It seems the Americans have gone into panic overdrive in the Middle East. Their overt posturing in the last few weeks has achieved very little by way of the positive, and now it seems Obama's administration is sending out mixed and muddled messages....or at least it doesn't know whether it's coming or going. The West has spent years, decades, centuries meddling in the affairs of the middle east...and it is even possible that now we will lose all influence by having backed the wrong horses. That will create an interesting scenario. As you can tell, I find the whole middle-east fascinating.
The Boy and The Cat are now of an age where the school wants them to do some work experience. Fingers crossed and with a following breeze, The Cat may be sorted doing some stuff at The Globe...it may yet not happen, but there are 'contacts'. So that's all good. The Boy is more tricky, my own network is generally made up of micro-businesses that have enough trouble looking after themselves let alone a teenager for a couple of weeks. I feel some pressure to sort some thing. He, given half a chance would like to do something related to his German learnings....I hope the school can help. But who knows. So if you have any ideas they will be more than gratefully received.
And in other news, work for me is changing too. After fifteen years hard slog pushing sand uphill, it's all getting a bit hairy, so I'm looking at how I shape my working future. I'm not the only one. A friend who sold his agency and has been living in Devon with wife and kids copy writing has found it so tough going that he is beginning to look for a job...that may mean him returning to London. The consequences for his family life can't be good.
I've had to make The French Girl who's worked with me for the last six years redundant. I've reached a stage where I can't keep pouring money into the business. She's just bought a flat and a new car with her boyfriend. That's really hard...I know what it feels like having been at the receiving end in previous lives. Jobs, of course, are not just jobs...they are your entire life, so it has a terrible, terrible impact. For me, there are always options, and fortunately the office is not my only (or even main) source of income...and I have some exciting opportunities to explore. The plan has always been to stop this when The Boy goes off to University, so we're working two years ahead of schedule. Ahead of schedule sounds good doesn't it?! But it seems a bleak 2011 at the moment. Recessions are all about change, but the economy seems woefully unbalanced and the Government quite ineffective are creating a vision for the future.
