Happy New Year
I suppose it is traditional to think about where you've come from and where you're going at this time of year. In a literal sense I'm actually going from Sunderland back to London (thanks to free wifi) but that's not quite what I mean.
2013 was a positive year, on balance. After the horrors of 2012 I started to rebuild, I took control of things rather than dwelling on what went wrong. I hated my job and I hated being stuck in that house in Newcastle (a house I was struggling to maintain on my own), so rather than wait for things to go wrong I moved.
The big move to London was very daunting, truth be told, and it's a good job that I didn't have too long to think about it. I saw the job advertised the week before Christmas, with a deadline the week after the New Year, so I applied on a whim without dwelling on it. The job was a step up and I didn't think anything would happen, but I was invited to interview. Truth be told, I only went to the interview for the experience, and because they were going to pay for my train ticket, I still didn't think anything would happen. The interview itself was weird. I stayed with M overnight and slipped in the shower; I still don't know how, but I landed on her bathroom floor having fallen through a plate glass shower screen. Figuring nothing could be worse I swept up as best I could and went to the interview. After a mixup over where I should be, and the receptionist being the most clueless person I've ever met, I finally got into the interview. It was the least pressured I'd felt in a long time, probably because it couldn't get worse and because I didn't think anything would happen, but I did really well and got the job.
It wasn't long between getting the job offer and having to move, so again I didn't have long to worry about things. As it turns out a friend of a friend (well, a friend of two separate friends who didn't know each other) had a spare room in his flatshare, so I moved there and it worked out well. The flat was nice, Muswell Hill is very nice, and I landed on my feet with it all. I've moved since then, into a studio that I thought would be really nice but that I've struggled to settle in, but it was good to land in a nice bit of London with a sane and sensible flatmate.
The other big thing that happened in 2013 was Rosie. I've really landed on my feet with her too. I know friends were worried when I started seeing her and it got serious, in case I was rebounding. I didn't think I was, but I was just as worried, especially with little Rosie being the adorable ginger gobshite baggage that she is. But things seemed to work. The two Rosies met: "this is my friend Rosie"..."but I'M ROSIE!!!". She got over it soon enough, and she genuinely seemed to like (big) Rosie. And vice versa. Even E has met Rosie a few times and seems to like her; I don't massively care for her opinion, but it's easier if she likes my partner and is happy for little Rosie to be in the same house.
Rosie started to loook for jobs in the south east towards the end of 2013, with us both thinking it was time to be together. I would have been just as open to moving back north, but the jobs aren't there. As it turns out she applied for three jobs- she was being quite choosy, and rightly so- and was invited to interview for all of them. She's taken the first one, the one she really wanted, in Buckinghamshire, close to the London border.
And this is where we start 2014. I know I'll be on the move again soon- which doesn't help settling into my studio- which is both exciting and daunting. Mainly I'm daunted about the practical aspects: where should we move, will we find somewhere nice in our price range, how do we balance my commute with hers, how will we arrange her move south, will her mum be ok, all those sorts of things. I'm also a little bit nervous about moving in together, as it is a big step. But mostly I'm excited by it all, being able to settle down again after eighteen months of the dust flying everywhere, being able to share our lives fully rather than via Skype and East Coast trains.
The big focus for the next few months is going to be practical, of that I have no doubt. We're starting with a clean slate in terms of areas, and I think we're going to need quite a bit of guidance from friends. The areas that are attractive right now are Uxbridge and places west, Rickmansworth, Watford and anywhere north of there. Flats are not too bad, at least for the south east, with our budget being about a grand a month. But the cost of commuting is going to be a big factor; Uxbridge (zone six) and Rickmansworth (zone seven) are bad enough, but places like Tring or High Wycombe are pushing five grand a year just for a season ticket. It is utterly ridiculous; these places are not that far out, maybe thirty miles at most, and you're looking at twenty quid a day just to get to work. As always, we're going to have to work out what we can compromise on and what we cannot compromise on. I'm quite happy with a commute of about an hour to have the cheapness in rent and ease of parking; I also have family and friends in Buckinghamshire. Ironically going a bit further out than zone six makes the commute quicker, as it is an express train into Euston not a trundling all stations tube train, but then the costs sky-rocket once you're out of the London zones. Plenty to think about, I suppose.
But leaving all that aside, I'm genuinely looking forward to 2014. That's a huge step forward compared to this time last year. 2013 was all about dusting myself down and rebuilding; 2014 is about building on that. I think I will do, and all I can do is try my best.
2013 was a positive year, on balance. After the horrors of 2012 I started to rebuild, I took control of things rather than dwelling on what went wrong. I hated my job and I hated being stuck in that house in Newcastle (a house I was struggling to maintain on my own), so rather than wait for things to go wrong I moved.
The big move to London was very daunting, truth be told, and it's a good job that I didn't have too long to think about it. I saw the job advertised the week before Christmas, with a deadline the week after the New Year, so I applied on a whim without dwelling on it. The job was a step up and I didn't think anything would happen, but I was invited to interview. Truth be told, I only went to the interview for the experience, and because they were going to pay for my train ticket, I still didn't think anything would happen. The interview itself was weird. I stayed with M overnight and slipped in the shower; I still don't know how, but I landed on her bathroom floor having fallen through a plate glass shower screen. Figuring nothing could be worse I swept up as best I could and went to the interview. After a mixup over where I should be, and the receptionist being the most clueless person I've ever met, I finally got into the interview. It was the least pressured I'd felt in a long time, probably because it couldn't get worse and because I didn't think anything would happen, but I did really well and got the job.
It wasn't long between getting the job offer and having to move, so again I didn't have long to worry about things. As it turns out a friend of a friend (well, a friend of two separate friends who didn't know each other) had a spare room in his flatshare, so I moved there and it worked out well. The flat was nice, Muswell Hill is very nice, and I landed on my feet with it all. I've moved since then, into a studio that I thought would be really nice but that I've struggled to settle in, but it was good to land in a nice bit of London with a sane and sensible flatmate.
The other big thing that happened in 2013 was Rosie. I've really landed on my feet with her too. I know friends were worried when I started seeing her and it got serious, in case I was rebounding. I didn't think I was, but I was just as worried, especially with little Rosie being the adorable ginger gobshite baggage that she is. But things seemed to work. The two Rosies met: "this is my friend Rosie"..."but I'M ROSIE!!!". She got over it soon enough, and she genuinely seemed to like (big) Rosie. And vice versa. Even E has met Rosie a few times and seems to like her; I don't massively care for her opinion, but it's easier if she likes my partner and is happy for little Rosie to be in the same house.
Rosie started to loook for jobs in the south east towards the end of 2013, with us both thinking it was time to be together. I would have been just as open to moving back north, but the jobs aren't there. As it turns out she applied for three jobs- she was being quite choosy, and rightly so- and was invited to interview for all of them. She's taken the first one, the one she really wanted, in Buckinghamshire, close to the London border.
And this is where we start 2014. I know I'll be on the move again soon- which doesn't help settling into my studio- which is both exciting and daunting. Mainly I'm daunted about the practical aspects: where should we move, will we find somewhere nice in our price range, how do we balance my commute with hers, how will we arrange her move south, will her mum be ok, all those sorts of things. I'm also a little bit nervous about moving in together, as it is a big step. But mostly I'm excited by it all, being able to settle down again after eighteen months of the dust flying everywhere, being able to share our lives fully rather than via Skype and East Coast trains.
The big focus for the next few months is going to be practical, of that I have no doubt. We're starting with a clean slate in terms of areas, and I think we're going to need quite a bit of guidance from friends. The areas that are attractive right now are Uxbridge and places west, Rickmansworth, Watford and anywhere north of there. Flats are not too bad, at least for the south east, with our budget being about a grand a month. But the cost of commuting is going to be a big factor; Uxbridge (zone six) and Rickmansworth (zone seven) are bad enough, but places like Tring or High Wycombe are pushing five grand a year just for a season ticket. It is utterly ridiculous; these places are not that far out, maybe thirty miles at most, and you're looking at twenty quid a day just to get to work. As always, we're going to have to work out what we can compromise on and what we cannot compromise on. I'm quite happy with a commute of about an hour to have the cheapness in rent and ease of parking; I also have family and friends in Buckinghamshire. Ironically going a bit further out than zone six makes the commute quicker, as it is an express train into Euston not a trundling all stations tube train, but then the costs sky-rocket once you're out of the London zones. Plenty to think about, I suppose.
But leaving all that aside, I'm genuinely looking forward to 2014. That's a huge step forward compared to this time last year. 2013 was all about dusting myself down and rebuilding; 2014 is about building on that. I think I will do, and all I can do is try my best.