Thursday 12 July 2012

A grand nonsense

After a rather busy weekend, football of Friday and Thorpe Park on Saturday, it was back to work with a heavy heart and no motivation. As I drove through the back roads to Oakhanger I questioned my current professional position and realised that I didn't like it much, but more of that later.

I have always craved a busy lifestyle, my greatest fear is that tomorrow will be the same as today and with that in mind I have been so lucky with my understanding and fun loving family. They have all, to a greater or lesser degree bought into my, sometimes, crackpot ideas and we have all had some pretty good times in the process. Even after all of the daft things I have spent my time pursuing I still loathe theme parks. Thorpe Park is an awful, vile place to visit. From the mindless queuing to the brainless music pumped around the thoroughfares at a ridiculous high volume in a pathetic attempt to force punters to have fun, the whole location is a vacuous shit-hole. Will, his friends, Sam and myself were presented with this dystopian view of thrills from ten thirty until just before the park closed at six, that is a little over seven hours. During our time there we visited an average of six rides, most through the fast track system, with each lasting an average of two minutes. Rounding this figure up slightly this allows fifteen minutes attendance at the pinnacle of fun, fifteen minutes riding the machines built to attract the millions, the thrill seeking populace of these islands, and loads of foreign tourists. The mathematics (not the 'kin math) are simple, fifteen minutes from seven hours leaves six and three quarter hours queuing, walking and spending extortionate amounts of money on food, tea, lockers and other such bollocks. I'm not going to enter into detail over the rides themselves as You Tube exists, but, my enduring memory is of the amount of extremely obese kids waddling around with their 'bottomless' soft drink flasks around their neck grinning with wide eyed excitement and followed by vacant eyed parents. Conclusion: can't wait to get back to The Shetlands!!!!

Work. I honestly believe that my current job is taken for granted, not just by me but by all currently working on the same project. This is a once in a lifetime job, we have all been allowed to expand a set of unique knowledge and are paid ridiculous amounts of money for this. It is easy to forget that this will not last forever, that it is this gravy train that allows all of us to engage our secondary interests with such fervour and passion. For myself I have to remind myself that the 'Sausage Trail' is not a best seller, I am not a writer, nor am I likely to attain celebrity status for travelling and ostensibly enjoying myself. Reality is often a shocking place to live, but it is the only one where you don't have to pretend.

I will continue with my book and I will finish it. I have had too much support and met too many kind, helpful and wonderful people, making and rediscovering friends in the process. I do have to accept, however, that I may be suffering a classic mid-life crisis and will have to explore this.

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