Fitting the right profile

I'm writing this at 2.45 pm on a Friday. I am also drinking a beer. You may think 'Wow I wish I was doing that!', but you really don't, and that's because I am unemployed.

I moved to London around 6 weeks ago, leaving my bar job in Oxford searching for the streets that are lined with gold. I still believe these streets exist. I'm sure they are the most wonderful streets full of boutiques, wine bars and easy women but to gain access to this world you have to fit the right profile. You are never really told what the specific profile is but all I know is that I don't fit.

I know this because I received an email today telling me just this fact. It was from a company that I interviewed for yesterday for a job that I actually wanted which has been something of a rarity of late. The interview was a traditional affair (one-on-one in an office where I answered questions that were asked of me). I thought it went well. I was confident. But I didn't fit their profile. It's a setback and to be honest I'm gutted but I just wish I knew why I didn't fit? I think it was my red hair...........

Although today has been a setback, I feel like I am getting closer to my dream of a soul-destroying job that barely covers my out-goings and all I dream about is the day I will finally build up the courage to kill myself. I think I'm getting closer as I'm getting passed the DREADED assessment days. Now these HR wankfests really are the biggest waste of time I have ever had to endure. Questions like : 'Name someone who is an inspiration to you' are followed by '..and now give two reasons why they shouldn't be thrown out of the hot air balloon that we are all in!'. HOT AIR BALLOON? What the fuck are you on about? The guy asking us these 'probing' questions looked so bored I almost felt sorry for him but I couldn't think about for that too long as it was my turn to defend John Lennon's right of life (a certain irony there was lost on everyone else doing this day with me).

So a bit of a shit day but you have to stay optimistic.

At least my inspirational person wasn't Lady Gaga like someone else said!

And that was only because someone else had taken Barack Obama......

I don't know.

Wired

I just, finally, finished watching 'The Wire'. This has been a long burning love of mine that started around 3 years ago when a friend of mine lent me series one (which I still have.....), raving about how amazing it was. It took me 3 attempts to watch the first episode and then I was pretty much hooked. I watched the entire first series with another good friend in a couple of days, went out and purchased series 2 and watched it in two days, and then went out and purchased series 3 and watched it all (13 hours) in a day. Sat on her bed. Eating peanut M&Ms. Smiling like fools. It was a good day.

And then I stopped for a year.

One reason for this was because the DVD was not yet out and I refused to watch it on some crappy website with the sound out of sync to the video or having to wait for constant buffering. In this year I watched series 1 and 3 another time, and watched series 2 (by far my favourite) around 4 times. Reviews in this time started appearing online of series 4 and how it was the best yet. Sites like metacritic scored it at 98 (http://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-wire/season-4) which is still the highest ever combined score of any TV series.  When I got round to watching series 4 it blew me away. I was amazed at how good it was. Although I still prefer series 2 I can see that this was the 'best' series they ever did. 

And then I stopped for 2 years.

Series 5 had been out at the time I watched series 4, but I just didn't watch it. Maybe it was because I didn't want it to end or maybe it was because I had a busy social life at the time (it was because I didn't want it to end) but I just didn't want it to end.

 Enter, my lovely girlfriend who had tirelessly made me watch nearly all (5 and a half series) of 'Lost' (which is actually a lot better than I thought it would be), whilst having to listen to me rant about how much 'The Wire' was better than it. It must have been very annoying. Especially for this girl. She likes 'Lost'. A lot. Anyway I convinced her to watch 'The Wire' with me and we have just finished it all. 

In my opinion it is as perfect a TV show as can be. It's not about crime or good v.s. evil it's about people and community. By the end, nearly every major character in the 'crime' side of things has changed but 'the game' remains the same. It's depressing, uplifting and contemplative. 

I liked it.

A lot. 

Better watch the last series of 'Lost' now.

(It won't be as good)

The day after the night before...

I work in a bar. Have done now for nearly 3 years and although I am currently trying to change 'career' so to speak I have enjoyed the vast majority of it. Last night was one of those reasons that I will miss it....(but only a bit).

It was a usual Friday night. Busy to start with. Then a bit quieter. Then busy again. Somewhere within this fairly predictable evening was a bottle of Russia's finest Stolichnaya. The fact that we even have this in stock feels like we have gone back in time some 15-20 years but for some reason it was there. In the freezer. With shot glasses next to it. Also sat in the freezer.

Now I do like to have a drink (see Blog title....) but drinking vodka straight has never (and never will be) my drink. It induces memories of being 14 and acting like what I would now describe as 'a cunt'. ANYWAY, being the amazingly independent, strong-minded person that I am I drank said vodka and WOW do I feel rough today. Granted it didn't help that I also had a handful of tequilas, 3 pints of cider, 2 pints of lager and an ale all for good measure. For someone who has been selling alcohol to the masses for all these years you would have thought that I'd know better.......but I don't.

So now, at 3pm in the afternoon I am sat, listening to OK Computer on beautiful vinyl, at full volume trying to blow away the cobwebs. It was working until 'Fitter Happier' came on and then I felt like opening the window and jumping the unimpressive height of one storey to my pitiful death. Or maybe just break my ankle. Or probably nothing at all. And then I'd look a right dick....

An introduction...

The reason for me starting this, a BLOG!, is due to the mind-boggling boredom that I go through everyday before I go to work. This I believe is something that many people who work in the evenings go through due mainly to the fact that all their loved ones and friends have 'proper' jobs and work the more traditional hours of 9 to 5. This world of 9 to 5 is something that I too am trying to break into, but so far with little to no success (ie. NO success). Apparently in these times of high unemployment and economic strife, a barman (albeit one with a degree) is not an employers ideal candidate when looking to fill their new IKEA office chair in their lovely office.

I have little to no idea what else I will write about in this blog or if I will ever write again but it certainly has filled up a nice little 5 minutes of my day that I would have otherwise spent applying for jobs that I will never be considered for or playing Miniclip's 8 Ball Pool Multiplayer.....again......

Good day to you all