Forced Out

Would you believe that I've just been forced to go and stand outside the office for 10 minutes!?

My crime? The cup of curried parsnip & apple soup I had!

I was told it stunk so much I should take it outside and drink it... so I had to go and stand out in the carpark and finish it.

And then I had to dump the empty cup in the wheelie bin outside... although I was very tempted to hide it in the boss' van or Flunky's car.

It's not fair... I am victimised and harassed over my choice of soup - but it's okay for the pair of them to sit in here and drop their guts, and I have to suffer the smell!

24 Hours After Viki Arrived...

... her bags did!

The doorbell rang at about 9pm last night, and there was a taxi outside with her bag in it... so I guess we should say "Thank you" to Heathrow for getting it here (albeit a bit late). Mind you, I think I know why it arrived late - judging by the weight of it, it needed a plane all to itself!

Today I had a day off work, and we made a start visiting some of the places that could help Viki get a job... The Job Centre and Careers Scotland, as well as picking up application forms for some businesses that were looking for staff.

Fingers crossed...

Aside from that, there's not much news going on. Back to work tomorrow (groan), and the boss is away for 2 weeks again.... and next week, Flunky is on holiday - meaning it's going to be just me there, from 8o'clock in the morning, instead of 9... every day (bar Sunday) through til 5o'clock (4o'clock on Saturday). Yuk.

Well, that's me - Catch you later!

All Work And No Play...

For reasons I'd really better not go into, work isn't a lot of fun at the moment, and hasn't been for some time.

And today I got an email from the boss, who is away at the moment, threatening a written warning (and I can't really argue with him, because it is for something I've done wrong) and after something that happened today, I'm expecting another email tomorrow.

But I've emailed him too, telling him that I really can't go on doing 6 day weeks every week... It's taking too big a strain on me... I'm tired, emotional, don't have time to keep up with housework or my own affairs, and my leg isn't healing like it should... because it's not getting any rest.

He's probably not going to be happy, but weighing up an extra £40-odd every second week (I only get paid extra alternate Saturdays I work) against my health, I have to ask is it worth it?

I guess I'll find out tomorrow what his thoughts are... keep your fingers crossed he doesn't mention P45's!

The Clean-Up Has Started!

Now, let's get this in proportion... my house isn't a tip... it's just that there are 3 or 4 boxes of "important but not that important" stuff behind the couch that had to be sorted to either be dumped or put up in the attic... and 2 or 3 bags of old clothes that had to be sorted into "throw out" or "give a good wash to freshen up and put back in the cupboard" - and both those jobs have now been done, having put them off since I moved in.

Really the rest of it is surface dressing... hoover all the cat hairs from the corners, get the purple hair dye off the windowsill in the bathroom (any suggestions?), wash the bloody windows, hoover the cat hairs off the couch and chairs (bloody cats), and hide anything I don't want Viki to see!

Lol... one of those "bloody cats" has taken up residence at my right elbow and has been sat there washing herself all the time I've been chatting to Viki. I can't be pissed off at her though, because she's so cute!

Oh, our beloved leader has returned to us once more... for how long, we don't know... but at the moment, the inmates are no longer running the asylum!

I Wish...

I had at least some news to bring you, instead of just the jokes, music videos and cat / dog things, but the most exciting thing in my life (apart from my upcoming time off) is the fact that I dyed my hair "mystic violet" yesterday.

Apart from that, it's just work, eat, sleep... work, eat, sleep... etc, etc...

I guess there is the fact that Flunky & I are alone at the moment because the boss is away on a secret mission for 3 weeks (he's been a week away already). I've managed to resist beating up Flunky so far, but it's been a near thing once or twice... If he refers to me as "my secretary" once more, I will not be held responsible for my actions!

And that's really it... What a boring life I lead...

Today I Have Mostly Been...

... er, coughing and blowing my nose, actually.

Boss went away today (comes back Thursday sometime), and Flunky & I have spent the day comparing symptoms (he's got this cold too) and arguing over who is closest to dying (er, me).

At the moment I'm sitting with a steam bottle thing beside me filled with hot water and some menthol crystals, and I'm having a tentative sniff at it every so often (it's damn near blowing me heid aff!).

Got a bottle of Benylin for the day time, and some extra strong stuff with paracetamol for night-time use - because I had a crap sleep last night. Was okay for the first while after I laid my book down. Seemed to get off to sleep no bother, and then woke up what I thought would be about 6o'clock... only to look at the clock beside me, which was registering 02:39. After that, I only slept in fits & starts.

Hold on... *sniff* ow, ow, ow... ack, ack, ack! Stupid menthol!

Oh, well... Off for a quick potter around before I take my industrial strength gloop (which is aniseed flavour... ick) and go to bed.

See ya (if I survive the night... lol... *koff*).

The Cat Spot... And A Bit Of General Waffle...

more cat pictures

Whew... That's another Friday the 12+1th over!

Actually *whispers just in case Fate's clock is slow* this Friday 13th hasn't been too bad.

Work was okay... For some reason there was a kind of last-day-before-the-school-holidays vibe going on - which included boss & Flunky having an ongoing elastic band battle, and both of them locking me out of the office and store (combination locks on both doors because it's a shared building) when I went to the loo, and then hiding from me once I got back in. Honestly, sometimes it's like working with The Chuckle Brothers' more annoying little brothers! *rolls eyes*

Shopping tonight.

Oh... yesterday I sold my old mobile phone for £20, so I treated myself to a new album. The Fratellis second album, "Here We Stand" - and I really can't recommend it highly enough! I was a bit worried what it would be like... you know, "second album syndrome" and all that? But it doesn't disappoint! The current single, "Mistress Mabel" is really good, but at the moment my favourite track is "Lupe Brown" - although that might change.

And I had a blast from the past today on our tin-pot local radio station... There's a feature called "The Time Tunnel" (basically a rip-off of Radio 1's "Golden Years" as lovingly presented by Simon Mayo) and they played this, which I've not heard for years...

That was Joshua Kadison and "Jessie"... and I loved that song when it was released.

Well, I guess I'll bugger off now and get ready for bed, because I've already been getting very strong hints from Harriet that it's time for sleep!

Wrll, I'vr Had A Peoductivr Aftrenoon...

It's brrn so boeing hrer at woek this aftrenoon that I'vr ersoetrd to clraning my drsk - rvrn taking all thr krys off my kryboaed and clraning thrm individually.

Hang on... somrthing's not eight hrer... Oh, buggre... I know what I'vr donr...

*Swaps the "E" and "R" keys the right way round*

Hello? There... That's better!

Yes, as I was saying (or trying to) - I finally had enough of the boss complaining that my desk was needing cleaned (you should see his! Except you can't - not for all the piles of paper that's on it!), that I washed it, everything on it - even taking all the keys off my keyboard and polishing them with some evil-smelling foam stuff for cleaning office equipment... and now it feels really strange to type on it!

Well, you've not had a general waffle post from me for quite some time, have you? That's mainly because I've not really had anything worth generally waffling about. Work's been generally boring... except we've got a new part-time member of "staff" at the moment... a furry one... The boss has just got a new dog - not a puppy, she's about 7 months old... and she's gorgeous! She's a samoyed, and is just like a huge teddy, or a sheepskin rug on legs. As distractions go, she's pretty cute. At the moment, they can't really leave her at home alone, so when the boss' wife is at work too, the dog comes to us. My cats aren't that impressed though when I go home smelling of dog!

Weather's still bonny here - very rare for May. That's a good couple of weeks we've had now without rain. Hope we don't pay for this in July & August... especially August when Viki's here... Really don't want rain then, thank you very much!

Still loving the new house. Still not got very much further unpacking and things, but most of the boxes down behind my couch are to go up in the attic, and I need a big, strong man to help with that.

And that's really it.

Well, it's half past 4 now, and we've been shut for half an hour (we close at 4pm on a Saturday now), so I'm going to bugger off and get a coffee, have a wander round the shops, and then home.

I'll probably end up watching The Eurovision Song Contest tonight - yes, I am that sad! Come on... United Kingdom, Nul Points... PLEASE!

Okay... See ya laters!



ps. I hadn't REALLY put the "E" & "R" keys on the wrong way around... that was just for comic effect!

Well, I Guess It's Okay To Tell You Now...

But tonight just after 5pm I locked the shop I work in sometimes (increasingly often for the last few months) - the one that sells paper and pens and stuff like that, not the one that sells cable and fuses and stuff - for probably the last time I'll ever do it...

No, I've not been fired... I've not resigned... But the shop's been sold. Finally the various lawyers have got their collective acts together, and the deal's done. The shop's closed for stock-taking over the weekend and Monday, and the new owner takes over from Tuesday.

And it's a case of mixed emotions for me... Sometimes I really hate (or I guess hateD... past tense) working in the shop - being there when I could have been getting on with stuff up in the office, for instance - but I enjoyed being in the centre of town, where you see a lot more people than hidden away in an office on the industrial estate. And I like serving people - when I'm selling something like paper and pens... stuff that I'm confident in my ability to sell... not stuff like cable and stuff that can kill if you give someone the wrong thing!

Believe it or not, I'm actually not a confident person at all... I really struggle face-to-face with people and if you met me in real life, I would probably just clam up and be really insecure - until I got to know you (give me about 5 years). So working in the shop and talking to people all day, with nowhere to hide, has been really good for me - and I think I'm not too bad at it... I'm polite... I try to have a joke with those customers that will joke back (without causing offence, of course)... I'm friendly... I try to be helpful... and I try to serve the customers in a manner that they feel comfortable with (efficient and with minimum chattering for the businessmen - smiling and ready to discuss the weather, health, family, etc. for Joe or Josephine Public... always remembering that some of the people coming in maybe only come into town once a week, and sometimes just really want another human to talk to).

LOL... I've just read that bit back, and it kind of sounds like I'm at an interview and have just been asked "So, what do you think you could bring to the position of sales assistant?"!

But anyway, that's my news... My boss sells the shop, and I'm back to only having to wear 2 hats - Office Manager, and occasional Sales Assistant (Electrical) if Boss or Flunky aren't around... like tomorrow... from 8am (so I probably shouldn't hang around here much longer, being as I've just looked at the clock, and it's 20 to 1!).

Erm... I'll probably catch you at some stage tomorrow and give you any other news I can think of, and my plans for the weekend (which don't include Easter Monday off, unfortunately... Grrrr).

Cheerio for now!

One Of Those Days...

Another 8am start today, because 2 of our staff were away (not bad, you might think - but that only leaves 2... to look after 2 places... and the boss couldn't start until half past 9). So, up at the office for the first hour & a half, then a takeaway coffee (extra large gingerbread latte... yum) grabbed from the local Starbucks, and off to the shop to open it at 10am (an hour later than usual) - where the problems started in earnest...

Had just got the place all opened and went to put the money in the till - I had one single solitary pound coin, and no fivers! And I was alone in the shop, and the boss alone at the office, so I stuck the lock on the door again and dashed to a couple of shops across the street to beg some change - and thankfully they came to my rescue!

Then I tried to phone out... and discovered we had no phone line in or out! Phoned boss (on my mobile), and he spent about 20 minutes on the phone to B* (censored to preserve anonymity ;^D), eventually getting a promise that they would sort the problem out... which they eventually did - but that wasn't to be my last dealing with them today...

More problems with call centres this afternoon - this time X***x, because our photocopier wasn't working properly, and I wanted an engineer... Instead, I got some twonk in a call centre (probably in Delhi or somewhere) who told me to take a little stick with a pad on the end of it and poke it in and out of 4 little holes (I know where I'd have liked to have stuck it!) to clean some of the internal gubbings... which sorted the original problem - but left me with "ghosting" and double images on my copies... Twonk's reaction? "Just keep copying, Miss Alison... It'll get better."

Phoned the boss, who said "Phone them back and tell them we pay a fortune for maintenance, and we want a bloody engineer!" - Spoke to a woman this time, who was a lot more helpful, and there should be an engineer with us tomorrow afternoon.

Then, just before 5pm, I had to phone B* again to try to pay a bill... and I sat in a queue for 12 minutes... Gave up, got the shop closed up at 5pm, and then tried again - eventually getting through after 15 minutes again... but couldn't get the bloody bill paid because of some problem related to this morning's problem!

Why do big companies like those 2 employ numpties!?

But I had a numpty moment today too... I posted a birthday present to my friend in Hungary exactly 3 weeks ago, and I was getting really worried as to why she hadn't got it yet. I discovered today - When I addressed the parcel, I forgot to write "Hungary" in the address! I wonder how many countries it had visited before it got to her!?

Well, I think that's my rant over with for today... So - how was your day?

(Beep)ing Hell!

Been at work today all alone, up at the store, from (beep) 8o'clock this morning... and it's been one of those days where it's been busy but not very productive in the cash sale stakes (beep). I've reeled off 50+ metres of cable - 12 metres of which was 10mm² twin & earth - and everyone who came in was asking for (beep) weird and wonderful things.... "Got any grommets?"... "I'm needing glands"... "Clips"... - or, if it was something simple, we didn't have it in stock!

(Beep) My brother picked me up after work, and we had a quick run round the supermarket for one or two things each of us forgot last night - and I've got (beep) popcorn coz I'm planning to watch a DVD in a bit... "Fantastic Four - The Rise Of The Silver Surfer". Oh, yes - I can actually WATCH telly again... I got some muscle (beep) on Thursday night, and my TV from up here is now down in the living room - it's a bit of a comedown, because it's only a 24" at most, and the other one was a 28" widescreen, but at least it's a TV, and it WORKS... and there's no annoying loud buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz with it like my other one (which has a transformer buzz or something - crap SHARP telly) (beep).

Well, did you win a share of the £96million last night? I didn't... hence the fact I was at work today, and I'm here tonight, and not sunning myself and sipping champagne on my own (beep) private yacht. Still, there's always tonight - £6million would do to start with...

The rest of the week's not been that exciting - just me and Flunky at work (beep), except when I've been down at the shop (mainly just dinnertimes).

Oh! I'm actually socialising next weekend... after my 5 hour marathon exam on Friday, I'm going along an ex-colleague who's up for the weekend and having tea with her and another girl I worked with... and they've got the wine in already! And then (after a day off on Saturday... yippee! (beep)), Saturday night the 3 of us and another couple of folks are going out for a drink... so my poor liver will be taking a battering for the first time in ages - probably nearly a year. I'm a bit worried how out of practice I am - these days one of those Bacardi Breezer-type things (beep) usually lasts me two nights because I fall asleep before it's done the first night. So, in a minute, I'm going downstairs for some spring rolls and a can of wine (yes, a can... Lidl had them last night, so I thought I'd give them a try - a semi-sparkling white wine in a can). I'll report back tomorrow on what they tasted like, and if I fell asleep before I drank the whole of (beep) the first.

Right, I'm buggering off now... What's that? (beep)... "What's the beep, Ally?"... Well, when the muscle connected up the telly to the Sky dish, etc downstairs, he didn't get the DVD player working, so my brother came in tonight after the supermarket to set it up so I could watch my film... and as he was leaving, he reached up in the hallway, and pushed the button on the smoke alarm, setting it off, and scaring the crap out of poor Harriet. And then the stupid smoke alarm's spent the last 10 - 15 minutes after he left going "beep" every couple of minutes. Not that he heard... he'd legged it out the door going "It'll stop eventually"!

Actually... I think it might have... but don't tell him that!

The View From The Office Window Today...

A white world (taken with a phone camera through a dirty, steamy window)...

Last night we had hailstones... this morning when I peeked out the curtains at home, the ground had a couple of inches of snow, and falling from the sky was a steady, slow, leisurely curtain of those really small, fluffy and really pretty snowflakes.

As I mentioned yesterday, we were supposed to be shut for stock-taking yesterday and today, but that didn't happen. Well, the snow would have stopped half our counters getting into work anyway - we had to shut the shop after all because the lass was stranded in the country. Unfortunately, my taxi (only just) managed to get me up to the office, where I had to stay while the boss spent 90% of the day away on some errand or another. Not that it was busy... we might as well have stayed shut. But, hey, it IS my paid Saturday, so I shouldn't complain.

Boss is away next week - I've got Monday and the start of Tuesday in the shop, then I'm in the office the rest of the time, apart from college on Wednesday morning... Honestly, it's a job to know where I am half the time just now!

Well, I'm just about to bugger off for something to eat, and to check my lottery numbers... and then I think a DVD and a glass of something vaguely alcoholic, maybe. Catch ya later...

The Best-Laid Plans Of Mice And Companies...

All too often go completely and utterly all to cock!

Today should have been a really busy day at work - we were meant to be shut today and tomorrow for stock-taking, but that's had to be put off for a week or two (due to circumstances outwith our control). I was meant to be left all alone up at the office, entering all the figures on to the computer, while 5 or 6 others counted stuff down at our shop. Instead, I've been in the shop all day, which has been quiet - partly because there was an advert in the paper saying we were shut, and partly because the weather's been rotten today and people have been staying home in droves (in fact, there's a light dusting of snow / hail outside now - We made it through December & January with only frost, but first day of February - bam! we get snow!).

And then, when that was over (and without saying too much), things should have fallen into place, and this should have been a very good weekend for the firm - but that's all on hold at the moment.

Boss goes away on Sunday for a week or so - So it'll just be me and Flunky up at the office.... Oh, joy(!) And there's another spanner in the works for a week or two - that I'm going to be left to explain to people!

It's really not been much fun the last few weeks at work - just hope that light up ahead is daylight at the end of the tunnel... and not the train coming at us at great speed!

Not much other news from the last week - just the same old crap.

Eeeeeeeek!

It's hard to believe it's been nearly a week since I've been on here to do anything more than post the daily music video, but it's been a busy week - but here I am with a potted summary of the past 7 days....

Sunday night & Monday night I watched cop drama "Messiah: The Rapture", without the yummy Ken Stott this time - but with the just-as-yummy Marc Warren. Didn't enjoy it quite so much as previous ones, but I think your gritty detectives are always better played by Scots... Think about it - Taggart, Cracker, Red Metcalfe (Ken Stott's copper) and Mike Walker (David Hayman) from "Trial & Retribution" are surely 4 of the best cops on telly (okay, Cracker's not strictly a copper, but still...). *

* Yes, the fact that I fancy 3 of those 4 may cloud my judgement just a teensy tiny bit, I guess....

Tuesday was at my Counsellor after work... She's given me a book that we're going to work through now - "Mind Over Mood" - which is part of this cognitive behaviour therapy or whatever it's called. So now I get homework from her as well!

I was a doofus on Tuesday and Wednesday night too... Tuesday night I put on the heater when I came home, but the place just didn't warm up any. Wednesday night, I turned on the heater, and turned it up a bit - and noticed with shock that there was no heat at all coming out of it! I cursed my boss up hill and down dale for buying cheap shit heaters, and sent him a text complaining that it had stopped working after only a few months and that I'd be bringing the damn thing back the next day!

Well, Thursday morning I went to unplug the heater... only to discover that the plug was about 4mm out of the socket! Then I remembered - when I came home on Tuesday night, I'd been going through to the kitchen, and I'd tripped over the cable... and it must have pulled it out just far enough to cut the power! I pushed the plug in again, and was met with a blast of hot air! So I had to go to work and confess my dingusity to my boss!

So, what else has happened this week? Not a lot really... just work, college, bad weather, and the usual shit.

Working tomorrow from 8am (yuk), and I'm all on my own up at the office.

Well, I guess that's about it, so I'll end now coz my brother's coming to get me soon to go shopping - and then I'm going down to his for haggis and clapshot... Yummy!

Probably see you the morn at some stage!

I Could've Done With One Of These Today...

Yep, a magnifying glass - Then it wouldn't have mattered that I was halfway to work (only just on time) in the taxi when I realised that the glasses I've worn for the last 20 years were still sitting by the bed... and I wouldn't have had to move my monitor (thank god it's a TFT) down off its riser and down on to the desk just behind the keyboard (about 12 inches away from my nose), just so that I could see it!

It didn't help that my working day for today was changed about 3 times in the last 24 hours...

First, I was to be coming in at 8am (because the boss was to be off), then go down to the shop at dinnertime, closing where I was... to let the almost ex-shopgirl go and do something to help out the boss' wife, and then stay there.

Then, yesterday, our almost ex-shopgirl texted the boss to say that she wasn't well (hmm... so it's not just us that have to deal with that, then) and she'd "try" to come in today. Boss arranged someone else to do her shift at the shop, and told her she wasn't needed - so I was to be at the office all day, instead of just til dinnertime (Are you keeping up with this?).

And then, last night I got a text from the boss to say he'd got his dates in a mucking fuddle and it's only NEXT Saturday he's away... so, if I wanted, I could come in at half past 9 (my usual time if I'm in the office). What a choice... get up in the dark and shuffle into work for 8am, or have an extra hour and a half in bed... (You can guess what I did).

Managed to get a good lot of catching up done (even having to peer and squint at the monitor) - and had the usual round of the boss' mix-ups to sort out... which took til dinnertime just to get the bank reconciliations sorted - and that was only for about a week! You can imagine what things were like when I came back after a month last December!

Oh - and I actually get 2 days in the office next week! Monday and Tuesday one of our ex-shopgirls (it was her who worked today) is going to help us out coz she's home for a while from college! Woo-hoo!

Well, I think that's me... I'm off for some food, and to find something half decent on telly. Might see you tomorrow if I can be arsed...

Hanging On In There...

That's 2 days I've made it through! Only 4 more to survive before I get one day off... and then another 6... and this having to cover the shop really isn't helping matters. As long as I'm down there, there's so much up at the office I can't get doing.

I was up at the office first thing today so that I could do the wages, but I'd not even started them before the boss was on the phone (for he was down in the shop) asking when I'd be down for he needed to do something back up at the office.

So, I made it down to the shop about 12o'clock, let the boss go, with the promise that he'd come back "just after 1pm" to let me go for lunch... He arrived at 10 to 2 (like yesterday) - funny how shopgirl HAD to go for dinner on the dot of 1pm, isn't it? Oh, and he told me I'd be pretty much "guaranteed my Saturdays" until we get a new shop-assistant... In other words, not a chance of a weekend off! Sort of Ex-Shopgirl is still going to be doing some Saturdays for us, but this weekend I'll be up at the office attempting to cram 5 days' work into one day - as well as trying to fathom out what the boss has done to "help" while I've been down the shop, and fix his mistakes!

My feet have got back into shop mode anyway... they hurt like hell - and it's not like the soles of them... it's the tops, and it seems to be in the bones... and it's sore...

Well, that's about all for my moan for the day - going to let the cats in now (funnily enough, Harriet was in all last night, and there was no way she was going outside that door before I went to work... just in case I didn't let her back in again). Oh, NO! I've just noticed something... It's raining outside... meaning soggy moggy cuddles! Yukkie!

G'night...

The Last Few Days...

... have been utter shit, frankly.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday were all spent going back and fore to the counter at work and repeating the following phrases ad infinitum:

"I'm sorry, the boss is away until Monday"
"No, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know what you need to do that job"
"No, your order isn't here yet... and I can't find out because the boss isn't here"
"I'm sorry... I just don't know..."
"I don't think we have those... but I don't know..."
"Can you come back on Monday?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I just can't help you... I'm sorry..."

Plus I had the boss' wife complaining "Why did *boss' name deleted* let Flunky have time off when he was away as well?" - Erm, try the fact that Flunky booked his time off months ago, and boss only decided about a week before he went that he was going!

Boss turned up about dinner time yesterday, with the news that he's been successful in what he was away doing... so now his enthusiasm and commitment to his business will be even LESS than what it's been the last few months. Things are afoot... I'll tell you when it's safe to.

And shopgirl finished officially on Friday... she's still going to do Saturdays, I think - when she's not got a party or a migraine, that is. Meaning I'm in the shop tomorrow... and Tuesday (except dinner time when I come up to do the wages)... and Wednesday... and Thursday... and Friday... and maybe Saturday... and a few hours on Sunday... and Christmas Eve...

Watched "The Simpsons Movie" last night - very funny.

A bit of a shock tonight... My brother had phoned to see if I wanted to come down for dinner, because he was having haggis, and was making a big pot of clapshot. So, he said he'd come up for me about 7pm. I was pottering here on the computer at 6:35pm when the doorbell rang. I went to answer it, thinking that was him early - and there was a policeman stood outside. He explained that there had been a "serious sexual assault" not far from here about half past one this morning, and they were doing door-to-door enquiries to see if anyone had heard anything. I was asleep by that time, so I heard nothing, but I hope they catch the bastard very soon. In the meantime, the officer said to keep the doors locked - just as a precaution. This is Orkney, for god's sake... things like that don't happen here!

Had dinner with my brother, spent a while watching telly there, and then home via a dark bit out of the town looking for this comet again... but we didn't find it.

Well, I'll skedaddle now because it's later than it looks, and also because it's frosty again tonight and my fingers are frozen.

'night!

3 Days In Hell - Day 1...

And so it starts....

It is 8am, I've just arrived at work (an hour earlier than usual), and I'm here all alone for the next 3 days.

Boss and Flunky are both away 'til Monday meaning I've got to man the phones, deal with customers who expect to speak to someone who knows absolutely everything about wiring, put up with sarcastic sparkies who'll hang around just to take the piss... and I won't get any lunch break or chance to escape the place until 5pm.

It was dark when I came in... It's still only getting light now... I'm tired... I want to cry... I want to go home... and I just know I'm going to have all those customers grumping because there's no one technical here, and the light they ordered 3 months ago still isn't here yet...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

Merry Dancers - Update...

Photo taken by local astronomer John Vetterlein and shown on our local newspaper website... This is what the sky above Orkney looked like last night...

My brother & I didn't see it quite as bright as this, but it was beautiful all the same.

And there was a "smudge" in the sky as well that we couldn't decide what it was - my brother even suggesting it might be Raxacoricofallapatorius (which I'll leave it to Doc to explain what that is). Well, it seems it was a comet - Cool!

Anyway, it's been a not bad day today - was still really frosty when I went to work this morning (and judging by just how cold it is now - I'm sitting wearing fingerless gloves, which aren't helping to keep my fingers warm at all, and a Santa hat to warm my frozen bonce - it's frosty again tonight).

And where was work this morning? Down at the bloody shop again, that's where! I got a text from the boss at about 20 past 8 to inform me that shopgirl was going to be off with a migraine again (I wonder what her new employers will make of all the absences?), and could I do the shop?

So, my working day went as follows:

9am - Down to the shop, rushed off my feet with customers, until...
11:30am - Boss comes down to let me go up to the office to do the wages, but he has to be away again by 1pm
11:45am - I get up to the office, do the wages, and eat something as I'm working
12:30pm - Back down to the town, nipping into the cafe for a Starbucks gingerbread latte
12:45pm - Back to the shop to let the boss go... stuck there rushed off my feet with customers until...
5pm - I finally get the door shut! Woo-hoo!

If I'd had to smile sweetly and say "Can I help you?" to one more person I would have flipped and the men in white coats would be "coming to take me away, ha ha"!

I don't know what's going to happen if shopgirl decides to have another day sick this week, because tomorrow boss is away and it's just me and Flunky up at the office... and then Thursday, Friday and Saturday it's JUST ME because both boss AND Flunky are away (not at the same place). If she does insist she's sick, then boss says "We'll just have to shut the shop". (I'm resisting the urge to say "What about his wife?")...

Well, it's 25 to midnight now, I'm cold, and I'm going to go to beddy-byes. I might even watch a bit of "Shrek 3" if my TV's working (with the cold at the moment, when I switch on the TV, I get sound but no picture... and it can take like 4 hours for the picture to appear - just great... another part of my life going down the toilet). If the TV's not working properly, I'll listen to one of the music channels for a bit.

Night, night...

End Of Dilemma...

Well, my dilemma from yesterday has been sorted... and it was only a dilemma because I forgot to bring my glasses with me to work on Saturday.

I rechecked the date and time on the print out I took of the file properties and, it would appear that right clicking on the file in Windows Explorer and clicking "Properties" counts as ACCESSING the file - because I never noticed that the date said "8th December" and not "6th December". So that was the "Last Access" for the file - me checking the last time it was accessed! Stupid Microsoft!

I'm glad I didn't go and wave the paper under his nose triumphantly.