Holiday end
Tomorrow is the last of the seven days I took off. I have got almost nothing visible accomplished. I bought a suit at Hobbs and have had it adjusted, and I just took in the skirt and trousers from my old suit to have them taken in -- they were so loose recently that I've been having to pin the trousers up with a safety pin to keep them from hanging so low that I step on them, even in high heels, and I could take them off without undoing them. I went to see firenightingale, daisho and their lovely little baby Iggy, which was worth it alone. And I tried out eleventy billion bicycles and now understand a lot more about them and am I hope very very close to actually choosing one, but haven't done so yet. I have not succeeded in buying a netbook, which is annoying.
My interview on Friday at the set in Peterborough went well, I think, except that I'm not sure I convinced them I'm enamoured enough of Peterborough. Hell, I'm not sure I am enamoured enough of Peterborough. It looks like a lovely old Roman town, with a fabulous cathedral, and it is quite close to London and Oh. My. God is it cheap -- I could rent a two-bedroom flat for £500 a month. I am renting a room for £520 a month right now! But despite the fact that it seems to have pretty good bus links for a town, it would still be a place that would pressurise me to learn to drive and get a car, and it's still, ultimately, a town. The last time I lived in a town (Kingston, Ontario, for my grad year at Queen's University), I was very unhappy. There were a lot of factors to my unhappiness. It may have been that Kingston wasn't really to blame. But it's a risk. On the other other hand, I was interviewed by the head of chambers with the head clerk sitting in, and the head of chambers seemed very nice indeed. It's a very small set, in a lovely building, and I could imagine it being a pleasant practice environment. But there isn't anyone currently there who practices immigration.
I have been invited to interview at two more sets, one of which is Tooks Chambers, which, well -- just read their frontpage, and maybe their "about us" page, and you'll probably understand why I'm excited about that. Also, at Tooks I've been invited to interview for tenancy, whereas at the other set, which is in Oxford, I'm just interviewing for a third six months of pupillage (same with the set in Peterborough, but it would be a third six with a view to tenancy).
My interview on Friday at the set in Peterborough went well, I think, except that I'm not sure I convinced them I'm enamoured enough of Peterborough. Hell, I'm not sure I am enamoured enough of Peterborough. It looks like a lovely old Roman town, with a fabulous cathedral, and it is quite close to London and Oh. My. God is it cheap -- I could rent a two-bedroom flat for £500 a month. I am renting a room for £520 a month right now! But despite the fact that it seems to have pretty good bus links for a town, it would still be a place that would pressurise me to learn to drive and get a car, and it's still, ultimately, a town. The last time I lived in a town (Kingston, Ontario, for my grad year at Queen's University), I was very unhappy. There were a lot of factors to my unhappiness. It may have been that Kingston wasn't really to blame. But it's a risk. On the other other hand, I was interviewed by the head of chambers with the head clerk sitting in, and the head of chambers seemed very nice indeed. It's a very small set, in a lovely building, and I could imagine it being a pleasant practice environment. But there isn't anyone currently there who practices immigration.
I have been invited to interview at two more sets, one of which is Tooks Chambers, which, well -- just read their frontpage, and maybe their "about us" page, and you'll probably understand why I'm excited about that. Also, at Tooks I've been invited to interview for tenancy, whereas at the other set, which is in Oxford, I'm just interviewing for a third six months of pupillage (same with the set in Peterborough, but it would be a third six with a view to tenancy).