had a nice xmas at home doing family stuff and eating far too much. weather has been terrible with constant rain, and my gym has been closed as well so there is not that much to do aside from eat and watch tv. things are getting back to normal now however and my gym will be open as normal this weekend and from wednesday onwards i can go on the evening as well. am carrying a little extra timber which i am going to lose over the next few weeks.
have been seeing facebook updates from a friend of mine who worked at the hedge fund i was at last year and who i saw a few weeks ago. if his status updates are anything to go by, i think its pretty safe to assume that his marriage has ended. its either that or he likes writing things on social media that are going to annoy his wife. come on dude, you know your wife hates you getting shitfaced, so i dont think its a good idea to post how wasted you are planning on getting on an evening out with your friends. oh well each to their own i guess.
i was working it out the other day that had i not left the last bank i was at i would have earned enough money in the last 3 and a half months to buy a nice shiny bmw 5 series, but then i thought about it and the only reason to earn money is so that you can take care of the people close to you that are important, and thats what i have been doing in that time. its been good to spend time with my mum and not leave her on her own so soon after my dad passed away, and thats more important than a beemer. money comes and goes, but once people are gone they are lost to you forever so you should cherish the time you spend with the ones that are important to you.
i mention that because i was talking to the guy whose marriage is coming to an end and he was saying how his wife was always saying they should save some money and buy their own apartment and settle into a place of their own instead of renting. he said he couldnt afford it but then 2 months ago he spent 40 grand on a new audi. you sometimes need to work out whats important to you and its different for everyone and there is no right or wrong thing....but if a car is more important than people then thats the wrong thing.
have also been doing little bits of gardening in between rain showers and i want to get as much done before i land a new contract and also so its looking nice for the summer, if we ever get one ever again, given the debacle that was summer 2012.
not much else going on. today i have mostly been listening to alex winston - velvet elvis. goodbye 2012. we look forward to a brighter day in 2013.
Friday 28 December 2012
Friday 21 December 2012
lullaby
after thinking i had gotten over my cold a few days ago i went to the gym again and felt fine, but the next day i had the mother of all colds again. clearly i had not shaken it off completely and i have barely left the house this week. the weather has been dark and wet and i have just staying in watch tv with a headache and body aching all over. today seems less bad than yesterday so hopefully things are getting better. i really need to go to the gym soon as i can feel myself just getting lazy and weak as the days go by. i dont want to slide to far down that mountain as its hard work climbing back up to where i was.
in other news, it seems like there is a big exodus from the hedge fund i worked at last year. a couple of guys that had been there years quit this week. all seems not to be well there. as i have been sat at home bored and ill this week, i have been doing some stock trading and i made 4 grand in the last 4 days, which is a nice bonus. merry xmas. i could just as easily found myself 4 grand down so i will not get carried away and think i am gordon gekko or something.
today i have mostly been listening to one of my favourite bands cover a song of one my other favourite bands. this is editors doing their version of Lullaby, by the cure. very good.
merry xmas.
in other news, it seems like there is a big exodus from the hedge fund i worked at last year. a couple of guys that had been there years quit this week. all seems not to be well there. as i have been sat at home bored and ill this week, i have been doing some stock trading and i made 4 grand in the last 4 days, which is a nice bonus. merry xmas. i could just as easily found myself 4 grand down so i will not get carried away and think i am gordon gekko or something.
today i have mostly been listening to one of my favourite bands cover a song of one my other favourite bands. this is editors doing their version of Lullaby, by the cure. very good.
merry xmas.
Sunday 16 December 2012
kettling
went to see the recruiter for the role about the hedge fund on friday to discuss the role and what it was about. sounds good and we shall see what happens with it but i doubt it will in 2012.
i cycled to the gym yesterday and felt ok on the way there. it was a little bit of extra effort but it was cold and shitty weather and its always quite unpleasant cycling on those condition. anyways, after about 20 mins in the gym whilst working out i started to feel unwell and dizzy and lightheaded and had to stop and go back to the changing rooms. all of a sudden i lost all power in my body and could barely lift anything. decided to get changed and go home which was an interesting experience as i had to cycle 7km, which is a bit difficult when you are dizzy and weak.
managed to make it home and spent the rest of the day huddled up watching tv and feeling unwell. today i feel the same and i think its a cold/flu thing but with out the blocked and running nose. i ache all over and i have a headache and am weak. hopefully it only lasts a couple of days and i get over it soon.
in other news it was very sad to hear about the massacre of children in newtown, conn. it reminded me of a couple of things i read recently. one was the murder of the the teenagers in norway and the other was when obama was wiping away tears in his press conference. it was an article i read about the killing of a 16 year old american by an american drone. you can read about it here, and next time you see Obama on tv balling his eyes out, remember they might be crocodile tears. killing kids is wrong whether its in newtown, norway or yemen, and whether its perpetrated by mentally unstable 20 year olds with guns or 51 year olds with drones. here is another drone strike that happened a few weeks ago and killed 3 children from the same family aged 8,10 and 12.
when you see the reporting that is still going on about the newtown massacre and now 2 days later the stories that are being reported about the names of the children and their families speaking about their grief, obama should remember that these 3 children he bombed had names as well and a mum and a dad that are overcome with grief. they are just as important as americans or british kids, even though they have darker skin and do not speak english. he said he thought of his own kids and as a parent when he heard about the newtown massacre. clearly he does not when its afghan kids, because he did not say anything about them. maybe they are un-humans. maybe he does not care or care enough to mention them. maybe it just seems like the right thing to say, when you say you are outraged by children being killed, as opposed to going on tv and saying you kill children, which is the policy he has put in place.
shame on mr obama and shame on him for pretending to be outraged by the killing of kids, when he clearly was not outraged and emotional a few weeks ago, when the same thing happened.
today i have mostly been listening to bloc party - kettling.
i cycled to the gym yesterday and felt ok on the way there. it was a little bit of extra effort but it was cold and shitty weather and its always quite unpleasant cycling on those condition. anyways, after about 20 mins in the gym whilst working out i started to feel unwell and dizzy and lightheaded and had to stop and go back to the changing rooms. all of a sudden i lost all power in my body and could barely lift anything. decided to get changed and go home which was an interesting experience as i had to cycle 7km, which is a bit difficult when you are dizzy and weak.
managed to make it home and spent the rest of the day huddled up watching tv and feeling unwell. today i feel the same and i think its a cold/flu thing but with out the blocked and running nose. i ache all over and i have a headache and am weak. hopefully it only lasts a couple of days and i get over it soon.
in other news it was very sad to hear about the massacre of children in newtown, conn. it reminded me of a couple of things i read recently. one was the murder of the the teenagers in norway and the other was when obama was wiping away tears in his press conference. it was an article i read about the killing of a 16 year old american by an american drone. you can read about it here, and next time you see Obama on tv balling his eyes out, remember they might be crocodile tears. killing kids is wrong whether its in newtown, norway or yemen, and whether its perpetrated by mentally unstable 20 year olds with guns or 51 year olds with drones. here is another drone strike that happened a few weeks ago and killed 3 children from the same family aged 8,10 and 12.
when you see the reporting that is still going on about the newtown massacre and now 2 days later the stories that are being reported about the names of the children and their families speaking about their grief, obama should remember that these 3 children he bombed had names as well and a mum and a dad that are overcome with grief. they are just as important as americans or british kids, even though they have darker skin and do not speak english. he said he thought of his own kids and as a parent when he heard about the newtown massacre. clearly he does not when its afghan kids, because he did not say anything about them. maybe they are un-humans. maybe he does not care or care enough to mention them. maybe it just seems like the right thing to say, when you say you are outraged by children being killed, as opposed to going on tv and saying you kill children, which is the policy he has put in place.
shame on mr obama and shame on him for pretending to be outraged by the killing of kids, when he clearly was not outraged and emotional a few weeks ago, when the same thing happened.
today i have mostly been listening to bloc party - kettling.
Wednesday 12 December 2012
the raveonettes
got a call from about a contract at a place i worked at earlier this year. its good money and they asked me if i wanted to do it. "no i don't want to do, but i guess i have to if there is nothing else out there".. i did not say that and said i would. it was a place i left after 3 months because i got an offer to go another investment bank, that i thought would be better but in fact it was worse. they asked me if i had anything else on the go as they didnt want me to pull that shit again and quit for a better offer somewhere else. i said i was cool and i had nothing else on.
.......and then 24 hours later i get mailed through linkedin by someone recruting for a hedge fund and it sounds like what might be my perfect job. so, actually i would pull that shit again if the hedge fund make me an offer. hey, you got to take care of yourself at times like these because no one else will.
today i have been listening to the ravonettes - she owns the streets. just a very good tune and song.
gangnam style gets over 900 million plays on youtube and this only gets 37,000. what the fuck is going on in the world.
stop the world, i want to get off now. dont leave me with these idiots. there are just too many of them and i cant take them all on. do your bit for resisting stupidity and have a listen to the raveonettes. bands that write songs and play instruments and write tunes that make you feel something or remind you of someone or something or stir some kind of emotion in you, need to be supported.
.......and then 24 hours later i get mailed through linkedin by someone recruting for a hedge fund and it sounds like what might be my perfect job. so, actually i would pull that shit again if the hedge fund make me an offer. hey, you got to take care of yourself at times like these because no one else will.
today i have been listening to the ravonettes - she owns the streets. just a very good tune and song.
gangnam style gets over 900 million plays on youtube and this only gets 37,000. what the fuck is going on in the world.
stop the world, i want to get off now. dont leave me with these idiots. there are just too many of them and i cant take them all on. do your bit for resisting stupidity and have a listen to the raveonettes. bands that write songs and play instruments and write tunes that make you feel something or remind you of someone or something or stir some kind of emotion in you, need to be supported.
Monday 10 December 2012
solange
am training like a beast recently. am coming up to a peak of conditioning that i have not been at many times and it feels good. am lucky that i have time during the day to do stuff around the house and in the evening once or twice a week and on the weekend i can go to the gym and train hard and not have to worry about rushing back.
i feel very lucky to be able to afford to not have to work and to be picky about what i apply for next. seeing as i have not heard back from the 2 places that did the phone interviews a week or two ago, its safe to assume that nothing will come up till the end of the year. i have worked in firms over christmas and there are change freezes and half the staff are on holiday on any given day. 2013 will be a fresh start.
was checking on my training app on my phone and i am coming up to nearly 2,400km cycled. i know i only do about 80-100km a month but it was a bit of a surpise to see 2,400km. that is pretty far and further than the distance between london and rome. i have access to a car but unless its raining i resist using it and always try and cycle to the gym. have been relatively lucky with the weather so far and we have even seen the sky and a bit of sunshine recently. it is getting very cold though now. still, at least its not raining or snowing.
am not going to play football this week either. i am not missing it yet so will pass. am also trying to do as much around the house and in the garden and garage as i can before the new year. i want to get everything done before i might have to start a new contract. chopped down a tree last week. thats like a gym work out in itself. am going to do some planting and hopefully it will be blooming come the summer. my dad always liked to have the garden full of plants and colour.
thats it. am going to meet up with some friends before christmas and will be home doing family stuff. nice and quiet. hopefully most the lawyer stuff will be dealt with as well in the next couple of weeks. i had more hassle with my bank, santander, today but slowly we are unravelling the mess they made me.
the days start getting longer in 12 days, not that i am counting each day down or anything. you cant tell the difference for a month or so, but psychologically its a boost and i need a boost.
today i have mostly been listening to solange - losing you. from bruce to beyonces sister. i will listen to anything good, and this is.
i feel very lucky to be able to afford to not have to work and to be picky about what i apply for next. seeing as i have not heard back from the 2 places that did the phone interviews a week or two ago, its safe to assume that nothing will come up till the end of the year. i have worked in firms over christmas and there are change freezes and half the staff are on holiday on any given day. 2013 will be a fresh start.
was checking on my training app on my phone and i am coming up to nearly 2,400km cycled. i know i only do about 80-100km a month but it was a bit of a surpise to see 2,400km. that is pretty far and further than the distance between london and rome. i have access to a car but unless its raining i resist using it and always try and cycle to the gym. have been relatively lucky with the weather so far and we have even seen the sky and a bit of sunshine recently. it is getting very cold though now. still, at least its not raining or snowing.
am not going to play football this week either. i am not missing it yet so will pass. am also trying to do as much around the house and in the garden and garage as i can before the new year. i want to get everything done before i might have to start a new contract. chopped down a tree last week. thats like a gym work out in itself. am going to do some planting and hopefully it will be blooming come the summer. my dad always liked to have the garden full of plants and colour.
thats it. am going to meet up with some friends before christmas and will be home doing family stuff. nice and quiet. hopefully most the lawyer stuff will be dealt with as well in the next couple of weeks. i had more hassle with my bank, santander, today but slowly we are unravelling the mess they made me.
the days start getting longer in 12 days, not that i am counting each day down or anything. you cant tell the difference for a month or so, but psychologically its a boost and i need a boost.
today i have mostly been listening to solange - losing you. from bruce to beyonces sister. i will listen to anything good, and this is.
Saturday 8 December 2012
bruce
i told the guys earlier in the week that i was not going to play football and it turns out like i picked the right week as it was raining and cold for the whole of thursday evening and it would have been thoroughly unpleasant to play in. its bad enough that no one can pass the ball or cant shoot straight but having to put up with that whilst freezing your ass off whilst getting progressively colder and wetter just makes things miles worse.
i will cycle to the gym and have managed to cycle the last couple of weekends and have found breaks in the weather. it is freezing cold and so cold that it stings your face whilst riding. its only 18 minutes and i always train better afterwards so i cant complain. we are almost exactly 2 weeks away from the shortest day of the year and then we start the long road out of the darkness and into the light.
was dealing with more lawyer and bank stuff today. christ, its a lot of work. thank goodness i have the time to deal with all this shit. i was supposed to go out with some of the guys from the hedge fund i worked at last year but one of my good friends from there could not make it and i decided i would pass as well as he is one of the few people who can talk about something apart from what car/watch/tv/stereo is going to be purchased next. i dont think i could take 3 hours of listening to why an audi q7 is better than a range rover and i dont really care.
today i have mostly been listening to bruce springsteen - thunder road
i will cycle to the gym and have managed to cycle the last couple of weekends and have found breaks in the weather. it is freezing cold and so cold that it stings your face whilst riding. its only 18 minutes and i always train better afterwards so i cant complain. we are almost exactly 2 weeks away from the shortest day of the year and then we start the long road out of the darkness and into the light.
was dealing with more lawyer and bank stuff today. christ, its a lot of work. thank goodness i have the time to deal with all this shit. i was supposed to go out with some of the guys from the hedge fund i worked at last year but one of my good friends from there could not make it and i decided i would pass as well as he is one of the few people who can talk about something apart from what car/watch/tv/stereo is going to be purchased next. i dont think i could take 3 hours of listening to why an audi q7 is better than a range rover and i dont really care.
today i have mostly been listening to bruce springsteen - thunder road
Monday 3 December 2012
national anthem
christ, its a good thing i have my days free as i have been dealing with so much lawyer and bank shit the last week or so, that i dont know how i would have coped had i been working at the same time. fingers crossed, i wont have much more to do with the lawyer taking care of all my dads stuff aside from a few signatures and details. its taken quite a while to get all the information together and its an effort trying to trace every single account and certificates and insurance policies and other stuff. i think we are close to the end.
on top of all that, my bank, Santander, did a couple of massive fuck ups which took up a lot of my time. i opened a new account for myself on their advice as the account i had paid no interest and this new one does. rather than have 2 accounts to manage i asked them to move my debits from the old account to the new one. my mortgage being the most important thing and i arranged little things like gym membership of phone bill. i also told them not to touch any of my dads accounts and direct debits as the lawyer was doing all the paperwork and would be in touch about transferring it to my mum. my dad had a mortgage and i have been transferring money into his old account so that the mortgage can carry on being paid as it is, until the names can be changed.
so what did my bank do?. they cancelled all my dads direct debits before they could get transferred to my mum by the lawyer. cable tv, mortgage, council tax all gone. and they also did not move my mortgage payments to my new account, which they told me to do. luckily i had enough money in the old account to pay my mortgage, but i have spent the last couple of days trying to manually pay all the direct debits that got cancelled from my dads account. i have been topping up his account by a couple of grand a month to make sure there were always enough money to pay for everything and whilst i can put money into his account i cant take anything out. it means i have had to pay all the bills last month out of my own accounts despite transferring money into my dads account so they got paid that way.
to sum up, when dealing with santander, its always good to have at least 4 months of mortgage payments on hand because there is no telling that they will take the money from the correct account, if they take it at all. fucking muppets. its been such a headache getting all this shit
sorted with the lawyer and i really did not need these fucktards to give me extra shit to sort out.
Santander are also the same people who without actually saying the words "drug dealer", "gun runner", "another Nick Leeson" "London whale", accused me of having a suspiciously large amount of money not commensurate with someone who works with computers for a living, when i applied for my mortgage. they had no fucking problem with my money whilst it was accumalating in their accounts but they decided to get religion when i decided to borrow some for a mortgage. its a horrible experience dealing with them. i think this might be a good time to bail on them and move to another bank. i will do so once i get all this other shit sorted.
also since i have changed my account i asked the people who are renting my apartment to pay the rent into the new account. i told them 5 weeks ago and today i get a call saying they paid in cash and for me to pick it up. cash!!, what the fuck?. its bad enough that they think i am drug dealer at my bank, now i have to turn up with wads of cash to pay in every month. thanks.
2012 can fuck right off. its been shit. my dad died in may and since then its been pretty awful with the exception of 10 days in NY and cali. please 2013 be good to me, i am not sure how much more i can take.
today i have mostly been listening to the gaslight anthem - national anthem. this was on my playlist in the US in september. great song. this is an album track from their last album, handwritten. if you are going to buy one album of theirs, dont buy this one. buy 'the 59 sound' its a better album as a whole. saw them on tour around that time and play in hollywood. what a great night that was. i can close my eyes and remember it all. good times. got to remember the good times in times like these.
on top of all that, my bank, Santander, did a couple of massive fuck ups which took up a lot of my time. i opened a new account for myself on their advice as the account i had paid no interest and this new one does. rather than have 2 accounts to manage i asked them to move my debits from the old account to the new one. my mortgage being the most important thing and i arranged little things like gym membership of phone bill. i also told them not to touch any of my dads accounts and direct debits as the lawyer was doing all the paperwork and would be in touch about transferring it to my mum. my dad had a mortgage and i have been transferring money into his old account so that the mortgage can carry on being paid as it is, until the names can be changed.
so what did my bank do?. they cancelled all my dads direct debits before they could get transferred to my mum by the lawyer. cable tv, mortgage, council tax all gone. and they also did not move my mortgage payments to my new account, which they told me to do. luckily i had enough money in the old account to pay my mortgage, but i have spent the last couple of days trying to manually pay all the direct debits that got cancelled from my dads account. i have been topping up his account by a couple of grand a month to make sure there were always enough money to pay for everything and whilst i can put money into his account i cant take anything out. it means i have had to pay all the bills last month out of my own accounts despite transferring money into my dads account so they got paid that way.
to sum up, when dealing with santander, its always good to have at least 4 months of mortgage payments on hand because there is no telling that they will take the money from the correct account, if they take it at all. fucking muppets. its been such a headache getting all this shit
sorted with the lawyer and i really did not need these fucktards to give me extra shit to sort out.
Santander are also the same people who without actually saying the words "drug dealer", "gun runner", "another Nick Leeson" "London whale", accused me of having a suspiciously large amount of money not commensurate with someone who works with computers for a living, when i applied for my mortgage. they had no fucking problem with my money whilst it was accumalating in their accounts but they decided to get religion when i decided to borrow some for a mortgage. its a horrible experience dealing with them. i think this might be a good time to bail on them and move to another bank. i will do so once i get all this other shit sorted.
also since i have changed my account i asked the people who are renting my apartment to pay the rent into the new account. i told them 5 weeks ago and today i get a call saying they paid in cash and for me to pick it up. cash!!, what the fuck?. its bad enough that they think i am drug dealer at my bank, now i have to turn up with wads of cash to pay in every month. thanks.
2012 can fuck right off. its been shit. my dad died in may and since then its been pretty awful with the exception of 10 days in NY and cali. please 2013 be good to me, i am not sure how much more i can take.
today i have mostly been listening to the gaslight anthem - national anthem. this was on my playlist in the US in september. great song. this is an album track from their last album, handwritten. if you are going to buy one album of theirs, dont buy this one. buy 'the 59 sound' its a better album as a whole. saw them on tour around that time and play in hollywood. what a great night that was. i can close my eyes and remember it all. good times. got to remember the good times in times like these.
Saturday 1 December 2012
football rant
had my telephone interview on thursday and it seemed to go ok. might hear something back from them this coming week.
had football last on thursday as well and i did not enjoy it at all. i have had quite a few times recently where i have not like it as much as i used to. anyways, it all ended with me getting frustrated with it all and in the last minute i slid in hard against one of the guys on the other team and commited a hard foul. it was not a nice thing to do but there were mitigating circumstances leading up to it.
firstly, i play football to play football and not just to run around for an hour on a thursday night. i was already annoyed 2 minutes into the game because we had a guy in goal who did 2 terrible mistakes and let in 2 easy goals. he then had the nerve to then turn to me and tell me i have to run around more. excuse me!. you just fucked up twice and you are giving me advice on how to play the game.
here is some advice for you. when you are in goal, play the ball out to someone on your own team and not straight to the opposition player who then takes one step and slams the ball straight past you. oh, and then do not do the same thing 60 seconds later with the same result. i suggest you concentrate on your own deficiencies than telling others what they are doing wrong. when you fuck up in goal at any level, just remember it was your fault and keep your mouth shut. dont start instructing your team mates what they should do, see clip below
above is similar to what he did....twice in 2 minutes, and then he got mouthy afterwards.
secondly, there are 2 guys on the other team who just do niggling kicks at you. its not hard and its not malicous. its just that they are a bit clumsy and dont really know how to play. whenever you are in possesion and shielding the ball from one of them they insist on trying to kick the ball from around you even though you have your body between the ball and unless they have legs that are a foot longer, its impossible to get the ball. they just end up banging into your knees and ankles. see clip below. even these school children dont attempt to kick around the player when he is shielding the ball. kids know that shit, so why dont you fellas, but they insist on trying to kick the ball and only end up kicking your knee or ankle of calf, because the ball is out of reach.
anyways, after an hour of this shit as well as people running with ball and incapable of passing it, missing easy chances to score goals which makes the clip below look like nothing, i had had enough.
i have played football all my life. i love playing and i dont care if my team wins or loses. i just dont like spending an hour running around in the cold, passing it to team mates and trying to play properly whilst people who know less about playing the game tell me how to play the game and people with a fraction of the talent and skill kick me every time i get the ball, so i snapped. its happened before as well. about 6 months ago the exact same thing happened. i didnt end up going the following week so it would give me a break from it.
we had a really good group of friends that played with us when we first started playing about 6 or 7 years ago. since then a few of them have dropped out for one reason or another and to make up the numbers, a few new guys have started playing that clearly have never played the game much before. i used to play every day at school. i played for my school team from the age of 7 all the way through high school till i was 18 and i carried on playing with my friends in the summer when i was university. some of these guys look like they never played at school in the playground let alone for a school team in a proper game and some of them have clearly no idea about how to play the game. they cant shoot, they cant kick with both feet, they cant control the ball and they kick you in the knee and calf when you are shielding the ball and despite the fact they did not get the ball insist on trying again and again to do it, to the point a few minutes later you are so angry that you charge in and do a hard foul against them.
Sunday 25 November 2012
in a moment
got the call again today to play football tonight but i told them i would pass. having cycled to the gym today and done a big workout there, i dont think i would have enjoyed it and last sunday was fun for the first hour but painful for the second hour. thank goodness i didnt have a job to go to on monday as i was so sore. also rather typically of my friends, i have hardly ever got calls for an extra football session in the warmer months of june-august, but they have started it at the end of november.
we had torrential rain on thursday night for the last 10 minutes of our game and it also rained all day yesterday. when i say all day i mean it. it did not stop raining from when i woke up at 9:30am till i went to bed at around 12:30am. lots of towns in the west of england have been flooded and it seems to be an annual occurence now. still at least our prime minister is dealing with big issues facing humanity like climate change.oh...hang on....he has said fuck all about it. maybe they didnt teach it at eton and oxford...maybe they didnt teach him how to read...maybe they told him to do just what rupert murdoch says....
will have to chase up the lawyer dealing with all my dads estate. that man is the slowest working man in the world but maybe thats because he is charging £125/hour so i guess you would have an incentive to work slow. the slower you guy the nicer car you can afford to buy. i am guessing he drives a lamborghini given how slow he dealing with all my stuff. will send him a gentle reminder as i would like to get all the things done before the end of the year. i have the time to deal with all this shit at the moment and i really dont want it dragging on into january when i will be looking for potential new contracts. have applied for a few things but i dont think anything will happen before 2013. goodbye 2012. in may of this year i had the worst days of my life and i will be glad to start a new one.
today i have mostly been listening to stereophonics - in a moment.
i saw this film a couple of nights ago. it was very good.
we had torrential rain on thursday night for the last 10 minutes of our game and it also rained all day yesterday. when i say all day i mean it. it did not stop raining from when i woke up at 9:30am till i went to bed at around 12:30am. lots of towns in the west of england have been flooded and it seems to be an annual occurence now. still at least our prime minister is dealing with big issues facing humanity like climate change.oh...hang on....he has said fuck all about it. maybe they didnt teach it at eton and oxford...maybe they didnt teach him how to read...maybe they told him to do just what rupert murdoch says....
will have to chase up the lawyer dealing with all my dads estate. that man is the slowest working man in the world but maybe thats because he is charging £125/hour so i guess you would have an incentive to work slow. the slower you guy the nicer car you can afford to buy. i am guessing he drives a lamborghini given how slow he dealing with all my stuff. will send him a gentle reminder as i would like to get all the things done before the end of the year. i have the time to deal with all this shit at the moment and i really dont want it dragging on into january when i will be looking for potential new contracts. have applied for a few things but i dont think anything will happen before 2013. goodbye 2012. in may of this year i had the worst days of my life and i will be glad to start a new one.
today i have mostly been listening to stereophonics - in a moment.
i saw this film a couple of nights ago. it was very good.
Monday 19 November 2012
public enemy
it was a lovely sunny crisp winters day yesterday so i cycled to the gym and had the mother of all workouts yesterday. the creatine supplement is really kicking in now and i am lifting 15% more weight than i was just 2 weeks ago. when i got home i got a message from the guys i play football with and they said they were going to have a sunday night game, so i went to that as well.
whilst pleasant in the winter sunshine, the temperature plummeted once the sun went down and it was freezing to be playing in it last night. the other issue was that we had booked the pitch for 2 hours. you find yourself in a viscous circle after a while, where you get tired and so you dont run around as much, but then its so cold that all your muscles ache and so you cant run around even if you want to get warmer so you end up getting progressively colder and colder and your muscles ache more and more and there is nothing you can do about it. by the end of the game i was shattered. still, its all good fun and got to be done.
heard from a friend of mine and it looks like his marriage is falling apart. i remember a couple of months back he said his wife didnt like him getting drunk so often, but all he seems to write on facebook is how big a night he had and how wasted he got. you read this stuff and think your missus aint going to like that, maybe you should calm down. i dont drink so i cant sympathise but if it came to a choice between getting drunk or your wife, you would think you would choose your wife. he chose the booze. anyways it looks like its going to end soon i think. people got shit going on.
was going to go to the gym tomorrow but instead i think i will concentrate on cutting down a tree in the garden. need to get shit like this done whilst i have the time. will go to the gym on wednesday. hopefully swedish lingerie model is going for her usual midweek work out as well.
had a call about a 2 month contract at an investment bank. told them i would do it and the fact that its 2 months is good. those places are brain cemeteries and i dont want to spend too long in one. just enough time to top up my bank account and get me into the new year.
today i have mostly been listening to public enemy - harder than you think. wicked tune.
whilst pleasant in the winter sunshine, the temperature plummeted once the sun went down and it was freezing to be playing in it last night. the other issue was that we had booked the pitch for 2 hours. you find yourself in a viscous circle after a while, where you get tired and so you dont run around as much, but then its so cold that all your muscles ache and so you cant run around even if you want to get warmer so you end up getting progressively colder and colder and your muscles ache more and more and there is nothing you can do about it. by the end of the game i was shattered. still, its all good fun and got to be done.
heard from a friend of mine and it looks like his marriage is falling apart. i remember a couple of months back he said his wife didnt like him getting drunk so often, but all he seems to write on facebook is how big a night he had and how wasted he got. you read this stuff and think your missus aint going to like that, maybe you should calm down. i dont drink so i cant sympathise but if it came to a choice between getting drunk or your wife, you would think you would choose your wife. he chose the booze. anyways it looks like its going to end soon i think. people got shit going on.
was going to go to the gym tomorrow but instead i think i will concentrate on cutting down a tree in the garden. need to get shit like this done whilst i have the time. will go to the gym on wednesday. hopefully swedish lingerie model is going for her usual midweek work out as well.
had a call about a 2 month contract at an investment bank. told them i would do it and the fact that its 2 months is good. those places are brain cemeteries and i dont want to spend too long in one. just enough time to top up my bank account and get me into the new year.
today i have mostly been listening to public enemy - harder than you think. wicked tune.
Sunday 11 November 2012
winter
after my close shave with a white van driver, it would appear that olympic time trial champion and current tour de france winner, bradley wiggins was not quite as lucky. what is it with people that drive white vans?. actually there are 3 vehicles you have to watch out for. white van drivers, taxi drivers, and people who drive 2 seater bmws like the Z3 and Z4. Z4's are almost exclusively driven by complete idiots.
again on saturday a z4 came charging up from behind me just as i was coming to a left turn and he had just got about 2 meters in front of me before he made a sharp left right across me. he could clearly see i was there because it was daylight and he came from far behind me, but because he was a Z4 driver he was a dickhead and its normal behaviour for them. as i passed him at the traffic light he was stopped at, i shouted across to him "is it only cunts that are allowed to buy Z4's or can anyone else get one, you fucking wanker!!".
again, i know its a little agressive and leary to say that to someone but there is no way in hell i could lose a fight to someone driving a Z4. this guy looked like he went to the gym but only to use the sunbed and besides, i am juiced up on creatine the last couple of weeks and that shit is like miracle grow. i am miles stronger than i was a few weeks ago. had he got out and fancied himself as a pugilist he might have needed to go to a dentist to replace some teeth instead of just getting them whitened as it looked like he was going for that american newsreader look.
in other news, i passed my windows server 2012 exam. there aren't any other 2012 exams out that moment that i could do even if i wanted to so it looks like thats me done for a few weeks at least.
had lunch with a friend of mine who said there was a job going at his place and that he would like to hire me for it. i told him i would go for it but i did make clear that i did not want the fact that i knew him to prejudice the process and that i would prefer if someone else would interview me and for them to take references from other employers i had been at and not from where i worked with him at. i would want the job because i was the best person out there and not for any other reason. will see what happens.
today i have mostly been listening to tori amos - winter. fantastic song and performance.
again on saturday a z4 came charging up from behind me just as i was coming to a left turn and he had just got about 2 meters in front of me before he made a sharp left right across me. he could clearly see i was there because it was daylight and he came from far behind me, but because he was a Z4 driver he was a dickhead and its normal behaviour for them. as i passed him at the traffic light he was stopped at, i shouted across to him "is it only cunts that are allowed to buy Z4's or can anyone else get one, you fucking wanker!!".
again, i know its a little agressive and leary to say that to someone but there is no way in hell i could lose a fight to someone driving a Z4. this guy looked like he went to the gym but only to use the sunbed and besides, i am juiced up on creatine the last couple of weeks and that shit is like miracle grow. i am miles stronger than i was a few weeks ago. had he got out and fancied himself as a pugilist he might have needed to go to a dentist to replace some teeth instead of just getting them whitened as it looked like he was going for that american newsreader look.
in other news, i passed my windows server 2012 exam. there aren't any other 2012 exams out that moment that i could do even if i wanted to so it looks like thats me done for a few weeks at least.
had lunch with a friend of mine who said there was a job going at his place and that he would like to hire me for it. i told him i would go for it but i did make clear that i did not want the fact that i knew him to prejudice the process and that i would prefer if someone else would interview me and for them to take references from other employers i had been at and not from where i worked with him at. i would want the job because i was the best person out there and not for any other reason. will see what happens.
today i have mostly been listening to tori amos - winter. fantastic song and performance.
Wednesday 7 November 2012
the cure
have been studying for an exam and i have it tomorrow. its a windows 2012 server upgrade exam so if i get it, i wont have to take any more microsoft exams for at least 3 or 4 years. i think i probably will end up doing other exams but if i wanted to just quit doing exams i could after tomorrow and for a very long time.
as is always the case, the more i study, the more i train and i have done my best training for months over the last couple of weeks. i feel markedly stronger and thats because i have also been back to taking a supplement. let me state, that i dont drink, or smoke or do drugs or even take any tablets for headaches or colds. if things get really bad i might drink a hot lemon drink or take a paracetemol but even that is rare.
i have though taken a muscle building supplement containing creatine which is legal and not a banned substance. its like taking multi vitamins or protein shakes or something similar. i used to take it a couple of years ago but then i just stopped and wanted to see if would make a difference. 2 weeks ago i bought some more and even in 2 weeks i can feel the difference. i am no lance armstrong, but that shit is good.
no word regarding new contracts and strangely enough i am still not worried. have got enough other stuff regarding all my dads stuff to get sorted out. am having to deal with santander, my bank and my lates fathers bank, and as has been the case when i have dealt with them they are being complete fucktards. someone please grow a brain and use some sense instead of just being a form filller. this is what seperates us from the machines. intelligence.
today i have mostly been listening to the cure - disintegration. i usually try and post a mix of my favourites and some new songs that i hear on the radio or internet, but i have not been listening to the radio too much because they have been playing a song by a new solo 'artist' that i fucking hate because it represents everything that is wrong in music in 4 minutes.
its a song called 'two fingers' by a new singer called jake bugg and the radio station insists on playing it every hour and it annoys me like crazy whenever i hear it. its just generic indie guitar music thats unoriginal and insipid and just shit. they are lauding him up as the next bright new singer songerwriter of this year but to me he may as well be an x-factor contestant, because i hear no talent or originality but clearly record companies and media companies have decided to playlist the shit out of his records in the hope of gaining the 18-34 demographic for advertisers. obviously i am not going to post a link to it because that would defeat the purpose of what i just said but if you like generic guitar music sung by blokes with shaggy hair cuts and wearing jeans along the lines of late oasis, razorlight, graham coxon, blur, and some artic monkeys then look him up.
if you like music that isnt a direct copy of 60s british pop music but is original and interesting and clever then listen to mr smith and his band, the cure. what a stunning song. great mucical arrangement that clearly took a bit of effort to put together and more than just 3 chords on a guitar. there is so much to listen to instrumentally before he even starts singing and when the vocal does start its not in a fake northern/american accent trying to sound like liam gallager in a whiny voice, but a real singing voice that contains emotions, and then you listen to what he is singing and its not verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge chorus, but has a unique flow that tells the story lyrically in interesting and thoughful ways. its the exact opposite of what those twats like the NME and Radio 1 ( and unfortunately Xfm with the exception of Eddie TM and john kennedy) play incessantly. this does not get played on the radio, has not been on a commercial, is not going to be a ringtone. enjoy.
Tuesday 23 October 2012
missing cali
still no new contract, but i still dont care. saved my money, wasnt silly, didnt buy a flashy car and so i have no pressing financial need to take any contract that comes up. i worked out that given my monthly expenditure on bills and expenses, i have enough saved up to last me 16 years, so i am not worried after 1 month.
weather in london is misty and grey. its been a while since i saw the sun and i am missing it badly and i can feel a cold coming on which is not great. have been training quite well at the gym and i also booked a windows 2012 exam for next week, so i have stuff to keep me busy and productive.
god, i wish i was back in cali right now. this is maximo park at the el rey theater last month. i was at this show. what a great night, but it feels like a long time ago already.
weather in london is misty and grey. its been a while since i saw the sun and i am missing it badly and i can feel a cold coming on which is not great. have been training quite well at the gym and i also booked a windows 2012 exam for next week, so i have stuff to keep me busy and productive.
god, i wish i was back in cali right now. this is maximo park at the el rey theater last month. i was at this show. what a great night, but it feels like a long time ago already.
Saturday 13 October 2012
long night of life
got a call and will probably have an interview some time this week at a large publishing company. will see how it goes. also one or two other things on the go at the moment so maybe one of them will come through as well. would be good to get something even if its short term just to get me through to the end of 2012.
have been training hard at the gym and because we have started playing football on a wednesday night on a big pitch instead of our usual 5-a-side pitches i did a bit of running at the gym after my normal work out and to go with the cycling. i need to be able to run a lot on a big pitch. speaking of cycling, the last couple of times i have cycled to the gym i have come across, what i can only accurately describe at complete fucking cunt bastards. these cunt bastards are exclusively driving taxis or white vans and are cockney wankers.
some guy in a white van came charging up behind me today, beeped at me and then cut straight across my path. i had seen him at the traffic lights about 10 seconds earlier and i remember thinking he looked like like jabba the hut, only fatter and sweatier and more of a fucktard, and then 10 seconds later he proved it. he was probably 5 seconds late for dinner and thats an emergency for a 22 stone cockney wanker. i shouted an obsenity at him and at one stage it crossed my mind what i would do if he stopped his van and got out.
because he was a cockney wanker he would probably fancy himself in a fight, but i wasn't worried because i do boxing at the gym and regularly do 3 rounds on the bag to build up speed and accuracy and there is no way in hell i would get my ass kicked by someone who has spent their entire adult life consuming triple the daily recommended calorie intake for an adult male and someone who was so fat they havent seen their own dick in decades.
no, i was worried that if he did fancy himself as rocky, he might actually have a coronary and keel over and die on me in the middle of the road. he probably thought the same thing because he drove away.
too many idiots driving around in london. maybe its the same in LA, but i didnt really too much of it and everyone seemed to be chilled. god i hate it here. london is so shit and especially so as we slide into winter. long dark nights and dark overcast days. even if there weren't cockney cunt bastards driving white vans, it would be grim.
met up with a few of the guys i worked with at the hedge fund last year. they all seem well. lots of changes going on at the hedge fund and one of the managers got made redundant. hope he did what i did and saved his money and didnt have a big car and a big mortgage, but i doubt it. one of the guys i met just bought a new audi and is paying 550/month for the next 4 years to pay it off, as well as trading in his old audi. people who work in hedge funds and investment banks need to realise its a bubble and not connected with reality compared to how most other people live. i can remember having some good months were you would earn £10 -12,000 in a month for a few months in a row, but i always tried to remind myself it was not something i should get to used to.they also need to remember that nothing lasts forever and sometimes unexpected shit happens, or as in my case you tell them to keep their 10 grand a month because you think you are better than their boring job, :-).
today i have mostly been listening to dan le sac - long night of life. wicked tune.
have been training hard at the gym and because we have started playing football on a wednesday night on a big pitch instead of our usual 5-a-side pitches i did a bit of running at the gym after my normal work out and to go with the cycling. i need to be able to run a lot on a big pitch. speaking of cycling, the last couple of times i have cycled to the gym i have come across, what i can only accurately describe at complete fucking cunt bastards. these cunt bastards are exclusively driving taxis or white vans and are cockney wankers.
some guy in a white van came charging up behind me today, beeped at me and then cut straight across my path. i had seen him at the traffic lights about 10 seconds earlier and i remember thinking he looked like like jabba the hut, only fatter and sweatier and more of a fucktard, and then 10 seconds later he proved it. he was probably 5 seconds late for dinner and thats an emergency for a 22 stone cockney wanker. i shouted an obsenity at him and at one stage it crossed my mind what i would do if he stopped his van and got out.
because he was a cockney wanker he would probably fancy himself in a fight, but i wasn't worried because i do boxing at the gym and regularly do 3 rounds on the bag to build up speed and accuracy and there is no way in hell i would get my ass kicked by someone who has spent their entire adult life consuming triple the daily recommended calorie intake for an adult male and someone who was so fat they havent seen their own dick in decades.
no, i was worried that if he did fancy himself as rocky, he might actually have a coronary and keel over and die on me in the middle of the road. he probably thought the same thing because he drove away.
too many idiots driving around in london. maybe its the same in LA, but i didnt really too much of it and everyone seemed to be chilled. god i hate it here. london is so shit and especially so as we slide into winter. long dark nights and dark overcast days. even if there weren't cockney cunt bastards driving white vans, it would be grim.
met up with a few of the guys i worked with at the hedge fund last year. they all seem well. lots of changes going on at the hedge fund and one of the managers got made redundant. hope he did what i did and saved his money and didnt have a big car and a big mortgage, but i doubt it. one of the guys i met just bought a new audi and is paying 550/month for the next 4 years to pay it off, as well as trading in his old audi. people who work in hedge funds and investment banks need to realise its a bubble and not connected with reality compared to how most other people live. i can remember having some good months were you would earn £10 -12,000 in a month for a few months in a row, but i always tried to remind myself it was not something i should get to used to.they also need to remember that nothing lasts forever and sometimes unexpected shit happens, or as in my case you tell them to keep their 10 grand a month because you think you are better than their boring job, :-).
today i have mostly been listening to dan le sac - long night of life. wicked tune.
Monday 8 October 2012
deaf club
i got a call from the agent representing me for the contract at the oil services firm and he said i was down to the last 2 and that i would be getting called in for an interview in the next few days once they sorted out times. i havent heard anything from the other firm that does the internet movie streaming which was the one i was really looking forward to. beggars cant be choosers i guess and the oil firm is more lucrative, but if i was really interested in money i would not have turned down a contract worth the equivalent of a hundred grand a year at the last bank i worked at. i try and not let money influence where i work but everyone has bills to pay and it does play some part in the decision though i like to think less than it would with most people i know.
freedom and choice is being able to choose which job you take and which one to turn down and still able to take care of the people close to you in difficult times and for my mum to have no money worries now that my dad has passed because i can pay all the funeral costs and lawyers bills whether i am in a contract or not. i have a buffer of a few years salary saved up and its partly for the reason that sometimes emergencies come up and also its a product of not being taken in by the rampant consumerism. freedom is not choosing which audi you want to buy and then paying it off over 3 years by which time it looks dated and you cant remember why you bought the thing in the first place. a friend of mine from the hedge fund just bought a new audi and another guy just bought 2 new audis (Q7 and a TT). ridiculous.
maybe its the influence of my dad but i doubt he would have liked it if i had bought a flashy car before i bought my own place. both the guys with the new audis still rent their houses/apartments but drive their flashy new cars. i have a beautiful flat that i have mostly paid off and a bicycle. i am happy with that.
speaking of bikes i rode to the gym the last couple of days and i have been training well since i got back from my holiday. in a couple of weeks i think i will be getting back to lifting personal maximums again which will be good. i got no work these days so i really have no excuse not to go to the gym and actually it feels really good when i do go. training stress free is a nice feeling. it wont last forever but i will make the most of it. football has been good the last couple of weeks as well. its nice having time to breath and do stuff as opposed to cramming things to do in the evenings and then being up early next morning for work. this break feels good.
today i have mostly been listening to deaf club - break it slow. its available as a free download. the girl singing sounds a bit like beth orton and its a very good song from a new band. support new music and not that x-factor karaoke shite thats all over the tv.
freedom and choice is being able to choose which job you take and which one to turn down and still able to take care of the people close to you in difficult times and for my mum to have no money worries now that my dad has passed because i can pay all the funeral costs and lawyers bills whether i am in a contract or not. i have a buffer of a few years salary saved up and its partly for the reason that sometimes emergencies come up and also its a product of not being taken in by the rampant consumerism. freedom is not choosing which audi you want to buy and then paying it off over 3 years by which time it looks dated and you cant remember why you bought the thing in the first place. a friend of mine from the hedge fund just bought a new audi and another guy just bought 2 new audis (Q7 and a TT). ridiculous.
maybe its the influence of my dad but i doubt he would have liked it if i had bought a flashy car before i bought my own place. both the guys with the new audis still rent their houses/apartments but drive their flashy new cars. i have a beautiful flat that i have mostly paid off and a bicycle. i am happy with that.
speaking of bikes i rode to the gym the last couple of days and i have been training well since i got back from my holiday. in a couple of weeks i think i will be getting back to lifting personal maximums again which will be good. i got no work these days so i really have no excuse not to go to the gym and actually it feels really good when i do go. training stress free is a nice feeling. it wont last forever but i will make the most of it. football has been good the last couple of weeks as well. its nice having time to breath and do stuff as opposed to cramming things to do in the evenings and then being up early next morning for work. this break feels good.
today i have mostly been listening to deaf club - break it slow. its available as a free download. the girl singing sounds a bit like beth orton and its a very good song from a new band. support new music and not that x-factor karaoke shite thats all over the tv.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
baby love child
it was such a downer getting back from sunny california (and new york) that in my last post i could barely bring myself to post anything and just put the pics and a few sentences. it been just over a week since i got back and it feels like a long time ago already. thats not good.
California and New York were lovely. i was in NY for 2 days and the first day i went to the Brooklyn museum of art and park slope and prospect park, and on the second day i went to Williamsburg and to see the NY RedBulls play in new jersey.
i then flew to LA and picked up the mustang and drove to san fran to stay with my friend for a couple of days. i went to the city on both days and did a bit of shopping and went to ocean beach. i then drove back to LA and went to venice beach, and saw a great film called 'the master' in Hollywood. the next day i went to san diego for a day to see my friend and then in the evening i drove back to LA as i was seeing maximo park play at the El Rey in the evening. it was a wicked show and big shout out to the people at Five Guys burger on Wilshire who gave me free fries with my burger when i went there before the show. i also had some lovely thai food at Kamin thai fusion on melrose and also my favourite place, La las on melrose. on my last day i went to see the LA galaxy play in the evening and i nearly had a car run into me whilst driving through a not very nice part of LA, but i was lucky and got to the game. that was my holiday....till next time.
since being back i have been doing some stuff around the house and i still got the headache of sorting out my dads paperwork. went to see the solicitor and by what he said it looks like i will have to pay a 40 grand inheritence tax bill. thats actually good because had things been a little different i would have been looking at a 400 grand tax bill, which would have been a bit of a problem seeing as i dont actually have 400,000 pounds on me at this exact moment in time. the inheritence tax laws in the UK, particularly in london, are fucking insane. my dad was not a rich man. he was a postman for 34 years and yet because his house is now worth a lot of money i could have been stung for a sum of money i dont have and would have had to sell the house. i bet rich people have clever accountants and offshore trusts set up so they dont get stung by things like this. i wonder if david cameron paid millions in inheritence tax when his millionaire dad died. i bet he fucking didn't.
anyways, this is going to drag on a little longer. have had a week at home and its been ok and i have been getting stuff done and i also had a couple of calls about contracts. both seem good. one is a oil services consultancy and the other is an inernet company that streams movies and media. neither of them are investment banks and thats a good thing. i have yet to work in an interesting one and i am starting to come to the realisation that there are not going to be any where they do interesting work. you just get paid a lot of money to switch your brain off and follow the rules and play the game.
thats it really. will apply to anything good i see and in the meantime i will get stuff done around the house. today i have mostly been listening to pizzicato five - baby love child.
California and New York were lovely. i was in NY for 2 days and the first day i went to the Brooklyn museum of art and park slope and prospect park, and on the second day i went to Williamsburg and to see the NY RedBulls play in new jersey.
i then flew to LA and picked up the mustang and drove to san fran to stay with my friend for a couple of days. i went to the city on both days and did a bit of shopping and went to ocean beach. i then drove back to LA and went to venice beach, and saw a great film called 'the master' in Hollywood. the next day i went to san diego for a day to see my friend and then in the evening i drove back to LA as i was seeing maximo park play at the El Rey in the evening. it was a wicked show and big shout out to the people at Five Guys burger on Wilshire who gave me free fries with my burger when i went there before the show. i also had some lovely thai food at Kamin thai fusion on melrose and also my favourite place, La las on melrose. on my last day i went to see the LA galaxy play in the evening and i nearly had a car run into me whilst driving through a not very nice part of LA, but i was lucky and got to the game. that was my holiday....till next time.
since being back i have been doing some stuff around the house and i still got the headache of sorting out my dads paperwork. went to see the solicitor and by what he said it looks like i will have to pay a 40 grand inheritence tax bill. thats actually good because had things been a little different i would have been looking at a 400 grand tax bill, which would have been a bit of a problem seeing as i dont actually have 400,000 pounds on me at this exact moment in time. the inheritence tax laws in the UK, particularly in london, are fucking insane. my dad was not a rich man. he was a postman for 34 years and yet because his house is now worth a lot of money i could have been stung for a sum of money i dont have and would have had to sell the house. i bet rich people have clever accountants and offshore trusts set up so they dont get stung by things like this. i wonder if david cameron paid millions in inheritence tax when his millionaire dad died. i bet he fucking didn't.
anyways, this is going to drag on a little longer. have had a week at home and its been ok and i have been getting stuff done and i also had a couple of calls about contracts. both seem good. one is a oil services consultancy and the other is an inernet company that streams movies and media. neither of them are investment banks and thats a good thing. i have yet to work in an interesting one and i am starting to come to the realisation that there are not going to be any where they do interesting work. you just get paid a lot of money to switch your brain off and follow the rules and play the game.
thats it really. will apply to anything good i see and in the meantime i will get stuff done around the house. today i have mostly been listening to pizzicato five - baby love child.
Wednesday 26 September 2012
back to the mundane
the weather was beautiful, the car i hired was awesome, the food was lovely the scenery was breathtaking, the women were stunning, the music was great and the football was very good.
.....and then i flew into a cold and drizzly london town on monday and had to immediately deal with bank stuff and i found out that someone had bought a mobile phone in my name, which i know nothing about and had to report it to the phone company as fraud and then my 2TB external hard drive died. welcome back to england, its still shit.
below are pictures in chronological order of NY, San Fran, Pacific Coast Highway and LA.
.....and then i flew into a cold and drizzly london town on monday and had to immediately deal with bank stuff and i found out that someone had bought a mobile phone in my name, which i know nothing about and had to report it to the phone company as fraud and then my 2TB external hard drive died. welcome back to england, its still shit.
below are pictures in chronological order of NY, San Fran, Pacific Coast Highway and LA.
Wednesday 12 September 2012
cloudbusting
i finished up at work last friday and it was a relief to finally make it to the end. when you have a countdown in your head from 6 or 7 weeks out, the end seems so far away, but i got there in the end and you quickly forget how dull and long some of the days were that got you there.
i also heard back from the swiss bank that interviewed me a couple of weeks ago and they decided to go with someone else who had contracted there previously. no worries. i was almost dreading getting that job. it was just support and operational work and i would rather do some projects.
have got all my stuff ready for my trip to the states for which i fly out tomorrow. bought tickets for maximo park in LA, which was the last thing for me to get sorted. everything else is good to go, i think. my heart and soul and brain needs a break from london and life and work.
today i have mostly been listening to kate bush - cloudbusting. when you see the generic karaoke singers that get fame and fortune that far exceeds there skills, its nice to know there are artists that appear to be in music because they want to make music, and not for the money or the fame or the endorsements or the free tickets to film premieres and fashion shows. a friend of a friend is a musician and he knows some producers and one of them passed on a recording he had made to kate bush, without his knowledge. she then added some backing vocals on one of the songs she liked and gave it back to him and said he could use it as long as it was uncredited that she did it. how fucking cool is that. some people just like to sing and are into music.
enjoy this wonderful tune.
i also heard back from the swiss bank that interviewed me a couple of weeks ago and they decided to go with someone else who had contracted there previously. no worries. i was almost dreading getting that job. it was just support and operational work and i would rather do some projects.
have got all my stuff ready for my trip to the states for which i fly out tomorrow. bought tickets for maximo park in LA, which was the last thing for me to get sorted. everything else is good to go, i think. my heart and soul and brain needs a break from london and life and work.
today i have mostly been listening to kate bush - cloudbusting. when you see the generic karaoke singers that get fame and fortune that far exceeds there skills, its nice to know there are artists that appear to be in music because they want to make music, and not for the money or the fame or the endorsements or the free tickets to film premieres and fashion shows. a friend of a friend is a musician and he knows some producers and one of them passed on a recording he had made to kate bush, without his knowledge. she then added some backing vocals on one of the songs she liked and gave it back to him and said he could use it as long as it was uncredited that she did it. how fucking cool is that. some people just like to sing and are into music.
enjoy this wonderful tune.
Monday 3 September 2012
janes
had a meeting with my teamleader who said i would not be getting a contract renewal due to the fact that i said i would not be able to do the on-call. ...er yeah, i already told you a month ago so that you would have time to find someone else to replace me????.
anyways, the 3 other guys in the department are going to be busier than normal because they have got to do on-call one week in 3 and also have to do weekend work as well. i dont even have a tiny twinge of regret wishing i had stayed. i didnt get to do as much netapp stuff and you could argue if i stayed there for a year i would know a lot more, but i would have been de-skilled on my windows server and vmware skills and i dont want to do that.
they have also screwed up my timesheets so i havent been able to submit them for the whole of august. they also approved my timesheets late in july so it means i have not been paid for the last 2 months. i keep reminding my boss every couple of days that my timesheets are not working and he always says he has escalated it to his boss, but his boss seems to do nothing because they still dont work.
i was quite curious how this bank functioned and it could have been a place that was smaller, but dynamic and cutting edge. they are not like that at all. they have expanded a lot in the last 3 years but you can still see that they have not grown organisationally and proffessionally as their headcount and profits have gone up. its still run as a small bank with small bank processes and small bank mentality and individuals working in the same way they did years ago when it was a fraction of the size.
anyways, i finish this friday and thats me done. i had my interview last tuesday at the other bank, and it was ok. i dont know, but i got the feeling they would not go with me. just a feeling. not dissapointed if they gave me a pass as they didnt seem very exciting or dynamic either. none of the investment banks are. i dont know why i keep expecting them to be because i have been in 5 or 6 different banks and they are all conservative bureaucracies with people just guarding their positions. a friend of mine says there is a permanent job going at the private equity firm he works at. am seriously considering giving up the contracting for it. they seem small and dynamic and i would get to do windows 2012 and vsphere 5 and get my hands on all the latest tech. will see how it goes. he is in NY at the moment so i will either catch up with him at the end next week when i am there, or see him before then as he might be back sometime next week.
anyways, i leave for NY on thursday. i just need to book a hotel for one night near pismo beach which will be where i stopever on my trip down the pacific coast highway from san fran to LA. everything else is sorted. looks like the car rental place might have new 2013 mustang GTs which would be a result, otherwise it will be the same car as last year, which i will try and get changed to a bright orange challenger, if thats the case.
today i have mostly been listening to janes addiction - jane says.
anyways, the 3 other guys in the department are going to be busier than normal because they have got to do on-call one week in 3 and also have to do weekend work as well. i dont even have a tiny twinge of regret wishing i had stayed. i didnt get to do as much netapp stuff and you could argue if i stayed there for a year i would know a lot more, but i would have been de-skilled on my windows server and vmware skills and i dont want to do that.
they have also screwed up my timesheets so i havent been able to submit them for the whole of august. they also approved my timesheets late in july so it means i have not been paid for the last 2 months. i keep reminding my boss every couple of days that my timesheets are not working and he always says he has escalated it to his boss, but his boss seems to do nothing because they still dont work.
i was quite curious how this bank functioned and it could have been a place that was smaller, but dynamic and cutting edge. they are not like that at all. they have expanded a lot in the last 3 years but you can still see that they have not grown organisationally and proffessionally as their headcount and profits have gone up. its still run as a small bank with small bank processes and small bank mentality and individuals working in the same way they did years ago when it was a fraction of the size.
anyways, i finish this friday and thats me done. i had my interview last tuesday at the other bank, and it was ok. i dont know, but i got the feeling they would not go with me. just a feeling. not dissapointed if they gave me a pass as they didnt seem very exciting or dynamic either. none of the investment banks are. i dont know why i keep expecting them to be because i have been in 5 or 6 different banks and they are all conservative bureaucracies with people just guarding their positions. a friend of mine says there is a permanent job going at the private equity firm he works at. am seriously considering giving up the contracting for it. they seem small and dynamic and i would get to do windows 2012 and vsphere 5 and get my hands on all the latest tech. will see how it goes. he is in NY at the moment so i will either catch up with him at the end next week when i am there, or see him before then as he might be back sometime next week.
anyways, i leave for NY on thursday. i just need to book a hotel for one night near pismo beach which will be where i stopever on my trip down the pacific coast highway from san fran to LA. everything else is sorted. looks like the car rental place might have new 2013 mustang GTs which would be a result, otherwise it will be the same car as last year, which i will try and get changed to a bright orange challenger, if thats the case.
today i have mostly been listening to janes addiction - jane says.
Monday 27 August 2012
history
9 more days of work till i finish. i cant wait. the last week at work was really long and a couple of the guys i used to sit and have lunch with have also left so its been particularly solitary. what with a couple of the guys in our team being away on holiday its been surprisingly quiet but also boring. still no bother. 9 days.
i also got a call about another contract going at a swiss bank and i am going to see them tomorrow at lunch time. i already told them i was going on holiday straight away, just so that they dont fake surprise later on and then try and pressure me into cancelling it. i need to go away. its not just a holiday, its medicine my soul. i didnt even apply for the job, it was just something that came up and i got the call. why is it whenever i need a break, i cant get one, and when i dont need a break and want a contract, i end up waiting weeks/months.
will see how it goes. they might not give it to me anyways.
aside from that, not much going on. gym, work, home. weather has been a bit up and down as we have gotten used to this summer. have just been trying to catch the occasional sunny spell in the midst of greyness and nothing. have got a ton of stuff to sort out with regards getting my dads stuff all in order. i can see a mountain of paperwork and meetings with banks and lawyers ahead of me. i will have the energy for it once i back from cali, but i cant even bring myself to think about it now. i just feel run down.
today i have mostly been listening to the verve - history
i also got a call about another contract going at a swiss bank and i am going to see them tomorrow at lunch time. i already told them i was going on holiday straight away, just so that they dont fake surprise later on and then try and pressure me into cancelling it. i need to go away. its not just a holiday, its medicine my soul. i didnt even apply for the job, it was just something that came up and i got the call. why is it whenever i need a break, i cant get one, and when i dont need a break and want a contract, i end up waiting weeks/months.
will see how it goes. they might not give it to me anyways.
aside from that, not much going on. gym, work, home. weather has been a bit up and down as we have gotten used to this summer. have just been trying to catch the occasional sunny spell in the midst of greyness and nothing. have got a ton of stuff to sort out with regards getting my dads stuff all in order. i can see a mountain of paperwork and meetings with banks and lawyers ahead of me. i will have the energy for it once i back from cali, but i cant even bring myself to think about it now. i just feel run down.
today i have mostly been listening to the verve - history
Tuesday 21 August 2012
no church in the wild
hottest weekend of the year just passed. it was what summer is supposed to be like. i cycled to the gym both days and it was lovely. even got me a bit of a tan. although i suspect i will get more when i get to cali. the sunshine even made me train harder when i was at the gym.
have booked my hotel in LA and tickets for the galaxy and new york red bulls in new jersey. its been a couple of years since i have been to new york and although i am only there for a couple of days, i am really looking forward to it as its a great city.
nothing else happening. am keeping my head down and just ticking the days off till i finish up at work. 12 more days and thats me done.
today i have mostly been listening to jay z and kanye west - no church in the wild.
have booked my hotel in LA and tickets for the galaxy and new york red bulls in new jersey. its been a couple of years since i have been to new york and although i am only there for a couple of days, i am really looking forward to it as its a great city.
nothing else happening. am keeping my head down and just ticking the days off till i finish up at work. 12 more days and thats me done.
today i have mostly been listening to jay z and kanye west - no church in the wild.
Monday 13 August 2012
running up that hill
i was at football on a thursday night a couple of weeks ago and there was a guy being helped off to a room for treatment for an injury. i didnt pay attention to it until i heard a familiar voice and then i looked at who it was and it was the chancer . it really is a small city sometimes. he was whining about how his achillies had gone which as usual i suspected was horseshit. if your achillies had snapped you would be in slightly more distress than he was in.
i texted a guy who worked with him a couple of days later who confirmed that the chancer had told everyone that his achilles had snapped but that he was fine at home. he wasn't in plaster and he hadnt had an operation, like snapped achillies tendons just fuse together naturally and just need rest. i suspect he sprained his ankle but that makes you sound like a pussy so he has built up into something it isn't to get symapthy and also an excuse to 'work from home'. still, it couldnt have happened to a nicer fella. i did chuckle to myself seeing him limp along.
speaking of chancers i also heard from a guy that bumped into one of the other chancers i worked with last year. he said the guy hadnt worked since being let go at the end of 2011. 8 months of nothing. dont feel too sorry for him because he was getting 14 grand a month for a year before that. you would think that someone who got paid 14 grand a month would have some really good skills and there would be others willing to pay for that kind of skill. turns out he wasnt worth the 14 grand and no one wants to go anywhere near him. see, i told he was a chancer. i have been in this game a while and i can spot them a mile off.
back to my own contract, i am just counting the days down till september 7th which is my last day. its a struggle to motivate yourself at a time like this but i just need to get my head down and get through the next few weeks. dont break anything, come in and leave on time, keep your trap shut and just get through it.
i booked my ticket for new york and california and am planning on doing the itinerary i posted before. i have a few days at home before i leave which will be good. i have got some paperwork and lawyer stuff to deal with about my dads stuff and i also have a tree to chop down in the garden. chopping down trees is proper work, not what i get paid to do which is to fix computers so banks can defraud tax payers and governments.
weather was good for the last couple of days of the olympics. sunny weekend just gone and i cycled to the gym. am increasing my training which has been a bit sporadic recently. its quite likely i will be hitting a few beaches so thats motivation to get in shape. will book my car and sports/music tickets over the next few days. cant wait. its been a bad couple of months since my dad passed. i am gasping to get out of this town.
today i have mostly been listening to kate bush - running up that hill. awesome.
i texted a guy who worked with him a couple of days later who confirmed that the chancer had told everyone that his achilles had snapped but that he was fine at home. he wasn't in plaster and he hadnt had an operation, like snapped achillies tendons just fuse together naturally and just need rest. i suspect he sprained his ankle but that makes you sound like a pussy so he has built up into something it isn't to get symapthy and also an excuse to 'work from home'. still, it couldnt have happened to a nicer fella. i did chuckle to myself seeing him limp along.
speaking of chancers i also heard from a guy that bumped into one of the other chancers i worked with last year. he said the guy hadnt worked since being let go at the end of 2011. 8 months of nothing. dont feel too sorry for him because he was getting 14 grand a month for a year before that. you would think that someone who got paid 14 grand a month would have some really good skills and there would be others willing to pay for that kind of skill. turns out he wasnt worth the 14 grand and no one wants to go anywhere near him. see, i told he was a chancer. i have been in this game a while and i can spot them a mile off.
back to my own contract, i am just counting the days down till september 7th which is my last day. its a struggle to motivate yourself at a time like this but i just need to get my head down and get through the next few weeks. dont break anything, come in and leave on time, keep your trap shut and just get through it.
i booked my ticket for new york and california and am planning on doing the itinerary i posted before. i have a few days at home before i leave which will be good. i have got some paperwork and lawyer stuff to deal with about my dads stuff and i also have a tree to chop down in the garden. chopping down trees is proper work, not what i get paid to do which is to fix computers so banks can defraud tax payers and governments.
weather was good for the last couple of days of the olympics. sunny weekend just gone and i cycled to the gym. am increasing my training which has been a bit sporadic recently. its quite likely i will be hitting a few beaches so thats motivation to get in shape. will book my car and sports/music tickets over the next few days. cant wait. its been a bad couple of months since my dad passed. i am gasping to get out of this town.
today i have mostly been listening to kate bush - running up that hill. awesome.
Friday 10 August 2012
countdown
my team leader got back from holiday and i told him i would not be able to do any on-call support. judging by what the other guys go through, it looks horrific and i have done it before and so i paid my dues in previous jobs. its not something i want to go back to. i told him now, a month before my contract ends so that they can find someone else who will do it.
aside from that i am just counting the days till i finish on september 7th. i feel worn down and tired. both my contracts so far this year have been pretty lame and unsatisfying, but also the most lucrative i have ever had. go figure???. if all goes plan i will have 6 days at home where i have want to do some things (chop down a tree in the garden thats getting too big) and also tidy the garage, that will take me a few days. i will then look to go to new york for a couple of days and then head out to california for a week. will look to go san francisco, LA and maybe san diego as well. will book my ticket in the next few days and then get everything else like the car and hotels booked over the next few weeks.
i can watch new york redbulls play in new jersey and also the film i posted in my previous post, the master, is released on sept 14th in new york so i might go see that as well. will also try and get tickets to see maximo park in LA and also catch a LA Galaxy game as well. rest of the time i will be going to the beach, driving along the pacific coast highway, eating, relaxing, reading. i know i will also be free of the dull pain i carry around constantly in my head. cant wait. i was going to ask a couple of guys from football again if they wanted to come, but i cant be bothered. i already asked them twice. i think they prefer going to the same shitty pubs every week.
itinerary so far
Thursday 13sept - fly to NY
Friday NY - see 'the master'
Saturday NY - game at RedBulls Arena
Sunday - fly to LA, Pick up muscle car, drive to San Fran
Monday - San Fran
Tuesday- drive Pacific Coast HWay - stop overnight somewhere??
Wednesday - drive to San diego
Thursday - Beach time in San Diego
Friday - Drive to LA Maximo Park in the eveinng
Saturday - LA, Galaxy game in the evening
Sunday - fly home to shitty London
inbetween seeing games and bands i will also be doing sightseeing, shopping and going to the beach, but this is just an overview of events.
will see how it all pans out. if i was with my friends they would just want to get drunk till 3 am every morning and wake up at 2pm in the afternoon and not get much else done.
today i have mostly been listening to richard ashcroft - new york
aside from that i am just counting the days till i finish on september 7th. i feel worn down and tired. both my contracts so far this year have been pretty lame and unsatisfying, but also the most lucrative i have ever had. go figure???. if all goes plan i will have 6 days at home where i have want to do some things (chop down a tree in the garden thats getting too big) and also tidy the garage, that will take me a few days. i will then look to go to new york for a couple of days and then head out to california for a week. will look to go san francisco, LA and maybe san diego as well. will book my ticket in the next few days and then get everything else like the car and hotels booked over the next few weeks.
i can watch new york redbulls play in new jersey and also the film i posted in my previous post, the master, is released on sept 14th in new york so i might go see that as well. will also try and get tickets to see maximo park in LA and also catch a LA Galaxy game as well. rest of the time i will be going to the beach, driving along the pacific coast highway, eating, relaxing, reading. i know i will also be free of the dull pain i carry around constantly in my head. cant wait. i was going to ask a couple of guys from football again if they wanted to come, but i cant be bothered. i already asked them twice. i think they prefer going to the same shitty pubs every week.
itinerary so far
Thursday 13sept - fly to NY
Friday NY - see 'the master'
Saturday NY - game at RedBulls Arena
Sunday - fly to LA, Pick up muscle car, drive to San Fran
Monday - San Fran
Tuesday- drive Pacific Coast HWay - stop overnight somewhere??
Wednesday - drive to San diego
Thursday - Beach time in San Diego
Friday - Drive to LA Maximo Park in the eveinng
Saturday - LA, Galaxy game in the evening
Sunday - fly home to shitty London
inbetween seeing games and bands i will also be doing sightseeing, shopping and going to the beach, but this is just an overview of events.
will see how it all pans out. if i was with my friends they would just want to get drunk till 3 am every morning and wake up at 2pm in the afternoon and not get much else done.
today i have mostly been listening to richard ashcroft - new york
Monday 6 August 2012
olympics?
have been watching lots of the olympics. britain has been doing well if you cant horseriding and sailing and rowing, which i dont, because they are not proper olympic sports but merely a way for rich priveleged people to get a sense of achievement.
were it not for these events, the olympics consists of running, throwing and jumping to which there is a lower barrier to participation which means its open to nearly everyone, and so privileged people are not able to use money and resources as a barrier to participation and filter out 93% of the potential competitors, which is what they can do with horse riding and sailing.
who knows i might be the best sailor in the world but the closest stretch of water to me is the grand union canal, which runs past the grocery store i used to work at when i was university. its probably not great for sailing in, as there are lots shopping trolleys and furniture dumped in it. in my opinion its a travesty that someone trotting around on a horse in the dressage competition will get a gold medal identical to Usain Bolt, the fast human being ever. someone sailing a boat will get the same medal as Mo Farrah who won the 10,000m last night.
there is a debate going on as to why a disproportionately higher number of medals are being won by those who have been privately educated. horses and boats are the reason. when i was at school we didnt do any of that shit. we played football and we ran. thats what we did. our heroes were and still are athletes and footballers. i dont care how many times they try and celebrate ben ainsley on tv for him winning the gold medal in sailing, none of it resonates with me or anyone i know. we look up to footballers and athletes. there is a purity in the achievements of the greatest in those fields because they include everyone and the the best is really the best and not merely the best person who happens to have stables and horses or the best that happens to have access to a boat and a lake.
lionel messi didnt get to where he is on the back of his rich parents. mo farah is a fast runner. everyone can run but he can do it faster. wayne rooney came from a council estate in liverpool and it was his own talent and hard work and he is just better at football than most people. his achievements have a purity of integrity. i dont see eton boys playing for manchester united or arsenal. i dont see privately educated athletes beating kenyan and ethiopian runners. the olympics is about the purity of sport and should celebrate champions and all those that participate equally. i think its not doing this in many 'sports'.
aside from that, the real olympics has now started with track and field. we bow in respect to bolt and gay and blake and farrah and ennis and all the athletes.
work should be interesting this week. i dont think i can continue avoid being on overnight and weekend on-call. i wrote before that i dont want to do it and i think i might get asked this week to go on-call. i will tell them i am not going to do and they will have to find someone else to do it. i will work my contract out till september 7th and that will be me done. have done on-call in other jobs and its not fun being awoken at 3 am to fix something.
havent listened to much music today, but i did see this trailer for a new film. it looks epic.
were it not for these events, the olympics consists of running, throwing and jumping to which there is a lower barrier to participation which means its open to nearly everyone, and so privileged people are not able to use money and resources as a barrier to participation and filter out 93% of the potential competitors, which is what they can do with horse riding and sailing.
who knows i might be the best sailor in the world but the closest stretch of water to me is the grand union canal, which runs past the grocery store i used to work at when i was university. its probably not great for sailing in, as there are lots shopping trolleys and furniture dumped in it. in my opinion its a travesty that someone trotting around on a horse in the dressage competition will get a gold medal identical to Usain Bolt, the fast human being ever. someone sailing a boat will get the same medal as Mo Farrah who won the 10,000m last night.
there is a debate going on as to why a disproportionately higher number of medals are being won by those who have been privately educated. horses and boats are the reason. when i was at school we didnt do any of that shit. we played football and we ran. thats what we did. our heroes were and still are athletes and footballers. i dont care how many times they try and celebrate ben ainsley on tv for him winning the gold medal in sailing, none of it resonates with me or anyone i know. we look up to footballers and athletes. there is a purity in the achievements of the greatest in those fields because they include everyone and the the best is really the best and not merely the best person who happens to have stables and horses or the best that happens to have access to a boat and a lake.
lionel messi didnt get to where he is on the back of his rich parents. mo farah is a fast runner. everyone can run but he can do it faster. wayne rooney came from a council estate in liverpool and it was his own talent and hard work and he is just better at football than most people. his achievements have a purity of integrity. i dont see eton boys playing for manchester united or arsenal. i dont see privately educated athletes beating kenyan and ethiopian runners. the olympics is about the purity of sport and should celebrate champions and all those that participate equally. i think its not doing this in many 'sports'.
aside from that, the real olympics has now started with track and field. we bow in respect to bolt and gay and blake and farrah and ennis and all the athletes.
work should be interesting this week. i dont think i can continue avoid being on overnight and weekend on-call. i wrote before that i dont want to do it and i think i might get asked this week to go on-call. i will tell them i am not going to do and they will have to find someone else to do it. i will work my contract out till september 7th and that will be me done. have done on-call in other jobs and its not fun being awoken at 3 am to fix something.
havent listened to much music today, but i did see this trailer for a new film. it looks epic.
Monday 30 July 2012
handwritten
august starts on wednesday. that means i can start looking for new contracts, although i jumped the gun by a week or two and have been doing so already. there is something going at a german bank and something going on a hedge fund. i would prefer the hedge fund. somewhere small where you can do lots of different things. will see how it goes.
i really should not be looking for jobs right now as i really need break. its been a long and emotionally trying last couple of months since my dad passed. my head and my soul needs a rest, but i know what happens. when i dont want a new contract i end up getting offered lots, and when i do want a contract, nothing turns up for ages, so i guess i should prepare myself for the eventuality of having to get my game face on and starting somewhere new and not going to cali. i shouldnt complain because its work and well paid, but i desperately need a break.
have also got a suspicion that my current contract might extend me for another 3 months. i will pass on it if they do. i am not going to do their on-call. its horrific from seeing what the other guys have to put up with. 3am call outs. entire weekends at work. no thanks, i will pass.
olympics is on tv. looks great on my new HD tv. have also started going to the gym again. i missed a whole month and since then its been sporadic, but i can feel myself getting back into it. the persistent headache i seem to have constantly tends to disappear when i train. was also on my bike on saturday in the sun, and set my 2nd fastest time ever to the gym. 15m 6s. i was inspired by the olympic road race which was taking place the same day and had to turn it up to 11 on my own bike ride.
today i have mostly been listening to the gaslight anthem - handwritten.
i really should not be looking for jobs right now as i really need break. its been a long and emotionally trying last couple of months since my dad passed. my head and my soul needs a rest, but i know what happens. when i dont want a new contract i end up getting offered lots, and when i do want a contract, nothing turns up for ages, so i guess i should prepare myself for the eventuality of having to get my game face on and starting somewhere new and not going to cali. i shouldnt complain because its work and well paid, but i desperately need a break.
have also got a suspicion that my current contract might extend me for another 3 months. i will pass on it if they do. i am not going to do their on-call. its horrific from seeing what the other guys have to put up with. 3am call outs. entire weekends at work. no thanks, i will pass.
olympics is on tv. looks great on my new HD tv. have also started going to the gym again. i missed a whole month and since then its been sporadic, but i can feel myself getting back into it. the persistent headache i seem to have constantly tends to disappear when i train. was also on my bike on saturday in the sun, and set my 2nd fastest time ever to the gym. 15m 6s. i was inspired by the olympic road race which was taking place the same day and had to turn it up to 11 on my own bike ride.
today i have mostly been listening to the gaslight anthem - handwritten.
Sunday 29 July 2012
weight of the world
the dad of a friend of mine who i went to school with from the age of 4 till 16 died about a week ago. i only got a mail about it today and it turns out his dad commited suicide. what the fuck is going on in the world!!!. i went round to his mums house and gave them my condelences to her. he was out but he called me and said we should meet up soon. will arrange something soon. bad shit happening with people.
it was different when my dad died because he had a stroke and its just one those things that happens. i cant imagine how we would have felt if he had taken his own life. i didnt ask and they didnt tell me about it. its none of my business. i can only imagine there must have been something serious that no one knew of. i met his dad quite a few times over the years and the last time i saw him was about 3 years ago. seemed like a nice stable happy guy from the outside.
today i have mostly been listening to editors - weight of the world. no video. it doesnt need it.
it was different when my dad died because he had a stroke and its just one those things that happens. i cant imagine how we would have felt if he had taken his own life. i didnt ask and they didnt tell me about it. its none of my business. i can only imagine there must have been something serious that no one knew of. i met his dad quite a few times over the years and the last time i saw him was about 3 years ago. seemed like a nice stable happy guy from the outside.
today i have mostly been listening to editors - weight of the world. no video. it doesnt need it.
Saturday 21 July 2012
school of seven bells
for the first time in about 7 weeks since my dad died, i went out this week and met some friends after work and also went to football for the first time on thursday night. am slowly getting back to normality although its going to be a new normal because things wont ever be the same again.
work has been a bit trying this week. not fun at all and i really i hope i land something else soon. my plan was to see out july and then start applying for new contracts in august when i would be a month from finishing at my current place. that plan went out the window after i got a couple of calls this week about some contracts and i also saw a couple of good roles that i had to apply to. no way would i let them just slide by because of some self imposed timetable i have no need to enforce on myself.
i really would like to be in a position to leave in 6 weeks time and have something sorted out. this bank is not like i thought it would be like and how i managed it would be. its one of the smaller investment banks in london and i thought it would be using all the latest software and be fast and nimble. its not like that at all. lots of beauracracy, old servers, old software and very political. my teamleaders boss is an asshole. really rude and loud and a bit of a dick head, who likes to put people down publicly and always seems to be angry. today he got some of his own medicine because one the managing directors slated him in an email and cc'd lots of other people in it. i bet he didnt like it but maybe he learned something about his own behaviour from it.....or maybe not.
always be worried when you go some place and they CC lots of people on emails that appear to have nothing to do with you. it shows there is a culture of ass covering and a blame culture. i get CC'd on mails that have nothing to do with me. stop spamming me with this shit. to me, its a sign of a disfuntional political organisation.
weather is supposed to be turning starting from saturday. its been horrible and rained almost every day this month so far. summer is supposed to be starting this weekend. 3 months late, but better late than never. cali is calling me ever louder.
today i have mostly been listening to school of seven bells - scavenger. wicked tune.
work has been a bit trying this week. not fun at all and i really i hope i land something else soon. my plan was to see out july and then start applying for new contracts in august when i would be a month from finishing at my current place. that plan went out the window after i got a couple of calls this week about some contracts and i also saw a couple of good roles that i had to apply to. no way would i let them just slide by because of some self imposed timetable i have no need to enforce on myself.
i really would like to be in a position to leave in 6 weeks time and have something sorted out. this bank is not like i thought it would be like and how i managed it would be. its one of the smaller investment banks in london and i thought it would be using all the latest software and be fast and nimble. its not like that at all. lots of beauracracy, old servers, old software and very political. my teamleaders boss is an asshole. really rude and loud and a bit of a dick head, who likes to put people down publicly and always seems to be angry. today he got some of his own medicine because one the managing directors slated him in an email and cc'd lots of other people in it. i bet he didnt like it but maybe he learned something about his own behaviour from it.....or maybe not.
always be worried when you go some place and they CC lots of people on emails that appear to have nothing to do with you. it shows there is a culture of ass covering and a blame culture. i get CC'd on mails that have nothing to do with me. stop spamming me with this shit. to me, its a sign of a disfuntional political organisation.
weather is supposed to be turning starting from saturday. its been horrible and rained almost every day this month so far. summer is supposed to be starting this weekend. 3 months late, but better late than never. cali is calling me ever louder.
today i have mostly been listening to school of seven bells - scavenger. wicked tune.
Wednesday 11 July 2012
no shelter
i cant remember if this is my 4th or 5th week at my current contract because what i have done is not important. the important thing is what i have left to do, and its 2 and half weeks before i put the word out that i am available. August will be starting and i will be in the last month of my contract. if something turns up i will be in a position to start. it will take a couple of weeks even if i land a new contract really quickly and given the state of the market, that is not likely, but at least i will have the word out.
besides, i am looking to go cali at the beginning of sept when this current contract is over. i remember a few months ago i had it in my mind to go cali, but then my dad was in and out of hospital. i remember wondering if he would be fully recovered by september so that i could go away, as the thought of going away for a week while he was ill was not something i wanted to do. he wasn't even seriously ill at the time and it wasn't life threatening or anything like that. it was just something that needed monitoring and he was getting better slowly. i remember thinking he would be ok come september and i would get my week long break. instead he has passed away. i didnt envisage that happening at all.
anyways, life goes on. weather is awful in london town. horse shit. you will all get to see how shit once the olympic coverage starts on tv and you see thousands of miserable people sitting in the rain in the olympic stadium, pissed off that its cold, its wet and that they spent £150 to watch the qualifying of the shot put and pole vault and 5000m steeple chase in a half empty stadium eating a bag of chips and sipping on a coke that cost £12:50.
am slowly becoming aware of the politics in the department at work. it seems one of the guys who is a permie (they all are) and who has been there over a year, is not really rated by the other guys and they make fun of his ability when he is not there. he has been ok with me, and actually has been more helpful than the other guys, but he doesn't help himself by asking dumb questions and working and talking really slowly. dude needs to wake up a bit.
also it looks like our manager didnt approve the timesheets last month so none of the team got paid last month. its an inconvenience. after all, we are all well paid and you would think we were not living from pay cheque to pay cheque. however, it seems one of us is, as one of the guys was really pissed and said he really needed the money this month and it was going to cause problems. christ, if people on 60 or 70 grand a year are living from month to month what hope do people have that are earning average wage. you really do live in a strange bubble in financial companys. most people seem to have no idea what it must be like for normal people in the real world.
i earn what would be considered a lot of money every month, and probably more than the other guys in the department, but i still live a lifestyle well within my means. i dont get close to spending all my monthly wages. jesus, what kind of lifestyle do you lead that you can earn a fat wage for 7 years and still have no savings and are waiting for every pay day. no wonder the masses hate people who work in financial services and banks. most of them are indulgent flashy idiots.
one of the guys i know just bought a new pair of headphones.....for £900. he then spent £600 for a headphone amplifier. his wife on the same shopping trip bought a pair of shoes for £600. 1 pair!!!. part joking part serious, i told him she could have got 6 pairs of good trainers for that much. over 2 grand gone on headphones and a pair of shoes in one afternoon in one department store. what planet are people living on.
i look back at the way my parents raised me and thinking about it, material things never played a big part of my childhood. it wasnt that it was actively discouraged, but it was just something that was ignored and irrelevant. my dad never talked about getting a better car or a bigger tv. it just never came up. he had what he had and what he could afford and what he wanted and it was just stuff. no more, no less and not that important. he was proud of his home and he was proud that he bought it by working hard. it has rubbed off on me. i dont own a car. i dont have an expensive stereo. i do own a beautiful apartment that has mostly been paid for in cash through my own hard work. the guy with the £900 headphones doesnt own an apartment but rents one. a lot of people have to rent but you would think people with that much money wouldnt need to and could afford to buy something, but it seems they have other priorities.
i find myself unable and unwilling to participate in the rampant consumerism which we are supposed to aspire to and it seems i am supposed to because nearly all of my peers do without question. i have nice stuff not all of which i actually need but its stuff i want and not the stuff i thinks i should have just because everyone i know has one.
i still buy nice trainers and go to sports shops to check out whats out at the moment. i like nice jeans not because my friends like them but because i like them and not for the label they have on them happens to be cool this week. i still play football not because i cant afford to go snowboarding in switzerland, but because i like playing football in wembley with my friends. i dont play golf not because i dont have the money for golf bats, but because golf is for cunts.
i like computers and california and levis and g-star jeans and nike trainers and casio watches and i dont want a macbook air or go on holiday to st tropez and i dont have true religion jeans and suede loafers and tag heuer/Panerai watches. i dont want to play that game. there is no end to it.
today i have mostly been listening to rage against the machine - no shelter.
besides, i am looking to go cali at the beginning of sept when this current contract is over. i remember a few months ago i had it in my mind to go cali, but then my dad was in and out of hospital. i remember wondering if he would be fully recovered by september so that i could go away, as the thought of going away for a week while he was ill was not something i wanted to do. he wasn't even seriously ill at the time and it wasn't life threatening or anything like that. it was just something that needed monitoring and he was getting better slowly. i remember thinking he would be ok come september and i would get my week long break. instead he has passed away. i didnt envisage that happening at all.
anyways, life goes on. weather is awful in london town. horse shit. you will all get to see how shit once the olympic coverage starts on tv and you see thousands of miserable people sitting in the rain in the olympic stadium, pissed off that its cold, its wet and that they spent £150 to watch the qualifying of the shot put and pole vault and 5000m steeple chase in a half empty stadium eating a bag of chips and sipping on a coke that cost £12:50.
am slowly becoming aware of the politics in the department at work. it seems one of the guys who is a permie (they all are) and who has been there over a year, is not really rated by the other guys and they make fun of his ability when he is not there. he has been ok with me, and actually has been more helpful than the other guys, but he doesn't help himself by asking dumb questions and working and talking really slowly. dude needs to wake up a bit.
also it looks like our manager didnt approve the timesheets last month so none of the team got paid last month. its an inconvenience. after all, we are all well paid and you would think we were not living from pay cheque to pay cheque. however, it seems one of us is, as one of the guys was really pissed and said he really needed the money this month and it was going to cause problems. christ, if people on 60 or 70 grand a year are living from month to month what hope do people have that are earning average wage. you really do live in a strange bubble in financial companys. most people seem to have no idea what it must be like for normal people in the real world.
i earn what would be considered a lot of money every month, and probably more than the other guys in the department, but i still live a lifestyle well within my means. i dont get close to spending all my monthly wages. jesus, what kind of lifestyle do you lead that you can earn a fat wage for 7 years and still have no savings and are waiting for every pay day. no wonder the masses hate people who work in financial services and banks. most of them are indulgent flashy idiots.
one of the guys i know just bought a new pair of headphones.....for £900. he then spent £600 for a headphone amplifier. his wife on the same shopping trip bought a pair of shoes for £600. 1 pair!!!. part joking part serious, i told him she could have got 6 pairs of good trainers for that much. over 2 grand gone on headphones and a pair of shoes in one afternoon in one department store. what planet are people living on.
i look back at the way my parents raised me and thinking about it, material things never played a big part of my childhood. it wasnt that it was actively discouraged, but it was just something that was ignored and irrelevant. my dad never talked about getting a better car or a bigger tv. it just never came up. he had what he had and what he could afford and what he wanted and it was just stuff. no more, no less and not that important. he was proud of his home and he was proud that he bought it by working hard. it has rubbed off on me. i dont own a car. i dont have an expensive stereo. i do own a beautiful apartment that has mostly been paid for in cash through my own hard work. the guy with the £900 headphones doesnt own an apartment but rents one. a lot of people have to rent but you would think people with that much money wouldnt need to and could afford to buy something, but it seems they have other priorities.
i find myself unable and unwilling to participate in the rampant consumerism which we are supposed to aspire to and it seems i am supposed to because nearly all of my peers do without question. i have nice stuff not all of which i actually need but its stuff i want and not the stuff i thinks i should have just because everyone i know has one.
i still buy nice trainers and go to sports shops to check out whats out at the moment. i like nice jeans not because my friends like them but because i like them and not for the label they have on them happens to be cool this week. i still play football not because i cant afford to go snowboarding in switzerland, but because i like playing football in wembley with my friends. i dont play golf not because i dont have the money for golf bats, but because golf is for cunts.
i like computers and california and levis and g-star jeans and nike trainers and casio watches and i dont want a macbook air or go on holiday to st tropez and i dont have true religion jeans and suede loafers and tag heuer/Panerai watches. i dont want to play that game. there is no end to it.
today i have mostly been listening to rage against the machine - no shelter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)