Last weekend I went to
GreenBelt, as has been my habit since some time around 1989 when I was sitting in a tent with (now the reverend) Simon Downing, who played drums in the indie band I played bass in when we were 18, drinking cider and listening to the Cure.
I was tech support in the new forms venue, which showcases alternative worship services. Pretty well all I did at the weekend was work in the venue, then wander around the festival.
I was camped with friends from
Visions, on a little hill.
Friday I got to the festival around five, camped, saw
Ella Guru and bed as I was on shift at 8 am.
Had an uneventful shift, enjoyed the services. Went to the Visions service as a punter, was good. Walked into town as I'd forgot my toothbrush. Saturday evening I tried to go to a live drum and bass session that seemed promising, but had to leave due to a fire alarm. In the contributor hospitality I bumped into Jo, a lass from Visions who fronts a heavy metal band, and saw a couple of straight eight rock bands that she liked, but got bored waiting for various of her teeny acquaintances and wandered off. I went to the start of the Goth mass, saw a few people from the PGAW (Punks, Goths and Assorted Wierdos) days, but decided it had gotten too silly when they recited a mangled version of Poe's Raven (which I probably would have thought cool fifteen years ago, but not now), so went to sit on my rug on the hill under the stars and had a cup of tea (of the black bush kind).
Sunday morning I went to the start of the communion, but after an action song and a bible reading response with a touch of innuendo I left and found a larger hill where I flew the little red kite I keep in my car boot (flexifoil stacker 6). Did another shift, went to another Visions service, bought my sister some jewelry and my niece a juggling staff for their upcoming birthdays, and in the evening went back to sitting on the hill under the stars.
Monday day was more of the same- wandering round being the most chilled I've been in ages, moving out of the mad work/job search/solitary place I'd been in.
Same
the Asher Band who have a very cute song about a pen, and could be quite good if they got more used to being on stage and acted a little less like a church worship band.
I did the last shift of the venue (though issues with fire regs and a bomb scare from an over-zealous marshall cut the last service in half), packed up and wandered off. Trying to get to see Ben Okafor, as he is the best small venue live performer I know, but when I got there he was providing music in a seminar on development, and I was too knackered to want to have to listen. So I went to nuts, listened to some other band, bumped into Cathy for the nth time at a festival this year and said good bye as GreenBelt's the end of the season - for two years this time as she's travelling next year - and drove to my sister's.
Tuesday I drove into south Wales for a job interview in AI R&D, and had a laugh with the people I'd be working with. Unlike all the other interviews I had, they had a lass from HR on the panel, who was in fact a bit of a fox, so I probably talked and showed off more than I would to a room of middle-aged male engineers.
Friday they offered me 9K more than my current salary to go and work with them. I've still got another interview Monday in Bristol and haven't accepted it yet, but it's unlikely I'd like the Bristol lot more, as I've had half a dozen interviews in the last couple of months and nothing close to as good a buzz off any of them.
So I told my manager I'd be leaving shortly.
I'm spending the weekend eating Ben and Jerry's, drinking wine, buying some books and music and upgrading some of my toys - better inlines and a bigger power kite. I won't get any more until after I've had an oil leak on the Saab seen to. Sunday afternoon I'm off to my sister's again.
As I've got my OU exam on 11th October, I will give my four weeks notice at work on Tuesday then have two weeks off before going south.
TME
