Shere'ly you Kahn't beleive it...

You'll pardon the pun based upon Kipling's dastardly tiger, because today I went to the zoo for free - by gatecrashing my friend Louise's biology conference on animal behaviour. The conference was an open conference, but was really meant for people researching animal behaviour. It was extremely interesting, especially the more philosophical lecture on the issue of the human tendancy to apply a certain level of anthropomorphism to animals - which with regards to the possible expression of animal emotions has an obvious implication for the study of their welfare.

Anyway, the institute where the conference was being held (which incidentally provided very good coffee and biscuits first) has no lunch facilities, so you go into the zoo to use their cafe. Then you get to wander round the zoo for a bit. It was brilliant fun, and the bearded pigs were by far my favourite.

Then this afternoon I didn't go back to the conference but headed to the V&A to meet a friend. Saw some lovely renaissance church silver; including one very beautiful hanging pyx that Bede would have melted over.

I am now on the Oxford Tube, stuck in MAJOR TRAFFIC despite getting on at about 4.30pm (After having to wait for about 25 minutes for the bus). I'm getting rather worried that I'm going to miss the first half of the OULES panto.

The return of the prodigal blogger...

Biz pointed out to me in an email that this blog has had a brief hiatus and that people might actually think I'd been working during this time - in the sense of paid, taxable employment. Of course I haven't.

I have been trying though (very trying) and was offered a job at Cartier, which I didn't take for a variety of reasons, one of which was the rubbish pay. Things are beginning to look up now though as I have a 'meeting' with the publishers I did work experience for on Monday. They might have a job from me, and I seem to get on very well the editors there too. As Cath rightly says "the main thing about an interview is your employer trying to work out whether they can put up with you at 9am on Monday morning".

I've also met with lots of recruitment agencies and more temping agencies and I think something will come through soon. If it doesn't then I've made the arrangements to sign on as a precaution.

Yesterday I saw my first pantomime of the season, and I'm seeing another on Thursday. It was very good, in an OULES sort of way, and had a smattering of decent jokes. The rest of the audience were a bit rubbish at the boos and hisses.

Tomorrow I'm going to Oxford to see the OULES panto, which I co-wrote with Cath. It will hopefully be very good, though I've heard very disturbing things about them adding spurious "Pinky and the Brain" references to the script. I'm looking forward to it immensely.

Fr Henry's book launch the other day was great fun. But I've only just remembered that I haven't written about it and have to dash for an appointment. I'll write at length on that later.

Well yesterday went rather well I had a call from a temping agency with a publishing and media specialist branch, saying they could really do with someone on their books and could almost definitely get me some work, but they could only meet me on Friday - which I cannot do because I'll be in Oxford. So I've set a meeting up for next Thursday, apparently the person who deals with publishing and media only comes in on Thursday and Friday. This makes me skeptical about the actual volume of work they have to allocate, but it's worth a try.

I thought long and hard about delaying going to Oxford, but it's been planned for a while and the whole point of getting there this evening is so I can force Hannah into Debenhams (for late night shopping) so she can buy a dress to go to Saf's ball. Otherwise she'll have to do this on Saturday, but she won't get up early, which means that we will be in a panic about getting to Cambridge and getting ready. Also the earlier we get there the more time I get to spend with Cath who's over from Belgium for the ball. These things are important.

We also have to get masks that match Hannah's dress (whatever it's like) and all those lovely girly things that I'm very glad I only ever have to bother with in panto - where clashing colours are thankfully, obligatory.

Honestly these people that have big extravagant 21sts and ply their guests with booze, it's so damned inconsiderate.

I met with a proper temping agency yesterday and had to do both a typing and a spelling test for them - but they reckon they could possibly get me something starting next week - which is good. If I can power through with a week of temping, and then do this voice-over work, that's the rent more than covered for a month. Fingers crossed big-time for the v/o. My panto-scripts website is not getting off the ground very well, it needs a proper domain name and stuff. I'm actually thinking of submitting the scripts to an already existing online agency, but I think they assume rights for five years, which is very bad indeed.

It seems doubtful that my temp four days a week write and job seek one day a week thing will work. So I think I'll just give myself a writing week once a month or something.

However my goal of acheiveing temporary work within three weeks looks very possible though and will has put me on to a tutoring agency that is desperate for people in North London.

Right off to a meeting with another agency now.

The cold begins to go and the heat comes

Well my cold is feeling quite a bit better, which is a very good thing. Today I am off to register with a temping agency and pretend I'm an IT and filing whizz-kid. It seems that a year of TERRIBLE employment is necessary before anything remotely fun might come along. I hope the meeting isn't a waste of time. We'll have to see.

Hannah's company want someone to some paid voiceover work and I'm submitting them some demos, apparently I stand a good chance. So that's fun and EASY money and is very nice for my CV.

I also have a possible lead on a job working for a recruitment agency that deals only with Oxbridge, or they might find me a job! Either way it could be good. Well, it would be dull and very boring, but at least it would be something I could do for money, with the possiblity of further oppourtunities!

This cold has been a very annoying and slightly depressing set-back though.

In other news the heating is OFF and the flat is still ROASTING HOT, it's beginning to really get annoying.

A few little pork shavings...

I have a stinker of a cold, a really nasty, horrible dreadful cold. I am applying lemsip, vicks, vitamins and Morrissons own brand cough mixture which I'm swigging from the bottle with abandon - it's doing nothing whatsoever, I'm pretty sure it's just glycerin.

I had a lovely weekend. Hannah visited. She likes the flat - well what's not to like - and we had a very chilled couple of days. On Saturday we went to Primrose Hill and had a walk and a coffee in a little place on Regent's Park Lane. We didn't eat there because of a) economy b) there was no meat.

We then went to Morrissons, which is HUGE, and VERY, VERY cheap. I'm set up for a good while now food-wise.

After Morrissions we watched some DVDs and then cooked a Thai Green Curry, which was delicious though a little more spicy than I expected so we washed it down with a glass of milk and returned to the DVDs.

On Sunday we had a rather lazy day which finished with a lovely roast pork dinner and some vegetables which Hannah brought with her from Oxford.

Then Hannah left for Oxford and I started doing some preparation for my interview which was today. The preparation involved getting my clothes sorted, and I decided to shave. Aha, but I suddenly found I'd left my shaver somewhere. Panic ensued. Hannah said later on the phone that I should just go out in the morning and get a disposable razor and some foam and it'd be fine. But I'd never wet-shaved before and didn't particularly fancy dragging three sharp little blades across my face. Hannah told me not to be such a wimp. So I went out the morning, bought the necessary equipment and shaved. It was ok, rather fun in fact and I didn't cut myself at all - so at least I have a sense of acheivement.

I then heavily indulged in lemsip and embarked upon the tube journey. The interview went quite well I think, despite the cold. I really like the sound of the company, what they do, how they work. We'll just have to see how well things progress.

This coming weekend I am in Cambridge for a friend's 21st, they're having a masked ball and Cath is coming back from Belgium for it, and Sally is coming up from Exeter for it so I will be in Oxford and Camridge over the weekend. The following weekend I am going to a book launch in Oxford - so it's all go.

This afternoon I'm investigating temping again and praying that some other job leads will make good. I might have a bacon sandwich for lunch. I am ill, have had an interview and have battled with a wet-shave - I deserve it.

Sense and Sociability

Well at last some employers seem to be showing sense and I've got some interviews/job leads lining themselves up. It's a good thing.

The other evening I went to south London to visit Ben, Noga, Rachel and Fedelma for dinner. I ended up staying on their futon, it seemed an awfully long way back. Got back here at about 10am in time to have coffee with Will. He brought cookies, which was nice, and told me of some different agencies that I might like to look up.

I then spent the remainder of the day applying for jobs and writing speculative applications like crazy.

Then my friend Tom came round for a drink in the evening and said that his brother - who works for Hodder, needs an assistant. So I'll get onto that today after I've been to Hampstead to pay a check in, find out about parking permits, and drop my CV off at some temping agencies. I might also buy something that might be fun for dinner tonight as Hannah is coming down for the weekend.

I'm not very well though and feel quite coldy and a bit fluey so hopefully that will pass, especially as I have an interview at 10.30am on Monday.

The London experiment is rather fun really. I have a lovely flatmate who is the only other extreme fan of Ethel Merman in England and we have a brilliant pub very close. If I weren't ill I'd be belting and boozing.

Testing time

I think I've managed to tell it which time zone I'm in now... lets see whether it still thinks its 5am!

Parking

Today I've been trying to find out about parking without much luck really. It's all slightly pants. The flat's own parking seems to be only for people that own the freehold on their flat; and you need a permanent parking permit before they let you have a temporary one. I don't really understand it, the porter went on about leasehold and sublet license and wasn't terribly nice, so I don't think I'll speak to him again - which is probably what he wanted anyway.

Cabaret was good yesterday, very good. Some nudity, which was very well and tastefully done at the end of the show when they're rounded up and put into the gas chambers - very moving. Sheila Hancock was brilliant as Fraulein Schneider; luckily she remained clothed.

I'm still oscillating slightly between being very glad I'm here and wishing like anything I was in Oxford. The likelihood of any sort of paid employment in Oxford is lower, but it's definitely more friendly and 'known'. Today I'm rather acutely aware of the fact that nothing is going to be easy in these next few months.

Stand Back Belsize Park

Well I've been installed in a leafy NW3 flat with a nice double bedroom, pretty living room, workable kitchen and lots bookshelves. All is perfect.

The fact that I don't have a job is a minor concern; something will turn up. I have more applications to do today and I feel as if I can start applying some gravely needed structure to my life. I'm slightly hungover after an initial evening of flatwarming - but that is to be expected.

Today I have explored the local area a little, found a Tesco Express and bought a few provisions - spending just over £8 of my weekly food shopping budget of £10. I'm saving £2 for something cool at the weekend when Hannah visits. I'm going to spend the afternoon applying for jobs and researching temping agencies.

Tomorrow! Is T-Day. Tomorrow I launch myself on an unsuspecting Finchley Road ready to get myself into menial employment. I realise I'd quite like a job, it would remove the feelings of guilt which at the moment come with every expenditure and every period of 'free' time.

The week is rather filling up. Will is coming to visit on Thursday and that only leaves tomorrow to find something to do in the evening. Easy as pie.

This evening I'm going to see Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre. I'm looking forward to it greatly.