Kiss/ another Final Score/ Lottery

I spent most of the last week in a sleep coma (this has also led to memory lapses so apologies if this blog is not as lively as usual). The reason for all the snoozing was that I spent a week filling in presenting the 3-6am show on Kiss radio. I confess I'm not that great with early starts so the getting up at 1.30am and going back to bed at 7am proved to be quite a challenge. All the night workers, insomniacs and partygoers were getting in touch (the last group are my least favourite as they a) don't make much sense when they ring /text in and b) they remind me that I too used to love partying) and I had a blast doing the show as I always do. Something to make this week more memorable was the Sugababes break-up - it armed me with plenty of material when talking off the back of 'Get Sexy', not to mention the double whammy of introducing Jade Ewen (new Sugababe if you didn't know!).

I fill in on Kiss quite a bit, especially the 3-6am slot, but in the past I've made the mistake of still going out the night before and trying to get by on v little sleep, in fact the stand-out horror story involved me going to the Brit Awards last year and then at 2am going straight in to do the show - I was slightly dilerious after a half hour snooze in the back of a cab. It was then I ruled I'd never do that again. And surprisingly this time I managed to get to bed by 8pm most nights which made for better radio and better all round health. On Wednesday afternoon I met up with my friend Kelly who I'm going to LA, San Francisco and Vegas with next month. We were planning our trip whilst feasting on potato wedges with bacon and cheese topping - yum yum, but not very LA! Must do better!
We've decided to hire a car and drive (well Kelly is) from LA to San Francisco - it'll be our very own Thelma and Louise style road trip hopefully without the dying but at the end! I'm so looking forward to getting out there - I've never been to LA/San Fran or Vegas, a part of me is hoping I fall in love with the place and get a job out there, but that's just pipe dreams at the mo.

So a week full of early mornings and holiday planning left little room for many nights out, but I did manage to show my face at a friends 30th birthday party on Friday. Now by the time I got to the party (around 8pm) I'd been awake for 18 hours or so - as you can imagine I was pretty knackered. At one point I thought I might actually conquer the art of falling asleep whilst standing up and smiling, but a quick prod in the back made me realise I wasn't going to get away with it. I got to catch up with some old work friends but the lack of sleep finally caught up with me at 10pm and I headed home to bed, ahhhh bed, ahhhhhh my bed. Nothing like a week or earlies to make you appreciate the little things in life.

Saturday was my second stint reporting for Final Score. This time from Coventry v Middlesbrough. The game was a cracker - a late goal for Coventry scuppered Middlesbrough's hopes for all three points. There were lots of technical issues though, they made me a little stressy, especially with 5 minutes to go until I was due on air and the phone line disconnected for a third time....ggggrrrrrrr. Managed to get reconnected just in time and I have had a look at back at my reports (thanks to Mum and Dad recording them for me) and thankfully I didn't sound too panicky. Fingers crossed there'll be plenty more for me this season....

I had an amusing conversation with my Dad this week. My Dad religiously plays the lottery and Euro Millions - he thinks he might win one day - I, however, know my Dad's lottery record - he's won maybe 3-4 £10's and that's it. I'm not convinced I can give up the day job just yet.
But I had a lottery related call from Dad this week that initially got me excited.
Dad: "My syndicate at work has matched some numbers in the Euro Millions"
Me: "How many numbers?"
Dad: "2 and a star"
Me: "Oh"
See this is classic Dad, he's getting excited over winning a tenner or something similar and spending his mobile phone credit telling me about it, I reckon we're down to £8.50 by now...
Anyway, he tells me he's going to go and claim the work's winnings tomorrow and even if it means they just get a free go for a few weeks it's still something. I say "yes it's something Dad" whilst also thinking I make the right choice by not entering the work syndicate.
Next day my Dad calls to tell me that he couldn't claim his winnings.
Me: "Why not??"
Dad: "Apparently somebody else has already claimed the money"
This got my Dad rather wound up as he was the only one with the ticket. He questioned the man in the newsagents who advised my Dad to ring the National Lottery and tell them. My Dad did just that, telling the man on the other end that he'd been robbed and that he now suspected there was a Lottery/ Euro Millions con going on where people were being fleeced of their winnings through fraudulent tickets. My Dad also rings me back to say the same thing and as I work in 'the media' he believes I may hold some sway and be able to help bring the Lottery criminals down...BUT alas my Dad found out the next day that another man from his work syndicate had cashed in the ticket with a photocopy.
Me: "Well at least you weren't robbed?"
Dad: "Yes it's all worked out ok"
Me: "So how much did you win then?"
Dad: "A FIVER!"