I've just updated my weblog software so you now have to register to post comments. This is mainly because there are a whole raft of people who think that posting spam about porn and Viagra to peoples weblogs is nice and reasonable behavior. I obviously delete it all but its a pain hence the need to register. You register with the people who make movable type and they promise that your email will not be used for marketing purposes so it should be all fairly painless.
As for the downgrade I have a hangover after a suitably drunken night out to say goodbye to old workmates. Abby and Milo have gone to Edinburgh and I will mostly be lying on the sofa.
Its nice here. We are staying in a cottage just north of Littleport selected simply on the basis I didn't need to pay for the whole week in order to stay for a few days and it was available. However it is very pleasant. Its called crooked cottage (accurately so) and is quite old although I couldn't tell you how old. The one disadvantage is that it is right next to the A10 but the steady flow of traffic and occasional shake of the house are actually quite peaceful if you don't focus on them.
I had hoped to do a bit of work on my music or one of my other projects while I was here but the concerns of house location and the forthcoming move have drained every creative thought from my mind. Instead I have been catching up on some reading. Nicholson Bakers Double Fold is written with all the attention to detail of his wonderful The mezzanine. His discovery that libraries across the USA and UK are converting old newspapers and books into microfilm using a destructive process sends him on a crusade. The sad thing is non of the people he talks about or comes across where trying to do anything other than what they saw was the best thing for preserving the nations books and papers. The road to hell truly is paved with good intentions.
My Bryson season continues apace with Mother Tongue and Notes from a Small Island. Mother Tongue is a travelogue of the English language form its origins to its quirks and ubiquity. Full of offbeat facts and written with humour and sensitivity if you have any liking for language at all this is a must read. Notes from a Small Island is truly a pleasure. Full of laugh out loud moments (the start of chapter two had me laughing so much I couldn't read through the tears) it gives the pleasure of seeing your own country through the eyes of a foreigner who has been here long enough to understand why its like it is. Great stuff.
Tomorrow is the great trek back up North again. I've been driving up and down the country rather a lot of late and its becoming a bit of a bore. The only good thing about the whole drive is the M6 Toll road which is just a joy to drive down for the bargain price of £2. Talking of driving: on the way down, just before crossing the M1 I found myself in the fast lane being followed far two closely by another car. I pulled in as soon it was safely possible to do so and casually made a rude gesture at the passing car. After all there is nothing to be gained by driving that closely and much to be lost. To my amazemnt the other driver reacated like a spoilt child. He slowed down and started acting in a way that seemed as if he was really really upset. I slowed right down and let him get it out of his system. He was actually waving (rather pathetically) out of the windows. Eventually he sped off. Now perhaps I shouldn't have made the gesture but it astonishes me that there are people in life like that. He seemd so upset by the action that I can only assume that he was deeply insecure and the lack of validaiton from even a passing stranger was enough to tip him over the edge. Of course I get the last laugh because I undoubtedly spoilt his entire day whereas he just gave me a vaguely puzzling anecdote. How people like this can cope with life (especially well enough to buy an expensive car) is beyond me.
I am attempting offline posting today with a tool I downloaded just before I left. Not sure if its going to get the dates right but if not today is Wednesday the 12th.
Progress is being made. The job is all finalised as far as I can tell. All I need now is a definite start date. This job (more details when I start properly) has taken the most applying of any job I've had yet. It took three interviews and I am beginning to think that my agent has earned his fee. This is quite impressive - often agents get a whole stack of money for little more than arranging an interview.
We also have a house credit checks and references not withstanding. If thats all fine we will be living in the centre of Ely. Ely despite being a city is very small and quiet and, somewhat surprisingly, house prices and rent seem to be similar to Glasgow. All of which means we are on the final stretch - the logistics of moving.
Anyway back up to Glasgow for a few days to pack and go out drinking with a few friends for the last time for a while. With Milo's sibling due in July I guess I am going to be staying in for a few months anyway no matter where I am.
Talking of Milo the poor thing has spent the last two days being dragged round estate agents and houses and as a result has become over tired and grumpy. Its not much fun when you are my age - goodness knows what its like when you are two. Anyway he can have my undivided attention tomorrow.
Off house hunting in another part of the country tomorrow. There is nothing to do when its like this but to keep your head down and get on with it. Once we have found a house there is just the moving to do which although its an almighty pain in the arse is fairly straight forward. Deep Breath...
I've just read A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I avoided it at first simply because I follow these kind of things and read a fair amount of history of science type stuff anyway. However this is a truly brilliant book. Its written with style and humour and is as much about the characters who discovered things as the things they discovered. A must read for anybody and everybody as there is not really any excuse for not knowing the stuff in this book and this is probably the best place to learn it by far.
with a job by the looks of things. Change is underway....
Its hard to imagine I had time for a job this week. Its nice not feeling guilty about work and being able to work on my own projects at home. I'm making a couple of Midi plugins for Cubase SX that I hope I will be able to sell. If we are moving down south we are going to need every penny we get.
I've just finished reading Englands Hidden Reverse. Its a fascinating book although it focuses slightly too much, in my opinion anyway, on David Tibet. I will have to go back and have another listen to Current 93 again though. Coil, who I have been into a lot of late, are not really covered in enough detail but judging by the stories that are here perhaps they can't remember (or are avoiding legal hassle). The so called Industrial movement spawned a number of bands that lived their art. It makes you wonder if there are similar movements around today that are just not known about or was there something very interesting happening in music under Thatchers Britain that is just not present today. Well worth checking out but ultimately flawed.
I'm off to London later for my second interview. I bought a suit yesterday (well two actually they where having a two for one sale) as well. This is the first time for ages I've had a proper full on interview and I have to say I'm quite nervous. I think that is mainly because I really want this job.
In keeping with a recent trend for the dramatic in web logs: I was made redundant on Friday. Hopefully this isn't a bad thing - firstly it was not unexpected. There have been signs that things where going this way. Not least two consecutive "state of the company" meetings (designed to reassure us). In the first it was pointed out that despite recent funding at our current burn rate we would be out of money by August. In the second it was pointed out that careful analysis showed that we would not start making money until next year in view of the state of the market place. Decisions have been made an the company has been slimmed down. I hope it all works out. Vamosa have a superb product and it would be a shame for them to fail to capitalize on all the hard work that has gone into it. Fortunately for me I am in the process of looking for a job anyway because Abby and I had decided to move back to England a couple of months ago. I am hoping that if things work out that this will be underway very soon indeed. Watch this space as they say.
If things do work out I'll have a little more time to work on my own stuff for a week or two. As well as spending some good quality (stress free) time with Abby and Milo.