Hi Hooooooo

After a month of interviews, stress attacks and sofa hopping in London I have finally got a job. In the end, no less than six offers came through (blimey) and the task of whittling them down was tricky. But eventually, I decided to go with a gut feeling as well as sidestep the finacially based jobs to take up a software development role with a small company (20 people) called Propero who are based in Waterloo.

This starts on Monday (ooooo) and has hightlighted the next problem in my so called life, which is that I am still living with my parents . Not relishing the thought of a daily commute, I am looking for a slightly more permanant base in London, but fear I may be sofa hopping for a few more weeks until that all comes about.

Trying not to let my nomadic existance bring me down, several hosuing type offers have appeared, it's just a matter of time ! Plus I don't actually get a paycheck until end of March now, so maybe the low rent situation isn't all THAT bad :) Keep tuend for more first-week at work news, where I predict I will have lots of doco to read, and no computer to work with - just going on past form, you understand ;)

Lost in Les Hooches

Today, whilst boarding, I took a wrong turn. Then another wrong turn. Like Alice down the rabbit hole, I carried on off piste following some snowboard tracks and footprints. Then both sets of tracks stopped, where I realised the boarding tracks went DOWN, but the footprints were going UP. I had followed the tracks of another guy who realised he was miles off course, and unlike him could not easily climb the slope - the snow was too deep and thick.

So I had to continue downwards, onto some tram tracks and then quickly onto a small path which seemed to lead to nowhere... after an hour, the path gained some level of use (footprints, ski tracks and even a couple of cigerette butts). Pleased with my dectective powers I continued down the track and finally after just over two hours effort I got into a town. Remembering the proximity of the slopes to the Italian border, I was relieved to discover the inhabitants spoke French, and that by some learning miracle, so did I. I quickly found a phone, let those waiting for me for lunch know about my exhurstion and temporary absence, and found a tram which took me all the way back up the mountain.

I really just wanted to go home at this point, but the quickest way home was up the tram and down the mountain. Finding the conditions less icy than before, I still put in a full afternoons boarding and took away the pain from icy falls (the snow is crap here - sigh) and mass hiking with a couple of fine choc 'o' rums. A tiring but interesting day in all. Bit dis-illusioned with the boarding part of the holiday, the naff conditions and early starts are just putting me in a foul mood. May just change the holiday into a drinking binge and forget the hard effort, after all, I AM on hoilday :)

Happy birthday to me

Hurray ! I'm older ! 28 today...

And for my birthday, after three long stress filled weeks of commuting and interviews I have finally been given not one but FIVE job offers. Hopefully some of them kept the receipts so I can take them back for a refund... They are all permanent positions in London, which means I am UK based once again, for better or for worse.

Next week I shall be relaxing in the Alps once again with my snowboard and friends. Prefect timing there, allowing me a week away to unwind, relax, mix some bitching cocktails and prepare to start my new career shortly after I get back.

In tech news, I got a new phone (and number - 07917367680). It's a nokia (shame) but it's quite sweet and lets me take little pictures of people that show up when they ring me. Currently I am using inanimate objects for best friends until I get real photos. I can now be amused as Erik rings and a mug of tea shows up. It's funny if your me, anyway.

Happy new year

New year and a new chance to get things going again ! The run up to xmas saw the usual panic present shopping (with added scary lack-of-income worries) and some quality parties with mates from home. Then a wonderful xmas day, full of food and some pretty kick ass presents - heavy books and homewares from my parents and travel books from my brother - mixed messages there. But before I had time to reflect on these, I was whisked away the very next day for a long week of snowboarding in the Alps. How sweet is that ?!!

I had a good week boarding despite a heavy feverish cold and a couple of nasty blows to my arm and butt on the icy pistes. The cold kept my drinking in some form of moderation, and the hallucinations caused by a fever at high-altitude were exquisite ! I got some great runs in, including a great off-piste powder field full of gullies to shoot through. Now I'm back home, nursing my bruised behind and getting ready to take on the new year - grrrrrrr.

Happy 2005 !!!!

Now is the winter of my discontent

Three weeks back at home. I've caught up with a good number of my friends, eaten a good number of meals and played through a good portion of Doom 3 and Tony Hawks Underground. God I'm bored...

Whilst I was weary and uninspired at various points of travelling, I knew that once I pushed onwards, new places and people would offer some variety and new adventures. But now I've hit the end, and not figured out where next. Normally I am happy being trapped in a rut like this, having a base to work from and some structure in life is very reassuring. But this rut is my parents house, nowhere near the socials whirls and graces of people I know and without my own wheels. I feel trapped.

Escapes into London are offering breif sanctuary from all this, and the approach of xmas is something to look forward to certainly. Spending lots of money of snowboarding and techy toys is helping too ! But I see an end to the cash coming quite soon at this rate, and will have to start the job hunting soon. Even though I am not entirely sure where or what I want to work as. Post-travel blues are on me it seems ! Grey days and early nights arn't helping much either - travel tip : return home for the SUMMER !

Home is where the heart is

My flight home wasn't too bad, although I was charged almost 200UKP in overweight baggage charges - so much for a cheaper PC from Taiwan. Maybe I should of delayed buying the case and power supply until I got home ! I landed safely and hurried through the green channel before they decided they wanted more money out of me, met up with my parents in arrivals and headed home.

I marked my return home by sending out a quick e-mail to everyone I met on my travels. Unfortuantly it managed to send itself five times - thank you all for your inventive jabs about that ! I blame the AOL client I am forced to use.

Over the last few days I have made it into Reading and London to visit old friends again, and it's like nothing has changed, almost like I never actually went away ! People had warned me of this but I hadn't really thought it would be like that for me, of course. There is something both reassuring and depressing about it all, the second part of which I am combatting through that old technique of "keeping busy". Lots of tax forms and computer stuff I want to sort out, and with only a modem to do most of it over, it's taking plenty of my surplus time up. Broadband is on it's way, thank god...

I expect my honeymoon period of being home will wear off around xmas time, where I will be off snowboarding to celebrate the new year. After that, some other snow holidays are on offer, although I think some sort of income-type job may have a higher precedence. Just got to figure out what, where, which and when :)