Today is the day of the public sector strikes. Workers all across the country are walking out in protest against the government's proposed pension reforms - reforms which come on top of a pay freeze that means they're already getting less money for their efforts.

I've already done a piece for the Star covering the National Union of Teachers (NUT) strike - which, according to Steven, shows that they're able to trust me now with the big, national news that also has a local impact. Today, they've asked me to spend my morning waffling about St Helens town centre to see if I can find any picket lines where people are willing to talk to me.

There's the Job Centre and the Magistrates' Court that I know about. There may be some activity outside the town hall or Central Library. I'll get no joy at the few schools in the immediate vicinity as all the teachers striking are attending a mass rally in Liverpool - all the Merseyside teachers are coming together as one to make themselves heard, and from what Patrick White of the St Helens NUT told me, their message is strong and clear: these strikes aren't just about teachers going 'me me me'; the financial benefits of teaching are one of the things that draw quality people in. Take those benefits away and potentially good teachers will be put off. A local university that's known for producing excellent teachers has already put its tuition fees up to £9000, which can only be a deterrent. So, you put off quality teachers, what happens? The quality of education as a whole declines.

Of course, you could then argue that the best of the best will be the people who don't care about tuition fees or the changes to pensions. The very top-quality teachers will work because they love the job - teach to teach, not for the pension or pay. But will there be enough people out there of this sentiment? And don't top-quality teachers deserve a good pension for their contribution to society?

As I write this, evil-looking clouds are rolling in. They bloody well would on the one day I'll be waffling about town for a few hours! Apparently it was pissing it down at four in the morning - well, I missed that. And it still feels as stuffy in the house as it did last night, before the rain.

I was still up quite late last night. Aforementioned Steven also recommended that I sort all my articles into some kind of portfolio, rather than letting whole newspapers pile up in my room as I was doing and as he apparently did when he first started. So, last night I sat myself down, gathered together every single newspaper I have and made a start in a spare notepad of mine, a double-page spread for each week. A few papers are missing but I could always ask for copies in work or see if I've left them on my desk, as I have a second and smaller pile of St Helens Star issues piling up there. As well as a pile of old Metros behind my computer monitor that seriously need chucking.

Those dark clouds are even darker now, and in the exact same place where yesterday I saw the DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SKY, OH MY GOD IT'S SO INTENSE. Alas, it's not even starting to look like a single rainbow, and so I am sad.

Just a quick update before I pop off to work.

The whole Tom situation from the other day has resolved itself. I can't remember if I've already mentioned it (I probably have, as a little side-note in a huge entry somewhere), but anyway, it has. I think I slept over at Jason's the Friday after all that went down.

In fact, it was Friday. Because it was only at 4pm on Saturday that I managed to get him out of bed! It was quite adorable.

Alas, I have another day with no Jason. I'm seeing him tomorrow for the pub quiz and he's coming to mine for the third time on Friday; I'll be going back to his after to sleep over.

Like I said in my last entry, Jason and Dave are going to the cinema today, just the two of them - hence I have an evening to myself (YAY INCENSE STICKS WRITING AND TEA). We were meant to go to the cinema last Wednesday as a trio but Dave phoned at the last minute saying he'd feel like a 'third wheel' going with me and Jason but not his own girlfriend, Alesha (sp? There are a million variations). So it's just the two of them today, and I can enjoy some quality solitude. Last night was pretty good, actually. I revisited Douglas Adams' 'So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish', then indulged in the aforementioned incense sticks, writing and tea. I played with Thelma a wee bit, then was bemused at our lack of severe weather and also a bright object in the night sky that faded out.

( Yeah, I don't think I'm going to trust the Metro newspaper ever again. )

The weather's been bi-polar all day. One minute sunny, glorious and warm, the next - piddling it down, thunder and lightning. And yet I don't have a migraine! Nor am I soaked, even though I've been out!

Yeah, I had a lucky escape. I went to TNG today to tie up some loose ends with timesheets and travel refunds; on the way, it started to rain just a bit. While I was in there, chucking it down. I didn't much fancy leaving at that point. When my business was done and I emerged, however... clear skies. Whew!

Then, an hour later, chucking it down once again. This time, it came with a pretty epic thunderstorm to boot. I couldn't believe it was raining so hard!

I got refunded £11.20, which means that I might be able to treat Jason to dinner later today when we hang out after work. It's his 21st birthday today and I owe him so much so why not? I'll make the offer, then when he refuses I'll shove the money into his hand and say 'TAKE IT, BITCH!' - problem solved!

He phoned me just then to confirm that we were still good for today, should he take a coat and so on. Is it just my imagination, or did he say 'I love you' before he hung up? He said something that I found totally incomprehensible... maybe I'm just hearing things. *bafflement*

I did the dumbest thing ever, today. Or, should I say, two days ago? Remember how Laura and I arranged to go out today? Well, we did. Then, as we ambled along Peasley Cross road, I realised I'd done something very stupid. I was expected by Sian for a game of Snap at the Oak Tree Pub in Newton, at 3PM.

Sian naturally got very, very annoyed at me, but I balanced it up. I hadn't seen Laura, my best friend of ten years, in two or three months. Choosing between her and pub snap with a bunch of friends I'd seen only five days ago wasn't difficult... at the risk of sounding horrible. Consequently I felt like a pillock all day.

( Despite all that, today was a good day. You'll only get to share in the awesomeness by partaking in this LJ cut. )

Can it really be that the last days of summer are upon us? Outside, it's overcast and raining, and sitting in my room, I actually feel cold. My feet are freezing. In twenty days, it'll be September. Autumn's just around the corner.

This time last year, I had a pretty good idea of what I'd e doing in the upcoming September. I'd be going back to Sixth Form, regardless of grades; I just didn't know whether I'd be moving on to A2s or resitting it all. This year, I don't even know if i'll be returning to Sixth Form; if I'll even be allowed to, whether I fail or not. I could be in a different college - not that fresh starts are entirely new to me. Or I could be gap yearring, with the grades I need, raising a bit of cash for uni. Maybe I'll even have been abducted by aliens by then. I simply don't know.

Not knowing what lies ahead is scary. It's like having to walk around a blind corner on the street, only you know that on the other side you'll find either a slap in the face, an axe murderer or a piece of delicious cake. Or even alien abduction. But you can't turn around; the only way is forward. You can only go on and hope it's the cake, because cake is better than being slapped, murdered and abducted.

I had a good night's writing last night, though Dad would probably disagree - I woke him up by moving my chair. This is precisely why I need a carpet, Dad! Chairs don't scrape noisily on carpet! They do on wood! And with a bookshelf to keep anything non-essential out of the way, I'd make less noise tidying up before bed.

Ergh. Rain, rain, sod the hell off or I'll smash your face in. Seriously. You annoy me. I want the sun!