Friday 31 August 2007

Home is Where the Heart is

As I have blogged before I have ‘issues’ with my current job. The work is mostly easy and I get out of the office when I want to and get to see some beautiful parts of my patch as part of my job. I haven’t even mentioned just how good the pension is. However, I’m not challenged (or not in a good way). I’m bored and I feel like I’m fading in to obscurity.

I went for an interview three weeks ago but I didn’t get the job, however, they are considering me for another, lower paid, position in the organisation. It’s in a sector that I enjoy working in as they end product gives me satisfaction. I’m helping others and helping others is good for my soul.

I always keep my CV on Monster as you never know when a good opportunity will arise. Today I had a phone call. A phone call from the people behind the Olympic Delivery Authority. I hadn’t thought about going back to Civil Engineering, but this would be different. This would be as a client and I like client side work. Also, this is the Big One. It’s the most high profile construction job in this country for a generation.

The last Big One was the Channel Tunnel. There have been some amazing jobs built since then (Jubilee Line Extension, CTRL, Heathrow T5 to name a few) but non have captured the imagination of the country quite like the Tunnel. The Olympics will be this generations show stopper (unless they cock it up on a grand scale…) and I could have the chance to be a part of it, influence the design of the projects, control costs and keep the construction workers safe.

Not to mention the big fat pay rise.

I like the sound of it, I do, but it would mean working in Canary Wharf. I’d be in with the big wigs and the hot shots but 1 ¾ hours door to door from home and the job will be high pressure. If I succeed then future high profile jobs will follow with suitably large pay packets but, as always in this business ,you have to go where the work is and the big, big jobs could mean overseas. 10 years ago I’d have jumped at the chance but I’ve worked with too many guys who have lost their family to the job. Guys with snapshots on their desks of children on once monthly weekend visits to their father. Would that really happen to me……

A weekend to mull over the prospect.

Thursday 30 August 2007

Photo Test (The Cat)

Computers, Pretty Women and Dinosaurs

Well it was a glorious Bank Holiday weekend we have just had. (only a 2 day weekend this week; booooo). As I have said I took the preceding Friday off, which was free as I worked for 4 hours on a Saturday some months ago. Friday was spent catching up on chores which involved moving Wifey’s office from the dining room to one of the spare bedrooms. There comes a time when a room must be decorated and I couldn’t put it off any longer. We also wanted a dining room back as we have a big table and it makes the living room feel a little cluttered.

After much sweet, some blood, no tears but a strained back the office was substantially moved. And then guess what happened. Yes, that’s right, the bloody computer system went up the spout again. It is a long and sorry tale and things are still not resolved as I speak. Apparently it revolves around the DHDP settings and some port forwarding issues. According to BT and the B-i-L it should be resolved today. I hate touching Wifey’s computers as they always seem to break when I touch then, and it’s invariably my fault!

Saturday saw some work on the house; ripping wall paper off the walls, so it was the fun stuff. And then a leisurely wander around town. Wifey had to do some work; she was interviewing a couple of candidates for one of her clients whilst I had tea and pain au chocolate in a great little coffee shop in one of the best cook shops in the whole of the land. It’s so good that even when a high class chain of kitchen shops took it over and gave it a dramatic make over they still kept the name and the original theme of the shop. It was also good as Pickle (the baby) was ogled over by numerous women. Naturally I, as a virile, hot blooded male, sired such a handsome boy!

Wifey was dressing work clothes when we meet up again after the interview, but managed to break the heal off one of her shoes so, barefooted, we set off to by new shoes. This lead to a small shopping spree. So an hour later she was transformed from business suited woman to summer dress and sandal wearing girl. I will have to point out that later in the day Wifey managed to break a strap on her new dress but I will always remember that dress fondly 

Sunday, they was more DIY in the morning followed by an afternoon of Polo at the Sussex Polo Club. It was all very refined drinking cocktails and wine and eating a superb pick nick lunch provided by the sponsors whilst watching the sport of kings. Wifey, as the other ladies present, had a change to recreate their own Pretty Woman moment* by treading in the divots at the end of the game. Mind the steaming divots!

Sunday was hot, really hot and we both got sunburned. We noticed too late that we were both going a little on the pink side, but I’m used to it by now.

Monday and it was the father in law’s birthday, so as a treat we bought him a membership to the Natural History Museum. He loved the present and so, on the 09:04 to Victoria we all headed to the capital. It has been many years since I went to the Natural History museum but I was awed by it this time as I was the last, although the dinosaur in the main hall doesn’t seem quite as big as he did last time I visited. I supposed it goes to show just how much bigger things seem when you are a child. Take Mars bars for instance! I spent Saturday and Sunday really looking forward to going to the museum and I wasn’t disappointed.

The highlight had to be when Wifey saw the sign for the fossil display and said “oh look, we could goes and see the fossils” to which I replied, we don’t need too, we bought the old fossils with us”. The mother in law did eventually see the funny side…..

*I have the photos to prove it and I am debating if I should post it here as I have a shot that doesn’t show her face….

Tuesday 28 August 2007

Elderly Parents

I’ve not got much time, but today, a day that started out so easily and gently (one of the perks of my job) has taken a rapid descent. My father is 75 and has, over the last two years, been getting poorly. He was diagnosed in June with heart failure. Since he want back after his last visit down south he has not stepped out of the house, except to be collected by and ambulance to take him to and fro from the hospital.

He lives 200 miles away and it’s not easy to get up north on a Friday night to see him for the weekend. We make have to take him in with us, which is obviously not ideal.

A myriad of other problems which make the situation more difficult one of which being that he made some very inappropriate comments to my sister in law (even on her and my brothers wedding day). She is black and my brother and I are white (very white and my sunburn this weekend proves that!) and my father does not believe in mixed marriages. Strangely enough she does not want to see or speak to him and, as a consequence, my brother (who lives locally to him) visits very infrequently.

A difficult time.

Tuesday 21 August 2007

Numb Brain

I was going to write a really intellectual post about Learco Chindamo, the killer of Philip Lawrence, and that I believe the ruling of the deportation appeals tribunal to be correct but I’ve just been in a five hour long meeting with one of my bosses and I can’t be bothered to think anymore.

Feel free to disagree on my point of view as I haven’t put up a rational and reasoned argument, my only defence is that I believe we should be looking at the length of his sentence and not the fact he goes back to a country he has not know since he was only five years old.

Monday 20 August 2007

My Colin Firth Moment.

I still haven’t finished off recounting my holiday on a day-by-day basis as yet, but I’m not in the right frame of mind at the moment.

I’m pre-occupied with the trial and tribulations of my everyday life at the moment. I finally finished the spare room, although there are a couple of snags that I’ve got to remedy. It was all a little deflating in the end as the room isn’t as big as I thought it was. I’m sure I’d measured everything accurately (what with being an engineer and everything) but alas no. The room is too small to fit the side table by the bed I had envisaged so the double bed takes up a large proportion of the room.

Wifey and I went in to Crawley on Saturday afternoon to go to B&Q and to pick up some curtains. The day was not good, I don’t like Crawley at the best of times, but they do have an excellent shop that sells decent curtains at bargain prices and the B&Q has a better choice than my local Homebase. We decided to park at B&Q and walk in to the town centre but it drizzled on the way in and Wifey got her hair wet (which is a major concern to most of the ladies out there) and looked a little on the drowned rat side. She was not a happy girl.

A little of a weekend ritual is our weekend coffee shop stop and Saturday was no exception. The Costa in Crawley has the best Barrista I have ever seen working there. The man is lightening quick and always makes a great Mocha! I like to watch people who are both good at their job and take a pride in their work. This man certainly does. As does the lady who helped us choose our curtains; she was so good I am tempted to write to her head office and tell them how good she was.

When it was time to go home I, like a true gentleman, offered to go and get the car and pick Wifey up from the town centre. I got soaked to the skin and turned up to collect Wifey with my shirt stuck to my skin (although I don’t think I had the same effect as Colin Firth when he started wandering around in a wet shirt).*

Sunday came and the baby, henceforth known as Pickle, was being an absolute pain in the arse! More decoration to the spare room was undertaken followed by our weekly trip to Brighton to let some paint dry. I love Brighton and would happily move there but Wifey wouldn’t. It’s only 20 minutes away I love the atmosphere there and a stroll on the sea front always cheers me up. I love it in the winter and the sea is fierce, Wifey, like to be inside in the warm, next to an open fire.

Back home and Pickle and I fought over his dinner. I could have cheerfully sold him in to slavery yesterday…….. It was then non stop until 8pm when Pickle was in bed and food and wine were on the table. Oh, and I watched Hot Fuzz on DVD. I loved it and it even made Wifey chuckle. So we can both recommend it.

Now Monday is here and it’s back to work. I am meeting with one of my two bosses tomorrow. Not the big one though as he is on holiday, but all the same I have to run around ensuring everything is ‘ship shape’.

I doubt I’ll be able to post tomorrow, but may be more on Wednesday.

*I wish I'd written the post after I'd thought of the title - I might have made more of my Colin Firth moment....

Friday 17 August 2007

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

Well, I’ve just had the dreaded phone call. I was right. I don’t have the relevant experience and I really bombed on my numerical reasoning test. Although, on a positive note, my verbal reasoning test was described as ‘excellent’.

I knew this was going to be the case. Please don’t call me pessimistic, I am a realist. I read the situation well and knew they were looking for someone that was doing the same job already.

However……

Apparently I made a really good impression and they would like to consider me for another role within the organisation. The role actually pays less than my current salary, but it would mean future career prospects. We talked about salary and the Director in charge is going to have a think about it and get back to me in a couple of weeks.

Yet again I have my fingers crossed.

Thursday 16 August 2007

This period of my life, abreviated

I still haven’t finished telling you all about the holiday yet, but time is short at the moment.

By day I have to work and by night I have a house to renovate, a baby to look after and then hopefully some me time veged out on the sofa with Wifey and a cat or two. Tonight I’ll be under coating the wood work in one of the bedrooms, so that’ll be 8 pm by the time I’ve finished and washed my brush, they I’ll have to clean my self up, tidy the house and sit down for something to eat about 9, just in time to watch House.

Nothing much interesting is happening at work at the moment, nothing to really get my teeth into, just mundane stuff that I don’t enjoy and as a consequence, not very good at. I keep flitting back to the fact that I should hear on Friday if I’ve made it through to the next round of the interview process of the potential new job.

I’d love to say things will be different soon, but no. After the bedroom I’m going to have to move Wifey’s office from the dinning room to one of the spare bedrooms and then start decorating the dinning room (which is currently wall papered in pink flock). Working in construction things will take time to change at work also (unless I get the new job)

I may post more later but I’m just off to read a Housing Strategy Document… What fun.

Wednesday 15 August 2007

The Assessment Centre

Yesterday I went to an Assessment Centre for a new job.

I think that, although the day was difficult, I have two advantages over the other candidates
1) I turned up on time
2) I turned up at all

Yes, That’s right of the six people supposed to be attending, one was on holiday, two dropped out the day before and of the three of us left one arrived an hour and three quarters late and the other four and three quarter hours late.

The company who were doing the interviewing were not amused. I stopped over night in a hotel nearby and arrived promptly at 8:45am. I am so good sometimes.

I will find out on Friday if I have been invited to the next stage of the assessment process. I have many positive things going for me but there are a couple of negatives. Firstly I don’t work in the industry in which they operate. I work on the periphery of this industry and the type of company I have gone for a job with are normally my customers. In short I understand what they do it’s just that I don’t have all the technical skills to actually do it. However, at this level of the job I would have a team of people who can do the technical stuff for me.

Secondly, I really bombed out on my numerical reasoning test. I had a small mental breakdown. My brain just gave up and went home. It wanted to take me with it, right out of the door across the car park into my car and them home. I had to will my self to stay seated and try and concentrate. I then sat a verbal reasoning test and I think I did OK on that one.

So we’ll just have to wait and see what Friday brings. I have to say though that I have my doubts that they will want to take me forward. I don’t think that I’m quite at the level they want at the moment.

I still have my fingers crossed in hope.

Monday 13 August 2007

Monday, Monday.

I am sat here all alone in the office as my colleague has a day off today and I’m nervous about tomorrow.

I have loads off things to do, but I just can’t concentrate; there’s a lot riding on tomorrow and it could be another couple of years before I get a chance like this one again without having to move home.

I’ve practiced some more tests and thought about some answers to the competency based questions they may ask me, but I just can’t concentrate. I’m just hoping my concentration has returned by tomorrow morning.

Wifey has an assignment on tomorrow which involves a full day of public speaking, She’s nervous too.

We’re like a family of worry warts.

I’ll try and update on Wednesday, but my poor brain may not be up to it; Wish me luck!

Friday 10 August 2007

More on the Holiday.

So back to the holiday. I may have finished regaling you with tales of the last holiday before I go on the next…. Just.

Anyway, you’ve heard about the Saturday and the Sunday; now I shall tell you about Monday. On the Monday we went to Padstow, also know as Padstein as most of it now seems to be owned by Mr Rick Stein. When I was a child we holidayed in Padstow a number of times. We camped and then caravanned at a campsite at the top of the hill overlooking the town. All very basic stuff, just a filed and a hole in the ground dug every few days to empty the chemical toilet in to. Those were the days!

Wifey and I got their early (by our standards anyway) about 10am. This turned out to be a master stroke as we parked in the car park closest to the town. When we left about 1pm, there was not a car parking space to be found in the entire town.

Padstow is a beautiful fishing town that surrounds a working fishing harbour and it used to be an undiscovered gem. When Wifey and I visited it appeared to have been discovered by the masses. They were bussing them in by the coach load to eat pasties overlooking to harbour. To be fair, I can see why. The locals (and not so locals) have capitalised on this fact and are catering (literally) for the tourists. An interesting biography of Mr Stein can be found by following the link Welcome to Rick Stein Seafood. It really is worth a look. Someone has spent far more time, effort and money researching Padstow than I.

As it is an overriding requirement to feed the baby, almost constantly it seems, we headed to a cafĂ© so we could get the bottle warmed. We managed to do so (credit to the establishment) and had a cup of tea and a slice of cake each. The food was good, but the service exceedingly slow and muddled. After the bottle stop we headed out for a walk around the harbour. We found a gallery and admired the art work (Wifey and I collect modern art) but the painting we liked was £800 for an original oil, which is beyond our budget at the moment. We settled for a printed montage of the artists canvases for £12 instead. According to Wifey it’s destined for the downstairs loo!

At the outer breakwater we saw a couple of speed boats plying their trade for the tourists. I noted that the boat ‘Jaws’ had been the boat my brother, father and I had been the same one we enjoyed 20 odd years ago. Some things just don’t seem to change. We stopped a while and took in the scenery; we also took a great number of photos while we were playing around with our shiny new SLR. When we downloaded them later there were some great shots and on particularly of note were Wifey had managed to capture two sailing boats moored up with their perfect reflection in the water.

We decided to more on and head for Newquay for lunch. The drive over was interesting and we passed Jamie Oliver’s 15 restaurant, but didn’t stop. We got to Newquay and were so disappointed we didn’t even stop. Sorry folks but I thought it was a dump. We stopped in a car park and fed the baby, which was messy, and moved on to another National Trust place that appear to be just around the corner. It was and two cream teas were promptly demolished. Trerice is a wonderful old house. Go and look at it here;

That was pretty much Monday of the holiday. Anyway soon I shall do Tuesday and on Tuesday we went to the Eden Project. But know I have just had an email telling me about my assessment centre. It’s being held in a hotel on a costal spit that is renowned as being the most expensive real estate in the world. I am also entitled to claim expenses and an overnight stay if I so wish. Having read the itinerary for the day I’ll need the weekend to prepare and the rest of the week off to get over the shock!

Also my best man and the God Mother of the baby are coming over for an impromptu bbq tonight. I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll be back sometime later next week!

Thursday 9 August 2007

Motivation

I'm really not motivated at the moment. I've been busy doing nothing. Work is one step forward and two steps back. I've blogged about the frustration I have at work before but it's getting worse and my motivation has disappeared.

Home is OK but tiring. Wifey is working long hours because the baby is being demanding (as 9 month olds tend to be). We are both quite tired and snappy.

On the upside I've been asked to apply for a new job, which I have duly done and been asked to go an assessment centre next Tuesday.

It's a bigger role than I'm doing already, but the pay reflects that. The $64,000 question is will they take me and train me or do they want someone who is doing the same job already? I suppose they wouldn't have asked me to apply if they weren't interested.

In true style I was ill in bed all weekend and Monday. I'm still tired now. Away way, back to work........