The recent silence…

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…was because of a reason. Several reasons.

I have been working on a job application rather than blogging much this week. I haven’t even done much on Twitter really. It’s a good job, interesting and varied, and it’s a good fit for my qualifications. Worth putting the effort in.

Also I had to deal with window fixing people and a visit from the landlord to check I hadn’t painted all the walls black, carved a pentacle into the carpet and filled the freezer with the dismembered corpses of the other flats’ residents. So I had to do a bit of quick tidying up…

The old pictures of this building show no windows in the wall that has the bedroom. The window in my flat and in the two below were set into the old chimney breast, it seems. So the storm hit the chimney wall straight on, came down the inside of the chimney and I thought it was coming through the top of the window but it wasn’t leaking there. It was leaking further up.

Anyway, I got off lightly because most of it went past me and into the flats below. The bottom flat got the really crappy end of the deal. I just have a slowly drying damp bit around the window. All their carpets were piled up outside.

The fixers needed loft access to check the walls and I have the loft. So I had to do a bit of quick tidying up before they arrived…

They fixed something but won’t know if it’s worked until the next storm, which will hopefully be after I move out. I want a garden and fewer stairs. The six month lease is up at the end of February and it’s monthly after that. I start looking in February. A bit more leisurely this time, since I don’t have to hurry.

This week was also rent week, which meant chasing a company that owed me a wad of cash so I could pay the rent. They cut it pretty damn fine this time but the rent is paid. The emergency came about because just for once, the lab rent was debited on time. They are always a month late except when I have little money, then they are on time. The buggers cleaned me out on January 1st. I thought ‘Happy New Year to you too, you bastards’. All fixed at last, I am solvent again. For now.

Home rent is paid for a month, lab rent for three months, a good job applied for, I can relax at last. For a while anyway.

The job move is becoming essential. The stupidity at work is no longer fun, it’s becoming tiresome. A manager complained that she couldn’t understand what eggs had to do with Easter (yes, the eggs are already out) and I didn’t say anything. I could have told her the truth. I could have explained about the Pagan Beltane and the fertility rites but no, I thought it better to wait until I could come up with something more interesting.

This was New Manager, the one who was apparently a terrifying ogre. No, she’s a kitten. Obelix is terrified of her but I can’t see why. Maybe because she makes him do some actual work.

And really, can anyone fall for the line that my tomato soup is made of pureed customer? Seriously? This has gone from amusing to pitying. Nobody should look seriously shocked at that line. Even if it was particularly thick soup.

I have not yet told Boss about the job application. I’ll break the news if I get an interview. I might not even get an interview, I am getting close to pension day and they might want someone who they think will last longer. It’s also likely to be a physically demanding job and although I am fit and healthy to a level that terrifies some 18 year olds, they might take one look at my age and say ‘nah’. We shall see.

I have no plan to retire. Being home all day with nothing to do would drive me crazy. I had planned to maybe write a few novels in retirement and see if I could get one published but I already did that. Twice. Not working would drive me insane and it would be even worse for anyone living with me!

Sure, I would like more writing time. I would like to have predictable hours and predictable income so I could forget bill-chasing and plan writing time. Maybe even rebuild some savings. I would like to make enough from writing so I don’t have to do anything else but in order to do that, I have to have enough money to have no income at all for some months. In order to have enough money I have to work, which leaves no time. Catch 22.

The new job would earn enough to let me forget bills and would let me plan writing time. Fingers crossed for this one.

Or the next one. I never give up.

 

 

 

26 thoughts on “The recent silence…”

    • To use a Bushism, don’t misunderestimate Leggy’s ability to spin a good yarn, JP 😉

      Very best of luck with the job application, Legsy. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, too. It would be great if got the time this year to finish and publish some of your books.

      Liked by 1 person

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  2. . I haven’t even done much on Twitter really

    You say that like it is a bad thing?!?! I SWORE i would never never use Twitter (or rather misuse the Biz Twitter account) but then The Landlady went off air for a bit…(damn you Raccoon!). I even found myself contemplating opening a Facebook account the other day (Damn you sobriety!). There is ALWAYS something better to do than post on twitter…those brown stains in the bath could use some attention and some ajax….or spend an afternoon profitably colour coding the teaspoons.

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. As one who spent 7.5 years on the other side of the desk I can tell you that they look for three things:

    1) Can he do the job?

    2) Can he add value to the business?

    3) Will he fit into the organisation?

    and there’s a fourth.

    4) Will putting him forward screw up my career?

    There’s a whole stack of questions that lead into any one of the three main points and it’s important for an experienced HR specialist to be sure the punter’s telling the truth. Call it cross checking.

    Unfortunately an awful lot of people are in HR but don’t do interviews well. When I was in your position once, I called it to an end: he was boring, self opinionated, a rank amateur at interviews and screwed up when I asked the very simple question: “why’s this job vacant?”. (Turns out I was correct, the interviewer was the cause of his own HR problem, namely 50% turnover – he was an arse).

    Your problem Dear Legs is any HR department worth its salt will Google the Hillman name and once they’ve got the hit they’ll backtrack. This comes up:

    http://docdume.blogspot.com.cy/

    as well as stacks of stuff about books as well as your photos.

    Then there’s your twitter account.

    Therein lies a very large problem with question number 3.

    I suspect they’ll eventually find this space and quite probably have some office junior do an analysis of it. One does not slag off ones employer, nor give funny names to co-workers, not if you yourself wants to be taken seriously.

    So we come to number 4 on my list. And the question the person on the other side of the desk has to answer is “do I want to risk a smoker/drinker/going-through-divorce eccentric who’s more than likely to lampoon me and my co-workers?”

    Of course there is a very small possibility that no-one, but no-one at all will simply Google “Dr. Kevin Hillman” and you’ll be called for preliminary interview… and you’ll cake walk it, then get short listed, then go for the final interview and come out top of the pile. And not one single one of your future co-workers will be even remotely interested either.

    Forewarned Bubba – and don’t you dare shoot the messenger.

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. I like what smokingscot says. He definitely has a point. It has to be borne in mind these days, what with social media being what it is, that whatever you’re putting online can be read by millions, some of whom might be rather unsavoury (though my turgid mind tends to dwell on stalkers and assorted crackpots, rather than HR departments. But even so….), Especially if you’re the type of blogger who likes to expose the truth, as you do (thank God that you do!). So that leads to the salient question, do you want an employer who appreciates you for who you are and promotes your talents, or are you willing to go along with whatever rubbish they are promoting in order to get a job. Hmm…think most of us struggle with that one.

    Good luck!

    :o)

    Liked by 1 person

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    • The job is commercial sampling, advice and reporting. I don’t know if I’d be involved in the actual testing (although I already know how). The company is purely practical-oriented, no pressure groups, nothing controversial. Certainly the job is very practical and solid science. None of the sort of thing that ever ends up in the news.

      In fact, if anything related to that job was ever in the news, whoever was doing the job would definitely be sacked! There’s no room for error in that one.

      It would of course end the Local Shop style tales because I’d be working with intelligent people again and would be back among commercially sensitive stuff. Like before, when I was self employed, I won’t be able to talk about work except in very general terms. Maybe not even that.

      But this company does not promote any rubbish. Just straight practical science and commercial services. In fact, if you’re not a client of theirs you probably won’t have heard of them. Even though the company is immense 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Awww, good luck Leggy. Time you got outta that shithole shop. Like you, I dont really suffer fools gladly and although it can be amusing for a while, it starts to wear thin.
      I hope, hope, hope you get the job. I also hope you win the lottery. Then, you can just relax and do exactly whatever takes your fancy. Mwah x

      Liked by 1 person

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  14. Best of luck, Leg-iron. Be aware of your strengths, and I’m sure you’ll sail through – if the job is indeed right for you.

    Sometimes, it takes a bit of trauma in one’s life to induce us to do the things we ought to have done a while back. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the Chinese symbol for catastrophe is the same as that for opportunity.

    Liked by 1 person

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