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Year in Review 2024
Dec. 20th, 2024 11:41 amI started this in early December, at the now-traditional point of the month where I realise that Christmas is approaching like a runaway train. Posting it today so I don’t inevitably log off on 23rd December and forget all about it until January.
( Year in Review 2024 )
I have been slightly better at updating DW this year, but my TLOU post(s) are way overdue! Hopefully season 2 will be dropping in 2025 so I’ll try and do post-episode recaps properly this time…
( Year in Review 2024 )
I have been slightly better at updating DW this year, but my TLOU post(s) are way overdue! Hopefully season 2 will be dropping in 2025 so I’ll try and do post-episode recaps properly this time…
Aaarrrrgggghhhh
Nov. 13th, 2024 03:58 pmLiterally, I cannot even think of a witty heading for this post so a scream it will have to be. This is another offloady / processing post, because of course it is. TLDR my job is being a nightmare again. (Icon choice is actually true today which may account for a lot.)
( In which hard work is rewarded by senior management dickheadery )
So that's that. Quite obviously, I am back to job hunting again, because my life seems to comprise doing that in frighteningly regular cycles.
I shall doubtless not post again now until the end of year meme.
Edit, 14/11/2024 Literally half an hour after I posted this (so just over a week in real time since I got the news), the Gr5 manager called me to say the decision had been changed again and I wouldn't be moving. She had just come out of a meeting with the UASC/NRPF team where the Gr3 (the lady I would have been swapping with) revealed that the level of Gr3 oversight in UASC is a lot less than they thought - essentially all the finance stuff is done by the Gr2's, and she just has oversight and authorisation before sending it to finance.
So I won't be moving after all. They have a new Gr2 incoming who will be trained in the finance side, I'll be trained as well, and my TL will be gaining that Gr2. After that we can make sure everyone else is trained up as required.
It's good news but also incredibly frustrating because I had a week of unproductive anxiety over nothing, as it turns out. The Gr5 manager is actually lovely, and I doubt that her predecessor would have bothered to contact me directly with the news (as my manager is on leave). Still, it does beg the question as to why the Gr4's don't know what the Gr3's in their team are actually doing, though I suspect both me and my equivalent colleague fell into the same trap of making what we do sound bigger / more important than it is when we were asked to put the information together for the Gr5 when she came on board, because that is always people's first instinct - particularly when there have been job losses elsewhere.
Unfortunately I am not allowed to tell anyone yet until the "affected staff" have been informed, so my team will get a pleasant surprise at some point down the line.
I am relieved but also WTF.
( In which hard work is rewarded by senior management dickheadery )
So that's that. Quite obviously, I am back to job hunting again, because my life seems to comprise doing that in frighteningly regular cycles.
I shall doubtless not post again now until the end of year meme.
Edit, 14/11/2024 Literally half an hour after I posted this (so just over a week in real time since I got the news), the Gr5 manager called me to say the decision had been changed again and I wouldn't be moving. She had just come out of a meeting with the UASC/NRPF team where the Gr3 (the lady I would have been swapping with) revealed that the level of Gr3 oversight in UASC is a lot less than they thought - essentially all the finance stuff is done by the Gr2's, and she just has oversight and authorisation before sending it to finance.
So I won't be moving after all. They have a new Gr2 incoming who will be trained in the finance side, I'll be trained as well, and my TL will be gaining that Gr2. After that we can make sure everyone else is trained up as required.
It's good news but also incredibly frustrating because I had a week of unproductive anxiety over nothing, as it turns out. The Gr5 manager is actually lovely, and I doubt that her predecessor would have bothered to contact me directly with the news (as my manager is on leave). Still, it does beg the question as to why the Gr4's don't know what the Gr3's in their team are actually doing, though I suspect both me and my equivalent colleague fell into the same trap of making what we do sound bigger / more important than it is when we were asked to put the information together for the Gr5 when she came on board, because that is always people's first instinct - particularly when there have been job losses elsewhere.
Unfortunately I am not allowed to tell anyone yet until the "affected staff" have been informed, so my team will get a pleasant surprise at some point down the line.
I am relieved but also WTF.
Nothing to see here, just updating my Googlemaps icons because they're overdue.
Normal service will be resumed shortly.
Actually, bit of an update:
Work is actually... not terrible at the moment, because my line manager and I are on the same page finally. Basically there's an incoming job evaluation exercise (because the Council have no money) so a lot of business support managers on stupidly high wages are now panicking and scrabbling about to save their own arses by making themselves look important.
In our case, our Gr5 team manager's default position is that we're all shit so for a few weeks the TL was desperately trying to prove her otherwise. It's now obvious nothing will ever be good enough so we are both on the same wavelenth of "fuck it".
The TM commissioned the in-house Business Analyst (she used to work for the service years ago; there's context here but I won't go into it now) to complete a report around how we can improve efficiencies. The problem is she literally hasn't spoken to us since March, so the report doesn't reflect any of the improvements we've already made - and about 50% of her recommendations we're already doing or are trying to put in place. She was quite clearly given a brief to make the team look as bad as possible and none of the (so I thought) useful conversations that we held appear to have been reflected. It doesn't even reflect the improvements made at that point.
When I joined the team in January they had a backlog of 400+ distributions; I'd got that down to 250ish by April and for the past month we have been holding steady between 20-30 i.e. sending out as many or more than we receive from the IRO's each day - and we are now 100% in timescales for this month in terms of meeting one of our KPI's. Which will obviously still not be good enough as the TM will expect us to send 300% in timescales. Impossible expectations, basically.
So yeah, after a really difficult month or so things finally seem slightly less awful, and my TL and I have had two very cathartic offload sessions where we both agree that the BS restructure is dogshit and everything is very quickly sliding off a cliff, but our service is kind of keeping its head above water despite the TM's assertions otherwise.
Anyway, I have some leave coming up - just shy of two weeks off - and Paul and I have finally booked our mini-break in Malvern/Worcester - fifth time lucky! (We first planned to do this in 2019 - had to move house; then 2020 - Covid happened; actually got as far as booking the Worcester hotel in 2021 - got kidney stones literally two days before and had to cancel; almost managed to plan it in 2022 - Paul had Covid; last year - just generally shit.) So, hopefully next time I update it will be about our adventures climbing hills.
That's all for now.
Normal service will be resumed shortly.
Actually, bit of an update:
Work is actually... not terrible at the moment, because my line manager and I are on the same page finally. Basically there's an incoming job evaluation exercise (because the Council have no money) so a lot of business support managers on stupidly high wages are now panicking and scrabbling about to save their own arses by making themselves look important.
In our case, our Gr5 team manager's default position is that we're all shit so for a few weeks the TL was desperately trying to prove her otherwise. It's now obvious nothing will ever be good enough so we are both on the same wavelenth of "fuck it".
The TM commissioned the in-house Business Analyst (she used to work for the service years ago; there's context here but I won't go into it now) to complete a report around how we can improve efficiencies. The problem is she literally hasn't spoken to us since March, so the report doesn't reflect any of the improvements we've already made - and about 50% of her recommendations we're already doing or are trying to put in place. She was quite clearly given a brief to make the team look as bad as possible and none of the (so I thought) useful conversations that we held appear to have been reflected. It doesn't even reflect the improvements made at that point.
When I joined the team in January they had a backlog of 400+ distributions; I'd got that down to 250ish by April and for the past month we have been holding steady between 20-30 i.e. sending out as many or more than we receive from the IRO's each day - and we are now 100% in timescales for this month in terms of meeting one of our KPI's. Which will obviously still not be good enough as the TM will expect us to send 300% in timescales. Impossible expectations, basically.
So yeah, after a really difficult month or so things finally seem slightly less awful, and my TL and I have had two very cathartic offload sessions where we both agree that the BS restructure is dogshit and everything is very quickly sliding off a cliff, but our service is kind of keeping its head above water despite the TM's assertions otherwise.
Anyway, I have some leave coming up - just shy of two weeks off - and Paul and I have finally booked our mini-break in Malvern/Worcester - fifth time lucky! (We first planned to do this in 2019 - had to move house; then 2020 - Covid happened; actually got as far as booking the Worcester hotel in 2021 - got kidney stones literally two days before and had to cancel; almost managed to plan it in 2022 - Paul had Covid; last year - just generally shit.) So, hopefully next time I update it will be about our adventures climbing hills.
That's all for now.
Another Processing Post
May. 16th, 2024 04:59 pmIt's been a couple of months since my last update because my job is still keeping me busy, but also because my steroid jab wore off in March and my energy levels have been fluctuating but mostly non-existent.
I think it's safe to say at this point that the "honeymoon period" of changing roles has worn off, which is tied in with the fact that the Council are having a well-documented financial crisis that affects the Trust both directly and indirectly. For the most part, however, the root of the problem is that Business Support senior management are (probably certifiably) batshit insane.
( Cut for length )
I think there's probably even more going on than I've covered here, because the entire Trust is in a state of barely-controlled panic and everyone is under scrutiny, but those are the most pertinent things currently sending me into a tailspin.
I think it's safe to say at this point that the "honeymoon period" of changing roles has worn off, which is tied in with the fact that the Council are having a well-documented financial crisis that affects the Trust both directly and indirectly. For the most part, however, the root of the problem is that Business Support senior management are (probably certifiably) batshit insane.
( Cut for length )
I think there's probably even more going on than I've covered here, because the entire Trust is in a state of barely-controlled panic and everyone is under scrutiny, but those are the most pertinent things currently sending me into a tailspin.
Bit of a Life Update
Mar. 8th, 2024 02:49 pmI've been intending to do this entry for a while but have been holding off until things blew over! I've had an incredibly up and down few months since Christmas so this is a processing post.
( In which my brain is a dickhead )
I sort of wanted to update about this as it was all happening but the new job is keeping me insanely busy and I’m working longer hours now I’m not demotivated, so I haven’t had time.
I shall now resume regularly not posting because nothing really happens.
PS: I have just realised I need to make updated home AND work Google Earth icons! Sally Bowles it is, then.
( In which my brain is a dickhead )
I sort of wanted to update about this as it was all happening but the new job is keeping me insanely busy and I’m working longer hours now I’m not demotivated, so I haven’t had time.
I shall now resume regularly not posting because nothing really happens.
PS: I have just realised I need to make updated home AND work Google Earth icons! Sally Bowles it is, then.
Year in Review 2023
Dec. 8th, 2023 02:53 pmI'm posting this earlier than usual, as my transition phase to my new team has mostly involved deputising for my former team leader by doing the minuting list, and providing some very minor post-meeting support for the Chairs, so I’m enjoying the relative peace and quiet before I get really busy in my new role.
I went into the office on 5th December to meet the new team and have a catch-up with my new TL, particularly around my health history, and she commented that I will definitely be busy but it will be a different type of busy – less high pressure / immediate deadlines but probably more to juggle. It has at least reminded me that I was actually quite keen to move / start the new role back in January last year, but all the intervening nonsense meant I was constantly fluctuating over it. None of the stuff is unachievable or particularly difficult, and the only bit I’m not really looking forward to is the supervision of staff, but fingers crossed I won’t have to make myself unpopular.
Anyway, I don’t think things will properly start moving til January, when the ground floor refurbishment of our south venue is completed and the Head of Service has decided how often he wants people to be in. At present I am expected to go in on Tuesdays, to our Aston venue, which suits me just fine.
That being said, the year in review meme is incoming, though I imagine it will be fairly brief considering my life has been on hold for 11 months!
( 2023 in Review )
I think that’s it!
I know I say this every year, but I will try and update more regularly next year, and hopefully escape Twitter to somewhere better.
I went into the office on 5th December to meet the new team and have a catch-up with my new TL, particularly around my health history, and she commented that I will definitely be busy but it will be a different type of busy – less high pressure / immediate deadlines but probably more to juggle. It has at least reminded me that I was actually quite keen to move / start the new role back in January last year, but all the intervening nonsense meant I was constantly fluctuating over it. None of the stuff is unachievable or particularly difficult, and the only bit I’m not really looking forward to is the supervision of staff, but fingers crossed I won’t have to make myself unpopular.
Anyway, I don’t think things will properly start moving til January, when the ground floor refurbishment of our south venue is completed and the Head of Service has decided how often he wants people to be in. At present I am expected to go in on Tuesdays, to our Aston venue, which suits me just fine.
That being said, the year in review meme is incoming, though I imagine it will be fairly brief considering my life has been on hold for 11 months!
( 2023 in Review )
I think that’s it!
I know I say this every year, but I will try and update more regularly next year, and hopefully escape Twitter to somewhere better.
A Work Update
Nov. 28th, 2023 02:31 pmThis is a long version of a recent Facebook post, because (as ever) there's a lot to process. As of this week I have finally moved to my new team, a situation which only came about because I had an actual breakdown last week (22nd November). Before I get into what happened, there's some background context that I just want to get down so I can get things straight in my brain.
( It's been a long 11 months... )
I think that’s about everything. I probably should have updated about these things along the way, but most of it ended up in Twitter/X rants despite my best intentions. I will hopefully have more spoons again now so I can start looking at an alternative.
Anyway, I will obviously post the year in review meme next month, which will now be much shorter as I don’t have to rehash all of this stupidity!
( It's been a long 11 months... )
I think that’s about everything. I probably should have updated about these things along the way, but most of it ended up in Twitter/X rants despite my best intentions. I will hopefully have more spoons again now so I can start looking at an alternative.
Anyway, I will obviously post the year in review meme next month, which will now be much shorter as I don’t have to rehash all of this stupidity!
An Update Too Long for Twitter
Jul. 19th, 2023 10:39 amI was going to do this as a tweet thread but it's probably going to be long, so I thought I should probably put it on here instead. TBH I have mostly given up on Twitter since the MuskRat took it over, as it's become almost unusable and is no longer even a reliable source for news because it just shows me the same things over and over again - and anything is does show me is heavily biased either way, making it literally impossible to find out the accurate details about anything. (As an example, during the recent Paris riots I ended up having to google what had triggered them in the first place because Twitter would only give me horrendous Islamophobia / anti-immigrant comments without any preceding context.)
I am considering switching over to Mastadon when I have the spoons to look into it further (I am not going anywhere near Threads). Work shenanagins are continuing endlessly and I still haven't switched teams, and am not likely to in the near future, so my capacity for anything other than gaming has been basically nil. (Death Stranding has been my most recent comfort game, though I'm currently on my 7th [?] playthrough of TLOU in readiness for binging the show again on shiny 4K blu-ray.)
Anyway, such being said, here's a bit of an update.
( Life, Work, etc. )
That... ended up much longer than I expected, probably because I haven't really been offloading on Twitter like I usually do. I think it acts as a fair summary of how difficult things have been. Honestly, I'm amazed I'm still relatively sane.
I am considering switching over to Mastadon when I have the spoons to look into it further (I am not going anywhere near Threads). Work shenanagins are continuing endlessly and I still haven't switched teams, and am not likely to in the near future, so my capacity for anything other than gaming has been basically nil. (Death Stranding has been my most recent comfort game, though I'm currently on my 7th [?] playthrough of TLOU in readiness for binging the show again on shiny 4K blu-ray.)
Anyway, such being said, here's a bit of an update.
( Life, Work, etc. )
That... ended up much longer than I expected, probably because I haven't really been offloading on Twitter like I usually do. I think it acts as a fair summary of how difficult things have been. Honestly, I'm amazed I'm still relatively sane.
Good Intentions
May. 4th, 2023 09:04 amI never did do that second TLOU post, and at this rate I am not likely to get around to it until I do a rewatch, which will probably be when my shiny 4K blu-ray boxset turns up and I can do a rewatch. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the show and the final few episodes were amazing, but - as you might have guessed - my job has continued to drain every last vestige of energy out of me lately.
To update briefly on that: I still haven't moved. Back in December I had a panicked call off my line manager saying I would probably be moving in January because the person I'm replacing couldn't stay on (he's either agency or secondment but either way his contract was coming to an end and they didn't want to extend it). Then my line manager's manager went off sick and remains off sick, so it drifted.
In February we had some (lower paid) new starters come in and I got lumbered with training one of them, along with the two colleagues who are actually remaining in the team. My manager has then continued to dump stuff on me, even though I'm not staying, because she can't trust anyone else in the team to do things properly.
During the induction day for the new starters in February, I also happened to meet my new (at some point) line manager, who said she was hoping I'd be in post by April.
Since then, my current manager has suggested we won't be moving until June, and that's only if we can get all the new starters in post and doing a full workload. She is getting harangued regularly by the Head of Business Support to move all of us, but her hands are tied until the new staff are up to capacity.
To make matters worse, one of our permanent new starters lasted two months before handing her notice in so she'll be gone by the end of May, and two of our agency workers have also left. The team leader is interviewing this week so we should have a few more, but essentially, what was proposed to be a six-month process is now looking more like 12, and then some. The Head of Business Support is not going to get his precious restructure any time soon, because this is the largest team of Gr3 staff and until we move, nobody else can either. Honestly, at this rate it will probably never happen.
I am still job hunting but after the flurry in August there's not much out there, and I keep circling back to being pissed off that the legal secretary job went nowhere, and at the fact nobody was willing to do a virtual interview in the Year of our Lord two thousand and twenty three (more specifically, in a so-called post-Covid world where we have all been successfully working virtually for the best part of three years). You'd think the fact I was willing to do an interview WHILST ON HOLIDAY might have stood in my favour in terms of being willing/proactive/whatever, but nope, apparently my request was Unpossible.
And now there's bugger all out there, and I've had a pay rise, which is appreciated but also making it even more difficult to match my salary.
Anyway, yes, hence why I didn't get around to doing a second TLOU post, though the nine weeks of fandom-flavoured distraction were definitely appreciated. I've also recently played through the DLC for Horizon: Forbidden West (after funnelling over 100 hours of my life into the main game and then belatedly playing the first one, out of order), and at least gaming is also a nice distraction even if it's a huge timesink.
I've also started posting the POTOver to AO3, so I've been editing that story even if I haven't been doing any Actual Writing. Which is actually the main reason this ongoing work stupidity is pissing me off so much, because my brain just does not have the capacity for anything creative and it's incredibly frustrating.
Anyway, that's an update. TBH I've barely been on Twitter lately either, so I should probably get back to using DW properly.
To update briefly on that: I still haven't moved. Back in December I had a panicked call off my line manager saying I would probably be moving in January because the person I'm replacing couldn't stay on (he's either agency or secondment but either way his contract was coming to an end and they didn't want to extend it). Then my line manager's manager went off sick and remains off sick, so it drifted.
In February we had some (lower paid) new starters come in and I got lumbered with training one of them, along with the two colleagues who are actually remaining in the team. My manager has then continued to dump stuff on me, even though I'm not staying, because she can't trust anyone else in the team to do things properly.
During the induction day for the new starters in February, I also happened to meet my new (at some point) line manager, who said she was hoping I'd be in post by April.
Since then, my current manager has suggested we won't be moving until June, and that's only if we can get all the new starters in post and doing a full workload. She is getting harangued regularly by the Head of Business Support to move all of us, but her hands are tied until the new staff are up to capacity.
To make matters worse, one of our permanent new starters lasted two months before handing her notice in so she'll be gone by the end of May, and two of our agency workers have also left. The team leader is interviewing this week so we should have a few more, but essentially, what was proposed to be a six-month process is now looking more like 12, and then some. The Head of Business Support is not going to get his precious restructure any time soon, because this is the largest team of Gr3 staff and until we move, nobody else can either. Honestly, at this rate it will probably never happen.
I am still job hunting but after the flurry in August there's not much out there, and I keep circling back to being pissed off that the legal secretary job went nowhere, and at the fact nobody was willing to do a virtual interview in the Year of our Lord two thousand and twenty three (more specifically, in a so-called post-Covid world where we have all been successfully working virtually for the best part of three years). You'd think the fact I was willing to do an interview WHILST ON HOLIDAY might have stood in my favour in terms of being willing/proactive/whatever, but nope, apparently my request was Unpossible.
And now there's bugger all out there, and I've had a pay rise, which is appreciated but also making it even more difficult to match my salary.
Anyway, yes, hence why I didn't get around to doing a second TLOU post, though the nine weeks of fandom-flavoured distraction were definitely appreciated. I've also recently played through the DLC for Horizon: Forbidden West (after funnelling over 100 hours of my life into the main game and then belatedly playing the first one, out of order), and at least gaming is also a nice distraction even if it's a huge timesink.
I've also started posting the POTOver to AO3, so I've been editing that story even if I haven't been doing any Actual Writing. Which is actually the main reason this ongoing work stupidity is pissing me off so much, because my brain just does not have the capacity for anything creative and it's incredibly frustrating.
Anyway, that's an update. TBH I've barely been on Twitter lately either, so I should probably get back to using DW properly.
When You’re Lost in the Darkness…
Feb. 19th, 2023 11:16 pmThis post is about three weeks overdue so will be less in-depth than I initially intended, but I'm determined to get it done. I actually started this last week and gave up midway through because I was too knackered, which is probably a good overview as to why it’s taken so long.
ANYWAY, I have started watching the new HBO adaptation of The Last of Us and it's actually amazing, and I can't just keep enthusing about it on Twitter. I meant to post this after episode 3 but this will now cover up to episode 5, albeit not in as much detail as I wanted.
At some point I'm hoping this will lead into the post about the second game that I've been wanting to do for ages, if not for my job sapping all of my time/energy/inclination, but I will probably replay it once the show is done and... actually make notes, for once. Or maybe use PS5 share to at least post screenshots on Twitter as placeholders.
This will not be an episode by episode break-down because I've probably forgotten quite a lot by now, but I'll try and keep it in some vague kind of order.
( Not Just Another Walking Dead )
Right, posting this now before it gets any longer, with the icon that I just threw together in 10 minutes. I am a little rusty with icon-making, and I’ve lost all my funky brush-sets in one of my many house moves (including my icon-shaped brushes), more’s the pity.
PS: I've also finally got around to reinstalling my old mood theme, which was a mistake because I'd forgotten how long it would take. One of these days I should finish the generic fandom one I started about 20 years ago...
ANYWAY, I have started watching the new HBO adaptation of The Last of Us and it's actually amazing, and I can't just keep enthusing about it on Twitter. I meant to post this after episode 3 but this will now cover up to episode 5, albeit not in as much detail as I wanted.
At some point I'm hoping this will lead into the post about the second game that I've been wanting to do for ages, if not for my job sapping all of my time/energy/inclination, but I will probably replay it once the show is done and... actually make notes, for once. Or maybe use PS5 share to at least post screenshots on Twitter as placeholders.
This will not be an episode by episode break-down because I've probably forgotten quite a lot by now, but I'll try and keep it in some vague kind of order.
( Not Just Another Walking Dead )
Right, posting this now before it gets any longer, with the icon that I just threw together in 10 minutes. I am a little rusty with icon-making, and I’ve lost all my funky brush-sets in one of my many house moves (including my icon-shaped brushes), more’s the pity.
PS: I've also finally got around to reinstalling my old mood theme, which was a mistake because I'd forgotten how long it would take. One of these days I should finish the generic fandom one I started about 20 years ago...
2022 in Review
Dec. 6th, 2022 04:03 pmI think I've managed to post more than once a year, this year, but my DW has still been mostly abandoned, along with... pretty much everything, to be honest. If Twitter dies maybe I'll go back to using this space for work offloads, though. You never know. Thanks Elon, I guess?
Anyway, here is the traditional 12-month recap, a bit earlier than usual because otherwise I probably won’t remember to post it til February. This year has been A Lot.
( 2022 in Review )
If I don’t manage to post again before 2023, have a good one and see you all on the other side! Maybe the fact that this year has been so terrible will break the Odd Year Curse, finally…
Anyway, here is the traditional 12-month recap, a bit earlier than usual because otherwise I probably won’t remember to post it til February. This year has been A Lot.
( 2022 in Review )
If I don’t manage to post again before 2023, have a good one and see you all on the other side! Maybe the fact that this year has been so terrible will break the Odd Year Curse, finally…
Another Work Rant
Sep. 30th, 2022 10:30 amAs the title says, though it's hopefully not going to be as long as the last one - it's just too much to condense into a tweet-thread.
( In Which My Colleague's Laziness Reaches a New and Impressive Peak )
Anyway, I applied for a job with the police last night, a CRB Officer post (completing DBS reports for employers). The police have similar grading scales to us, albeit smaller, and I'm hopeful they can meet me somewhere near my current salary because I can't afford a 3-grand pay cut. If they can't then I'll have to keep looking.
I still haven't heard back from the legal firm either, and I haven't chased them as yet because I suddenly realised when uploading my CV to indeed that I'd put the wrong email address on it (googlemail instead of gmail) because I used Pau's CV as a base. Even though I've emailed the fee earner in question from both my gmail and my work account, I feel so mortified that I made such a basic mistake that I'm terrified I will call up and they'll tell me they invited me to an interview and I didn't turn up. I know that's the anxiety talking, but also I don't want to just keep haranguing them because there's a fine line between showing interest and harassment.
I also emailed another local firm to ask about the salary, as it wasn't listed, and they haven't responded either. From this point, I'm not going to bother with anything where they keep the salary a secret because there's no point in applying for something if it doesn't pay me enough to keep a relatively warm roof over my head. (Actually, that's a whole other reason why the BSS redesign is so inconsiderate; they must have anticipated that people would want to leave as a result [and if they didn't, they're stupid], and this is not exactly the economic climate in which to be trying to embark on a new career.)
Also, quite frankly, I am not going to settle for a job that pays me less than I'm worth. The Trust obviously doesn't want or care about my skills, but someone else will, I just need to find them.
( In Which My Colleague's Laziness Reaches a New and Impressive Peak )
Anyway, I applied for a job with the police last night, a CRB Officer post (completing DBS reports for employers). The police have similar grading scales to us, albeit smaller, and I'm hopeful they can meet me somewhere near my current salary because I can't afford a 3-grand pay cut. If they can't then I'll have to keep looking.
I still haven't heard back from the legal firm either, and I haven't chased them as yet because I suddenly realised when uploading my CV to indeed that I'd put the wrong email address on it (googlemail instead of gmail) because I used Pau's CV as a base. Even though I've emailed the fee earner in question from both my gmail and my work account, I feel so mortified that I made such a basic mistake that I'm terrified I will call up and they'll tell me they invited me to an interview and I didn't turn up. I know that's the anxiety talking, but also I don't want to just keep haranguing them because there's a fine line between showing interest and harassment.
I also emailed another local firm to ask about the salary, as it wasn't listed, and they haven't responded either. From this point, I'm not going to bother with anything where they keep the salary a secret because there's no point in applying for something if it doesn't pay me enough to keep a relatively warm roof over my head. (Actually, that's a whole other reason why the BSS redesign is so inconsiderate; they must have anticipated that people would want to leave as a result [and if they didn't, they're stupid], and this is not exactly the economic climate in which to be trying to embark on a new career.)
Also, quite frankly, I am not going to settle for a job that pays me less than I'm worth. The Trust obviously doesn't want or care about my skills, but someone else will, I just need to find them.
Here We Go 'Round Again
Aug. 19th, 2022 09:54 pmThis is something of a processing post, and it's pretty much for my own benefit, so you can ignore it if you want.
I have mentioned this mostly via threaded rants on Twitter, but I feel like I need to hash this out more fully, because it's helpful to put things into context to get them out of my brain.
Long story short: I am in the process of job-hunting again because my current job has finally sent me over the edge. This is, quite frankly, the cherry on top of the shit cake that has been 2022 so far, and I will probably have to save the rest of its many joys for the annual Year-in-Review Meme, sadly.
I realise I have not actually updated in a while, and I didn't want my first post in ages to be a work-related offload, but this is what the universe chose to throw at me so here we are. I'll put it all under a cut, because it got long - so, fair warning, it's very wordy and probably full of jargon, sorry.
( Well, that was a good run. )
I think that's everything.
As you can see, this has been brewing for some time. There were a couple of moments during the pandemic where I half-heartedly looked for other jobs, because the nature of this one is that we go through phases where Everything Is Awful and then it all quietens down for a bit. What I always forget is that when it's quiet, something even worse is probably lurking around the corner.
As for the job-hunting itself... I've managed to apply for one, so far, and nearly applied for another but the interview is while I'm away and apparently they can't be bothered to facilitate a virtual interview. The one I have applied for is a legal secretary post with a private legal firm, which is very local to me, but they don't seem to be in any rush to move things along. I was really hopeful about it because the fee earner seemed to remember my name from my Legal days, was impressed with my brief job history from our chat on the phone, and when I asked our Asst Head for a reference it turns out she knows the other firm partner... and now it's gone quiet. I rang them up a fortnight ago (for the second time) for an update, the current secretary doesn't know what's happening either, I emailed the solicitor and I've heard nothing back.
The thing is, they're a very small firm with a very busy court diary, so I get it, but it's frustrating because I'm used to applying for internal posts which have set deadlines!
I am going to put job hunting on hold now until I get back off holiday, because anything with an imminent closing date is going to have the same issue of interviews being whilst I'm away, but the situation is making me antsy. I am keeping my options open - the restructure might not be a total disaster, even though everything feels dire right now - but I really just want to get out of local government completely. I've served my time, I've given them my sanity and my physical health, and got nothing in return except stress, anxiety and (quite probably) trauma.
(I'm only half-joking about that last one...)
Anyway, yes - apologies again for the length of this and the dearth of posting of late, but maybe this serves as an explanation in its own way.
I'd like to say I'll update again before Christmas, but... yeah, that's a lie.
I have mentioned this mostly via threaded rants on Twitter, but I feel like I need to hash this out more fully, because it's helpful to put things into context to get them out of my brain.
Long story short: I am in the process of job-hunting again because my current job has finally sent me over the edge. This is, quite frankly, the cherry on top of the shit cake that has been 2022 so far, and I will probably have to save the rest of its many joys for the annual Year-in-Review Meme, sadly.
I realise I have not actually updated in a while, and I didn't want my first post in ages to be a work-related offload, but this is what the universe chose to throw at me so here we are. I'll put it all under a cut, because it got long - so, fair warning, it's very wordy and probably full of jargon, sorry.
( Well, that was a good run. )
I think that's everything.
As you can see, this has been brewing for some time. There were a couple of moments during the pandemic where I half-heartedly looked for other jobs, because the nature of this one is that we go through phases where Everything Is Awful and then it all quietens down for a bit. What I always forget is that when it's quiet, something even worse is probably lurking around the corner.
As for the job-hunting itself... I've managed to apply for one, so far, and nearly applied for another but the interview is while I'm away and apparently they can't be bothered to facilitate a virtual interview. The one I have applied for is a legal secretary post with a private legal firm, which is very local to me, but they don't seem to be in any rush to move things along. I was really hopeful about it because the fee earner seemed to remember my name from my Legal days, was impressed with my brief job history from our chat on the phone, and when I asked our Asst Head for a reference it turns out she knows the other firm partner... and now it's gone quiet. I rang them up a fortnight ago (for the second time) for an update, the current secretary doesn't know what's happening either, I emailed the solicitor and I've heard nothing back.
The thing is, they're a very small firm with a very busy court diary, so I get it, but it's frustrating because I'm used to applying for internal posts which have set deadlines!
I am going to put job hunting on hold now until I get back off holiday, because anything with an imminent closing date is going to have the same issue of interviews being whilst I'm away, but the situation is making me antsy. I am keeping my options open - the restructure might not be a total disaster, even though everything feels dire right now - but I really just want to get out of local government completely. I've served my time, I've given them my sanity and my physical health, and got nothing in return except stress, anxiety and (quite probably) trauma.
(I'm only half-joking about that last one...)
Anyway, yes - apologies again for the length of this and the dearth of posting of late, but maybe this serves as an explanation in its own way.
I'd like to say I'll update again before Christmas, but... yeah, that's a lie.
Some Notes on an Upcoming Fic
Jan. 11th, 2022 01:51 pm("Upcoming" might be wishful thinking.)
So, I am currently on phased return after my eight weeks of sick leave and don't have much to do yet (because I'm too efficient) so I might as well try and update my DW a bit more often.
That being said, I'm currently in the process of percolating a GoT AU story which I'm quite excited about, but it's going to need a lot of forward planning rather than my usual gung-ho approach of throwing words at it until a plot emerges.
The AU in question will effectively be a re-telling of The Last of Us with some good old fashioned character substitutions. This idea has been rattling around my brain for some time, but Paul recently finished TLOU1 for the first time and it just furthered my desire to write the crossover. I went to find a game transcript (of the cinematics and the ambient conversation) and that was that.
( Details Under Here - plus potential game spoilers )
That's all I have so far. This will definitely need to wait until I've finished my two ongoing WIPs ("The Things We Do" and "After"), but if inspiration strikes I might start throwing some more words and ideas into it. The first task is to get some chapter outlines / titles set up in a document so I know where it's going.
At some point, I also still want to write an Assassins Creed AU (again including Arya because it would be hilarious), which initially I was going to set in Crusades-era a la the first game, but then Valhalla got released so it'll be set in that era instead. There won't be any kind of crossover with Eivor et al, just the same aesthetic.
The one good thing about getting stuff out of my brain and onto the page is it creates space for other stories to simmer...
So, I am currently on phased return after my eight weeks of sick leave and don't have much to do yet (because I'm too efficient) so I might as well try and update my DW a bit more often.
That being said, I'm currently in the process of percolating a GoT AU story which I'm quite excited about, but it's going to need a lot of forward planning rather than my usual gung-ho approach of throwing words at it until a plot emerges.
The AU in question will effectively be a re-telling of The Last of Us with some good old fashioned character substitutions. This idea has been rattling around my brain for some time, but Paul recently finished TLOU1 for the first time and it just furthered my desire to write the crossover. I went to find a game transcript (of the cinematics and the ambient conversation) and that was that.
( Details Under Here - plus potential game spoilers )
That's all I have so far. This will definitely need to wait until I've finished my two ongoing WIPs ("The Things We Do" and "After"), but if inspiration strikes I might start throwing some more words and ideas into it. The first task is to get some chapter outlines / titles set up in a document so I know where it's going.
At some point, I also still want to write an Assassins Creed AU (again including Arya because it would be hilarious), which initially I was going to set in Crusades-era a la the first game, but then Valhalla got released so it'll be set in that era instead. There won't be any kind of crossover with Eivor et al, just the same aesthetic.
The one good thing about getting stuff out of my brain and onto the page is it creates space for other stories to simmer...
Year in Review 2021
Jan. 3rd, 2022 04:36 pmWhoops, I forgot to update for a whole year again. That in itself is probably a testament to this very strange year. I never did get around to that TLOU2 write-up, despite replaying the game, so I'll put that back on the never-ending list of WIP's and Things To Start...
Anyway, here's the traditional recap.
( 2021 in Review )
Maybe a new year's resolution should be to actually update this thing more than once a year...
Happy New Year all, and let's hope for a better one.
Anyway, here's the traditional recap.
( 2021 in Review )
Maybe a new year's resolution should be to actually update this thing more than once a year...
Happy New Year all, and let's hope for a better one.
Year in Review 2020 (slightly belated)
Jan. 5th, 2021 12:02 pmFull disclosure: I started drafting this in mid-November (I think?) during a lull at work that lasted precisely half a day, and since then it has been relentlessly busy. I then forgot to email the draft entry home because of perpetual exhaustion-induced brainfog, so I’m posting this much later than intended…
( 2020 in Review )
Well, I think that’s it. I would say I’ll try and update more often, but it would be a lie – especially as we are now back in lockdown and it’ll be April before I can blink. The promised flail about TLOU2 will arrive at some point, though – I have a few thoughts about it already percolating and it definitely warrants some introspection, so watch this space…
( 2020 in Review )
Well, I think that’s it. I would say I’ll try and update more often, but it would be a lie – especially as we are now back in lockdown and it’ll be April before I can blink. The promised flail about TLOU2 will arrive at some point, though – I have a few thoughts about it already percolating and it definitely warrants some introspection, so watch this space…
*pin drops*
Nov. 20th, 2020 12:48 pmOh. Apparently I have not updated since 2019's "Year in Review" meme. Erm, oops?
Consider this a placeholder, I guess. This year's YIR will be much shorter than usual because *gestures at ongoing pandemic* but on the plus side I actually have the Christmas-to-New-Year period off this year, so I can write the thing in late December rather than mid-November as usual!
I actually intended to do an entry back in September about (a) ongoing work shenanigans which resulted in me leaving our group WhatsApp chat in a fit of pique and (b) a review/flail post about The Last Of Us Part 2, but by the time my fortnight of leave rolled around I was exhausted. I started drafting the first one immediately after the event, but then I processed it through a Tweet-thread instead and ran out of steam.
Since then it has been utterly relentless at work, which we fully expected when the schools re-opened, but I literally haven't stopped since I got back.
Anyway, yes - hopefully over Christmas I will do the TLUO2 post (after I've replayed it) as well as some thoughts on Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, and hopefully get some words down on both of my GoT WIP's this side of 2021. Possibly wishful thinking. On that note, I also keep intending to do a Tumblr post about the two GoT crossover fics I've been considering: both Braime, one an AC crossover and the other a TLOU crossover because old!Joel in the sequel reminds me so much of Jaime. Allegedly Netflix are doing a TLOU series after the success of The Witcher and the ideal fan-casting for Joel is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. PLEASE FANDOM GODS, MAKE IT HAPPEN. We lost out on NCW as Geralt but he would actually perfect for Joel.
Aaaaanyway, yes, you can blame the DW radio silence on the 'rona, like everything else. :P I have been working at home since mid-March, and seven months have passed in what feels like four weeks. I've lost all sense of linear time and if not for my job I don't think I would even know what day of the week it is. You can expect the YIR post to be a slightly puzzled summary of this very strange year...
Consider this a placeholder, I guess. This year's YIR will be much shorter than usual because *gestures at ongoing pandemic* but on the plus side I actually have the Christmas-to-New-Year period off this year, so I can write the thing in late December rather than mid-November as usual!
I actually intended to do an entry back in September about (a) ongoing work shenanigans which resulted in me leaving our group WhatsApp chat in a fit of pique and (b) a review/flail post about The Last Of Us Part 2, but by the time my fortnight of leave rolled around I was exhausted. I started drafting the first one immediately after the event, but then I processed it through a Tweet-thread instead and ran out of steam.
Since then it has been utterly relentless at work, which we fully expected when the schools re-opened, but I literally haven't stopped since I got back.
Anyway, yes - hopefully over Christmas I will do the TLUO2 post (after I've replayed it) as well as some thoughts on Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, and hopefully get some words down on both of my GoT WIP's this side of 2021. Possibly wishful thinking. On that note, I also keep intending to do a Tumblr post about the two GoT crossover fics I've been considering: both Braime, one an AC crossover and the other a TLOU crossover because old!Joel in the sequel reminds me so much of Jaime. Allegedly Netflix are doing a TLOU series after the success of The Witcher and the ideal fan-casting for Joel is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. PLEASE FANDOM GODS, MAKE IT HAPPEN. We lost out on NCW as Geralt but he would actually perfect for Joel.
Aaaaanyway, yes, you can blame the DW radio silence on the 'rona, like everything else. :P I have been working at home since mid-March, and seven months have passed in what feels like four weeks. I've lost all sense of linear time and if not for my job I don't think I would even know what day of the week it is. You can expect the YIR post to be a slightly puzzled summary of this very strange year...
2019 in Review
Dec. 30th, 2019 11:40 amStarted this in mid-October, because why not? (Probably for the best or I would never have finished it...)
( 2019 in Review )
( 2019 in Review )
An Overdue Life Update
Jul. 22nd, 2019 11:11 amSo, now that the fandom storm of Game of Thrones is over with (though my fanfic-writing certainly is not!), I should probably do a life update. I previously mentioned that we were due to move house, and that has now happened, so here we go:
( House Move, etc - I apologise that some of this is probably a repeat of my previous update... )
Well, that was a bit of a word-dump, for which I apologise, but the past couple of months have been insanely busy.
Normal service shall now be resumed. :P
( House Move, etc - I apologise that some of this is probably a repeat of my previous update... )
Well, that was a bit of a word-dump, for which I apologise, but the past couple of months have been insanely busy.
Normal service shall now be resumed. :P
