Notes

Week 5 in unemployment house begins with an unforseen situation: Julia is starting work while I’m at home as a house-husband.

Short-term, part-time work at M&S might not be enough to “keep” me, but it’s an interesting turn of events nonetheless.

It’s interesting to me to see just how many jobs are available given the amount of [...]

I heard recently that a number of people are getting really upset that their shoe boxes distributed under Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan’s Purse might be being used to spread the Christian message.

Oh yes, it seems that in many areas where the shoe boxes are distributed, local churches are involved in helping out and teaching [...]

On Saturday we went to Toys’R’Us in Liverpool. As you park by the side wall, this is what greets you:

We decided to use the front door.

Did you know that if you’re out of work you can claim around £50 a week in “job-seekers’ allowance”? No? Neither did I. That’s because at age 41 I’ve never been unemployed until now. Ho hum, it’s the end of Week 2 in Unemployment House.

It’s all modern these days, of course. You register your claim [...]

My ex-colleagues at Vodafone generously provided me with a Nikon D5000 with 18-55mm kit lens as a leaving present.

After playing with it for 3 days, I’m starting to get some pleasant results. Most significantly:
1. I’m loving the detail you get from 12M pixels - wow!
2. The difference between jpeg and RAW is stunning. I’m [...]

So, Day 6 in Unemployment House and I’ve hardly begun all those things I thought I’d get into “if only I had more time”.

I’ve given two days over to meeting agencies, and am off to Manchester to do it again on Monday, but when you’re used to intensive travelling and working it’s downright weird to [...]

So, it’s Day 2 in Unemployment House and it’s worth noting some of the things I miss about my company car. I had a 2litre Diesel Ford Galaxy, and now we’re down to one car: the Zafira.

I miss…
1. The convenience of having 2 cars.
2. Cruise control. “Maintain speed at 70mph”
3. Climate control. “Temperature to 21.5C [...]

So, as it’s November 1st, this is officially my first day of unemployment.

At age 41, it’s the first time I’ve been unemployed which is a little odd. I’ve made so many people redundant over the years it’s remarkable I’ve not been here before.

Job-seeking status so far:
Opportunity 1: Dead. 2 telephone interviews and a full-day assessment [...]