Gizza Job

I seem to have got somewhere in the never-ending story that is my quest for employment. Since I was made unemployed in July, I seem to have got precisely nowhere. I’ve applied for a stupid amount of jobs and most of the companies that I have applied to haven’t even given me the courtesy of a reply. Even a ‘thanks, but no thanks’! It is a true reflection of the desperate nature of todays job market when I don’t get anywhere with even the most basic of jobs (B&M discount retailers anyone?).

The Job Centre up their game after three months, and rightly so. Most people signing on are desperate to get back into work. There is still the percentage of people signing on who either never intend, or aren’t bright enough, to work, and that will never change. Problem I have with the change of tact from the Job Centre is they treat you as you aren’t doing enough to find work. This is despite the ongoing lull of full or even part-time jobs available in not just in Nottingham, but everywhere. To be fair to them, they have thrown all sorts of possible jobs at me, and in the past few weeks this seems to have amounted to a few replies of ‘due to large volume…etc’ rejections, but at least it’s a reply. And the worst case scenario is working back at Royal Mail for four weeks. So there is something, at least.

This past few weeks, I applied for two administration jobs. One of them is at a courier company in the outskirts of Bulwell and the other is a solicitors in the city centre. Living in Radcliffe, the solicitors is obviously the preferred choice due to the location. The one in Bulwell can’t be discounted though. It’s a full-time year-long contract. Money might be spent on buses, but it beats the hours that the solicitors are offering – just 21 – and I have a feeling they’ll beat the wage they’re offering as well. I went to the courier company today for the interview, they told me about the job and it sounds incredibly similar to the one I held at the ILF, and I let them know that. They seemed impressed that I essentially knew the basics of what I’d be doing anyway. I’ve read all manner of online documents on how to present yourself at interviews and I believe I came across well. The only things standing in my way are both location and someone with a larger amount of experience.

The solicitors, in the office district of Nottingham (Regent Street), is a similar office/admin assistant. It involves a little bit more activity, as I’ll be delivering items to nearby offices a lot of the time as well as running around after the various solicitors that work there! It’s a Monday – Wednesday job share, which would work out well for nights out on the piss on Fridays, and being just five minutes from Friar Lane the location is better than I could have hoped. Pay isn’t fantastic (about £6.50 an hour) and, as I mentioned earlier, the hours are less than I want. Both jobs have their plus and minus points. As far as this one is concerned, I received a letter from the office manager there selecting me ‘as a possible candidate’. They sent out an application form and asked me to explain how I fit the criteria they set out. Now, I know I’m good with the words, so this was easy – it’s being good with the words that I’m not amazing at.

So, I’ve yet to get an interview there – whereas I’ve had my interview in Bulwell. It could be a pivotal work in the working life of Peter Collison!

Kind of related, in as much that when I get a wage I can buy these, is the news that Nottingham Forest are selling Half Season Tickets for the end of December onwards – the first game being Derby at home on the 29th. They start at £250 for the relatively rubbish Lower Brian Clough and rise to nearly £270 for the preferred destination of the Upper Bridgford. I’ve enjoyed the games I’ve been to so far this season, and the company in the Globe, so I’m really quite keen on getting a ticket – regardless of how things are going on the pitch.

And a wage will also mean I can get an iPhone 4, after months of pining over it. I’ll be getting the sim-free version, because I have no plans to pay stupid amounts of money for calls and messages I don’t often use. Plus, I’ve grown attached to my mobile phone number, I seem to have had it for years…

Come Back To What You Know

Not a great deal to report, just the few odds & sods.

Firstly, money. I needn’t have saved up £2000 while I was still at the ILF. I thought I’d need it in the months ahead, but the dole I’m receiving sees the £2000 total topped up every two weeks. I’m scared of unnecessary spending, but I really shouldn’t be. Obviously I’d much prefer work, but I never thought I’d be unemployed and financially stable. Hurrah!

It’s this extra bit of money which is leading me to rediscover my inner Forest fan. I’ve let all things Forest take a massive back seat in the past few years. Whether it’s the forum, or actually going to games, I’d let my interest slide. It never helped that for a long period over these past four years I’d been working on a Saturday, but it was a situation that needed rectifying.

I’ve bought a ticket to the Forest v Swansea game at the end of the month. It’s my first game in what I believe is about two seasons! I’ve also managed to buy a Forest top – my first in a good few years. In my time away from the City Ground, the members of Forest Forum Extraordinaire – LTLF – have made the Globe pub on London Road a designated area for members of the forum. This has meant that the few times I’ve been there already this season, I’ve met plenty of people off the forum, as well as a few old faces. It certainly enhances the matchday experience.

I’ve also bought a ticket for the “Audience With…” they periodically have at the Approach in Nottingham. Last month it was Billy Davies, this month it’s former Forest players Gary Birtles, John Robertson and Tony Woodcock. Entry into this gets you a free copy of Gary Birtles new book – exciting! – I’m expecting plenty of Brian Clough inspired anecdotes, as the rest of the crowd is.

So I’m ramping up the Forest fan side of things, making up for lost time! The last LTLF get together I attended was in 2005. Lot of catching up to do…

Lastly, the 4.1 update for the iPhone fixed the speed issue that hampered the 3G when I last updated it. Now it runs at a decent speed, with the added cosmetic adjustments that the iOS4 update brought. I may jailbreak it – once it becomes available – to give the 3G one last hurrah before I no doubt buy an iPhone 4 next year, but I’d have to check on any jailbreaking slowdown issues first.

Deep Heat

It’s been a while.

I never intend to write monthly blog posts about what’s going on, but it’s always how it seems to play out. May is coming to an end (really? Where has 2010 gone?) and finally there is enough to talk about to warrant a new blog entry! First off is something which we couldn’t get enough of a few weeks ago, but now it’s slipped off the headlines somewhat. No, not volcanic ash – the election.

It’s funny how it all turns out. A hung parliament was bad, was not what the country needed (so says Cameron), but here we are. It was the only way he could get into Number 10, is how DC saw it, and if that meant Nick Clegg as his BFF, then so be it. I love how the papers don’t quite know what the think. The British newspapers are either one party or the other. Now that the Conservatives have set up shop with the Liberals and formed a government, they’ve all got a bit confused. Looks like the The Sun are happy as it is, the Guardian are a bit annoyed their precious Liberals have sold their soul, the Mirror just hate anyone who isn’t Labour, and the Daily Mail…yes everyone’s favourite tabloid, they’re in a bit of state. They’ve got Cameron into Number 10 – a Tory PM at long last! – but at the expense of a sprinkling of Liberals in the cabinet. So any chance to have a pop at them and they take it. Sir Dave can do no wrong, but Nicholas Cleggy is still not be trusted, if their ‘Nick Clegg – Nazi’ headline is anything to go by.

The papers want it to fail, they didn’t this. Because this is relatively new ground, they don’t like it and are willing it to fail. Thankfully the British public can make up their own minds and, just to piss off the media, I hope the Con-Lib government is a success. Still odd to think of David Cameron as PM. But give it time i guess.

Nottingham Forest got so close, but had the playoff curse strike again. We just can’t do ‘em can we? We get there, then roll over. A great season, the third best team in the league, and we get nothing. Still, it’s been a blinder of a season and better than anyone could have predicted. I hope we take it on from here and don’t go the way of other teams, Reading for example? Also, well done to Blackpool, they deserved their place in the final and, ultimately, the Premier League. It’ll be hard for them next year undoubtedly, but the novelty of Blackpool in the Premier League is still there for me. I’m also thinking that a lot of clubs are anticipating the away date at Bloomfield Road as an excuse to go along and make a weekend of it. Good luck to them, and also to Ian Holloway. I’m chuffed to bits that he’s made it to the Premier League, as he’ll be worth watching MOTD for the soundbites he’ll come out with.

Still on football, I’ve got into the spirit of the forthcoming World Cup by buying a few England tops. These aren’t just any England tops though, these are retro ones that Umbro have bought out this summer. They’ve got a range of about five different tops. A ’66 top (red one), a ’70 top (white one), then the next two are the ones I’ve bought. The 1986 top, which looks great – authentic old style Umbro logo and everything! The other top is the 1990 ‘Gazza’ top. The one with the collar, the one Gazza is crying in (indeed, the number on the back is 19 – his number) and my current favourite. It still looks great, even now. In Manchester the other day i’ve seen yet another Retro top. This is a Euro 96 one, but rather than leave it properly authentic, they’ve put England 4 Netherlands 1 on the front. I don’t want that, i want Retro! So that one won’t be bought by me.

Still, i can’t begin to tell you how cool I look in them!

Finally, where’s this hot weather come from? I do love a heatwave, but did it have to come when I’m still suffering a bit from hayfever? The media love to put a dampener on things however (the damn papers! Again!), and they take great pleasure in telling us that temperatures will go back to average as the week goes on. Is there some perverse pleasure in that or something? “It’s hotter than Madrid, but not for long!” What they don’t tell us is that temperatures will drop, but back down to average May monthly temperatures. Basically it’s still going to be warm. Jeez!