evapilotone

So I returned to work on the 29th June, only to find my manager was off ill and that I had over 700 emails that, for the most part, had been left since I first rang in at the end of May. Now I'm sitting here, three days into the working week, with little under 90 emails left un-actioned, and still no manager present. I obviously need to talk to my manager about the various things that have happened these past few weeks, as work is pretty much the whole reason I'm in the situation of stress. So after a pretty flakey couple of days of dealing with emails that should have been dealt with by my colleagues, I'm feeling on top of things, but with an unhealthy feeling that being here is undoing everything I addressed over the four weeks I was signed off.

I really need to get my arse in gear and think about my options. The more I think about it, the more I agree with certain folk that I just need a change while I think on what I want to do with my future. So I need a new job, a fresh start, as I'm stuck in a rut where I am at the moment. I'll play on what I'm good at, Insurance, as much as I like to not think about it. However, I think moving back to Insurance would be a good move. I'm comfortable with it, I know how to handle myself on the phone, and I reckon that I'll go for something that doesn't involve sitting on my arse all the time, so I think I'll go for something along the lines of complaint or claims handling. The latter being my preference. So we'll see. I have a couple of changes to make to my CV and then I'll start looking about and hopefully get myself moved ASAP.

Apart from work, I pretty much have everything "down on paper", planned out and I've taken a couple of steps, like cutting up credit/debit cards, to ensure that I stick to my budgeting and debt clearance.

It was good to sit down with my mum and dad, to hear them say that my finances really aren't that bad and I could be a lot worse. Sure, I've known this for a while, that there are millions of people out there with far bigger money worries than me, but I guess I hardly ever think about it as it doesn't effect me. Selfish I guess, but who else can clear it but me at the end of the day?

Still, I am on the right track with that "sector" and hopefully I should see some money getting put away for the up and coming flat deposit. As I mentioned in my last blog, after what has happened these past few weeks, Sarah and I have stepped up the pace when it comes to moving into our own place. We've started looking, seen a couple of places already, just to get a grasp of questions we need to ask etc. As I mentioned, we pretty much have no deposit prepared as we thought it wouldn't happen for a while. So we are planning to sort this out as quickly as we can. Sarah starts her new job on Monday, so it's the perfect time to start thinking about it. In the mean time, I can get us started. It should go without saying that I'm excited. It's pretty much the only important thing I want at the moment. I really do think it'll do wonders for me and my relationship with my family, friends and of course, Sarah.

So, I had my first snowboarding lesson on Monday. I freaking loved it. I can't wait to improve and get to a recreational standard. My goal is to get to a decent Freestyle standard, as I would love to pull off some of the crazy air jumps, tricks and rails that I see some of the guys do on slope. One step at a time however. I pretty much nailed my toe edge, but I never quite managed my diagonals. So one more lesson and I should complete the first step. I need to complete the first four steps to be allowed to board at a recreational level on the main slope. Yeah, it's quite expensive at 27 per hour, but that does give you all the gear, plus you can rent trousers and a jacket for only a fiver, so it's no so bad. I know, you're prob sitting there saying that I just said I was trying to save money, but I've been using vouchers that my dad gave me, so it's not cost me very much at all. It's come to light that quite a few of my mates board too, so I'm pretty excited about getting to get out there with them, possibly even go on a few holidays. I'd love to go on a proper Snowboarding holiday.

I'm also pretty excited at how physical it is. It really will improve my health in terms of losing weight and getting more exercise.

One thing that did interest me was when I was having problems with my diagonals. My instructor was saying that I'm too cautious. That I need to let go and just board. My mate said it's called "The Fear". I reckon that I have "The Fear" in other aspects of my life. It would explain a lot.

I NEED OLD AND UN-USED SKATEBOARDS!
That's right. Just the deck, so I don't mind about trucks, wheels or bearings. Please have a look and if willing, can I have them.

Beard Hero, in my opinion, was a great success, despite the amount of bile that was projected from my bowels and others. It was great to see some new and old faces. Put voices to faces. That's the weirdest part for me anyway. If you're a member of the SG Scotland group, you'll know it was renamed Taco Hero, as there was, for the first time, a lot more girls than boys. It was a great laugh. I want to thank Causy for bringing so much great food, to CaptainPyjamas for bringing her drums and everyone else who turned up. A special shout to Lewis (dead_pixel_photo) for being a great host, and for putting up with Sarah and I for most of the next day, despite us being quite ill. A true gent, of whom I hope I shall be spending more time with in the future. (Bro-mance <3)

Give my mate Asciana a shout. Very cool guy. I would appreciate if your nice to him. He's fragile. LOL
(Nag him to get a profile pic!)

So that's about it really.
Other things I've got up to involve cinema trips, sushi, afternoon tea, The West End Festival etc etc.
I'll leave you with some pictures of my friends and I enjoying the good times.