First day up the hill

Much excitement today - our first day up the hill in Whistler. Conditions on the piste were good, if a little icy/packed where it was shady, but pleasantly rough and ready (it is the early season after all). After the last two days of white-outs and snowfall, today's skies were a virtually unbroken, cloudless blue plain.

Today was indeed a day of firsts, and the source of even more excitement was our first taste of 'poutine'. This is essentially cheesy chips and gravy, Canadian mountain-style. Tasty.

We are in Whistler.

Finally, the moment has arrived. The moment the last 6 months or so has been (in truth) leading up to: arrival in Whistler. After an incredibly picturesque 3 hour Greyhound ride up windy roads alongside perfectly still blue waters (see image below), my travelling companion (or 'Anna' as she's known) have arrived in one of the world's best ski resorts.

Such was our excitement that even the faff of having to get 2 taxi rides to check in and then get to our accomodation (the level of baggage we're traipsing round with is quite ridiculous) didn't dampen our spirits. Speaking of which, I hear Canadian Club over ice goes down quite well... More soon.

Oh Canada! Go Canucks!

We've arrived! Vancouver is a pretty pleasant city (you can really see why they film NY-set productions on the cheap here, it bears and uncanny resemblance). We've done a few admin bits and are just chilling now, but the real fun starts some time tommorow afternoon when we arrive in Whistler.

It's raining here, but that must mean it's snowing up the mountain, right...?

I'm leaving on a (British Airways) jet plane...

...and I have a very good idea of when I'll be back again. Not quite as catchy but it works all the same.

My bags are packed, my luggage weighed, lights turned off, etc. etc., so on and so forth. I'll be posting an update when her indoors and I have arrived safely.

England fail. McLaren sacked.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Set alarm clock to 'snooze'

My latest period of being a proper working grown-up, short-lived as it was, has now come to an end, and I am left with a few days to get my shizzle together (see last post below) ready for Canada. However, before I consign my receptionist days to the hazy backwaters of memory, here's some things I've learned:

1. Human beings have the inexplicable capacity to be complete and utter wankers. While the number of such ignorant people I met was extremely small (perhaps 1 for every week I sat as my desk) they can really get on your tits. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

2. If you can, move to within a few minutes walk of your local train/tube stations. Rammed-out buses are shit, bad traffic is worse, and as to the people who decide to close roads and dig fuck-off great holes in them without warning or justification at a moments notice - they are something else.

3. The presence of Krispy Kreme donut shacks in major mainline stations are both a blessing and a curse.

4. I love jalapeno and cheese-flavoured pretzels and Valenciana orange milkshakes from AMT Coffee.

5. I should really focus more on what happens in the office rather than on lunchtime outside of it.

Off the hizzay...

It must be my being chained to a desk 7.5 hours a day which has increased my appetite for funny websites. www.gizoogle.com translates any word, phrase or website into the vernacular of our 'street' brethren. So, if you have ever wondered what this blog would read like in gangster lingo (I know I have) then now you can see it for yourself. Fo' shizzle.

The first day on the job

Today was my first day conning my new employers out of some wages. In a word, dull. Essentially my job consists of waiting for the phone to ring, along with a bit of button-pressing and the odd piece of envelope stuffing (no paper-cuts yet, but its early days).

Apparently, they've been trying to fill the position with a permanent member of staff for a year. SO glad I'm only going to be there for 3 weeks...

Hallelujah...HAAAAALLELUJAH!!

This lunchtime I was sitting on my sofa, jogging bottom-clad, watching Scrubs and playing Football Manager on my laptop. And that's when it happened.

Yes, that's right, I recieved a phone call offering me three weeks work, right up until my departure to Canada. It's on reception for a legal firm, so I'll be sure to dust off my short skirt and plump up my man-cleavage for the occasion of my first day on Monday (it always pays to make a good first impression).

My fellow job-hunters, even in the depths of self-doubt, there is always hope.