Good
Afternoon!
So,
I haven't quite left it a month this time, so I am getting better!
What can I say, July was a month for big changes in my life... but
I'm sure we'll get to that... I'm really pleased to see the blog has
over 2000 views now. Thats Massive! Why on earth you are all reading
my drivel, I don't know, but I'm pleased that you are!
So...
We'll start from the 9th (and the beginning of my life
changing month).
9th
July (that was a Tuesday – if you've forgotten)
On
the 9th of July I had a phone interview for a new job. I
had applied for it after googling my dream job role and was surprised
to see that it not only existed, but was available! After not hearing
for 3 weeks (and chasing them like a hound on heat), I got an email
to ask my availability for phone interview. I hadn't ever had a phone
interview, so to say I was bricking it would be putting it mildly.
However, with a little preparation (all done at my current work,
obviously) I duly awaited the phone to ring. It went really well and
I seemed to connect well with the lady I was talking too. She did
warn me the process took several months to go through, but that was
ok (I already have a job after all). After talking her ears off, I
got off the phone with a writing assignment and a promise of another
call later in the week (as we had run out of time).
After
that, anything seemed a bit of an anticlimax – but I was super
excited as I was going to see Mark Kermode that evening! Well... what
a fabulous evening it was. Film scores being played by a large,
varied orchestra and being talked through the pieces by my favourite
film critic. It was a real treat to see my old friends Eric, Peggy
and Emma too!
10th
is blank in my calender... so in all honesty... I haven't got a clue.
I CAN tell you 10th was a Wednesday, so I probably spent
it with Jon, Jo and Caroline... which would have meant it was a
lovely evening (as it always is). In FACT, I can remember this... as
Jo had to dash off because she had a rather important guest arriving
on the Thursday and had to clean her flat.
11th
July - Erick's here!
So,
with very little pre-warning, Erick turned up on Thursday 11th.
Luckily I get flexible hours at work, so could dash off at a
reasonable time to meet Mr Holmes for a cheeky Thursday Cocktail at
the Rose Villa. Dan joined us when he had finished, and we had a
great meal – followed by more beverages at Jo's place. They had big
news for us, but it isn't my place to spread everyone else's
business... needless to say, it was a happy day!
12th
July – A rather large night out
The
night started with part duex of my aforementioned phone interview.
Despite telling me the process took months, I was actually asked to
attend a face-to-face interview the following week! Excitement!
So...
After that, following on from a lovely evening spent with Uni friends
and new friends in London in June, we were invited to Rob's birthday
on the Friday. We started with a quick stop at the CBD food fair (for
a good gossip with the Bitters'n'Twisted crew), before heading to
(inward groan) Lloyds bar for a couple of cheeky pints. I'm pleased
to say we didn't spend too long in here before heading to the Queens
Arms in the JQ and then on to Dystopia at Eddies. Me and Dan have
been a bit lax with our clubbing recently (having had so much on) so
it was a great opportunity to catch up with everyone and get our
dance on.
13th
July – Cheltenham
On
Saturday, we took the open time (unfortunately our festival workshop
was cancelled) to head to Cheltenham to catch up with the lovely Lee
and Charlie and collect our comic shop winnings. It was a scorcher of
a day, but we had the most delicious breakfast at the Curious Café
(picture below) and had a good giggle whilst enjoying some hearty
fare. Cheltenham is FABULOUS for Charity shops – do have a look
around if you get a chance. It's a lovely town with some real hidden
gems (Proud Lion – the independent comic shop is worth a gander)
and stunning architecture. We were meant to go to a birthday party in
the evening... but it was soooo hot and we were sooo tired... so
stayed in.
14th
July – ROBOTS AND MONSTERS!
On
the Monday we had tickets booked to see Pacific Rim at the “Giant
Screen” (Trivia time – the Giant Screen is the largest screen in
an independent Cinema in the UK). We loved it! Every deafening,
violent, silly moment of it. We both had stupid grins on our face
that didn't leave all evening.
16th
July – HS2 and BCU Birmingham Futures
On
the Tuesday, we had once again manage to wangle tickets to a
Birmingham Futures event. Birmingham Futures is a networking
organisation, but they give a certain amount of tickets out to
non-members. It's well worth a look, as the topics covered are all
relevant to the regeneration of the City. This one was really
interesting – but the HS2 presentation was AWFUL. I had mixed
feelings about the service before the talk. I am now DEAD AGAINST it.
The new UCE Building at Parkside is amazing though! The facilities
are out of this world! They have a Green screen TV studio! BLINKIN
GREEN SCREEN!
17th
July – Wednesday
I
had to behave myself on this particular edition of Wednesday. It
ended up being a lovely evening with Dan, Erick, Jo and Emma – but
it was really nice as I had some low alcohol (I know right, me, low
alcohol?) wine and a reasonably early night.
18th
July – London Calling
On
Thursday I had the day booked off to head to Baker Street for my big
interview. I was so nervous in the morning... I packed all my notes
(with all good intention of reading them on the train), but ended up
reading a book on the train and trying not to think about it. I got
to 55 Baker Street right on time (after buying a boiling hot bucket
of coffee that I couldn't drink), and got met at reception and
escorted to the office. OMG! The office was SUPER cool! The message
they are trying to convey everywhere was inspiring creativity and
individuality... there was a table tennis set, decorations and each
team had a “theme” to their work area. Much less stuffy than my
current office! The interview went really well and the hour flew by.
After leaving Baker Street, I dropped my mate Ant a text and went to
meet him in Camden. We had a lovely couple of hours catching up with
a couple of pints in Brewdog, before it was time to head back to the
train station and back to Birmingham.
19th
July – Evil Dead Double Header
On
the Friday was a night me and Dan had been waiting for, for a while.
As part of the “Shock and Gore” festival at the Electric Cinema,
we had booked tickets to see Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 on a posh
sofa. We met with some people from work down the Old Contemptible s
first, before heading to The Station for another cheeky pint. Once
everyone was gathered, we all trouped down to the Electric for the
main event. What can I say? I laughed, I text a waiter to bring me a
pint to my SOFA SEAT and we all had a bloody good time.
20th
July – Manchester
On
the Saturday, we had arranged to go and see our friends Liz and
Rowland at their place in Salford. After doing some morning markety
chores, we jumped in the car and hot footed it up the Motorway to get
to their place. Following a quick trip to Tesco (for more booze and
BBQ supplies), we fired up the grill and had a wonderful afternoon
(and then evening) in the warm sunshine eating lots of yummy food and
drinking more than our allocated daily units. The night ended with me
falling asleep mid-conversation on the sofa.
21st
July – Lucky, Lust and Liquor
Sunday
morning was nice and chilled. After scoffing some pastries and having
a few cups of coffee, we all jumped in the car to try a legendary
“Almost Famous” burger. The Bacon Bacon Fries accompanying the
Bacon Bacon Burger (a triple burger with loads of chilli, cheese and
additional bacon) did NOT disappoint. Well worth a trip!
22nd
Quiet time!
There
is nothing on the calender for todays date... I believe I went for
cocktails with Clare, but other than that... just chillin.
23rd
July – JQ Market Meeting
It
was time, once again, for the UDMG marketing meeting. A very pleasant
evening plotting the next summer market on the 22nd
August. The Drop Forge has a roof terrace, who knew?
24th
July – Wednesday
Was
just me, Emma and a guest appearance from Emma's Mum (which was
lovely). I don't always see Emma that often, so it was really nice
to catch up with a good mate and just have a relaxing chat on her
balcony... we both had a tad too much wine though, so was a bit
tiddly!
25th
July – Thursday
Emelie
was back from Sweden for a bit, so we had a special edition of Gay
Thursday. Everyone was about and Jon had a bit of a full house. It
was lovely to catch up with Em as it always seems so long between
visits. We chatted, had a few drinks and not too late a night.
Doesn't sound rock'n'roll, but it was very nice :)
26th
July – THE DAY OF RECKONING
I
GOT THE JOB! I GOT THE JOB! I can't give too many details on here,
but needless to say I will be organising events, blogging, social
networking and generally being cool in Birmingham for a living. Very
exciting stuff! U start on the 2nd September and I CANNOT
WAIT! The evening consisted of home made waffles and lots and lots of
fizzy wine, which was a good way to welcome in the end to another
week.
27th
July – Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...
On
Saturday we had our first ever trip with the JQNF Community to
Weston-Super-Mare. We all met at around 8:30am and piled on to our
lovely coach to zoom down the motorway. After a well needed coffee
break halfway, we launched into a JQ Quiz (there was even a prize
donated by a jeweller) and much fun was had before we drew up to our
destination. The weather wasn't scorching but did start off ok. So we
made the most of the first hour on the beach. By some miracle, the
sea was in! The group spread out over the beach and swam in the sea,
built sandcastles. Chatted and got to know each other. Me and Dan had
a sneaky bottle of Cava before hitting the arcades. Once all of the
2p's and 10p's were spent, we took a wander into the town for
fish'n'chips before hitting the Weston Beer Festival. By the time we
all got back on the coach we were all tipsy and tired, but chatted
about what a lovely time we had all enjoyed.
28th
July – Chores and Cinema
The
morning was very uninspiring as we had neglected saturday chores to
attend to, but we did get to see the last in the Cornetto trilogy,
“The Worlds End.” We both thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a good
round up to the weekend.
29th
July – The Beasts of St. Paul's Church
Monday
bought around the next monthly instalment of the St Paul's Church
cinema club. We were treated to “The Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
We had persuaded some coach-trippers to join us, so as well as a
great film, wine and popcorn; we had good company and a lovely chat
at the end of the film.
30th
July – Wednesday
This
was a thoroughly enjoyable Wednesfield around Jo's place. There was
food, tunes and camaraderie as we caught up on our weeks and plotted
Emma's birthday night out on the Friday.
2nd
August – BIRTHDAY BINGO!
On
Friday, I went to a colleagues leaving do after work. I did my
favourite trick of “going for one” and ended up “staying for
three.” After some catching up with old work friends, I hoofed it
down to the Gosta Green pub (our pick up point) to wait for the lady
of honour and Dan. Our destination? Mecca bingo in Acocks Green. I am
a self confessed bingo lover, but it was great fun to introduce new
people to the fun. We even had a £200 winner in our group, which
made it extra exciting!
3rd
August – Japanamania!
Saturday
was very exciting. After waking up early and going to the dentist (as
well as other assorted chores), we met up with Jon and Tom to head to
the Electric Cinema. I LOVE Studio Ghibli and much to my delight,
they were showing the newest installment (From Up On Poppy Hill) for
a few days. We grabbed a beer from the foyer and enjoyed a visual
feast surrounded by friends. Afterwards we headed to Woktastic (the
BEST Sushi in Birmingham) for some conveyor sushi and mulling on the
film. A really pleasant, relaxing evening.
4th
August – Monsters University
After
a fortnight of film, it was only right that I also indulged my love
of Pixar. I was really chuffed with Odeon, as their 10:40am showing
was only £4 per adult AND we got some BOGOF vouchers for next time.
We loved the film and laughed all the way through. The lovely thing
about Pixar movies for me is that it's like seeing old friends. You
know them, you love them and for a little while, you get to live your
life with them through magical animation. The short film about
Umbrella's was super cute too – so I came out of the cinema feeling
all warm and fuzzy inside. Sticking with the “Worlds End” and
“Fuzzy” theme, we rewatched Hot Fuzz in the evening. Genius.
6th
August – 24 Carrots Market meeting
So
this brings me bang up to date! We had a further meeting about the 24
carrots market at St Paul's Church. I am very pleased to announce
that we have a market on the 22nd August! There will be a
BBQ. Pimms, Stalls and hopefully a lot of fun. It's all being run by
volunteers (with the help of Vicar Mary), so if you're about – come
on down!
Hopefully
that's given you a little taste of what I've been up to. Again. I am
knackered... but I genuinely think if I stopped – i'd be bored! I'm
really excited about my new job and especially about iVardensphere,
Deejaying Friday, Infest and my new job – so it's all happening in
Vickyland!
Much
Love, Vix