Wow! I thought I was tripping out last night when I logged on and saw the little bar at the top of people's journals had changed, but apparently LiveJournal have been tinkering again. I'm on the fence about this latest edit; I don't really give a toss either way.

Last night, Anna invited Jason and I to a weekend bike rally with live music and alcohol. Great, thought I, remembering the two-man tent we had sitting around at home. Why not?

I was really up for it. Motorbikes, music and booze; come on, that's my idea of heaven. With added Jason, so it's actually better than heaven. I made a note to myself to check the tent in the morning to make sure all the bits were there and went to bed.

We don't even have the buggering tent any more.

When we lived in the old house, one of the local dweebs ruined it. Son of Eight; that kid couldn't let anyone have something he didn't have. Apparently he got in one day, jumped around inside and tore right through one of the walls.

So now I have to fork out for a reasonably-priced tent. If I'm honest, I'm a little bit irked as I hadn't expected that I'd need to spend anything on a tent. I thought I'd only be paying the £15 admission and then booze money. But because one little twerp got selfish a couple of years ago, I'm going to have to dig into my bank account. Again.

I think Wilkinson's might sell affordable tents - especially the big shop they have in St Helens that's right by the office. If not, there's that huge cash-and-carry on Baxter's Lane, Just the Job. That place is fantastic! I just need to find out when it closes to see if I can get there on time.

Happily, I'm going to TNG today to have two more bus tickets refunded. So I won't be as out-of-pocket as expected. What I get refunded should cover admission money and a tenner for booze, which is more than what I typically spend at the pub anyway.

It'll all be worth it, though, without a doubt. It'll be mine and Jason's first whole weekend together!

I decided against the chiffon dress after all, due to confidence issues. There's still that stubborn, unshakable part of me that simply refuses to be seen in a dress or skirt. I will wear it one day! I'm not giving up just like that; if there's anything the Prince's Trust taught me, it's that I can overcome all obstacles.

Today I had my first Job Centre appointment in about three months. It was just to sign paperwork declaring that I've completed the Prince's Trust Team Programme, and to talk about moving onto TNG (this job search organisation) and a continuation of my placement at the St Helens Star. I've got another appointment on Friday at 9:00 (so no lie-in for me!) to sort out some more paperwork. Huzzah!

The Job Centre even refunded £3.20 of my weekly bus ticket, which will be handy as I'll tell you later on. With a couple of quid in my pocket and a spring in my step (ah! To be poor again!) I emerged from the Job Centre of Doom and phoned Jason.

We agreed to meet at Victoria Park. Since I was closer I got there first, chose a bench in the sunshine by old Queen Vic herself and immersed myself in H. G. Wells' 'The Time Machine'. It was an absolutely perfect day - warm, a bit breezy, and the sky was brilliant blue.

( Under the cut for more waffling... )