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This week’s announcements that Dubai is suffering financial hardship probably generated more than a little schadenfreude in the struggling economies of the west.

A couple of years ago we visited Dubai, (some pictures here) staying at the wonderful Madinat Jumeirah complex. We were so impressed with the atmosphere and service that we returned within the year to celebrate my 50th birthday – the original intent was to go to Las Vegas, but we found Dubai to be nearer and nicer.

Okay so the whole place was superficial and built on rampant, unsustainable optimism, but it had a ‘can do’ attitude and a buzz about it that I’ve only experienced elsewhere in New York in the eighties and Shanghai a few years ago.

I personally hope that Dubai weathers the storm, albeit slightly chastened, it was a fun place to visit and, when my personal circumstances permit, I would love to go back.

As a teenager I would regulalry visit the Motor Show at Earl’s Court. I’ve mentioned before that I was a petrol-head before I knew what petrol was! Living in Hornchurch and Upminster as I did, it was easy to get a ‘Twin Rover’ for four shillings – the equivalent of a Travelcard today – and take the underground from Upminster to Earls Court.

I would spent the day staring at cars I could only dream of one day owning – Saab, Mercedes… Lamborghini. Ah well, two out of three ain’t bad.

Well times change, and in the ago of the ‘credit crunch’ the Motor Show has been cancelled, to be replaced by the MPH show… a show in association with the Top Gear TV series, a show for petrol-heads of all ages.

I had managed to blag admission through my friends who own the OutdoorBeanBag website that I built (and am in the process of rewriting). My mate Jeremy accompanied me, and for a few hours we were fourteen years young again.

Not sure who this guy was, he insisted on having his picture taken with me.

I can still lust after Mercedes…

…but somethings are just wrong. A gold plated Lamborghini?

Dear Santa… I’ve been really good this year…

Today marks Bruce Springsteen’s sixtieth birthday.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen ‘The Boss’ about seven times over the last thirty five years.

The band lost Danny Federici to cancer last year, and with both Bruce and the band not getting any younger, I’m conscious that each tour might be the last.

We saw Bruce and the band at the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2008 and Val commented that I looker particularly wistful. I replied that it had occurred to me that it might be the last time I’d hear ‘Jungleland’ live.

I was wrong, I saw Bruce this summer at Hyde Park, and he played ‘Jungleland’ just as the sun was setting, it was a great concert and a magical moment.

As we get older we need to grasp those magical moments, because, as I learned from Jon Cheese – who should also have been celebrating his sixty seventh birthday today - our time here is short.

Anyway, thanks Jon, for being a good mate, and thanks Bruce for being a companion through the years.  

“Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night”

Okay, I confess, it’s a guilty pleasure but I quite enjoy Dan Brown’s books, they’re distractions and right now some distraction will come in handy.

I first read ‘Angels and Demons’ before ‘The Da Vinci’ code came out. Ever the early adopter I found the book at Schipol Airport as I recall - and what with flight delays I had nearly finished it by the time we got home.

Dan Brown writes good airline novels (IMHO), page turners with no pretensions to being literature.

Okay, the plots might be both pretentious and portentous, but not the writing style.

So, when this morning I stumbled across the new hardback ‘The Lost Symbol’ (on its publication day no less) on sale for a fiver I figured why bother waiting for the paperback?

Of course this one could be particularly interesting as Dan Brown turns his attentions to Freemasonry, something I know slightly more about than the Illuminati or Opus Dei.

Add to that a new collection of Stephen King short stories for less than four quid in paperback, and Rick Stein’s new hardback for half price and I was sorted.

I’ve mentioned before that I have deliberately resisted turning this into a job-seeker’s blog… applied for this, rejected for that, and such and such an agent won’t take my calls…

Well, I was talking the other day to Paul, my Financial Adviser; I do this occasionally, despite being unemployed and enjoying the bounteous sixty quid a week Jobseekers Allowance the government grudgingly allows me. At least until November when even that stops. Maybe I should try changing my accent.

Paul and I got round, as is inevitable, to discussing job opportunities, and so on. I explained that the month of August seems to be like December in recruiting terms. It seems to be almost impossible to get decision makers, or the right decision makers, lined up to make decisions. Consequently the job market grinds to a temporary - or at least I hope it’s temporary – halt.   

In recent months my CV has had me considered for roles in Cambridge, Cleveland (Ohio), Crawley, Derbyshire, Gibraltar, Heathrow, Manchester, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Swindon and ‘the west country’.

All interesting roles but all involving around 4 hours travelling daily, or overnight stays.

Paul observed that we seem to be in a new age of “Auf Wiedersehen, Pet” – you have to be prepared to travel inordinate distances to go where the work is, and the trend in recent years for companies to relocate away from the capital has only compounded this. My neighbour, Bob, ‘commutes’ to Birmigham every week.

Except the roles I would be looking at would be solo overnight stays, not as part of a team. We’ve all seen them, the lone business traveller in the hotel restaurant with a paperback book.

But hey, it’s a job.

Please.