29 June 2006
Yesterday I had to walk from Victoria to Vauxhall because the traffic was so bad. There were about 50 policemen hounding a couple of hapless-looking Muslims by Buckingham Palace gardens and holding up half of London in the process.
It also took so long to get into work I was forced to take the Tube which I usually avoid at all cost.
They should stop beating around the bush and just whack the congestion charge up to £40 a day. That'd stop people driving in London - if that's really their aim.
It also took so long to get into work I was forced to take the Tube which I usually avoid at all cost.
They should stop beating around the bush and just whack the congestion charge up to £40 a day. That'd stop people driving in London - if that's really their aim.
Labels: transport
28 June 2006
My, those Wallaces were big collectors. I've never seen such a mass of armour and things weaponlike - even in the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Or maybe I've just blanked out how much armour there was in the Royal Armouries. The Wallaces also have a fine set of Canaletti and a couple of Rembrandts to boot. I wonder if they have great security. It didn't look it. But I guess there's not a lot you can do with a phalanx of Canaletti and Rembrandts except hang them in your own living room.
Am suffering from back pain, which is strange. I think it's because I've been sitting sort of corkscrewlike for the last two weeks due to situation of my monitor at work. It's now in the right place but the pain is not going away. I have to get up periodically and do stretches which elicits strange looks from fellow workpeople.
Tried to get away to dance class last week but was cornered by Finance Director who presumably wanted to chat. Just when someone is heading out the door is not a good time to have a chat. Went into spiel about why didn't want permanent job, actress, ooh, yes it's hard, this is what I've done in the past, oh, your daughter is interested in going into acting?, blah, blah, blah.... This made me 15 minutes late because I was too polite to say, "Gotta go... bye!" Still, I added the extra 15 minutes to my timesheet, so that's okay. I'd make a good lawyer, I feel.
Am suffering from back pain, which is strange. I think it's because I've been sitting sort of corkscrewlike for the last two weeks due to situation of my monitor at work. It's now in the right place but the pain is not going away. I have to get up periodically and do stretches which elicits strange looks from fellow workpeople.
Tried to get away to dance class last week but was cornered by Finance Director who presumably wanted to chat. Just when someone is heading out the door is not a good time to have a chat. Went into spiel about why didn't want permanent job, actress, ooh, yes it's hard, this is what I've done in the past, oh, your daughter is interested in going into acting?, blah, blah, blah.... This made me 15 minutes late because I was too polite to say, "Gotta go... bye!" Still, I added the extra 15 minutes to my timesheet, so that's okay. I'd make a good lawyer, I feel.
22 June 2006
Had my hair cut after being coerced into a special half price deal thing. The hairdresser was very bossy in a physical sort of way. She just pushed your head around when ever she wanted it at a certain angle and made me stand up for most of the cut. She also put the hairdryer too close to my not-all-that-delicate scalp and scalding me. But it is a very good cut. Is that the price you have to pay for a decent haircut these days?
I find the office is just across the square from the Wallace Collection. I've never been, so shall pop round there one lunchtime. All too often I work near a place of cultural interest and never, ever visit it. I mean I was just around the corner from the National Gallery for four years and never went in there once - well, except to buy a card from the shop and have lunch in their new restaurant. The shame of it.
I find the office is just across the square from the Wallace Collection. I've never been, so shall pop round there one lunchtime. All too often I work near a place of cultural interest and never, ever visit it. I mean I was just around the corner from the National Gallery for four years and never went in there once - well, except to buy a card from the shop and have lunch in their new restaurant. The shame of it.
17 June 2006
New job, better pay, good weather, 2 potential acting jobs - it's been a pretty good week. New office is a lot smaller and very laidback. We're smack bang in the middle of Marylebone and about 30 seconds from Selfridges Food Hall which is a disaster. It's also directly opposite the biggest M&S Food Hall, Waitrose is around the corner and there's just heaps of food everywhere.
Went to see Sunday in the Park with George again which has transferred to the Wyndhams for BB's birthday. It's such a good show. Beautiful language and music, fantastic set projections, great acting and singing, well crafted, full of imagination & intelligence and destined not to run for long. It's just typical. I'm glad they've done a cast recording though.
Went to see Sunday in the Park with George again which has transferred to the Wyndhams for BB's birthday. It's such a good show. Beautiful language and music, fantastic set projections, great acting and singing, well crafted, full of imagination & intelligence and destined not to run for long. It's just typical. I'm glad they've done a cast recording though.
7 June 2006
I was on the bus yesterday by Trafalgar Square and there were two female college students of about 17 or 18 years old opposite me. This is how their conversation went:
Student 1: What's going on there then?
Student 2: They're renovating that tower thing.
Student 1: What, you mean, Nelson's column?
Student 2: Yeah, Nelson's column. Oh, you know we were doing this project at college. We went to that building there with the paintings.
Student 1: You mean, the National Art Gallery?
Student 2: Yeah, the National Art Gallery.
Student 1: So what is that then? Is it an art gallery?
At this point, I mentally slit my wrists and passed out till they had left the bus.
Student 1: What's going on there then?
Student 2: They're renovating that tower thing.
Student 1: What, you mean, Nelson's column?
Student 2: Yeah, Nelson's column. Oh, you know we were doing this project at college. We went to that building there with the paintings.
Student 1: You mean, the National Art Gallery?
Student 2: Yeah, the National Art Gallery.
Student 1: So what is that then? Is it an art gallery?
At this point, I mentally slit my wrists and passed out till they had left the bus.
Labels: London
3 June 2006
Laid Off
What a lot has happened since I got back to work. Thursday seemed uneventful. Spent much of the day catching up on e-mails, folk & gossip & the sample sale.
Then at about 16:00 got hauled into the boss' office to be told that, due to budgetary cuts, am being given the boot (as is my fellow temp, E, and other sundry hangers-on). Not really much of a surprise, except that I sort of expected it to happen a few months ago.
Well, I was sort of pleased as the politics and so forth has got so cruddy that I was pretty fed-up and didn't much want to stay on. Went to the gym that evening, got in conversation with someone there and told her my day. She said, 'Oh, what do you do?' and I said something about administrator, PA, blah, blah. She said, 'Oh, we're looking for a temp PA where I work.' She works somewhere where I've quite fancied working for a while - Google. So she gives me her card and I've sent her my CV and fingers crossed I might be working somewhere pretty cool before two weeks are out.
So, then I ask my ex-boss for a reference and she says, 'Sure, I'll give you a reference but I've got an opening for a temp PA also. Are you interested?'!!! Well, of course! So there's another opening.
And then, as I posted my CV online on an internet job search site, an agency phoned up to register me. And, E's partner is looking for temp DTP operators at her place paying a hefty sum. So, all looks very promising indeed.
In the meantime, I've tried making Meen Mooli (Goan fish curry) from a recipe I saw on a documentary on the plane back from Malaysia and daal. Found out that the local organic Indian shop sells onion paratha and fresh curry leaves which is extraordinarily useful. It turned out pretty well thought the daal was rather thick and tasted better the next day.
Also, been sleeping a lot.
Then at about 16:00 got hauled into the boss' office to be told that, due to budgetary cuts, am being given the boot (as is my fellow temp, E, and other sundry hangers-on). Not really much of a surprise, except that I sort of expected it to happen a few months ago.
Well, I was sort of pleased as the politics and so forth has got so cruddy that I was pretty fed-up and didn't much want to stay on. Went to the gym that evening, got in conversation with someone there and told her my day. She said, 'Oh, what do you do?' and I said something about administrator, PA, blah, blah. She said, 'Oh, we're looking for a temp PA where I work.' She works somewhere where I've quite fancied working for a while - Google. So she gives me her card and I've sent her my CV and fingers crossed I might be working somewhere pretty cool before two weeks are out.
So, then I ask my ex-boss for a reference and she says, 'Sure, I'll give you a reference but I've got an opening for a temp PA also. Are you interested?'!!! Well, of course! So there's another opening.
And then, as I posted my CV online on an internet job search site, an agency phoned up to register me. And, E's partner is looking for temp DTP operators at her place paying a hefty sum. So, all looks very promising indeed.
In the meantime, I've tried making Meen Mooli (Goan fish curry) from a recipe I saw on a documentary on the plane back from Malaysia and daal. Found out that the local organic Indian shop sells onion paratha and fresh curry leaves which is extraordinarily useful. It turned out pretty well thought the daal was rather thick and tasted better the next day.
Also, been sleeping a lot.
