Weekend treats

I've been a bit remiss with my updates lately, for reasons I've covered previously. So, a quick catch-up ...

Last Sunday saw the first Chiswick Casuals barbecue. The boys gave me my barbecue for my birthday last year so it was my way of saying thanks. The weather was fine and we had a good turnout - all in all a great afternoon. The menu featured a chicken dish I learned at my Indian cookery course last year, sausages from the Farmers' Market, sweetcorn, vegetable kebabs, home made guacamole and coleslaw and a few other bits - it all seemed to go down well.

Wenge I and spent this weekend with the Arch, Debs, Marc and Margaret at Arch & Debs' holiday cottage in Orford, a couple of hours up the A12 in Suffolk. It was a welcome break (tm) from London, in beautiful surroundings, with great weather and of course great company. From our arrival on Saturday morning just in time for a hearty breakfast, to leaving on Sunday afternoon, it was a peaceful and relaxing time for all. In between we had a very enjoyable walk in glorious sunshine, including a ferry (rowing boat) trip and a pub stop; another walk through the village to the quay, and a meal at a nearby pub/restaurant. The only sour note of the weekend was our host's failure to bring a clean shirt for dinner which, frankly, let the side down. No matter, it was one less thing to crumple when he fell asleep in front of Match of the Day on our return.

So, another part of Britain that I now know, having never set foot in Suffolk previously. It moved the dream of a place away from it all closer in my mind... tomorrow would be nice.

Night out

Met with The Arch and Marc tonight, at the Roundhouse in Covent Garden. I've been going there for years and it's a pretty good place to meet in the area. We went along the road to Taste of India for a bite to eat, which was decent but nothing special.

The Arch has recently bought a holiday cottage in Sussex, and we're all planning to go up there for a weekend sometime when he can get around to suggesting some dates. It'll be just like an episode of Cold Feet, though hopefully without the fallouts.

Incidentally if anyone is interested in a holiday in a beautiful part of the East coast, just email the Arch quoting the code melvtopia and I'm sure he'll give you a special deal.

Need a fix, man

It's been two days without a post, and just as in my new favourite thing The Wire, two days is too long to go without a hit. Last night I finished Series 1 so looking forward to starting Series 2, which Ana is very kindly letting me borrow. We live no more than a couple of miles from each other so we're catching up at Starbucks in Crouch End tomorrow morning.

Today was the big interview day, not just for me but, it seems, for half of zavvi. I had a decent interview with the large US retailer I mentioned (OK, you all know it's Best Buy, who are building an eCommerce team from scratch), caught up with Marc (who's already there) for a coffee and then bumped into Lee, Suzanne and Glenville in reception - and we're not the only zavs (I just coined a new term) speaking with Best Buy. So, interesting times - it would be fun to get the old team together for another go...

So what else has been happening since Tuesday? More of the same; phone conversations and meetings, but with more research and specific preparation needed now. Yesterday I met with a startup digital entertainment company - I'd worked with the people while at zavvi - that may be an opportunity, and a recruitment agency specialising in the digital entertainment space. I met Stevo briefly at Chancery Lane afterwards.

I also had a call from an old colleague about some possible project management work, which could be fun. And I've been trying to schedule a call with someone from New Zealand about a possible opportunity, but the time difference has proved challenging to date. So the quality of conversations seems good although I suspect I may need to up the quantity to keep the momentum going.

In the meantime, I'm grateful to all the friends and colleagues who have been in touch, recommended me or passed on opportunities and contacts.

I'm pleased to say that there have been a few new additions to the melvtopia family this week - good to see The Arch, Allison ( now there's a blast from the proverbial past...) and Ana on board. For anyone who has just joined, here's what this is all about.

Job Centre tomorrow - damn, I forgot to check the Muswell Hill Journal for senior management posts in eCommerce or internet related businesses... how will I explain that to my 'employment consultant'?

Monday, Monday

Today has been a good day. For those who know me well, the words 'good day' used in the context of a Monday is an unusual combination so that's got to be a positive start to the week...

I met The Arch at Cafe Apogee in Leicester Place for lunch (a rather dodgy full English breakfast) and had a good chat with a good friend. As I was walking to the tube who should I bump into but thick-as-thieves ex-zavvi colleagues Bernadette and David, probably up to no good as usual.

Then it was off to Chiswick for a meeting with the Head of eCommerce for a major book retailer. A really good meeting that was useful and interesting whether anything comes out of it or not.

Back home for a call with a recruiter, which went well I thought, and I reckon that should about do it for today.

As for tonight - well, Jack's back. What more can I say?

Retail news that's good!

Some good news...

Having shared a very pleasant lunch this very Sunday with good friends Marc, Arch and the girls, Marc has just texted to say he's been offered a position at BestBuy. Awesome.