10 years
10 years and two days ago, I was working just off Whitehall, so obviously followed my new boss and most of the division out into Trafalgar Square for the big reveal of "who will get the 2012 Olympics?" Unlike many people I thought the Olympics would be rather cool and more importantly be the only way to get funding for necessary infrastructure such as more transport across East London, Crossrail, HS1 to Ashford, etc. Though even those who thought it would be only noise, crowds and corruption got into the spirit of things and joined the celebrations. I still have swatches of the tissue paper in Olympic colours that was fired everywhere, pinned to my notice board. People smiled at each other for the rest of the day.
The next day, I went to the GP and then sat around West Kensington station for ages. The smiles were rapidly replaced by the glum "bloody typical" faces people have when there are delays. Something about power failures everywhere, said the platform guy. About three people said "Multiple power failures? Sounds more like bombs if you ask me. Hope I'm wrong..."
I wasn't too bothered; I leapt on a bus. However when that was stopped short at Hyde Park Corner, I was a bit unnerved. But I soon acquired a clutch of lost tourists and out-of-towners, many of whom wanted to go to Westminster or Trafalgar Square, so I led about 20 of them to Horse Guards Parade, pointed them all in the right direction, and trotted to work, eager to prepare for my meeting with the chief lawyer of Friends of the Earth, who I'd worked closely with for months but not yet met.
Then I logged on to LJ to rant about transport and find out some news from the BBC. Ah...
Given my meeting was cancelled - Phil had hoped to still make it but then the police advised him not to cycle into more-central London - I spent much of the day on LJ, admiring the Brits who were slapping down every sappy 'sympathy' comment with sturdy responses that anyone posting was fine and we had tea. The brits_americans and new london_hurts became full of dark humour.
Given that we had nearly extracted ourselves from a second Gulf war, I hoped, without much hope, that the UK wouldn't end up in yet another war in the Middle East or other Muslim country it didn't know how to get out of. Ah well. Typical response to rising unemployment across the world - build up the military then find something for them to do.
I went home - walked to Waterloo, train to Clapham Jn, then bus to Hammersmith - all very peaceful in the evening sunshine. Then realised I'd left my key and money at home, so shacked up in the Thai restaurant on my street, realising that actually I was a bit shaky but probably because I'd not yet eaten, and chatted to the owner and a few other neighbours until Conflux arrived.
So what's happened in 10 years? Well we moved to Streatham a few months later, having finally managed to sell our flat at the second attempt, despite their crap solicitor. We've done up a lot of our wreck, though our 10-year plan is now 12 years thanks to the extra loft conversion (scope creep...) and delays from acquiring three children. Three children, now 7, 6 and 3. The baby and toddler phase is done! Getting fitter hasn't really worked as planned but at least I now have diagnoses and some good meds. Still working for the same Government Department - sitting opposite the same guy as then, in fact, though all other colleagues from then have left. Different Government, though in general personalities make more difference to my work than their party. Had commitment ceremony with Conflux, still see djm4 weekly, still see ruis annually. Have run a national and an international BiCon and kicked a DMP into approving my creating a charity to oversee BiCon's money. Which has worked. And, slowly, we have gone from our registrar risking his job by saying "marriage is between two people" rather than "between one man and one woman" to, finally, legal same-sex marriage in GB (but not Northern Ireland). I doubt the registrar would have gone along with a change to the legally-required statements if he hadn't believed it would be true by 2005.
The next day, I went to the GP and then sat around West Kensington station for ages. The smiles were rapidly replaced by the glum "bloody typical" faces people have when there are delays. Something about power failures everywhere, said the platform guy. About three people said "Multiple power failures? Sounds more like bombs if you ask me. Hope I'm wrong..."
I wasn't too bothered; I leapt on a bus. However when that was stopped short at Hyde Park Corner, I was a bit unnerved. But I soon acquired a clutch of lost tourists and out-of-towners, many of whom wanted to go to Westminster or Trafalgar Square, so I led about 20 of them to Horse Guards Parade, pointed them all in the right direction, and trotted to work, eager to prepare for my meeting with the chief lawyer of Friends of the Earth, who I'd worked closely with for months but not yet met.
Then I logged on to LJ to rant about transport and find out some news from the BBC. Ah...
Given my meeting was cancelled - Phil had hoped to still make it but then the police advised him not to cycle into more-central London - I spent much of the day on LJ, admiring the Brits who were slapping down every sappy 'sympathy' comment with sturdy responses that anyone posting was fine and we had tea. The brits_americans and new london_hurts became full of dark humour.
Given that we had nearly extracted ourselves from a second Gulf war, I hoped, without much hope, that the UK wouldn't end up in yet another war in the Middle East or other Muslim country it didn't know how to get out of. Ah well. Typical response to rising unemployment across the world - build up the military then find something for them to do.
I went home - walked to Waterloo, train to Clapham Jn, then bus to Hammersmith - all very peaceful in the evening sunshine. Then realised I'd left my key and money at home, so shacked up in the Thai restaurant on my street, realising that actually I was a bit shaky but probably because I'd not yet eaten, and chatted to the owner and a few other neighbours until Conflux arrived.
So what's happened in 10 years? Well we moved to Streatham a few months later, having finally managed to sell our flat at the second attempt, despite their crap solicitor. We've done up a lot of our wreck, though our 10-year plan is now 12 years thanks to the extra loft conversion (scope creep...) and delays from acquiring three children. Three children, now 7, 6 and 3. The baby and toddler phase is done! Getting fitter hasn't really worked as planned but at least I now have diagnoses and some good meds. Still working for the same Government Department - sitting opposite the same guy as then, in fact, though all other colleagues from then have left. Different Government, though in general personalities make more difference to my work than their party. Had commitment ceremony with Conflux, still see djm4 weekly, still see ruis annually. Have run a national and an international BiCon and kicked a DMP into approving my creating a charity to oversee BiCon's money. Which has worked. And, slowly, we have gone from our registrar risking his job by saying "marriage is between two people" rather than "between one man and one woman" to, finally, legal same-sex marriage in GB (but not Northern Ireland). I doubt the registrar would have gone along with a change to the legally-required statements if he hadn't believed it would be true by 2005.