Thursday 31 December 2009

My Noughties

I thought that this being my last post of the year and the decade that I would write about my Noughties. As I was thinking of the last 10 years of my life (which is a scary thought) I realised that my Noughties fell into three categories, live music, men and my career.

Live Music

I have written in the past about my passion for music, especially live music and I’ve been really really fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to see some great and some not so great bands/artists in the past 10 years. I’ve been to 9 festivals and countless gig, I did a rough count up and I’ve been to at least 5 gigs a year for the past 10 years which is 50! Which means with the main headlines plus support acts and not to mention the festivals that over 100 possibly 200 bands/artists I’ve seen, that’s amazing.

 I’ve had the chance the travel to the USA and Europe to see bands including being flown the Washington DC to see Bon Jovi for my 21st Birthday in 2001 and a very drunken weekend in Germany to see the Rolling stones and AC/DC for my 23rd Birthday in 2003. (Yeap you guessed it the Noughties was also my 20’s!). Even being pregnant didn’t stop me from gigging and I went to two festivals while very heavily pregnant, though having a baby now makes gigs that little bit harder and I have to really choose carefully who I want to see as I can’t afford to do too many, 2010 brings The Editors, Bon Jovi and V Festival!.

My favourite gig of the Noughties was seeing Pearl Jam at the Astoria in London, the Astoria is a small, dirty, dark venue but is (or was as it no longer exists) the best place to experience live music, I stood 4 rows from the front and stood in awe as they played all my favourite songs!

Men

 The 1st half of my Noughties brought some amazing and some damn right awful relationships for me. I really had terrible taste in men and had my heart broken more than a few times. There were some older men, a toy boy which my friends nicknamed the boy which actually turned out to an apt name for him, there was also a gut who dumped me by text (told you terrible taste in men) and then there was the on/off relationship I’m sure most of you have experienced at some point. This wasn’t a great relationship that went on for almost 5 years and drove to despair most of the time. It was passionate and volatile and I was forced by my best friend on New Years Eve 2005 to promise I would never go back to him again (after he had broken my heart yet again) and I never did.

2006 was the best year for me and it was the year I met and fell in love with OH, we moved in after 5 months and we have never had an argument.

Career
I have spent most of Noughties trying be “someone” and “have it all”, though I’m not that sure even now what that means. I started the Noughties as a barmaid (I was actually working when the clock struck twelve), it was the only job I could do as I didn’t really have any experience and I had quit college so I could work full time to pay the bills. I worked hard and became bar supervisor and promotions manager, which loosely translates as skivvy who puts up posters, but the money was pretty good. I thought for a while I was become a bar manager but the thought of working 60 hours a week really didn’t appeal to me so I went back to college and in my second year went to work at Sainsbury’s as the money and hours were better, though I still did a few shifts in the pub. I spent the next 4 years studying and working my way up in Sainsbury’s I started stacking shelf’s on the night shift, then moved to the checkouts and then store trainer. Two week after finishing my degree and I was promoted to Assistant Personnel and Training Manager at another store, this was to be my downfall and the best thing that was to ever happen to me. I know now that wasn’t ready for the role they gave me, nor was a ready when they made a standalone assistant manager, I was inexperienced but too excited and pig headed to see this. I thought this was my chance to be “someone” to prove myself and move up to HR manager, earn a really good wage and be super happy, I mean that’s how it work doesn’t it? You get qualifications, work hard, move up the career ladder and then find a man, have a family a live happily ever after, “have it all”, right? Er, no! I finally realised that I was struggling and I aske for help and I didn’t get it, so I made a really hard decision and after 5 years with them I left. However it was here i met OH and for that I will be forever grateful. I did some temping at a local manufacturing company and was fortunate to be given permanent contract as a Commercial assistant, this was my second chance to have a career, or so I thought. My mangers was quick to give me extra responsibilities and made promises of development and opportunities, however when I wanted to return part-time after the birth of BG, they couldn’t accommodate part time and I left. So my dreams of becoming “someone” and “having it all” where dashed again. . I don’t know what the next decade will bring most of the time I don’t know what the next week will bring but I’m more relaxed about then I have ever been before.

In 2010 I turn 30 which used to really scare, especially as my friends and family have been keeping a countdown for the last 4 years. I kept thinking I can’t be turning 30 I haven’t achieved what I was supposed to, I haven’t become “someone”, but then a few months ago I realised I hade become “someone” I had become a Mother and that’s the most important job I will ever have and you know what? I'm OK with that.

Have a fantastic New Year

NM X

3 comments:

  1. I'm fast heading toward 40 and I'm still not 100% sure who I am supposed to be! But being a Mother is a fantastic thing, I think the answer is to relax and it will come to you. Happy New Decade :O)

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  2. It will be great to watch AC/DC, i have bought tickets from TicketFront.com looking forward to it.

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  3. Your Noughties sound like the were something that helped make you you!

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