Day 1

My first "day off" -- I'm preferring to think of it as having time off, rather than being unemployed -- and it hasn't run exactly according to plan. The idea was to call the recruitment consultant who got me the freelance contract I just finished, and see if I could schedule a meeting with him today to discuss my next moves. Predictably enough, last week when I had mentioned it to him he had seemed reluctant -- unless they think they're about to get a contract out of you, they are rarely interested in talking to you.

My Mum had said told me she would ask if there was any chance of work at her place -- all I needed to do first of all was email her a copy of my CV, once she'd had a chance to empty her work email to make space. I think this is where it went off track -- online and updating my CV and casually applying for jobs.

The day was meant to be spent in London, being cultured at the British Museum or something -- but I kept getting calls; "Hi, I saw your CV online and wondered if you'd be available to come in for a meeting..." or asking if I was interested in sales positions. I've stopped answering the phone now if it's not a London number -- nobody in Essex is going to be calling me about PR contracts.

Instead of making it into London, I have applied for a reporter's job with some IT newspaper, applied for entry-level graduate positions with at least two major PR agencies, sent speculative letters to at least two others, arranged meetings with recruitment consultants on Tuesday and Wednesday, and arranged a meeting with a guy about work as a music journalist.

The latter is an interesting little project, it's unpaid, part-time work -- but since it is working on the growing relationship between music and mobile phones, there would be a free phone in it for me, and lots of free gig tickets. I figure if its part-time then it is probably something I can fit in around a proper job -- and as ever, it is good experience.

In other news, rocking the shaved-head look is working out well for me -- many thanks to all the people who have complimented me on the look, and on the pleasant shape of my skull! My thanks go out to all of you who have recommended I shave it to begin with, and of course that's not to say I don't appreciate all the people who sympathised with me, and those who encouraged me to accept myself as I am. It could be when the novelty of looking like a monkey ready to be shot into space wears off, I'll be back to needing to just accept myself.

Shame on anyone who didn't read my last blog post because they thought it really was just going to be only pictures of me wearing different hats -- it would have been no fun to only post the last picture on its own.

And a shout out to any London readers (or lurkers) I have a spare ticket to Suicide Bid this Thursday night in Camden if anyone is interested. I have given up hope on actually having anyone want to buy the ticket, now I just want some company so I don't go on my own. I put an ad on Gumtree looking for a date, and got three responses almost immediately. All three lost interest after requesting pictures. But yes, Suicide Bid, the Underworld, this Thursday night.