Been a while, been busy!

Just noticed that it's been almost a month since my last blog and thought I had better change that.
So, what's been happening in the past month I hear you cry (those who are bothered to read my ramblings)
Well, it's a full-time job trying to find a full time job, that much I can tell you.
To use the well-known phrase "It's been a rollercoaster of emotions" would be probably best.
To say that I have not been the easiest person to live with over the past 11 weeks would be an understatement but that's what redundancy does for you I suppose.

And then, after wallowing in self-pity for a bit, watching a few repeats of Friends and endless Top Gears on Dave I thought it's only me who is going to change my fortunes. Thankfully, with business contacts from the past (and newly made acquaintances) in hand I have taken the chameleon approach and adapted to my surroundings. Pickings are slim out there, unless you live in London and then the world appears to be your oyster, and you have to grab what you can and keep hold of it.
You kind of lose sense of reality after a while and tend to forget what day it is too. After the missus has gone to work you are in your own little world, trying not to go slowly mad and attempting to keep up with what is happening in the world. A lot of economic hardship and uncertainty it seems. Funny how the planet doesn't seem to far away from your own doorstep does it?

Things have moved apace though and word is spreading (on Twitter, at least) that I am no longer with my last employers. The majority of well-wishers (God, I sound like I have died now!) were shocked at what had happened and to that I say a big thanks as it was, but I'm back (now I sound like an overweight Terminator!)

So what have I learnt over the past 11 weeks? Well, never say die would be the first thing. Just when you think all is lost - and by that I mean house, car, wife, mind - it's not. There are friends and family to fall back on, I know that for a fact because without them I would be in a much worse place than I am now.
Second, don't rely on daytime TV to get you a job. I'm sorry but it's true; far too many people think the phone is going to ring and there will be an angel dressed in a suit and carrying a laptop with a contact for new employment tucked safely in their inside pocket. If it worked like that then I would have been out of work a few days and now back in a cushy little, air-conditioned office. Get a grip and get out there and find a job. Without meaning to sound too much like an old politician, get on your bike and find a job!
Third, when you think all is lost re-discover your record collection....

With that much time on my hands I have discovered some cracking CDs I forgot I had and, being the organised person that I am (mostly), I have arranged them so as not to forget I have them. Some gems which have been re-discovered include Depeche Mode, Pearl Jam, Fleet Foxes, Beth Orton, Soundgarden etc...
Wonderful moments from my formative years were re-visited and halcyon days were remembered, although through a haze of cigarettes and lashings of teenage alcoholic beverages. Great stuff.
Fourth, forget what has happened in the past and focus on the future. Yeah, I was let down, promised the earth blah, blah, blah but it never came off. Worse things happen at sea and all that. That happened, dust yourself down and get on with it (after the next repeat of Friends, mind)

There's plenty to look forward to on the horizon, starting with Christmas!

Feel free to comment on this blog and others and thanks for reading my ramblings.

Build a career boys!

So, as I sit here listening to one of the finest bands the UK has ever produced, Elbow's latest offering got me thinking.
Their emotional performance last week at Manchester Cathedral was beautiful to behold and, for those watching via the not-used-enough-for-live-music red button, it rumbled the jealousy inside me wishing I was in the audience. This happens occasionally, usually when I see headliners at Glastonbury, Reading etc....

Anyway, I digress from what I was about to talk about this week. Elbow's latest long-player (oh dear, I am older than my 34-years suggest) is entitled Build a Rockets Boys! and over the past few months I have been doing my best to build up my career once again after a decade of tripping the light fantastic of local journalism and bringing glossy mags to the masses (well, Lancashire anyway).

That is in the past now and new horizons are being sought. Tears have been shed and panic at losing the things most close to me (house, sanity etc...) has occurred at a time when I should be really enjoying my life.
New strings have been added to the bow and new contacts have been made while others have been re-ignited. You can see where the title of this blog now came from I hope.

Building a reputation is tough at the best of times and I am only pleased I left my last employment with a much greater respect than when I arrived. Confidence may have taken a bit of a battering but over the past few weeks that has come back and I am loving what I do best, writing.

Options have been limited on the job front and rejection letters received but in a way it has made me more determined to succeed and land the job I desire.

Which leads me to the work Excellent UK Enterprises have been doing over the past few weeks. Efforts are being made to make the lives of unemployed across Blackpool better with a chance to build their very own career. A website has been set up and a promotional video launched, now all the enterprise needs is a push in the right direction, which is where myself and those who read my blog come in. If the viral below interests you then get involved and help make a difference to the people in your community and bring some much-needed cash into the local economy.
I don't expect the problems caused by decades of boom and bust to be cleared up overnight but it would be nice to see if some of the efforts which are carried out locally can come to fruition and make a difference to where it matters to most people, in their hometown.

For more information on E UK E, watch the video above which will provide you with all the links you need to get involved.

I will be back with my ramblings again soon.

For now, take care and if you don't like my taste in music I won't take offence!