Well! After complaining to PhonePayPlus (OfCOMs partners) I phoned O2 about my lovely texts and they were very helpful! Said they'd investigate and try to get me my money back (they took £9 off in total before they drained my credit...). I'm worried about topping up in case they start texting again. Really can't be doing with this kind of rubbish to be honest, it's just a pain. Apparently, most calls to the O2 customer service line is to do with these premium rate text 'services'. It's disgusting! Anyhoo - I'll stop ranting about that for now, but I'll keep you updated on my riveting run-ins with the corporate world...

As for the course I was on about - they will look into my case on Monday. So fingers crossed everybody!!

We've just bought a TV and a computer (the latter to be used as a server - yay!) and are going to pick them up tomorrow. If there's time, I think we're also going to IKEA tomorrow. So exciting!! I love all this housey stuff. Wish we could paint! I'd be good at painting.

It's Mike's birthday on Tuesday. Sadly he's working during the day, but I'm wondering whether to cook him dinner or take him out. If cooking - any recipe ideas?

I've gotten started on the other part time course I'll be doing this Autumn - it's Forensic Linguistics (not to be confused with my masters - Forensic Speech Science) so it doesn't look too hard considering my experience there. But it'll be a good way of getting into it! The course doesn't actually start until 17th Sept - but I thought I might as well do the reading and draft the essays now as I think come 20th Oct I'll be kinda busy... the FL course runs into January, but is only 25% so another 7.5 ECTS points.

Speaking of those... Will you also keep your fingers crossed that I've passed the courses I did over the summer? Witness Psychology - should find out in 2 weeks or less; and that IT course I never seem to manage to finish... I never thought I'd find it this hard! I don't know actually if it's difficult or if it just bores me senseless. I think the latter...

Walked into town today, it's been roasting! Though no sun - a sheet of grey in the sky and a nice film of sweat on my brow. Got some bargains in H&M though - got a top and a jacket in the sale - sale price was supposed to be £22 for both - somehow I got them for £10! The lady asked if they were in the 2 for 1 sale - in my dozy way I didn't really register what she'd asked until after I'd nodded. But I didn't feel it was my place to correct her after that :)

xx

And yet again, buerocracy (sp?) and rules are against me...

See, it doesn't make any sense. I've just found out that I apparently don't meet the minimum requirements for a beginners course in Audiology and Acoustics because I didn't finish the Chemistry course when I was 16... How would doing maybe 20 more hours of chemistry 7 years ago possibly make me more equipt to understand something so totally unrelated now? I'm completely non-plussed about that. Anyhoo, I've sent an email to admissions at the Uni in question so keep your fingers crossed for me!

And on a (not at all!) related subject... Someone thought it was funny to sign me up to one of those porn-text services, so I've been getting loads of messages asking if I want this or that sent to my mobile... And they've charged me for the 'pleasure' as well! £1.50 per text received! Please let me make it very clear, for the record, that this is not something I'm interested in (especially not at that price...). I'm planning on writing to OfCOM - not that I will get my £6 or so reimbursed (here's hoping!) but it's not right that someone can sign you up to stuff like that... What if someone signed up a kids mobile to it?? Surely you should at least have to sign up via the mobile in question?

Just realised I've used the expression 'in question' twice in this short post. Lol.

Anyhoo, I've a lot more stuff I wanna moan about but I think the two will be enough for now.

Indignantly yours,

Julia.

Ok, it's been a ridiculously long time since I last wrote on here... I'm rubbish! And so much has been happening, not too sure where to start.

Moved up to York the other week. We're living in this lovely (and massive!) flat near the city, starting to fill it up with furniture. Any donations are very welcome ;) I'll be starting my MSc in Forensic Speech Science in October, am so very excited. Mike graduated (with a first! Booya!) and is now working up here as a software developer. Sooo moving to York was definitely a good move, for both of us. It's a lovely city. My family came up the other week and we did touristy things; Pullman's bus tour and Jorvik Viking museum. Oh - they display a human poo in that museum, which was nice...

I submitted a revised version of my dissertation to the International Association of Forensic Phonetics' annual conference - and it got accepted so I went down to Switzerland and presented my paper. It was great! Very scary but it went amazingly well. I made some great contacts as well (whom I've been meaning to email... lazy lazy) from all across Europe.

Am currently finishing a course in Witness Psychology with Gävle Högskola. It's quite an interesting course actually, first time they're running it so it's bound to have its bumps. It's mostly focusing on eyewitness testimony and memory (obviously - the most straightforward - and it's only a 7.5 ECTS course) but I was hoping to be able to connect it to 'earwitnesses' and the things I'll be doing in my masters as well.

Anyhoo, I'll be off for now - with more (empty??) promises that next time I won't leave it so long...

xx