Absolute Shambles

'The first draft is just you telling the story'- Terry Pratchett When you have spent a large portion of your life reading, writing and researching, one might term you to be some sort of 'academic'. This humble blogger does have an extensive collection of books and can easily find access to a pipe or smoking jacket, but would certainly not class himself amongst these titans of literature. Yet the pull of being accepted into this cult (surely there are rituals and secret handshakes being conducted in their secret meeting places?) is a strong one. The thought of diverting time and effort into creating a piece of work that someone might actually find useful as either a scholarly work or handy doorstop is intriguing. Writing a dissertation was difficult enough, especially when translating German and Russian documents, but it was good conditioning if you wanted to pursue even higher levels of education. Besides, history is awesome , so it was all totally worth it. This i...

'Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity'- Hippocrates As a historian, I always enjoy a good anniversary. It seems pretty morbid and twisted to celebrate destructive conflicts, for example, but it is integral to remember the pivotal moments in history as a reference to how much has changed over the years. The passing of the First World War's centenary brought about beautiful images of remembrance across the globe, even though controversy surrounds the potential political hijacking of the remembrance poppy.  Events like these deserve the greatest amount of commemoration, much like a wedding anniversary does on a more personal level. For me, a very important anniversary just occurred, yet required no great act of remembrance or a themed present. It has now been over a year since I was falsely accused of being a menace to society by 'exploring my body openly' in a public place and then making inappropriate advances towards a y...

'Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life'- Mark Twain Starting a new job can be daunting, especially if it's your first one in the adult world. Gone are the days of pot washing, serving food and other run-of-the-mill occupations. That lovely wad of cash was enough to buy some cheap lager and knock off cigarettes for the big party on Saturday night, but that list of expenses has expanded. Rent, car insurance, Netflix subscriptions- it all piles up in the end. Time to ditch the all black attire and don the suit and tie, for it is time to enter the workforce. You knew this day would come, so don't act all shocked. Suited and booted It's like the first day of school. Everything is new; the people, the environment, the schedule etc. Life has taken a drastic new course and there is no slowing down. There's no getting off now, as the safety bar they have on roller coasters has now clamped shut and the slow ascent has begun....

The prospects of employment are on the horizon, with this week full of interviews and plenty of applications. My days of being a sponge on the state are perhaps coming to an end, which fills me with dread. Gone will be the days of Netflix binges and wearing comfortable clothes. Truly, a fate worse than death. Yet all is not lost! To celebrate my move toward permanent employment, I dug through the treasure that is my collection of games for the PS3 and came upon FIFA 13. Childish glee swept over me, and I proclaimed that I shall take up the reigns of management once more and take Arsenal to the promised land of not being rubbish at football. My old and dear friend This was a time travelling experience. Not only was I diving head first into the nostalgia pool of FIFA 13, but also to a strange time in the world of football. Paul Pogba can be bought on loan, Harry Kane spends his days at Norwich and nobody knows what a Jamie Vardy is. Also Monaco are stuck in Ligue 2 and I find tha...

After some time off in Cornwall, a bank holiday and a family matter, Thursday rolls around and I find myself, technically, waking up to my first day of unemployment. An early morning gym session was complete and now began the major tasks for the day- getting a job and funding my extravagant life. The quest for employment has begun By the end of the day, I had sent off three applications and had been offered a trial shift working behind the bar at my local pub. A blinding start really! Oh, and I had signed up for an interview on Friday afternoon with Hollister. That's right, Hollister. That clothing chain famous for its dimly lit stores and beautiful members of staff. To be fair, when I walked into Hollister and enquired about work I was expecting to be laughed out the door. These people would riot if they had to work with a 'normal' person. But no, I was greeted with a smile and given a card about interview times and where to sign up. Now I'm going to be ho...

I'm back! Hello, did you miss me? I hope you did, that would be lovely. After a weekend of Weyfest and a quick jaunt down to Cornwall (with a stop in Plymouth of course), I have returned to the blogging world. Hide your excitement, you will wake up the neighbours. So last Friday I quit my job as a Greenkeeper at Basingstoke Golf Club. Unemployment is my newly found friend and we are getting on like a house on fire. Something will come up, don't despair for me! Besides, it gives me time to think about what the world of greenkeeping has taught me. Just some young adults striving for greatness Over the last three years, I have progressed from the casual summer boy all the way through to the role of a glorified apprentice before finding myself as a full time member of staff. It's been one hell of a journey and boy am I tired. Who knew that waking up at the crack of dawn could be such a burden. It has its perks I guess In typical private school fashion, I managed t...