In lieu of a review

Dear blog readers,

I haven't finished a book in a while, and I have run out (for the moment) of the incidental games and suchlike that I wanted to get people involved with - can I say how impressed I am with your titles-with-the-last-letter-missing?  So I was going to leave the blog blank for another day.  Then I remembered that some kind soul (I forget who) said that they enjoyed it when bloggers just gave a quick update about their lives.  So I thought I'd write you a little letter.

I've always given you something of a look behind-the-books into my life, but usually only the momentous bits.  Nothing particularly of note has happened to me recently, but I thought I'd write a little post anyway.

There is one thing I want to tell you about - a bookish thing, no less - but the time has not yet come.  It will help explain why I'm going to be a tiny bit quieter on here for the next few weeks, but it will be more than compensated for - and I hope you'll be excited.  Oh, Simon.  What a tease.

On the one hand, I've been very lucky since I submitted my DPhil thesis - apart from holidays in the US and for Christmas, I have worked solidly.  All of my previous bosses in Oxford approached me and asked me to freelance with them (at various departments of the Bodleian, and at OUP), and that was both very flattering and great fun.  I'm still doing it now, working mornings at OUP and afternoons for the Rare Books department of the Bodleian - now on Twitter, incidentally, in the hands of one of my besties, Lucy.

So, that's all lovely.  On the other hand, I would like to have a permanent full-time job, unsurprisingly... I've spent the past three years explaining to folk that, although I was doing a DPhil, I didn't want to work in academia (which is still the case) and now I'm hunting for jobs in publishing and similar companies.  Well, I haven't applied for a lot - I'm still being fussy, and only applying for jobs I really want - and I'm waiting to see what happens.  I'll report back when there is something to report... but I'm confident that there is a lovely team of people out there just waiting for me to join them!  (Truth be told, I wish I could stay with my current lovely OUP team, but sadly there isn't a permanent role there.)

And what's on the immediate horizon?  Well, this weekend I'm going to visit Colin - and while I'm there, Our Vicar and Our Vicar's Wife will be visiting.  Sadly I shan't get to see Sherpa or the countryside, but the rest of us will be together, and I am never happier than when I am with my family.  I'm excited about the quiz we have lined up...

At the New Year, we decided to write a quiz between us.  We each made up suggestions for two rounds and put them in a hat, and then drew out two rounds - and had to write on those topics.  Throw in a picture round (or similar) a-piece, and we had 12 quiz rounds to have fun with.  Indeed, it was so fun that we've decided to do it again.  I put in relatively restrained topics - art (nice and broad) and Virginia Woolf (just because I was so intrigued to see what questions would be written).  It turns out my crazy family isn't quite so restrained.  Here are the rounds we have been allocated...

Simon - Peru
Simon - woodwork
Colin - Virginia Woolf
Colin - 1953
Dad - art
Dad - goldfish
Mum - knitting
Mum - defenestrations and other unusual exits

It could be an interesting night!  I have gone a bit wackier with my picture round, but I shan't reveal anything yet, because my family might well read this...

That'll do for news for now - but soon(ish) I will stop teasing and unveil the exciting bookish thing.  And I might even get around to posting a book review, you never know.

Hope you're all having lovely weeks.  And, if you're not, remember that spring is on its way.  I can't wait.

Take care,
Simon