Nasty

On the Tube this morning (almost said 'Metro' there - you're not in Europe anymore, Dorothy) stood next to this guy who had obviously just shaved his sideburns then washed his face or something, and all the little stubblies had ended up in his ears! Gross!

Haven't heard anything back from Oxford yet. As far as the interview went, they said nice things about my presentation, the questions weren't actually too probing or focussed, they made me do a shelving test which involved climbing a ladder in high heels and a skirt (let's just hope the interviewer was, in fact, gay. Since obviously it's not embarrassing if a gay man sees your knickers ?). At one stage I was sort of leaning over to check the URL for Google Scholar (my presentation topic) and, not looking at the computer at all, I put my fingers on totally the wrong line of keys and typed in gobbledegook, but let's be positive and think that it shows that I can actually touch-type, I just need to make sure I start out on the home keys. I'm not sure I impressed on the 'where will you be in 5 years' question. Tried to be non-committal yet seem enthusiastic about the prospect of working in libraries forever, but don't know if I nailed it. But I mean, do they really think people will be library assistants for the rest of their lives? Sure don't pay well for one thing! On the other side, the workspace was horribly cramped and right behind the desk, so no privacy for the all-important act of slagging off the students (don't pretend it doesn't happen, library types) - how can you pull off the 'I'll just go into the back room and check with my supervisor if your asinine request can be fulfilled... and return after a minute of telling my co-workers what a loser you are to say "I'm sorry, they said no"' routine if there's no back room to retreat to? But anyway, we'll see...

The (govt.) building where I'm working at the mo apparently used to be MI5 or something like that. It has the coolest electronic gates when you come in, and there's a bomb-proof room somewhere. All this security has its downside, however. I counted - from the lift to the room I'm working in (maybe half a floor away) there are no less than 7 sets of fire doors. Pain in the ass!

On Thurs went out with my sister for what I thought was going to be a couple of sneaky pints at the pub but which turned into clubbing into the wee hours. Consumer warning: don't attempt absinthe without sugar! I have now imbibed the green fairy on a number of occasions, but this time it was insta-vomit. Yes, I know how disgusting that is. But on the upside, that's probably why I didn't get TOO drunk or TOO hungover. Result!