I haven�t felt this busy for a long time, though it does seem to have its perks.

The job is going really well, thank god. Hopefully I can keep it up until the end of July and then enjoy my seven weeks of freedom before I begin all over again.

On Monday I didn�t have much of a choice but to learn and learn quickly. Ian, my boss, sort of showed me how to count the hundreds of papers each morning and where each one goes, then showed me how to do a couple of things on the till and left me to it; disappearing out the back somewhere for hours. When the next morning shift person came in he showed me how to ring up about newspaper claims, check newspaper and magazine returns from the previous day and then stock everything up. I learnt how to change the tills and empty the note stash and he gave me my bunch of keys, which includes safe keys and everything. Really trusting I thought.

Then on the Tuesday he didn�t turn up until 7.30 so I did it all on my own. Opened up at 5, counted the papers and put them out whilst serving customers, stocked up and then he showed me how to sort through the new magazines and get rid of old ones. Then on Wednesday he really disappeared, not turning up until 0930. So I pretty much had the run of the place. I think that�s sort of how it will be every morning.

Monday is the slowest day in comparison, there�s no magazines to worry about. But every other day is a magazine day so I spend ages hunting down the old ones and organising the huge wall and Thursday is book day so I have to rearrange the book chart. I enjoy this one; I have to stop myself from reading the back of each one though.

I�ve met two other people that work there, I doubt I�ll ever have occasion to meet the others really. One is a girl called Steph; she�s really nice and we get on really well. The other a woman called Usher; I can�t always understand what she�s saying but she�s nice enough. Ian is really nice too, on Monday after I said I was thirsty he came back with a bottle of water he�d bought for me and threw a couple of galaxy cake bars my way, and then yesterday he insisted on buying me a huge hazelnut latte (they are totally my weakness). He�s really easy with overtime too; I stayed an hour later both Monday and Thursday. I�m hoping I can manage to do an hour or two a day after college lets out �cause that�ll be nearly full time hours!

Overall, it keeps me super busy and the morning goes really quickly and once I�ve left there that�s it, work is work and everything else is everything else, no blend. My hands are always filthy from the papers though, so I�ve taken to keeping a packet of wet wipes and hand cream nearby. I had to cut all my nails off �cause I managed to snap two right off. *sighs*

I�ve ran into quite a few people I know from the railway, but they�ve all been really great. Same with the customers, they�re all super nice to me and chatty *smiles* I did have some trouble at first finding the correct cigarette brands but I�m getting there!

Getting up at 4am is horrible, but not as horrible as I thought it would be. My housemates don�t want me taking showers in the morning �cause they say it wakes them up (a bit irritating but I can understand where they�re coming from) so I have to wash my hair in the sink while half asleep *rolls eyes* Walking to work hasn�t been too bad either; on the way there it�s really cold and I wrap up tight, but the weather in the day has been beautiful and I�m always dragging my coat along in the afternoon. I�ve been sleeping okay too really, a bit difficult to fall asleep but I start trying around 9pm; probably why I don�t feel dead on my feet. 7 hours is enough.

I�m glad it�s the weekend though; even if I have a ton of stuff to do. I managed to finish up my History assignment last night and I think it was good, but who knows, it�s handed in now at least. I have to do my Psychology this weekend as it�s due on Tuesday, but I have a week�s extension for English. Thank god.

Ooh, must revise for a mock History exam next week too. Hmph.

I�ve already thrown my washing in the machine and I should really do some cleaning tomorrow, my room is super dusty. I also really need to tell Zowie that I won�t have my rent money until the 8th. She�s probably gunna be pissed, I would be if I was her. But it can�t help helped right now. Bleurgh.

So I�m getting into a routine anyway, which is nice. I like having one; I know some people don�t, but I could use all the stability I can grasp right now. I�ve noticed I don�t have much of an appetite too. I don�t know whether it�s a combo of the tiredness and the pills, but I�m not going to complain. I tend to take a flask of coffee with me and that�s sort of my breakfast (it�s finally stopped tasting like washing up liquid), then I eat something around lunch time, if I remember and I�m not too busy with college, and I sometimes have dinner later on. But I really haven�t been that hungry. It�s hard to think about food when I have so much else to sort out.

I�ll probably start losing weight soon enough, with the walking and not eating much. Though I am being sensible and making sure that when I eat it�s at least healthy, plus I�m drinking a lot of water. I can�t wait to be able to afford the gym and my contacts. Seriously.

I also managed to remember to buy a book of stamps this morning from work, and sent off letters to all my creditors and anyone else I could think of.

I�m proper chilled right now though. I got home after college in a good mood �cause I feel a bit more caught up with everything. I had a shower, tidied my room, put my washing on, smoked the rest of that spliff and then chatted with Howie for a bit. I�ve been meaning to write in this for a while so I thought I�d tackle it before watching some Supernatural.( I�m going to give it a chance, seen as all of my programs are on a hiatus right now.)

He�s made me feel all guilty about not going to Bedford this weekend �cause his Ma�s away and we�d have the house to ourselves. I�m such a sucker for guilt trips; it would have been fun to hang out with him all weekend though. I�ll make sure we do it another time; I�ve got seven weeks of him in summer anyhow!

It really has been beautiful today though, the past few days in fact. When I�ve come in I�ve just thrown my iPod on and opened the window wide. It�s bliss.

I�m looking forward to spending Monday with Lew. We haven�t had any decent time together in a while and he�s taking the day off school for his birthday and Ma will be working. I don�t know what we�re going to do but we�ll have fun regardless. I feel bad that I haven�t got him a present, but he keeps telling me not to worry.

I think I might get paid a week�s wages next week, and if I do I�ve promised to buy him these Adidas headphones he wants for the gym. I really hope I do get paid �cause it�s awful not being able to spoil him. *sighs*

I think everyone was getting a bit antsy with me for going incommunicado all week. Jayne and Tash had left me various silly messages, but I�m all caught up now � all phone calls made and all emails sent! Tivi, bless her heart, actually googled my work phone number and rang me to let me know English was cancelled on Thursday. I thought it was really sweet that she remembered I wouldn�t get the text from College and went to all that effort.

I�ve got a better grasp of what�s expected of me in my exams now, and I�ve made a start on my research project proposal. I was a wee bit worried from missing so many Comms lessons recently, but I got it all straight today and I know Amy�s not mad at me. We actually had a pretty long chat today and she was being really nice. Plus I got my Comms presentation grade back and it was a Distinction � woo hoo!

Me and Shay had to design a questionnaire to test our peers next week in History, so we draw a brain, specifically Stalin�s brain (I wrote this on it anyhow) and put some words inside it, like greed, power, cunning etc. to be linked with other words outside, like collectivisation, rivals, industrialisation etc. and then you have to offer explanations as to why they�re linked, and what it has to do with the Communist ideology. We�re geniuses, me and her. *laughs*

Oh shit. I have two Sociology papers to write next week as well, I�ve just remembered. Oh god... Oh well, I�m sure I�ll do okay if I do revision the night before. It all seems to be happening though, probably �cause it�s nearing the end of the course.

What else happened this week? Hmmm. Oh, I got a T-shirt from Ruth (the lady who runs enrichment groups at college) for attending the book group. It�s just plain black with the Oaklands emblem and name on the front and then neon pink lettering that says �Oaklands College Enrichment� on the back, but I thought it was super sweet�and cool. What a nerd.

Haven�t spoken to Ma this week � spoke to Lewis a few times of course. He�s through to the next stage of the police cadets thingy, which is fab. They�d better let him in! Grams was telling me some nonsense about Lisha�s first boyfriend and Nika having to put a restraining order against him, I dunno, I haven�t managed to get hold of them to see what it�s all about, and frankly I think it would probably give me a headache.

Gah. I�m finding it hard to think of the things I wanted to say. Maybe it�s the drugs doing this to me. Feck knows. But I�ll probably be back tomorrow once I�ve had a relaxing evening and a good night�s sleep that doesn�t end at 4am.