Goodbye Bracknell. And Thank You?

It was with excitement that I left Bracknell.  I’m not entirely sure whether I was more excited about leaving Bracknell or moving to London. The house I lived in wasn’t the best.  6 people crammed into a terraced house, thin walls and fire doors, people that would leave washing up for weeks and deny it being them, things that would break – I did live with some decent guys though so it wasn’t all bad.  But the amount of times those fucking doors would bang at night when I was trying to sleep.  Not to mention the cat next door … Continued

Goodbye Easynet/Interoute/MDNX/Solution 1/Viatel/Griffin/Iconnyx/Telecomplete/Fused/Man Bytes Dog/Allurian…

I’m starting my new job tomorrow, not only my new job but my new career – the one I have been striving for for a few years, especially the last two.   Joining MDNX (as it was then known – of which I only twice mistakenly used the somewhat more illustrious similar 4 letters) was not something I strived for.   Going back in time, ooh 10 years ago, I had joined Verizon as a Debt Recovery Analyst.  I absolutely smashed it in the first year, becoming one of the very few members of staff to achieve the highest rating. … Continued

James Went To Watch Shakespeare

Shakespeare

Believe it or not, I’ve wanted to go to the outdoorShakespeare for years (and I’ve meant to write this blog for a few weeks).  A good 12 or soyears, since it used to be in the gorgeous Abbey Ruins.  You do know about the Abbey Ruins, don’t you?   When I was at university, I did actually go see alesbian-infused outdoor production of Romeo & Juliet.   And then I didn’t go to the theatre for 18 years, untilearlier this year.   Partly because partying took over my life and wallet, butalso because I had nobody to go with. Granted I … Continued

I Have A New Job!

Software developer programming code black

Ohhhh you don’t realise just how much I have wanted to tell everyone this.  But I haven’t been able to say anything until now.  A whole week I’ve had to keep quiet – well bar a few of you.   Remember the job interview I went for in Amersham about 6 weeks ago?   I went to meet them last week, in a pub, of course, and they offered me the job.     This is my dream job.  This is what I have been working towards for the past few years – particularly the last 2 years.  This is … Continued

Am I Still A Tory?

vibrant green lily pads on a pond surface

I had to put up with a lot of bullshit during the EU referendum campaign.  We all did, in one way or another. Something that particularly pissed me off was the abuse that I and other remainers would receive within Tory circles.  As a member of Tory-only groups on Facebook (allegedly Tory-only as many members seemed to view UKIP very positively, for a party trying to damage the Conservative Party), I watched as relatively sensible discussions about any subject became nasty, vilifying discussions with spurious anti-EU arguments backed up by allegations of those of us that supported remain, such as … Continued

The Day I Fell Out Of Love With My Country

Robin Hood Gardens, Cotton Street (2)

One week ago today I fell out of love with my country. I have always been a passionate Brit, but also a European.  Don’t worry, I’m not about to go over the arguments for and against the European Union! I awoke at 3:45, my alarm had been set, and I switched on the internet to find Nigel Farage making some kind of victory speech.  Surely not? When the referendum had been announced, in my head it was more of a case of how much the winning margin would be.  I wanted the referendum so that we could finally put a … Continued

Cameron Must Go – NOW

I have awoken to find that the open, welcoming, free-trade loving country that I loved, has been replaced by an insular, backwards-looking nation that I simply do not recognise. Today is a victory for racism.  Today is a victory for xenophobia.  Today is a victory for lies. And I have never felt less proud to be British. This was utterly avoidable. Firstly, there was no need to call the referendum in the first place.  It was David Cameron’s choice out of party management – a need to placate those swaying towards UKIP especially after the two party betrayals from Reckless … Continued

Why I Am Voting To Remain – Part 4 – Me

Free two girl friends bikini

In the final part of my series on why I voted to remain, I am going to change tack – the other 3 posts were about how I saw the European Union affecting the country as a whole.  This is about me. I appreciate that the European Union is not perfect.  I’d like to scrap the common agricultural policy, it should have more of a pro-business focus and a reduction of regulation where possible. The Eurozone is a large problem.  Since around 2010 I’ve been arguing that one of two things needs to happen – either the Eurozone needs to … Continued

Complaint: Train Delays & Take-Aways

man walking on train track

Good afternoon I was delayed getting back from Leeds to Hull on the evening of Saturday 5th December.  I cannot remember the exact amount of time late but it was over an hour. Firstly the train was around 30 minutes late arriving into Leeds.  This meant an extra 30 minutes standing on the platform with drunk football fans. Then the train set off and I believe the emergency alarm was pulled. I am rather concerned about the delayed manner in which this was resolved – the amount of time it took for a decision to be made to go back … Continued

Why I Am Voting To Remain – Part 3 – Immigration

scrabble letter tiles spelling open border concept

I know it isn’t cool to admit it, but I like immigration.  In fact, I’d go so far to say that the most important aspect of being a European Union member is the right to live and work in 27 other countries (plus a couple of others with freedom of movement as part of their access deal to the single market). Had David Cameron come back from the negotiation to say that we no longer had this right, then Brexit would have tempted me. I LOVE IMMIGRATION.  I LOVE IMMIGRANTS. But I don’t want to make these blogs about me. … Continued