On Employment

(Wholly carp!* Two back-to-back posts on the same topic! This might be the beginning of some extended description of my life in general and more consistent updates! Yeah, right.)

As of 5pm this past Tuesday, I am a full-time, permanent, member of staff at Leeds Met! I even got an email sent out to my colleagues, some of whom responded with notes of congratulations, and some of whom responded to the other Tom in my office with notes of congratulations. West Yorkshire just isn't ready to accept the fact a dirty foreigner has stolen one of their jobs. But anyway.
Went into my interview on Monday on a friendly, first name basis with the four (four!) people on the interview team, which made the whole situation a bit more awkward and feel like a firing squad of friends. Nervous much, not helped by conflicting information regarding visas and job availability for those who don't have Indefinite Leave to Remain, but buoyed by my "stolen from the wardrobe of David Cameron" blue tie. [Note: being unable to vote Conservative or Labour (or Lib Dem, or even BNP if I fell on my head hard) means I can wear whatever colour tie I damn well please pretty much with impunity.] Apparently visas and/or ties were not an issue, as my boss pulled me aside on Tuesday afternoon and told me that, if I wanted it, the job was mine. Half considered thanking him and declining as a joke, but the year (plus) of job hunting helped me bite my tongue. I accepted, and was told that not all the other applicants had been informed of the decision yet, so not to tell anyone. Due to the fact that Jo works in the same office as one of the interviewers, I thought that perhaps telling her right away could possibly reflect badly on either me or my boss and that that might not be the best thing to do on the day of my job offer. Still feel bad about not dropping her a discreet text to let her know she could stop worrying. Minus many boyfriend points. Many head-rubs are required.

So. I now have a full-time, permanent job for the first time since leaving the Nova Group of Japan in January, 2007. It also means I can start saving for a trip to the U.S. this summer, but will have to arrange the trip around busy times at the University. It ALSO helps me in my quest for British citizenship, though it ties me to Leeds for the foreseeable future as well. Swings and roundabouts, ups and downs, strikes and gutters.

In other news, it is spring: I can now shower, shave and dress without necessarily having to turn on the light (except when there's heavy clouds, so every few days), and on my lunch break I can go out and watch the pétanque (French bowls) players in the City Centre. It's also means the wonderfully paired moor-walking and pub-stopping; one of my favourite British pastimes (along with shamelessly adding unnecessary letters to words: 'u' is for 'ubiquitous'). It means longer days, more sunshine (hopefully) and the promise of a long, hot summer. As long as the flat stays as cool in the summer as it was cold in the winter, we should be golden. And we still have a spare bedroom, so anyone wanting to come explore northern England should be in touch.
There is a post on Dublin coming (we went to Dublin, did I mention that?); I just need to match dates and photos and events into some semblance of order. Work at the bar tonight and tomorrow night, which will hopefully be some of the last few, so if you're in Leeds you should head out to Horsforth for a tipple.

The Dude Abides,
--TA-->

PS - If you've got some free time (or even if you don't), go here to check out Maloney-san's article about the home of Basshō and the Ninjas. They might not be an actual band, but I would recommend it if you're:
a). in Japan,
b). thinking of being in Japan,
c). a fan of haiku poetry, or
d). a fan of ninjas.



*it's funnier that way. 'Holey Carp' sounds like a bad case of sea lampreys.






On a chair, in a park, in the sun. Dublin.