Oh hello. So again it's been years since I bothered blogging. It feels like it's been years since I've bothered doing anything of any interest really. I think I was maybe turning into a grown up, but fear not I think entropy has taken over and I am reverting back to my usual easily-excitable child-like state.
I have met quite a few brilliant people since I last blogged, though interestingly I seem only to have blogged once in the last 6 years in order to blather on about Damon Albarn. I guess that's not surprising. So let's see... there's Ray, Jo, Michelle, Nana, Charlie and I've also been able to see loads more of Sadie and Hew which pleases me greatly. This is all just as well given that Zena and Michelle have buggered off to Manchester. Every now and then I meet someone and just know that I want to be good friends with them and that has happened with those lot. Ray and Jo are just brilliant like-minded souls and are running a Britpop night in Southend next weekend so I needn't say any more. Michelle I met at a music quiz in which she demonstrated an incredible breadth of knowledge and a formidable memory for 80s and all time classics. But she was incredibly friendly and funny and just brilliant and it wasn't difficult to have a conversation with her. We have since had afternoon tea far more times than is healthy in a short space of time. Nana joined our department back in February last year and we immediately became firm friends, she speaks her mind, has her head screwed on and is very laid back and if we didn't have work to do I think we'd find it easy to sit and chat and gossip all day every day. I am fairly sure ITV wouldn't pay us to do that... Charlie I met a few years ago in Edinburgh via Kerry and again he's just a chilled out, brilliant man who is up for more or less anything and I think everyone could learn a lot from his attitude to life. Given his TV credits, on paper I shouldn't be able to speak to him through too much respect and admiration but he is a normal lovely man... Hew and Sadie are obviously brilliant and when I visit them and their incredible friends in Southend, I feel like a new improved version of myself. That's what you get when you are surrounded by so many such entirely genuine people who would do anything for anyone. I bloody love them all.
But anyway, my current big news is that I am being made redundant. It's more of a voluntary redundancy I suppose as I do have the option of redeployment. In Business Affairs. NO THANK YOU. So I am really lucky that they are letting me take redundancy after 4.5 years so I am getting a fair pay off. Fairer than the time I was made illegaly redundant by my previous employers (who I definitely could have sued but simply couldn't wait to have them out of my lives - I guess the feeling was mutual - though contradictorily I will always be grateful to them for the opportunity they gave me, just not the way in which they took it away from me). So yes, I had a meeting at a large production company last week and am currently waiting to hear from them. I fear I didn't sell myself very well in the interview cos I have been pretty spaced from everything that's going on (happy though I am). So once I get a knock back from them I will start sending out my CV in bulk to all the companies I'd like to work for.
I had my first outplacement counselling session this week. ITV are paying for three one hour sessions and also for two half day seminars on various thrilling topics such as self-marketing and networking. Joyous. I'm almost at the end of my 30 days of consultation at work and am looking forward to getting it all done and dusted. I am allowed to leave sooner if something comes up, without it affecting my redundancy calculation. So we will see. I am very happy about it all but I am sure all this bumming around will get boring after a few months. I know I can do proper media temping this time, rather than a few days in a tiny solicitor's in N London who is shocked that I can spell cos none of his previous temps were able to. What is the world coming to... Word has spell check and the internet has legal terms on it. Maybe I am just uber-brainy. I am not.
I am currently testing my willpower. My head thinks I am hungry, mainly cos I am bored of working on my CV, but my stomach knows I'm not. They are both fully aware that I am meeting Steve for dinner at 8pm at Cafe Rouge so it would be stupid to reduce the capacity of my stomach for stuffing it with nice French food. I think I will manage not to eat anything but it's touch and go. I would be such a rubbish fat person, there is no way I'd cut down on eating or do any exercise. I think I must have a tapeworm or something.
Michelle and I are going to try writing something together. I'm not sure what, so I thought it might be a good idea to write my blog again like Richard Herring does to warm-up. Though he is funny and I am not. Though I do sometimes make myself laugh. My old blogs from when I was banking are quite funny.
I am boring myself so I am going to go. Let's see if it takes me another 3 years to remember to blog again.
