Before I crack on with new blog posts, I figured I should do the whistle-stop catch up of what's happened in the past 13 months.
Hamish and Craig made a successful move north to Wick in April. In a display of the universe's occasional tendency to pleasing accidental symmetry, I just got back from visiting them for the first time last night. They seem very happy and settled. Wick and the surrounding area are just a starkly beautiful as I thought, but you don't have to take my word for that, I took pictures.
Meanwhile (with a lot of help from my friends) I packed my life into a big box:
... and moved in with Anita while I looked for a new flat. That lasted around six months, but after a few false starts I found a cracking little place in the right part of the city and within my means. Since mid October I've been living by myself for the first time ever (except for a brief stint at the house after Anita and Justin had moved out but before I sold it) and enjoying it.
So home life is good and settled. Everything else...
After what were - without a doubt - the happiest 18 months of my life, Joe broke up with me in January. I didn't document much of our time together here (partly because most of it happened while the site was dormant... and the site partly stayed dormant so long because I was busy being with Joe...) but being with him made me the happiest I've ever been, and I miss him. All the time. We parted on good terms and are trying to find a new balance as friends. It hurts like hell not being part of that magical combination of personalities any more... but at the same time I'm very glad he's still in my life, even if it's at a distance. Also I can see that this is what he needs right now, though it makes me sad... and in a strange way knowing it's for the best for him makes it all OK. The optimist in me hopes things might change again some day.
Paling into insignificance beside that (for me at least), another seismic shift in my life happened this month: the Leeds based marketing agency where I've worked for for the past 4 years announced they were closing their Edinburgh office making us all redundant. At the end of March I'll officially be unemployed (again). I'm optimistic about it.
In all honesty I was tired of the post at Gecko, and it was time for a change. Back when I joined, the company was smaller and still deciding what shape to be. I joined as an Account Manager and was enthusiastic about that but I joined a tiny team (2 including myself) and so I also joined as a Graphic Designer - you wear a lot of hats in small offices. I had hoped that that part of my role would expand and develop over time. As the company grew however they needed me more and more as an AM and less and less as a designer. I enjoy account management, but I love design, and losing the best part of my role by inches made me sad.
So I'm looking on the redundancy as an opportunity. I've decided to take another stab at freelancing. I have contacts and experience a plenty. All I need is clients! Hopefully that will come in time. I'm also keeping an eye out for contract work, and/or a more fulfilling permanent creative post somewhere. Watch this space.
Interesting times indeed.
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