The Show Must Go On

Thanks again to my fiercely loyal readership for their support, but I had no intention of quitting the blogging scene - that last post was purely for comedy reasons (however, I only got 2 comments of support this time, which is a bit concerning).

Anyway, I'll bet you're wondering what I've been up to since the last post; well, the simple answer is not a lot. The job's going fine, and although it was initially stressful, I'm now getting the hang of the whole customer service thing. I'm actually enjoying it so far, probably because the novelty factor of having a job for the first time hasn't yet worn off (and I hope it never does). Although we frequently get angry customers on the phone, I feel I must have this knack of pacifying them and making them feel at ease, as I've never had anyone give me abuse down the phone as many others have. You've got to remember most customers are angry for a reason, and it's my job to solve their problems as best I can. It's this problem-solving aspect and the fact that I'm working in a very sociable environment that makes me enjoy it. Getting a very satisfied customer is not always easy but is incredibly rewarding. I try not to view this as some dead-end job which I'm only doing for some extra cash, but instead as something which is valuable to society and which I can try my best to excel at, and perhaps it is the starting point of a career of some sort. Nonetheless it is still a call centre job, and I'll probably be hating it in a couple of weeks time!

I think at the moment I'm just appreciating having an occupation and some structure in my life, as remember I went 5 months with no structure at all and it wasn't healthy! I find nowadays I simply don't have time to sit about feeling sorry for myself and be generally negative about things. Being positive is not always easy but it's certainly the way forward!

Looking back, I feel like my 4 years at uni were almost a total waste of time (not to mention the 2 years of college before that); I got a degree which I possibly will never use, I didn' t have a single girlfriend in all that time, and I didn't go out and party very much. Although I made a couple of good friends and there were some very good times, overall I didn't really benefit on a personal level. Oh well, I suppose it's all part of the learning experience. I really should've moved up to the halls in 1st and 2nd year but no point worrying about it now. I'm considering the possibility of doing another degree or training course of some kind in future but for the moment I'm happy to work. There is a certain appeal to earning your own living instead of sponging off the parents!

I'm currently completely fed up with my flat; the boiler has been broken for several weeks now, so we've no hot water. The landlord has been in a couple of times to "fix" it but currently it's only the heating which works, but not the hot water. My morning "shower" still consists of washing out of a bucket, using water from the kettle. I really, really miss proper showers - you don't know how lucky you folks are. It's amazing what we take for granted in everyday life. It's not just the hot water situation which is pissing me off - it's the flat itself. Initially I was glad to be back living in the big city and I wasn't too bothered about the quality of the place. Now, however, I really don't like it. My flatmates are nice enough and I still get on with them, but they're all students and I'm working, so we have totally different lifestyles. I don't think we've really got much in common anyway. Our kitchen is tiny, we have no living room, so our communal area consists of a couple of chairs in the hall, right outside my bedroom door. This means that if my flatmates are up late chatting and laughing in the hall, I've usually got to tell them to shut the fuck up (although not in those exact words), and I hate to be the one to spoil the fun. It's just not on. I'm looking to move very soon, and have already advertised my room. So, if any of you readers are looking for a room for £260 p.c.m. in a crappy student flat, then please get in touch.

My desire to move coincides with my imminent job relocation to Cathcart (on Tuesday), as the building I'm currently (in Cowcaddens) in is rented by RHL, to various companies to use as a call centre. The lease runs out soon, so everyone will be getting moved. Cathcart is the main Scottish Power HQ, and we went there for one day during training, and it's so much better. Among other nice things, it has a gym, which employees can join for a cheap price, so I'll be looking to make use of that. Also, I lived briefly in Battlefield, just round the corner, with my sister in a gorgeous flat 2 summers ago, and I really liked it - it's a nice area. Ideally, then, I'm looking to move to that area. I'm going to Amsterdam next weekend, so hopefully I should find a new flat once I come back.

So apart from the job and flat situation, what else have I been up to, you ask? Not a lot, mainly practising guitar, watching DVDs and going to the pub. It's a bit sad as once I move to Cathcart there will not be much of the original training group left together. Many people have quit, been sacked or are staying in Citypoint or going to the call centre in East Kilbride, so of the original 24, there'll be about 3 or 4 of us left at Cathcart! C'est la vie.

So for me it's kind of the start of a new era, so maybe the next time I post I'll (hopefully) be living in a gorgeous flat in the south side, and working in the comparative luxury of Cathcart.

Until then, cheerio.