Recapturing My Youth

Just to clarify, the title of this post is Recapturing MY Youth, not Capturing A Youth

 as a friend on facebook first thought!

 

I'm struggling to post anything and haven't managed to keep track of anyone else's blogs just lately, I've had a hellish couple of weeks at work and am completely done in. I was asked to train for a slightly different job a few weeks back to help out the lady who does this particular job in my office. Not a job I had any clue how to do but thought that, now the kids are getting older, I should work a bit more and hopefully earn a bit more.

Up to then I was doing very few hours a week and getting paid roughly 3 peanuts for it!

 

So I agreed to take on 2 little clients under the guidance of the existing lady.... only to find after a couple of weeks she needed to go on sick leave for a couple of months and her whole job was divided between me, a manager and another trainee! Added to that the following week my boss bought out a small local business and gained me 10 new clients. I still have no clue what I'm doing and have made more cock-up's than I dare admit to! I'm waking up in the night with near panic attacks wondering if I "ticked that box" or was the answer "5 or 7". Anyway the upshot is I feel so incompetent right now I can barely think straight; not helped by the fact that the other trainee lady seems to grasp it all after only 2 weeks of doing the job! I'd like to say it's an age thing but we're the same age!

 

Anyway last night was a much needed night off as I had 2 tickets for a concert. I love live music (the builder not so much) but have huge regrets of not seeing many bands when I was a teenager. Lots of reasons for that, I wasn't usually allowed to go although I had a very inconsistent Mum so there was a period of a few months when I saw lots of bands at the local university. I also never had any money and no like minded friends to go with, crippling shyness meant I wouldn't go alone.

As I've got older I've tried to make a point of seeing as many concerts as I can, of the bands I like - old and new. I've travelled a few miles occasionally - like seeing The Scissor Sisters in Brighton (where else) and U2 in Dublin (a highlight).

Last year I noticed a new band I really like had a gig nearby, an outdoor venue in the forest. I knew number 1 son liked them so the conversation went like this -

"Number 1 you like band A, don't you?"
"Yes I do Mum, very much"
"They're playing nearby, in the Summer"
"Oh that's great, I'd love to see them"
"I'm booking tickets, would you like one?"
"Yes please Mum, who's going?"
"Me and possibly Dad, do you want to come?"
"NO!"

It was a fab evening and The Builder did come with me although we weren't always together as I squeezed to the front and he hung around at the back. It prompted a classic text from me to Number 1 son saying simply "Mum's in the mosh pit!" to which the reply came

"How can that even be possible?"

 

I've tried to see some of the bands I missed the first time around, if they're still together and still alive! They always look so old (unlike myself!) and the audience provide endless entertainment too, slightly elderly men trying to create a Mohican with a lot less hair than they used to have!

 

But last night The Builder and I had tickets to relive our youth, just for one evening. It took a bit of juggling as the boys were at indoor cricket and we had no babysitter for Little Miss, but after using 2 cars, driving several miles and various drop offs we managed to get to the university in time to see The Boomtown Rats! Oh such a great evening, I really relaxed and shouted, and jumped around, legs not quite managing to pogo but I bounced a little!

And Bob Geldof did an excellent job despite looking like Mick Jagger's elderly Grandad in his (fake) snakeskin suit! And I for one thought I was 18 again, just for a moment when they played Rat Trap.

 

It was fun though, and it's surprising how many words I can remember from the late 1970's. Apparently they last gigged there 30 years ago - that's the gig I missed!

 

So after such a good start I'm hoping for a weekend filled with a bit less panic about work, I will endeavour to catch up on reading blogs as soon as possible.

 Have a great weekend!