A Strange Day

Today has been a bit of a strange day. I woke up feeling crap and homesick for Edinburgh, and spent some time pondering my future. Luckily next week I’m back in the office (on Monday, anyway) – getting out of the flat might lift my mood

I’ve been thinking of starting a private German blog – anaj is doing this and I know my friend automatthias too has a Polish blog (that’s why there’s never any new content on his English blog ).

Would be cool – I could talk about whatever I like, and no one would know

Only thing is I wouldn’t know *when* to do it…

Either way, let’s get this week-end out of the way and see what happens

916.86 Words Per Day

I’m currently writing a report for a consultancy project as part of my new job, and it’s really good for a variety of reasons.

Best of all, though, I seem to be able to produce a lot of high-quality writing each day. I’ve done over 6000 words so far, and that’s in 7 days. It’s ridiculous if you think that 10000 words or so would be enough for an MA thesis (over here in the UK, that is). I.e. I could write a thesis in just under 2 weeks! The stuff I’m writing about involves a lot of research and is about web 2.0, and it’s at times quite theoretical. I’m really quite enjoying it though, but I am surprised at my rate and ability to produce good stuff quickly.

I enjoy using my brain so much - this is something that wasn’t really required in my previous job (though over-required in my PhD of course). I feel even more positive now about my idea of retiring at 40 and starting to write fiction then. If I can write anything between 500 and 1000 words a day, it should be easy.

Writing used to be a bit of a fight sometimes, and hard work. Lately, it just seems to come out very quickly and productively so!

I think it’s just the bl00dy PhD that was killing my joy of writing.

Ponta Delgada visits Lenina

Checking my clustr map the other day, I found a small red dot to the West coast of Portugal which means I’ve had some traffic from there. It looked like it was out in the ocean (Atlantic ocean, to be precise) and really quite far out! I first wondered whether it was someone on a ship using satellite DSL or whatever (is that technically possible?).

On closer inspection just now, it looks like the traffic originated from Ponta Delgada, or in any case one of the Azores isles, a

Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km (930 mi.) from Lisbon and about 3,900 km (2,418 mi.) from the east coast of North America.

I never realised the Azores existed. Well, I have some sort of memory that they do – I’ve definitely heard the name before and if pressed, I may even have subconsciously stored a memory somewhere that they are Portuguese. Either way, these clustr maps are quite a fun thing, though I’d like to be able to zoom in more (it would be great to see in detail where from within the UK I have traffic ).

Excerpt from my clustrmap (check out the small red dot to the West of Portugal, out in the Atlantic Ocean):

Ponta Delgada:

Just arrived back in London

we’ve taken our friend J. down with us… he’ll be staying until Sun or Mon.

A very Scottish Party

Last night (the 27th – time stamp is edited) we threw a party at my flat. It was great! We didn’t take any pics unfortunately.

Everyone fitted in just nicely – everyone had a ’social role’ within our group. I think it’s been a successful week-end and I even got stuff done (though, on the wrk-front, not as much as I’d have liked to. Panic sets in).

I nearly even bought a Scottish flag. w00t. Actually I really should get one

Edinburgh T on the Fringe: Razorlight, Editors

When working in my study here in Edinburgh a few hours ago, I heard Razorlight playing rehearsing In the Morning. I didn’t know they were playing at T on the Fringe (which is basically the umbrella term for all cool gigs that take place as part of the festival – last year, we saw Muse, and the year before, Pixies, both in Meadowbank stadium which is 5 mins from where I live here in Edinburgh). I didn’t know either that their gig was tonight! After listening to them practice, I quickly checked the T on the Fringe website and found out that they were indeed playing at Meadowbank, supported by Editors

Obviously we don’t have tickets, and apparently it’s no longer possible to sneak in for free illegally round the back (that’s what people did last year, not us mind!), and I don’t want to pay £28 per person (w00t) either. So, what we’re going to do is go to Meadowbank at approx. 7pm and hang around outside, watching the crowd. If we either manage to get free tickets or really cheap ones (say, no more than £15 per person), we’ll go in. It would be great to see them, especially as the Meadowbank fringe gigs hold great memories. We’ll go with our friend J. I think, and maybe D&J (though I think at least one of them is working tomorrow. Plus tomorrow evening is the party at my flat, so they might not want to come out twice).

Anyhow, that’s the plan! It’s great to be back

Hackney Shooting Update

I reported about a shooting on Broadway Market (Hackney) the other day. Just an update: This has now been reported in the local ‘Hackney Gazette’, an offline paper which we got through the door but which also has a website, thus saving me having to type the article

GUNSHOTS have been fired in Broadway Market again, sparking fears that a gang “turf war” is escalating.

Eyewitnesses said a teenager fired between three or four shots at 9.50pm last Thursday.

No-one was injured. Shocked shopkeepers say it is one of several shootings in the area in the past month.

Six weeks ago, on July 3, a teenager was chased down Broadway Market by men firing a gun.

The teenager ran into a kebab shop for protection and a bullet is believed to have struck a window.

Earlier this year, picnickers dived for cover when a motorcyclist opened fired on a group of youths in London Fields.

Speculation is rife that the incidents are related to a “turf war” between the Holly Street Boyz and London Fields Crew.

w00t!

Police reading my blog: I know nothing of these events! Don’t knock on my door for any witness statement please. I’m a mere resident living near Broadway Market. I was not in fact on Broadway Market at the time of these events.

Anyway, we’re now in Edinburgh till Tuesday, but I wanted to update this snipped of local London news. I don’t think anybody was hurt in the shootings BTW, thank god. I don’t know what could be done about these gangs (if local gangs were indeed behind this – I’ve never heard any of these gang names before), though David Cameron, the Conservative leader, advises that Public Can Stop Gangs.

Hm…

 

Retiring at the Age of 40

I decided the other day that I’m going to retire at age 40. Why? Because I have a life that needs living in various different ways, and not just the career one.

More precisely, I want to start writing properly at 40. I’ve always written stuff, as far as I can remember, and some of it was even pretty good (I won the joint first prize in a Creative Writing competition ages ago). However, I haven’t done it in a long time, probably 6 years or more. I was simply too busy with my PhD, relationship, and earning money all at the same time.

Seeing that I’ve got the opportunity to really get stuck in professionally now – and I love my job – there’s no way I’m going to have time to do any writing or indeed anything that’s creative for the next few years either. OK, I do my blog, and playing around with widgets and such is a little bit ‘creative’, but it’s nothing at all compared to what I used to do (I used to be in a band, make music, write, even do a few performances with my then-boyfriend).

So, the best solution for me is to give it my all career-wise for the next 7 years (until I am 40) and see how far I can go, saving loads of money in the meantime. I’ll do my translation MA part-time (I’ve postponed the MA to next year BTW as I’m just too busy right now) to ensure that I have yet another profession that I can do from home (freelance translator), for when I retire. I mean, I’m not going to ‘retire’ and do fuck all. I do want to retire from the rat-race/my career at 40, and instead do some part-time jobs from home but mainly focus on my creative stuff, especially writing.

I’m looking forward to it – just 7 more years to go

edit: I LOVE my new map widget! I think a German company is behind clustr.

Off To Edinburgh Tomorrow :D

I’m off to Edinburgh tomorrow for the bank holiday week-end. Well, it’s not bank holiday week-end in Scotland, but it is in England (and Wales, I think)!

We’ll be driving up tomorrow after w0rk ( ) and back to London Tuesday afternoon. It’s going to be great to see our friends!

I just have to remember to pick up my lappy from the office tomorrow after work, otherwise I’ll be computer-less.

There will still be people staying in my flat’s spare room until Sunday, but from then on it’s just me, the BF, and whoever wants to come along (e.g. wee neighbour’s boy, D&J, J, A&new German missus).

Great!

PS: I’m trying out a new widget (the map).

Football: England V Germany Friendly

England v. Germany friendly starting now on BBC1.

Live Coverage here.

I’ll update the score later

Half time: Germany 2 : 1 Engerland

 Full time: German 2 : 1 Engerland

and in Wembley Stadium