Mer

Ooh cheeky But woooo I love the game Haven't done too bad considering I literally woke up after a few hours sleep and started playing Only 14 advocates smiling, will go back on later! Love all the theming and everything It's made me even more excited about it now And all the laughing sound effects! Creeping me out but making me smile!

Oh Ben, you never fail to make me laugh :')

Right, time for my trip report! The day started with the Peaj Party Bus picking me up, however we experienced a few delays; the driver himself was running late and I gave myself a nasty burn on my neck while curling my hair! I was also to be informed by Peaj that Sidders had been in A&E the previous night due to a leg injury and was on crutches! Finally, our journey began, and our first stop was the lovely city of Winchester to collect the cripple himself. Then on we went to Guildford, where Peaj got a tad confused with the directions, only to discover we were literally down the road from the Spectrum! We could see it across a field We arrived and met up with the legendary Sheepie, then *eventually* the rest of the group. Except Marc and Ricky who casually strolled in for bowling in the afternoon While the skaters went to get their tickets, I waited on the bridge with Sideers and Sheepie (I couldn't skate as my legs were ahcing from a long day in London the previous day, where by the end I was walking like a flamingo!) This was where two of many funny moments occured! Firstly, there was Sheepie mistaking some poor, random woman for Han and his reaction was priceless, along these lines: he flapped his hands in front of his face, made a weird, deep inhaling noise and trotted forwards a bit After realising it wasn't Han, he went as red as his scarf! The second thing was my bag of once frozen, now defrosted peas which I had putting on my burn. Providing no use, unable to find a bin and making my hands green and smelly, they ended up meeting a squishy end on the pavement...to then be laucnhed across the path by Dara's crutch Traumatic times for the peas, and the people they skidded in front of didn't look to impressed either! So, onto the first activity - ice skating! Despite being unable to participate, it was good fun watching the others and having a chat and a laugh with the other non-skaters, plus obtaining many photos! Most of them were on Peaj's phone but I caught a few of him braving the ice on mine... Careful... Peaj is happy he hasn't fallen over yet! Don't fall over! After the skating it was time for a much needed lunch and drink. Me, Sidders and Sheepie had a bit of a kerfuffle with the lift, which did not want to cooperate! Bit awkward as there was a woman and pushchair waiting for a lift (no room in ours)! Eventually the doors decided to close and not open themselves again...and what do you know? We've gone one floor too far! Eventually we made it to the bowling alley where the pizza place and bar (woohoo!) were located. Some ate at Wimpy while the rest of us got some deliscious pizza and refreshing drink. At this point I was so thirsty I opted for a soft drink, but Peaj and Jaymie started early and got cider It was also at this point that I discovered that Sheepie can produce noises identical to a piglet squealing if you tickle him It was soon time for bowling, woo! Time for those lovely, flattering shoes, which looked even sexier with my skinny jeans After some trouble entering our names onto the screen via a machine which resembled the Smiler logo (although some say it was a moth), we started our two games. It's been years since I went bowling so I probably could've done better, plus the floor/shoes were stupidly slippery! Where someone had spilt coke and created a sticky patch (was it Dan9?), me and Sheepie used it to our advantage to make our shoes a bit less lethal! It soon wore off though! But overall we all had a good laugh - except for when Sheepie crushed my finger between himself and the rock hard seat I even managed to do what someone had previously joked about and dropped the ball behind me while taking my turn! Probably something to do with the two double vodka and cokes I'd consumed Some photos of the laughs we had: Peaj does a celebratory dance Marc is not impressed and walks off towards the jelly bean dispenser! What is Peaj staring at? Sidders: "Come at me, bro!" Sheepie was NOT impressed about being beaten by a cripple! Han and Husky enjoy a good drink...although Han doesn't look too pleased with her beverage After a fantastic time bowling and many group ohoto attempts, the meet came to an end for some and goodbyes were said. For the rest of us, it was off to Frankie & Benny's for an evening meal! We had a great time there, lovely food and atmoshphere as always, gorgeous pina colada and plenty of laughs People crapping themselves over balloons popping; breathing in helium (Sidders' impression of Liam was brilliant!); ice cubes down people's backs - and even landing perfectly in Sarah's drink by pure fluke, thanks to Marc! Oh, and then there was this: *Sidders has my camera, which has the case attatched to it* Me: *sniffs* "What's that burning smell?" Sheepie: *sniffs* "Yeah - " Me: *Sees camera case dangling over the candle* "Oh my god is it my camera case?!" Sheepie: *Gasps* "DARA!!" And now some more photos! I made Sheepie a hat Then stroked his hair And grabbed his face! Poor thing, this was just the start of the abuse he was going to get off me Peaj chats away, Marc hides, and I, erm...what?? All too soon, the meet came to an end What an absolutely fantastic meet it was! And what a great weekend to have the few days before my birthday Huge thank you to all you lovely people for providing such a fabulous day out, and to Peaj for his amazing organising skills, keeping everyone happy and together and for the lifts Once again, it was a great privelage to meet Sidders and Han. I really look forward to seeing you two again! Sids - I'll see you at Towers in May and Han, I shall hopefully see you at the Chessie meet coming soon! It was also nice to meet Alice/Husky, aka Peaj's lovely girlfriend. Such a cute couple, n'awww Welcome to TPM, we hope to see you at future meets! As for my next meet, I am unable to make Thorpe on 24th March as many of you know, as I will be in a far better place...but I really am gutted I am missing out on the people (not the park)! However, some of you will see me again soon in March for Alton Towers and Trolley Dolly's birthday! The next official meet I shall be attending is Chessie!

Really been enjoying Penguins - Spy In The Huddle (Mondays 9pm BBC1). It's a 3 part series (final one tomorrow) which follows colonies of emperor penguins, rockhopper penguins and humboldt penguins as they raise their chicks etc. It probably seems like something that's been done before but it's been great to watch and also very amusing! They have cameras designed as different things, including egg can, rock cam, various penguin cams that can walk and even pick themselves up if knocked over (one of them was knocked off a cliff in the last episode! ) and even underwater penguin cams. There was a brilliant moment in the last episode where a bird picked up the egg cam thinking it was areal egg, and flew with it grasped in its claws, providing the first ever aerial shot of penguins filmed by a bird David Tennant's narration also makes it fun to watch, such as the funny way he describes what's happening, and his accent - the way he says turkey vultures! I want to hug an emperor penguin!

Totally echoing what Han said, infact I was thinking about this last night with an issue I've been having for years. Bare with me while I explain... Since 2007 I've been having what I refer to as this "weird thing" happen to me. It is near impossible to explain what happens and what it feels like, not just to others but even myself, as I'm unable to remember it all. But it is absolutely terrifying and feels like nothing I have ever experienced before and not human! After it happened a few times, I Googled the symptoms as best as I could, and found something which was identical to what I'd been experiencing; Simple Partial Seizures. There is a very good description of it here, please read (the first set of bullet points under "temporal lobes"). Except for the last 3 bullet points, I experience everything listed there: http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/seizures/focal-partial Frightening, yes? And it doesn't end there; there are symptoms afterwards too (forgotten the proper name for it, post something or other). Mainly a very strong sense of short term amnesia, where I forget everything that's happened that day, but I can remember having the "seizure", although I never remember what the memory flashbacks were of. (Infact, during the "seizure", I struggle to recognise it; I don't know if it's a real memory, from a dream, or something I've never seen before.) And one time it happened, it wasn't just short term; I was with my first ex and we went to visit his uncle and when they were asking about my job at Thorpe, I couldn't remember what rides I worked on, or when I'd last been to work, when I was next working etc. So, so scary, I can't even explain it The other thing I experience afterwards is an overwhelming tiredness and this general sad feeling, this along with the amnesia being classic post-seizure symptoms. So, I go to my GP last year and get referred to a neurologist, who was appropriately called Dr Kok. He was one of those people that really stares in an odd way when you're explaining something and makes you feel like you're talking nonsense. Now I will admit, I find it far easier to get my point across by writing down symptoms on paper rather than verbally explaining, and considering how complicated this is, I really should have done that. I had scruffily handwritten some things but didn't spend enough time on it to give an accurate picture (but like I said, it's hard to describe, and at that point I hadn't discovered the great description I linked above!) and felt embarrassed to show him - but only because of how weird he was and how misunderstanding his face was. I normally wouldn't feel *so* awkward not to show what I'd written down. I did read off of the paper but because he made me feel like an idiot, I toned it down and described it in a different way for fear of being mocked if I truly described what I'd been experiencing. Ideally I should have had my mum with me to help me But she wasn't able to get the day off and I thought I'd be ok on my own! So, you could say it was both mine and Kok's fault that the appointment didn't go well. But what he said at the end was truly ridiculous, this is where the whole "You assume they're right as they're a professional" thing comes in. He claimed I couldn't possibly have epilepsy as when they have seizures they always lose consciousness. This is a huge misconception among many people and something as a professional he should know is not true! My own, careful research on trusted, decent websites tells me that people can have simple partial seizures for years before they get ones where they lose consciousness. And to finally make a cock of himself, he claimed I was having anxiety, causing these episodes. I do not have anxiety! I've even done GAD tests at my GP when I've been for depression and the highest I've scored was borderline mild! So I said to him, "So you're saying these episodes I'm having are caused by anxiety, even though I don't actually have anxiety?" He looked at me for a few seconds, gave this weird smile and said "Yes" in the most insincere tone. Now, he did still refer me for an EEG. However the results came back normal. But again, this is where I can't help but wonder if he made the right decision; EEGs, whilst commonly being the first way to detect epilepsy, are not always accurate, and people experiencing Simple Partial Seizures can often have normal EEG results. EEGs are best used while a seizure is happening for many people, depending on the type of epilepsy they have. Of course, I didn't say this to him, as I was surprised and pleased he actually suggested one! And my GP has said they will look into it again if it happens again, so that's something. For now, I live in fear of when it's next going to strike It only happens very occasionally (so of course people tell me it's "obviously nothing to worry about" ) which I am grateful for, but I can't help but think that if it happened more often or I lost consciousness, that people would take it more seriously and I'd be offered other tests to try and diagnose it! It's so horrible wondering when it's going to happen next, it really ruins the whole day; being unable to remembered what happened that day, then feeling exhausted and crap for hours after it happens, the days it happens on may as well not exist! Whenever there's a special occassion or a meet, I think "Please don't happen today!" I really hope it doesn't happen when I'm in Disney! I even think to myself sometimes, "What if this never gets sorted out? What if it happens on a once in a lifetime accession like my wedding day?" I wish I could just go private, get the other tests done (MRI scans and shizz) and find out what is going on!

TPM's sexiest moments...

New Dungeons entrance at night I like it, although the old one had more character I feel. But until I've been and seen what is literally behind those doors, theming etc, I guess I cant judge too much yet

Omg what am I doing with that pizza And my face and hand in that group one!

Your torso looks fine to me I will get round to writing my TR tonight, uploaded all the pics onto FB last night and was too knackered to do the TR afterwards!

Great post, Peaj In answer to your other one, I will upload mine soon onto FB and you are welcome to use them I have a few good ones *I think!* plus a video of you dancing at bowling! Could get some interesting screenshots from it

I will get round to doing a detailed trip report tomorrow, was too exhaused to do it today and I didn't actually get home until 6:30. Had to walk home Only joking obviously Will explain in my main TR! But echoing what everyone else said, the meet was just totally amazing. Everything went well from start to finish (apart from Sidders the cripple and Sheepie crushing my finger ), had such a fun time and it was wonderful seeing everyone again, It was lovely to finally meet Han and Dara, and also to meet Alice, her and Peaj make a very cute couple Han is so lovely and didn't make a tit of herself as she anticipated. She's just as bonkers as the rest of us are so had nothing to worry about tbh And she is just as funny in person as she is online! Really glad she came and had such a good time and that it boosted her confidence Sidders - where do I start? What a legend for still coming to meet despite being on crutches and in pain! Such a lovely guy, felt privelaged to meet him Great person to talk to as well and very caring, made me feel a lot better about things that had been troubling me. And his hugs are beyond amazing Especially for someone who isn't normally a huggy person. And agree with Sarah - those bowling shoes/the floor were lethal! I blame them for my lack of success tbh, can't get a good walk up skidding about can ya? Me and Sheepie trod in a sticky patch where coke had been spilt which helped but then it wore off! Absolutely knackered now, off to bed for a much needed good night's sleep! Photos and TR tomorrow (or today technically)!

The first one is admittedly something I might put if I was in a relationship (except the together 4eva thing!) and the second - well I'm not that extreme but I can see why people are bothered by it. Yeah they're single every other day of the year, but Valentine's Day obviously is a bigger reminder of it, plus all the commercial side of it. Just like there are people who hate Christmas because it may remind them of arguments or even cause arguments, or because it's a time for family and they may have lost family, have a dysfunctional family, etc. I completely forgot it was Valentine's Day until I went on FB. I don't normally care about it or have an issue when I'm single, but this year is the first time I've been single since a "proper" relationship, where we both really loved each other. To know and see others around you who are in that kind of relationship, especially when for some reason, I really miss said person a lot again recently and keep dreaming about them (sorry if this is awkward!), well it hurts and gives me a horrible empty feeling inside But I'm not gonna go ruining it for those who are happy or claim my life is over I did put up a FB status but it's meant in a humorous way and is a quote from the legendary Grumpy Cat Speaking of FB and cats; it was lovely to see my 2 cousins who had a big fall out about a month ago make up on FB today And here is a poem from a cat on Twitter: "Roses are red Tuna is red Poems are hard. Tuna."

Anything tweeted by The Grumpy Cat

Ouch! Well I know exactly how you feel; my AS and ADHD weren't diagnosed until I was 17 and 21, respectively. Still in the process of trying to get treatment for the ADHD, because there is eff all available for adults with it in this country. Although; a clinic for it opened in Horsham (not that far away from me) and I was referred there, but my appointment (the other week) was cancelled as the doc phoned in sick They phoned me straight after he phoned in, which was great - I once had a call to say an appointment was cancelled when me and my mum parked up at the place!So yeah, that's something I guess, and about time more of these places appeared, it's really unfair that adults aren't getting the help we need, feels so backwards! Mini rant over Maybe it's our generation? I do think children these days are more likely to be recognised with these conditions. Although dyslexia I'm surprised at, in many ways it would be more noticeable than my problems, particularly throughout school! I was kinda close to being diagnosed with something in year 3 when I had a lot of problems Angry child! Plus the social problems, lack of eye contact, yadda yadda. But back then in 1997/98, AS was still a relatively new condition, autism was known but I wasn't that severe so I just got left so to speak, my parents were told it was probably a phase...the angry side did pass, although it did come and go throughout school, the bad times in year 3 probably being a reaction to all the changes. Thinking of all the help and treatment I could have had does make me really angry and bitter. I might not have underachieved in my GCSEs, I may have been able to cope with college, gone onto uni, who knows? But it could be worse I suppose. There are some that never get diagnosed, or get one much later, at least we are still young! And if there's one thing I am proud of, it's the things I HAVE achieved; at least I attempted college twice and did my best, I did what I dreamed of at the time and worked at theme parks, which also gave me a lot of confidence, my cattery job is perfect bar the hours, and despite having some limits as to what work I can do, I still spend ages every day looking for jobs, which is far more than some, who have no difficulties whatsoever!

I believe Marc isn't skating, Phill And we all need to persuade Dara to change his mind! He want him there!

Some of those lasagnes have 100% horsemeat in But presumably nobody noticed a difference in taste? Which is interesting as it goes to show how psychology can affect the senses; if you don't know you're eating something different you'll eat it. Well, that and the fact that horse can't taste too different to beef

Wow this hasn't been posted in in over a year! Dara hangin' with uni mates. 8/10. Needs moar Dara

... I can't stop laughing in total disagreement.

Oh wow My first time to Towers was 2007 so I only remember it being grey. The pictures so far are superb Will they be sprucing up the cars too? I believe the restraints have faded, would be nice to see them lovely and orange again (and any other parts of the cars if they're faded)

I've always thought it should be in the Thrilling and Fun section I guess now it will have the lower height restriction it makes more sense!

Yes Han! "Such fun!" Me, my mum and brother all say the same as you in that we wouldn't normally find it funny but she is hilarious! Although I've not really seen much of it this series! Annoys me though when people constantly slag it off when they find crap things funny (Yes I know I'm being a hypocrite but whatevs ) Supersize vs Superskinny I've kinda got into recently, although it always makes me hungry when watching Some of those fat people in America they show are awful I mean it takes a while to become that obese, why does nobody help them (presumably they are unable to control it themselves)? It makes me feel better about myself too; seeing those skinny people who weigh something like 6 stone and look ill, I don't feel so thin and skanky Not seen Junior Doctors but loved Bizarre ER Like a modern day version of "999" but more graphic and lacking Michael Burke and scary music!

I have found an old email from 2008(!) and the address is human.resources@thorpepark.co.uk Hopefully it's still the same Good luck

Wouldn't it be the email address they contacted you from? Assuming you were invited to an assessment centre via email then it's usually HR that send those emails I did used to know it but I've forgotten it now!

Don't give up Luke It's a tough out there at the moment in this ****ty country. Getting through to an interview is a big thing these days considering how many applications they have! I had an interview at WHSmith a few years ago and was unsuccessful too, and I have the customer service experience, so don't worry about them I got a no from Asda the other week; no offence but considering the people I've seen working in there I'd have thought I'd have got an interview! I also got a no from Waitrose last year. But offered an interview from Sainsburys but was unavailable on the interview day but they were lovely and said it won't affect any future applications This might sound daft but when I was applying for jobs at 16 and mainly looking at shops, I'm sure they used to focus more on customer service and being tidy and polite, whereas it seems to be more sales-orientated these days and more demand for sales experience. Grr. I guess with it being so hard they have to do this (or I'm imagining it )! I just really regret leaving the cattery last year for that stupid pier! By leaving, they gave my weekend hours to the other girls there so now, instead of working every Saturday and school holidays etc, it's no weekends and just holidays But I am grateful I do have a job

Quiet James, people might think we're alcoholics Now for my rant: It feels like my body is going through the wars recently... Raynaud's attacks happening daily due to the cold (and unfortunately our windows are crap and drafty so the house isn't that warm). I've not mentioned it to my GP as I don't feel there's much point; there is no treatment for it except for severe cases. It's so uncomfortable having icy cold hands and feet and quite disturbing to see them go blue! If I wear thermal socks it helps eventually but they make the rest of me feel too hot! Keep waking up with sores/ulcers on my tongue, even had blood on the pillow the other morning I assume it's from me grinding my teeth at night (really should get to the dentist and get a mouth guard sorted). It had a blue tinge to it this morning too Sneezing, wheezing and trouble breathing (rhyme fully intended!). I swear the past year or two I seem to sneeze more than usual A good few times a day, everyday, plus my nose often feels irritated. Had a wheeze when I breathe out thriugh my mouth or laugh quietly for a few years now, but never worried too much or saw my GP as when I first noticed it, I was a bit of a hypochondriac at the time! I also get this horrible feeling sometimes where I feel short of breath or like I can't fill my lungs with enough air. You know when you sometimes take a deep breath in and it feels kind of satisfying? Well I'll take a deep breath in to try and relieve the short of breath feeling but it doesn't feel like I've breathed in at all! I have to breathe out heavily or cough, it seems to help. Which brings me to the next thing - sometimes getting a dry, tickly cough at night or in the morning. So annoying! And finally...every so often I get this awful lower right back pain. Initially I thought it may have been caused by work but it started up again last night and I've not had any hours at work since the very beginning of January. Not strained it, not sat funny, it's a mystery! It's a constant, "dull ache", like a mild period pain, but when I move, it's a horrendous pain, like some sort of spasm! I literally freeze and yelp in pain, but end up laughing at how funny I look! I tend to avoid painkillers as by masking the pain, I worry I might end up doing more damage; it's not as simple as bending over making it hurt, sometimes the slightest movement does it. I mentioned the wheezing and short of breath symptoms to my GP the other day and they said it could be a bit of asthma, so I've got a lung function test on 20th Feb Sorry to bore you all with that! It's less of an angry rant and more of a "I need to get it off my chest" thing. I'm only 22 yet feel like I'm plagued with health issues