ddrshaolin

So, some seven months after my last blog I thought I should put something up on SG. I guess it'll serve more than one purpose; those who know me through SG will realise that I'm still alive, which is of course a good thing, and I can fill everyone in on what on earth I've been doing for the last half of 2009 (if anyone's still interested).

So the short version is, from May I changed career, got out of a relationship that was slowly dragging me down, met someone amazing, and reaffirmed to myself just how important my friends are. Sounds pretty cool on paper

I was a teacher. I now manage a bar/restaurant. Talk about a change in career - from looking after kids to throwing drunks out. I always said to myself (and anyone who'd listen) that money was not the primary thing in my life, and it still isn't. I want a job that I enjoy, and that provides me with something new to tackle everyday. Teaching did that for a while, until the barrage of paperwork, marking, assessment and levelling soured the whole experience. I love teaching. I hate paperwork. I figured out that teachers probably only spend about 40% of their time actually in contact with the kids, and that's not right for me right now.
So I got offered the chance to manage Cafe Piano (Heritage courtyard, Sadler Street, Wells, shameless plug). It's a pretty cool little place with tons of charm and character, a big piano, live music once a week and a cool team of people to work with.
I've never been a manager before, but I have learned so much about the job and about me. I've had to toughen up and not be the easy going, nice guy I've always been, in order to get some respect and the right results from my staff. That's easily been the hardest part of the job - being the bad guy now and again. I love the daily challenges, meeting new people and the social side of the job, and right now, I'm happy there, so that's all good.

In 2009 I finished a 4 year relationship. I'd been with her for a long time, through her whole university degree, and there were so many good times. But unfortunately it hadn't been the same in a long long time, and neither of us could really end it, though it was what we both needed I think. We drifted, in a semi relationship for 6 months or so, and then decided to call it quits. We're still friends and we're still in touch, and I'm glad.

Around April I met someone in my local (that in itself is something of a miracle, as the average customer is male and 60 plus) I got horrifically drunk with hemaniscool, made a bit of a tit of myself, but got her facebook (sounds so stupid) and we got chatting. Despite some issues with age (I'm 9 years older..) and parents (they don't like the first bit), we're still together some 4 months down the line, and everything's amazing *touch wood*.

The reaffirmation of my friends, and what they mean to me is one of the biggest things. I'm a people person, and my friends and family are the most important things in the world to me. Some of my friends and family have had some pretty dark times in the last year, and I've tried to be there for them and in doing so have realised how important they are, and how much I value the time I have with them, and that's been awesome. I sometimes can sit back and be a bit of a loner, as I like my own company, but occasionally I get to a stage where it seems like effort to go out. I'm trying not to do that, I don't want to lose touch with people.

So I finish my 2009 round up. I'm going to try and blog more often...I like getting my thoughts down on 'paper' and there might still be a few people out there who want to hear about it