All good things must come to an end

It's been a crazy few weeks, so much so that I couldn't concentrate on any blog type things, or anything much really.

Today is a new chapter in my life and I'm trying to feel enthusiastic about that, on this wet, cold day in Brighton, after having sat in the Housing Benefit Office feeling like a scrounger!

Our lovely little office & our even lovelier little team at work is no more.  I didn't think I'd be as sad about that as I am but we'll be ok & hopefully good things will come to all of us.

So....let's do this.  Let's find a great new job in London, let's find me that flat I want in Crouch End, let's start those trampolining classes!!!!!!  After a few weeks of no response from anyone anywhere, next week is looking a bit more promising for yours truly & I have some agency meetings and a real interview - fancy that!

I don't really enjoy dealing with agencies but needs must I think & hopefully these ones will be better than the ones I saw the other week. One (I shall mention no names) actually looked at my CV and said "so you're not an academic then?" and then "If I'd have known how much money you were looking for, I wouldn't have seen you".  My response (apart from the two fingered one I'd have liked to have given her) was "yes but if you look at my CV, you'll see that I've actually been working since I was 17 and have only been unemployed for about a month in my life......you rude cow".  Ok so I didn't add the rude cow bit at the end but I felt like it.

I should really find a suitable picture to put up on today's ramblings I guess but then again....

Watch this space blog-readers x

It's the final countdown.....

September cometh which means just 4 weeks left at work.  I feel in limbo at the moment and just want to get going but needs must and I'll be here until the bitter end.

This job-hunting in London lark is proving tiresome and I think I was a bit naive to think I'd find a job quickly....as I havn't.  Not only have I not found one but I'm struggling to even get so much as a response from most agencies.  Now I know they must have a huge amount of applications but surely they must see that I have great skills & a good work record - mustn't they??????  So the job hunt continues and my days are filled with Gumtree, Reed Employment and SecsintheCity scanning....constantly....waiting for that one employer to see something amazing in me and give me a call.  I think it'd be a whole lot easier if I just wanted a plain old admin job and a salary of £20k but I want more than that, on both counts. 

September is going to be another crazy social month with 2 nights out next week, Brighton Food Festival, Ace Cafe Reunion (woot), Goodwood Revival, my birthday (not so woot!) and the (badly named) My Generation mod night.

Inbetween all that and closing down our office, I'm downsizing at home so, when the time comes, I won't have so much crap to take to London.  I'm not sentimental about so many things I once was, and have binned tons of things that now mean nothing to me.  It's quite therapeutic actually but is taking forever - only one room down so far.  Some lucky charity shop is going to get a big pile of old stuff that I would keep if I could, but can't....and certainly can't muster up the enthusiasm to post on ebay.

Goodbye August

Did you think I've deserted you?  Life has been too hectic to think about blogging but as I'm having a relaxing Bank Holiday Monday at home, it's time for a catch up.

August has been manic....my head has been full of our pending office closure and my pending redundancy, looking for a job in London (& failing dismally), combined with more fun stuff than usual.  This summer has been fantastic.  The coming weeks are going to be even more manic and I may just combust!

So....where did I leave you last time?  My lovely dream flat in London I think.  Since then, I had a visiting Mother & her friend.  We went to Pride.  I wasn't overly impressed this year - it was ok I guess but the theme (Pride & Prejudice) meant there just wasn't enough dressing up.  I always love to see the emergency services start the parade off (brings a tear to my eye it does) and obviously Michael Jackson loving jazz hands man.

The next week brought a spur of the moment decision to go to Vintage at Goodwood (nice one Sam!).  Goodwood has won best day out of the year so far and despite the rain, I loved it.  Not totally sure about the northern soul lessons but they were harmless!  Also not sure about the Radiohead mix in the Soul Casino but I'll even let that dj off....but just this once.  Plenty of beautiful people in beautiful clothes.  Highlights of the day - the Soul Casino, unexpected lovely toilets, and that guinness & chocolate cake!

Bored yet?  Last week was The Chords up in London.  I used to love The Chords (and probably always will....on vinyl) but, although they played well, I just couldn't get into it.  Very male-heavy crowd and a bit of a weird atmosphere.....or maybe I imagined it.  I left after "British way of Life" and caught the VERY SLOW, VERY DRUNK late train back to Brighton.

....which brings us up to this weekend.  Bank Holiday weekend in Brighton is a weekend I look forward to all year.  A chance to see people I only see occasionally, a chance to put a dress or two on (not at once), and a chance to be around well-dressed folk.  I always get nostalgic for my Lambretta, Sneakers in the 80s, Hayling Island weekends away and all that jazz.  I think next year calls for getting away a bit more on bank holidays.  I may even invest in a little tartan suitcase & duffel bag like I once had.....just for old times sake!

Going back to my roots

The urge to get back to North London is growing by the day.  Who'd have thought it?  I just have the tricky job of finding gainful employment now - a minor hitch in my plans!

Yesterday I took the 134 bus along a route which I'd taken many hundreds of times before - but not for at least 10 years.  For any bus geeks out there who might happen to read this, the 134 starts at Tottenham Court Road and finishes up in Finchley (I think).  This was a route that went past my old flats and into Camden so a pretty important bus all round.

There was a reason for me taking the bus - I wanted to suss out areas that I hadn't visited for a long time, areas I may or may not want to live in again.  I'd been considering Kentish Town and upwards towards Highgate but have re-thunk!  Neither Kentish Town nor Tufnell Park did it for me yesterday.  Tufnell Park was great to live in for a while after moving to London from the sticks but I've grown up & want somewhere a bit more "me".  My little studio flat in Tufnell Park saw a lot of people come & go - mainly the likes of Tina & Dawn who stayed pretty much every weekend.  It also saw boys come and go - great ones, swedish ones, and other ones.  It did the job for a while but then I wanted bigger & better - I'm talking about the flat here by the way!

Highgate felt positively posh compared to Fortess Road....well it is I guess.  I moved into a flat that was pretty darn lovely, apart from the odd old furniture that the landlord insisted I kept and the fact I had to share a bathroom, but it was lovely nevertheless.

I'm rambling again. Anyway, it's a no to Kentish Town & Tufnell Park, a vague possibility if it was great as far as Archway is concerned, but a definite yes to Highgate or Muswell Hill.  My wishlist is topped however by Crouch End.  Lee was a great font of local knowledge yesterday and told me lots about public transport etc.  which, although boring to anyone else, is a necessity to me.  I need to know I can get places.  So Crouch End it will hopefully be.  Crouch End with it's lovely little cafe's, boutiques, delis and interesting little shops.  I know EXACTLY where I want to live but that'll be dependent upon the job and availability at the time.

Now...if anyone could just find me the job that I need to help me achieve this new found dream.....I'll love you forever.

Selling my soul

Let the job-hunting commence!

Although I can't go anywhere until October, I've started to look around on the job boards & agency websites for a suitable new role for me in London.

Gone are the days I can work for £25k in a fun, casual, media-type role.  Instead it's looking like I will indeed have to sell my soul to the City, put on a suit & go into professional mode in order to make a decent living.

It's been a long, long time since I've even considered wearing a suit to work.  I'd be laughed at here if I put so much as a smart shirt on I'm sure.  I'm used to flexi hours, access to Facebook & a fridge full of whatever my heart desires.  I'm ready for the change though (I think).  I will put my best RADA training into practice and look all interested when Hedge Funds and the FTSE 100 are mentioned (oh god, my stomach is actually churning at the thought).

I honestly can't remember the last professional type company I worked for.  It was probably my first job in an Accountants in Wiltshire though which was the grounding for all my future jobs and a company to which I'm very grateful for giving me that start at 17.  I was there for 10 years and worked my way up from Office Junior to Senior P/A and gained the experience to flee the sticks and move to London that first time.   I think I did wear smartish clothes to start with but by the end of my 10 year stint there, I was wearing stripy tights, had a pierced nose and dreadlocks down to my backside.  They put up with a lot and it was probably a good thing that I left for the smoke when I did!

So...watch this space lovely blog-readers.....there will be plenty for me to write about I'm sure.  I'm still hoping for that fun, creative job that pays over the £35k that I need (& want) but I'm not holding my breath and am going out to purchase a suit in readiness at the weekend.

Hens, Stags - be gone with you!

Warning - Grumpy Old Woman blog coming up!

As lovely as summer in Brighton is, it brings with it train after train of hen & stag parties.  They're everywhere, cluttering up our pubs and our restaurants, and bothering the likes of me who would rather they were hurded, like cattle, back onto the train they came from, as soon as they reach Brighton.  They can keep their inappropriate clothing and their beer guts (and that's just the women!) or save it for Croydon Uncovered (Sky Channel 11).  How any of these people ever found someone who would marry them in the first place is beyond me.

If I were to get married, I'd have a civilised affair beforehand.  Perhaps a nice quiet meal somewhere or a bit of pottery painting (ok so that was a joke).  If any one of my friends thought a night out dressed in penis-embellished t-shirts was "fun", they would be gone, quick as a flash. 

Yesterday was generally a bad day for "people I don't want to associate with - EVER" in Brighton.  Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was parents having one last night out before they are trapped indoors for the summer holidays with their kids, who knows?  Either way, I felt positively upper class around them and, occasionally slim!!!

As much as I will miss Brighton when I move back to London, I won't be missing these hideous creatures.  I don't think there's much call for hen & stag nights in Bar Italia etc.  Here's hoping there's not anyway.

I will leave you with this lovely sentence I heard yesterday from one of these hideous creatures.......addressed to a bus queue of primarily pensioners and people with children "Oi, bleeding hell, are you looking up my f@cking skirt or something?".  Says it all.  Over and out.

Streets paved with Gold.....allegedly

Big changes happening in my world....changes that have been forced upon me......but good all the same (I think).

Last Friday we got the (not so) unexpected news that our office will be closing down at the end of September.  Rather than sit in a corner sobbing, I'm going to take my severance money and my laptop, and move on to the next phase in my life.  I'll be very sorry to leave this place as it really is the best place I've ever worked (and probably ever will) but what will be, will be, and as I always say in times like this....no-one has died.

So that news has prompted me to think about all things financial.  Brighton salaries are generally rubbish.  I can no longer work for £25k and moreso, I refuse to!  My current salary is rare and one I will never get again in Brighton....or at least at the moment.  So.....after a lot of soul-searching, I've made the decision to move back to North London.  This wasn't an easy one - I'll miss the sea, I'll miss my flat, I'll miss the Laines - but needs must.  I don't want to struggle for money anymore and the only way I can avoid that is working for decent money in the smoke.  I'm only going knowing that I can come back to visit friends at weekends or on days off....and am only 50 mins away.

I've been in Brighton for 10 years now and for most of those 10 years I've said I will never move back to London....ever.  Oh how things change.  I guess things over the past year have made me like the place again (or least parts of it) - I loved doing Lipgloss in Chalk Farm (albeit with a very short shelf life), I loved going to South East London for illicit meetings, and I've fallen in love with Soho again.  So...rather than dreading this move.....I'm looking forward to it....and only wish I could go now rather than have to wait until October.  At least I'll have Summer in Brighton and all that goes with it, and when it gets colder and less appealing, I'll be off...MacBook in hand.

I'm looking forward to being a North London girl again so will be trawling the property websites for a 1 bedroom flat in Highgate, Crouch End, Tufnell Park, Archway.  I'm very choosy though and won't be living in some kebab-shop infested street above a laundrette or anything of the sort.  I will, of course, have to find a job first but I'm hopeful.  If nothing else, I'm resourceful and can market myself quite well when needed.

Any job offers or flat offers gratefully received.  See you in Bar Italia x