:: Chris Turner's Journal ::

:: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 ::

Ups and Downs

Its been a while since I wrote anything here (how many times have I said *that* before?), so here goes, bullet-point fashion, in no particular order.

1. I passed the Civil Service Fast Stream assessment process, so am now guaranteed an accelerated career within the service, and a starting salary somewhere in the region of £27,000 - £29,000. I'm pretty damn proud of this - around 22,000 people apply each year, and only around 400 overall are successful - and only around 150 of them on the scheme I'm on. I don't yet know what I'm going to be doing - suffice it to say that it'll be project management of some kind in a government department. I'm still going to carry on with my application to the Met, since it's a process that can take around 2 years to complete - at least that way, if I hate the Civil Service for some reason, I have another career waiting for me.

2. All is well with me & Sally. We've been going out for 6 months now and are still very happy (despite my ex - who I'm sure must read this occasionally - believing that I cheated on her with Sally...very wrong). We're talking about going on holiday later this year - Sally wants to go to the Far East. I'd prefer something a little cheaper (maybe somewhere like Morocco) for now and save up to go next year. I'll have a lot more money by then.

3. I'm now playing cricket for Great Western Railway in Ealing. I've only played one proper match so far, and despite an uninspiring performance with the bat, managed to take a wicket in my first game. It would have been two, had PD not dropped an easy catch! They're a good bunch of lads, and I'm really looking forward to every Saturday afternoon at the moment during the season. Kent's form has not been good, however, and it seems that most of my membership so far has been spent in consolation drinks at the bar!

4. Me & Cass have decided to buy a place to save on the cost of renting. We've been hunting around and have mortgage quotes in the region of £200 - 220,000 , which with a deposit should be enough to get us a nice two bed flat in Ealing somewhere. Monthly repayments are significantly less than the rent we pay on this place at the moment (around £400 pcm as opposed to £550 renting), and we'll have something to sell at the end of it. Looking at doing this roundabout next May, when we've both been in our respective jobs a little longer.

5. Having been dismissed from yet another job as an estate agent (sheesh, temp work) for applying for another job, I'm seeking legal advice now that I'm being written threatening letters from my former employer demanding money. It's all very nasty, but I'm talking to a CAB lawyer tomorrow. I'm currently working in yet another crap job in an oil company, but at least it pays the bills until the Civil Service give me a start date. It'll be nice to earn some proper money and actually start *enjoying* living in Central London.

6. I found out today that my uncle took an overdose yesterday, which has had quite an impact on my mother. Apparently he's been being intimidated badly at work (physically, as well as verbally) and has got himself into a desperate state. I don't know any more than this at the moment, but it's really shocked the family. On my mum's side, we're a very close bunch - we're all keeping an eye out for him. I really hope he gets the help he needs. He's been recommended for councilling and all that stuff.

Anyway, off to bed now. Early start tomorrow, as am working in London Bridge. It only takes me about 45mins to get to work, but I still like to get up around 6.45am to give myself time to wake up and make breakfast properly.

And I've just remembered that I'm still racking up fines on Samuel bloody Pepys' diary that's at the bottom of my bag. By the time I've paid a £5 fine on it, I might as well have bought the bloody thing - which I can't afford to do - which defeats the whole purpose of borrowing it from the library in the first place!

:: Plod 23:38 [+] ::
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