House Husband

Since I am now technically fun-employed at the moment I have taken the opportunity to personally give myself a brand new job role: 'House Husband'. Now that Rebecca is temporarily being the breadwinner I have done all the house chores that a stereotypical 50's housewife would have done (This gender reversal is timed perfectly with it being International Women's Day too.) Tidied the flat, hoovered the floors and wiped down every surface before cooking a nice dinner in the evening, Rebecca said she could get used to this new me.

Joking aside, the job hunt has progressed. I got in touch with my ex-boss and arranged a coffee meet-up soon to discuss next steps. I've been looking into other places on the side too, but I'm eager to have a chat with someone 'in industry' before committing to anything just yet.

Merry Switchmas

After years of waiting, I finally got my hands of the Nintendo Switch and the new Zelda game: Breath of the Wild. As a console, the Switch impresses out of the box with its screen sharing capabilities, but it does feel a little lacking in features. no doubt they will be patching more apps and content into the unit over the coming months, but right now, it feels a little bare bones. Zelda on the other hand, is phenomenal. The totally open-air nature of the game makes every journey and action feel bespoke - you are the master of your own story in this Zelda. The game had a lot of promises keep, and so far it has delivered on all fronts and even offered more. Whether its a bustling village full of characters who run for cover when it rains, to a serene moment amidst the rustling grass, every moment feels like another opportunity for the game to put another smile on my face.

Farewell Amsterdam

Took one last wistful stroll around the canals of Amsterdam. We took a visit to the 'book street' which was full of extravagant boom stores, including a Water stones, complete with an 'British Food' section.

Following that we just relaxed at a few cafes while drinking in the sights. It was always a bit on an in-joke between Rebecca and I that I spent the whole holiday excited to go home to play on Nintendo's new console, the Switch. But as we walked down one of the quieter streets in the city I turned and looked around one last time and felt a real sense of passing. As excited as I am to play the Switch and the new Zelda, I would have happily waited one more day just to stick around in Amsterdam for just a little while longer.

Anne Frank's House

Went out for a bit earlier today so we could have a decent breakfast before heading g to Anne Frank's house. Luckily we four d a small cafe on the core er of a canal that served pancakes at very decent rates. With full tummies we headed to Anne Frank's house which was really tastefully done. It was amazing to go through the same rooms as Frank's family as it really put what it must of have been like hiding from the Nazis in perspective. Really excellent exhibit, well worth a look.

Another mooch-about was the next step for today, and after pootering around the outsides of the biggest museums we collapsed into our hotel room to escape the rain. We emerged a few hours later to tuck into some former burgers and a quick stop to a bar so we could fully appreciate our final night in the city.

Amsterdam is Pretty Cool

Sorry about the lack of posting last night, Rebecca and I quite literally went to rest our eyes once we got to our hotel and fell asleep a lot faster than we expected. Probably because we were shattered from a really successful bout of sightseeing. We've done plenty of bits around the city now and minced around the main square and all the canals. Today we took a train to The Hague to go around the art gallery with The Girl with the Pearl Earring and The Goldfinch, the latter being one of Rebecca's favourite books and painting so she even got a little fridge magnet of it as a souvenir. Took a late night spin round the infamous Red Light District too which was 'informative' as Rebecca put it.

Been chowing down on lots a great food too after dodging bicycles. Looking into getting some pancakes and pastries for breakfast tomorrow; already can't wait.

Farewell Rubber (Feat. Bob Ross)

Went in for my last ever day at Rubber and it was a bitter sweet affair. On the one hand I was excited for my holiday in Amsterdam, but on the other, I was beginning to feel nostalgic for all the good times over the past 6 months there. They even took me out for a farewell lunch and just before I left I shook several hands as they all truly wished me well. Leaving work was actually quite sad, it was amazing to work in such a cool environment amongst like minded people, but advertising just wasn't for me it turned out and that's OK.

Immediately after, Rebecca and I headed out to Lucy's secret 'Bob Ross' themed party that Mark organised. We were each given a canvas and a load of paint so we could paint along to the 'Misty  Mountain' episode of 'The Joy of Painting.' It was a great time, there were seven of us in total and it was remarkable to see that even though we were all following the same guidelines, each painting had its own unique style. This is mine.

Considering that I haven't really painted anything for a handful of years, I'm really pleased with how this turned out! Mark, Lucy and Louis really knocked it out the park in their efforts, but I am just so pleased with mine. Excellent idea for a Birthday party, everyone put in a really genuine amount of work in and it was great fun.

I'm actually writing this bright and early at the airport, its nearly 5am and Rebecca and I are waiting for our gate to be announced. Super excited to head back to Amsterdam, we have WiFi at our hotel so I'll post some holiday stuff over the coming days.

A Final Night out with Rubber

Took a spin out with the alternative work lot, as in the team we share a work space with, and it was really nice. Went out to the pub for a quick drink before heading out towards a really good Chinese restaurant. I ordered a satay chicken in a 'birds nest' as a bit of a gimmick and was not let down. The meal arrived inside a crown of deep fried noodles that shaped a pseudo wicker basket around my cashews and chicken. It was decidedly the centerpiece dish, but the nest part was impossible to eat without making a total arse of myself. Luckily the table was equipped with a lazy Susan so i was able to share the nest with anyone else brave enough to try it. Headed to another pub afterwards and chatted until it was time to hit the hay. While I didn't go out with anyone from my immediate work, its still nice to hit the town with co-workers and share a good time.

I'll be heading in for my last day tomorrow at Rubber. I sent out my 'farewell email' today basically saying a massive thank you for them taking me on initially as a show of good faith. I'll get a proper opportunity to say my farewells in person to everyone else tomorrow I'm sure.