still alive

Just a short post to say that I'm still alive, and to apologise for being uncharacteristically uncommunicative of late. I decided to take a small break before launching myself fully into the search for my next job, I bimbled down to Doncaster for Carol's wedding as I've already mentioned, I also spent a happy couple of days in the hills with Justin, and since then I've been enjoying my house and its surroundings: going for little local walks, pottering at long neglected little jobs round the house, and keeping a low-key local social-life going.

I've been keeping a low-level job search going in the background, making applications for anything that looks like the right move (one in particular I should hear back about this week and I'm quite hopeful about) and somewhat surprisingly the 'head-hunting' has started, albeit slowly: yesterday an agency specialising in design and layout type jobs rang me up having found me on Monster.com. That said I've not yet kicked into high gear with the whole thing and while I think I needed to take a wee break, I also think it's time I got on with it.

So, today was the last day of my break, I decided that at the weekend (actually I decided that yesterday was but then some stuff appeared that I needed to do at home today) and decided that I'm going to start getting up at the same time as my working house-mates at least four of the five days in a working week (if nothing else to help me get a grip back on which day is which!) going into town and... well at that point the plan is a little wooly, there are temp agencies to approach in the short term and the bigger agencies to pester in person perhaps. More useful than that I expect will be finding some means of approaching potential employers directly... that part needs more thought. Watch this space (and I promise it won't be so empty over the coming weeks)

the wise and munificent C'rol

Carol just mailed me her wedding photos.

On the whole they make her look as serene and elegant as she did on the day, however she (perhaps unwisely) included the shot taken after I'd attached a baloon to her tiara (there was a fair bit of alcohol being consumed by all during the reception and I am known to act on impulse after a few beers...) Needless to say it is my favorite so I thought I'd share:

touching base

So on Thursday I escaped the craziness up here and drove south to spend an extended weekend in the company of friends and family back in Doncaster. That was exactly the right thing to do... not least because one of my oldest friends Carol was getting married on the Saturday so I kinda had to be there for that!

Carol's been one of my best friends for about fifteen years now, and is one of the reasons I don't bother with a Friends Reunited profile: the friends who mattered to me in school and at university are the ones who still matter and who I've made the effort to stay in touch with. Anyway it was amazing to be there for the wedding, Carol and Andy (see, I got it the right way round!) have been together for a while now, even while Andy was away in far flung places being taught how to teach, getting hitched just seems to be something they've been meaning to get round to for a wee while. Carol looked stunning, Andy was short dapper, and amazingly neither of the twins fell in the pond!

The wedding was also an excuse (were one needed) to hang out with James and Caroline, more old friends who I love, amazingly the three of us togged up for a wedding almost looked grown up!

Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday nights were family time in varying combinations - somehow my scattered family seem to have developed a knack over the past year or so for arranging to converge on the same place at the same time reasonably often - something that makes me very happy. Within the family there was occasion to celebrate too but it's not news I'm going to publish, at least not just yet. Suffice it to say there are some... developments happening that make me beam with pride when I think of them.

All of which brought me home today feeling recharged and very very lucky to be living the life I do - I good mind-set for getting on with things I think.

stupid bloody protests!

OK so Edinburghy city centre is effectively closed down for the third day this week. anyone reading this who's all caught up in the G8 protests can I just say that I appreciate what you're trying to do but could you fuck off out of my city, take the protest somewhere that's actually involved in the subject of your complaints and let me get on with my life? Thanks it'd be much appreciated.

*fume*

evil

should I be worried that I always fancy TV/movie characters' evil alter egos?

um, can I have my city back?

happily this seems to have been the worst of it, and with one or two exceptions (including a couple of quotes in that article) the consensus seems to be that the Police have done an excellent job of preventing this misdirected madness from doing any serious harm... still I'm not acustomned to living with riot vans and helicopters (less still to being thankfull that they're there!) so I'm looking forward to getting my city back. soon please - I need to look for work in it!