One big happy adventure
Trip Start
May 27, 2010
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46
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Trip End
Aug 31, 2011
London, England, United Kingdom
Monday, April 18, 2011
The moving plans changed however, given that a little "something in the pipeline" came to fruition midweek.
Old mate Philo and I had discussed a while ago making some plans for me to find some work and move to Biiiiirmingham around the middle of this year, the main reason being so that we could spend more time together (awwww) and spend less time travelling to and from each others' houses at weekends (awwww). Curiosity got the better of me and in March I stumbled upon a position advertised on a Birmingham firm's website. I sent off an application direct to the firm just to test the waters. A few weeks later I received an email more or less saying "thanks, but no thanks". This didn't worry me too much - it's not like I was in any dire rush to move and I thought that the timing might not work out anyway. But then a week or so later I received a further email apologising, and saying that the rejection email was sent in error and that in fact my application was still being considered. Almost at the same time as I signed a lease for my new house in Clapham Junction I was asked to attend an interview for the role, and was subsequently offered the job! So it's been a bit of a mad few weeks, lots of anxiety and thinking, but in the end I decided that it was what I wanted to do, and I accepted the position at Beachcroft LLP. It's a secretarial role working in the motor accident claims fraud area which sounds very interesting and an area that I'm interested to get into. Whatsmore, it's a very busy role so I'm looking forward to keeping my nails filed down nicely with all the typing and stuff I'll be doing. I haven't yet formally accepted the offer but I decided to hand in my notice to Norton Rose. I thanked them very much for the (turbulent) few years that I've worked with them, both as Deacons and their more recent incarnation as Norton Rose which gave me the opportunity to get work in the London office - I will always be grateful for that. Moreover, if that opportunity hadn't been available, there's a chance I wouldn't have even met Philo. And at the risk of getting all gushy and showing my emotions for once in my life, I'm truly happy, and this new adventure I hope will add to the happiness that I've finally found.
Talk about showing emotions - I cried on Thursday morning watching the Daybreak show as I was getting ready for work. There was a girl on there dancing with a dog. And I cried. Why? Who bloody knows! I think it was the precision of the double-pike backflip handstand the collie did. Haha no in all honesty, it was cute, and after seeing the dancing dogs at Crufts and accusing the handlers of being complete and utter losers, I found an appreciation for the talented pups as they pirouetted around the stage and entertained me as I did my hair.
Cry I did not when I saw a girl on the bus pick her nose and eat it. Urgh!! Talk about make a person gag! Nup. I had to get off the bus. I couldn't stand by and be a witness to that any more. The next night I was accosted by an old lady who turned around to ask the time, but then proceeded to talk to me for the rest of the ride. I got off a stop early to escape her nauseating conversation as well. What's wrong with people on the 266?!
Phil arrived on Friday night and after necking a cider at home we went down to the Station House for a few drinks and dinner, followed by the healthiest post-pub midnight snack I think I have ever had: celery and carrot sticks with hommus. I can't believe I even had the nous to cut up celery and carrot at that time of night and after 6 pints.
Gemma turned 27 on Saturday and to celebrate, a group of us hit the town on Saturday night and drank the night away. We met at All Bar One in Covent Garden, and so it was obvious from the outset that it was going to end in a mess. When Gemma, Robbie (aka Philo) and Heidi combine forces, it's usually a lethal combination and we all wake with headaches in the morning thanks to countless pints and jagerbombs that were never anyone's idea. But this time it was a combination of 2 for 1 cocktails from 4.30pm that did the damage. The Queen (Gemma) found a pint-sized lover in the form of a blow-up doll named Bullet, so called because he had a brown fringe but the rest of his "hair" was black. He really knew how to share the love, for many photos surfaced of him in compromising positions with just about every guest that attended the party. He didn't hold back when it came time for everyone to wear blue paper towel headbands, donning one of his own and being an all-round good sport. Thanks to Gemma, Phil was relegated to being my "friend" and then at about 11pm I asked my "friend" to take me home (via an overpriced kebab shop) because I was too drunk. Another good night, Shazza! Happy birthday!
Waking on Sunday morning to see the sun shining, it was decided that a trip to the London Zoo was in order. And so after a McDonald's breakfast we trundled up to the station and headed in to Camden/Regents Park to go see the animals and curse the irritating children running amuck. We turned our noses up at the lion enclosure where there were only two sleeping lions, and we recounted our experience at the safari park where the lions were right by the car. That was cool. But I think it's made us a bit snobby towards other lion exhibits. Nevertheless it was a lovely day for a visit to the zoo, and after seeing all it had to offer, including the embarrassing Australian "outback" enclosure (which contained only a few emus and some stupid looking outback road signs), we wandered down to the canal and jumped on board a narrowboat to get back to Camden Lock. In one afternoon I was able to tick a couple of boxes of things I wanted to do in London, and so it was a productive day, despite all the cocktails the night before.
Comments
I once saw that chick that looks like Jordan getting her photo taken wearing a bikini in the 'Australian' enclosure. It nearly made me sick.