A Whinge For The New Year

Currently, Lloyds TSB and I are not friends. The demise of this previous happy relationship is related to only one thing; my debit card.



I take full reponsibility for losing the aforementioned debit card while I was in Val Thorens, made even more annoying by the fact I didn't actually lose it but I had cancelled it before i'd discovered it hiding in a very obscure pocket of my overly technical backpack.

After cancelling the card I waited 10 days, the credit card I had lost and cancelled two days later arrived safely but still no sign of the debit card, i decided to call them up and they advised me to cancel the card again and they would send out another within 5 working days. 2 weeks later, and almost a month after I lost the card in the first place and i'm yet to be reunited with the card. I'm going to France on Saturday and it goes without saying that it's going to be rather annoying to be without access to my bank account (especially when i want that 6th jagerbomb in Malaysia).

I know there has been snow, but we've had post delivered in this time, as far as i'm aware it hasn't been stolen as my bank account hasn't been touched. I just can't understand why it's so bloody difficult to get a card out to me. Lloyds TSB will NOT be invited to my birthday party this year........

But for now, bright side, i'm going to Val Thorens again on Saturday with HUSKIS. I've printed out my paperwork, just waiting for my reps pack and my folder will be complete. Also in the spirit of Christmas I bought N a harry potter book. He loves the flims but claims to have never read a work of fiction in his life! As i am an avid fan of books i've got him a cheap copy of the first harry potter book. We all have to start somewhere right? I'm currently reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen which is an interesting read, not entirely sure where the plot is going but i'm sure all will come right in the end. I also need to finish reading Necropolis about London's burial traditions. Very interesting but rather depressing as it is essentially about people dying.

So currently that's all to say, i'm still holding onto the undeveloped Diana and Holga photos (I WILL GET THEM DEVELOPED IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS!) and i was given a fish eye lens for my Canon G11 for christmas which sadly i won't have in time for skiing. I will start taking some pictures again, eventually!

A New Year Resolution Before the New Year

So the crack is; since I broke my leg I have steadily been gaining weight, I'm officially the biggest I have ever been and it's time to do something about it.

I think to be honest I've been in denial and consequently avoiding going to the gym. Trying to eat healthily in the week and then totally blowing it by eating absolute crap at the weekend. I think I need an entire attitude and life overhaul. If I don't want to end up breaking my leg again I need to get fit and build strength in my legs so that they can take the battering that I give them.

I used to be so much smaller, and I always think of my AS-Levels as the turning point, boredom eating and then all of a sudden I had love handles. I was a chubby kid and then lost a lot of weight, but I forget this was in school when you couldn't eat whenever you want and I had an hour of PE at least 3 times a week as well as sports team practices and skiing and badminton at the weekend. That's a lot of sport if you think about it, and if i'm honest I wasn't really eating properly and so I dropped a lot of my baby fat.

I think the time has come to accept that I am, and I look overweight. I don't feel comfortable in my clothes and eating things I enjoy comes with such a sense of guilt afterward that it's not enjoyable anymore.

I think I will be joining a weight watchers in the new year. It seems very cringy, but perhaps a more structured approach is what I need. Also getting the nerve up to go to the gym and to do a twice monthly personal training session to get me going and get back into exercise and getting healthy. It's just got to a point where I can't ignore it anymore.

So a bit of a depressing post I'm afraid, but i hope by writing it down i will drive myself to do it and to commit to being a healthier, fitter, lighter person in 2011.

OH and before i forget. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

The Joys of Repping

As i previously mentioned I have recently been out on the snow, lucky as i am to have been able to get some time out on the real thing, it wasn't all mulled wine and long evenings in Saloon.

I was based in Val Thorens repping for the Varsity TwentyTen trip, first of all it was one of the most hectic weeks skiing in a long time but second of all it was a lot of fun! As a member of the comps team, we were responsible for the rather heavy racing schedule that of course was the whole reason Varsity began. As the only member of the team with 'serious' race experience on snow, I took the lead on keeping the courses in shape and checking that the actual races went off without a hitch.

I'd like to think it was pretty successful, no serious complaints (except one that was swiftly resolved) and everyone seemed to have a good time. All credit to the team, with Mark Roost and Will Chambers being our very capable leaders, both in organising the comps and leading us to victory over the ISR reps team in the mountain meal boat race.

It's quite funny having graduated to rep from one of the students I am now in charge of sheperding through their holidays. It is nerve wracking, especially in terms of the coach (will i remember to text danny what ferry i'm on when i leave the uk?! who knows) but i think a big part of being a great rep is a smiley face and the ability to chat to anyone and look like you're having a good time. Scott Woods and Yvette Cooper are without a doubt some of the best reps i've ever had the pleasure of knowing and the quality they both have is a never ending supply of smiles and the ability to chat away to absolutely anyone and make them feel like they are being given a personal experience. I hope that i can do the same to my guys when i take HUSKIS out to Val Thorens on New Years Day.

So all in all a very successful trip, some great feedback and some new mates to boot. OTP repping seemed to be the natural progression for me, a way to have a ski holiday on the cheap in the knowledge you'd have a great bunch of people to hang out with, and i wasn't wrong. I regret not signing up in 2nd year to rep, a mistake i will probably always regret, but hey ho, i've made it now and hopefully they won't kick me out any time soon. Although a new development in the abbreviations dictionary courtesy of the OTP boy reps; I.I.D aka Isolate, Intoxicate, Dominate. Classy eh?

Of course it wouldn't be a post at this time of year without mentioning christmas. I can't believe it is once again that time of year. Presents are bought, definitely not wrapped and i'm sat at work willing it to be the weekend already so i can stuff my face with a load of food and then be disgusted with myself for at least 4 days afterwards. I have offered to work on boxing day because i want to build up as many doils/overtime as possible. I've got two weeks of holiday left until July and one of those will definitely be repping at easter, so for those odd days off it's always nice to have some days off in lieu saved up for times like Friday the 28th when i will be pretending to be a student back up in Leeds.

And that for the moment is all, i leave you with a picture of me asleep on the floor, because i'm cool like that.

Promises Promises

I know, I know, i made all these promises to update more and then i left you hanging for all this time? It's a bit of an obvious one this week, the snow that has graced the UK with its presence.

Of course we don't handle it very well, the country essentially comes to a standstill. I drove into my village last night and it was hairy to say the least. A few skids and white knuckles but i got home in the end and to be honest i didn't make bad time, perhaps due to the fact everyone else was far too intelligent to attempt taking on the roads.

I seem to have been the only one able to make it into work, but my pals in Leeds certainly seemed to fit a great session inbetween all their "hard studying". Attached some pictures of their session taken by the most fantastic Kirsty Rose Howe!

Makes me pretty jealous to be honest, this session has been now named the Paul Godsmark Invitational after all his hard work building the kicker for the guys to show their stuff on!

The last two are about as exciting as my snow experience got. I'm off to Val Thorens this evening, so i'm hoping that even though i'm working on comps every day i'll get a little skiing in. The freestyle invitational should be a bit of a laugh, and hopefully some of the VT and Rep crowd will get involved and stomp some tricks.

But for the moment, i'm watching sex and the city 2 with my godfather. Which might i say, is a little awkward. I PROMISE i will take pictures out in VT and do a mega mega post on my return. I hope that my first experience as a student ski rep is successful!