End of an era

I'm trying to be serious
Originally uploaded by raindog.

So I finally finished work at FTSE, after joining for a 6 month project nearly 2 years ago.

It's been a good experience overall - the work wasn't always that interesting, but the people I worked with were great.

Every job I've had I think that my colleagues are the best bunch of people I've ever worked with, but I genuinely don't think it's going to get much better than the friends I made at this place.

Total Recall

Why is it that I have the short-term memory of a stunned goldfish, and yet I can recall all of lyrics to songs that I haven't heard for 10 years or more?

I was driving along yesterday and Big Time by Peter Gabriel came on the radio. I remember quite liking it when it came out (1986), but can't have heard it since then - and yet there I was singing along to it with clinical recall of the lyrics. Odd.

I did think maybe it was just my brain holding onto embarrassing song lyrics to deliberately annoy me, but perhaps the real explanation is that I just had terrible taste in music when I was younger. It's the only explanation for being able to sing along to Animal by Def Leppard as well...

Hiding from the cops

So there I was, for one reason and another, waiting for the Police to turn up.

I'd called them, given them my address, they had passed on my details to the patrol car and they were on their way. I realised the address I was at was a little tricky to find, so I had given them a full address, some notable nearby landmarks, and I was standing lookout by the roadside. Still, it's West London, not some god-forsaken hell-hole, mostly, and so how hard can it be?

40 minutes later I get a call from the controller or someone.

Police: "Are you standing outside?"
Me: "Yes, I'm waiting by the road"
Police: "Well we have two motorcycle units in the area and they've been looking for you for 10 minutes"
Me: "Well I'm here, at xxxx. It's under the main road, near to X, Y & Z"
Police: "Can you tell us where you are?"
Me: "I have done. You have the address, it's near to X, Y, Z"
Police: "Are you near Doo-Doo tube station?"*
Me: "I don't know, but there is a taxi station next to where I am called Doo-Doo taxis, so possibly."
Police: "So you don't know where you are?"
Me: "Yes, I do know where I am - I have the full address and told you what is it near to - it's you who don't know where I am."
Police: "Well alright. Please stand as close as you can to the main road and we will try and find you."

(* There isn't really a Doo-doo tube station, or anywhere actually called X, Y or Z for that matter. I am attempting to be coy about where I was)

The two motorcycle units did turn up about 5 minutes later, in the shape of a single police car, which I though was a little odd. Not as odd as the fact that the London Metropolitan Police have such difficulty finding someone when they have a full address and several notable local landmark details to work with. Maybe they're just not very good at reading maps? I have an annoying GPS unit that will tell me exactly how to get to any given address - surely the Police have access to similar or even better gear than I do?

Anyway, if ever I'm on the run, I now know the perfect hiding place where they'll never find me.....