'Hello everybody, I'm Dr Cheeks. I've been away for a while, so I'm a little behind.'

I decided probably one of my favourite ever Simpsons quotes deserved to be in here, because it is semi appropriate. I've not updated in too long.

Well, to be honest, it has mostly been due to the issue with the laptop. However, this has been rectified and I now have a shiny new Samsung. Hooray!

This long absence from the blogosphere (god, my journalism theory lecturer would be proud of me using that word) means that I've not updated about something really, really important that happened to me lately: namely that I've moved again.

I know, I could put a gypsy to shame. But the west end situation didn't work out, and so, after looking into costs, I decided I could afford a reasonably spacious flat all to myself in Strathbungo (or so the letting agents told me...everyone else says I'm in Govanhill, but you've got to admit Strathbungo sounds a lot nicer. The Paid Job colleagues mercilessly take the piss out of me for this). I'd been wanting to come down to this end for sometime to be honest - it's cheaper, the arts scene in Glasgow seems to be migrating down here (and fair enough), it's actually better connected transport wise...I could go on. But mainly I could afford my own place, and after the experience with my last place I appreciate it muchly. It's not cheap, but it's still awesome.

Anyway...so we at Cargo recently held the Margins Festival, which went amazingly well. There's a restructure going on at my Paid Job, which makes me feel like they're trying to push me out, and...well, I can't think of much else. All I can say is, for the most part, I'm a lot happier than I've been in some time.

Happy New Year :)

So...belated first blog post of 2012! Again, I have some year lined up...

To begin with, we at Cargo have just announced the lineup for the Margins Book and Music Festival, now in its second year. The events will happen between 24th-26th February, and tickets can either be bought for individual events or a pass for the full weekend can be purchased.

The second edition of Valve Journal will also be published later this year. Submissions can be made via the website.

New Year's Resolutions again

First of all, I'm going to update on the ones I made this time last year.

I was going to attempt to highlight these in different colours, but Blogger is being a dick and won't let me use different coloured text (and my HTML knowledge is limited, to say the least).

So, here were the resolutions I made for 2011.

Write.

(Kept: sort of)

A couple of new things have been started, but it's getting motivated to continue them that's proving problematic. Must keep it up.

Read.

(Kept: yes.)
Managed to get through loads of books this year :)

Get a new job.

(Kept: no, but efforts made)
I've applied for a number of things, but aside from one interview have got nothing. Will keep up efforts to get work in the new year.

Learn to drive.

(Kept: nope.)

Have still failed to get a new paper licence.

Open a savings account.

(Kept: no)
Again, never sorted - but will make the effort this year as I now have money from a couple of sources to put into one :)

Renew my passport.

(Kept: nope)

This MUST happen this year or I'll have to miss out on Tom Petty in Dublin :(

Spend less time online.

(Kept: ennhhhh...)
Sort of, but could do better.

Get back into swimming.

(Kept: I should bloody well say so!)
Kept this one good style, following the mortifying discovery in April that I could no longer fit into my favourite best dress for a family wedding.

Get back into playing music.

(Kept: yep)
Thanks to the monthly open mic nights at Sammy Dow's, I am now doing a bit more singing :) Hooray!

Eat more healthily.

(Kept: mostly)
I'm going to put this one in green, because even though I've had a couple of lapses I managed to keep this up a good bit this year. I need to continue with it though.

Go to the dentist.

(Kept: HAH!)
Moving on...

Live a little.

(Kept: a tad.)

Could still improve here.

So, overall, out of the 12 listed here, I've either kept or attempted to keep most of them.

And a couple of new ones to add to the mix:

Get a new hobby.

One thing I've wanted to do for some time is learn poi spinning. It just looks like so much fun, even though I'm one of the clumsiest folk on the planet. I just think it looks really mesmerising, and it's probably a whole lot harder than it looks. I went online yesterday and bought a set of poi spinners and a beginners' guide to the art. That said, it will be sometime before I have the balls to try out fire spinning. I'm also still considering pole dancing at the back of my mind, but will need to tone up big time, having gone for a trial class some years back and struggled to keep my balance from being so damn big.

Go and visit Auntie Iz in her new place.

After two years living in Newcastle, Auntie Iz finally bought a house earlier this year. For many reasons I never got round to going to see her. However, I have promised that I will try and go down to her in February or March. It's only two and a half hours on a train, which is much closer than she was while in Sheffield.

Visit Arran and / or Bute.

It only occurred to me a little while ago that both of these islands aren't actually that far from me, and that I really ought to go and visit them both. Or even just one of them. Should probably try and encourage a pal or two to join me.

And that's that for this year. If I don't get back on before the year is out, hope 2012 brings you lots of good things in the coming year.

What did I get for Christmas?

SPOILT ROTTEN, that's what :)

First of all - apologies for lack of bloggingness, due to a laptop mishap I've been stymied somewhat. I know, I could sort an app on my phone, but the official one doesn't like my email address (this thing is run by Google but my email account is with Yahoo, as it has been for years), and the unofficial one was dodgy and kept chucking dodgy ads at me. I'm back in Shetland now (unpaid again - screw you Paid Job) and on my old home PC, still sans my presumably now lost iTunes library.

So...what's been going on?

A lot, actually.

Still job hunting. Applied for two different jobs, but was roundly rejected for one and the other vacancy was withdrawn three weeks after the closing date (but if it becomes live again I'm told I'm not required to reapply). I also applied for another job, working within libraries and other cultural spots within a certain west coast region, but I'm damn certain I don't have that - I'm hugely overqualified for it, among other things (minimum educational level was 5 Standard Grades - I now have a degree. A shame, it still looked fun).

Things are on the up with Cargo now too. We came 19th in the List's Hot 100 of 2011, up from 66 last year, and we also won their Best Newcomer award at the inaugural List Awards. Along with that, we have a load of new releases coming up in 2012 - please be sure to keep an eye on our website to get the news first.

I got very spoiled this Christmas too. I got a Vivien of Holloway dress I'd been coveting for ages from Mam, a Kindle from Dad (which I plan to give you a review of later as I may be converted yet), and loads of other great stuff that would take all day to list. I have, however, had way too much booze these last few days, and the diet fell by the wayside spectacularly. Back to the pool in the new year!

I also need to redo my New Years' Resolutions - I think I may have kept all of three of them this year. Among the ones I didn't keep was the passport renewal one, but I will need to keep this because - wait for it - I'm going to Dublin this coming June to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Woo hoo! :D

Meanwhile, I currently have no further news. Merry Crimble, readers! Hope you all got spoiled too, you deserve it.

Christmas is coming...

So yeah...I keep forgetting how stressful Christmas shopping is.

This year I appear to have more people to buy for than ever before, and some of those I've still not even thought of presents for. I also keep finding things that I know people will like AFTER I've bought them something. For instance, I found some Scrabble magnets for my granny which I know she'll love, only to belatedly discover the existence of Super Scrabble, which she would most definitely also love (indeed if I'd found it in summer I'd have gifted it to her for her birthday). Tempted to get both for her but I keep changing my mind - decisions, decisions!

Hello November

My, that came in quickly.

In the last month, I've moved, I've seen Bon Iver and Steve Earle in the space of a week (and both were great) and I've finally started my Christmas shopping. And earlier today I went to Edinburgh and saw my dad accompany a violinist from the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra at the Japanese Embassy, among other things.

I need to get back into swimming when I have enough money. I was hoping to be down to 13st 6lbs by Christmas (exactly two stone lighter than I was in August) - while that's probably not gonna happen now I'd like to try.

The most momentous thing happened this month

I actually got an interview for a Proper, Grown-Up Graduate Job.

I've been keeping quiet on this front because I wanted to be sure whether or not I'd get the job.

After having put down a deposit on a new place (five minutes up from the old one - yeah, I moved by the way) I found a job that sounded like great fun. It was with a PR company in Edinburgh (I know, I know, lengthy commute etc) who worked mainly with IT and computer companies. However, I had read the person specification they had put on the website and it sounded like it fit me. So I applied. I wasn't expecting a reply, but I thought it was worth a shot anyway, and besides, I'd just had yet another crap shift at the Paid Job. So I rattled out a covering letter, attached my CV and emailed it.

To my surprise, I got a response from them three days later, asking me to come through for an interview. I was absolutely delighted. So, among everything else that had to happen that day, I headed to Edinburgh the following Monday and was interviewed by the two people who make up the company. I personally thought the interview went well, but by Friday I hadn't been asked back for a second one. Just now I received confirmation that they'd now filled the position, but the rejection was nice enough I guess - just that really I'd been up against some stiff competition, all more experienced than me, and that they wished me well. While I'm gutted to have missed out, I hope I made a good enough impression that I might be successful if they ever recruit again.

Meanwhile, I've found two more jobs to apply for that require English degrees and that I fit the specification for. Feeling a bit more hopeful in general. Maybe I will get a new Paid Job this year - which will be grand, given that it has now transpired that the current one lied to me about my holiday allowance, potentially fucking up my Christmas plans again...