A week much like the Curate's Egg
Good in parts.
Although those parts have been small ones, admittedly. There follows not a whinge really, but a catalogue of events
We start off last weekend with the prospect of a whole bank holiday with nothing to do. That's fine, much of the time, having nothing to do is a good thing. But not when you feel like doing something. Anything. I did manage to write 6 articles and do a little knitting, but apart from that I did not leave the flat for 2 days, not even to put and rubbish of washing out. I feel bad because it was a waste of my time, but perhaps that was what the Universe ordered.
There was an absense of mail too. This is now a recurring theme; we just get into some sort of routine with the letters coming to me and then the postal fairies conspire again and things go missing. I had a letter today, but that's 12 days since the last one, and by the numbering, there are 4 stray ones out there in the wide blue yonder. Probably North Dakota, as a couple of mine have arrived at Coffield with a postmark from there. Yes I know, not even on the way from here to TX. That's the system I'm dealing with. The same system that has failed to get Jason's birthday present to him, despite me paying £30 and posting it the last week of March. Still nada. Cant track international mail, you can only get it signed for at the other end - which obviously is not much use when you cant tell if it's gone walkabout or is just lost. Have emailed Royal Mail with a complaint. Not expecting a response any time soon.
Much of this week at work has consisted of our Line Manager Mini-Me making promises to a client without fully appreciating the amount of work involved to fulfil said promise in the time scale she has agreed. Much muttering of discontent in the ranks buy the handful of us not currently away on leave / off sick / not having a temp contract renewed. Mini-Me needs to re-discover the art of forward planning and stop being so damned reactionary. Either that, or just do some of the work herself for a change.
I did find out today though that my wonderful temp Mark, who practically begged on his knees to be kept on 2 weeks ago and we had to say "sorry bud, no cash to pay you with" is coming back to me on Monday for 8 whole weeks! Finally HR has done the right thing. Mark is the best temp I've trained up so far (and I've trained 15 now), and is desperate for a real job.
But wait until Friday evening when I'm just letting my guard down before hitting me with the big one. Lisa is not coming to Nickelback with me: ergo, I either need to find another lift or somewhere to crash, or I dont go. I had a feeling this was coming as last Saturday there was a sideway's question of "when is Nickelback again?" and then some talk of how they were thinking of going up to Witby at the end of May. The tickets have been paid for since the beginning of March, and arrived when Lisa was here taking photos of Lily last month. Still, cant be helped. I can get to the NEC just fine, but there is no train back until 6am the next morning. I dont think they like people sleeping on platforms these days. I am going to ask a couple of girls at work, but as it's the week before Annie's wedding and half of us already have time booked off, I'm not too hopeful.
Note to self: make more friends closer to home instead of half way round the world.
Add to that a sprinkling of large and kind of unexpected bills, debit card payments taking a week to leave my account when I thought they had already gone, and other sundry expences, and I am left with very little to be enjoying the weekend with tomorrow.
I guess I'll just have to keep writing.
Although those parts have been small ones, admittedly. There follows not a whinge really, but a catalogue of events
We start off last weekend with the prospect of a whole bank holiday with nothing to do. That's fine, much of the time, having nothing to do is a good thing. But not when you feel like doing something. Anything. I did manage to write 6 articles and do a little knitting, but apart from that I did not leave the flat for 2 days, not even to put and rubbish of washing out. I feel bad because it was a waste of my time, but perhaps that was what the Universe ordered.
There was an absense of mail too. This is now a recurring theme; we just get into some sort of routine with the letters coming to me and then the postal fairies conspire again and things go missing. I had a letter today, but that's 12 days since the last one, and by the numbering, there are 4 stray ones out there in the wide blue yonder. Probably North Dakota, as a couple of mine have arrived at Coffield with a postmark from there. Yes I know, not even on the way from here to TX. That's the system I'm dealing with. The same system that has failed to get Jason's birthday present to him, despite me paying £30 and posting it the last week of March. Still nada. Cant track international mail, you can only get it signed for at the other end - which obviously is not much use when you cant tell if it's gone walkabout or is just lost. Have emailed Royal Mail with a complaint. Not expecting a response any time soon.
Much of this week at work has consisted of our Line Manager Mini-Me making promises to a client without fully appreciating the amount of work involved to fulfil said promise in the time scale she has agreed. Much muttering of discontent in the ranks buy the handful of us not currently away on leave / off sick / not having a temp contract renewed. Mini-Me needs to re-discover the art of forward planning and stop being so damned reactionary. Either that, or just do some of the work herself for a change.
I did find out today though that my wonderful temp Mark, who practically begged on his knees to be kept on 2 weeks ago and we had to say "sorry bud, no cash to pay you with" is coming back to me on Monday for 8 whole weeks! Finally HR has done the right thing. Mark is the best temp I've trained up so far (and I've trained 15 now), and is desperate for a real job.
But wait until Friday evening when I'm just letting my guard down before hitting me with the big one. Lisa is not coming to Nickelback with me: ergo, I either need to find another lift or somewhere to crash, or I dont go. I had a feeling this was coming as last Saturday there was a sideway's question of "when is Nickelback again?" and then some talk of how they were thinking of going up to Witby at the end of May. The tickets have been paid for since the beginning of March, and arrived when Lisa was here taking photos of Lily last month. Still, cant be helped. I can get to the NEC just fine, but there is no train back until 6am the next morning. I dont think they like people sleeping on platforms these days. I am going to ask a couple of girls at work, but as it's the week before Annie's wedding and half of us already have time booked off, I'm not too hopeful.
Note to self: make more friends closer to home instead of half way round the world.
Add to that a sprinkling of large and kind of unexpected bills, debit card payments taking a week to leave my account when I thought they had already gone, and other sundry expences, and I am left with very little to be enjoying the weekend with tomorrow.
I guess I'll just have to keep writing.