Happy New Year

And it was as well.

On the 30th, I received my official termination letter from the Northern Division HR department. My supervisor took me into the manager's (vacant) office and, well, broke the news that we pretty much knew was coming anyway. I was fine with it, but she looked really guilty; it's her first time having to sack someone (not that it was really a sacking, but simply the end of a contract). I felt like just hugging her, and this had (almost) nothing to do with her being a gorgeous redhead with the body of a goddess.

The day after, New Year's Eve, I got another letter from HR, offering me an interview for the position of Northern Division Local Intelligence Officer, on Tuesday 11th January. Nice. It's not in the bag; I've been an employee of Lancashire Constabulary for less than six months, and this position brings with it a massive payrise and supervisory responsibilities. I think anyone already from the Intelligence department who goes for it stands a better chance than me. Oh well, fingers crossed, and I'm going to apply for the (higher-paid) researcher job going at LUSU as well. Kate says she's going to go for it as well, which could be fun.

Anny's party went brilliantly. No drunken moronicity, lots of lovely punch (that seemed to get stronger as the night went on, eh, Kate?), and loads of fun. It's weird how easily the phrase, "Guillaume is a selfish, evil, little shit. For Christ's sake, just go out with the commie," has slipped into the collective vocabulary of our circle of friends.

At midnight, Auld Lang Syne (with some of us even knowing the words: "Nu-nur nuh-nuh, nu-nur nuh-nuh, nuh nuh ner nuh Auld Lang Syne!"), a symbal (or sumble, however it's spelled) and then I sent Happy New Year text messages to everyone. Well, not everyone. More messages than in previous years failed to get through, so to everyone who's on my phone, yet didn't get wished a Happy New Year, you have it now.

I ended up staying up all night with Craig Slee, watching Queer as Folk, skipping the second half of the first season because of a No Disc error, and finally seeing the final episode of the second season, with it's weird reality collapse ending.

Tom's back tomorrow as well, his family having decided to go somewhere that wasn't the Maldives this Christmas.


It seems to be a theme in recent end-of-year blogs for people to retrospect on the year just gone. Well, where to begin:

2004 was the year without sex. Now it's passed by, I find myself shrugging. So what? I'm 23. I have the rest of my life ahead of me. Including 2005.

Last term, I abandoned Pulsar, a society I loved, because I didn't like the way it was being run. Next term, I'm rejoining, now there's a new exec (yes, it's largely the same as the old one, but the balance has shifted). I need to dig out Total Recall 2070 (more Blade Runner than Total Recall, but perhaps they couldn't afford the rights) and Cube (or has Pulsar already shown that one?). Hmm, I must have some other films. That's it: Innocent Blood, a vampire gangster movie with a largely B-list cast.

I stood for election at LURPS and lost to Dark Luke, by one measly vote. I'm going to stand again come the elections.

I've taken my first steps into the roleplaying industry, thanks to the Cthulhu Dark Ages example of play I've written (which I will be redrafting after I post this and then sending back to Stephane Gesbert). It's not a big start, but it's something. A morale boost if nothing else.

Employment-wise, I may have an uncertain future at the TIC (I will refuse to become a telephone helpline operator, if that's what my job becomes - no fucking way am I telling people what day their bins are due to be collected and how to pay their council tax), and be at the end of my police station contract, but I have two potentially excellent referees and a nice work history and proof of skills to put on any future job applications.

My financial situation, as mentioned in other posts, is rosy, particularly since it was pointed out to me that I am an innumerate retard, and that my financial forecast in the previous post actually leaves me with £220-ish next month. Oops. [Insert embarrassed smiley here.] I probably will clear my overdraft after all... I say again, Happy New Year.