At the moment, I am sitting in the Ark Bar by Finchley Road tube, waiting for a friend, whose floor will be my home for the night. I was rather surprised, when I opened the lid of my powerbook, to see that it asked me if I wanted to join the network. And so I did. This has alloowed me to check my email and generally look like a friendless geek to all the people passing the window. Far better to do it here, I think, with a pint in my hand, than having to pay to use the plastic cafe supplied computers up the road.

I am in London, filming. Having graduated from zombies, for this film I am doing vampires. Woo!, as the brother of my namesake apparently cries. If you work in media, or make films, let me work with you. Especially if its on a friday, saturday or sunday. That way I don’t need to take any time out of work.

On the way down, I started a reflection in my note book on the nature of experience. That was silly. What luck that it was only a two hour journey.

The important thing is to remember, and acknowledge, the good that does happen. I had a couple of good emails, both from a friend whose work I admire, and that was good. Both the sentiment within the messages, and the fact that I’d been sent anything, reminded me of the importance of the dream, to keep it alive, and to make it real.

An observation about where I work.*

Where I work, we are all on various pay grades. Many of those at the lower grades seem to have arrived there by chance, because they needed a job (perhaps after graduation) and took the best or only opportunity immediately available, regardless of whether it as what they wanted to do.

When I first started there was opportunity for sideways and upward progression, so the original starting point was not an issue of particular concern. It would be possible to move around not only on the same grade, but also to progress upwards from a different area. Wider experience was seen as an advantage.

However, these days seem now to be lost. Direct experience is now more important than wider knowledge. As a result, there is little to no opportunity to progress upwards from a different area. Given the lack of higher grade jobs, this means that to progress you need to move to a different organisation. As many people have other ties in this city as they would if working elsewhere, moving may not be an option. And so there are many more experienced staff at a lower salary grade than would be expected – or indeed would be justified, as they absorb additional responsibilities and workload. This situation also means that careers are in many cases chosen by that chance first placement, not the area where an individual actually wants to work.

Fortunately, my own job is a halcyon existence where the desk is a meadow of contentment, happiness and fulfilment.

Just an observation. And it is easy to see the reasons from the other side.

*Its a secret. Albeit one that you could find out in about 2 clicks.

The light dusting of snow around these parts has so far failed to bring the city to a standstill. Although the gridlock of cars had marginally more of an excuse for being than on most mornings.

Shall be in London again soon in any case, so I will probably be spared any wearther any merely have a powdering of grey pollution instead.