Life rolls on
It has been quite a long time since I posted here, but hey guess what, I've been so busy I haven't had time to do anything but work and write for months now. This has been such a really up and down year for the first half that I started to get bogged down in it for a while.
Started with a trip to hospital in late January. Felt strange and lost sight in one eye for a while, then the eye turned slightly making me cross-eyed. Rob took one look and off to the hospital with me. 'Oh dear,' they said, 'might be a mini-stroke, let's keep you in here being monitored and tested for a week.' Nothing found but they still were not happy, I however decided to pretend the whole thing was a nasty joke and get on with my life. After all I had a book come out in the US the day after I arrived at the hospital so there are important things to do.
Immediately after the hospital visit I get a temp job supposed to be for six months that lasts a week instead. 'All will be well,' say the agency, 'we will get you another very soon.' Still waiting for them to at least call me back to pass the time of day and say 'Don't give up we are still in there plugging for you.' Not a word, being sixty and looking for work really sucks big time.
March comes and goes and I finally find a job, $9K less than I was getting but beggars can't be choosers I suppose. Job is not too bad, very Junior work but at least it is work. The main problem is that they have given a young lad in the sales area the title Sales Manager, the kid is all of 17 and a nasty little tick with the people skills of a mentally retarded gnat, who thinks he must chide and reprimand me. (Just once more and he'll get the spanking his mother never gave him)
With the family life is so complicated I can't even begin to describe what's happening but the saddest things are that my son's ex partner has moved on and is living with her new man, we now only have the girls for the weekend which is sad for Mark but I find the situation there must less stressful for the rest of us. My youngest boy Karl was made redundant two weeks ago which is devastating for him. He worked so hard for these people as they only had one storeman doing both the warehouse and the spare-parts which are both really full time jobs by themselves. The reason they gave was the stupidest reason but now I find what may be the correct reason. I worked at that place for a few months, until I broke my arm, having been head-hunted by one of my managers from a previous company in the same business. It turned out that the Branch Manager had also worked for that company and head-hunted a salesman and my own manager. The salesman subsequently moved on. When they needed an extra person in stores my manager gave Karl a go because he knew Karl needed a job. Then they fired the other storeman.
A month or so ago the owner of the Parent Company comes in and the Branch Manager is fired and a new you beaut super salesman is put in his place. Then a week or so later my friend is made redundant. Next it is Karl, and then I find out from somebody else that the ex Branch Manager has gone back to the old company as a salesman and taken all the customer data base with him. Now suddenly all the people in that office who had any connection with that company are no longer required. It is pretty understandable but very hard on Karl who never even worked at the old place and wouldn't know the owner if he fell over him in the street.
That in a somewhat large nutshell is the crazy roundabout of this year. With all that has been bad about it there have been good as well. The book coming out has been not all roses but at least it's there. Now the new one is coming along in leaps and bounds and it is going to be a good one I think. It is much easier the second time around that's for sure.
The biggest news is that my brother is coming in only six sleeps, really exciting I am so looking forward to having him here and introducing him to my family.
SEE YOU SOON LITTLE BROTHER
Started with a trip to hospital in late January. Felt strange and lost sight in one eye for a while, then the eye turned slightly making me cross-eyed. Rob took one look and off to the hospital with me. 'Oh dear,' they said, 'might be a mini-stroke, let's keep you in here being monitored and tested for a week.' Nothing found but they still were not happy, I however decided to pretend the whole thing was a nasty joke and get on with my life. After all I had a book come out in the US the day after I arrived at the hospital so there are important things to do.
Immediately after the hospital visit I get a temp job supposed to be for six months that lasts a week instead. 'All will be well,' say the agency, 'we will get you another very soon.' Still waiting for them to at least call me back to pass the time of day and say 'Don't give up we are still in there plugging for you.' Not a word, being sixty and looking for work really sucks big time.
March comes and goes and I finally find a job, $9K less than I was getting but beggars can't be choosers I suppose. Job is not too bad, very Junior work but at least it is work. The main problem is that they have given a young lad in the sales area the title Sales Manager, the kid is all of 17 and a nasty little tick with the people skills of a mentally retarded gnat, who thinks he must chide and reprimand me. (Just once more and he'll get the spanking his mother never gave him)
With the family life is so complicated I can't even begin to describe what's happening but the saddest things are that my son's ex partner has moved on and is living with her new man, we now only have the girls for the weekend which is sad for Mark but I find the situation there must less stressful for the rest of us. My youngest boy Karl was made redundant two weeks ago which is devastating for him. He worked so hard for these people as they only had one storeman doing both the warehouse and the spare-parts which are both really full time jobs by themselves. The reason they gave was the stupidest reason but now I find what may be the correct reason. I worked at that place for a few months, until I broke my arm, having been head-hunted by one of my managers from a previous company in the same business. It turned out that the Branch Manager had also worked for that company and head-hunted a salesman and my own manager. The salesman subsequently moved on. When they needed an extra person in stores my manager gave Karl a go because he knew Karl needed a job. Then they fired the other storeman.
A month or so ago the owner of the Parent Company comes in and the Branch Manager is fired and a new you beaut super salesman is put in his place. Then a week or so later my friend is made redundant. Next it is Karl, and then I find out from somebody else that the ex Branch Manager has gone back to the old company as a salesman and taken all the customer data base with him. Now suddenly all the people in that office who had any connection with that company are no longer required. It is pretty understandable but very hard on Karl who never even worked at the old place and wouldn't know the owner if he fell over him in the street.
That in a somewhat large nutshell is the crazy roundabout of this year. With all that has been bad about it there have been good as well. The book coming out has been not all roses but at least it's there. Now the new one is coming along in leaps and bounds and it is going to be a good one I think. It is much easier the second time around that's for sure.
The biggest news is that my brother is coming in only six sleeps, really exciting I am so looking forward to having him here and introducing him to my family.
SEE YOU SOON LITTLE BROTHER