Firsty Ferret, you're right, the idea of enjoying a beer downroute does sound appealing!
I always thought that the career paths in flying are a bit back to front (SH first then LH). At the beginning of my career (which I am now, mid twenties and have been with easy for 6 years), I would have loved to do long haul, or something similar. However I know that as time moves on and the older I get, I will want to be at home more and more, and the time away might start feeling a little stale if I'm ever blessed (cursed?) with little ones running around at home.