If you're like me, your desk is a mess. You know where everything is, but the casual observer wouldn't see how that could possibly be.

That said, I've tried to keep my tiny place in London neat and tidy, if only on the basis that it's such a small space, that any clutter would mean I'd have to sleep standing up.

The one area that really hasn't achieved any level of tidiness is my desk. Oh sure, I periodically take a guilty glance at the piles of papers I "really should do something about", before sweeping them into a drawer, with a feeling of unease.

Right now, however, I'm engaged in some housekeeping of a digital variety. Despite not having had any espresso today, I'm acting like some cross between Rainman and a child with Attention Deficit Disorder and too much sugar. I've gone from one original task, to another, on to another, and on to yet another. As I start each one, I realise other things I should be doing. It's only the fact that I'm not washing my hands repeatedly between tasks that tells me I don't have OCD.

For example, I started listening to a podcast, whilst chatting online to a friend. The podcast caused me to want to google something. The results of said googling led me astray, looking at someone's Flickr pictures, which in turn, led me to logging into my Flickr account, to give it an icon, which in turn lead me to thinking about organising my pictures there, which then led me to want to add more pictures of my last weekend in California, which found me reviewing pictures, which necessitated me making notes on which ones to photoshop then publish. As there wasn't a pen to hand, I was going to make notes using Mac OS X's dashboard's Post-It widget. In switching to the dashboard view I was presented with the various widgets on it, covered by 1001 Post-It notes, mostly giving names, numbers and job details resulting from phone calls with recruiters. So before I could start listing my photos, it really was time to clear off the job-hunt-related notes. However, being fastidious about never throwing away contact information, I now find myself setting all those names and numbers up in my Powerbook's address book. Dizzy yet? I certainly am.

The only calming influence on all of this, is Groove Salad - an internet radio station specialising in mellow trance and ambient music. They're based in San Francisco, which of course brings us almost back to where this started, looking at pics of my last trip there (and to Berkeley).

Of course the more observant among you will have spotted that I've managed to stem the cycle of distraction, by blogging about it (err..isn't that distracting yourself from distraction, with another distraction?). Clever huh? No, not really. On the upside, they do say that the first step to curing yourself, is to admit you have a problem.

My name is Max, and I have too many virtual Post-It notes. There, I've said it.

*OK, it's a punchline that only Goon Show fans will get:

John Snagge: Is that an Cambridge tie you're wearing?
Eccles: Yes, it is.
John Snagge: What were you doing in Cambridge?
Eccles: I was buying a tie.

(Non-UK readers: Oxford and Cambridge are the two oldest university cities in the UK - rather like Harvard and Yale in the US).

OK, so I finally have time to catch you up on WTF is going on with me.

Basically, after completing the contract job in North London, I've had a couple of months (exactly two- to the day) of looking for another contract or a permanent job. The UK job market seems very buoyant at the moment, and I've had a ton of interviews - apparently coming close to a job offer several times.

Two Wednesdays ago, I got a call about a job in Oxford, I was interviewed the next day, and offered the job the day after that - Friday. I started at the job last Tuesday.

Although I'm an employee (rather than an independent contractor) it's a 12-month contract, after which, it may - or may not - become a permanent post. Time will tell, I guess. Either way, it's steady work for a year, and I get to move out of London (yippee!). As you might imagine, the job title is Web Designer/Developer, although there is a certain amount of tea-making involved too.

For the first few weeks, I'm commuting from London, to make sure the job is going to work out, before committing to a move to Oxford. I have to tell you dear reader, the commute is kicking my ass (to use one of those quaint Americanisms). It's 58 miles each way, and half of that is crawling along through North London traffic. That said, Rula is doing her best to make the journey as relaxing as possible. She glides along the M40 as though she's stepping forward onto the dancefloor, not a hair out of place, even at 90mph.

I don't want to say too much about the job here, as you never know who (if anyone) reads this nonsense. Suffice it to say that I'm very happy with the role, which will use my web and people skills to the full, and show's signs of being a role that will expand to include more responsibilities, as time goes by. The company I work for (email me if you're THAT desperate to know), seems to have a very healthy and positive approach towards it's employees - something I never saw in my years working in the US.

US readers will be delighted to know that I start the new job with just 25 days of paid vacation, plus the usual seven public holidays. It's just one of many ways in which European workers are treated so much better than American ones.

Anyway, in time, I shall be moving to Oxford, and I daresay that there will be many tales of my misadventures, looking for an apartment or house, and living there. Also, Miles -who has been kindly looked after all this time by my dear Kris (thanks :*)- will eventually be re-joining me, in the UK, and no doubt there'll be tales (and tails) from him too.

Last week, I finally visited The London Eye.

It was built for the Millenium year, whilst I was living in the US, however, was so popular, it's still operating, some six years later. Sound familiar? The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exposition of 1889, and like the Eye, was meant to be a temporary structure.

Anyway, here are a few pictures I took. Not works of art, but maybe interesting if you've not seen the Eye.

click to enlarge each image