It was another nice day today. Shame I spent most of the daylight hours (5pm = darkness) inside on the computer. Let’s just call it “training for work” and leave it at that.

Riding to the shops for some supplies (spuds, cordial and bread – I managed to avoid buying chocolate) a bright green bike crossed my path. It wasn’t so much that the bike was bright green, rather, the neon-light tubing that was wrapped around it glowed bright green. I rounded the corner and caught up.

Carefully attached along most of the frame, from the rear rack to the headtube, was bright green lighting. It looked awesome! If anyone managed to knock this guy of his bike and claim “Sorry mate I didn’t see you” they should immediately have their license revoked (after a good head-kicking, of course).

At the lights I commented to the rider on his cool lighting setup, he acknowledged and then I split from the scene, gangster movie style. Really I just turned the corner, but writing “split from the scene” reminded me of a gangster movie.

I’ve fitted the GT with the new saddle I bought from probikekit. It’s a Selle San Marco Concor Light. I don’t know why it’s called “Light” – it’d only be “light” if you were to compare it with a well-built leather armchair. I bought it because the GT’s original saddle was bent and I suspected it was causing my knee troubles on longer rides. It was only 8quid. I’m not sure we are going to work out, unfortunately. The GT saddle was quite good, ‘very’ good when you consider it was ’95 factory-issue. It was flat and perhaps a bit wider than a Flite road saddle. The San Marco is much skinnier, shorter and instead of being flat it curves up at the back. Looks like I’m going to have to shell out a bunch of quidage for an “old faithful” Selle Italia Flite. I’d still like to try the Fizik Arione or perhaps the wider, heavier version of the Flite, the Max Flite, but all this saddle testing gets expensive.

Was carefully watching an auction of a Peugeot Offensiv fitted with Campagnolo Mirage groupset. Same model frame as my race bike but a couple of years older, with less kays on the clock, alu rather than carbon fork and low-end Campag groupset rather than Ultegra. Would’ve been a nice pickup but unfortunately it just cracked the 200quid mark and I don’t want to spend this much unless I actually have UKP in the bank. Double pity because the roller racing league I found requires riders use their own bikes. Doh!

Guess I should go and iron my work shirt. Eeew.. iron a work shirt.. iron..a..work..shirt.. what an ugly phrase!

“Huh?”, you grunt, furrowed brow prematurely aging your face. Haha got ya! 😛

On Sunday, Sheila and I tried a variety of stores trying to find me some work clothes. So what did I end up with?

Well, from Marks & Spencer, the sandwich-with-the-strangest-name-ever (the title of this post) and some vanilla milk. From Oxfam, a 2006 diary and a used copy of MIchael Moore’s “Stupid White Men” book.

The clothes? Um.. well.. you see.. um… now you know why I hate shopping for clothes!

In reality it was smarter not to buy anything just yet – the new job’s uniform remains unknown. I’m putting my money on it being a suit and tie affair. Fscking ridiculous dressing up just to sit on my ar$e all day typing, but the world is a ridiculous place. I can’t wait to spend half a day’s wages on the week’s dry-cleaning bill. Please let them have showers and bike facilities!!

Prior to the shopping, Sheila and I had gone to Cafe Rouge for breakfast. Grant was working today so I was being the Charming Male Companion(tm) in his place. It didn’t look like it but this cafe is part of a rather large chain. Service and decor was such that it didn’t feel like a chain cafe. No Starfucks here thankyou! Cappucino accompanied a crepe filled with mushrooms and tomato, topped with egg were well received by my tum.

Stepping further back in time, to the day before in fact, and you would’ve witnessed Grant, Sheila, Jamie (whom we’d just met) and myself rushing around London with a fist-full of rhyming clues, an A-Z and a digicam, pretending it was 1605 and trying to track down Guy Fawkes, find monuments, record information and answer bonus questions in a clever birthday treasure hunt. Kate, a workmate of Grant’s, celebrated her birthday in a very novel fashion indeed!

It was very different, great fun and the whole setup was really well done. We came in about an hour behind the “winning” team – we did stop a couple of times for coffee and icecream and 3/4 of us were Aussies – but the journey ended up in the Hung, Drawn and Quartered pub so it can hardly be considered “losing”! 😀 Proceeded to get well-drunk, worry about an odd Scottish dude, watch fireworks, piggyback people along the Thames, obtain many injuries, drink more, make dicks of ourselves on public transport, etc.. It was a fun day/night! I forgot my mobile though and got a little too drunk so I never made it to Paul’s party with Dan and El Seano. Sorry guys, I’m sure you had fun. 😉

I had another interview today, this time with the actual company seeking employees (as opposed to the recruitment agency interview). Apart from having to phone and inform them that I would be late due to cancelled trains (fscking dodgy District Line), it went quite well, I thought.

Apparently there was another applicant or two to be interviewed on Monday and I would be phoned after that took place with a “yay” or “nay” for employment.

The “went well” was confirmed when I was called back this afternoon with by the agency telling me I had the job!

Now that I think about it, I am overqualified to all hell for this position and they would really be silly turning me down. Sounds cocky, but I’m serious.

If only I could have this level of confidence beforehand. 🙂

I start early next week and it looks like I might have to do some clothes shopping on the weekend – I didn’t spot anyone wearing shorts and t-shirts (hippy’s clothing combo of choice)! :S 😉

Wonder if I can ride to work?