Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in Northamptonshire and East London.

Week 371, Saturday 24^th until Friday 30^th July 2021.

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First I want to thank my sister for last week’s takeover blog.  I will have to ask her to kidnap this more often.

For Ten days I stayed with my mum and sister in the bungalow they live in.  This was because I developed a stinker of a cold after the wonderful holiday in “Ibeaver”.  It wasn’t “The Virus”, because I was tested 48 hours before leaving the paradise Island and 2 days after returning. As well as doing a home test.  Staying at mums I normally like to visit the canal, go for country walks and relax.  This visit was mainly spent in bed, sniffing and coughing in the living room leaving tissues on the floor behind me.  However my fave moments were sitting in the garden watching the birds or watering the plants.

There was another reason I stayed at mums (I could have just come home and been ill here) was because I kept getting calls from NHS test and trace, checking I was self-isolating.  Each call I mentioned that The Balearic was Green when I was there, and according to the government website people returning from a Green or Amber location didn’t need to isolate.  All the Operators who called eventually agree, but the calls continue.  The last person (the 7th call) confirmed I was correct telling me to ignore further calls.  That was on day 8, the phone never rang again.

My other sister and hubby (who travelled separately to me, mum and Hel my other sister) didn’t get a single call (as far as I know).  We all know that the system is broken, but considering the amount of our money the government spent it really should work better.  For me personally the calls became routine, in fact they made me laugh (that might have been the over the counter medication I was on).  With each call I couldn’t help feel for the call centre monkey (I can say this as I am one) how many I unnecessary calls were they making each day. These people are just doing an already difficult job in unusual circumstances, it can’t be fun. I hope it pays well.

This period of Isolation served a purpose, allowing me to have lots of naps, which I am thankful for. Before I returned to the capital, I had a very quick visit just to check that the canal was still there.

And Now For Something Completely Different……

Being back at work, was a real downer after the excitement of the last couple of weeks.  This has meant that I have started to look for a new job once again.  I realise how lucky I am to be employed during these strange times, but it really is time to move on.  A new challenge and adventure is required.

Unfortunately all the jobs I am interested in are out of reach because employers are either looking for A, young people.  B, people (of any age) with a list of qualifications which boggle my mind.  Sadly mine are so old they were carved on stone tablets.

Apart from the last 17 months of homes working, I have sat Monday to Friday for so any years in badly lit air conditioned offices.  It’s time for a change, this week I attempted to apply for a very different job with a well-known company.  I said attempted, because the website won’t accept my mobile number.  Before you ask I have been putting it in correctly, and have tired other numbers and different devices, but each time, nothing.  For assistance I rung the helpline (I was surprised I wasn’t told to just “turn it on and off”).  I have emailed, receiving and automated response that I would hear from them within in 24hrs (that never happened).  I even sent a Tweet, the helpful person on the private massages also couldn’t help.  At the time of writing I still do not know how to add my very normal UK mobile number to there website to create a profile so I can apply for the job. I am genuinely frustrated that no one from this company has been able to help me.  Maybe this is karma, trying to tell me not to bother.

I am not desperate (this does depend on the time of day, and how annoying or stressful the last call was) to leave my current position, but it’s good to look around.  If I was to find something I wouldn’t hesitate to jump ship straightaway.  If no one takes me on, I have decided to hang on in the current role for a couple of months.

This time last year, I was looking to start planning my 2021 travels.  It’s now time to start planning my adventures in 2022.  All the money I have saved since March 2020 will help fund my trip abroad for as long as possible.  Changing job is the start of the return to travel plan.  But I really need to find something I don’t hate, It’s time I was honest with you, my lovely reader.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have watched:

“1986: CNN’s Coverage Of The Challenger Explosion”, (YouTube)(03/06/13).  “A New Set Debuts On WPTV – Check It Out”, (YouTube)(23/07/21).  “Challenger Disaster Live on CNN”, (YouTube) (25/07/07).  “Click”, (24/07/21).  “Colony”, (S2, ep 10).  “Doctor Who – Series 13 Trailer”, (Facebook/YouTube, BBC Website)(25/07/21).  “Doom Patrol”, (S2, ep 1 to ep 9).  “Evil”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 6).  “Friends”, (S5, ep 2 & ep 5 to ep 7).  “Jacqui Abbott And Paul Heaton – Bedroom Rehearsals”, (Twitter)(TX: 30/07/21).  ”Jeff Bezos In Space: Blue Origin Takes Flight”, (YouTube)(21/07/21).  “Loki”, (S1, ep 5).  ”Monsters At Work”, (S1, ep 3).  “Mulan”, (2020).  “Penny Dreadful”, (S1, ep 3).  “Roger And Val Have Just Got In”, (S1. ep 1 to ep 6).  “Snowpiercer”, (S1, ep 1).  “Space Shuttle Challenger – The First Space Tourist Disaster – BBC News & Nature”, (16/10/08).  “Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster – NBC Nightly News”, (YouTube) (28/01/19).  “Stargate SG1″, (S10, ep 14).  “Stargate Atlantis”, (S2, ep 4 & ep 5).  “Star Trek, (Original Series)”, (S2, ep 4).  “Taskmaster”, (S6, ep 1, TX: 02/05/18)(ep 2, TX: 09/05/18)(ep 3, TX: 16/05/18)(S7, ep 3, TX: 19/09/18)(ep 4, TX: 26/09/18)(ep 5, TX: 03/10/18)(ep 6, TX: 10/10/18)(ep 7, TX  17/10/18)(ep 8, TX: 24/10/18)(ep 9, TX: 31/10/18)(ep 10, TX: 07/11/18).  “The Challenger Disaster: CBS News Radio Coverage”, (YouTube)(25/01/16).  “The Golden Girls”, (S1, ep 8 to ep 10).  “The Kid Who Would Be King”, (2019).  “The Man In The High Castle”, (S2, ep 1).  “The Sky At Night”, (TX: 11/07/21).  “Tom Hanks Took Big Bird’s Seat! – 2019 Kennedy Centre Honours”, (Facebook)(TX: 02/09/20).  “Travel Man 48hrs in….”, (S5, ep 1, TX: 20/10/17)(ep 2, TX: 27/10/17).

This week I have listening to:

“30 Animals That Made Us Smarter”, (BBC World Service/Sounds)(S2, ep 5, 26/07/21).  “Anglophilia”, (S3, ep 2, 28/05/19).  “Betamax Video Club “, (ep 25, 22/08/18).  “Box Of Delights”, (S2, ep 4, 16/12/19(ep 5, 17/12/19)(ep 6, 18/12/19).  “Brian Gittens And Friends – Hope Green”, (ep 1 to ep 5, 24/07/21).  “Coronavirus Global Update”, (BBC World Service/Sounds)(24/07/21) (25/07/21) (26/07/21) (27/07/21)(28/07/21)(29/07/21)(30/07/21).  “Doctor Who”, (The Incomparable/TeeVee) (S11, ep 1, 07/10/18).  “Farscape”, (TeeVee)(28/07/21).  “Game Of Thrones”, (TeeVee) (S6, ep 8, 13/06/16).  “Males Art Will Travel”, (S1, ep 10, 31/03/21).  “Mystery Hour”, (29/07/21).  “NASA: Gravity Assist”, (30/07/21).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 206, 29/07/21).  “Nick Abbot Whole Show”, (24/07/21)(25/07/21)(30/07/21).  “Space And Things”, (STP4, 24/09/20)(STP5, 01/10/20).  “Rob Beckett And Josh Widdecombe Parenting Hell”, (S3, ep 5, 27/07/21)(ep 6, 30/07/21).  “Smersh Pod”, (01/04/18).  “Space Soliders Podcast – Flash Gordon’s Trip To Mars”, (Chapter Seven, “The Prisoner Of Mongo”, 24/07/21).  “Star Trek Universe”, (15/12/18).  “The Audio Guide To Babylon 5”, (ep 39, 01/11/15).  “The Friendship Onion”, (S1, ep 11, 27/07/21).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (27/07/21).  “The Old Doctor Who Show”, (ep 115, 28/07/21).  “The Space Above Us”, (090, 19/09/19)(091, 03/10/19)(092, 17/10/19)(093, 31/10/19)(094, 14/11/19) (Supplement 6, 25/11/19)(095, 28/11/19)(096, 12/12/19)(097, 26/12/19)(098, 09/01/20)(099, 23/01/20)(100, 06/02/20)(101, 20/02/20).  “This Week In Time Travel” , (The Incomparable)(08/10/18).  “Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels- Indefinable Magic”, (ep 8, 26/07/21).  “WTB”, (S1, ep 14, 23/10/20)(ep 15, 30/10/20)(ep 16, 06/11/20).  “What’s Your Problem With Nick Abbot And Carol Mcgiffin”, (26/07/21).  “Wolf And Owl”, (ep 34, 28/07/21).

Songs I enjoyed this week, were by:

“Morrissey”,  “Artic Monkeys”,  “Catatonia”,  “Crash Test Dummies”,  “Cure”,  “Eurasia”,  “Fat Boy Slim”,  “House Of Love”,  “James”,  “Inspiral Carpets”,  “KLF”,  “Len”,  “Marc Almond”,  “Natalie Imbruglia”,  “PM Dawn”,  “Soft Cell”,  “The Beautiful South”,  “The Cranberries”,  “The Housemartins”,  “The Waterboys”.