611.

I'll begin this post by saying that I really haven't got anything interesting to say and that I wish I did. If that part doesn't bother you, then do proceed to read on.

So, on Thursday, after the terrifying ordeal that was my first driving lesson (I'm lying and it was actually fine), I went down to Dorking to see Stephen Merchant at the Dorking Halls with my sister.

He was so awesome and really funny! I laughed all the way through and all the way home, all I wanted to do when we left was re-live those last two hours. His support, Josh Widdicombe was really good as well. I can't wait to buy the DVD, I'm considering pre-ordering it when I have a slightly more respectable amount of money (or I might put it on my Christmas list). Due to how tiny the Dorking Halls is, we actually had really good seats, despite being in the middle of the balcony.

I spent the rest of the weekend with Moon and seeing some old friends. I wish I'd brought out my camera, not that it will be the last time it will be happening now that I'm home forever. We went to Guildford last night for a friend's birthday, not sure I'll be doing that again in a hurry, and definitely not on a Saturday night anyway. It was actually an okay night, if you ignored everyone there that wasn't us. There were far too many 'lads' on the hunt for 'birds' and I felt very out of place due to my lack of slutty get-up, I must remember that for the next time I put myself in that situation...

But I've had quite a nice weekend, I applied for around 5 jobs on Friday so that should keep the Job Centre quiet tomorrow (urgh). It was nice to be with Moon anyway though, but we actually saw each other a lot this week. We made a delicious salad last night from a recipe I saw in Closer. We modified it slightly because it called for cold kidney beans, but it was quite pretty and still good for the next day. I would recommend it, particularly with a bit of warm quiche. Nom.

Nadia's Skinny Dinners: Three-Colours Salad
Serves 2 or about 5 if you make as much as we did

200g can of tuna (drained)

½ red pepper we used a whole one, finely chopped

198g can of sweetcorn (drained)

215g can of kidney beans (drained) replaced with shelled peas

Large handful of spinach leaves we just used a small bag of baby spinach

1 hard-boiled egg we did three because were expecting three but would have done two at least because half a boiled egg is shit rubbish.

For the dressing (we just bought some mango & chilli dressing from Sainsbury's, which was delicious and less faff)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp chopped parsley

3 black olives, sliced

Salt & pepper

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Step 1: Mix all the dressing ingredients together and set aside
Step 2: Place the tuna, pepper, sweetcorn, kidney beans peas and spinach in a bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and gently toss.
Step 3: Divide the salad on to two plates, halve the hard-boiled egg and share between two (SEE!).
Step 4: Serve immediately with a slice of wholemeal bread (or not bread and something much nicer).

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I'm basically just posting this to avoid unpacking my stuff from the weekend, and to share a nice recipe with you, obviously. I've got a few photography-related things I'm going to try and get out of the way over the next month or so (if the weather improves). The week after next will be the week that I finally sort out my portfolio and website. I'm also in the process of sorting it out for Moon and I to attend a Graduate Fair in October, it's free and I really think it will benefit us, at least I hope it will (although ideally neither of us will need it and we will have jobs by then). I think the key to not becoming a shell of a person when unemployed is to remain active, I'm definitely glad that I'll have my portfolio to do when I'm not 'scheduled' to do something.

This week is hella busy though, with the Job Centre, Thorpe Park, another driving lesson, a gig and a trip to Exeter, I don't think I'll be bored. I kind of hope I don't exhaust myself though...

The rest of Brighton.

Here are some of my favourites from the rest of mine and Moon's Brighton trip. I'm quite annoyed that we were ill on our last day, but it's not like we won't be going back so I'm not too bothered.

We visited the Booth Museum, which is up a huge hill and I definitely recommend getting the bus to if you're closer to the seafront than the town. Not because it's really far but that hill is a killer and there's not a particularly exciting walk. I think if the walk hadn't been so far then I definitely would have been more impressed with it but by the time we got there were didn't think that the wall-to-wall birds were up to much, although we did agree that their skeleton museum is pretty cool.
After a quick visit to the Toy Museum, which wasn't amazing but is never open and definitely worth a visit, we had a browse around the Lanes and due to the rain retreated to Ha!Ha! (where else?!) for their tasty nachos before going back to the hotel and napping.

In the evening we went to Ricky Gervais, which we got great seats for despite only booking them that morning. He was as great as I wanted him to be, I'm definitely buying the DVD. I'm a bit annoyed that I left the programmes in the hotel room, but I always forget something and I had already read it. I hope more than anything that he keeps the Ken Dodd joke in. OH MY GOD.

We got food poisoning from the fish & chips we bought after the gig, so cross, I was sick quite soon after but thought I'd slept it off until after breakfast. Bleugh. It was a great few days away, great weather, great food and lovely company. Nom.

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

Facebook album link.

Jimmy Carr is one hot piece of ass.

Arahh-arahh

I drew a peacock yesterday.

I also watched Sex Drive (2008), it is just terrible.
Won't be making that mistake again - a comedy film nowadays with no Apatownies is just not a comedy film at all.