Been busy

 

 

These past few months, post-Easter, have been trying for me. I suffered from burnout and didn’t resume mowing the lawn until two and a half weeks ago. There was so much grass to be cut, it took me two days to get it done. On Monday two weeks ago I began, I felt nauseous and rested. Got it done on Tuesday two weeks ago and am now learning to keep up better. Also, my aunt and uncle came last week to sort out the weeds around my garden. They are currently on vacation in Poland.

I didn’t get PIP, gonna appeal. However, I would much rather work. On a more positive note, I have registered with a recruitment programme with Specialisterne NI. Parkinson’s Law, God willing. 🙂

Also, tomorrow, I will talk to my financial advisor to get another bond put in my name. Don’t wanna blow they money I still have. There is progress on an issue regarding a dormant account my gran and mum had in the South of Ireland. But I don’t want to say too much.

My brother has his exams done, but won’t be home until the end of June. In July, he’ll head to New York for a week. He’s the one who is comfortable with work and money. 😐

Tunes:

 

Job Interview today

This evening, I have a job interview with a Secondary School in Dungiven. It’s for a Clerical role. Should I get the job, I will be able to get the Belfast to Derry bus at 7:35 in Toome park-and-ride and get off at Dungiven at 8:10. That time for the bus was also relatively new by Translink. So much for the bleak future post-Brexit. :p

I’ve learned not to give up hope. For so long I was stranded and feeling alone in this world. But, now, I see things in a brighter light. Even if I don’t get this job, there is a job club starting tomorrow morning with Specialisterne NI. BYOMB. (Bring your own MacBook)

My Cholesterol is still high, plus there’s slight gum disease around my wisdom teeth. But I am learning to become more proactive in settling these issues. Plus, I’m managing the inclement weather well.

 

Tunes:

 

 

 

 

Acceptance this Christmas Time

Acceptance is the hardest thing to do, but acceptance DOES set you free. After a strenuous week of Meetups and chores, my employment advisor made me realise that I am PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE  of working full time. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. I am managing okay, as it is, in my life.

Last Thursday I attended a Coffee event in Belfast run by Specialisterne. We explained to an organiser, originally from Seattle, that French Fries were Belgian and served to US Soldiers in WWI by Walloons. Net Neutrality was also discussed. Shame the Verizon Lobby won that vote. 😦

With one week to go until Christmas, I wanna take it easy until the new year. My brother came home last night and this afternoon I found out that his old mentor from the SUSE Program’s gran died during the weekend and I went over to the wake with a mass card. Thank God the weather this afternoon was mild. The road the wake was at is in the arsehole of nowhere.

Also, I thought of freelance writing as a career option. But that proved to be just another cosmetic expense. At the moment I wanna focus on being social and my artwork.

Ladt Friday I attended a painting session in Dun Laoghaire. On the train back to Portadown there was a guy with a Christmas Jumper saying, “Merry Chris-Marx!” Another Champagne Socialist in Ireland. lol

Tunes:

 

No job to show for it (poem I worte about being unable to find work – contains profanity)

Dotted the Is and crossed the Ts!

Obtained a Postgrad!

Worked voluntary!

But no job to show for it!

Got off benefits after gran’s death!

God rest her, she thought all Protestants were in the UVF!

But I distanced myself from being sectarian!

Yet still became a statistic among young male aryans!

No job to show for it!

Got to install Linux!

Got to sample life in Belfast!

So much change, yet in many ways the same

incarcerated by its paranoid past!

No job to show for it!

Got advice about my Asperger’s!

Shone like th Sun building Lego!

I had to do a lot of growing up after isolation in Ardboe!

But no job to show for it!

Was a Government Stooge, then embraced the right!

To get what I wanted was simple!

Stand my ground and fight!

Still no job to show for it!

Voted for peace!

Opposed Labour’s war!

Defied Tory narcissism!

Defied the troubles even more!

But no job to show for it!

Blog and write!

Test and code!

Stopped becoming middle of the road!

Still no job to show for it!

Did the right thing!

Gave a fuck!

Had some moments of very good luck!

However no job to show for it!

Did well in School!

Followed the rules!

Studied rather than play pool!

But no job to show for it!

Distinction in Text Production!

Pass in Word Processing!

Survived two recessions!

No job to show for it!

Been on back to work schemes!

Tried to live out my childhood dreams!

However no job to show for it!

No longer drinking the Kool-Aid!

In the game of Hearts that’s life I always get the Queen of Spades!

Because I have no job to show for it!

Going Berserk today – Asperger Meltdown

On Monday I left a negative review on Amazon for a DVD of SAGE accounts which didn’t arrive and I thought was another phantom purchase, only for the seller to call me yesterday morning. ‘Sam’ (who’s really an Indian Lady) mentioned that it was at Stewartstown Post Office – our local sorting office – so I went there and signed for the order. Then I got the software installed on my Windows 7 partition of my Dell Laptop.

All fine and dandy, until this afternoon when – in the middle  of a cyber errand – Sam called me again. I was ratty and told her not to call me again in a fit of rage. In the end she messaged me requesting that I remove the negative review. I did that and sent a message of apologies. However, I promised a positive review. But it keeps getting turned down by Amazon’s moderators. Such is life. 🙂

This makes me a little self-conscious because I was already hot and flustered when my printer stopped working – must be a damaged USB lead – and I went berserk. When I was living in Dun Laoghaire during my placement year I was evicted for being histrionic in a way that upset the other tenants. Memories came flooding back of the time at one stage when someone was about to call the Police because of me. It was a ‘Community Watch’ area. One striking memory I have of that estate was seeing people practice Tai Chi on Sunday mornings. I had one Tai Chi class in Antrim about two and a half years ago and only lasted about forty minutes. Impatience is my middle name. 🙂

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I head to Specialisterne in Belfast to speak to a graphic design mentor. I’ll be there from 2 pm to 4 pm. Hopefully I’ll knock him dead. 🙂

This coming Saturday night I will be watching ‘Give my Head Peace’ Live at a Theatre in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. If you wouldn’t laugh about this country, you’d cry. 🙂

Sunday Morning

I am enjoying this Sunday morning. Yesterday my internet was banjaxed and it didn’t work again until 8:15 pm, apart from a brief while around 3:30 pm to 3:50 pm. Then I went to different places for WiFi access and went to our local Parish Hall where there was a celebratory event for ‘Couch to 5k’ which had been going since the new year. It put me to shame, but hopefully I can start exercising again; going for walks. 🙂

Also yesterday I did the laundry and hung it on the clothes horses this morning. Chop wood, carry water.

I went to see Specialisterne in Belfast on Friday and they are arranging a mentor for me in graphic design. Hopefully this is the golden opportunity I have been waiting for.

Now I can have a day of rest. 🙂 Or, whatever I consider rest. lol

Angels walk among us

I have spent the entire afternoon in Belfast trying to get Ubuntu installed and a lady who came over to the IT place I go to in Belfast for this kinda stuff showed me how to burn the ISO file onto USB and install Linux. 🙂 Now I am awaiting a Meetup at this place and am grateful that I passed the day.

Also, I found out from Specialisterne that there is now a free spot in the CR8 program after someone dropped out – I was placed in reserve – and now I feel that God has finally answered my prayers.

https://www.specialisterneni.com/launching-cr8/

Angels do walk among us. 🙂

2016 – The year of transformation

I wish to thank the following people for what they have done for me in 2016.

 

Tessa and Peter at USEL.

Those who worked with me at Magherafelt Advice.

Sharon and the two Elaines at Specialisterne in Belfast.

Those I met during Meetups in Belfast and Dun Laoghaire.

Those I had met when living in Magherafelt.

 

2016 is a year I can finally say that I have achieved my goals. 🙂

Monday (St Andrew’s Day)

Hard to believe we’re now approaching December. It’s been a year of transition for me; the issues around needing a new car back in February then getting into a place of my own and standing on my own two feet. Money wise, I’m broke. But now I have a bit more gratitude.

 

Quitting the Political Rat Race I had entered was the best thing to happen to me. Now I realise just how much entitlement I felt and that I entered the one profession which has the greatest sense of entitlement.

 

Had an Employment Advisor appointment this morning when signing on. Told them I could be doing an IT course via Specialisterne via the STRIDE Program. Finding work is a b***h as I have to retrain, ££££!

 

Happy St Andrew’s Day to all those Mars Bars fryers who can’t dance properly. 🙂

 

Some tunes for today: