That's not to say that i've realised my independence dreams - they, if anything, are proving harder than ever to visualise. Nonetheless, I have achieved a promotion at work into a similar role with more responsibility in the areas of my strength, some growth opportunities and an entirely new subject matter.
I'll no longer be managing people, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes I feel that i'm alright with it and other times I feel it entirely counters my personality... even my beliefs. I've got better at it whether I like it or not, to the extent that a few months ago I actually applied to manage a much larger team. I didn't get that though, and though few I think really believe me when I say this, I breathed a sigh of relief, whilst still being slightly envious that a colleague of very similar ability did get the job. The job I now have landed instead is at the same pay grade as that one without the unfortunate need to reapply almost immediately which he now has to go through, so in some ways i've arguably come off better, though i'm confident he'll emerge even on the other side of these hoops after the jumping. He didn't seem interested in my new job either, so I like to think that we've both got what we wanted.
He does however get to continue working in the same office. I now need to be in Warwick on weekdays. It's not the furthest away i've worked by a good ten miles, but the trio of fuel prices, travel time and lack of parking at the new office has forced me to rethink my location. I could perhaps live with the fuel prices given my new salary, but to pay for town parking and then walk over a mile to work after an hour drive every day is no life.
I've weighed up various alternatives and the only ones I find acceptable are living locally, either in Warwick or the extremely nearby Leamington and arriving at work by foot or pedal, or living in an approx 10-15 mile radius and arriving at work on a powered two-wheeler.
I go back and forth on the options. I like the idea of living locally, but I very much dislike the rent in these areas - it's very high, and all of the things that make it high are things I simply don't care about - castle adjacency etc. There comes a point where it would actually be cheaper to commute from Leicester than to pay the rents in Warwick or Leamington. Granted I am looking to trade up a little accommodation-wise, but the bang for buck is still much lower. I like the motorbike/scooter idea because i've been thinking about riding on and off for a while and this would be a great way to get started (the explanation incidentally - I can park these vehicles at work, but not a car).
Next there's the weekend to consider. Here I have my local support network (small as it is these days due to relentless coupling - you know the score). In either of these locales I have nobody, and i'm not naive enough to believe I'm going to find new friends. Adults don't make more friends. Most of them don't want to, and i'd venture that those that are open to it probably don't really get around to it, or kid themselves that they actually want to. This is actually the hardest part of the decision, but I figure I can do the crashing thing when visiting people and as i'll have extra cash perhaps the occasional hotel would be an acceptable expense. I don't think I need to go out drinking every weekend, but then I said this some time ago right here, and fact is I never actually stopped doing it for any extended period.
So, lots to think about, arrange and do. The job doesn't kick in until some time next month and rightly or wrongly i've decided not to move until it's underway so i'll be doing some kind of commute for a while at least. For not the first time in my life i'm also terrified of moving house whilst I'm waiting to receive Reading tickets, though it's unlikely much will kick off before that. I am looking of course and if anything jumps out at me i'll grab it. I've been very shrewd at renting the past few years, and i'm long past living in shit holes. I just hope I don't end up paying 700 a month in rent. It seems like too much.
