...some jobs have hoved to over the horizon ... i have put a speculative application in to be a Christmas temp at a bookshop, for Christmas temping at the Royal Mail, for a weird nightshift job at a press monitoring agency and still have an application to do for a proofreader job with some mystery firm (jobs websites: very few details at the outset) ... All jobs mentioned thus far pay in the range of £11k to £15k pa gross

then a recruitment agency called out of the blue this afternoon and mentioned a ludicrously well-paid temp job (three months) in corporate comms looking after the assorted crap that Meh PLC sends to its clients. The email with the outline job description - sent later in the afternoon - included the following:

"work with business analysts to agree logic and ensure that copy is drafted for all logic" [logic? wild guess: our coordination of this work has been so poor that we've shovelled yet another process on top of it so the letters stop being so crap, but they're still crap and our clients throw them in the bin]

"work with offshore build colleagues to ensure copy is in place and tested" [men on oil platforms in the Forties field are bolting together the letters as we speak]

"work with fulfilment printer to ensure all letters are tested" [a smiling man in inky overalls, leading a unicorn to printing presses made out of marshmallows and fluffiness, wants me to be happy]

Does this make my head hurt? Yes indeed. Would this job sort out a lot of my financial problems if i could get it, then stick it for 13 weeks? Yup. Might it bring more work my way? Quite probably. Would i really rather sell Katie Price autobiographies to pleasant but aimless Christmas shoppers for six or seven weeks? Absofuckinglutely. It would feel far more honest and a lot less pointless.

manage a messy, bureaucratic procedure whereby Meh plc sends pointless marketing bumf to its distressed client base and you get paid more in a a day than you do in other jobs in a week ... you already knew this

nice up the darkness - yes because i endorse the thought (although this post probably doesn't belong in this thread, or anywhere)

nice bottled ales from Aldi on the way home!

...making electro pop on my laptop. I am going to have some of the (frankly delicious) broccoli and bacon soup I made last night as soon as Mrs Bob finishes catching up on some work. My little girls are fast asleep having nearly vomited with excitement at the 6 sets of trick-or-treaters who visited earlier in the evening.

Life's good.

Currently marvelling at just how good Good Vibrations sounds on this vinyl pressing!

Some of the people I work with are truly lovely and supportive.

CD copies swapped with my work pal who is always happy to have a music/film/books related blether in the course of the day. It keeps us sane.

Stopped at the library on the way home and got an assortment of goodies to keep me out of mischief.

Eccles cakes reduced to 12p when I bought my milk

A big bowl of the potato and leek soup I made at the weekend

Henry's Hallowe'en sound mix on the computer.

Sick of commuting in and out of London

Don't like my job much.

But, was welcomed home by a little girl dressed as a witch and missing a tooth and presented with a little bag of Chocolate Buttons. 'Daddy, these are for you. They're a treat and not a trick. Can I have one please? No, can I have five?'

Day made.

Celebrated my birthday (yesterday) by going round and cooking comfort food for mother and aunt, 89 and 91 respectively, two people who deserve all the comfort they get. And as we all know, the greatest comfort is having around you those that you love. It almost feels cheap that it's so easy to lift their spirits, apparently easing back pain and rheumatism and a thousand ailments just by being there. If you can share time with the elderly, do it. It's the greatest gift for all concerned.

1) Listen to new Ryan Adams CD purchased today
2) Drink a bottle of Duvel - too dear but I need a treat
3) Watch an episode of the Wire box set
4) Wash the dishes - might leave this until tomorrow

I still have 2 and a bit hours to go (its only 4:50 pm here in Arizona), I'm so looking forward to the Smile box, I've had bootlegs for years now, but, I suspect these were nothing like the whole story. As far as nicing up the darkness, when I get home,as my wif eis working late, there will be
1-A bottle or two of Dos Equis Amber
2- An episode or two of Breaking Bad on Netflix streaming
3 - A Paul Weller bootleg I downloaded this weekend
Very nice.

A public holiday for a horse race. Yes, I know.

Spent the day doing 9/10 of bugger all, in preparation for a fairly bloody time tomorrow, as a minor project will be turned into a major drama by some semi-humans that should know better. Will be able to laugh about it in a week or so. Hopefully.

Currently watching old Monty Python episode.

Walking along Victoria St to the Houses of Parliament last night - the third evening in six days I've been there on business - I spotted a woman I knew coming the other way, so I stopped her and gave her a big slurpy kiss and a cuddle.

Well, I was asleep when she'd left in the morning, and she'd be conked out by the time I got home, so you have to take these opportunities when you get them.

won £25 on a scratchcard, yay ... am going to buy a bottle of whatever single malt Scotch is on offer at the local supermarket and stick it in the cupboard for Christmas