I'm into my second week of leave, following a week of tidying up loose ends in the job from which I was ousted.
HR are looking for another post for me, but until something turns up I am working on the office restack project, which is basically to release three of our nine floors because they are under occupied and move the remaining staff into the six floors we'll continue to occupy until we move out completely at the end of 2010.
I already produced a list of tasks needed to clear up all the IT infrastructure on the floors we'll release (cable removal, comms cabinet decommissioning and removal, broadband links moved to our main server room, disconnect the security doors from our system, etc.)
But I've been enjoying my two weeks leave; not having to worry about how things are going in my absence, or what pile of crap will be waiting for me on my return is quite a liberating experience and I'm still surprisingly calm about being 'declared surplus.'
Maybe I'm in denial.
Interestingly, I scored half a point less at my interview than the other candidate. I still exceeded all the requirements for the job and was expecting the other candidate to turn it down as she said she didn't want to have to travel 30+ miles from Liverpool to Manchester every day. But in the event, she decided to take it, so from 1 July I shall be deemed 'surplus.'
I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, they're not just going to make me redundant. They're obliged to help me find another suitable job at my grade and as I'm surplus, I'll be guaranteed an interview for any job for which I'm elgible and for which I apply. Having said that, there are not a lot of jobs around, as we're still reducing headcount across the whole UK civil service. Ot they may put me on 'project' work indefinitely. I have an interview with our HR manager on Tuesday to discuss my options.
What's on your "To-Do" list today? What are you most looking forward to and what are you most dreading?
1. Take cat to vet for results of blood tests and check infected eye.
2. Go to work, prepare for interview taking place tomorrow.
3. Pick up wife from work to take to doctor.
4. Paint remaining fence panels this evening if weather is OK and I can be bothered.
Looking forward to: Can't think of anything right now.
Dreading: Being successful at interview and getting the job, which I don't really want, but have to take as my current job will cease to exist on 1 July.
If you had to write your autobiography in 6 words, what would you write?
Submitted by mitzie.
I'd write my autobiography in six words, of course.
Stupid question.
What could we do to create a world with less violence?
Toast.
That's what we need.
Get people to sit down together and eat toast, along with a beverage of their choice.
Let's face it, no government has succeeded in reducing violence (and quite a number of them are the main protagonists) but it's hard to get argumentative with someone with whom you share a few minutes to consume hot buttered toast.
God knew exactly what he/she was doing when he/she created toast.
Who was the meanest teacher you had in school?
Mr D. When I was 7 or 8 I got promoted a class and Mr D was the teacher. He had it in for me right from the start, or so I thought, but in the end I think he had it in for a lot of kids. He had wild tempers if you didn't understand something he was tryingto 'teach' you. I had a lot of problems with mathematics and all he did was make me try to do it when the rest of the class was doing gym. He didn't try to help me, just made me sit and stare at the book and try to work out what I was supposed to be doing by osmosis.
I got to be so scared of him that I refused to go to school. My mum had to see the head teacher about it, and he was very understanding and said I should go to see him whenever I was worried about what was going on. I saw him a few times and at the end of term Mr D left without explanation. I suspect he was asked to leave by the Head because there were so many complaints about him./
What did you do for fun when you were a kid? How is it different from what you see kids doing now?
Submitted by jaklumen.
We used to explore. We'd ride our bikes around town, and down to the River Mersey and just mess around in the fields and woods. We weren't worried that there were paedophiles around every corner and we didn't have mobile phones so our mums couldn't keep in contact with us all the time (there wasn't even a land line in my house up to when I left at 18). We'd go out in the early morning and not go home until we were hungry; or if we'd made sandwiches to take with us, and a drink, we'd be out all day. In those days there was no day time TV, it only came on around 4pm, so there was plenty of incentive to get out of the house. There were no console or computer games, and PCs hadn't even been thought of.
We climbed a lot of trees and got chased out of the parks by the keepers because that wasn't allowed. We'd borrow some rope and make swings in the trees. We also got chased for riding our bikes in the parks as that wasn't allowed either.
We used to make model military planes, then make airfields for them in our gardens. Then we'd shoot them up with air guns.
We'd play football (that's soccer, not American football) in the park with any kids who were there, so sometimes the teams would have 20 or more players and in the summer we'd play cricket.
We'd go train spotting, which was a lot more fun in the days of steam, as the engines were much more interesting than the diesel and electric ones today. We'd visit the train sheds and goods yards and see if we could get into the cabs of any engines. Quite often the drivers would let us on board to have a look.
And we used to race toy cars to see whose would go furthest along our road. There were a lot less cars in those days and we lived on a side road anyway, so there was no through traffic.
This is the sort of music I was grooving to in my teens. And I'm glad to see Mr W is back to playing in that style again, like Traffic at its very best, but now with Eric Clapton thrown in for good measure. Listen to the long version at http://www.stevewinwood.com/
What happened the first time you were left home alone as a child?
Submitted by Warhead.
Since I submitted this one I guess I'd better post about my own experiences.
I think the first time I was left alone at all was Saturday nights, when I was 8 or 9 and my parents would go to the pub and my sister was out with her friends. I stayed home and watched 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' or 'Laredo,' drink a whole litre bottle of Coke and switch on all the bars on the electric fire until the room was like an oven. This always pissed off my dad, who was the kind of guy who'd switch off the fire when he left the room, even though other members of the family were still there.
The first time I was home alone overnight was when I about 16, I think. We were supposed to be going on holiday, but the day we were to drive to Wales coincided with the day I was to compete in the regional cycling championships. So my dad and step-mother went off and I was to follow them the next day ... on my bike. Only 109 miles.
So when I got home after the cycling, the first thing I did was rig up a speaker from the stereo in my bedroom so I could listen to my sounds downstairs. I only has enough cable to reach half way down the stairs, but that was enough for my needs, if I cranked it up to the max. I needed this so I could listen while I attempted to cook something for my evening meal, because at that time amost all my waking hours were accompanied by rock music when I was at home. Remember, this was the days before the invention of the Walkman, so you had to be near your hi-fi to be able to hear the music.
I can't remember what I cooked, but it would have been something experimental (and probably crappy) as I'd never had to cook for myself before, but that didn't matter because I had the house to myself, I could listen to my music without my dad yelling at me to turn it down and watch whatever I liked on TV.
I didn't burn or break anything, but I still remember that first unique feeling of freedom at having the house to myself.
What is your favorite quote and why?
Currently, it's the one from my profile, "You're not responsible for all the stuff that's carried out in your name." Eric Idle
They may not be the exact words, but they're close. I was watching the documentary about Monty Python's Spamalot and Eric was talking about some of the bad stuff going on on the planet and how people felt about it, and then he said something along the lines of "You're not responsible for all the stuff that's carried out in your name," and I thought, god dammit, he's right. I mean, I knew this already, but I'd never actually realised it, and suddenly I felt a lot better about some of the crappy decisions our government makes, that I really don't agree with, but feel pretty powerless to do anything about.
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minim said:
oh dear. how did the interview go? i am crossing fingers and holding thumbs that it didn't work out but... read more
on QotD: Today's To-Do List -
minim said:
i am so with you on this. toast is one of man's greatest culinary achievements - there are few things... read more
on QotD: A World with Less Violence -
Jon Dose said:
...and he still sounds like Ray Charles ~ the younger musicians may be technically better.. but they seem to lack... read more
on THIS is music
In the mess that was Monday 11 June (which I personally think had all the qualities of Friday 13, but... read more
on QotD: Today's To-Do List