23 Apr 10

Today is St. George's Day. Our national day. As such, I've dug out my white T-shirt with the George Cross on it. A colleague told me the other day than pubs are going to ban people wearing the George Cross during the World Cup because it might cause offence. Bollocks!!! It's just another reason to pander to minorities. I know that sounds politically incorrect and maybe even racist, but I'm fed off of being told not to be patriotic just because someone who has chosen to come to live here in England has a problem with it. Well, if they don't like it, they have two choices. Either incorporate yourself into the culture you've chosen to live in or go back to your own culture. Remember, they left their country of origin for a reason and chose to live here. It just seems to me that society these days is more geared to favour minorities over the majority. I'm not saying that minorities shouldn't get a say in things, of course they should. But the majority shouldn't have to back down to every single claim of insult that they have.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Today is the last day of my SQL course in London. Thank God. The walking is killing me. The cost is killing me. The course is putting everyone to sleep. Although I've learned a lot this week that will certainly enhance my career prospects, it's been a hard slog getting here. I've been fairly frank about my experience in the post-course evaluation, especially with regard to my bloody chair, which hasn't supported my back all week.

One thing has been discovered by myself and my colleagues. Travel to London is so much easier now and makes the possibility of looking for work in London a lot more appealing. The thought of spending two hours getting to work each day (then two hours back again) put me off in the past. However, with the high speed train, it only takes 40 minutes and with London salaries, covering the cost of the train could be factored into any decision. For now though, I'm happy where I am and need more experience in up to date technologies.

I met a friend from the KM on the platform this morning. We had hoped to meet, though didn't make any definite plans. She has been working in London for a couple of years now and loves the high speed train. We are both of the opinion that our former employer won't be around by the end of the year.