Sacked 3 weeks before Xmas

but i did find this the other day which made me chuckle!

Wow! Do you realise something? It is almost exactly a whole year since I was sacked...and oh boy! what a year that has been.

It has FLOWN by. I have been through SO much and after a cold, windy afternoon in Eastbourne yesterday (long story, will explain later) I feel it is time to do what I have been talking about doing since I started this whole adventure - put it down in words...

So many bizarre, funny, sad, happy and down right strange things have happened. I have been very reflective of late. I have learnt to help myself. I suppose, therefore, that I am about to embark on creating the ultimate self help book.

I started with nothing. Now I have everything. I'm not wealthy, nor do I live in a castle; but in my heart and mind, I am king. Would you like to hear my story?

It is exactly 3 months since I was sacked. It is also now the time to call an end to this blog. Thank you everyone who has logged in and left messages. I've read them all and enjoyed the fact that I was not alone. But the creative energy I put into this blog was the creative energy I suddenly found myself with by virtue of the fact that I no longer had a job to go to everyday.

I have a full time occupation as all of you probably know by now and it's an occupation I thoroughly love doing; something I haven't been able to say for a good 6 years of my life. Like a lot of things in my life, I didn't choose to be where I am now.

After my Grandad died (I was abroad at the time of his death), I think it was my mum who said to me, that it was decided not to contact me as I was probably doing something I loved and there was no need to cut short what I was doing to attend a funeral. I think it was he himself who said it was better to leave me to do what I was doing.

To some people that might sound harsh. But not to me. It is now beginning to make some sense to me. This is what it means to me: life is short. You do get more than one chance at things, but if you screw things up when you're trying them out, learn the lessons. Always keep starting something new. Eventually you'll find something you love doing; maybe if you keep trying you'll find lots of things you love doing. I didn't stop trying, I just remained in neutral for a while. Call it a traffic jam if you like. They happen, you can't avoid them, but keep your foot on the peddle and one day, the road will open up again.

So that's where I'm heading. Out of the traffic jam and back on the open road and I can't wait to see what lies ahead...

JVx

I could easily get used to having Mondays off. Had a lie in this morning and have just finished a long, leisurely breakfast.

I just heard Green Day's 'When September Ends' on Radio 1 (er, why is Coxy on? Where's Jo Wiley - this is like the weekend still!) - I hope the doctor who's just moved in next door isn't on nights at the mo because I had to have it on full blast.

For those who don't know the song, download it and have a listen. It's not my usual taste, but I remember hearing it last December and it has become one of those 'changing tracks' songs to my life, only in my head the song is entitled, 'When November Ends.'

Or in other words, when I lost my job at the end of nov (ok beginning of december, but that doesn't scan as well) it became a song associated with the whole affair. I don't really know what the song is meant to mean, but to me, it means losing my job at the end of november was a wake up call, i.e. 'Wake me up when November Ends'.

Well, it makes sense to me. Get your own song!

JV

Haha! I just walked from my living room, to my bedroom, to my kitchen - Radio 1 on in all 3 rooms in varying degrees of quality to the sounds of This Is The Last Time, Keane.

Exactly like those opening bits from Eastenders/ Hollyoaks/ Corrie!

Well life is a bit like a soap opera at the mo. When I was travelling I often used to think of life as a soap opera and I was just another character in the plot.

Also during this time I used to wonder how I could bottle the essence of travelling - the care free attitude, the good feelings. Without intention, I seem to arrived back at that feeling. Maybe it's working for myself? Or maybe it's lots of indescribable events all melting together? Whatever it is, I love it!

JVx

I haven't worked out a good way of linking my new site back to this - don't know if I want any potential customers to really know how I got into it all of this in the first place!

So I'll link via this site for now...

www.jonnyvantastic.com

Morinng everyone. Something happened to me lastnight. I was again reminded of my past life only this time it hit a nerve. What happened was that I faced the reality of what happened and the speed with which it happened.

I've said before that being sacked can lead to a re-birth; a chance to start again, which is true, but if it happens in any way like the way it happened to me, you don't plan for it or get yourself prepared. It's just wham bam thank you mam and you have to hit the ground running.

I'd like to think I've done things pretty well and I'm not about to deny the happy feelings my new life has brought me, but I will admit to this - there's a void in my life where once there were good friends. I discounted old clients as just that, clients. But that's bollox; some of them were good friends and it upsets me now that all those times together seem to mean nothing now.

The problem now is that I think too much time has passed by and I don't have enough faith in myself to get in touch with any of them. Whatever happened to me didn't directly involve any of them, so why am I being denied access? Well I know the answer to that. I'm not being denied by anyone but myself. So for all the outward happiness and contentment, I'll admit that there is still something missing; old friends.

::UPDATE:: How spooky! No sooner had I just written this than my phone rang - an old client! Isn't life funny sometimes?

GO JONNY! GO JONNY! GO JONNY!

JV had a name check on the Jo Wiley show today (even if she did pronounce it 'Von'tastic) and I quote:

"What rocks? Seeing Orson in Brighton lastnight. What sucks? Getting drunk and telling the lead singer they were rubbish. I have no idea why. Jonny Vantastic."

So naturally there will be a link on my new site, 'as heard on Radio 1.'

It's the little things in life that make me happy! You can listen to it here if you like

JV

p.s. Ant, H - how does the cutting in look this morning?!

Right now I'm meant to be on the A23 hurtling towards Brighton to go and paint my sister's living room walls, however, I have detoured home as I had to get what just happened off my chest. I promised myself I'd keep it a secret, but i'm crap at that, so fuck it.

I just had an 'audition' for Deal or No Deal. Really all this involved was filling out a disclaimer and then doing a short piece to camera; a screen test if you like. That's how I saw it at least. Not Christine in front of me and her 'agent', Michael Kaye. He was going through her disclaimer with a fine tooth comb and questionning every aspect of it, for example, 'so where it says here, today's date, I don't think we have to necessarily agree withthem that today is the 16th because I know how these things work, trust me.'

*MASSIVE JOEY DEACON SIGN!!*

Christ alive! I had read something recently about how celebrity 'agents' were springing up all over the place on the back of reality TV, but I'd never seen it. The hopes of one woman and stardom all resting on celebrity 'agents' like Michael 'Mike' Kaye. It makes me want to cry! There were 150 other hopefuls along side me all nervous about their audition.

Fuckin' ell kids, it's just a game show! That said, I'll be disappointed if I don't make the cut. There's £250,000 at stake in this game.

Right, they've had their day out in the big city;I'm off to sunnny Brighton.

JC x

Happy Valentine's Day! Colin & Edith are doing a straw poll on Radio 1 today to find the best British romantic song. Tough one. All my favourites are by foreign artists, with Uptown, Uptempo woman by Randy Edelman being my #1. I'll keep thinking...

But that's not important right now. Life really is a rollercoaster at the moment. Some ups, some downs, some loop the loops, some white knuckle moments, some exhilerating moments - and just like riding a rollercoaster, I want to keep on going and going.

I've been a bit worried that I'm not doing enough jobs, but it's good for me to remind myself that I've only just set up. The ideas I've got in my head for the business are good ideas, it's just that they're gonna take a bit of time to implement. My problem is that I want it all NOW!

My brother, James, helped me make my first flyer today and I have to tell you, it looks wicked! Each time I see my logo in print it excites me - I have a lot to thank Cris for who did all the computery bits but I can still slap myself on the back as it was I who first drew the logo (albeit badly and in pencil). And the website is coming along just how I imagined it. Trevor promises me it'll be ready by the end of this week...

Did I mention a job I did lastnight? I got atext from Louise in Clapham saying, 'can you help? i'm locked out, Louise Clapham'. I'm not a locksmith, but I do have a ladder and I like climbing and stuff so I said, 'Sure. What floor do you live on? Is the plan to break in through a window?'

'Yes,' came the reply. Only at this point did I start to think, 'hang on - am I assisting a break in?' Anyway, I turned up when asked to (8.30pm) and met Louise. She didn't look like a burglar, but then again she could have been a deranged ex breaking into her former boyfriend's place to cut up his clothes or something.

I didn't question her. I just shimmied up the ladder and let myself in through an open window. I made sure she had keys for the place so as to put my mind at rest and then told her I felt bad about charging her because it only took 2 minutes. What I meant to go onto say was, 'let's call it a tenner,' but she had already offered something in exchange, not cash. Turns out she's a shiatsu masseur, so I'm popping round next week for my free massage - not a bad exchange in my book.

What made me laugh the most about the whole affair was her shouting, 'Go Jonny Vantastic!' as I climbed through the window!! Who needs money when you've got a hero worshipper!

Anyway, that was yesterday. Today someone called out of the blue and asked if I could pick up a piece of garden furniture from Bushey and deliver it to Willesden Green. I was away from my computer so had to get my little sister, Doris, to do an RAC route planner thing to get the distance - 40 miles from mine to Bushey to Willesden. So I quoted £40. This, it turns out, is way under the nearest competitor (£70). So maybe I've missed a trick. Or maybe I haven't. You see I'll work whenever, day or night. The customer called me back and was over the moon at my quote and even more pleased when I suggested she contact the seller and between them work out the most convenient time and I'll work around them.

A satisfied customer. And she'll tell her friends and they'll tell their friends. Do you get my point? I set this whole thing up to help people, not rip them off. And it's making me a very happy man.

Right. Better do some work. I'm off now to speak to Julie at Riverside Despatches to see if I can get some courier overspill work.

Oh and I've thought of a British track. Got to be Fix You by Coldplay.

JVx