All is well - what's wrong?

Whoo hoo! Pull open the pinot - I’m bloody celebrating! Why? A party? A promotion perhaps? No. The joy of actually having my apartment to myself, a decent bottle of wine and time to write about my favourite subject… me.
Oh it’s been a while. Since I last typed, nations have fallen into economic quagmires, a bearded lady became the singing sweetheart of Britain, the pope has invited Anglicans to join the Catholic church (Rome invading Canterbury! Has anyone else actually picked up on the historical significance of this?) and rather more predictably lots of angry men in Pakistan blew each other up.

Summer came and went. Of course it was beautiful every day and rainy every evening and weekend – even in the Republic. Which still doesn’t have a government. And as I may have mentioned in previous blogs, the solution is easy - all they actually have to do to solve this is to send me to live all expenses paid in Barbados. There is nothing more guaranteed to start a military coup or the fall of a government than me moving to the country in question. No the Czech’s don’t have a Government, the second time I have experienced this in this particular country. The difference is that in Czech is that nobody cares.


Some things happened to me also. I have thus far kept a man drunk enough to date me for more than two weeks. He works in IT so when he explains what he does and my memory fails or my eyes glaze over, he is used to it. Perfick! Although now I have mentioned it in this blog it is no doubt doomed. You may place your bets now but I do demand 10 percent of all profits. Those who haven’t yet met him, I hope you will, and that he will amuse you as much (but not in the same way) as he amused me.

Work is, as always, unstable… ish. Such is the tragedy of the advertising industry. Since my entry to the dark side in January of this year I have failed to find a managing director with any moral compass. The ethos in advertising seems to be ‘you should be grateful to work for us’ or ‘ahhh there’s a crisis so we can treat you all like shit and lay you off with n’er a pay packet to your name’. Not one has failed to rip me off, lie, cheat and steal. Luckily my experience as a journalist hardened me to a life of dealing with scum. Except in the old days at least I had a decent expense account. Despite the PR, anyone under director level in advertising has to have invoices signed in triplicate and converted into rand or zlote to even claim a legitimate flight. Mad Men it ain’t.

Despite this they have still managed to stifle many of my personal projects due to work volume. Both boxing and running got kicked to touch this year due to long working hours over summer. My belly lies resplendent. Motorbike lessons followed suit (although that was mostly due to the bad evening weather all summer). But I did learn a thing or two; I have now decided that after 13 hours of lessons with a prick sporting a Napoleon complex who screamed Czech obsenities regularly and once even punched my arm, that I would be far better off, and safer, doing a course in England – even if I can’t remember how left hand traffic goes.

Since Africa I have had little or no time off. I work… and work some more… and learn Czech, and also work, sometimes there were bikes lessons. Usually I don’t get home till 9.30pm on a weeknight. That cuts into my social life some. But this summer I did see some great bands. Bloc Party and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s being my favourite.

In seven days I go West to the U.S of A. Not a country I would usually consider spending my money on seeing. Especially since my motto is, that while I can carry a rucksack and I am still vaguely young enough to be stupid, I should travel more far flung corners. However, the aforementioned boyfriend invited me to accompany him on a grand tour of the East coast. So New Yoike! (which I know I will like from watching various episodes of SATC), The Florida Keys! (which I know I will like because lots of gay friends told me so) Virginia and Baltimore! (which I know I will like because they are so bloody random). We also went to a festival or two this summer, we are both still alive, I deduce we travel well.

For the time being (knock on wood, turn three times, touch your ear, knock your teeth –depending on where you are from) I can still say that I am happy. My problems are probably manageable, the people I love are mostly in good health or on the up. My nieces and nephews continue to thrive under the loving eyes of my fantastic sisters. My mum, god bless her, is still my lovely mum I have to say that the more I have learned this year about other peoples families, the more I love and miss my own. The friends I love are either recently married or about to tie the knot. It’s probably bad luck to boast. But just for once (before it all turns to rat shit) I’m going to revel in this rather blessed period.


Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t be long until I’m back to my old whinging self ☺ Next week will probably see me made redundant and hit by a New York taxi or falling piano.

Laterz.