A Cunning Night Out

We went to see Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out at Salisbury tonight. It was a mix of his own personal history and the more interesting (bloody/mixed with wee) bits of british history in a one man show with an added dash of republican politics to taste. (Don't know how well that went down given that Labour usually comes in a distant third in most elections in Wiltshire, the laughter was quite polite at points.)

But putting a few comments aside it was very enjoyable and I have learnt many an important thing about the history of surnames and how most of them have come about from doing some sort of job that involved standing up to your ankles in wee. For these are important things to know and frankly its shocking that I wasn't taught at School. I might write a letter of complaint.

But to be honest what really made it for me was the fact that Mick Aston and Phil Harding from Time Team were in the audience. Phil even had his hat! But alas no stripey jumper, but I guess you can't have everything. However the hair styles were as gloriously bad as always.

The whole thing was over two hours long, which is a long time to talk, so hats off to him. He had the odd film clip helping him along and some photos showing, but it was pretty much him just telling a story, which I have no end of admiration for. I have trouble stringing one along for over a minute. There was more about history and politics than about Time Team, which to be honest was what I really wanted to hear the most about, but I did learn that Carenza Lewis recieves no end of smutty letters from middle aged academics and that Mick Aston is one of the most propositioned men in Television.

Then at the end, we had a sing song. Very bizarre, I don't think I've done anything like that since I was 12.

Attack at Early O'Clock

Last couple of nights, since the weather hasn't been cat friendly, Tess has taken to coming into my room around 4 O'clock in the morning to sleep, which is fine, especially if she decides to sleep on the window sill or the end of the bed. Everyone's happy.

Except that she isn't doing that, she's trying to sleep on my face.

Nothing like a face full of fur to really wake you up in the morning.

Yesterday we compromised on her sleeping on my front, which given that I fell asleep to 7 O'clock goes to show how much I needed to sleep, or that the oxygen deprivation just got to me. This morning however I managed to loose ownership of most of my pillow and spent a good 2 hours hanging off the edge of the bed while a half stone ball of fluff stretched out quite comfortably.

Sometimes I'm not sure who owns who.

Stuff and Things

New job has now started and I've survived the first week. Its been exhausting but I think I'm going to enjoy it, lots to learn, but I'm getting a handle on the basics fairly quickly (hopefully).

The Bank has written back finally refusing to pay up and hats off to them, I don't think I've seen such a finely crafted piece of bollocks in my whole life, its almost a work of art. If they'd managed to work 'synergistically' and 'vision' into that letter it quite possibly could be considered a master piece.
We're onto round 2 now, where I threaten them with court. I suppose it was too much to hope they'd fold quite so early.

An update in several parts.

I have a job, its very exciting. Apparently being interviewed by five people is a good thing and even better, apparently they were impressed. Just got the paperwork through and things like the holday entitlement aren't half bad. 28 days annual holiday, plus bank holidays and such, its as much as the parents get after having signed their formative years away to local government. With opportunities for foreign travel down the road and a good training scheme, I'm a bit chuffed.

But between now and then I've got two weeks of temp work for a company in Bath. Its basically ringing up companies and updating contact records and emails. I've been at it for two days now and I'm about ready to gouge out my eyes. I'm only on the C's.....

Non work related, in an act of consumers activism or something, I've sent one of those 'I want all the money you've buggers have charged me over the years back, you bastards' to the bank. Given that when I added all of my charges up it totalled to something just over £2000 pounds, I don't think its unjustified. We'll see what happens.

Job Interview

Had a job interview today, interesting little experience, it lasted most of the morning, and I was interviewed by a total of five different people.

Have to say I'm feeling a little drained, as far as potential employment goes, we'll have to see. I'm vaguely hopeful, but beyond that? Its difficult to get a handle on that many people and what they thought of you. We'll just have to wait and see.

This afternoon I have a packed schedule planned, starting off with a snooze, half an hour on world of warcraft and perhaps I might watch a movie if I can work out what the hell Sky has done with its movie channels.

Big announcement, huge.

Today, finally, in my epic quest of not being crap on World of Warcraft, I have reached Level 40 and am now in possession of a shiny new War Horse.

Which means finally:

NO. MORE. RUNNING.

That is all.

Still Here

Still alive, still lacking full time employment.

Unemployment I have decided is quite possibly the dullest thing I have ever done and sponging off the state is harder than it looks.

Have just done a weeks worth of temping for BBC Audio, which against all expectations was actually quite enjoyable. Admitably, I have just spent 35 hours sticking labels and barcodes on to things, but I got a comfy chair, a break and an hours lunch. One. Whole. Hour. I watched the News and Neighbours on the telly! Absolutely surreal and it turns out Neighbours is even more ridiculous than I remember it being. The whole place really brought previous employment into perspective. ie: a shambolically run shit hole, with very few properly working systems and absolutely no awareness of staff needs. I could have certainly coped staying a bit longer, but one week was all I got.

I've got the house to myself this weekend, which means I get first crack at the papers and control of the sitting room with the big TV, so the plan is to kill the housework off, find a Cat for purposes of keeping my legs warm and watch England more than likely being stuffed by the Welsh in the Rugby.

Also, While I hold Tony Blair entirely at fault for most of the ills of the modern world and hold great satisfaction of never having voted for him in my life, I laughed like a loon at his sketch for comic relief last night. I may have even clapped. Not much of a fan of Catherine Tate either, but fair do's, she was brilliant. David Tennant wasn't half bad either.

And Matt Lucas as Vicky Pollard. Performance.