in the nest

[helenic]

Four days and when I lie in bed I'm still surrounded, cocoon-like, by boxes and bags and a half-opened suitcase spilling its guts, which I have to vault over each morning to get to the door. I have no immediate need or inclination to unpack just yet, and so I'm once again letting my inactivity getting the better of me, although I can't similarly escape the need to find a job. I finally hauled myself into town yesterday afternoon; Manpower have told me so many different things they're obviously completely unreliable, and am kicking myself for putting my trust in them at easter. The first agency I went to told me in no uncertain terms I would not find anything for a student as everywhere is flooded, although apparently there is a job fair on Monday with over two hundred temporary vacancies. I bought the paper and decided to try one more agency just in case she was mistaken. It was a tiny, upstairs office called Acclaim, above a sandwich shop, and my first enquiry was received almost immediately with an apologetic "we don't have anything for students, I'm afraid," and then as if it had just occurred to her, she added "unless you have experience in audiotyping?"

I don't, of course, but I have a reasonable typing speed and so I told her I did, although I hadn't done it for a while, probably (I guessed) about 50wpm. I was informed that they had the possibility of openings for audiotypists, and if I was interested I could take their evaluation and see how I did. I pretended to know what I was doing, typed from headphones for the requisite three minutes, and as my results printed out on the other side of the room was received with a gasp of disbelief. Apparently, I can audiotype at 75wpm using a mouse to control the tape; using pedals they estimate you will be 15wpm faster. They were so impressed they registered me straight away, told me to come back tomorrow to take a brief MS Office evaluation, that it was extremely likely they'd find something for me, and sent me away feeling rather pleased with myself.

I'm going back into Leicester today, to do that and to drop Iain's CV into everywhere that'll take it (he's coming up for three weeks or so in July, and we're trying to get him work before he arrives, if possible). I've missed Leicester; the way everything is so cheap (at any rate compared to Cambridge - I found a tiny shoe shop that had beautiful pointy bow shoes in black and white and pink for £20, although I didn't buy them); the shops, just everything. I was standing at the bus stop on my road, as I did every morning before school for about four years - the sun was warm and bright, a woodpigeon was hooting, and I felt home, in a way; a sense of being if not where I belong at least somewhere familiar, somewhere I've got used to.

I've been awaiting my prelims results since Tuesday (they were meant to be released on the 24th) and they still haven't come. Bradley, my DOS, promised to email me the mark breakdown as soon as he got it, but I have no idea why it's taking so long.

Comments

[mettle.livejournal.com]

good luck with the exam results and congratulations on being weird enough to audiotype at such a fast rate.

look forward to seeing you during august!

x.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I don't quite know how it happened. I mean, yeah, I write essays, but ... they kept asking me in strange voices, "are you sure you haven't done this before?" "do you really have no PA experience?" I'm a geek, but if it gets me a job I'm not going to complain.

Kind of odd though. I don't know if I can touchtype. I think I can, but not for long periods of time because when I become aware I'm doing it I get confused.

I'm really stressed about exam results. The worst thought is that they've already been posted, and some people know, and I don't.. The thing is I emailled him the first day they didn't come, and he said he'd send them as soon as he knew, and I can't really email him again without sounding like a brat. But ... ARGH.

I'm free for the first couple of weekends in August, would you like me to come down to London for one of them?

[mettle.livejournal.com]

not for long periods of time because when I become aware I'm doing it I get confused.

i'm the same. well, i can type without looking at the keys but not in the proper secretarial fashion. but, once i start paying attention, it starts to go haywire.

asking for your exam results won't make you sound like a brat - they are yours to know. could you call maybe?

hrm, weekends are the only time i am not free. the first weekend in august i am moving and going to see sigur ros (like a moron, i sigh each time i remember), the last is ze reading festival and inbetween are birthdays and shenanigans.

it is going to be a dull summer because i will be the only one of my friends not working.

the first time in a long while i decide to wear all clean clothes and i end up with melted chocolate smudges all over me. stupid hot weather.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

audiotyping is odd because you find your eyes switch off. Yesterday I was occasionally glancing at the screen to test my accuracy, but other than that was staring at a point about an inch above my hands without actually registering what they were doing. I'm not looking at them now, but if I start to think that I'm not I get confused and hit two keys at once.

I remember when I was seven and learning to play the piano, and my teacher used to cover my hands with a teatowel so I couldn't see them while I played. Drove me insane.

Well, I'll definitely have to try and meet up with you at reading. Apart from that maybe I could come down during the week next week if I haven't got a job by then? I don't know, I think if I didn't I'd be desperately trying to find one. We'll work something out.

I suppose you could do volunteer work or something to fill your time if money isn't an issue. The asylum charities always need people, or some other charity. Or maybe if money isn't an issue you could go to Europe for a little while? what's bruce up to this summer?

[mettle.livejournal.com]

do you still play the piano? i have always wanted to be able to play an instrument but fail miserably each time i try. which has been often but with little determination - trumpet, steel pans and bass guitar. my family is musical - the bastards.

definitely see you at reading, of course. we'll probably bump into one another at some point anyway but, for sure we'll collide!

money isn't exactly an issue as i will be living with the parents again so i won't have to worry about rent, council tax, bills, etc, but it will be limited. i have no savings whatsoever so a holiday is out of the question. i get by easily when i have no money because i have reduced tube tickets (dad drives a train so i have a nifty pass, which also gives me free rail travel around the country) and can easily spend an entire day doing nothing but sitting around different parts of the city. evening's aren't as easy but i am a lightweight so a bottle of cheap wine and entry to some club night only sets me back ten quid, if that. i can usually bribe my dad into giving me some cash.

this summer is for... sitting. i am too selfish to do any charity work. last year i went to paris with my dad and brother for a weekend because my parent's romantic plans feel through! it was cheap, we walked a lot, i took bad photos. as for the boyfriend, well, i'm too much of a pessimist to think as far as the summer. i can just about accept we may be together until the end of next week.

what about you? are you plans focusing entirely on working, or are there holidays planned too?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I still play a little. Like many things, I was always told I had the potential to be better than I was, but I never practised. I was very good for a while at the age of about 14, but am probably on about grade 6-7ish now. I very rarely play any more and when I do, it's the things I know, so I can't really judge my ability very well. I can still play some post-grade 8 pieces when I practise a little though. It was always my instrument (my dad started to teach me when I was 4, the same time he started teaching me to write) but after I took up the saxophone aged 11 my parents couldn't afford lessons, so I had to stop. I was always a little bitter because I thought I could have been really good, but in retrospect I doubt I'd have bothered.

My summer ought to be fairly good: Iain is coming up to stay for a couple of weeks in July while my parents are on holiday, and we'll both (hopefully) have day jobs because he's really broke right now. Then I'll be working for three weeks or so in august and hopefully visiting people at weekends; I'm seeing Alex at the Edinburgh Festival on the 15th August, if I can find someone to come with me; then Reading, and then Italy with Alex at the beginning of September. After that I don't have any plans and (hopefully) will still be working, so I ought to be dividing my weekends between seeing Iain and visiting people elsewhere.

That's the plan, anyway. It all depends on being able to find a job, else I won't be able to afford any of it.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

ps. please don't be gone for long!!

like a moron, i sigh

[z-e-r-o.livejournal.com]

The FATCAT evening at Union Chapel I assume. You know that the equaly divine MUM are playing the other FATCAT evening on the previous night?

In any case, keep your eyes wide - you should see me there.

[theobscureone.livejournal.com]

Oh, congrats! Good luck with the newfound (temporary) career.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

thankyou :) I seem to be overqualified for this secretarial nonsense, but they don't believe me 'cause I like experience. Still, I'd much rather be doing this than waitressing. x

[beeswing.livejournal.com]

Gah, I'm all wordless today. But I wish you could come visit.

xx

[libellum.livejournal.com]

what are you doing on the 2nd-3rd August? I could come up. xx

[beeswing.livejournal.com]

Having checked all the (3!) requisite calendars, yes, you are officially invited to come visit then if you'd like.

:)

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Hurray! I'll give you a ring (or you me, or something) closer the time and we can sort it out. but ... yay!!

Iain will have been in Mexico for a week by then, I'll be working fulltime and will be all lonely. It'll be absolutely lovely to see you. You'll be back in York then, right? xx

[secretxstar.livejournal.com]

oh oh are you going to reading? you'll have to hunt us down! i shouldn't be hard to find, fairly small, brown hair, probably moaning... there are not many people like that at reading, surely!

good luck with your results!! i'm sure you'll do wonderfully.

xxx

[libellum.livejournal.com]

there'll no doubt be many "meet me at reading!!" posts nearer the time, but it would be lovely to see you there :) I need someone to go and find some good music with me while Iain and his pals hurl themselves around to System of a Down. Gah. Ah well - I never said I loved him for his music taste :)

xxx

[secretxstar.livejournal.com]

oh lord, one of the soad crew, eh? my friend laura tried to convince me that they're good enough to go see, but just.. no.
hmm, well, in advance, PHONE ME! when you're there at some point:
07739361298
xxx