Categories: randomness, christianity, future-plans, relationships, madness, milton-keynes, life-stuff
Tags: TractorGirl, Life, Relocation, Work, hobbies, Milton Keynes
Date: 26 September 2010 14:55:27
I haven't been able to blog since the move (no landline yet and internet at work is severely restricted) so while I'm at a friend's house, here's an update on life.
I successfully made the move to MK just over three weeks ago now. My house is lovely and I'm just about sorted now; just awaiting the arrival of my new sofa in a fortnight, and need to buy one or two more small bits of furniture. It's been good on the whole to have my own place, but also quite lonely sometimes to come home after work to an empty house. I think I'm getting used to that, but do find it hard, especially as TractorGirl and I, with all that her life has involved recently, haven't seen each other for a while. I do miss her loads.
Work has been going well. My first couple of days were a bit dull until my computer log-on got sorted out, but soon after, things got quite busy. Along with my boss, I am taking over a load of mathematical modelling work from someone who is leaving for a job with less of a daily commute, and so my first three weeks have been the handover period and trying to get to grips with where things currently stand. It's been a little daunting to say the least, but I now have more of an idea what's going on. It's a nice place to work; I've had one or two jokes made about my ties, but all light-hearted (and it's nice to stand out in an office dominated by men in open-neck shirts in various dull pastel shades...) and think that given time, I'll fit in well. Quite out of the blue, the other day I was offered a job in Durham (a little too late, alas) but I'm pretty sure I'll stay put.
Milton Keynes itself is an odd place. I live about a twenty-five minute walk from work along the redways (which are quite confusing when one is not used to them) but there are no local shops in the village, so getting food in involves wandering into town. I've joined an amateur drama group, an astronomy club, found a bible study and hopefully some LGBT stuff to fill my time, and am using the weekends when I don't get to see TractorGirl to explore the region around MK. So far, this has involved trips to London (and a wonderful concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields) and Bath (for a GCN gathering), and in a month's time I'm off to Brighton for some shopping...
Finding a church has been rather harder going. I went to my local parish church and it was like Monty Python-meets-Alpha! It was without a doubt the oddest place I've tried in a while. The parishioners I've spoken to are friendly enough, but after a comedy moment (involving jumping back and shrieking) when, after a discussion over tea with Mrs Vicar, I decided I needed to be honest, with where the conversation had gone, about my sexuality (I swear some people think lesbianism is a disease they can catch!) I think it might not be the easiest place to settle. Besides, I can't be doing with being bombarded with over-simplistic evangelical cliches and vapid songs. Christ the Cornerstone in the centre of MK seems a better bet, so I will have to get used to getting up slightly earlier on a Sunday.
Overall, my first few weeks of 'real adulthood' have gone well, but been hard in various ways (I haven't mentioned the whole trouble I've had getting a bank account (a condition of employment) because it makes my blood boil). I miss TractorGirl, but am beginning to settle in.