It was five years ago today...

I don't often write much about myself on this blog, partly because I doubt that anyone would be particularly interested and partly to retain some exotic air of mystery. For all most of you know I could be handsome international playboy with a fleet of sports cars and my own vineyard in California, as opposed to a greying middle aged chap with a 'Daysaver' bus ticket and a bottle of Aldi's Rioja.

For many years I toiled away in various offices, like most of us I guess, keeping my nose clean(ish) and doing my time. No doubt I would still have been there now if it weren't for the 'credit crunch' which five years ago to this very day saw me fairly unceremoniously dumped from a well paid (far too well paid really) job. With no kids, little debt, no car and a pretty modest lifestyle things worked out and I'm now 'living the dream' working from home. Sure I'm not rich and it gets pretty damn cold in the winter (keeping the heating on simply isn't an option, mainly because I'm not lining the pockets of British Gas any more than I have to) but I'm much happier without all of the bullshit that inevitably comes with 'career progression', corporate cobblers and office politics. Work is a very, very strange thing when you think about it. Once you've got the whole food and shelter thing sorted that should kind of be enough but then the madness sets in and you want a bigger house, a newer car, the latest gadgets, fancy holidays, new clothes, meals out, botox...blah blah blah...most of which only partially fills the void created by being stuck in a ruddy office most of your life. The more stressed and miserable you get at work the more 'treats' you want to give yourself and so the whole meaningless cycle goes on.

Anyway, there is a musical point to all this. In the last place I worked we were able to play music pretty much all day. That was a good thing. A very good thing. A life saver in fact. We took it in turns to play stuff (although an internet radio station called Pig Radio was the default setting) and depending on your mood you could always dive into You Tube for an appropriate track or two (Rage Against The Machine was a particular favourite). On the last day, knowing I'd be unemployed in a matter of hours and leaving a place I'd spent most of the last 6 years of my life in, there was only one tune that would do. With tongue firmly in cheek I logged on for the last time, cranked up the speakers just as everyone was arriving in the office and hit play...



Heck, if you're going to go out go out with some cheesy Euro rock. It made me laugh anyway.