GIVE ME A JOB!

Hello again, how are you? Nice weather today isn’t it? Was a little overcast yesterday and a sneaky wind.

OK enough small talk.

So I’m still looking for a job, a proper full time one that is. I am having growing concerns about how I’m going to pay for everything for the summer, mainly the holiday but also lots of other little things. I’ve handed my CV around town and I’m sure I’ve applied for around 70 different jobs online now since I got here… most of which have been rejected outright, or my CV is being ‘kept on file’, whatever that means. Who has ever been offered a job after having their CV ‘kept on file’ for months?

I honestly didn’t think that this recession malarky had affected me much, but it is SERIOUSLY difficult to get a job.

Of course it would be much easier if I could just win a load of money from somewhere. Thankfully things never get to starvation/homelessness levels thanks to the unwavering generosity of my Financial Advisor at the Bank Of Pops, which has reported its biggest losses to date and lowest residual funds for a long time and yet STILL grants emergency loans and credit top-ups on completion of the usual application. Only a small amount of coercion persuasion needed. Now it’s even easier to apply, either online or via SMS – decision within hours! For large amounts of credit, unashamed begging and sham repayment plans may be necessary.

Of course the ultimate aim is to be independent from the Bank Of Pops, but that doesn’t look likely this year. I’m still at uni til this time next year – but results for what I’ve got so far are pleasing anyway. The ultimate question is what to do with my life AFTER uni. Having a degree doesn’t seem to make *that* much of a difference to job hunting… except for graduate schemes. That’s the way to go I think. I’d love to move to London and work for someone like Iris. I’ve also always longed to go back to France… somewhere south this time. For like a year. That would be immense. But will only be possible after I’ve graduated, and will only be worth it if I end up fluent. I’d have to go deep into the countryside probably. But I don’t want to milk cows or work 50 hour weeks or something. I could be an au pair, I’m well good with kids. Anyway…

I’m working tonight, I’ll have to set off early to find a car parking space or else I might get towed away again – that would be absolutely NOT COOL.

I had so much I wanted to blog about but I’ve been distracted now so I’ll go and possibly carry on tomorrow.

Keep your fingers crossed someone offers me an amazing perfect job for loads of money. Until then, it’s bar work, Bank of Pops, and then eBay desperation, in that order.

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Moving on…

So I wasn’t sure what to name this blog entry, sometimes I write them and then think of an appropriate title afterwards, I might still do that. Since I haven’t updated since 16th of May, I’ll give you a quick run down of everything of note to date. On May 19th I went to see Derren Brown with Tom Brown - it was basically amazing. I am totally, completely in love with Derren, he’s so intelligent and witty and charismatic. Yes I am aware that he’s gay, and I love him all the more for it. Sometimes I wonder if he could put his abilities to a better use ( a la Paul McKenna), not only could he cure  phobias and make people more confident and just generally improve lives, I know he could do even more than that – but then again who am I to preach to people what they should and should not do with their talents. He’s also an amazing writer <3…

Anyway, later that week I went to Manchester to register with some employment agencies, takes hours of your time and then you sit around for weeks waiting for a job, but it’s got to be done. For the record it’s now 6 weeks later and I’m still waiting for any temp work…

That weekend I borrowed The Range and went to Alton Towers with the SHU Drama crew, which was a pretty awesome day all round, gorgeous weather, spent all day with Beckett (then Liam and Gav) and we had a very relaxed day.

Gav, Beckett, Gem (& Liam!)

The week after that I spent most of my time jobhunting to no avail, and moving stuff across to Manchester from Sheffield – I’ve got so much *stuff* it’s unreal. On the 3rd of June it was Rochelle’s birthday and we popped across to Leeds for some drinkies. We started early in the day so by tea time/early evening I was staggering around and we were all proper tired. By like 1am or something we gave up and went back to Rochelle’s to sleep it off. Jonny and I had to get up in the morning though because he had work and of course I am the taxi driver.

I carried on applying for jobs and also went for some evening/bar work too, which I got interviews for straight away. I went for interviews at Panacea (posh), Prohibition (underground), Loaf (young) and The Northern (cosy). Debi at the Northern offered me a trial shift on the Saturday night. She’s really lovely, and kind of reminds me of Kay, Curtis’ mum. So I worked the shift, and I can tell you it’s an absolute killer. Luckily I caught on really fast and they’ve kept me on, so I now officially work at The Northern!

On the 15th of June, Jordan hired a canal barge as a sort of continuation of Rochelle’s birthday celebrations. Everyone came; Nick & Katie, Pat & Flo, Harry & Jonny. I was totally gutted because I had to go to Uni for a meeting on the Tuesday so I didn’t get to be a part of the main adventures. However I met back up with them in Manchester city centre on the Tuesday night, and slept on the barge. On Wednesday it rained all day, it was quite miserable weather but there was something romantic about it I thought. Some people live on canal barges, and what a life it must be.

On the Wednesday Ryan my baby bro and his girlfriend Lizzy came to Manchester to see us and stay over. We went to the imperial war museum and ASDA, and that’s about it. It was nice having them to stay though

Lizzy & Ryan

Mel - Camp Smells

Jonny & I

 That weekend I did another two shifts at The Northern, which almost finished me. I am getting more used to it, but my poor feet! Think I am going to invest in some MBTs or something like that. As a result I missed Fisher’s 21st birthday (sorry Fish x) back in Sheffield.

Last week it was Nipa’s birthday, then I went to see Brand New with Jonny and his friends at the academy. It was quite hot and sticky, but was actually rather good and I got suitably drunk anyway. Met Mel afterwards and we stayed out even though everyone else bailed. Jonny did a little bit of sick on himself, perhaps in protest at abandonment, and we staggered down to this pub called big hands (or something). Carried on drinking and making dicks of ourselves, then we started chatting to these Americans behind us. Jonny and Tristan had disappeared somewhere. They were like, ‘oh yeah we just came to the UK for the show’, and I said ‘oh I was there too’. They asked what I thought of it, and (not realising who it was) I said ‘well it was OK. It’s impressive how many people come out to see them, and the songs I knew I really liked but the rest was kind of boring. Plus it was too hot’ which fortunately they all thought was hilarious. Then one of the guys told us he was the tour manager, and we were actually sitting with the bassist, drummer and crew, along with Kevin Devine who I’d been chatting complete shit to for the past half an hour. I was a little embarrassed to say the least. But what lovely guys they were!

Pat, Harry, Jonny, Jordan, Rochelle, Nick & Katie

 This week we also found out that Michael Jackson has died. Mel came and woke me up to tell me about it. We watched BBC News 24 for a while. We were all quite shocked. I’m not quite sure what to say about it here, I think everyone has said everything that needs to be said on the subject, his death seems to be just as much of a circus freak show in the media as his life was. My parents always played a lot of music to us whilst we were growing up, and we would listen to Michael Jackson a lot in the car on long journeys. As children we made up dances and routines to his songs and performed them in the front room for the sum of 10p per person. I remember when the tickets were released for the concerts he planned to do here in the UK, and everyone desperate to get them except me. To me, it wasn’t the Michael Jackson I grew up with, just his body like a shell and him not really in there anymore. It’s sad for his kids, and sadder to think that the next generation will never know him alive, but his songs will live on and that’s good enough for me.

This week I’m moving out of Peveril for good, still looking for a full time job, and doing more part time shifts at the bar. I’ve got to get Growler serviced/new tyres/brake pads this week, plus a few other little things.

My skin is bad and I keep falling out with Jonny, it’s stressing me out a bit, but if that’s all I have to worry about then I’m not too unfortunate am I really?

Got loads more to blog about but I’ve run out of time now – more tomorrow I think.

See thee soon.

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Eurovision

This post doesn’t really have anything to do with Eurovision, but I have watched it for years and years. I know it’s all fixed and political and yada yada, and now that Terry Wogan has gone there’s no real reason to watch it, but Emma M is having a Eurovision party at Emma T’s flat so I’m going along. It’s also Lydia’s birthday on Monday so she’s coming to as it’s her birthday weekend and it’s basically the law to get trashed on your birthday weekend. I have particular skillz & experience in this.

So… went to Manchester again this week, to see the sis and boyf, and take boyf to work and pick him up from work and then take him home to Sheffield. Yesterday we went into Evans (this is where aforementioned boyf works) and I had a little look at the Pashley that I love… tried the medium. Too big. I need a small. But they don’t have a small one in the store in pink, only a pastel blue one, which is nice… but… come on. You’ve got to have the pink one.

So I didn’t really show much interest in bikes, even though Jonny works lives and breathes bikes, and has gently tried to coax me into getting one/showing some kind of enthusiasm.

I think the thing is… I drive. You know? My car is ace. I haven’t had a bike since I was like, 12. So we’re talking WELL over a decade since I’ve been on one. My car basically negates a bike. Plus, I’ve kind of been of the opinion that people that use bikes as their main mode of transport are people that can’t drive, or can’t afford a car. Them, and everyone under the age of 13.

HOWEVER. I saw the Pashley in Jonny’s work:

love at first sight

So basically, yeah. Pretty much exactly like the bikes I had when I was little, which of course, were the best kind. Jonny said that really he wanted me to get a mountain bike, so we can ride up mountains together and shit like that. But come on, how many mountains am I *really* going to ride up? However, I won’t mind doing some leisurely rides by the canal on this baby. Plus you can even wear a skirt and not look like a total dickhead (unlike a hardcore mountain bike).

But they’re a lot of pennies so we may have to wait and see on that one.

Speaking of things I totally WANT, we went to the Trafford Centre last night for food and walkies round shops, and I saw these in the shoe section of John Lewis:

Of course it would be a waste of time trying to decide whether to get black or red, naturally you’d have to get both. At £140 a pair, they’re not exactly cheap I know. But come on. They’re called Astound, from Carvela at Kurt Geiger (just as a side note, do you think Kurt Geiger would ever employ me? I’d happily be paid in shoes.)

Jonny said my taste in fashion is distinctly ‘tranny’. I’m not sure if that’s an insult.

Do I look like a tranny?

Anyway. So I’m back in Sheffield, sorting out a few things, and mainly applying for jobs online in Manchester. The only ones I can see are sort of call centre/admin ones… so I’ve applied for a few. Anything will do at the moment as the Bank of Pops is on the verge of going under and is not doing any risky lending right now. I’m thinking of working a few nights too to maximise £. Obviously, no matter what job I get (and, I will get one) I’ll put 100% into it, but it won’t be something I want to do, really.

Thinking of dream jobs… I’d love to be some kind of travel writer, or work for a fashion magazine, or publishing… I’d love to get paid to test sports cars and go to massive parties with free champagne. I’d love to win ANTM and be the most successful winner… only I’m not American, I’m 5’4″½ and I have a strange moon pig face and bad skin. Not the best prospects then.

But being realistic… nobody is going to pay me to write, or look fabulous, or smooze with rich clients and drink champagne. At best I’ll be answering phones, filing, and getting paid minimum wage. Ace.

Having a job like that would be more bearable if I had a pink Pashley and lots of Kurt Geiger shoes.

I’m off now to scan some photos from youth times (and possibly upload selected ones to facebook), I’ve got a massive archive to get through. And I can’t be arsed revising.

DERREN BROWN ON TUESDAY! I wish I had his skillz. Then Kurt Geiger would DEFINITELY employ me and give me free shoes and possibly a sports car and champagne.

Materialistic? Fuck off. I’m a vegetarian. I have morals and care about animals and shit like that too.

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