Progress...
Hola, lovely folks. My apologies for the not insignificant amount of time that has passed since my last update. I know how eagerly you await your dose of the Ficklish. There are a number of reasons for my shocking absence, none of them excuse it.
You will be extremely pleased to know that I have officially joined the ranks of those earning a living through temporary work in London. Yes! I have a job. And if I'm being more than usually (or necessarily) verbose in these sentences, it must be because lawyerese is contagious.
'Tis only a temporary job, to be sure. And, let's be honest, it's not that exciting. I've had worse, that much is definitely true - but still - sitting all day with earphones on and a pair of pedals under my right shoe typing thrilling letters dictated to me by English lawyers is not necessarily the job of my dreams. What makes this gig slightly less than dreadful is that it provides occasional entertainment - one of the partners at this firm has discovered that I have a sense of humour and so is making sure to include witty commentary on his tapes, which is much appreciated and is keeping me from going completely mad.
I have learned, yet again, that my resume does not fill recruitment agents with excitement and inspiration. Well, not in the temp market at any rate. Despite my extensive education and experience, by far the most valuable skill I possess is the ability to type really freaking fast. And so, 'tis a typist I become. Let that be a lesson to all the kiddies out there.
In other news, I have a home! The flat search continued to be remarkably dismal, until last Sunday evening when I made a last-minute appointment with one of the names on my list. I had been in two minds about calling – the location wasn't on my shortlist and sharing with just one other person can be risky . However! I am very glad that I did. It is, indeed, a little further out than I had wanted, but it's well connected, transport-wise. The house itself is far from fancy, but clean and possessing all the features I had decided by this stage were no longer negotiable: a room big enough for a bed AND a wardrobe, a lounge, a backyard, and – most importantly – a housemate I can get along with. My new flatmate is a mad Englishman, and we clicked straight away. He very quickly vindicated my decision to move in by generously driving across London on Saturday afternoon to collect me and all my gear, thus saving me a tearful and frustrating attempt to relocate my ever-expanding bags by public transport. THEN he went above and beyond by organising an impromptu welcome party for me on Saturday evening that was so much fun that it was still going at lunchtime on Sunday. Mildly ironic, I guess, that after searching so hard for a room of my own I don't even bother sleeping in it once I've arrived. It was some very good fun, though I'm struggling a little today at work.
SO! There you have it. Slowly but surely, Operation Life in London is coming together. I may have been too hungover to unpack properly yet, but as soon as I do I'm going to get very busy doing the fun London stuff that has been waiting for me all this time.
Something I have learned about the English workplace so far: they are remarkably anal about internet access. I apologise if I owe you an email - I don't actually have any access at all at the moment (I believe this could be a violation of my human rights) and am currently on my best behaviour to see if I can score a password sometime this week. Whether that happens before I manage to get wireless access set up in the flat remains to be seen. Either way, I'll go on an emailing bender sometime very soon... stay tuned.
How are all youse?
You will be extremely pleased to know that I have officially joined the ranks of those earning a living through temporary work in London. Yes! I have a job. And if I'm being more than usually (or necessarily) verbose in these sentences, it must be because lawyerese is contagious.
'Tis only a temporary job, to be sure. And, let's be honest, it's not that exciting. I've had worse, that much is definitely true - but still - sitting all day with earphones on and a pair of pedals under my right shoe typing thrilling letters dictated to me by English lawyers is not necessarily the job of my dreams. What makes this gig slightly less than dreadful is that it provides occasional entertainment - one of the partners at this firm has discovered that I have a sense of humour and so is making sure to include witty commentary on his tapes, which is much appreciated and is keeping me from going completely mad.
I have learned, yet again, that my resume does not fill recruitment agents with excitement and inspiration. Well, not in the temp market at any rate. Despite my extensive education and experience, by far the most valuable skill I possess is the ability to type really freaking fast. And so, 'tis a typist I become. Let that be a lesson to all the kiddies out there.
In other news, I have a home! The flat search continued to be remarkably dismal, until last Sunday evening when I made a last-minute appointment with one of the names on my list. I had been in two minds about calling – the location wasn't on my shortlist and sharing with just one other person can be risky . However! I am very glad that I did. It is, indeed, a little further out than I had wanted, but it's well connected, transport-wise. The house itself is far from fancy, but clean and possessing all the features I had decided by this stage were no longer negotiable: a room big enough for a bed AND a wardrobe, a lounge, a backyard, and – most importantly – a housemate I can get along with. My new flatmate is a mad Englishman, and we clicked straight away. He very quickly vindicated my decision to move in by generously driving across London on Saturday afternoon to collect me and all my gear, thus saving me a tearful and frustrating attempt to relocate my ever-expanding bags by public transport. THEN he went above and beyond by organising an impromptu welcome party for me on Saturday evening that was so much fun that it was still going at lunchtime on Sunday. Mildly ironic, I guess, that after searching so hard for a room of my own I don't even bother sleeping in it once I've arrived. It was some very good fun, though I'm struggling a little today at work.
SO! There you have it. Slowly but surely, Operation Life in London is coming together. I may have been too hungover to unpack properly yet, but as soon as I do I'm going to get very busy doing the fun London stuff that has been waiting for me all this time.
Something I have learned about the English workplace so far: they are remarkably anal about internet access. I apologise if I owe you an email - I don't actually have any access at all at the moment (I believe this could be a violation of my human rights) and am currently on my best behaviour to see if I can score a password sometime this week. Whether that happens before I manage to get wireless access set up in the flat remains to be seen. Either way, I'll go on an emailing bender sometime very soon... stay tuned.
How are all youse?
posted by jLo at 9:28 AM
2 Comments:
BWAH!
Do it again...
Top work, jLo. Where's the house?
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