let Joy be unconfined!

well, its been a long time. and don't think i haven't been thinking about you all. but things a have been pressing upon me; and my inclination to tell has been somewhat low. but now i can say.
firstly the interview went spiffingly well, and i seemed to have the needed effect, and they offered me informally a place on the course. hooray! medical concerns proved unfounded after a simple test. double hooray! i am happy and somewhat lacking in things to say. had a lovely meal out today, purchased some nice CDs (Chapterhouse, PJ Harvey, Young Knives, and T'Kills).

the interview went nicely, anyway, and i was pretty elated afterwards. i seemed to hit the right buttons, without trying, by just mentioning my interests. had a nice a chat about Henry James (which versions are better; i checked after and I'm reading the New York versh, the thicker prosed revision from later on), what critics i liked. why i did my dissertation on the subject i did. so, aceness in a bag.
the eye test, after waiting rather longer than i expected and feeling like i was in Death's waiting-room, went in an exemplary fashion too. nothing wrong other than a side-effect of my drugs, so nowt to worry about. having said that, the test to check pressure was one of the more irritating things I've ever had done. not painful, just irritating and tricky. like certain dental practices, its something the body's natural responses do not seem to want to let them do, not without discomfort.
the previous week's Appraisal-type thingy went amusingly; effectively i was told to shut up. or keep my complaints or concerns to myself and my manager. like everyone else isn't pissed off! it's pretty obvious anyway, the Boss (not Springsteen, alas) does not want me helpfully pointing out to colleagues the ways in which are exploited and treated badly, in meetings. Especially as she cannot really answer these questions adequately. so, when you can't beat the criticism, its easier to shut it up. hey ho. it happens. I'm quite amused by it really. but in future, i shall avoid getting too involved. if there is no respect for your opinion as a worker, then they can't expect you to care about your job too much. their loss. of course, the rest of the meeting was mixed with the sort of flattery that is supposed to pacify me, and stroke my poor little ego, after such robust criticism.oh, the lunacies of management. really does erode humanity and respect.
as does the government continually. the getting rid of the 10% tax band is another nail in the coffin of The Labour Party, which has now decided it actually prefers taking money off the poor than the wealthy. I'd always hoped for a return to redistribution of wealth.the government have somewhat misinterpreted the spirit of the phrase.mind you, you can't be too surprised. when i mentioned to someone the other day that I'd have a 70% rate on earnings over £200,000, i was met with the usual disbelief, and the retort that people who earn more money work harder for it. lord, why do people still believe that balls. the further you go up any greasy pole, the less actual work people do (often they spend most of their time telling other people what work to do). and my argument that those who get the most out of society are obligated to put more back into it, held little appeal to her either. oh well. such is Britain 2008. all self-interest, no socialist spirit.

but frankly at the moment i am in such a positive mood, i can put aside political annoyances, and just think "thank fuck! I'm on my way!"

Cheerybye