Well the news on the street is that I have, finally, found somewhere to live in Reading. I am hoping to confirm a date later in the week, but at the moment it looks as though I'll be moving during the third week in November.

It's taken well over a month and it has proved to be a lot more difficult than I had expected. However it's sorted now, and I'm feeling a lot more positive than I have done at times over the last few weeks.

Friday. I could not get out of bed. The "GNER cold" that appeared shortly after my outward journey to Reading on Tuesday left me feeling rancid. Having booked a few days leave off next week, I figured that getting ill during time off was just par for the course. I stayed at home all day, languishing.

Saturday. I woke up feeling much more tired than I was when I went to bed the previous night, but generally a lot better. I caught the train across to Picadilly (crammed, as it usually is on a Saturday lunchtime) and popped round to see my Liverpool and Leeds ex-housemate Pete in his new city centre pad. It was very pleasurable, except for the relentless rain that accompanied me on my journey and got me soaked to the skin in the end. I spent the evening back in Leeds watching mindless television. I retired to bed looking forward to a few days away from work, away from Reading, away from Leeds... away from all the familiar faces and places that seem to involuntarily keep reminding me that I'm living a life that feels inferior to the one I discovered back in August (and promptly had to hand back without a refund).

Sunday. I found difficulty in forcing myself from my bed, but did eventually get up to drive across the M62 for a very pleasant Sunday lunch with my parents. I drove through heavy rain all the way across - is it following me around? I briefly catch up with Andy and a heavily pregnant Clair, who is due any day. Finally, I drove across to the lovely city of Liverpool to meet my sister for dinner. She's currently in on a break in Athens staying with a friend, after leaving Liverpool on Monday for a few days in Paris. I finished off the day by meeting Sarah for a quick drink in a deserted Rat & Parrot in Queen Square before retiring to my bed for the night - a black leather sofa.

Monday. The first full day of my short break in Liverpool, staying in my sister's apartment whilst she's away. Despite the rain, I wandered around the city for hours before quickly meeting up with Sarah again to check out her student accomodation. Later I remember that blocks of non-University student accomodation where pretty much unheard of when I was studying there just five years ago, but now they are dotted all over the place. In terms of facilities, fabic and decor these places compare very favourably with the typical student digs I experienced as a student, but they defitely miss the charm of the grand old housing so prevalent in the traditional student residential areas. I spend the afternooon back at the apartment watching The Incredibles accompanied by a couple of nice beers, and set out for an old-fashioned night in town with Sarah. We consume more than our fair share of cocktails and other beverages, although not anywhere near the quantities consumed by the massed ranks taking part in the 'Carnage UK' bar crawl that day. During the day I learn that my number one preference room in Reading that I'd seen last week has been offered to someone else.

Tuesday. Despite all the drink and the late night, I jumped out of bed nice and early and took to the streets of Liverpool once again. This time, I choose to walk up towards the University to see how things have moved on since I was there. A first glance it seems a great deal has changed, but as I walk around the campus the changes seem more superficial and the atmosphere has a reassuringly familiar feel. University saw me spend three of the very best years of my life, and after walking back down into town I spent the rest of the day contemplating the happy times and the different way of life back then. Whilst I concluded that things were much better then than they are now, of course it's not as simple as that (although I maintain I was somehow more solvent back then!). It provides a useful comparison to how things are right now, and it reminded me that it's not always a bad idea to look back and see where you've come from. Again, during the day I'm told that my second preference room in Reading has been taken by someone else. As I wonder whether I'm ever going to make this move to Reading stick, I spent the evening watching the first series of Family Guy. Did I mention that it rained all day?

Wednesday. I awoke to the fantastic news that Clair had a little girl late on Tuesday night. Aware that I've not long left in Liverpool, I hit the town again and took lunch in Quiggins before heading back to the apartment to start my journey back home to Leeds. I only get as far as Manchester when I get stuck in a typical M60 jam, this one caused by tanker getting into difficulties caused, probably, by the torrential rain that had been coming down all day. Only now does it dawn on me that it'd been raining without a break for days. Although I'm a fan of rain in the main, the oppressive and relentless nature of it often seems analogous to my mood when I'm like I am at the moment. Thinking of this prompts me to take my temperature and compare it with the previous week, and I figure I'm definitely feeling better than I did thanks to my few days out of the ordinary.

Thursday. I got up at stupid-o-clock to get down to Reading to resume work. Emails, voice messages and other work have piled up during my absence, and I struggled not to feel disheartened. I work really hard just to try and get everything done, but sometimes it feels that for every one thing I get done another two come along to take its place and a third thing comes back from the dead. On the train home I do a little work before writing about the last week of my life, to try to give myself confidence that I'm on the right track and to let everyone know what I'm up to.

Google says that Paul needs...

* Paul needs Welsh musician and songwriter
* Paul needs free music downloads
* Paul needs specs
* Paul needs a haircut
* All Paul needs is love
* My special son Paul needs more education
* Paul needs household items
* Paul needs

"It's my belief that history is a wheel. 'Inconstancy is my very essence,' says the wheel. Rise up on my spokes if you like, but don't complain when you're cast back down into the depths. Good time pass away, but then so do the bad. Mutability is our tragedy, but it's also our hope. The worst of time, like the best, are always passing away."
- Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy

I'm taking a couple of days off work next week to get away from it all and have a change of scenery.

I've been down in Reading for the last few days and had a look at two more rooms on Tuesday evening. The places, and the people, were both really nice and left me feeling very positive. However, I'm increasingly aware that there are only a small number of suitable places available and there's a lot of people chasing them. I'm not going to be content with somewhere that just isn't right either, so getting matched up to the right place that's available is proving quite a challenge.

My time in Reading this week has gone better than my last trip, which left me feeling pretty down. The more time I spend down here, the sooner I can get on with things and get back to normal. It's getting a little easier each day I'm here in Reading.

Saying that, I think a short break somewhere different yet familiar is a good idea. My sister is taking a break to Athens next week, so I'm going to look after her flat in Liverpool for a few days whilst she's away. I'm looking forward to it.

Keep your fingers crossed for me on Monday, when I'm due to find out whether I've been successful in renting one of the rooms I viewed on Tuesday.