Members' News

Two pieces of good news here.

At lunchtime I went to eat with Reg as he had a long lunch break, and my dessert was served with... a SPORK !!! :biggrin:

Oh and Squatter has finally found himself a job, he starts in a couple of weeks. So, all he has to do now is leave. Fast. Or else.

Yaaaaay! (Please don't kill the squatter before his first day on the job! That would just be too ironic) :tongue:

Still unemployed aaaarrrrggghhhhhh... every recruitment agency in the known universe must have my C.V.
Y'know I have a paranoidily* sneaking suspicion that some on-line agencies have fake job listings to make their portfolios appear better/fuller than they are as there seem to be plenty positions that would suit me but very few folks getting back to me (ah well maybe I should practice patience but it ain't easy when you're skint and the Sky TV has been turned off...Boo Hoo...)

Arrgghhh (reprise).

Anyway
Kat - good news on the stig-of-the-sofa front...and sporks rule!

Missy - I know it's easier said than done but take no shit.
Basic rights at work

Cheers

R.

p.s. I'm working on an Alan's Space type of thing - you are all more than welcome to visit me there (note: there is very little on it at the moment - except for some pics and disjointed ramblings).
Alan's space

*If ye cannie find a word - make wan up.

Missy,

Hope you don't mind me butting in, I'm a Newbit.

I have been skimming the 'Members' Board' and it seems as though youre having a really rough time.

The link that Randywine provided is good. I don't want to be nosey, but if there is a recognised union operating with your company I would join. If not have you tried contacting an outside organization that may be able to help. Even if its to have a second pair of eyes and ears.

With regards to your ref of sick pay - if you mean Statutory Sick Pay then if it has expired you should be able to apply for Incapacity Benefit from the Department of Work & Pensions - It's not based on earnings, but your National Insurance Contributions or credits.

Anyway I'm another pair of willing ears, er eyes!

Best wishes

Rewr

I'm in Philly, I'm having a great time, I met with Brad and Inna, turned out Brad and me are related via hot dogs and Inna and me via our grandmothers' reincarnations and, once again, I am walking around town like it's going out of fashion.

Sadly, internet access is not available. No Kinko's near my place of abode so news will be few and far between.

BA! e-mail me.

Is there still a chicken in our mutual future? :smile:

At the moment I'm at work watching the river that runs along side the site rising rapidly and spreading out across the flood plain on the other side. It now looks to be 3-4 times it's normal width and it's creeping up the wall that protects our side of it. And it's not high tide yet for another hour! We don't actually expect to be flooded but there is a slight possibility so we be watching the water closely.

It is an impressive sight though and I wish I had a camera.

Well it has been a while since I posted any news, James and I were in a Halloween costume party where neither of us won, he was Shaun of the Dead and I was the Bridesmaid of Frankenstein. I wore my bridesmaid dress from my sister's wedding 21 years ago, I'm just amazed it fit again, we had an amazing evening, but then he broke up with me, yup I was robbing the cradle for a bit, there is a twenty three year age difference. We are still friends and actually have been spending about as much time together as ever. Ty Knows James and my other friend Tim, we have a very poly relationship.
Last Friday I had a pickup accident, it had snowed and the road was icy and I lost control, went into the ditch on the opposite side of the road, taking out mile marker 183 and ended upside down. I was wearing my seat belt and was able to unhook it and then I shut the truck off turned the key back on to roll the window down and crawled out just as my rescuer came. Steve Potts works to arrrange the raw potato deliveries and maybe purchases too.
He had a cell phone and helped me a lot. I went on to work with him, made phone calls including one to the paper James works for, but he didn't get to take pictures, if I had had a cell he might have been able to get there. After there was no one else to call I went to work, then that evening I got hold of my ex and at first he sounded helpful, even offered to let me use his car but in the end he took the money from the insurance and left me with no vehicle. When I told my folks about his offer to use his car they told me they would bring their second car to me that evening, so I was driving a Lincoln town car for a few days. James had me come over that evening and watch Little Miss Sunshine with him. we also tried out a couple of two person games he had, Lost Cities and Pecking order. Pecking Order is fun.
I worked a lot and did some karaoke and Tim and I have decided he can come live in my RV-Bus. He is having a rough time right now.
Yesterday my folks came, and took me car shopping, I am now driving a silver 2005 PT Cruiser, the fancy model. I just hope I am good enough at the new job I get to try at the plant to keep it. The two dollar an hour raise might let me afford the car. It is a Process operator job, they are going to let me run the equipment,scary huh?
Last night was game night,I got to choose and I chose Trivial Pursuit, I won two games, I know I have an unfair advantage and they probabaly won't play with me anymore either. Next week it is Mike's turn, I don't know what he'll pick. He's a hoot in a place he's happy to be in, at work he just sits alone and quiet. Any way that's most of my news,I'm sure there has been more stuff but that is all for now.

Goodness Tamyra, thank God you are alright!

my neck was a little sore for a couple of days but nothing else hurt, except my pride

Ooooh a silver PT cruiser, I'm so jealous ! Good luck with the new job and glad to here the crash wasn't serious...

Glad to hear you were not too badly injured.

Some numpty ran into the back of me 3 weeks ago, and I'm still feeling it.
What didn't help was the fact I had the cold last week - I got into quite a good pattern of sneeze, groan, sniffle, sneeze, groan, sniffle:lol:

Bit ignorant here but what is a PT cruiser? Could you suggest a website where I can get a looksie?

I was very excited that my latest car has 5 gears, working radio, oh and a nice indicator ticktock that doesnt sound as if its coming from the glove box! For those that know about cars its a Ford Fiesta Zetec. Tis the first decent car I have owned, the previous ones were wee rust buckets (i.e. remaining life span 2 - 3 years)!

Wish you the best of luck in your new job, and lots of enjoyment in your new car.

Yikes, Tamyra - what a week! Enjoy your new cruiser :smile:

Thanks guys it was a weird week, the fact that I no longer have that financial connection to Jon is very good, the fact that the truck is gone still feels very bad.
The job fell through, Julie decided to stay, so they don't need me to do that job. I started "shadowing" one of the operators this morning but at first break I found out about Julie staying,so I went back to my coldroom, Luckily I got my new hooded sweatshirt and had a longsleeve shirt in my locker, or I would have more than a cold right now.
I Googled PTCriuser and came up with a link to the Chrysler PTCruiser webpage and their PTcrusier club. The body style hasn't changed drastically since they started making them in 2001, so you can get a pretty good idea of what mine looks like, it is a retro wedged shaped multi use vehicle. Sort of a cross between a stationwagon, a minivan and an suv, but sorta little.
It is beginning to sound like I'll actually be a "land Lady" Tim thougt he solved his living problem when he got his "new" 1968 Plymoth Valiant, he wanted so badly to stay with his friends in Bemidji, but he said he was getting a strange vibe from them, so he may really be converting my bus into living space. That is okay by me I could use someone around the place to keep me going.

Ah, a Chrysler, I have seen them (not so ignorant after all)! There are a few running round here. Nice looking car.:smile: I prefer smallish cars. I don't think I'd go any larger than the Fiesta size.

When I was looking for a new car (new to me), my dad came with me. It took ages for him to understand that yes, I looking for a small car, but with a big boot (trunk). He still fails to understand my way of thinking - alas when mum & I have a shopping day together we tend to leave him at home, I think that may be the problem!

Any way I ramble, as I said before its a lovely looking car, and I wish you the best of health to enjoy it.

I still haven't been paid for October. The pay should have been sent out on the 5th at the latest, I am 800€ overdrawn, and my boss is either an idiot, an a-hole, or both. I'm going to ask him to fire me by the end of the month, I have had enough of this, I might have put up with this when I was a beginner and desperate for work, right now I'm not, I know what I'm worth, I know other companies will be interested, so I'm not hanging around. Dammit.

Sounds like an a-hole, Katcal. Get away before he starts trying to string you along for a future invisible pie.

I think only Ba would be fooled so easily by invisible pie, he's such a sucker.

Kat get your money and run.

In more bad news for the board my grandfather died this morning after a long and debilitating illness... So now I'm in that sad and releived place which is a weird limbo and I feel guilty about it. The funeral is next monday ...

Ahh Spiky I'm so sorry for your loss, sad and relieved is just what it feels like when you know the pain is gone but so are they, it never feels right to be glad in any way that some one has died but sometimes you just know that death is sometimes the right thing, the only thing that should happen.

Kat get'em, get'em good.

My news is...Kittens!! two orange mackeral tabby tom kittens. They were wating on my doorstep when I got home and my friend Tim called and confessed he'd brought them, the negotiations are on going between the two old cats and the little guys but no cantact has been made yet. Tim named the smaller one with the white ches Bob Denver and I named the bigger one Dave. I suppose I could have named him Weebl, but he just looks more like a Dave

*Toasts virtual marshmallows in invisible fire*

mmmmmm virtual marshmallows.....

Spiky, that's the perfectly normal feeling everyone gets in that case, and no-one knows how to deal with it, it will just wear off after a while. **hug**

Tamyra, lucky you, I'm in a "wannakitteh" state at the moment, although I know that not only it's not a good idea but it's also not a good idea (we're in a 5th floor flat, already have a rabbit and we're thinking of moving off this damned continent soon, so it would also add to moving hassle).

I'm seeing my boss on Thursday, he said he wanted to see me and invited me out to a restaurant (we all work from home, so meet-ups are always cafés or restaurants), so I'm going to go, eat the sushi, listen to whatever he has to say for himself (in a nice, bright, safe public place of my choice) and tell him I want him to fire me while it doesn't cost him or me anything. If I quit, I don't get any unemployment money, and he won't get any of the work I have done, and he needs it, so I'm hoping he'll go for the easy way out. If he doesn't, there are plenty of mean (and perfectly legal) things I can do, the company is in such a state it wouldn't take much to really mess him up, all it would take would be an inspection of one sort or the other... The basic deal is that I'll work 'till the end of the month, finish all the stuff that needs finishing, give him the stuff he needs to continue untill he finds someone new, and in exchange, he fires me, gives me all the money I'm due in good time and all the paperwork for the unemployment agency. We'll see if he's a stupid a-hole or a smart a-hole.

Spiky, my thoughts are with you and your family at this time. It is as Katcal says, everyone feels the way you are at times like this, so please try not to feel guilty. I know easier said than done, guilt is a part of the grief process.

I don't know how to word this correctly... 'the latest death..., my latest experience with grief...' Any way a good friend of the family died last month, the funeral was at the beginning of this month, and it just hit me this morning that Scottie is gone.

Not a good thing when you're cruising at speed into work, and nowhere to stop!

The feeling has petered out! When will it strike again?! When will I be able to cry, feel sad, etc? I'm quite angry at myself, as I know what I'm like when a loved one dies, and at funerals. (Don't think leaky tap, think monsoon)! But things will sort themselves out, so I'm not going to worry or feel guilty.

On a different note good luck Katcal...

I've been lurking round this thread for a bit, and I just wanted to say that my thoughts are with you too, Spiky. It's normal to feel the way you do. It might be easier to try not to think about it and concentrate instead on happier memories.

Rewr, I sympathise, my Grandad died last year, but a month or so ago, someone innocently asked me how he was doing and I just cried for most of the weekend, because it was like I was having to accept it all over again. :sad: I think it just has to be accepted that sometimes this feeling will come back.

On a brighter (or possibly just more discordant) note, I bought baby-sized bagpipes the other day!
I'm hoping it will make a good birthday present for someone...

Good luck Katcal!

I thought they'd banned the hunting of young haggis?

Thanks for the wishes guys, it went relatively well, I got my pay yesterday and once I had it I told him over the phone that I wanted him to let me go at the end of my trial period, and thought that it might be a little unfair to drag him out and get him to pay for a meal before saying that. He was ok with it, and said that if he had suggested we meet up it was because he had the feeling that something wasn't quite right and he wanted to know what it was. So he's still buying me lunch today, and we'll sort out the fine print, but basically, he understands, and is ok about firing me, so that's all done and I feel better already.

Damn you Mal! You beat me to it!

Seriously though, they would come in handy...need something new to help drive the evil spirits out of my house. Well, spirit, really. Ok, brother if I'm to be truthful.
Seriously starting to get to me right now. Do I really have to listen to him rant about our National TV Network's coverage of the Irish leg of the World Rally Tour? For the last two hours? - on a side note, he is still talking but I've stopped listening to him while I'm typing this. -
It's seriously the tip of a very large iceberg and Mr. Titanic is steaming ahead at full speed. God rest all who sail on him, because if he doesn't shut up in the next five minutes, he is going to get the remote control straight in his gob.

Oh yeah, and I managed to get rid of the mould under my stairs :smile: Do you think bleach would work on brothers?....hmmm...

It depends on the concentration of bleach to water that you use. A bleach and acid combo works very well for getting rid of unwanted pests.

I gather he didn't see the lack of pay being a problem!

Congrats - and enjoy your lunch.

Yeah, I'm not sure there's actually anything in there between his greasy ears, I said I had had enough of unstable companies, and that I wanted something I could count on, that I wasn't good at dealing with the stress that comes with that sort of uncertainty. So he said ok, so how about I fire you as you asked for, and then you become a freelance and I'll be your first customer ?
Ok, so what part of "I want something stable and hassle-free that I can count on" don't you get, man ?

Edit: although, that said, the sushi were ok and even the sight of him didn't put me off eating them, so that's one good thing that came out of it...

Well, as long as the sushi was good...

*Hands virtual bagpipes to Maljonic and Mazekin*

Oof! Can't you just tell your brother that you're not interested? Otherwise, bapipes can be very offputting to someone who's trying to rant.
I wouldn't recommend bleach though, it might just dye him white...

Oh, well.. at least you got sushi out of it Katcal.

I am bored and have nothing to do. I don't even have any books to read. Oooh! I know, maybe I'll write Christmas cards!

Nah. For all he drives me completely nuts and makes me want to throttle him to death with the cable from the hoover, smack him over the head with a shovel and bury him benath the concrete floor of our shed (yes, I have thought about it) I do want him to still be speaking to me by the time he moves out. Whenever that may be. We have enough of brother not talking to brother / sister / aunt / cousin / do you know what your Noreen said about our Shaun at Cousin Minty's wedding stuff going on in our family. While it does make lively parties, I do prefer to watch and laugh rather than actually participate. I'm not that good at ducking :smile:

Well Thanksgiving Break is over now and I'm back at school. :sad: The food at home was good though, much better than dorm food. The 8 hour drive wasn't so bad. At least I was in the turning lane when I needed to be, unlike on the way home. The passenger I had on the way home probably thinks I'm a horrible driver because I missed getting in the turning lane twice, but turned anyway because there was no one around and I missed the entrance to the expressway and had to turn around. Oh, I also ran a red light but there was really no way of avoiding that because I was too close to stop when it turned red.
I meant to do some studying over break but that didn't happen so now I have to cram for a quiz tomorrow. Now I must start my countdown to the beginning of Christmas Break...23 days and 11 hours. (No I didn't sit here and calculate that, I have a countdown timer on Facebook that does it for me)

I have a Facebook page too, complete with a Chat(virtual cat) and a virtual christmastree, I might not get my real fake tree fully decorated this year because the kittens climb it and are getting real good at getting ornaments off.

Well The good thing about bootcamp is that it is a finite thing, remember that. Just remember it is just another job.

Airman Ba... It'll take some getting used too. Good thing boot camp will feel like forever so I ave plenty of time to get my head around it.

I'm just back from my Pop's funeral and as usual when the family gets together there was too much alcohol and I had a dirty hang over for the funeral. Which I had to do a speech at but because I only got told this the night before after a lot of alcohol had already been consumed I just winged it. Probably for the best as it's how I do my lectures too...

The highlight of the weekend (especially for my family) was finding an old photo of me when I'm about 2 and I have a front bum. Very embarrassing.

::hugs Spiky::

What's a front bum?

<--strongly suspects of likewise having one at the age of 2. Worries that it might still be around.

I was wondering that too... **strongly suspects she not only has a front bum to this day, but also a back one and at least 2 side-ones**

A front bum is when you have such chubby legs that there is a groove near the top of the front of your thighs giving the impression that you have butt cheeks on the front of your body...

The only reason that such things can be photographed for people to find 20 odd years later is because my parents always seem to leave me naked or partially dressed. I did try to claim abuse but everyone was laughing to hard to listen.

I think it's a prerequesite for every parent to have at least one photograph of at least one of their children in an embarassing pose/state of undress. My parents have two that can be considered embarassing and one that I find embarassing but most people mightn't. I thought I'd destroyed the worst one of them (me aged 2 in a nightdress hiked up under my arms walking down a hall away from the camera, shaking my booty for all to see) but my sister spent weeks sifting through hundreds upon hundreds of old negatives to find the original and get it redone for my 21st birthday party. Oooh yes, that was a fun moment when that got trotted out and handed to my then boyfriend. Helpful hint of the day - when destroying photographic evidence always make sure that you destroy the negatives.

On the bright side of things, I found out last night that HE is moving out! My brother is going! He's even moving town! I'd jump up and cellebrate but I've gotten some kind of a virus which is slowly killing me. Well, that's what it feels like. Headache, temp of 102, double vision, light sensitivity...week off work...sigh. But at least the Brother is leaving. He's leaving everything but his own personal effects and the TV, so that means I don't have to buy furniture or anything. Now all I have to do is pursuade my sister that I don't need to have her plan what I'm going to do to the house when he is gone. I swear, sometimes she forgets that I've been living in this house for the last 4 years and I'm 26, not 6, I have completely different taste than her....

Ba, take care of yourself, man. Best of luck!

Good luck!

I have my mother on my back. I made a mistake when I got my place to leave a spare key (on the key rack) at the parents house. I don't even think it stopped swinging before it was whisked into the abyss my mother uses as a bag!

Every 4 or 5 months I'll come home from work, and my clutter's not there. Instead there is one neat pile... Any mail is left on my chair. Yup mother has been bored. Then there's the phone call 'I noticed that....'.

Tis not an easy thing to say to ones parent to leave things well alone. Have had a few big arguments, which generally start after hours of conversation going round and round in circles, when I blow a fuse and yell 'You are not listening to me, you are not hearing what I am saying...'

Basically what I've been trying to say in polite terms is eff off!:lol:

Should be easier to tell a sibling to butt out...

But damn - family are persistent buggers....

I have tried unsucessfully! But if I move again, there is no spare key. And extra locks being fitted, warning signs at the perimeter - no mothers allowed un-chaperoned.

I've got a cheek to complain - she takes my ironing away!

Tell me about it! That's how my house was furnished! We moved in over Christmas, came back from the first day back at work to find their old three piece suite in our sitting room, three old wardrobes, an old fridge, the manky cooker / hob combo ripped out and an old brown cooker that was kindly donated by one of their friends inserted in the space. Never mind that it was about a foot smaller than the unit they ripped out, leaving a nice (for nice, see manky) untiled gap. I could go on, but it's a pretty long list of greviences, including how my father ripped the shed door off because he wanted a look at our broken lawn mower. It's still off and involves inhuman strength to move to get inside the shed. Which is where the washing machine is housed. Fun Fun Fun.
My clever sister managed to learn from our mistake though, and quite firmly put her foot down saying 'put any of your crappy 30 year old stuff in here and I'll kill you'...which is why she and mom stopped talking for a few weeks after she moved out.
Now, I'm not complaining for the 'help' but it would be nice to know that someone hasn't been going through your things. And I know my dad does have a tendency to root while he's there on his own under the pretence that he lent us a tool and he is looking for it. Caught him red handed more than once, but you can't say anything because...well...he's dad and he gets away with everything

Ouch! At that point I would totally change the locks (because the original key has been lost, naturally), and then forget to make a spare one, repeatedly, because, you know, people can be so forgetful nowdays, what can you do, etc.*



*my parents currently live in Arizona, which is roughly 2500 miles away. Mwahahaha!**


**after I moved out, they remained in the same time zone for about a year, owned a spare key, and only used it ONCE in my absence - to feed the cats, when the cat-sitter bailed unexpectedly. They're unbelievably tactful. But still mwhahahaha! :smile:

Squatter has left, speaking of keys, he should be giving us his back tomorrow when he comes to get his final load of stuff.

Finally.

Alas I would have to change the door. It is actually on my wish (if I ever have the money) list. And I have to give mum credit sometimes - she knows this.

Dad's not too bad. If I ask him to help with something - well I start off saying 'can I borrow your hammer drill...'

And he offers to help. In other words - hands off the boy toys! However I will have everything laid out, normally more than one thing needing done. But he'll sit down after the first thing is done, and switch on the TV!

Er dad - I need to put that rail up too... yes drilling into another outside wall. No, I want this one a foot above the window - we've already discussed this. No I haven't changed my mind - It would look stupid otherwise. A foot - 12 inches (thinks 'if I said 30 cm it 'd just confuse you')!

Yes I'm sure, thats exactly how high I want it - no thats too low. See where I've marked the wall. Let me up - you can hold the ladders. Yes I know I'll end up aggrivating my back, but if you're not going to do it...
Yes ONE FOOT.:neutral:

The bit - its in your pocket, the screws are on the window sill, YES ONE FOOT...

No matter how youngish you may be, parents will always know whats best for you, and your own home, car, work...


Celebratory meal - nah I'd just get the bottle(s) out, later I'd phone for food of some discription...

then
Enter a few illegible posts - (get told off)irate:, make a few phone calls: 'you coming round - 'm celibrating'; 'you're my bestest friend'; 'I love you soooo much'; 'you cheating b...' usual drunken stuff.:lol:

No-one will deliver here, so we had pancakes for main course and banana pancakes for dessert. I have had worse celebratory meals, but pizza would have been so much better. Tomorrow, I shall eat a cheese naan, and think of you Grace...

Right back atcha, babe, straight from my over-full tummy !

These parent stories are making me wonder about the fact my mum is planning on moving into the next suburb over after being safely at a distance of 3 hours away will she turn into a bad smell when she's only 5 minutes drive?

In other news in a feat of clumsiness to rival the cutting off of my finger tip I managed to slice the skin to the side of my knee with a hand saw, requiring three stitches and the god awful task of not bending my knee for a week. It also means that I can't drive and the shit has hit the fan at work but I can't get into the office to sort it out and I also can't access the files from home to sort it out here either...

So I guess I'll write my PhD and watch TV instead. What a shame.

There is worse than parent stories - mother in law....

I know that my dads mother (maysherestinpeace) rearranged the contents of my mums kitchen!
Created a big hooha at the time as my mum is one of those that use/think with the right side of the brain (left handed).

My gran eventually realised that my mum was left handed, and bought her left handed scissors. Mum couldn't use them! She was so used to using right handed ones:lol:.

I could tell you more - especially after we (when I younger), maw, paw and me all returned to the bosom of the family - but I don't want to put the fear of gods into you. All I'll say, is that I'm the black sheep of the family.

Baa

I'm left handed too. I've learned to cope with it and when I get things designed for lefties it often throws me off.

I'm in the process of moving my late grandmother's belongings around and trying to move mine in. I have the opposite reaction to having my mother, sister, and sister-in-law come through and clean, rearrange, and variously organize all of the belongings. After it is over I may re-rearrange some stuff, but otherwise I'm easily pleased. My female family members have a much better sense of style than me anyway.