FIN

And now the end has been reached. The final act of a full season has been played out and the stars can all book their tickets for the Seychelles or wherever it is they go for a summer break. United didn't win 'Treble at least, though they did get the title, and now those lovely boys from Chelsea have the FA Cup in their clammy grasp. that Barcelona won the Champions League feels a little like natural justice, though I was disappointed in the match. I feel sorry for Shrewsbury, and oddly happy about Burnley - largely because one of my uncles is a life-long fan, and despite the large contingent of BNP supporters in that particular corner of Lancashire. On that note, the uncle in question, who lives near Wrexham, told me that he had seen an Asian canvassing for the BNP in that town on the day I saw him last week. He thought it was rather amusing.

Back to footy, there's no sign of an end yet to the Big 4 monopoly, nor of any end to the crazy distinction between the world of soccer and the real world, with its failing businesses and rapidly increasing unemployment levels. I find it difficult to comprehend that in the same newspaper on the same day we can read about the bankruptcy of General Motors, with thousands at risk of losing their livelihoods all over the world, and on another page, that the fabled green shoots of recovery are evident because of another rise in house prices.

It struck me the other day that I haven't been out of work for about 20 years, but it remains to be seen how many more weeks that state of affairs will last. I ended up in an extremely deep conversation with the cousin of a friend of mine outside the pub last night, in the warmth of an early summer evening supping overpriced under-strength lager. It was the first time in many weeks that I have been able to lift my head out of the cloud of fear and depression that has dogged my footsteps since around the beginning of April. I won't go into detail, but I was advised to go into teaching English, as it was felt that I would be good at that. I remain unconvinced, but was interested nevertheless to hear from a different perspective views on life, work and self-confidence. I have (kind of) made a decision about what I am (or not) going to do, but have suddenly started to think that I (might possibly) have made the wrong (sort of) decision after all.

Ah well, here comes summer at least. Maybe not being involved in FM will allow me to enjoy the good weather for a change and stop worrying about sodding air handling units and listening to people ceaselessly whingeing about their office environment. It sure is an enticing prospect.