Life as a working girl

I have neglected this blog for a while and to be honest, I had good reason. I am finally slipping into the pattern of work and am now routinely experiencing the feeling of relief the working man (or woman) feels when they get home after a long day, plunge down on their sofa and switch the television on. I am not working long hours (3,5 hours a day, if I'm lucky), but with all the other activities going on (uni, friends, administrative business), it always feels like a long journey home. What is more, as I cycle in and out of town every day, it is a long journey home.
I have to be in work at half eleven, most days (that's 11.30am, for those Europeans amongst us), which means getting up at ten(-ish) and setting out for town at eleven. That might sound like a dream to most of you, but if you know me and you know my sleeping habits, ten o'clock will just cut it and the thought of anything earlier scares me. Anyway, at eleven (though it's mostly 5 past by the time I leave the house), I set out, cycling up the hill to city centre. As Liverpool is basically built on a donutshaped hill (so, to get into town from out of town, you need to first cycle up a hill and then you cycle down a hill once you reach the city), I need to collect my strength beforehand. Luckily my bike is working like a charm nowadays (*), which means the hills aren't too hard to muster, althought I must admit that approximately 12 minutes into my journey, I approach the last, hardest bit of the hill (the actual part where you can feel it) and I get off my bike and walk for two minutes, as I'm usually a little too worked up by that time to want to climb it the normal way (I cycle the first part of the ride quite quickly). Then I get to the top, cross the big street, get on my bike, cycle through the park, go past uni and down Hardman Street we go. That is probably my favourite moment of the ride (apart maybe from riding down the first hill right outside my house which runs by Wavertree Park), as I can see the Liverbuildings tower over the rest of the city, with the Mersey running behind them. It's a beautiful view and if I ever get a decent camera (the one I have works, but it's hard to take really nice pictures with), I will certainly take a picture there. For now, it's for my eyes only. At the bottom of Hardman Street I turn into Bold Street and then I'm basically at work. My boss is a really nice guy, my colleagues are nice and the work itself is not too bad either. I'm still getting a grip on it, making only one sale a day, but hopefully that will soon grow to a nice number of 5 a day. I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem. After 3,5 hours I finish work (mostly it's even less, as my boss tends to have meetings and such, which means coming in later or finishing early), clocking off at 4.30pm. It is rare that I go home straight after work, as I often have plans in the evening or right after, be it with friends or for socials (frisbee, Cafe Home, Sticky Floor...). If I have to be somewhere in the evening, I tend to go to the library or to friends, hang out at either place until my appointment is due. The issue with that is that it means I often spend some money getting hot food, which would be cheaper to make at home. But considering some chips and mayo is only £1,50, I am not too worried about it. Plus, I tend to pack lunch, saving money there. I usually tend to go home at around 11pm if I have a social occasion, if not, I get home around 5 or 6, pop some food in the microwave or on the stove and put BBC iPlayer on. It's a luxury we don't have in Belgium (not the BBC, anyway) and I love the programs on it.

As you can see, my days are very filled, with adventures and fun, but also with work and a lot of sleep and tv. I am exhausted at night, going to bed at one (yes, mom, I know you think that's late, but for me, that's perfect), falling asleep right away and up and ready for the next day nine hours later.



(*) The round disk on which the gears run at the backwheel was the original one on my bike, and as I've had this bike for 12 years, it was completely worn down, as was the chain itself. I had both replaced and now it runs like a charm again and I can use my gears and get the right result for the first time in five years. I did get three punctures in three weeks because of the huge amount of broken glass in this city - if you're used to clean cities such as Leuven or Brugge, Liverpool can be a bit of a shock -, but now I'm running again.