Month: January 2008

Website has been having problems.  And my babble from last week has disappeared.  But at least I have email back, so I don’t have to wonder anymore if I’m missing job offers.  I wasn’t, and I’m not.

And, rather than trying to remember what I wrote a whole week ago – I’ll just write a quick update about London to this point.

– Have been to several nights out at pubs for various events.  Dom’s birthday, Mike’s birthday, Todd’s leaving,  and maybe others.  Each one of these nights, I’ve run into more people I haven’t seen for ages – so it’s been cool.

– Been looking for jobs.  Lots of phone calls from agents who sound enthusiastic, etc – but we’ll see.  One or two calls from agents who are obviously just trying to figure out what companies have roles open – by asking me who I’ve talked to.

– Helen, my scottish ginga bargirl from Quito – turned up here on Sunday.  On her way back home to gingaland, we had a few beers, and a few games of pool.  Then, after dinner back home, I managed to trick her into staying overnight by neglecting to remember that I should tell her what time the last train left.  Oops.

– Touristy stuff… seen a few of the big names from a distance.  And that piqued my interest to see them one day properly.  Westminster, Parliament, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Eye, etc.  Have been into the British Museum (twice – each time with a different lovely lass on my arm.  First Cazz, then Helen).  Saw all the stuff the english thieved off the rest of the world ages ago.  Some of it is pretty sweet.  Egyptian sculptures are rather impressive.  Their mummies aren’t too bad neither.  And some good clocks.  Natural History Museum – only really saw the most boring part of it so far.  Will have to go back – as the sections which aren’t about rocks look pretty good.

Other than that, not much doing.  Trying to resist my urge to start spending money with no care for cost/consequences.  Seeing as I spent half the money I’d saved for my tax bill overseas – and that tax bill turns out to be larger than expected, and my credit card is accruing interest – I really shouldn’t rack up any more debt.

Anyway – next time I’ll be telling you all about my exciting new job with a financial company for big bucks, for which I can work from home a couple of days a week.  I hope.

So, 29 Dec starts off with some breakfast.  Or what the inglis call breakfast.  No refried black beans or rice in sight.  Bah.  Then, the subway.  Or the underground, tube, whatever you wanna call it.  Coffee while we wait for Carol&Dom.  And into the car.  And driving.  Motorway, etc.  I drive for a while, through some beautiful english weather.  Raining so hard the car seemed to be struggling to make it through the wall of water.  And eventually, we got to where we were heading.  Thanks largely to TomTom – Dom’s new toy.  SatNav – and it actually seems pretty cool.  Mostly due to it’s name, I’m guessing – but last time I looked at that kind of technology, it seemed pretty shit.  TomTom was cool.  And is called TomTom, and belongs to Dom.  If it rhymes, it’s true.

Anyway – we arrived at the cottage, and met up with Katie&Mike.  Three couples, in an english cottage.  Romantic, sickening, and all that.  But, the cottage is next door to the pub.  So, I should be able to escape fairly easily if needs be.  We all seem to be thinking this, as it isn’t long before everybody heads to the pub.  A nice pub meal, amongst all the crazy english folk who are camping here, in order to walk the surrounding hills.  All wearing very muddy boots and tramping clothes – while I stroll in with my jandals (flip-flops/thongs).  Have dinner, and befriend the various dogs in the pub – before returning to our cottage for some whisky, then bed.

30 Dec – people are keen to go a-walkin’.  I use jet-lag and my sore foot as an excuse for not going.  Neither is exactly troubling me – but I’m quite happy to read Harry Stinkin’; Potter for the day in front of the fire.  And maybe a whisky.  And it turns out that Pen is happy to make carrot cake.  So, as one sickening couple, we make plans to take the car down to the other end of the lake in the afternoon to pick up the other two sickening couples at the pub down there.  That all goes to plan, and we head down to the other end of the lake.  Beautiful english countryside.  Just like on the telly.  Tiny thin roads, with stone fences on each side, and hills and trees and old crazy farmers.  Two pubs down the other end, so we have drinks at each of them.  No favouritism here.  Then, back to cottage.  Dinner, wine, beer, whisky, etc.

And then New Year’s Eve – 31 Dec.  Possibly my favourite day of the year.  No favouritism.  More lazing about.  Slept in, followed by breakfast, a bath, and then whisky in front of the fire.  And then dinner, with wine.  A quick pub quiz, but not at the pub.  And then, the pub.  Beers, shots, and then midnight.  I’m dressed in my red suit, making friends with all the dogs again.  Many oppurtunities for some photo-journalist type.  And then kissing many of the local ladies soon after midnight.  Invited quite a few people back to our cottage to continue festivities – and had some more good times.  Guests back to the cottage included a kitten.  Eventually, kicked everybody out – inviting them for lunch the next day.

01 Jan – got up just in time to start hoping nobody would arrive for lunch.  Nobody did.  Lazed about fairly hungover.  As did the others – except Carol&Dom left for London.  Mike got up sometime in the mid-afternoon.  And didn’t last long.  More beers, finished off the whiskey – and then I checked out the pub while the other three watched a romantic comedy.  Pub was strangely empty – and I figured all the old ladies I’d graced with a kiss the previous night must have had heart attacks when dreaming about it later.  Oops.  So – quiet night, and a pleasant hungover start to 2008.  Resolutions were all silly, and some of them may have to be fine-tuned.  Especially the “don’t eat anything white” one.

02 Jan – up and about reasonably early.  Breakfast, cleaned the cottage, and headed off.  Back to Mike’s parent’s place, and then into Katie’s van.  Onwards to London.  Then ‘the tube’.  And finally ‘home’.  Leftovers soup for dinner, and bedtime.  Need plenty of rest for Pen to go to work tomorrow.  And for me to find work.  Or something.

So – that’s it.  A rushed update to let you all know I’m still about.  Hope everybody had a great New Year’s.

Shainee – happy birthday.  Helen – happy birthday too?  Is that right?  Can’t remember, but I have a vague memory of that coming up.  Anyway – hope you had a great night anyway.  Ursula&Lee & Finn’s – hope it was all good.  I’m guessing it would have been great, and you’ll definitely be shopping for a new carpet round about now.