Yus, like Joe, I think it's time for some writing to be done here. Cause I'm lazy, I'm prolly going to do what he did and list.
GOOD THINGS: Keiko coming to visit last week and being truly awed by Edinburgh, reading a book called 'Left Bank', getting exctied about next weekend's trip to Comrie with the family, being told my Margaret Hodge Recruitment that I was a 'star candidate' (see below),
BAD THINGS: Lack of employment, lack of money, lack of social life due to lack of money, indeciveness, boredom.
Last week, I went to a jobs fair at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh, where I met an ex-JET mow working for recruitment firm Margartet Hodge. She was impressed with my CV, told me not to worry about a thing, and that they'd be in touch. I give them til Thursday, then I'll call them.
Despite being bored, and really not knowing what the hell is going to happen to me, I am feeling pretty ok. I am getting my second wind. There are ways and ways of getting a job, and I think that I just need to go beyond what I thought was necessary to get one. I am not unemployable. I have lots of transferrable skills. I want to work hard, and I want pressure in my life.
But for the last couple of months, I have been missing my snuggle quota by rather a lot. I need a cuddle.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Autumn
It has finally arrived. Last weekend, the trees must have had a whispered Ent-like conference, because they have all decided, at long last, that it's time to turn lots of lovely colours, and shed their leaves. I think autumn is later in starting now than I remember it to be. This late in October, I'd have expected most leaves to be dead, if not shed yet, and maybe even a couple of morning frosts. But they are only just beginning to change colour, and while the mornings are cold, I don't think there have been any frosty ones. Unless I'm lying in bed too late to see it.
I actually did some socialising last week! On Tuesday, I met with Rach, and we had dinner in her apartment (which, by the way, is the coolest loft space I've ever seen). It was great just to sit and chat with her and Jake.
On Saturday, it was Kirsty's man Aly's birthday. The big 3-0. We went to a pub in town, where about 40 of his friends came and wished him a happy birthday. I knew very few people there, and felt a pang of shyness I haven't felt since before I left for Japan, so I pretty much stayed in the same place all night, and spoke to the people I knew. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come. After, they all decided to go out dancing, but I went back to Kirsty and Aly's where I was staying. I just didn't feel like going to one of the local meat-markets and trying to have a good time. Clubbing's fine, but I have be in a spot-on mood for it, and I just wasn't.
On Sunday, I went to ex Tokkers-Jet Rona's flat for lunch with her and her husband Nick. I had a lovely time, and Rona made quite a feast. Nick is now at Moray House, training to become an English teacher, so I made sure to pick his brain well and good. If I'm to go through with this teaching thing, a decision needs to be made really soon. Like before the end of this month. If I decide to do it, I'm looking at two years in Edinburgh, instead of the seven months I had in mind when I came home. That's pretty frightening, and I don't know if I want to spend that much time here. On the other hand, if I were to do that, it'd make immigrating to another country as a skilled worker that much easier.
I had a major Awa Odori pang yesterday. I had a longing to drink beer from a plastic cup while wandering around in my kimono, sharing jokes with the Minoda-ren mob, chewing the fat with Dave, and getting kancho'd from the kids. I even had a longing to see terrible little Keigo.
Jeremy Irons is on 'Who Do You Think You Are?' tonight. I can't wait. I want to drown in his voice!
I actually did some socialising last week! On Tuesday, I met with Rach, and we had dinner in her apartment (which, by the way, is the coolest loft space I've ever seen). It was great just to sit and chat with her and Jake.
On Saturday, it was Kirsty's man Aly's birthday. The big 3-0. We went to a pub in town, where about 40 of his friends came and wished him a happy birthday. I knew very few people there, and felt a pang of shyness I haven't felt since before I left for Japan, so I pretty much stayed in the same place all night, and spoke to the people I knew. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come. After, they all decided to go out dancing, but I went back to Kirsty and Aly's where I was staying. I just didn't feel like going to one of the local meat-markets and trying to have a good time. Clubbing's fine, but I have be in a spot-on mood for it, and I just wasn't.
On Sunday, I went to ex Tokkers-Jet Rona's flat for lunch with her and her husband Nick. I had a lovely time, and Rona made quite a feast. Nick is now at Moray House, training to become an English teacher, so I made sure to pick his brain well and good. If I'm to go through with this teaching thing, a decision needs to be made really soon. Like before the end of this month. If I decide to do it, I'm looking at two years in Edinburgh, instead of the seven months I had in mind when I came home. That's pretty frightening, and I don't know if I want to spend that much time here. On the other hand, if I were to do that, it'd make immigrating to another country as a skilled worker that much easier.
I had a major Awa Odori pang yesterday. I had a longing to drink beer from a plastic cup while wandering around in my kimono, sharing jokes with the Minoda-ren mob, chewing the fat with Dave, and getting kancho'd from the kids. I even had a longing to see terrible little Keigo.
Jeremy Irons is on 'Who Do You Think You Are?' tonight. I can't wait. I want to drown in his voice!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Return of the Book Worm
When I arrived in Japan, my head was so totally fried after my honours years in Uni that I simply could not read anything for about a year. Pretty bad for someone who had previously lived for books. As time went by, I was able to choke down 'Memoirs of a Geisha', 'Harry Potter', and the wonderful '100 Years of Solitude', plus a few non-fiction titles, but my capacity to concentrate on a book was fairly diminished. Besides which, my life over there was so crazy-busy that I often didn't have the time or energy to read. My life WAS a novel!
But having arrived home, I have found to my total joy that my passion for reading fiction has returned. I've read about four books since coming home, two of them fiction, and I am overjoyed. Right now I'm reading something distinctly trashy and Bridget Jones-eque, but far less annoying. Not exactely brain food, but enjoyable nonetheless. Joe, stop that tutting, you literary snob.
My dream job is still proving elusive, sadly. I was actually offered a job this week, but turned it down. Maybe that constitutes looking the gift horse in the mouth, or cutting off my nose to spite (despite?) my face or something, but it was part-time, didn't sound like a really great job, and wasn't really something I saw myself getting passionate about. So I said no. The hunt continues, with four applications handed in yesterday for various shops in the city centre. Yes shops. Not career jobs, those things take the longest time to apply for that I really need something meantime to give me some money.
I have discovered that the central mosque in Edinburgh serves kick-ass food at lunchtime. I went with friend Alice the other day, and for £4.10, got a massive plate of rice, mild chicken curry, curried vegetables and can of soda. Delicious, and if I was a student, I'd be there every day (it's located right behind George Square, the main Uni campus).
I am going into town with mum and dad tomorrow, for dad is taking us to lunch at my favourite pub, the Bailie. The Bailie is not funky. It is not new. It is not The Place to go. It's dark, with red walls, used to be wonderfully smoky (pre ban era), and a fair lot of over 30s go there. it's in a basement, and in winter, I just love curling up there for an afternoon with friends, to get tipsy and talk about how to save the world. They serve out-of-this-world food, and I can't wait to get some tomorrow.
Yes. In my boredom, all I think about is food. Go on, gimme a job, you know you want to...
My thoughts are still pretty much all over the place. I can't decide whether I want to try to ground myself here for a good while, and allow myself to feel that home IS home again, or if I want to keep imagining myself out of here as soon as possible. There are good and bad things to both. Part of wants nothing more than to get my house back, get a new points card for Canonmills Tesco's, cook for friends, get to liking wine again, and not really looking beyond the cosy confines of the Ed. The other part of me keeps clicking onto friend's blogs in Africa, Canada, the US, Australia and yes of course, Japan, and thinking that THAT out there is where I want to be.
I saw Heinz the other day, and it was so so good to see him. For those not in the know (um pretty much everyone reading, I guess), Heinz was my Uni professor, and I have the biggest amount of respect for him. He once again pleaded with me to come back to the department (I said that it would always be on my mind, but knew that it would be a long long time before I could do that), and then asked me why I didn't just go into teaching. And you know, he's right. Why DON'T I just go into teaching? Well, for one thing, you can't and shouldn't JUST go into teaching. I think to be a teacher, you have to have this thirst for it. I maybe had that at one point, but not now. At least not yet now. But teaching is something I have done, something I can do, and something that, given a proper course in it, I think I could do well. So I guess it's an avenue of thought I have to visit.
I am feeling frustrated with life at the moment, and something needs to change.
But having arrived home, I have found to my total joy that my passion for reading fiction has returned. I've read about four books since coming home, two of them fiction, and I am overjoyed. Right now I'm reading something distinctly trashy and Bridget Jones-eque, but far less annoying. Not exactely brain food, but enjoyable nonetheless. Joe, stop that tutting, you literary snob.
My dream job is still proving elusive, sadly. I was actually offered a job this week, but turned it down. Maybe that constitutes looking the gift horse in the mouth, or cutting off my nose to spite (despite?) my face or something, but it was part-time, didn't sound like a really great job, and wasn't really something I saw myself getting passionate about. So I said no. The hunt continues, with four applications handed in yesterday for various shops in the city centre. Yes shops. Not career jobs, those things take the longest time to apply for that I really need something meantime to give me some money.
I have discovered that the central mosque in Edinburgh serves kick-ass food at lunchtime. I went with friend Alice the other day, and for £4.10, got a massive plate of rice, mild chicken curry, curried vegetables and can of soda. Delicious, and if I was a student, I'd be there every day (it's located right behind George Square, the main Uni campus).
I am going into town with mum and dad tomorrow, for dad is taking us to lunch at my favourite pub, the Bailie. The Bailie is not funky. It is not new. It is not The Place to go. It's dark, with red walls, used to be wonderfully smoky (pre ban era), and a fair lot of over 30s go there. it's in a basement, and in winter, I just love curling up there for an afternoon with friends, to get tipsy and talk about how to save the world. They serve out-of-this-world food, and I can't wait to get some tomorrow.
Yes. In my boredom, all I think about is food. Go on, gimme a job, you know you want to...
My thoughts are still pretty much all over the place. I can't decide whether I want to try to ground myself here for a good while, and allow myself to feel that home IS home again, or if I want to keep imagining myself out of here as soon as possible. There are good and bad things to both. Part of wants nothing more than to get my house back, get a new points card for Canonmills Tesco's, cook for friends, get to liking wine again, and not really looking beyond the cosy confines of the Ed. The other part of me keeps clicking onto friend's blogs in Africa, Canada, the US, Australia and yes of course, Japan, and thinking that THAT out there is where I want to be.
I saw Heinz the other day, and it was so so good to see him. For those not in the know (um pretty much everyone reading, I guess), Heinz was my Uni professor, and I have the biggest amount of respect for him. He once again pleaded with me to come back to the department (I said that it would always be on my mind, but knew that it would be a long long time before I could do that), and then asked me why I didn't just go into teaching. And you know, he's right. Why DON'T I just go into teaching? Well, for one thing, you can't and shouldn't JUST go into teaching. I think to be a teacher, you have to have this thirst for it. I maybe had that at one point, but not now. At least not yet now. But teaching is something I have done, something I can do, and something that, given a proper course in it, I think I could do well. So I guess it's an avenue of thought I have to visit.
I am feeling frustrated with life at the moment, and something needs to change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)