I just got an offer of employment!
The Exciting Bits
- I'd be working in Oxford Circus.
- It would be a rather easy job moderating a web forum for a big video game company (re: not too much effort needed, not going to consume my post-work thoughts and make writing difficult).
The Mediocre Bits
- The pay is a bit mediocre at £7/hr, thought it could be a bit higher as that is just an estimate from the recruiter - I'm told that if it isn't £7 then it will be higher, not lower, as it is in the best interest of the recruiter not to overquote.
- It's only a three month contract, but whatever....it will still be cash and it will open the door to a proper bank account as well as a National Insurance number. Also, future contracts through the same agency?
The Suspiciously Brown Bits
- I'd be moderating a web forum for a big video game company (re: impressing future potential publishing or film employers, ladies).
- At this point I have no clue as to what actual company it is or the precise pay.
I'm supposed to hear back on Monday and I could start work as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday though - so this puts the job way ahead of the folk at Lead Generators, who seem to think that most job hunters can afford to go through their eighty-two week hiring process.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Chuggida Chuggida
So I'm leaving around 4pm tomorrow - camera in hand - for the leafy, literature-soaked city of Oxford. Shall return sometime Sunday so as to see the new Borat film with the lads.
The past couple of days I've mostly been fighting the good fight, being careful not to lose focus or momentum. A temporary office or bar job should be mine soon and though it is not the main goal, I sure would like to have an income again! I've also started to dig up some useful film resources and even come across a UK/European satellite channel which takes independent film submissions. I'll have to read over the legal bits and think it over but hey, it might be a really interesting way to get my name out there.
Exploring more of Reading lead to seeing some pretty boids.
I've also been writing more and more, feeling almost a little posessed....which might explain this sketch. The climate change script comes easily, but I keep working on a horror script as well - which has a middle-aged (closer to 60 than 40) woman in the lead. I really want to try my hand at horror and I can get the necessary mood(s) whipped up...but it just doesn't come as easily as the climate change story. I guess having a little fire in your belly can really make the difference. It's certainly much easier to be passionate about climate change than cults...unless maybe I work in some totally transparent commentary on the power of religion to warp minds? Yes yes?
And then it turns out in the final scene that The Bible was the real sapphic vampire-lady all along...DUH-NAH!
I certainly was whipped up and pissed off about the unintentional duplicity and insincerity exhibited by people trying to "find someone" when I wrote Tonight We Fall In Love - which makes it all the more bizarre for me to go back over the script, since I am a much different person from when I began writing it at the age of twenty-two. I guess it's like reading old diary entries, for those who keep them.
Not much else to report - I went swimming with Tim tonight and after several laps (which made it painfully clear that I need to import Cathy that I might have a tennis partner again), I am more than ready for bed.
If only writing were somehow a cardiovascular sport!
The past couple of days I've mostly been fighting the good fight, being careful not to lose focus or momentum. A temporary office or bar job should be mine soon and though it is not the main goal, I sure would like to have an income again! I've also started to dig up some useful film resources and even come across a UK/European satellite channel which takes independent film submissions. I'll have to read over the legal bits and think it over but hey, it might be a really interesting way to get my name out there.
Exploring more of Reading lead to seeing some pretty boids.
I've also been writing more and more, feeling almost a little posessed....which might explain this sketch. The climate change script comes easily, but I keep working on a horror script as well - which has a middle-aged (closer to 60 than 40) woman in the lead. I really want to try my hand at horror and I can get the necessary mood(s) whipped up...but it just doesn't come as easily as the climate change story. I guess having a little fire in your belly can really make the difference. It's certainly much easier to be passionate about climate change than cults...unless maybe I work in some totally transparent commentary on the power of religion to warp minds? Yes yes?
And then it turns out in the final scene that The Bible was the real sapphic vampire-lady all along...DUH-NAH!
I certainly was whipped up and pissed off about the unintentional duplicity and insincerity exhibited by people trying to "find someone" when I wrote Tonight We Fall In Love - which makes it all the more bizarre for me to go back over the script, since I am a much different person from when I began writing it at the age of twenty-two. I guess it's like reading old diary entries, for those who keep them.
Not much else to report - I went swimming with Tim tonight and after several laps (which made it painfully clear that I need to import Cathy that I might have a tennis partner again), I am more than ready for bed.
If only writing were somehow a cardiovascular sport!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
I've never been so enraged by cleavage in all my life
Yes, you read that right. Bared bosoms are on probation with me right now and let me tell you why.
The GRC interview was almost wholly unsatisfactory and the worst part is that there is no real villain to haul up on the end of a pike. They specified in their email to me that I should come all gussied up in a suit, something which is still way too warm to wear on the tube or inside a building right now (though perhaps the fact that my body is still aclimatized to Canadian weather is to blame).
Already a little grouchy from the train ticket costing more than I felt it should do, my jaw just about dropped when I saw that nobody but the receptionists were "dressed smart" and my advisor was wearing jeans along with a tank top that had me convinced that her breasts had achieved sentience and, after a brief discussion between them, decided that escape was their best option.
Oh well, I suppose this isn't such a war crime. She was pretty personable, honest and at least somewhat helpful (providing me with some handy advice on my letter writing campaign). I just don't think I had to spend money and a day on coming into her office so I could re-iterate a bunch of info which could have been handled in a fifteen minute phone call. An extra five minutes would have covered the advice, which included the rather dour little number about how November and December are always the quietest months in hiring since by this point the budget for new employees (given out in January) has been pretty much spent.
Leaving the office I was pretty fed up and put out. Feeling like that, it's hard not to want a villain - so I attended to that need while cheering myself up with a good laugh on the way home as I mentally blamed this woman's chest for anything from the day's frustrations to religious extremism and climate change.
Moving over to the bigger picture, the Stern Report dropped today and I'm quite glad. In a nutshell, important members of the English government and The World Bank have put something together which reinforces two of the main points of Al Gore's brilliant arguement - that screwing up the environment will actually damage the economy more than trying to fix things and that no matter how you cut it, this is a problem of the present which needs to be dealt with right now. I promise I'll not be turning this site into a soapbox - but given that climate change is easily the most pressing world issue in existence, I reckoned that this was worth mentioning.
In other news, I got a reply to my follow-up email from Lead Generators. Apparently I am still supremely sexy and they are "grateful for" the Dawkins review I left with them. But "Unfortunately, the process has taken longer than expected and [we] will need another few weeks to get back in touch with you to complete the interview process". Erm, OK!
Ah but screw it, this too has left me somewhat galvanized to continue not only job searching but to keep trying new methods - if only to prove a point. Tomorrow I shall launch my email assault on the world of publishing and pick up the needed supplies for the postal assault - in both cases being mindful that the letters are addressed to specific individuals and not the useles black hole that is the HR department of most companies.
Finally, head on over to this site which Kate found and click on The Beginners Guide to Britain - it's really funny and a great thing to watch if you've had a day like mine.
The GRC interview was almost wholly unsatisfactory and the worst part is that there is no real villain to haul up on the end of a pike. They specified in their email to me that I should come all gussied up in a suit, something which is still way too warm to wear on the tube or inside a building right now (though perhaps the fact that my body is still aclimatized to Canadian weather is to blame).
Already a little grouchy from the train ticket costing more than I felt it should do, my jaw just about dropped when I saw that nobody but the receptionists were "dressed smart" and my advisor was wearing jeans along with a tank top that had me convinced that her breasts had achieved sentience and, after a brief discussion between them, decided that escape was their best option.
Oh well, I suppose this isn't such a war crime. She was pretty personable, honest and at least somewhat helpful (providing me with some handy advice on my letter writing campaign). I just don't think I had to spend money and a day on coming into her office so I could re-iterate a bunch of info which could have been handled in a fifteen minute phone call. An extra five minutes would have covered the advice, which included the rather dour little number about how November and December are always the quietest months in hiring since by this point the budget for new employees (given out in January) has been pretty much spent.
Leaving the office I was pretty fed up and put out. Feeling like that, it's hard not to want a villain - so I attended to that need while cheering myself up with a good laugh on the way home as I mentally blamed this woman's chest for anything from the day's frustrations to religious extremism and climate change.
Moving over to the bigger picture, the Stern Report dropped today and I'm quite glad. In a nutshell, important members of the English government and The World Bank have put something together which reinforces two of the main points of Al Gore's brilliant arguement - that screwing up the environment will actually damage the economy more than trying to fix things and that no matter how you cut it, this is a problem of the present which needs to be dealt with right now. I promise I'll not be turning this site into a soapbox - but given that climate change is easily the most pressing world issue in existence, I reckoned that this was worth mentioning.
In other news, I got a reply to my follow-up email from Lead Generators. Apparently I am still supremely sexy and they are "grateful for" the Dawkins review I left with them. But "Unfortunately, the process has taken longer than expected and [we] will need another few weeks to get back in touch with you to complete the interview process". Erm, OK!
Ah but screw it, this too has left me somewhat galvanized to continue not only job searching but to keep trying new methods - if only to prove a point. Tomorrow I shall launch my email assault on the world of publishing and pick up the needed supplies for the postal assault - in both cases being mindful that the letters are addressed to specific individuals and not the useles black hole that is the HR department of most companies.
Finally, head on over to this site which Kate found and click on The Beginners Guide to Britain - it's really funny and a great thing to watch if you've had a day like mine.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Month's End
Well howdy. Sorry for the absence!
Job hunting may feel a little discouraging, but I still have faith. A list of publishers has been drawn up and form letters composed - their peace of mind will be interrupted by my cries for employment. Meanwhile I have an interview with the GRC tomorrow where, after my having impressed them via my CV and charming phone manner, they will poke and prod me to see what they can find (jobwise).
Friday night was a pretty fun time. It turned out that Leon and some friends were having what may be referred to in some circles as a "wingding", though it was enjoyable enough to warrant consideration of being upgraded to "hootenanny" status. Lots of good folk were there, a decent number from Canada, and later in the evening the party spilled out into Camden to find it's way to a Cuban-themed place that had good drinks and a name which I do not recall.
I'd love to be more detailed but it has occurred to me lately that if I keep giving anatomical detail of the goings-on between me and the people I meet in England, than mayhap I could make people feel like they really have to watch their behaviour in my company lest it find it's way to the most public of forums. So I'll simply say that I was pleased to chat with some recent Canadian ex-pats about our respective escapades and that I met a fellow film enthusiast as well as a fan of Hunter S. Thompson, leaving me well pleased. By the end of the evening I felt more relaxed and at peace with the city than I had since I arrived - I think the last traces of "Jesus Christ I'm in a somewhat unfamiliar country" finally fell off.
Surprise, surprise.....Saturday was spent alternately vegging out and writing. Sunday was a bit of that mixed with a trip to Hyde park to see what Speakers Corner was all about. The fellow on the soapbox when I arrived was taking a harried "Muslim veils divide the community, ergo they should be banned" position on the current ruckus. It got kind of awkward, rather quickly...but I still think I'll check it out sometime again in the future. Once again I nearly went to the south-east end of the park to see the Diana memorial. But even this many years later, I find remembering the hypocritcal public behavior which surrounded her so utterly repuslive that I couldn't bring myself to do it.
That may sound harsh. But it's surprisingly easy to forget that before Diana died and provoked people to remark"Oh no! Our fair lady has fallen!", those same people would look over their morning breakfast and think "Hey I hope those clever lads at The Daily Mirror manage to sneak another camera in Diana's toilet bowl again!".
But enough of that nonsense. I also found some incredibly good bookstores and stared at a few as I imagine a starving man in the desert looks upon the mirage of a turkey stuffed with lasagna. Particularly Ralph Steadman's book about Hunter S. Thompson with a forward by Kurt Vonnegut! Man oh man I already want to start building my library over here and I still need to bring my other books over from Canada. So much to read, then display as painfully obvious conversation pieces! "Oh why yes, I have studied the Kama Sutra, though I suppose it would be better to say that I've lived it".Today I head off to Reading, which should be relaxing and all - plus I'm sure I'll get to see the lads for a bit of fun now and then. I've also arranged to head up to Oxford (the city, not the circus) this coming weekend, which should lead to futher book-inspired salivations...but oh well!
Slowly but surely I'm gathering more and more information and useful experience with job hunting in the UK - things'll come around, I'm sure of it (he said prophetically, before falling into a bottomless pit).
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Galvanized
It's funny what a trip to the right kind of neighborhood can do for your spirits.
Today I looked up Reed offices which specialized in the "Media & Creative" sector, so as to go harass them in person. I figured that since the Tottenham office, which specializes in secretary and personal assistant work, took anybody who came in off the street with a CV - then perhaps the others would too. Just applying to positions on the internet can certainly get to feeling fruitless, especially when you seem to see the same two kinds of positions posted ad infinitum (not unlike Telesales positions in Ottawa, here you have Media Sales and Recruitment Agent positions springing up like weeds).
My first target was in South Molton, a little side street that comes off the glamorous shopping area of Oxford Circus. Personally, I rather liked the little chandeliers which hung across the road. I got to the door, feeling rather spiffed up in the only new item of clothing I've allowed myself since coming here, and rang the bell. A few moments later a nice Ukranian sounding woman greeted me and, after I told her the kind of work I was looking for, said that their office only takes people by appointment and that Reed doesn't really have any specific offices for publishing work. "Check the website daily" she suggested...
Oh, she was nice enough. My CV was taken in "Just in case" and I got briefly quizzed on Ottawa ("Why yes, we aren't allowed to build anything higher than the peace tower") before being wished some good luck and sent on my way.
Huh....so it seemed that not only could I strike this office off my list, but all the other ones as well. "Screw it" I thought "This seems like a nice neighborhood, I'll explore a little". There were plenty of big shops and I was treated to a bit of the bizarre in a Japanese tourist I saw anxiously photgraphing a McDonalds menu, but the real treat came when I reached the entry way for Hyde park. I was well impressed, so I decided to explore.
Hyde is pretty damn big, to say the least. To give a comparison, I guess I could compare it to Andrew-Hayden park (particularly as it has a nice lake inside), just......bigger! There were plenty of trees etc., a rather large building where food could be had, boats to rent and the very civilized bit with lawnchairs provided for the public!
I spent a decent chunk of the afternoon there, enjoying the sun and even spotting a white swan (who flew away before I could get a better picture). Luckily I had a notebook with me, as always, so I was able to take advantage of the - pardon the new age terminology - huge welling up of positive energy that I felt. I did a bit of writing but also came to what I think is a rather sensible new tactic. I suppose I'll keep checking online, but I've lost a bit of faith in recruitment agencies. So sod it, I'll just look up publishing companies and contact them directly. This is kind of what I had planned to do when I was settled enough to pursue the film angle - but why not apply the same approach?
Even before coming to Hyde Park, I must admit that I felt myself rather romanced by the area. The embankment part of London is wonderful, but I couldn't consider living there anymore than I could consider living in most other things I'm in awe of. But the Oxford Circus area really struck me as somewhere I could find fellow artsy-fartsy folk as well as all the little things that I like best about cities. I appreciate that this is based on one afternoon's walk about, but then that is all it took to sell me on downtown Ottawa and I wound up living there for several, enjoyable years.
I came home to a welcome surprise in my email box, a message from Rob's pal Leon with an invite to meet for a drink. Apparently he has been reading this blog, learning my terrible secrets and waiting to strike - with an offer of company! I guess he might be reading these words right now.
Think about it.
So that is another bit of positive news and it's only just a bit past 6pm. Hot dog.
Today I looked up Reed offices which specialized in the "Media & Creative" sector, so as to go harass them in person. I figured that since the Tottenham office, which specializes in secretary and personal assistant work, took anybody who came in off the street with a CV - then perhaps the others would too. Just applying to positions on the internet can certainly get to feeling fruitless, especially when you seem to see the same two kinds of positions posted ad infinitum (not unlike Telesales positions in Ottawa, here you have Media Sales and Recruitment Agent positions springing up like weeds).
My first target was in South Molton, a little side street that comes off the glamorous shopping area of Oxford Circus. Personally, I rather liked the little chandeliers which hung across the road. I got to the door, feeling rather spiffed up in the only new item of clothing I've allowed myself since coming here, and rang the bell. A few moments later a nice Ukranian sounding woman greeted me and, after I told her the kind of work I was looking for, said that their office only takes people by appointment and that Reed doesn't really have any specific offices for publishing work. "Check the website daily" she suggested...
Oh, she was nice enough. My CV was taken in "Just in case" and I got briefly quizzed on Ottawa ("Why yes, we aren't allowed to build anything higher than the peace tower") before being wished some good luck and sent on my way.
Huh....so it seemed that not only could I strike this office off my list, but all the other ones as well. "Screw it" I thought "This seems like a nice neighborhood, I'll explore a little". There were plenty of big shops and I was treated to a bit of the bizarre in a Japanese tourist I saw anxiously photgraphing a McDonalds menu, but the real treat came when I reached the entry way for Hyde park. I was well impressed, so I decided to explore.
Hyde is pretty damn big, to say the least. To give a comparison, I guess I could compare it to Andrew-Hayden park (particularly as it has a nice lake inside), just......bigger! There were plenty of trees etc., a rather large building where food could be had, boats to rent and the very civilized bit with lawnchairs provided for the public!
I spent a decent chunk of the afternoon there, enjoying the sun and even spotting a white swan (who flew away before I could get a better picture). Luckily I had a notebook with me, as always, so I was able to take advantage of the - pardon the new age terminology - huge welling up of positive energy that I felt. I did a bit of writing but also came to what I think is a rather sensible new tactic. I suppose I'll keep checking online, but I've lost a bit of faith in recruitment agencies. So sod it, I'll just look up publishing companies and contact them directly. This is kind of what I had planned to do when I was settled enough to pursue the film angle - but why not apply the same approach?
Even before coming to Hyde Park, I must admit that I felt myself rather romanced by the area. The embankment part of London is wonderful, but I couldn't consider living there anymore than I could consider living in most other things I'm in awe of. But the Oxford Circus area really struck me as somewhere I could find fellow artsy-fartsy folk as well as all the little things that I like best about cities. I appreciate that this is based on one afternoon's walk about, but then that is all it took to sell me on downtown Ottawa and I wound up living there for several, enjoyable years.
I came home to a welcome surprise in my email box, a message from Rob's pal Leon with an invite to meet for a drink. Apparently he has been reading this blog, learning my terrible secrets and waiting to strike - with an offer of company! I guess he might be reading these words right now.
Think about it.
So that is another bit of positive news and it's only just a bit past 6pm. Hot dog.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
You can drink an abstract concept...
...provided it is a bottle of London Pride you're treating yourself to.
These last two days I mostly wrote and applied to some temp agencies in Reading, so as to hopefully get a part-time job to replenish funds while I'm there. Alex is being helpful and has promised to harrass a friend of his who might be able to get me some temp work, so I've got that going for me as well. But whatever comes of that, it shall be dropped rather hard and fast when I get something decent in London. Tomorrow I'll be able to get away with harassing Lead Generators to see if I make it to "The Interview-Round Two: Do we like your face?".
Meanwhile the Conference Producer thing fell through, but that's okay - the nice woman at Greythorn was honest when she told me that the hiring company had ratcheted up their expectations from when they posted the advertisement. I'll just keep casting the net, I suppose! What else can a lad do?
Today I headed into the heart of London to hit up some more recruitment offices, then treated myself to a "Tourist Afternoon" in my absolute favorite part of the city - along the Thames embankement area. Lo and behold - I had my camera and I remembered to use it!
A tribute to RAF pilots in a certain famous battle. It was touching to see that people still lay fresh wreaths here.
A tribute to RAF pilots, period, though as with a lot of war momuments there was a certain focus on the two great wars to be found in it's text.
The millenium pedestrian bridge! Good fun, especially if you can forget the footage from it's early days, when it bounced an swayed like a bouncy castle thanks to a mistake in it's construction.
The lush Embankment park, as seen from the other side of the Thames.
The Royal Courts of Justice. Basically every building in this area was as impressive though - there were simple business offices which looked like the set for a Victorian era romantic tragedy.
One of the CCTV camera's which keep an eye on the public. Yeah yeah, big brother....but they kind of make me feel safe! I guess so long as we are wise enough not to vote in ultra-fascists, then things will be ok.
Perhaps you've heard of this bridge? It's always falling down.
I was well pleased to come across a street exhibit of Gorillaz artwork.
More pictures........in that nebulous realm known as, the future. Once again, it was truly humbling to be around so much history. There is something akin to the Ottawa War Memorial about every other city block and smaller bronze statues (including all sorts, from war heroes to the inventor of Sunday school!) are even more common. Meanwhile, about 60% of the buildings were standing before Canada even existed and some from before the Old World had even discovered the new. Yowza.
For now I am going to do a little more online job searching and then sleep in. I plan to hit London again tomorrow, perhaps more pictures shall be taken?
Differences! The one thing we all have in common! Er...
1) So I think I have a lead on the dearth of garbage cans, in the tube at least. I found a large painted sign in Victoria station letting people know that thanks to 7/7 (AKA the tube bombings last summer) all tube trash cans have been temporarily removed since it would be so easy to conceal explosives in them. It didn't say how temporarily though. A little scary in theory, I guess, but I haven't felt bothered even when I've been going through Kings Cross station.
2) Tying into #1, if there is one thing that recorded public announcements will make clear to you on any tube or train or just about anywhere else - for fucks sake, do not leave any unattended bags laying about. If you do this, your bag may be taken out back to be shot and buried. Again, I reckon this is a result of 7/7 and that other famous, highly marketable date.
3) It is pricier to live in London, no doubt, but people do it! That being said, I won't deny that I was shocked to run into a very common practice amongst sandwich shops - charging an extra 10p or 20p on each item should you wish to have the privilage of setting your arse down in their establishment. Needless to say, I have been pleased to find a plethora of benches in most areas I've been to.
These last two days I mostly wrote and applied to some temp agencies in Reading, so as to hopefully get a part-time job to replenish funds while I'm there. Alex is being helpful and has promised to harrass a friend of his who might be able to get me some temp work, so I've got that going for me as well. But whatever comes of that, it shall be dropped rather hard and fast when I get something decent in London. Tomorrow I'll be able to get away with harassing Lead Generators to see if I make it to "The Interview-Round Two: Do we like your face?".
Meanwhile the Conference Producer thing fell through, but that's okay - the nice woman at Greythorn was honest when she told me that the hiring company had ratcheted up their expectations from when they posted the advertisement. I'll just keep casting the net, I suppose! What else can a lad do?
Today I headed into the heart of London to hit up some more recruitment offices, then treated myself to a "Tourist Afternoon" in my absolute favorite part of the city - along the Thames embankement area. Lo and behold - I had my camera and I remembered to use it!
A tribute to RAF pilots in a certain famous battle. It was touching to see that people still lay fresh wreaths here.
A tribute to RAF pilots, period, though as with a lot of war momuments there was a certain focus on the two great wars to be found in it's text.
The millenium pedestrian bridge! Good fun, especially if you can forget the footage from it's early days, when it bounced an swayed like a bouncy castle thanks to a mistake in it's construction.
The lush Embankment park, as seen from the other side of the Thames.
The Royal Courts of Justice. Basically every building in this area was as impressive though - there were simple business offices which looked like the set for a Victorian era romantic tragedy.
One of the CCTV camera's which keep an eye on the public. Yeah yeah, big brother....but they kind of make me feel safe! I guess so long as we are wise enough not to vote in ultra-fascists, then things will be ok.
Perhaps you've heard of this bridge? It's always falling down.
I was well pleased to come across a street exhibit of Gorillaz artwork.
More pictures........in that nebulous realm known as, the future. Once again, it was truly humbling to be around so much history. There is something akin to the Ottawa War Memorial about every other city block and smaller bronze statues (including all sorts, from war heroes to the inventor of Sunday school!) are even more common. Meanwhile, about 60% of the buildings were standing before Canada even existed and some from before the Old World had even discovered the new. Yowza.
For now I am going to do a little more online job searching and then sleep in. I plan to hit London again tomorrow, perhaps more pictures shall be taken?
Differences! The one thing we all have in common! Er...
1) So I think I have a lead on the dearth of garbage cans, in the tube at least. I found a large painted sign in Victoria station letting people know that thanks to 7/7 (AKA the tube bombings last summer) all tube trash cans have been temporarily removed since it would be so easy to conceal explosives in them. It didn't say how temporarily though. A little scary in theory, I guess, but I haven't felt bothered even when I've been going through Kings Cross station.
2) Tying into #1, if there is one thing that recorded public announcements will make clear to you on any tube or train or just about anywhere else - for fucks sake, do not leave any unattended bags laying about. If you do this, your bag may be taken out back to be shot and buried. Again, I reckon this is a result of 7/7 and that other famous, highly marketable date.
3) It is pricier to live in London, no doubt, but people do it! That being said, I won't deny that I was shocked to run into a very common practice amongst sandwich shops - charging an extra 10p or 20p on each item should you wish to have the privilage of setting your arse down in their establishment. Needless to say, I have been pleased to find a plethora of benches in most areas I've been to.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Mind the Pap
Hoo boy, I must have spent about five hours on the train or the tube yesterday. That plus a fun night with the lads and it took me just about all of today to rest up. A phone call with my parents and watching The Guns of Navarrone with their good friend Penny were the weightiest tasks I set myself.
Lo and behold, yesterdays interview was in fact the real thing and not a practice interview with a recruitment agency (like my escapade on Tuesday). This was the first half of a two part process, apparently, wherin the first interview is a test of writing ability. If you prove that you have the necessary skills then you get to have a second interview where they decide if you would be a decent fellow to work with or if you're someone out of a Ricky Gervais television show. If I progress to this second stage than I would probably be called in sometime late next week or early into the next.
The test was actually a rather enjoyable exercise. You see, Lead Generators are a company which is hired by other companies to provide them with copy for their websites which not only tries to effectively sell the product in question (Travel packages are a big earner) but also word their pitch in such a manner that it will appear as high on a search engine inquiry as possible.
My job, were I to start there, would have the primary duty of writing this kind of text - utlizing a list of most commonly searched relevent phrases which I would then weave as tightly and frequently into the sales copy without being absurd (typing "super cheap vacation super cheap vacation super cheap vacation Scarlett Johannson Nude" might get a lot of hits, but it won't really read very well!). It is not a lot unlike playing an advanced kind of Scrabble, using whole words instead of letters. This can get very tricky because it is not enough for the key words in a phrase to be present, they have to all be put in a very close row - though you can shuffle them about a bit.
For example, the phrase "cheap tropical Fuerteventura holiday" might be a popular search entry. Thus an improper weave migth read thusly:
"Come to sunny, tropical Fuerteventura, where you can find cheap acommadation which will free up more precious pounds for enjoying your holiday"
While a successful weave might read:
" Cheap holidays in tropical Fuertenventura can be had by all, thanks to new deals offered by..."
And so it goes. Now I doubt I need to make anyone aware that one does not need to pass any tests of linguistic ability to utilize a search engine. Thus part of the challenge was integrating some truly inane searches. The most challanging line I can remember was one which involved an unecessary repetition of the "Costa" in "Costa De Antigua". The actual string was something like "cheap apartment holiday costa costa de antiquga". Yes it is a dumb typo to have that second "costa", but because it is a typo that is made by approximatly 1100 people a day...then it is worth big points if you can weave it in. After an awful lot of shuffling, I eventually conquered the bugger by making a terrible pun about the low "costa" accomadation in Costa de Antigua.
This may sound terribly dull and I am sure that if I get the job there might be days when I find myself trying to perfect voodoo rituals that I might lay down more than terrible invective upon the masses of internet users who I wouldn't trust to cut the crusts off a sandwich....but gosh darn it, I love the prospect of being able to play with language and get paid. Plus the area where the office is situated, East Sheen, is very nice. I can see myself living there and wearing a smile more often than not.
I look forward to this, as a job is the key step to knocking down a series of very important dominoes (bank account, place to live etc). As it stands, I will have to retreat to Reading at the end of the month - but the fact that rent is paid weekly, instead of monthly, in England means that I am not then consigned to a full month outside of the city I am trying to get started in. It's annoying, but I shall take care to polish that old silver lining. Aside from enjoying my friends in Reading, I think I would try to hop over to Oxford and visit the fine family friends who first introduced me to Richard Dawkins via his collection of short essays and speeches.
I feel a little stressed out right now, it's hard not to when you have so little under your feet, but I do still feel very much in control and the publishing interviews have left me feeling vindicated in my decision to come here. Homesickness paid a visit earlier while I was on the phone and hearing all about today's Carp Farmers Market - but I managed. I wish I had the time and energy to better keep on top of my emails. Trust me guys, I always read them right away -it's finding time and energy for the replies that gets tricky.
Heck, I wish I was a wealthy fellow who could afford to just hop on a jet and visit Ottawa for a while (Toronto and Taipai too, for that matter!). But for now I just need to endure this transient lifestyle for a handful more weeks. I'm rolling back in for my last week in Tottenham on Tuesday morning and I guess we'll see what develops!
Plaid shirts over a white or black tee on one side, understated Polo shirts with faux family crests on the other
1) There is a definite reduction in the amount of clever t-shirts over here. Mens clothing is a lot less attention seeking, favoring a good fit and streamlined design instead of bold colors forming a work of art upon the chest, back or shoulders.
2) Meanwhile, most women seem to favor the "If you've got it, flaunt it" policy - which is perfectly compatible with my "If you've got it, can...can I see?" policy.
Lo and behold, yesterdays interview was in fact the real thing and not a practice interview with a recruitment agency (like my escapade on Tuesday). This was the first half of a two part process, apparently, wherin the first interview is a test of writing ability. If you prove that you have the necessary skills then you get to have a second interview where they decide if you would be a decent fellow to work with or if you're someone out of a Ricky Gervais television show. If I progress to this second stage than I would probably be called in sometime late next week or early into the next.
The test was actually a rather enjoyable exercise. You see, Lead Generators are a company which is hired by other companies to provide them with copy for their websites which not only tries to effectively sell the product in question (Travel packages are a big earner) but also word their pitch in such a manner that it will appear as high on a search engine inquiry as possible.
My job, were I to start there, would have the primary duty of writing this kind of text - utlizing a list of most commonly searched relevent phrases which I would then weave as tightly and frequently into the sales copy without being absurd (typing "super cheap vacation super cheap vacation super cheap vacation Scarlett Johannson Nude" might get a lot of hits, but it won't really read very well!). It is not a lot unlike playing an advanced kind of Scrabble, using whole words instead of letters. This can get very tricky because it is not enough for the key words in a phrase to be present, they have to all be put in a very close row - though you can shuffle them about a bit.
For example, the phrase "cheap tropical Fuerteventura holiday" might be a popular search entry. Thus an improper weave migth read thusly:
"Come to sunny, tropical Fuerteventura, where you can find cheap acommadation which will free up more precious pounds for enjoying your holiday"
While a successful weave might read:
" Cheap holidays in tropical Fuertenventura can be had by all, thanks to new deals offered by..."
And so it goes. Now I doubt I need to make anyone aware that one does not need to pass any tests of linguistic ability to utilize a search engine. Thus part of the challenge was integrating some truly inane searches. The most challanging line I can remember was one which involved an unecessary repetition of the "Costa" in "Costa De Antigua". The actual string was something like "cheap apartment holiday costa costa de antiquga". Yes it is a dumb typo to have that second "costa", but because it is a typo that is made by approximatly 1100 people a day...then it is worth big points if you can weave it in. After an awful lot of shuffling, I eventually conquered the bugger by making a terrible pun about the low "costa" accomadation in Costa de Antigua.
This may sound terribly dull and I am sure that if I get the job there might be days when I find myself trying to perfect voodoo rituals that I might lay down more than terrible invective upon the masses of internet users who I wouldn't trust to cut the crusts off a sandwich....but gosh darn it, I love the prospect of being able to play with language and get paid. Plus the area where the office is situated, East Sheen, is very nice. I can see myself living there and wearing a smile more often than not.
I look forward to this, as a job is the key step to knocking down a series of very important dominoes (bank account, place to live etc). As it stands, I will have to retreat to Reading at the end of the month - but the fact that rent is paid weekly, instead of monthly, in England means that I am not then consigned to a full month outside of the city I am trying to get started in. It's annoying, but I shall take care to polish that old silver lining. Aside from enjoying my friends in Reading, I think I would try to hop over to Oxford and visit the fine family friends who first introduced me to Richard Dawkins via his collection of short essays and speeches.
I feel a little stressed out right now, it's hard not to when you have so little under your feet, but I do still feel very much in control and the publishing interviews have left me feeling vindicated in my decision to come here. Homesickness paid a visit earlier while I was on the phone and hearing all about today's Carp Farmers Market - but I managed. I wish I had the time and energy to better keep on top of my emails. Trust me guys, I always read them right away -it's finding time and energy for the replies that gets tricky.
Heck, I wish I was a wealthy fellow who could afford to just hop on a jet and visit Ottawa for a while (Toronto and Taipai too, for that matter!). But for now I just need to endure this transient lifestyle for a handful more weeks. I'm rolling back in for my last week in Tottenham on Tuesday morning and I guess we'll see what develops!
Plaid shirts over a white or black tee on one side, understated Polo shirts with faux family crests on the other
1) There is a definite reduction in the amount of clever t-shirts over here. Mens clothing is a lot less attention seeking, favoring a good fit and streamlined design instead of bold colors forming a work of art upon the chest, back or shoulders.
2) Meanwhile, most women seem to favor the "If you've got it, flaunt it" policy - which is perfectly compatible with my "If you've got it, can...can I see?" policy.
The Lead Generators Interview...
...was an amusing little adventure which I shall write up later today. Long story short, I am in Reading for the weekend and I am currently recovering from last nights shenanigans. Chili was involved.
But what I will post for the open scorn and praise of whoever may pass, is the review of Dawkins new book that I did up as my writing example for Lead Generators. I keep wanting to post quotes from the book into this site, but I really don't want to turn this into a religious-debate site and besides...quotations of any sort would put me on a slippery slope towards this just being a showcase of whatever book/movie/tv show/dead animal that I am currently consuming. So I will use this as a compromise.
More later, as my head clears!
-----------
A Secular David Slings His Heaviest Stone
by Oliver Brackenbury
Straight from its title, The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins makes it clear to us that the kid gloves are off for his latest literary effort. Though his unapologetic criticism of all forms of religion was made clear to the public at large through his latest BBC documentary, The Root of All Evil?, it is in this book that Dawkins has made his most comprehensive application of the scientific method upon religion.
To those of you who are unfamiliar with Richard Dawkins, he can be summed up as a staunch Darwinian who teaches at Oxford University. He has become a literary celebrity over the last few years, in a similar vein to the American author Noam Chomsky. Neither author feels that any institution is “out of bounds” for dissection, logical analysis and criticism. The God Delusion is as topical and relevant to current international events as any of Chomsky’s work, given the undeniably religious underpinnings of the conflict between Western and Muslim peoples of recent years.
Though many of Dawkins fans and fellow atheists will certainly pick up and enjoy this book, it isn’t strictly written for them. Dawkins has set himself the Herculean task of putting together a straightforward and enjoyable read which has the goal of persuading religious readers to at least seriously doubt their faith, if not abandon it all together. This is a brave task not only for its size and difficulty, but for the possibility of a violent backlash. It has been less than a decade since Iran withdrew its fatwah against Salman Rushdie for his own remarks about their beliefs. Unlike Rushdie, Dawkins does not have even the curtain of fiction to hide behind if someone should take offence at his merciless appraisal of all major religions - including the Muslim faith.
This is not to say that The God Delusion is nothing but vitriol bound in a cover. With a grace, charm and sense of fairness that has been his stock in trade since The Selfish Gene (1976), Dawkins weaves three hundred and seventy-four pages of very readable and enjoyable material. Also, a detailed appendix provides the reader with an easy foothold into their own research on the topic. Well researched and properly sourced enough to be a University textbook, The God Delusion reads as easily as the daily newspaper.
Though his personal opinions are clear, Dawkins is careful to use the steady and reasoned voice of the University professor that he is - steering away from simply sounding unto a general at the head of a secular crusade. Regardless of personal belief, anyone can benefit from reading The God Delusion with the same kind of thoughtfully sceptical approach utilized by the author.
Richard Dawkins The God Delusion is currently available at most major bookstores and can also be found online at www.amazon.co.uk. Those in search of a bargain can also find it at www.books-bargains.co.uk.
But what I will post for the open scorn and praise of whoever may pass, is the review of Dawkins new book that I did up as my writing example for Lead Generators. I keep wanting to post quotes from the book into this site, but I really don't want to turn this into a religious-debate site and besides...quotations of any sort would put me on a slippery slope towards this just being a showcase of whatever book/movie/tv show/dead animal that I am currently consuming. So I will use this as a compromise.
More later, as my head clears!
-----------
A Secular David Slings His Heaviest Stone
by Oliver Brackenbury
Straight from its title, The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins makes it clear to us that the kid gloves are off for his latest literary effort. Though his unapologetic criticism of all forms of religion was made clear to the public at large through his latest BBC documentary, The Root of All Evil?, it is in this book that Dawkins has made his most comprehensive application of the scientific method upon religion.
To those of you who are unfamiliar with Richard Dawkins, he can be summed up as a staunch Darwinian who teaches at Oxford University. He has become a literary celebrity over the last few years, in a similar vein to the American author Noam Chomsky. Neither author feels that any institution is “out of bounds” for dissection, logical analysis and criticism. The God Delusion is as topical and relevant to current international events as any of Chomsky’s work, given the undeniably religious underpinnings of the conflict between Western and Muslim peoples of recent years.
Though many of Dawkins fans and fellow atheists will certainly pick up and enjoy this book, it isn’t strictly written for them. Dawkins has set himself the Herculean task of putting together a straightforward and enjoyable read which has the goal of persuading religious readers to at least seriously doubt their faith, if not abandon it all together. This is a brave task not only for its size and difficulty, but for the possibility of a violent backlash. It has been less than a decade since Iran withdrew its fatwah against Salman Rushdie for his own remarks about their beliefs. Unlike Rushdie, Dawkins does not have even the curtain of fiction to hide behind if someone should take offence at his merciless appraisal of all major religions - including the Muslim faith.
This is not to say that The God Delusion is nothing but vitriol bound in a cover. With a grace, charm and sense of fairness that has been his stock in trade since The Selfish Gene (1976), Dawkins weaves three hundred and seventy-four pages of very readable and enjoyable material. Also, a detailed appendix provides the reader with an easy foothold into their own research on the topic. Well researched and properly sourced enough to be a University textbook, The God Delusion reads as easily as the daily newspaper.
Though his personal opinions are clear, Dawkins is careful to use the steady and reasoned voice of the University professor that he is - steering away from simply sounding unto a general at the head of a secular crusade. Regardless of personal belief, anyone can benefit from reading The God Delusion with the same kind of thoughtfully sceptical approach utilized by the author.
Richard Dawkins The God Delusion is currently available at most major bookstores and can also be found online at www.amazon.co.uk. Those in search of a bargain can also find it at www.books-bargains.co.uk.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
And now I am a man
As of this writing, my first Shepherds pie is in the oven and is only ten minutes away from reaching a point halfway between "edible" and "perfection". I'd forgotten, until tonight, how I had actually been quite the little chef until I was about 14. Then the hormone-fueled idleness of adolescence must have driving it out of my mind with ill-formed thoughts about personal identity and existential questions which would embarrass Burt Reynolds, let alone Bertrand Russell.
After dinner I face the challenge of coming up with "an example of my writing" to show to the good folk over at Lead Generators in my interview tomorrow. They only just emailed me today about the need to bring such a thing, which I suppose I should have anticipated. Old University papers would make it look like that is all I have written. I am tempted to use a segment of script, but most things I write are far less impressive when taken out of context and I can't rightly see them wanting to read an entire script. I tried digging through my hard drive for old articles that I did for The Comic Book Shoppe, but was amazed to find that I must have typed most of them at work and saved none of them in a digital format to my old home computer.
A friend of mum's had the bright idea that I look at the company website, assess what it is they are looking for in my work, then make up something new in the form of an advertisement for another website/business. I guess we'll see what I can come up with...
Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning an odd bit of organized...not graffiti, so much, but a reclaiming of corporate space for a public message. Right now a good deal of billboards have a primarily black advertisement which features large white text reading "And they say nothing good ever came out of America". I cannot tell you what this is an ad for because every single one, without exception, has been defaced so as to become anti-American propaganda. The simplest method is unto the first I saw, which was at night while driving back from a nice dinner with my cousin Suzanne and her husband. All details but the text are blacked out, and the text is manipulated slightly so as to read "Nothing good ever came out of America". This first sighting had me momentarily convinced that someone with a good deal of money was running a public opinion campaign of epic proportions...
Other ones are either messy versions of the first, or they are covered up with posters - most notably one which was covered in bright red posters of Lenin (the text was in Russian, otherwise I'd tell you what it was about).
I have always been without my camera upon spotting one of these, but I shall try to remember to come back with it on the next occasion that I spot one.
After dinner I face the challenge of coming up with "an example of my writing" to show to the good folk over at Lead Generators in my interview tomorrow. They only just emailed me today about the need to bring such a thing, which I suppose I should have anticipated. Old University papers would make it look like that is all I have written. I am tempted to use a segment of script, but most things I write are far less impressive when taken out of context and I can't rightly see them wanting to read an entire script. I tried digging through my hard drive for old articles that I did for The Comic Book Shoppe, but was amazed to find that I must have typed most of them at work and saved none of them in a digital format to my old home computer.
A friend of mum's had the bright idea that I look at the company website, assess what it is they are looking for in my work, then make up something new in the form of an advertisement for another website/business. I guess we'll see what I can come up with...
Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning an odd bit of organized...not graffiti, so much, but a reclaiming of corporate space for a public message. Right now a good deal of billboards have a primarily black advertisement which features large white text reading "And they say nothing good ever came out of America". I cannot tell you what this is an ad for because every single one, without exception, has been defaced so as to become anti-American propaganda. The simplest method is unto the first I saw, which was at night while driving back from a nice dinner with my cousin Suzanne and her husband. All details but the text are blacked out, and the text is manipulated slightly so as to read "Nothing good ever came out of America". This first sighting had me momentarily convinced that someone with a good deal of money was running a public opinion campaign of epic proportions...
Other ones are either messy versions of the first, or they are covered up with posters - most notably one which was covered in bright red posters of Lenin (the text was in Russian, otherwise I'd tell you what it was about).
I have always been without my camera upon spotting one of these, but I shall try to remember to come back with it on the next occasion that I spot one.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Things are looking up for Mr. Brackenbury!
The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind and so I desperatly need to take stock of the situation while steadying my head. Writing here seems as good a way as any!
READING
Reading was a great deal of fun and it felt good to go out for a drink after two weeks of frantically trying to set things up (with a nice break in Broadstairs as well!). I renewed my friendship with Tim's younger brother, Alex and also have made a decent acquaintance out of a fellow I only tangentially met last time I was here (Michael). Those three, myself and about seven others had a big night out on Saturday in celebration of Tim's 28th birthday (which actually took place on Monday). Last time I was in Reading we went to the local regular joints (The Afro Bar and The Rev) but, as it was Tim's birthday, this time we shared black cabs out to the nearby town of Henley. It took a little while for my mouth to power up, as it can be tricky finding a conversational foothold with a large group of old friends, but soon enough I was relaxed and having as good a time as any.
Conversation flew over a number of topics, including the day's Premier League match between Reading and Chelsea. It was because of this match that the first thing I saw when I got out at the train station was that the streets had a rather high police presence, in anticipation of a different kind of inter-city competition. Later on I asked Tim and Alex if the English reputation for football fan violence was deserved. They explained to me that largely it was not. You do not get small wars breaking out in the stands or any of that. Mostly you can hold the various football clubs responsible for what has almost become an institutionalised form of energy release. Apparently it is not uncommon for two clubs to phone each other up and make sure they're both going to the same pub after the game, so as to ensure a brawl for all to enjoy! I said to Alex that it made them sound a bit kinky, almost like sado-masochists. Little arguement was offered!
The game itself was remarkable not for the score (0-1 for Chelsea) but because both of Reading's goaltenders were knocked unconscious and one of the regular players (left forward, I think) had to sub! You'd think that was what gave Chelsea their goal, but no....it was an own goal. Dear oh dear...still, it was still kind of impressive because this was the first time that Reading had made it into the Premier League in years.
So yeah, drinks and dance and all that jazz. Alex got a bit mashed up and took a girl's number - which was funny because he didn't hear her name and didn't want to look stupid, so he just jammed a thumb at his cell phone. Thus she ended up with the moniker of "Gajm". I think that would be a great name for a dog, which is appropriate since Alex kind of had his vodka shades on.
I thought about bringing my camera, but wisely thought the better of it - who the hell wants a digital camera flash going off in their face while trying to dance or have a drink? So I am afraid the only picture I have from Reading is one of Alex at the end of the night when he swore he would play a great song, then fell sound asleep about seven seconds later. Ah well! The house is in the middle of being redone by the way, 'tis not a drug den. [Editors Note: I removed the picture as it occurred to me that, in my enthusiasm for a good anecdote, I never asked permission to put it up!]
As with my last visit, the lads were very generous and I didn't have to worry about an empty stomach or dry lips for the entirety of my stay. On the Sunday I met up with Tim and Alex's parents, Penny & Julian, for a great lunch (Shephard's Pie) before heading back to London and precious, precious sleep.
EMPLOYMENT
So it would seem that I was a little off about the interview, but it worked out for the best. Today I was to meet with Linda (publishing recruiter for Greythorn) at her office in Holborn for a practice interview as well as a more in-depth assessment of me as a client. This was handy as it gave me more insights in to how job interviews and CV's are done on this side of the Atlantic. I'm told that I did really well and that I can expect an interview with the actual hiring company, Emap, within ten days. I was pleased to learn that Emap is genuinly respectable and they really take care of their employees (full benefits etc). The pay, as it turns out, is actually 24,000 pa plus a 2,000 to 4,000 performance based bonus. I was also glad to get a more detailed job description since the one I got through email was a bit vague, to say the least. I don't know if it is something I would want to do for the rest of my life, but the pay is outstanding (I could defintely afford to live in the heart of London, say Islington or Camden) and it would be really valuable job experience.
When I got home I found a request for an interview on Friday in my gmail box. It was from LeadGenerators, who'd like to see if I would like to create "highly-searchable articles and other content" for 15,000 pa. I'd be a fool not to go check it out, so that is now in the books for Friday. Plus I have tomorrow's, now much less exciting, interview at the Reed office for temp PA and Secretary work. Ah well!
I feel like that is it for now. So it shall be!
Monday, October 16, 2006
Things look promising!
I have an interview tomorrow for that Conference Producer job - so I have to get ready and therefore cannot post as much as I'd like tonight.
But to sum up, things are taking a turn for the better! Reading was magnificent. I got another reply from an interesting job (Website content writer - 15,000 pa) and I am finally getting a better grap of London neighborhoods and the rental scene. I also cracked a bit of writer's block and came up with a good idea for a short film related to global warming.
More details will follow tomorrow!
But to sum up, things are taking a turn for the better! Reading was magnificent. I got another reply from an interesting job (Website content writer - 15,000 pa) and I am finally getting a better grap of London neighborhoods and the rental scene. I also cracked a bit of writer's block and came up with a good idea for a short film related to global warming.
More details will follow tomorrow!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Trip to Reading - Employment involving reading?
See what I did there?
Today has been a real plus on many fronts.
-I finally found a financial instituion which did not view my transient status as a threat to quiet pubs, Buckingham Palace, understated sweaters and a decent cup of tea. As of Tuesday I will be free from the rather terrifying responsibility of having almost a thousand pounds just laying about!
-On the less exciting, but useful side, I grabbed an appointment with a temp agency office which is just down the road from my cousin's. This one specializes in personal assistent and secretary work, which would pay some bills and build up my CV. The appointment is on Wednesday, but I am much more excited by this last development.
As is habit now, I scoured the internet for job postings this morning and applied for a pile. Later on I got a phone message, ironically while I was talking with the people at the temp agency, from another recruitment office in the same company (Reed). It was in regards to a job as a Conference Producer (where I would basically put together exciting presentations on new books and the like, for corporate meetings et al). The pay was 25,000 pounds annual, so you better believe I called her back!
Unfortunatly it seems that in the hour from when the woman called and when I called back, her superiors upped the necessary qualifications for the job - thus this particular role is a longshot at best. But I did get an unexpected and highly useful bit of instruction over the phone in how to hone my CV so as to bring joy to the leathery heart of any prospective publishing recruitment exec. This alone would have been grand.
But I was then told that though I might not get the CP job, I do sound "very promising" and once I've finished improving my CV - I can schedule an appointment with the publishing recruitment office for whenever is good for me! I'll aim for Monday or Tuesday, since I'd like to dodge secretarial work all together if possible. The added bonus of getting in with either recruitment office is that they can sponsor me to get that all important National Insurance number.
Well, hot crackers! It looks like I might be lucky enough to avoid working an absolute garbage job and if anything has left me feeling good about my decision to move here, then it is that.
On the amusement side of things, my plans have switched once again and we are back to a weekend in Reading. Some unexpected cash came up, so I think I shall use to go out and renew my friendships out west. This time I shall make sure to bring my camera and take some pictures which may or may not incriminate me.
Oi! vs Eh?
Last time I was in England, you could count on all but the after hours places closing at midnight. Luckily it seems that things have changed and it is now possible for most pubs and nightclubs to buy a licence which lets they stay up until the civilized hour of 3am. This bodes well for tomorrow night!
Today has been a real plus on many fronts.
-I finally found a financial instituion which did not view my transient status as a threat to quiet pubs, Buckingham Palace, understated sweaters and a decent cup of tea. As of Tuesday I will be free from the rather terrifying responsibility of having almost a thousand pounds just laying about!
-On the less exciting, but useful side, I grabbed an appointment with a temp agency office which is just down the road from my cousin's. This one specializes in personal assistent and secretary work, which would pay some bills and build up my CV. The appointment is on Wednesday, but I am much more excited by this last development.
As is habit now, I scoured the internet for job postings this morning and applied for a pile. Later on I got a phone message, ironically while I was talking with the people at the temp agency, from another recruitment office in the same company (Reed). It was in regards to a job as a Conference Producer (where I would basically put together exciting presentations on new books and the like, for corporate meetings et al). The pay was 25,000 pounds annual, so you better believe I called her back!
Unfortunatly it seems that in the hour from when the woman called and when I called back, her superiors upped the necessary qualifications for the job - thus this particular role is a longshot at best. But I did get an unexpected and highly useful bit of instruction over the phone in how to hone my CV so as to bring joy to the leathery heart of any prospective publishing recruitment exec. This alone would have been grand.
But I was then told that though I might not get the CP job, I do sound "very promising" and once I've finished improving my CV - I can schedule an appointment with the publishing recruitment office for whenever is good for me! I'll aim for Monday or Tuesday, since I'd like to dodge secretarial work all together if possible. The added bonus of getting in with either recruitment office is that they can sponsor me to get that all important National Insurance number.
Well, hot crackers! It looks like I might be lucky enough to avoid working an absolute garbage job and if anything has left me feeling good about my decision to move here, then it is that.
On the amusement side of things, my plans have switched once again and we are back to a weekend in Reading. Some unexpected cash came up, so I think I shall use to go out and renew my friendships out west. This time I shall make sure to bring my camera and take some pictures which may or may not incriminate me.
Oi! vs Eh?
Last time I was in England, you could count on all but the after hours places closing at midnight. Luckily it seems that things have changed and it is now possible for most pubs and nightclubs to buy a licence which lets they stay up until the civilized hour of 3am. This bodes well for tomorrow night!
I'm a clever boy who plays with toys
If you scroll right to the bottom of the page you will now find my trailer, embedded. Hurrah!
And if this post works as it should, there shall be a picture of a pub whose name still causes me to pause when I walk by.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Who's a big boy now then? Eh? Eh?
A little update which might amuse some. I finally bought my first cell phone (AKA "mobile) today, so maybe I will finally learn how to use the stupid things. Why, it could only be a matter of days before I send an obscene text message to some hapless young woman sitting across from me on the bus.
Er...
Anyways, good news! The first sniff of paid writing work came in today from a website, which had advertised at the best temp site I've found so far. A good article can net upwards of fifty pounds (with the possability of vouchers, it seems). It would just be a little money on the side, I'm certainly not done hunting for a job....but to have some writing experience on my CV would be marvelous. A few decent articles for these people, who tell me that they want stuff from a student or recent graduate perspective, would allow me to apply for some rather nice jobs I've seen advertised.
With a word minimum of 350 and a fortnightly publishing schedule, I think I should easily be able to fit this in with the rest of the mess.
We are all different...except for identical twins, who don't count as they aren't really human - are they? Really? Huh...
1) Do you like babies? Then England is for you! I have seen basically more babies in the past while than I can remember seeing during my last six months in Canada. While in Broadstairs I overheard on the radio that England is the number one nation in Europe for having "children with children" (14-24). I thought conventional wisdom taught that as nations became more developed, birth rates declined - Japan being a glaring example - but apparently the English have found the secret to fitting more sex into the hectic twenty-first century lives we now lead.
Or maybe their just isn't enough education about birth control?
Er...
Anyways, good news! The first sniff of paid writing work came in today from a website, which had advertised at the best temp site I've found so far. A good article can net upwards of fifty pounds (with the possability of vouchers, it seems). It would just be a little money on the side, I'm certainly not done hunting for a job....but to have some writing experience on my CV would be marvelous. A few decent articles for these people, who tell me that they want stuff from a student or recent graduate perspective, would allow me to apply for some rather nice jobs I've seen advertised.
With a word minimum of 350 and a fortnightly publishing schedule, I think I should easily be able to fit this in with the rest of the mess.
We are all different...except for identical twins, who don't count as they aren't really human - are they? Really? Huh...
1) Do you like babies? Then England is for you! I have seen basically more babies in the past while than I can remember seeing during my last six months in Canada. While in Broadstairs I overheard on the radio that England is the number one nation in Europe for having "children with children" (14-24). I thought conventional wisdom taught that as nations became more developed, birth rates declined - Japan being a glaring example - but apparently the English have found the secret to fitting more sex into the hectic twenty-first century lives we now lead.
Or maybe their just isn't enough education about birth control?
Before it all slips out...
...I shall blather a bit.
Broadstairs is a great beach town and I am lucky to have an Aunt who lives right up by the water in a large home which used to serve as a hotel. She still rents rooms to travelling students sometimes but generally I can always count on there being a spare room for me to sleep in. As mentioned earlier, this a great thing!
Over the course of the weekend I spent a lot of time with a very intense relaxation ("intense relaxation"?) program which I drew up on the margins of something more important - which was in turn written on the back of the train ticket which took me there. Going to Broadstairs is about the same as going to Toronto, in terms of distance. You're looking at about three hours of transit in total if you take the train, which I always do. Thanks to the tube and the national railway system, English buses are still a mostly unknown thing to me - not unlike unicorns and being succinct when I speak.
There isn't a whole hell of a lot to say about Broadstairs other than the sea air is wonderful and it's a rather typical tourist town - not that "typical" is a derogatory term here. You've got lots of sand, places to drink and eat by the sand, a great bookstore (Albion Books) so you can buy something to read by the sand, swimwear stores where you can buy trunks to fill with the sand and on and on. Meanwhile, the family I have there (my mother's sister Liz, her husband Phil and their children) are very friendly and kind. True story!
Coming back into London on Tuesday, I felt very refreshed - which is good because I am now in a frantic rush to get a job which isn't total shit (re: retail/food) and a place, preferably with post-Dickensian amenities, by the end of the month. If this does not happen, then I may have to retreat to Reading and stay with some old University pals of my parents - who, funny enough, are the parents of one of my own pals in Reading. All hope is not lost if I have to go down that path - I'll just earn some money in Reading and then tunnel back into London. Luckily Reading is only about a half hour on the train headed west out of Victoria station, which is roughly in the heart of London...so I am not super worried. It would take some pretty outlandish events to send me packing back to Canada, that is for sure!
Reading, meanwhile, is a perfectly nice town - though maybe not as glamorous as London, there is still plenty to appreciate about it. Most of it reminds me of Kanata, which is fitting because it might wind up being absorbed as a suburb of London as the latter continues to roll across the countryside in search of smaller cities for sustenence.
Anyways, I won't be hitting up Reading this weekend so as to save cash - but I will instead make that planned trip to the heart of London which seduced me in my ill spent youth (of two years ago...). I caught glimpses of it through the high arched doors in Victoria station and even that lifted my spirits a bit - though I had to laugh at how the sun was shining just perfectly so as to suggest that you might spot a winged cherub hiding behing the weathervane on a nearby roof, reading the London Times and complaining about immigrants.
A stand up comedian from the early '90s might say "Ya see, people on this side of the Atlantic are like that and people on this side eat their toast like THAT"
1) Roads are generally much narrower and the single lane's can sometimes feel almost like a tunnel with a sun roof. The breadth of Bank street seems like a footbal field by comparison.
2) Temp employment agencies in London are very popular and numerous. Unlike the ones I encountered in Ottawa, these actually seem to be competent and specialized in a variety of fields. My cousin Suzanne tells me that all of her work in England has been attained through these agencies and that it was been fine for her. Encouraging!
Broadstairs is a great beach town and I am lucky to have an Aunt who lives right up by the water in a large home which used to serve as a hotel. She still rents rooms to travelling students sometimes but generally I can always count on there being a spare room for me to sleep in. As mentioned earlier, this a great thing!
Over the course of the weekend I spent a lot of time with a very intense relaxation ("intense relaxation"?) program which I drew up on the margins of something more important - which was in turn written on the back of the train ticket which took me there. Going to Broadstairs is about the same as going to Toronto, in terms of distance. You're looking at about three hours of transit in total if you take the train, which I always do. Thanks to the tube and the national railway system, English buses are still a mostly unknown thing to me - not unlike unicorns and being succinct when I speak.
There isn't a whole hell of a lot to say about Broadstairs other than the sea air is wonderful and it's a rather typical tourist town - not that "typical" is a derogatory term here. You've got lots of sand, places to drink and eat by the sand, a great bookstore (Albion Books) so you can buy something to read by the sand, swimwear stores where you can buy trunks to fill with the sand and on and on. Meanwhile, the family I have there (my mother's sister Liz, her husband Phil and their children) are very friendly and kind. True story!
Coming back into London on Tuesday, I felt very refreshed - which is good because I am now in a frantic rush to get a job which isn't total shit (re: retail/food) and a place, preferably with post-Dickensian amenities, by the end of the month. If this does not happen, then I may have to retreat to Reading and stay with some old University pals of my parents - who, funny enough, are the parents of one of my own pals in Reading. All hope is not lost if I have to go down that path - I'll just earn some money in Reading and then tunnel back into London. Luckily Reading is only about a half hour on the train headed west out of Victoria station, which is roughly in the heart of London...so I am not super worried. It would take some pretty outlandish events to send me packing back to Canada, that is for sure!
Reading, meanwhile, is a perfectly nice town - though maybe not as glamorous as London, there is still plenty to appreciate about it. Most of it reminds me of Kanata, which is fitting because it might wind up being absorbed as a suburb of London as the latter continues to roll across the countryside in search of smaller cities for sustenence.
Anyways, I won't be hitting up Reading this weekend so as to save cash - but I will instead make that planned trip to the heart of London which seduced me in my ill spent youth (of two years ago...). I caught glimpses of it through the high arched doors in Victoria station and even that lifted my spirits a bit - though I had to laugh at how the sun was shining just perfectly so as to suggest that you might spot a winged cherub hiding behing the weathervane on a nearby roof, reading the London Times and complaining about immigrants.
A stand up comedian from the early '90s might say "Ya see, people on this side of the Atlantic are like that and people on this side eat their toast like THAT"
1) Roads are generally much narrower and the single lane's can sometimes feel almost like a tunnel with a sun roof. The breadth of Bank street seems like a footbal field by comparison.
2) Temp employment agencies in London are very popular and numerous. Unlike the ones I encountered in Ottawa, these actually seem to be competent and specialized in a variety of fields. My cousin Suzanne tells me that all of her work in England has been attained through these agencies and that it was been fine for her. Encouraging!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Oh my!
Okay! So it turns out that my cousin would like me to move out by the end of the month. This is doable, but definitly sooner than I was expecting. I expect things to be pretty frantic - so I thought I would just toss this up to let you guys know why I might be unusually cranky and bad about correspondence in the near future. I will continue to update this site, but I am afraid that all bet's are off with email until I am set up. Anyways, I need to get back to The Task At Hand right now, but I will do a wordy little number before bed tonight.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Sloe Gin Goes Fast (Clever!)
Let's see now, today I...
-Got up at 11am.
-Had some orange juice, then took a long walk along the coast.
-Came back into Uncle Phil and Aunt Liz's house for five hours of good food, drink, stories and two hilarious looking boxer dogs. They are named Harvey and Webster, and you know they are a good breed of dog because they are big enough to wrestle with, while friendly enough to be left around small children. Plus their default expression make's me want to burst out laughing almost every time.
-...recharged my iPod?
I normally wouldn't consider this a productive day, but this time I will. After a brief strut across my internet catwalk, I reckon I'll go read some more of my Hunter S. Thompson by the seaside. Take that, productivity!
Broadstairs has done wonders for me. Yesterday I pierced the thick, stodgy veil of jetlag and felt like something other than Oliver The Lump for the first time since I got here. I felt more like Oliver the Hustler or Oliver the Writer (or Oliver the Setting Himself Up for an Easy Joke) and proceeded accordingly. But then, it would be hard not to get inspired when the English channel is maybe one hundred feet from your bedroom. Two nights in a row I've been treated to a full moon reflecting off the water. This has been rendered equal parts lovely and horrifying, thanks to H.P. Lovecraft - but I'll take it.
I have, of course, forgotten to bring my bloody camera. Ah well, my Aunt Liz has made it clear I'm welcome up here any old time. This is a great resource to have for sure...for as much as I love big cities, I do need a break from them once in a while and Carp is now too far to just sling myself over for a weekend. This particular break is exactly what I needed....and maybe what I should have done during my first few days in the country - instead of trying to be super productive during every waking moment. When I roll back into Tottenham sometime Tuesday, I shall have the fire in my belly necessary to begin shaking my delicious behind under the noses of many a prospective employer. Hopefully enough to justify heading out to Redding next weekend.
Or at least the purchase of a new pair of pants. Three pairs of blue jeans and two dress pants are not enough for this fashion-minded man (who might have been able to pack more pants, but size fourteen shoes take up a lot of room!). Anyways...more to report when I am not stuffed to the point of bursting.
We are all filthy foreigners to someone...
1) Shoe sizes in the UK are all generally one size smaller than the North American equivelent. Ergo my size 14 is a 13 here. Man, that is boring...I'd better follow up with something true, yet engaging and classy.
2) Bare tits, you will see plenty of them in the weekly SUN. I suppose this does put it slightly ahead of our own much beloved Ottawa Sun, the only boobs it features being our local politicians!
See what I did there?
3) Ladies, if you are the only woman within sight and you overhear men (of any age) using the phrase "moose" or "shot-putter" while looking in your general direction...give them a smack. They've earned it.
-Got up at 11am.
-Had some orange juice, then took a long walk along the coast.
-Came back into Uncle Phil and Aunt Liz's house for five hours of good food, drink, stories and two hilarious looking boxer dogs. They are named Harvey and Webster, and you know they are a good breed of dog because they are big enough to wrestle with, while friendly enough to be left around small children. Plus their default expression make's me want to burst out laughing almost every time.
-...recharged my iPod?
I normally wouldn't consider this a productive day, but this time I will. After a brief strut across my internet catwalk, I reckon I'll go read some more of my Hunter S. Thompson by the seaside. Take that, productivity!
Broadstairs has done wonders for me. Yesterday I pierced the thick, stodgy veil of jetlag and felt like something other than Oliver The Lump for the first time since I got here. I felt more like Oliver the Hustler or Oliver the Writer (or Oliver the Setting Himself Up for an Easy Joke) and proceeded accordingly. But then, it would be hard not to get inspired when the English channel is maybe one hundred feet from your bedroom. Two nights in a row I've been treated to a full moon reflecting off the water. This has been rendered equal parts lovely and horrifying, thanks to H.P. Lovecraft - but I'll take it.
I have, of course, forgotten to bring my bloody camera. Ah well, my Aunt Liz has made it clear I'm welcome up here any old time. This is a great resource to have for sure...for as much as I love big cities, I do need a break from them once in a while and Carp is now too far to just sling myself over for a weekend. This particular break is exactly what I needed....and maybe what I should have done during my first few days in the country - instead of trying to be super productive during every waking moment. When I roll back into Tottenham sometime Tuesday, I shall have the fire in my belly necessary to begin shaking my delicious behind under the noses of many a prospective employer. Hopefully enough to justify heading out to Redding next weekend.
Or at least the purchase of a new pair of pants. Three pairs of blue jeans and two dress pants are not enough for this fashion-minded man (who might have been able to pack more pants, but size fourteen shoes take up a lot of room!). Anyways...more to report when I am not stuffed to the point of bursting.
We are all filthy foreigners to someone...
1) Shoe sizes in the UK are all generally one size smaller than the North American equivelent. Ergo my size 14 is a 13 here. Man, that is boring...I'd better follow up with something true, yet engaging and classy.
2) Bare tits, you will see plenty of them in the weekly SUN. I suppose this does put it slightly ahead of our own much beloved Ottawa Sun, the only boobs it features being our local politicians!
See what I did there?
3) Ladies, if you are the only woman within sight and you overhear men (of any age) using the phrase "moose" or "shot-putter" while looking in your general direction...give them a smack. They've earned it.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
A slow day (physically) can lead to a quick one (mentally)
I woke up this morning feeling like large portions of my skin, particularly on my face, had transmuted into sheets of lead. Oh well!
Today has been taken a bit easier. It dawned on me that today will be the first day in England where I haven't walked several kilometers while carrying one or more heavy bags. Gee, I wonder if that has contributed to my being tired?
But lo and behold, by giving my body a rest I've found some of the burning intensity that I need to feel if I am to write anything worth looking at twice. I've gotten halfway through my BBC application (which includes a 600 word synopsis/analysis of the last film I saw, I might post that here for comments), written five pages for one of the three script ideas I'm juggling ("Sweet Fever") and even got some joy out of writing a poem (or song or rap, depending on how you want to read it). That last item was a lot of fun because I just let loose and wrote the kind of strange hybrid tract that comes out of me when I am really cheery.
A hydbrid of what? Well, generally some insightful wordplay interspersed with the kind of crass rhymes which would seem out of place anywhere but in an Atlanta men's room stall. Keeping this in mind, it is not at all hard to understand why I love Achewood so much. So damn much.
ANYways...Ryan North also does a webcomic that I love. He is, in fact, pretty much responsible for me getting into the darn things. I always feel kind of guilty when I endorse webcomics that are not his. In other Ryan (and Victor) news, he and his brother have just signed up to do a charity climb of the CN Tower. Head on down to his website if you'd like to sponsor them!
It looks that I am staring down the barrel of a very enoyable weekend in Broadstairs. Lucky me, I got a call from Tim in Reading last night - who made it clear that I was welcome to come over that way for a drink or five when the mood struck me. If it isn't too costly to take the train there, then I think I shall do that on the following weekend. As I recall, Paul (a nice guy who is part of that crew) had dabbled with the BBC as a scriptwriter for Robot Wars (re: Witty Banter). So maybe I could mix some business with my pleasure, depending on where life has taken him in the past two years.
Thanks to y'all for your comments (and emails and gmail chats). Remember, you don't have to be a blogger member to do so. These things help keep me warm in these early, isolated days.
You can stop when I am so wealthy that I have to have my wallet regularly pumped inbetween coating my various posessions with an edible platinum coating. Your words will be too tiny for me then. Just too darn tiny.
Today has been taken a bit easier. It dawned on me that today will be the first day in England where I haven't walked several kilometers while carrying one or more heavy bags. Gee, I wonder if that has contributed to my being tired?
But lo and behold, by giving my body a rest I've found some of the burning intensity that I need to feel if I am to write anything worth looking at twice. I've gotten halfway through my BBC application (which includes a 600 word synopsis/analysis of the last film I saw, I might post that here for comments), written five pages for one of the three script ideas I'm juggling ("Sweet Fever") and even got some joy out of writing a poem (or song or rap, depending on how you want to read it). That last item was a lot of fun because I just let loose and wrote the kind of strange hybrid tract that comes out of me when I am really cheery.
A hydbrid of what? Well, generally some insightful wordplay interspersed with the kind of crass rhymes which would seem out of place anywhere but in an Atlanta men's room stall. Keeping this in mind, it is not at all hard to understand why I love Achewood so much. So damn much.
ANYways...Ryan North also does a webcomic that I love. He is, in fact, pretty much responsible for me getting into the darn things. I always feel kind of guilty when I endorse webcomics that are not his. In other Ryan (and Victor) news, he and his brother have just signed up to do a charity climb of the CN Tower. Head on down to his website if you'd like to sponsor them!
It looks that I am staring down the barrel of a very enoyable weekend in Broadstairs. Lucky me, I got a call from Tim in Reading last night - who made it clear that I was welcome to come over that way for a drink or five when the mood struck me. If it isn't too costly to take the train there, then I think I shall do that on the following weekend. As I recall, Paul (a nice guy who is part of that crew) had dabbled with the BBC as a scriptwriter for Robot Wars (re: Witty Banter). So maybe I could mix some business with my pleasure, depending on where life has taken him in the past two years.
Thanks to y'all for your comments (and emails and gmail chats). Remember, you don't have to be a blogger member to do so. These things help keep me warm in these early, isolated days.
You can stop when I am so wealthy that I have to have my wallet regularly pumped inbetween coating my various posessions with an edible platinum coating. Your words will be too tiny for me then. Just too darn tiny.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
As the dance instructor said to the student with ADHD - "One step at a time!"
I am investigating BBC work experience and it has been a bright spot for sure. I most certainly do have "a relevant degree" AND, not "or" but "AND" I "have made a short film". Plus I can put my two CSTC courses under the additional qualifications segment. I might even include stinky ol' "Trenchcoats & Corsets". Oh, I love that movie as it is my first baby....and I assure you it isn't a morbid thing that I mostly see it's faults. It's just so I know better for next time - as I did when I made "Tonight...". I'm already starting to see all the little things I could have done better in "Tonight...", but the difference this time is that I am immensly proud of so many more aspects to the work. I am still very excitited to start hustling with this puppy.
I was also lucky enough to spot a copy of "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" and...and...and I...am too tired to keep writing! A family friend, who I watched grow up, has said that I should wait about a week for the jetlag to finally surrender. I swear, it is like getting a sneak preview of my senior years...
I was also lucky enough to spot a copy of "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" and...and...and I...am too tired to keep writing! A family friend, who I watched grow up, has said that I should wait about a week for the jetlag to finally surrender. I swear, it is like getting a sneak preview of my senior years...
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