Wednesday 18 July 2007

The Art of the Quickie

Jaysus, I've been busy this last week. My Girl and I are looking at buying an apartment - the next Big Step. And yes, I've started looking for rings. Course that's stopped over the last week, which is a bit of a problem, cos MG would like a ring as soon as possible, and she's a little stressed cos it looks like we'll buy an apartment before she gets a ring. Unfortunately the reason the ring has been delayed is because we're looking for somewhere to buy. What a tangled web we weave...

Anyway, this running around meeting mortgage consultants, banks and finance companies, not to mention inspecting apartments and going to auctions, has left me a little brain-dead. I generally need maybe an hour of downtime per day - this may be reading, going all vague while plugged into an iPod (or both) or something that just generally lets my brain wander off on its own for a while. I tend to catch up on brain-wandering time on the weekend, but that's not happened for about a fortnight now, and my work lunchtimes are becoming sacred. I make scary faces at people who approach me, especially if they've got a piece of paper in their hand, and they leave me alone. Unfortunately, my blogging has suffered as a result.

So, between house hunting, ring shopping and the potential job offer I got yesterday, things are a little up in the air. The job call was out of the blue - it was from a very good company in a somewhat interesting area of engineering. Unfortunately I don't know if I want to keep doing engineering. I'm studying psychology part time while I work full time, and I'd really like to move into that area. I think I need direct contact with people I'm helping - that's the aspect that really appeals to me (as well as the biological science aspects). Health psychology looks like an excellent field at this stage - we'll see how it goes. My marks are good enough so far, so I'm hoping I've got a good chance for post-grad study. One major problem I've noted is that I may have to return to the bottom of the ladder as far as position and pay go if I move industries completely.

I'm also waiting for my annual review at my current job to see what they think I'm worth. This should have been done more than two weeks ago. Instead, one of the two directors required to make a decision on these matters has wandered off to Scandanavia for a month, so I'll get an answer in August sometime. This doesn't seem so bad until I say this: I'M THE ONLY PERSON THEY HAVE TO REVIEW. It's a funny little company - there are two directors and me. How hard is it to organise two hours to talk to me, talk to each other, and then let me know what they thought? This sort of thing has been happening more and more lately - another reason the potential job call raises a few issues. Obviously my review has a direct bearing on my conditions under a mortgage, and the associated value of whatever we'd like to purchase.

So, between possibly changing industries and associated pay issues, signing a mortgage and associated deposit and income requirements, actually finding somewhere that makes it worth signing a mortgage, possible job offers with likely pay rises, delayed reviews with unknown decisions on pay reviews, finding a ring and desperately pondering what the hell is going to happen to Harry, I'm pretty much over it.

That wasn't really a quick post, huh? I think I need a drink. Or twelve.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Firstly - congrats on the morgage, or near morgage, or looking for something worth getting a morgage for, whatever. Congrats.

Secondly - I have no secondly I just thought that by the time I wrote the first part I'd have something clever to say, I don't. I don't know why I keep trying. When I make a joke I'm the only one that laughs. When I'm serious everyone laughs. And I give the phrase "come back" a whole new meaning. I really do only come up with a good "come back" or something clever to say much later after the fact.

Rosanna said...

Wow. House hunting (or even contemplating it) sounds like really hard work.

Best of luck with Saturday. I hope it ends how you want it to, whatever that ending may be.

Personally I want the ground of swallow Snape whole, and for Dumbledore to make a triumphant return in the last chapter - but that's just me and my delusions

tim said...

Thanks guys - it's going to be a big week...

Steph said...

Here's a tip- Don't tell the banks or mortgage brokers that you're thinking of leaving your job, they'll dissapear faster than a line of coke around Lindsay Lohan.

Good luck with it all though. It sounds very grown up.