Returning to Nottingham
On the morning of 20th December it starts to really snow in Manchester. It was touch and go as to whether I’d even leave as every time I opened the car boot to pack it filled with flakes. After about an hour it stopped and I skidded the car around onto the drive to pack trying not to take out the neighbours wall.
It was freezing cold trudging back and forth from the house but after an hour I had managed to jam every last bit of my worldly possessions in and went for a last look around the house with my housemate Jo.
I’d lived the house in Prestwich for 6 years and I hadn’t ever seen it empty. It’s weird looking at a room that you’ve lived in with no pictures or familiar items strewn about. I have a 6ft cardboard Stormtrooper that I used to scare my previous housemate and landlady Hannah with. I decided to leave him poised, pointing his gun strategically on the first floor aware that Hannah will definitely shit herself when she saw it. I knew my time in Manchester was complete. I gave Jo a big hug goodbye and dropped the keys off with my neighbour who in his old age didn’t really get it when I said I was “going” but either way he gladly accepted a pile of spare keys and after setting the alarm for the last time I shut the door and posted my own key through the letterbox.
It took me 3 hours to get to Nottingham in the snow and blizzards which for 120 miles isn’t so bad. Once in I was force fed tea and food by my family. I’ve probably put a stone on since I got home. Peroni has a lot to answer for too.
On Tuesday 22nd I went to Nottingham city centre with my best pal Jamie. I grew up with him and he’s more a brother really. We were wandering about looking for gifts in House of Frasier when I got a text off my mum asking me to call her. She told me that my Grandma (Nan) had died. I met up with a pal who was expecting me but made my excuses and came home. Later on that day one of my aunties called to say the earliest that the funeral could take place was 4th Jan. It’s a VERY long wait… 2 weeks in total yet mostly I was worried as this was the same date as my immigration interview in London and I really didn’t want to miss the funeral.
The next day I was up really early to drive my dad to the city hospital for a heart operation (no I’m not making this up). It had been re-arranged to 23rd after being cancelled for the 9th. It doesn’t rain – it pours. After some Christmas shopping I got home and telephoned the lawyers in Encino who advised me to do the same as before. So I called the embassy and sent them an email to ask again for a new date. They were great and managed to move it to 29th December. Which means I won’t miss my Nan’s funeral and I can pay my respects. It’s been hard as I’ve not grieved whatsoever. I almost want to get the interview done so I can just get on and mourn. There is no right or wrong way to mourn I guess. The text from Hannah calling me a "f*cker" about the Stormtrooper cheered me up though.
Dads heart operation was a success and it was all done through cameras and wires going in through veins in his groin. He joked when they were shaving him that he should have had a Brazilian. I was nearly sick when I heard this. Poor nurse! He was wide awake throughout the operation and was asked if he knew any jokes. Anyone who knows my dad will be aware that this is a bull to a red rag….
As the dates have changed I’ve not been able to speak to my lawyer prior to leaving Nottingham (Christmas, the weekend and the time diff means I can’t speak to him until 7pm tomorrow earliest) so I’m just filling out forms I think need doing and hoping a shirt and jeans will not offend US Embassy people.
So that pretty much brings us up to speed. The last week has been both horrendous and great. I’ve got my family around me and when I’m not being grumpy I think they like having me around. Perhaps the emotions of everything have hit me hard with all the other stuff going on too and as of the 29th I’ll be able to unwind properly… I really hope so anyway.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
December Part One...
The longest month on record
It’s fair to say December has been eventful.
I received notification from the embassy that my visa interview would be 11th Jan. Not being too sure how long afterwards I would be able to buy a plane ticket (assuming I pass) I realised that it might be mid-late Jan 2010 when I move.
Not being a lazy so and so I’d got off my butt earlier and sought work for my arrival and it came in the form of digital media. I’ve been asked to film motion capture for a UK based computer games company who specialise in car racing games. Specifically this means crashing cars in the desert and filming them on awesome cameras. It is as cool as it sounds albeit hard work. It starts in Jan and I realised that mid-late Jan would not work in terms of arrival in the US. Initially I’d expected to be stateside by Christmas and to spend it with my wife Holly but alas the process of immigration is not such a straightforward thing!
The embassy was great, I rang them up and asked if I could change the date, they gave me an email address and I wrote to them with my request. They got back almost immediately with 4th Jan, so that had to do. My papers hadn’t arrived for the December window and the really was the earliest they could manage.
The Medical
I spoke to Holly and mentioned that I now had to book the medical and she encouraged me to crack on as by this time it was early December. Here in the UK there is only one doctor that the embassy officially uses and it’s based off Bond Street in London. You can’t bring a medical from any other practice, it simply won’t be accepted. I called them and got the last available date in 2009. Close one.
They’d chosen me Friday 11th December, the day before I filmed this year’s Versus Cancer concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena. Ouch! I’d been producing this project for about three weeks already and the goalposts had already moved several times, I was going to miss the final pre-production day but fortunately I’d got most of it sorted aside a couple of crew member. So I booked the train ticket to London from Manchester and even drove into town to pick the tickets up the day before to be sure I didn’t miss it.
The next day I was up at 4:30am ate breakfast and drove to the station in record time as there was no traffic. My 5:55am train was sat on the platform already and I ambled on and got another breakfast. I arrived in Euston at about 8:15am and as I was packing my stuff away to leave the train I noticed they guy on the next table had left his phone. I rushed to pack my stuff away, grabbed the guys phone and ran up the platform to find him. I spotted him because of his scarf amongst the grey cloud of commuters and he graciously thanked me for returning his mobile. I smiled and made my way to the underground where I jumped on the tube to Bond Street.
As with every tube station in London, I get out completely disorientated and ask directions to someone else that knows bugger all about London. One day I’ll come out of the tube and meet a cartographer who bores me with their knowledge. Probably not.
Anyway as per usual I’m stood next to the road I need and after laughing about how funny that is and “how silly of me” with a random I’m on my way. An hour and a half early mind.
Eventually I found the doctors and checked my watch, I’m still an hour early so I head off to find a coffee shop. Today is the first day of the cold snap, London is far colder than Manchester had been this week and I indulge in a bit of hot chocolate which the café girl lovingly sprinkles chocolate dust on in the shape of a heart. Like she does for everyone.
Reading the paper and not soaking up an ounce of information I start to think about the train and packing my bags. I suddenly have a feeling of dread. I don’t remember if I picked up my charger for my laptop as I rushed off with that guys phone. I look in my bag.
Lost property at Euston are pretty helpful, I mean, they aren’t going to find your stuff and its never going to turn up but at least they are nice about it. Then you realise that because they charge you for holding onto your lost stuff depending on its size at a rate that makes your eyes smart. I’d had a 3rd breakfast in the coffee shop and hammered the phone once more.
Manchester lost property also has heard nothing but the train hadn’t made it back yet so there was still a chance.
I get off the phone and go into the doctors in a very regal building off Bond Street. It’s all a formality but this is one of the most thorough medicals I’ve ever had. Chest x-ray, eye test, HIV test, test ;) all sorts of fancy moves with a stethoscope and plenty of forms to fill in. You can also get any vaccinations that are required for the US right there so I got an MMR jab and a tetanus boost. I was told that if I hadn’t heard from them in 4 working days then I’d passed and all my stuff would be sent to the embassy for the interview. The final part of the process (I hope).
I trudge through the cold back to Euston and no, lost property had nothing handed in. I get an earlier train home and return to Manchester for late lunchtime. Lost property in Manchester had nothing either. I gave up and went to PC world to buy a new charger for 80 quid and got on with preparing for Versus Cancer. Food news; I didn’t eat anything until dinnertime though thanks to my breakfast frenzy.
The leaving party - Manchester
Thursday it started snowing in Manchester. That was the night of my leaving party too. I can’t say I was surprised although I thought that perhaps a few people would drop out of coming. They did but the hardcore group managed to head out. In the end about 20 of us partied all night and it was a good laugh right up to the point I bought a round of jager bombs. After that I’m a bit blurry although I remember spending at least 10 minutes talking to the guy from The Urban Cookie Collective who gave me his new CD.
It was a pretty reflecting time with my cohorts of 10 years. I love all those people and they helped me achieve some really amazing stuff in my time there. I’m yet to write the full Mancunia experience blog… probably will manage that next but in my sister blog www.swimminginmud.blogspot
Thursday was also 4 working days since the medical so I assume I’d passed and all that was left was to leave Manchester. Versus Cancer was my last job while living there and a bit of a legacy as I co-founded the gigs and was a director of the company that puts it on for the first 2 years it was on. I was lured away pastures new for numerous other reasons but I still film it for them. It’s the largest annual charity concert in the UK. Even though I’ve nothing to do with the organising side of it (thank god) it’s still close to my heart… perhaps I’ll do something similar in LA…
It’s fair to say December has been eventful.
I received notification from the embassy that my visa interview would be 11th Jan. Not being too sure how long afterwards I would be able to buy a plane ticket (assuming I pass) I realised that it might be mid-late Jan 2010 when I move.
Not being a lazy so and so I’d got off my butt earlier and sought work for my arrival and it came in the form of digital media. I’ve been asked to film motion capture for a UK based computer games company who specialise in car racing games. Specifically this means crashing cars in the desert and filming them on awesome cameras. It is as cool as it sounds albeit hard work. It starts in Jan and I realised that mid-late Jan would not work in terms of arrival in the US. Initially I’d expected to be stateside by Christmas and to spend it with my wife Holly but alas the process of immigration is not such a straightforward thing!
The embassy was great, I rang them up and asked if I could change the date, they gave me an email address and I wrote to them with my request. They got back almost immediately with 4th Jan, so that had to do. My papers hadn’t arrived for the December window and the really was the earliest they could manage.
The Medical
I spoke to Holly and mentioned that I now had to book the medical and she encouraged me to crack on as by this time it was early December. Here in the UK there is only one doctor that the embassy officially uses and it’s based off Bond Street in London. You can’t bring a medical from any other practice, it simply won’t be accepted. I called them and got the last available date in 2009. Close one.
They’d chosen me Friday 11th December, the day before I filmed this year’s Versus Cancer concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena. Ouch! I’d been producing this project for about three weeks already and the goalposts had already moved several times, I was going to miss the final pre-production day but fortunately I’d got most of it sorted aside a couple of crew member. So I booked the train ticket to London from Manchester and even drove into town to pick the tickets up the day before to be sure I didn’t miss it.
The next day I was up at 4:30am ate breakfast and drove to the station in record time as there was no traffic. My 5:55am train was sat on the platform already and I ambled on and got another breakfast. I arrived in Euston at about 8:15am and as I was packing my stuff away to leave the train I noticed they guy on the next table had left his phone. I rushed to pack my stuff away, grabbed the guys phone and ran up the platform to find him. I spotted him because of his scarf amongst the grey cloud of commuters and he graciously thanked me for returning his mobile. I smiled and made my way to the underground where I jumped on the tube to Bond Street.
As with every tube station in London, I get out completely disorientated and ask directions to someone else that knows bugger all about London. One day I’ll come out of the tube and meet a cartographer who bores me with their knowledge. Probably not.
Anyway as per usual I’m stood next to the road I need and after laughing about how funny that is and “how silly of me” with a random I’m on my way. An hour and a half early mind.
Eventually I found the doctors and checked my watch, I’m still an hour early so I head off to find a coffee shop. Today is the first day of the cold snap, London is far colder than Manchester had been this week and I indulge in a bit of hot chocolate which the café girl lovingly sprinkles chocolate dust on in the shape of a heart. Like she does for everyone.
Reading the paper and not soaking up an ounce of information I start to think about the train and packing my bags. I suddenly have a feeling of dread. I don’t remember if I picked up my charger for my laptop as I rushed off with that guys phone. I look in my bag.
Lost property at Euston are pretty helpful, I mean, they aren’t going to find your stuff and its never going to turn up but at least they are nice about it. Then you realise that because they charge you for holding onto your lost stuff depending on its size at a rate that makes your eyes smart. I’d had a 3rd breakfast in the coffee shop and hammered the phone once more.
Manchester lost property also has heard nothing but the train hadn’t made it back yet so there was still a chance.
I get off the phone and go into the doctors in a very regal building off Bond Street. It’s all a formality but this is one of the most thorough medicals I’ve ever had. Chest x-ray, eye test, HIV test,
I trudge through the cold back to Euston and no, lost property had nothing handed in. I get an earlier train home and return to Manchester for late lunchtime. Lost property in Manchester had nothing either. I gave up and went to PC world to buy a new charger for 80 quid and got on with preparing for Versus Cancer. Food news; I didn’t eat anything until dinnertime though thanks to my breakfast frenzy.
Thursday it started snowing in Manchester. That was the night of my leaving party too. I can’t say I was surprised although I thought that perhaps a few people would drop out of coming. They did but the hardcore group managed to head out. In the end about 20 of us partied all night and it was a good laugh right up to the point I bought a round of jager bombs. After that I’m a bit blurry although I remember spending at least 10 minutes talking to the guy from The Urban Cookie Collective who gave me his new CD.
It was a pretty reflecting time with my cohorts of 10 years. I love all those people and they helped me achieve some really amazing stuff in my time there. I’m yet to write the full Mancunia experience blog… probably will manage that next but in my sister blog www.swimminginmud.blogspot
Thursday was also 4 working days since the medical so I assume I’d passed and all that was left was to leave Manchester. Versus Cancer was my last job while living there and a bit of a legacy as I co-founded the gigs and was a director of the company that puts it on for the first 2 years it was on. I was lured away pastures new for numerous other reasons but I still film it for them. It’s the largest annual charity concert in the UK. Even though I’ve nothing to do with the organising side of it (thank god) it’s still close to my heart… perhaps I’ll do something similar in LA…
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