Back to Work Update and More...
Had a couple of interesting days.
Yesterday I met a drunk woman who was trying to do the splits in the newsagent's for the amusement of the staff there (and who called me "lady" and laughed uproarously every time she did). I also had a most bizarre phone call, which went something like this:
[phone rings. I pick up. Brief silence, then the click of the line being connected that indicates an auto-dialler, switchboard or one of those phones where you put the money in after you dial.]
Me: Hello?
[silence, apart from a steady beeping sound and the faint sound of women talking.]
Me: Hello?
[silence, then some rather wheezy breathing. Uh-oh, thinks I, and puts the phone on speakerphone so that Nick can share my apparently obscene phone call.]
Wheezy Male Voice: Hello? Hello?
Me: [silence]
WMV: Barbara? Barbara?
Me: [wondering if this is just a wrong number and picking up the receiver again] I'm sorry, there's no-one called Barbara here.
WMV: Barbara, how are you?
Me: I'm sorry, you've got the wrong number. There's no-one called Barbara here.
WMV: Eh? Are you sure duck?
Me: Yes, quite sure. I'm sorry.
WMV: It doesn't sound wrong to me. How are the kids, Barbara?
Me: No, there's no Barbara here. I'm not Barbara. I'm sorry, but I've got to go now.
[phone down]
I strongly suspect that the call was actually from a hospital or care home of some sort (because of the beeping, which sounded like medical monitors), and what I got was some slightly confused old man who was trying to call his daughter or some other relative and who had got the number wrong, but still... one of the more surreal phone conversations I've had in a while, and I worked on a listening and information line for two years. I also felt slightly guilty for putting the phone down, but there wasn't really much else I could have done. I had no idea what to say to this poor old man for one thing...
Today I had an appointment with a woman from a company called Maatwork wgo do work with people who are wanting to try to get back to work through the New Deal for Disabled People (I'm now on that, by the way. At least now I can see how it works from the inside rather than just bitching about it from the outside). She's going to be helping me with my CV (I don't have one, since when I was at school the big thing was 'Records of Achievement', which were supposed to be replacing CVs but have died a death in the years since), helping me look and apply for jobs which might be suitable for me and stuff like that. If I get a job, it'll likely start off as 'Permitted work' (under 16 hours a week and/or £86 per week) and go from there - although that could change. If I get anywhere and find I can do the work, that is.
Also this afternoon I got a call from the local college, about the Access to Employment schemes I was looking into last week. They think they can get me on an IT/Customer Service course, so I'm going in tomorrow for an appointment with them about that.
I admit, things are moving along a lot quicker than I had expected. Aside from a few snags, there really do seem to be a good few systems set up to help disabled people who want to try to get back into work but who aren't sure about how to go about it. The limited range of work placement courses is a bit of a problem, but I suspect that that's either down to a regional thing or just that the college can only put on a certain number of courses and so put on their most popular.
Of course, things could still all go horribly wrong. We'll see how tomorrow's appointment goes...
Yesterday I met a drunk woman who was trying to do the splits in the newsagent's for the amusement of the staff there (and who called me "lady" and laughed uproarously every time she did). I also had a most bizarre phone call, which went something like this:
[phone rings. I pick up. Brief silence, then the click of the line being connected that indicates an auto-dialler, switchboard or one of those phones where you put the money in after you dial.]
Me: Hello?
[silence, apart from a steady beeping sound and the faint sound of women talking.]
Me: Hello?
[silence, then some rather wheezy breathing. Uh-oh, thinks I, and puts the phone on speakerphone so that Nick can share my apparently obscene phone call.]
Wheezy Male Voice: Hello? Hello?
Me: [silence]
WMV: Barbara? Barbara?
Me: [wondering if this is just a wrong number and picking up the receiver again] I'm sorry, there's no-one called Barbara here.
WMV: Barbara, how are you?
Me: I'm sorry, you've got the wrong number. There's no-one called Barbara here.
WMV: Eh? Are you sure duck?
Me: Yes, quite sure. I'm sorry.
WMV: It doesn't sound wrong to me. How are the kids, Barbara?
Me: No, there's no Barbara here. I'm not Barbara. I'm sorry, but I've got to go now.
[phone down]
I strongly suspect that the call was actually from a hospital or care home of some sort (because of the beeping, which sounded like medical monitors), and what I got was some slightly confused old man who was trying to call his daughter or some other relative and who had got the number wrong, but still... one of the more surreal phone conversations I've had in a while, and I worked on a listening and information line for two years. I also felt slightly guilty for putting the phone down, but there wasn't really much else I could have done. I had no idea what to say to this poor old man for one thing...
Today I had an appointment with a woman from a company called Maatwork wgo do work with people who are wanting to try to get back to work through the New Deal for Disabled People (I'm now on that, by the way. At least now I can see how it works from the inside rather than just bitching about it from the outside). She's going to be helping me with my CV (I don't have one, since when I was at school the big thing was 'Records of Achievement', which were supposed to be replacing CVs but have died a death in the years since), helping me look and apply for jobs which might be suitable for me and stuff like that. If I get a job, it'll likely start off as 'Permitted work' (under 16 hours a week and/or £86 per week) and go from there - although that could change. If I get anywhere and find I can do the work, that is.
Also this afternoon I got a call from the local college, about the Access to Employment schemes I was looking into last week. They think they can get me on an IT/Customer Service course, so I'm going in tomorrow for an appointment with them about that.
I admit, things are moving along a lot quicker than I had expected. Aside from a few snags, there really do seem to be a good few systems set up to help disabled people who want to try to get back into work but who aren't sure about how to go about it. The limited range of work placement courses is a bit of a problem, but I suspect that that's either down to a regional thing or just that the college can only put on a certain number of courses and so put on their most popular.
Of course, things could still all go horribly wrong. We'll see how tomorrow's appointment goes...