Archive for » April, 2006 «

Time for Change
Monday, April 24th, 2006 | Author:
It’s that time again: I want to change my job.
 
I’ve not been entirely happy in it for almost a year now. I’ve moved from internal pillar to post in an attempt to find a role which I actually enjoy (and not just one which I’m good at) but not found anything that really clicks. After working as the acting Compliance Manager, I decided to apply for the post. However, in my few months in that chair, I realised that it was probably one of the most f*cking tedious jobs in existance. So it was with mixed relief when I found out that the job had gone to someone better qualified. I could see myself stuck in a job I really didn’t want to be in….
 
The other iron I had in the fire is not yet ready, it seems. I applied to be an Unpaid Work Officer with the Probation Service, and got through the initial selection procedures as far as the assessment centre. Although I felt I did ok at the interviews, I did not get the job. Later feedback said that the only area in which I let myself down was in the discussion of "diversity" and of "pro-social modelling".
 
I’m really interested in doing that job, but it rests in the balance if I can afford to wait up to three months until the next assessment centre. It’s quite likely that I’ll move on from my job at G4S very soon. There’s a chance that I’ll be able to take redundancy in the next month and I can’t really afford to sit still without a job for those three months. There are two hungry mouths to feed! :o ) Besides that, I know just how I start to feel when I don’t have a job, and I am not going to let that happen again. I don’t like sitting on my backside watching the world speed by.
 
Watch this space!

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Seany’s House Party
Wednesday, April 12th, 2006 | Author:
Seany had a little gathering at his this weekend. Just a small selection of around twenty-five friends popped over for a BBQ on Saturday. This, of course, was never going to happen – a BBQ in April? Come on!
 
Instead, everyone was told to bring themselves (+ lots of booze) to his house for 8pm. There would be lots of loud music and frolics. It must be great to have no next-door neighbours.
 
Sean and Paul came over to give me a hand bringing the decks and vinyl over. Meanwhile, I went upstairs and rescued Trolly Dolly Holly from a weekend of boredom, as her friend was away on the planes.
 
[An aside: I met Holly and her mate, both of whom are air stewardesses, when helping to quell their burglar alarm a few weeks back. They are two lovely girls living in our apartment block, who don't really know anyone in this part of town. I remember promising to invite them to our next mad party and said that, one day, I'd just come banging on their door.... ]
 
I only knew about six or seven people at the party, but had made a few more mates by the end of it.
 
Sean’s mum, Jeanette, even turned up! We all thought it was an elaborate wind-up at first. But then I spotted her in the DJ "control centre" cuddling, and generally embarrassing her offspring in front of his friends the way mums do. I think he enjoyed it, really. ;o)
 
Four of us DJed that night (although the odd other person put some records on – there’s a difference!) including the debut of DJ Pepsi Maxwell (Seany), plus a marathon set from DJ Squaddie (me).
 
Seany has become rather proficient with his HDJC box – the mixing is getting there and it’s starting to sound rather professional. Next step is to get him used to using vinyl.
 
There was funky, there was dirty hard house, trance, drum’n'base, old-school. You name it, it was played. And played at full volume for good measure.
 
In one of the bedrooms, where the sound from the speakers was slightly less audible, there were a handful of guitarists and singers. I was dumbstruck by some of the skills shown by Mark, Kay and Andy. No way was I going to pick up a guitar and play after those performances. ;o)
 
One by one we tired them out. There were still people dancing at 8am but, come nine, I was playing for just myself and one or two hardcore others. At eleven, I decided to sit down before I fell, and we stuck a CD on….
 
Why is it always the same handful of people left standing at the end of a party? Rachi and Paul were there till the end, but Sean, Jenny, Pudsy, Jazza et al had all crawled away somewhere to sleep. Have my friends no stamina?!
 
Anyway – what a party!   
 
[I saw lots of people taking photos at the party. If you read this, please email me some and I'll put them on the blog. Ta!]

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