Welcome to my world.

Regular readers might recall that last September I was made redundant. And luckily I spent only a week on the dole before moving on… Most of that week was spent filling in paperwork, ironically signing on and then again at the end of the week (after I got the job here) signing off. And as a result I returned to work as a temp in the second week of October.

Yesterday I found myself in receipt of 2 letters. The first was to confirm that after investigation my application for benefit had been approved for that weke. Congratulations. The second was the Cheque for £65 and the application form to apply for a revised decision should I disagree.

Seriously. 6 months? WTF was I supposed to have lived on had I not found a job in the meantime? Shit, no wonder we have a thriving loan-shark problem, along with an antagonistic benefit system where the 2 sides feel that they are in opposition. Ironically enough I get this the week that the DHSS joins several other public sector workers in striking against poor pay and crappy working conditions (which are still better than those of us in the private sector FFS), And I still think that the bloody Job Centre staff have a cheek going on strike, and should be finding themselves swapping with some of the unemployed if they want to play that stupid little game…

You can imagine that particular job-seeker interview...

"So where did you work?"
"Right here, you are sitting at my old desk."
"Ah, and why did you leave?"
"We went on strike against the loss of our cushy job and automatic pension rights…"
"So, voluntarily, yes?"
"oh. Can I at least have my stapler back?"

Had another quiet, restful one TBH, recently I have been bloody knackered. Saturday was spent with a quiet morning coffee, and then in the afternoon I went over to mum and dads to help clear their loft space and help paint the baby's day room in my old bedroom, just a bit of making good and some undercoating. In the end she will effectively have 2 bedrooms because grandparents are going to be our free child-minders… Which is nice. And of course longer term she will have another room dedicated to her in grandparents house. But like I said, some re-arranging of crud needs to occur to manage it all.

I did however clear out another few boxes of my old shite from the loft over to my own house, 2 boxes came over and another 2 boxes got themselves kicked out to the charity shop

Then we went shopping, which because it was still a nice sunny day we walked to Asda rather than driving to one of the others. Still managed to spend £50 even though we had gone with the intention of a 'reduced shop'… hahahahaha. Yeah, that always works.

In the evening I made Spaghetti meatballs, and took an idea off Raymond Blanc in the week by making my own Tomato sauce, basically de-skin the tomatoes, chop them in half and put them on a baking tray, drizzle some olive oil, salt/pepper and a bit of basil and garlic and then roast in the oven @200 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Then just mash it up gently with a fork. Done freshly made tomato sauce. Meatballs were likewise freshly made from minced beef, using a bit of flour to stick it together and then the mix was liberally seasoned with a bit of garlic onion and more basil very finely chopped and rolled into balls. All very nice and fresh, with the added bonus that mashing it all together was also something we could feed the little one with. Result!

In the evening I started unpacking some of the old fun things that had been stored away, ols shot glasses, my robot clock and the plasma ball (most of the dragons and candles from back in the day remain in storage… ) But when I was 'testing' that the plasma ball still worked it caught the babies eye and she has decided that it’s a new toy for her. I have retained it for the moment, but will certainly be encouraging her scientific exploration when she is a little bit older… Now to develop the story of Nikolai Tesla as a betime tale! That’s Science baby!

Oh yeah, I think we are about to experience teething this week. I shudder in joy… erm anticipation…

Sunday… Continued to be really nice so we went out for a bit of a walk, and went out for a couple of hours, walking over to Staples and Maplin to checkout a new desk for Li as the cheapy-job I got for her room back when we were dating is starting to get a bit weary… So I think its time we replaced the mdf job with a decent desk for Li to complete her studies, but one that'll last long enough for Niya to take on in 10 years or so when she needs one. If we can re-organise a bit to give Li a nice study corner to complete her ACCA all the better. I suggested the unused bit of the living-room, sweetheart that she is, she pointed out that she was most likely to be studying between 8-10pm after the baby goes to bed and so would end up blocking evening TV for me. Awwwwwww. So we are probably going to set-up in the bedroom, which would also give her better access to the computer which is better anyway.

Later on I watched the latest documentary on the solar system presented by Cilliam Murphy… erm Professor Brian Cox (who is a youthful looking chappie), and about halfway through suddenly realised that this was the first documentary on the theme that I have seen since Pluto was demoted, which left a lump in my throat, I miss Pluto as a planet, what did it do wrong? As documentaries go it was pretty good, OK, the Aurora Borealis and Full Eclipse were nothing new, but there were some interesting snippets, like the Mars view of the setting sun, or an eclipse as seen from Mars… Again, nothing I hadn't learned previously, but well presented and some nice updated data since Sam Neill did the last one in the 90's...

DVD club movie; City of Ember. I quite liked this one. It’s a kids movie, and sort-of reminded me of Logan's Run in theme, but definitely enjoyable and fun, big stars in at too with Tim Robbins, Bill Murray and Martin Landau, rubbing shoulders with our own Liz Smith and Mackenzie Crook (now there's a chap quietly doing well for himself since the Office).

Once upon a time I worked in a shop.

It seemed like a great idea at the time. And, I feel, a direct result of my Careers Advice.

Careers Advisor; "What do you want to do when you leave school?"
Me; "I want to draw and write professionally."
Careers Advisor; "Don’t be stupid. It says here you work in a Shoe Shop on Saturdays, lets go with that."
Me; "But…"
Careers Advisor; "Nobody makes a living as a writer. Now shops, people will always want to buy stuff."

*Sigh* And so went a significant portion of my life. It’s a side effect of the times. Back then in 1988/89 there was a Teachers Strike on, which really cocked things up for the kids getting close to graduation, as the Teachers barely gave us any attention unless we were exceptionally talented or exceptionally dim. Those of us falling into the average group (I feel) definitely suffered through the experience.

Anyway, I went on to study Retail and Distribution at college, and then Business and Finance, leaving after 3 years in 1992 into the bloody recession that was raging at the time. And as a result (and already disillusioned with the idea of working as a shopkeepere the rest of my life), I found myself unemployed for a year. My plan had been to work and build a pot of money, and then to go to University after a year out. But the absence of job rather screwed that over. Its not only the job mind, I have used that as an excuse for years but its only half the reason, I was relatively inactive during this period anyway.

But I eventually found a job in Boots Opticians as an assistant, and found a nice niche. And over the years between Boots Opticians and Vision Express between 1993 and 1998, I worked hard. I slowly advanced to senior sales assistant, In-Store Trainer, and then supervisor. And I thought I had my career planned out. I was pushing for a management opportunity, but back then I didn't drive. And I kepot hitting the same brick wall, the Area Manager was a firm believer in moving internal promotions to new stores. As far as he was concerned if you had worked alongside people you would be too chummy with them to enable you to be a manager. (the argument falls over when you take public transport into account, but hey!)

Problem was, we were in a bit of a bind. The Store Manager had recently been sent to prison for fraud and theft, and the Retail Manager had been sacked for punching a customer. We started burning through replacement managers fast, the store seemed to have been cursed in regards to the guys in charge. In effect we didn't have a manager, we had no candidates that wanted to take on the store, and eventually the company resorted to sending in managers from other practices to work with us for a week at a time, but soon even these visits dwindled to 'between 10-4' and then 'for 3 days a week'… As supervisor I found myself key-holder, in charge of alarm codes, opening and closing the store, and as the visiting managers ceased the Area Manager had to change his mind.

And so I found myself a 'Trainee Manager' with no senior management or training structure and a bloody shop to look after. I thought that this was a promotion, I thought I knew what I was doing, I even thought that I had already been doing it. Shit. I hadn't even got a pay-rise out of it, just a shit load of extra hours and responsibility. Needless to say I failed, and in the process it did a nice little number on my ambition, and I have been unable to get anywhere near that level ever since. But it worked out fine for the shop mind, buying them just enough time to sort stuff out and as I collapsed into stress and depression and found myself handing my notice in and not caring it was the end of an era. Thankfully I got over the worst of the depression relatively quickly, and was able to return to general population even if its after effects continue to this day.

In hindsight I got lucky (ish). Shop work is crap pay, always has been. And my resignation pre-empted the extended shopping hours that we see now, It was bad enough loosing every Saturday at the time, I really wouldn't want to loose the whole weekend, or work until 8pm like the current crop of shop workers do… Not ALL the time, and not without over-time rates. And as a direct result of wearing suit and tie for 5-6 days week for 5 years I STILL hate wearing a tie to work.

There are some positive I suppose. I admit that as a direct result of spending 5 years working every Saturday, I enjoy doing bugger all on them, and for many years I often had extra holiday available at the end of the year as I never seemed to use them, as I was having all my R&R on Saturdays (this is starting to change I now realise, but it has been over a decade…)

But the follow on effects of all this are still affecting my I feel. My salary is struggling and certainly below average (but then so are those of a great many people), I have fallen into an Admin role and found myself unable to climb out of this wherever I may be, even though I do try. But biggest loss of all, and probably the cause of the other two woes; my ambition has never really recovered from the experience or the depression… And I have never found myself with enough confidence in myself to reclaim it.

Back in School I once won a jar of sweets on a guess how many in a jar competition.

First time I bought a lottery ticket I won a tenner. I bought a few lottery tickets over the years since to no avail, but last year played online during a particularly high jackpot… And ended up winninh £30 over a couple of weeks… I think there is still a bit of money there having not yet been spent on less successful tickets.

Over the years there have been some odd wins here and there. A copy of Wild at Heart on VHS, a book or two, and the interesting thing was that I wasn't really going arse over tit in entering competitions here either, although sometimes I was more active than others.

Last year my bother-in-law pointed me at a website that runs a particular magazine publishers competitions, and while some of the cars and holidays would be nice I have so far won a Land Rover branded shirt and a packet of caterpiller killer tablets (yeah I don’t know why I enetered that one either), the Brother-in-law has been more successful with a couple of hundred quid of snowboarding gear and a pair of waders.

But then last year we picked up a 10-pack box of eggs. And every single one was a double yolker! Every-one. All 10. I mean WTF?!?! What were the odds of that happening with a normal carton of eggs? I think I just used up a lifetime supply of luck there… Bugger!

The competition website BTW is; http://www.greatcompetitions.co.uk/
I recommend it, and a damned site cheaper than sending a stamped addressed envelope or a postcard.

So. The snow came, and laid it on thick. And almost immediatly the system broke down and travel chaos ensued...

Now I know that there are those of you on the Continent, or over in the USA and Canada who can lay claim to much, much thicker snow than anything the UK can give, but the thing is that we have 2 factors at play here that made this situation worse.

1. It was unexpected. Its christmas week, and quite frankly we have not had a white christmas since (I think) 1973... Shit, I couldn't even rememeber that one what with being 1 at the time.
But lets face it, as a nation we have become acclimatised to the ideal that a white christmas was not really very likely...

2. The UK has the gulfstream, and this affects the weather systems of this little island, and as a result, heavy snow is very light and often limited to only a couple of days only in the whole year. Unlike continental Europe or Northern American Continent where snow can lay and be a factor for months. This means that our driving experience is limited, and that most snow-driving precautions (specialist tyres and the like) are just not worth the money, to put on only to take 'em off again a week later.

So when you get snow like yesterday it DOES cause a certain amount of shit... Short term shit, all over everything...

For myself, I knew the car was low on petrol, so I just decided to call it quits and rather than get stranded with no fuel in the traffic jam, I just left it at work and looked to the trains. Which wasn't too bad.

The rail network was a bit late, and snow-going on foot, but eventually I made it to mum and dads.

However the roads were still gridlocked. We knew it was bad but didn't realise QUITE how bad until today...

http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/4815108.Blizzard_hits_Basingstoke/?ref=mr

Anyway, its fortunate that Li was in London yesterday, and as a result grandparents were baby-sitting, and so getting to their house put the whole family together, and eventually we just decided to call it quits on that and settled down for the night... Which it seems was several times better than many other people had it.

All in all, we ended up not getting home until about 1pm today. After a change and a shower I didn't see the point in getting to work. So I'll go in tomorrow. With any luck being that close to crimbo, we wont be seeing many people bothering to go in and I'll have a reasonably clear run on nicely gritted roads all the way home with a piot-stop for petrol.

And I think if this happens regularly snow chains for tyres might be a good idea...

Really sorry guys.

I have been cut off with the new job.  I no longer have a nice private monitor in which to review content and relate my daily waily...  And when I do get home I end up job hunting and playing Bejewelled Blitz over in Facebook.  Or playing with the baby, or watching some telly...  Or cooking...  Or going out somewhere.

:(

I hadn't realised just how important my daytime access was in here. And I felt that I ought to at least try and show my precence round these parts before you all forgot who I was.

And I miss it.

Not enough to stop playing Bejeweled Blitz mind. 


(erm, yes, I have been drinking, why do you ask?)

I swear I am getting fixated on a very small number of subjects… So I am sorry if Babies, Redundancy, the shit state of the employment market are not your bag, and if Toothache is of no interest either, well, I guess that you might want to avoid talking to me at all for a bit.

Anyway, on with the update.

Niya is growing up just find. She does a lot of shouting for a 3 month old. So definitely the family genetics coming through there… All of my lot want to get the last word… One thing that does surprise me after the initial newborn stage when she immediately started rolling on her side, is that she really doesn’t like being placed face-down, and as a result is not really developing a crawl. She is however enjoying putting the weight on her legs and standing (with appropriate support)… I joked that at this rate she will be up and walking before she crawls. And she is growing so fast that she is nearly out of the baby car seat.

So I guess that means that we are about due the next round of cash injection for the stroller and car seat fairly soon.

As Niya was 100 days old, which is a bit of a milestone in China, we had a baby-focused weekend (well, we always have those now, but you know what I mean). So to commemorate the occasion, we tried to use one of the photo-shoot vouchers from the Bounty pack yesterday. Basically there was an offer for 1 sitting and a free print for every 6 months until 2 years old. Now we know that the secret here is that they then want the full sitting and the opportunity to sell us more pics. The basic unit is an odd sized (10 x12) colour print of the baby, with the rest of the sitting with the rest of the families, special lighting effects, etc. In the end Niya got quite stressed and hungry so we had to call it off, and reschedule for next weekend.

In the meantime I am getting increasingly concerned about the job, and lack of movement on the interview front. Last weeks interview went quite well, I felt and while I have not heard back from them yet, is last words were “we will let you know within 5-10 days” and as time passes I am getting les optimistic, which is a shame as I thought that sounded like a great job, one that I could do, in a field that interests me, AND advanced my career… Nothing to do now but wait and keep applying for any jobs that come along.

I now have 3 weeks until unemployment, and while Li’s job is now safe, she is still on maternity leave, and quite frankly we can’t afford for me to be out of work… At all. And the stress is really starting to bite into me at the moment as a result.

And then there’s the toothache. Finally I have managed to accidentally become an NHS patient at my dentist, and so they are treating my broken teeth. Both of which I think are the result of the previous dentist, anyway, long-story-short, last week they had to extract one of my uppers. The tooth was broken below the gumline, and shattered. They managed to get the roots out, but only after much prodding, poking and pulling, this was uncomfortable under anaesthetic, and I knew it was going to hurt like a bitch when it wore off. 3 days on its throbbing but definitely receding. And it feels really odd. But see how it goes on, if its still a problem a week to 10 days later (Thurs-Sun this week) then I need to revisit the dentist and perhaps arrange surgery at the hospital. But TBH it IS getting better, so I reckon that at least this will be sorted even if it does feel odd.

I’ll just keep up the salt-water mouthwashes for the week.

Oh. I watched Babylon AD over the weekend and Push last week...

Push. A superhero type movie, where the heroes are the result of government PSYops from the last 50 years… Mostly now rogue, they each manifest different abilities from Telepathy, Telekinesis, Prophecy and Healing… No stupid spandex, and in interesting setting in Hong Kong. I rather liked this film and a mid level cast with Dakota Fanning (who seems to be growing into Christina Ricci’s old goth slot), Chris Evans and whats-his-face from Gladiator… I really liked it, but then I would its just my kind of thing.

Similarly I also rather liked Babylon AD. Sure it was not well reviewed and feels like a retread of Children of Men but blowing more shit up. In fact that was the overall sense of the film, wondering what they could blow the shit out of next. In itself the film is relatively crap, there’s nothing new here that you haven’t seen before and its been done better… But me, I was glued, and a happy little smile spread across my face as the story unfolded and a surprisingly strong cast from Mark Strong to Michelle Yeoh through to Gerard Depardieu supported Vin Deisels gravelly voice through the adventures that I used to play out with my mates when we played Cyberpunk. Hell, if this film had been out back then, THIS would have been required viewing… So yeah, for completely different reasons it was a wonderful film.

So I now have exactly 1 month until I get made redundant. Sure it was technically voiluntary, but only because I didn't accept that a 160 mile commute to Stevenage daily at my own expense was entirely reasonable.

The only problem is that I am getting a lot of negative responses to job applications, and so far both interviews attended have not resulted in anything but good feedback on how great my interview technique is... Still one more interview next week and a spiffing new CV to spam the internet with.

Of course it would help if I could get more motivated, this whole situation has left me with a sour taste. Back when the financial crisis had started getting worse, I decided that the best way forward was to sit tight and ride out the storm... Seems I made the wrong choice.

The problem seems to have stemmed from cutbacks and mergers. Theres a lot of internal politics going on in here, a lot of it is rumour and thus not really worthy of paying too much attention. But the general concensus seems clear. And on the whole most of us facing this round of redundancy all have something in common, the company that employed us that was merged with a new entity. In short it feels like now the customers and money have moved in, and now that some of the knowledge base is established, the rest of us are as welcome as a shit in a lunchbox.

I'm tired of this game. I just want a job where I can settle in do my time and not have to worry about being stabbed in the back for it. :( And this is starting to depress me, so even though I know I need an excess of motivation to get a new job its starting to worry me that I dont seemto be getrting anywhere, and I am struggling with my 'whats the point' demons...

I am in my interview suit today.

Yes, that’s right, I have an interview. At lunchtime, I will head out and see about a new job. It’s on less money than I am right now, but with any luck I can try to negotiate it upwards a little, I doubt I will get what I do now, but at least it’s in Basingstoke which will reduce fuel costs, but it would be nice to avoid a massive decrease.

Anyway. For interview I tend to favour a coordinated shirt and tie, today its blue on a black suit. Obviously with my usual tie optional ethic this means that everyone in the office knows what’s going down. Still now they have told me that they will be making me redundant, this is no longer an issue. I do like to brush up nice for interview, it makes me feel better, and so out come the cufflinks, the special shoes are retrieved from their box in the top of the wardrobe and every effort to avoid smelly/staining foodstuffs is made (and I have a chewable toothbrush in the car for when I am underway…)

Personal grooming tends to favour a recent haircut (failed there, but it’s not too bad) and the application of hair wax, I prefer wax for interviews as it retains control and shape, I always find hair gel seems to dissipate by 10am, leaving my hair fluffy and liable to being windswept. Got my best aftershave on and (TMI I know but) I favour trunks on interview days to avoid the potential discomfort of swinging free…

Last night I went to site to make sure I knew where it was and was pleasantly surprised to find the car park locked up at 8pm, so no sign of overtime there.

So anyway, interview is at 12.30 so I’ll be off in a minute.

I am really falling behind updating in here. Sorry about that.

I keep meaning to write something, but keep finding (as can be expected) that life keeps getting in the way. Its not even like I am busy at work though, so maybe I should use that time to write my witty observations and bore you all to tears…

So, what to talk about… Life and Work seem to be the big things that have taken over.

Life.

As I said its all very hectic at the moment, lots of things keeping us all very busy. But that’s life with a newborn I suppose. She is growing fast and healthy, and the realisation of life never being quite the same again is sinking in. Of course just when the panic starts to build she gives you a sweet smile and laugh which balances everything out beautifully. Now she is at 2 months we are getting a LOT more smiles and interactivity… Of course just in case we get too happy she has also turned her volume up. Jeez, last night she sparked a bout of tinnitus with her cries as she told us that whatever we were doing displeased her… Thankfully she then dropped off to sleep for hours.

Of course last night I spent ages ironing all my shirts, and promptly first thing this morning as I cuddled her before work, she decided that was a perfect opportunity to puke all over my shirt. Bless her (and a good thing I ironed a couple, eh!)

We went off to a civic function on Friday, now that dad is the mayor, I guess that we will be getting a few of these. And hell, its free drink and, erm, food (-ish, it was more nibbles). Being the only people turning up with a baby, and a dead-cute one at that…We got a lot of attention, which was nice for Niya, but did leave her a little over-excited. But she looked pretty in her new dress, and being vaguely formal, we dressed to match. It felt good to dress up a bit. We have another one this week actually, the Basingstoke museum has an exhibition on loan from China and the British Museum, and the mayor will officially open it, sort of makes sense for the Chinese branch of the family to go along to that one.

In other news, my arm is falling off what with carrying the car seat and an increasingly heavy baby, we decided to get a carry sling, the Baby Bjorn which we bought online last Friday on www.kiddicare.com wt a £20 discount, which wasn’t bad at all, but for a free delivery, they managed to get that couriered to us before lunchtime today. In short VERY impressed with that level of service. (And I know a couple of you might want to look them up directly in the near future!!!)

What else. OK, Li has her life in the UK test this week, which then means that we can apply for her indefinite leave to remain, so fun and joy (and extra expense there). What else… erm, not really much, the whole shebang seems to focus all around the little one now, which is not to surprising really, but does rather leave me with no tales of fun and frolics to astound you. Sorry.

And so to work.

Where I am fully expecting my consultation period to result in a rejection of my proposal to work from home, and the remaining offer of an 80 mile commute to Stevenage is not at all attractive, so the job hunt has commenced in earnest. Last week I sent out a small hoarde of speculative application letters plus a couple of specific targeted letters in response to adverts. TBH there so seem to be jobs out there, it’s just that the field of potential candidates is deeper. I have already had a couple of rejections from the speculative letters, which at least shows that someone has looked at them. And I have 1 interview lined up this week, although it’s a lower paid gig to the tune of -£4k a year and generally a step backward from where I am right now, but it’s in Basingstoke, and far better value than the alternative. Jeez it was a struggle to get movement towards the £25k average salary in the good times, it’s just a shit that it’s even worse now. :(

Still, it’s an interview and in that a better situation than last week, although there are a couple of nice looking roles out there that I would prefer, but none of those have reached the interview stage yet. My fear here I suppose is that I would do really well and get offered the job before I get a sniff of a better role… Because, quite frankly, I hate letting people down, and wouldn’t want to turn it down in favour of a better job that might not even turn up…

I guess I will just cross that bridge (and ask advice) when I come to it.

You know as a driver I do try to be as considerate as possible. And in around this I do try to include any 2-wheeled road users in my consideration… A lot of my friends are on Motorbikes so it makes sense. This courtesy extends to push-bikes…

Except for the twat this morning.

So when there are a whole bunch of cars caught in traffic, and you are coming in on a stationary car at about halfway do you aim you bike at the gap in the front or the gap at the back? This fella today decided to come in on my blind spot and slip in front… As I was stuck on a roundabout. Of course things being what they are the traffic jam chose that instant to move, and so our cyclist friend decides that his chance for success was gone, and has to re-evaluate where to go… Which is where I catch him aiming at my front quarter but achieving indecisive wobble.

Clearly he has decided that my car is about to move forward and so he only need to aim at where the boot of my car is, because if I move forward, there will be a space … Unfortunately I am reacting at this point to the fact that my observation has told me that an unsteady bike is trying to sneak in front of me when the traffic is moving, and rather than end up running the bike under my wheels, I stop my forward momentum. This of course mean the bicycle has to do a little bit more work because his estimation was wrong, and kudos to him, he doesn’t impact my car.

I say impact, because he rounds the boot of my car banging it with his fist and shouting abuse at me for what feels like his judgement cock-up. Fucker even put a scratch on it (one of many, so not really going to get too precious)… But really, from my POV I was trying to avoid an accident and it certainly feels like he was in the wrong. Especially when he was on the road less than 100m from a cycle lane with its own crossing, so could have avoided the whole shebang without even a detour. From where I sit it feels that there was no way I could have known his intentions without psychic powers!!!

Oh yeah, and shouldn’t you be wearing a helmet?

Am I in the wrong here?

I have a habit, and its damned difficult to break. I am a hoarder.

I hate to let stuff go… Even the occasional broken things, somewhere in the back of my mind is a voice suggesting that it might remain useful in some form someday… And invariably, I keep whatever it might be. In the last few years I have tried to make it easier, I have tried to force myself to throw shit away, but even then I still hang on to a lot of this crap. Because ‘one day it might be useful’. It doesn’t help of course that sometimes I have been correct, because that just encourages me, and as all us hoarders know, we only remember the times we were proven right, we won’t remember the times we didn’t have something… In fact the closest we would remember a negative to a hoard is when we *KNOW* that we have the item in question, but just cannot find it when needed.

But I really do have too much crap. I need to get rid of more of it, because quite frankly its taken over far too much of my life. I tried to tidy the spare room at the weekend, t put in a new desk and re-arrange the room and the only way I was able to do this was to chuck a pile of boxes in the spare wardrobe… and some of these boxes were empty (kept because they were good sturdy book boxes…)

Its not even a matter of Freecycle either. TBH I can only think of 3 items that might be worth adding to Freecycle (second hand Sony CD car stereo, a metal Curtain pole in need to refurb and a fresh coat of hammerite and a corporate gift freebie small travel clock/radio… The rest are all unsorted old books and clothes at best, and pure junk at worst.

And its not like this attitude has just dawned on me either, but everytime I think I ought to clear out, I leave it simply because I have nowhere to clear it all out too!!! And know that when I do it’ll just sit on the side and take up space while I argue with myself over whether I really can let it go…

Any minute now really I suppose... Just waiting on the phone to ring...

I know I have been quiet round here of late... Lots to do and on my mind. And the thing keep dropping is my journal. Sorry about that, dont think I am not hanging out in here, its just that everytime I think of something worthwhile to write about I get side-tracked and suddenly it doesn't seem as important anymore.

Anyway. Things are ticking along nicely. The Baby is due any day now (wife starts her maternity leave today), everything is now ready to swing into action at a moments notice. All the DIY is now done and dusted for a while, still plenty to do, its just that the urgent stuff is done and out the way and the rest can just wait. Well, all but the leaky garden tap. Thats pretty urgent...

Kind of weird to think that in less than a month we are having a baby...

Also this month... Car Insurance, my Dads Mayor-making, plenty of election leaflets to be delivered... And a new mobile to sort out (actually, I think I will leave that one till June/July, probably best to keep the number in play for this month...)

ANyway, hope all is fine with you guys.

OK, I am now back at work after my week off. So. Straight onto t'internet... :P

Not for long though, theres a shitload of backlog to catchup on...

Anyway, in the week off I finally finished the alcove in the kitchen. Imagine it! the damn thing is nearly finished. Just a couple of finishing touches to go and the kitchen will be all done (Kick-boards, pelmet, bead of sealant, magnetic whiteboard and boxing in the boiler), we even have all the kitchen appliances in the kitchen now rather than the Fridge/Freezer sitting in the living room.

And upstairs I have decorated the nursery, finally the bedroom which had all woodwork, walls, doors and radiator painted in the same matt pastel yellow has been todied, all the damaged walls dealt with. The woodwork and radiators are simple white and the wall has gone a slightly brighter yellow. Tonight I get to tidy up a bit so it finally becomes a nursery rather than a brightly coloured tool storage room.

That means that we have done the bathroom, 2 bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room all done in the last 10 months... Just a few more to go and I can start the process all over again... (Scuse me I'll go away and cry now)

This schedule is of course factoring in the gap that is sure to occur once the baby is born in *gulp* 3 weeks...

Although I am currently developing a couple of quick updates in the loft, now that I have had more than just a quick poke my head up there to make sure the insulation was OK and no bodies left behind... Its very limited, but I reckon the space can be utilised well enough. Simples.

Right, thats the update done. Hi-ho, hi-ho, its off to work I go...

I am trying to be annoyed by the level of tech support given by Virgin Media, but thankfully it all got sorted without too much digfficulty, despite the various communications cock-ups along the way.  And in the end it just seems irritatingly amusing.

Our phone had been broken.  No dial-tone.  zilch, nada, well, you get the drift.  When this happened we cant actually say, because frankly we use our mobile phones most of the time.  We only really have the landline as part of a package.  But it worked for my last OU phone tutorial back in March, so it could have been kaput for up to a month.

Anyway, to cut a long story short (too late), I called in the tech support and arranged an engineer visit.  With Friday afternoon the best time as Li finishes work early.  I mention this and that anytime after 1.30pm will guarantee someone is in.

"OK, so we can set the engineer to visit anytime between 12 and 4."
"Is it possible to leave a note to say that the house will be empty until 1.30pm?"  Says I.
"Certainly, but our engineers probably wont read that.  And if nobody is in that will generate a £10 callout charge."

A callout charge?  Even if there is such a notation regarding time?  Something tells me that there was an itty bitty lie in there, probably about the request for a specific time.  OK, I know how to play this game, and go for the change of tactic.

"OK, well I may be able to arrange for someone to be in if I give you my mobile number and the engineer calls before he gets there."  Even though I know that usually this is a 50/50 thing.  But perhaps between the 2 elements we can get it right.  And so I duely supply my mobile number, and the call ends with a promise to try and make it as convenient as possible.

Until last night at 7pm, when I receive a text to confirm that the engineer will visit between 12-4pm today.  Which leaves us back at the beginning.  Oh yes, true to their word, they have let me know before the engineer is sent, but done so in a way that is truely no help to me.  Damn you Virgin Media, you win again! 

So I unveil plan C, and engage parental visit mode between 12-1.30 until Li gets home.  Which of course, as expected, allowed the engineer to visit and fix the phone.  Fortunately for me I have such a plan C, but god help anyone who doesn't, they live their lives at the mercy of these people!

I have my mobile through Vodafone. Now last time I renewed my contract must have been 18 months ago, it bloody well feels like it. Now when I renewed I got a slightly better deal because I kept the handset. Which was pretty good in that I dropped my monthly bill from £40-50 down to £15.

The reason I have stayed with Vodafone is simple. I can remember my mobile number, and thus its convenient. But TBH my handset is well on the way to being knackered after 3 years.

Well, when I say well on the way, the flash no longer works on the camera, and the scroll button doesn't work very well, the handset itself and the battery are still pretty good, and if I am totally honest I am just bored with it and jealous of the wifes tariff with O2 where she gets similar minutes and texts for £5 a month (AND they gave her a new handset this year that she cant stand)...

Now I am considering, if I renew with Vodafone then I will need to get the new hanset unlocked if I want to play with it, this will mean that I keep the number dont get too much mucking about and continue the standard tariff (unless I can negotiate it down any)...

Or, I could go to O2, and see if they can do me a decent cheap-rate deal. Which would require me to get a new number and do a bit of mucking around setting that up and letting folk know. Of course there is no guarantee of this mind. But a review of money in the near future seems to indicate that anywhere I can save a few quid will help out.

Something to think about. But I guess I will double check the new/spare handset and when my contract actually is up with Vodafone.

Crappity, I got tagged by count_libido 

a. People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blog and replace any question that they dislike with a new, original question.

b. Tag eight people. Don't refuse to do that. Don't tag who tagged you.

1. Where did your LJ handle come from?
Its my name. It is however slightly altered to ensure that my blog doesn’t show up in a web search against my real name. Cunning huh?

2. If you could live in any book, which would it be?
In a book? I would have to go for original fiction (rather than spin off from movies or TV shows), the two that leap out at me are Gaimen’s Stardust or Gibson’s Neuromancer

3. What is making you happy right now?
I have a kid on the way…
AND… just discovered Ancient Egypt and Rome Playmobil and Dungeons and Dragon LEGO… And want to buy it for my son/daughter???

4. What are you currently reading?
Neil Gaimen; Fragile Things, OU Press Understanding Society (course Y157) and March 2009 EMPIRE magazine.

5. Do you need music to study/write?
No. But I prefer it.

6. Of all the people in your life, who is the one person you've you lost touch with that you wish you hadn't?
I lost touch with a few friends from back when I lived in Kent and the West Midlands. I wish I had tried to keep in touch a bit there.

7. What is the ugliest body part?
The second chin.

8. Do you like gender politics?
not really.

9. What is your favorite movie genre?
Sci Fi/Fantasy/Action

10. What was the last thing you ate today?
Coffe and Coconut Bites.

11. What is your favorite color?
Black, Silver and Green.

12. How much money do you think you are worth?
Is that in one piece or for parts?

13. What's your favorite food?
Curry

14. Which languages do you wish you spoke?
I would love to magically become fluent in Mandarin Chinese to save time. Although I would settle for being able to spell in English again.

15. What is your biggest pet peeve?
BMW Drivers… White Van Drivers… Chelsea Tractor Drivers… Company Directors… Politicians… Stupid People… Overpaid, under-talented people… Wanna-be Celebrities… Reality TV… Fat Cat Businesses… the media… pointless movie/TV series remakes/re-imaginings… Marketing people… My spelling. Oh good this list goes on and on, and it’s all equal-opportunity hate.

16. Do you have a birthmark?
Yes. On the sole of my left foot.

17. Who was your childhood idol?
I was the bastard child of Han Solo and Captain Kirk.

18. Where would you like your next holiday to be?
World Tour!

19. Who would play you in a movie?
John Cusack

20. Tell me something you love about the person who tagged you.
A fellow geek, and damn funny to boot. I ran across him both in LJ AND SFX magazine before realiseing that they were the same person.

For my part, I shall now tag.misspotsitt steveeeee rabid_pickle greebo nojness hughcasey  speedingslug brewhexe 
You have been judged 'most likely to want to waste a few pointless moments on a meme'.  have at it.

Sitting here procrastinating rather than leaping into my OU Essay I really find myself wondering...

Just what did I do for hours on end to avoid studying back before the Internet?  Really.  I just cannot seem to recall what it was I used to do before this wonderful portal that I currently sit before.

Answers on a postcard to the usual address plaease.

Doing a lot of retrospective contemplation recently...  Thats right, lots of fluff in my navel!  Anyway, one of the things I thought I would review was my opening statement in here, back in Sept 2003.

dan-g.livejournal.com/2003/09/21/

Wow.  I was seriously wrong about a few things wasn't I???

So whats changed since then?  After all its 5 years.

Well, I seem to have cleared my fear of commitment, and am now married, with ownership of the house and a baby on the way...  Thats right there is a massive leap for Dan-kind.  Of course as any of you who had already been there back in 2003 knew that just changes the worries.

On the job front I have finally broken the £20k mark, but I am still effectively an administrator, and finding it somewhat dull, combined with the nagging sensation that I have reached the pinnacle of pay and now need to find a new outlet for my career to take any further steps.

And in the current economic climate I am bloody terrified of loosing it all.  My job does not feel secure, we have been bleeding redundancies the last 6 months, we have been watching some of our big clients make some high profile redundancies too, which is never a good thing.  And of course without a job, that'll make it difficult to pay the bills.

Happy.  Fucking.  Christmas.

The only saving grace here is that I have not actually been made redundant so I guess I should count myself lucky on that score.



I have a lot to be thankful for really, I am just scared of loosing it now.  But is suppose thats OK, I cannot imagine that I am the first person to feel like that, nor in fact do I think I will be the last.

So I guess in all, its not too bad.  I have made great strides in these last few years, I have found myself in a place that I never considered myself to be in just 5 years, 2 of my 3 check-boxes are ticked and this should allow me to focus instead on the career, where I guess I need to decide whetherI want to do a job that I am comfortable with for middling salary, something I love for a drop in earnings or seek out a really well paid job and all the stress and stain to go with it.

For the record, my current plan is to hold steady here for a bit, hopefully ride out the economic downturn, and (hopefully) come out the other end and then look for a decent paid job.  All I have to do is keep my job in the meantime.  But y'know, if anyones got about half a mil they can afford to give me, that would certainly help ride the storm out.