gave up with trying to get nice photos and let the Red Bull flow... turning a nice photo sesh into a 'lets-see-how-many-crappy-photos-i-can-take-and-ill-post-them-everywhere' rampage.

See the mischievious look in my eyes..

The war is on...

Starting with Rosy. She's so fun to take pictures of because she can effortlessly come up with hilarious faces. This one scares me a little though. I don't think that face is physically possible...

They should have just behaved when i asked them too.

Emma#2 however, is just fucking annoying... even when i catch her unawares she comes out of it looking pretty good still. Bitch. Vote for her on http://www.69-247.com/ to win the face of Barry Stevens comp.

She could be the picture girl for Strongbow too....

Clearly, noone was watching Emma#1 who was drowning herself in Strongbow and Red Stripe...

This is Mr.Almond. He works at Gutho. He's allegedly rumoured to have done naughty things with students (i said 'allegedly'- you can't fucking touch me stupid lawyers.. i know the laws of defamation)

Look at him. Leather jacket, fag in mouth, floppy hair.. pure greaseball.

So we thought it would be hilarious to get Emma to go over and chat to him....

Although Mr.Almond was liking the fresh female attention too much and we began to get a little worried. He is greasy after all....

Emma#1 is oblivious to the plight of Emma#2 so that's okay

Emma returns unscathed... and looking very smug. Note my big(little) sister face...I'm slowly wishing i'd not driven.. gagging for a malibu and coke..

Me and my sis....aww..

How fucking tall is this guy?

We liked his mate.. he reminded us of Mario. Why the hell would you let a guy like this into Brighton Beach?? I should have asked to see his student card..

Mario liked my sister more... such is life.

I was going to sulk in the toilets... but then i saw thse guys.. how very random. Maybe it's the cool thing to do if you're bored @ Brighton Beach?

Yes, that poster has just come off the wall. Rosy, Emma and I decided to go for a chill in the toilets.. as it was all hot and sweaty and i really wanted to check my photos so far..

Who wins the shoe competition? Rosy! Plus she gets extra points for having matching toenails. Very classy.

Argh! This fucking guy pissed me off! He was trying to get into the ladies toilets and i politely told him where the men's were and he started giving me lip. I took his photo just in case i saw him on crimewatch for molesting women in toilets. I was gonna kick him a bit, but i was wearing a dress.

Emma can't quite understand what took us so long... i did try to explain about the man but she was having none of it.

But then she fell back in love with her handbag and all was forgiven..

Emma and Neil!

Things were getting messier and messier... i was getting ready to duck out...

Emma gets saucy....

Neil is trying to surpass my photo skills... it'll never work...

Aww.. Night Night birthday girl!

Daily dilemma #1- suspicious letter on the doormat

Told you i'd keep you entertained...

So when i was in Birmingham on friday with Steve and Tom... i sort of got clocked by a speed camera. Which wouldn't have been that bad if a) i only was a teeny weeny bit over the speed limit, b)i wasn't in my dad's car and c)i wasn't insured under his name. But i was doing about 60 ish in a 40 zone... in my dad's focus (which we kind of share.. but to all intents and purposes he owns).

There is a letter on the doormat. I have a horrible feeling it is the 'are-you-aware-what-a-twatty-driver-your-daughter-is-you're-going-to-have-to-pay-the-fine-for-her' letter... mainy because the font looks really policey. I haven't got round to telling him yet. Do i, a) tell him and try and pick up brownie points for being honest...b)pretend i had no idea, play the emotional card and cry a lot or c)open the letter and try and sort it myself? (potential problems with c- it may not be that letter and then i'm in trouble for opening his goddamn post.)

Something to mull over methinks...

2003-2007 A basic recent history of Ray

Let's play catch-up.

Some of you will know me as Rach, others as Ray or Razzle (or 'poppet' if you happen to be my dad)- truth is all the names belong to the same 22 year old redhead... me.

So... how did i end up a post-grad student working in a bar in Leicester? Let's see shall we?

This is me in winter 2002 @ Creation with my then best mate Amanda. For all Leicester girls my age, Creation was the place to be. Well, sort of. Anyway, i danced the weekends away while i did my A-levs in Wigston....

As you can see... i was much much fatter than i am now. But i had a great rack, so all wasn't that bad.

I don't miss Creation. All the boys that thought you were going to fall head over heels in love with them if they rubbed themselves up behind you..bleugh. And the drinks...i used to only drink SoCo and lemonade at that point. How utterly niave.

So anyway... i finished up in Wigston and upped myself and moved to Bir-min-gum to study at the oh-so-gorgeous UoB... a red brick university that looked like universities are supposed to look. I changed so much in the first year...dropped three dress sizes, gained an uncontrollable addiciton of buying clothes and shoes (in my defence i lived a ten minute walk away from the Bullring...recipe for disaster) and my signature drink had changed to tequila. straight with no gay trimmings. And it had to be jose...

This is what i looked then. I love this photo... this was taken in Zanzibar (n.b Leicester kids... the one in Birmingham was MUCH better and there were less 'yis mate yis mate' chavs). It was for my flatmate Hannah's birthday and we divided the girls into cowboys and indians. I was sherrif.. obviously.

God my hair is orange.

In feb 2004... still in my freshers year. I began working at a bar- Revolution. I shouldn't have even got an interview... i had no bar experience and they were then one of the busiest bars on Broad Street. But my hair saved me. The manager had a weird love for redheads (his last two wives were ginger) so he hired me on the spot when i came in in the middle of the day dressed in ripped jeans and a UoB sweater. They taught me everything i know about alcohol....well, mainly vodka. I know all about grains and polish vodka history.. and which goes best with which mixer blah blah blah, although you wouldn't think it when you see me work. Every night looks like my first night. I'm just naturally clumsy i guess.. but at least i'm damn entertaining.

It was here that i truly came out of my shell. From a timid little ginger girl who got bullied through school and college to a thinner, confident bar supervisor who got over £20 in tips on a good night and even a few phone numbers on napkins too!

They may not think so, but i owe these two everything. Danny and Shafi, my two best friends for soooo long. They rock. And i love them to peices. We used to dance while we worked and shout 'tune' to each other when our favourite house tracks came on. Plus we'd spend ages chatting and giving each other advice.

Summer 2004... i had a great time. Mainly in Paris. It's where my love for all things French and a overwhelming love for art comes from. Most of you that know me very well will either hear me babble on about Paris, Revolution or both... so i wont bother you with all the details here.

Passed first year with flying colours, moved three times (!) in the second year (don't ask... long-ass story involving a mean flatmate who called environmental health in on our lovely but weird landlord plus many fall outs and stuff that i regret.) and began my final year living on Hubert Road, Selly Oak.

And became firm mates with this motely crew. God, i had such a fun time in my last year. I learnt so many things living in house with one other girl and four blokes. Things like:

1) Learning how to use an xbox (it's hard for a girly girl...) and becoming good enough to be allowed to sit in the living room and join in. I was the type of Halo player that would sit on a ledge high up and bomb people with rockets.. and the type of GTA player that would take ho's out in my car, fuck them and then take back the money...i'm sure everyone's done that right?

2) Seeing how the other side of relationships and how the lads coped with their girlfriend dilemmas. Very insightful.

3)Learning a HELL of a lot about music (thank you Neil and Dave).... music was on 24/7 in our house... and i quickly became addicited to it. It's weird to think that i can't sit in a room by myslef anymore without having some kind of music on...If it wasn't for them i don't know where i'd be now. Certainly not live music editor @ a local magazine..

Having said that though...there were some aspects about boys i never figured out. Like how boys can get so much water on the floor in the bathroom...or why they have to use a whole roll for one toilet session. Or why they insist on putting their food on everybody else's shelves in the fridge when there are clearly marked areas (argh!!)

The highlight of my year was getting a photoshoot session for my xmas from my then-boyfriend Dan. I was so scared and nervous.. but this is what they came up with. Nice huh?

So that brings us to summer 2006... end of my final year. I was worried i would fail after taking the shock decision to base my dissertation on pornography, but i did okay. I graduated with a high 2.1 in BA Media, Culture and Society...basically media theory.

I moved back to Leicester, and began a post-grad course at the very lovely DMU. I've always wanted to write... either books or for a magazine. I'd looooove to write for Vogue, but maybe that's a good decade away. So i became a student again, this time vowing to do things differently.. no counselling this time (another story for another time), more dancing, and more exersise. I joined a pole dancing class in Barrow-on-soar (which i still attend regularly) and own a pole too... just to keep nice and thin and flexible. I began to learn french (and now blog sometimes in french... use an online dictionary to translate if you want).

That course is nearly finished (few exams to go now), and i'm really going to miss these people....

They've totally kept me sane...and we get up to as much drinking and dancing as we work, ferreting away in our own private Mac lab.

Those that know me well will know that i take hundreds and hundreds of photos of my friends because i love them so much. This night.. which just happened to be Valentines Day (i love being in a relationship.. and i was all sad and single so we decided to organise a night out and run riot round Zanzibar while all the students were getting it on with each other. I owe the hacks for that). I took 145 photos that night. 80 made it to fbook. Go see.

The other half of my leicester life is spent at my current place of work- The lovely Turkey Cafe. Night after night, i drop glasses and spill drinks and make mistakes... but we end up all having a right laugh. Plus i can make a damn good cosmo and pinapple sour. I love them turkey people (and of course our honorary bar staff: Emma's #2 and #3, Gaz, Jonny, Andy J, Ryan, Steph etc)- they make my random turbulent life seem a little less stressful.

That brings us to the present. What else do you need to know? I get myself into very very sticky situations, say stupid things and get up to lots of mischief. So i'll keep you entertained, don't worry.

By the way, this is me. Yesterday.

Much Love, Ray xx