Brief update and a cut meme
Brief update - stress-o-rama
I'll keep this cut short because it's pissing me off enormously, and you don't really want to hear more of why my life sucks just now.
Remember that guy who phoned up and was really abusive to me over the phone a few weeks ago? He called back last week and this time I was in a better mood to deal with the inevitable abuse that he started spouting. I warned him that I wasn't prepared to be spoken to in such an aggressive manner, and when he continued I put the phone down on him. Go me.
On Thursday morning I had supervision with my line manager, and he set the tone of the meeting by saying that this guy had rung up County Hall and put in an official complaint against me. Not shocked that this arsehole had done such a thing, I acknowledged the information, sensing though that there was more. Indeed there was.
Without even bothering to hear my side of the story, County Hall upheld the complaint, have entered it onto my personal record and have demanded, via my line manager, that I make a written apology to the guy who I put the phone down on. "So I'm supposed to sit there and take abuse from members of the public?" say I.
"No, but you're supposed to warn them before putting the phone down on them" says my supervisor.
"I did, and if County Hall had bothered to ask, the rest of the office can vouch for the fact that I did that."
"Well you have to write a written apology anyway and then we'll sort it all out."
Says I, "stuff that" and I walked out of supervision. I have (once again) consulted with other more senior managers (twice in one year is not good) and my union, and when I get back from my trip to Berlin next week, I will be lodging an official complaint against County Hall.
The down side is that this will destroy my future career options with County Hall, but I'm not altogether sure I want to work for them any more. If anyone knows of any operations managers jobs going, please let me know.
For those who want an update, but don't want to hear about my stress, the second cut is a mindless meme...
Nicked from raggedy_man
1) Married, Single, Divorced, Remarried, Widowed?
Married. Technically.
2) Kids?
One cat.
3) Home: rent or own?
We own it, or at least the mortgage company does.
4-a) Do you have a lawn?
Yes.
4-b) If so, have you ever told those damn kids to get off it?
No, it's private (rear garden).
5) Job Title:
Senior Practitioner/Cohesion and Equalities Champion.
6) Standard transportation to and from your place of employment (make and model please if it's yours):
Renault Clio. Or walk.
7-a) Morning wakeup beverage:
I don't drink in the morning. I don't need to in order to wake me up.
7-b) If applicable to above, how do you take it?
N/A
7-c) Do you drink it all day, or just a morning thing?
N/A
8-a) What "wacky" things have you adorned your workspace with to show your coworkers that you're not just a dull faceless drone?
A purple bug that shouts abuse at you if you throw it at the wall, a "Singapore" paper weight, two pictures of Davyd (one with a red nose blu-tacked to it) and a free calendar that I got from a Chinese restaurant.
8-b) Do you doodle in meetings? If so, what do you usually wind up drawing?
I don't tend to, I think it's rude.
9) Last time you were unemployed, and for how long
About three days after I finished university.
10-a) Did you vote in the last general election?
Yes. I believe that if you don't vote you have no right to complain about the government.
10-b) Do you plan on voting in the next one?
Yes.
11) In a social setting are you more likely to drink beer, wine, or mixed drinks?
Wine (white - red gives me aheadache).
12-a) What kinds of beer do you prefer? (brand or general type)
I don't.
12-b) What kinds of wine do you prefer?
I prefer Chilean or Spanish, though my father gave me a surprisingly nice German white last year.
12-c) What kinds of mixed drinks do you prefer?
Anything with rum in it.
13) Do you play video games?
No time.
14-a) Do you have any of your old toys from your childhood?
No.
14-b) Do you still play with them? (or maybe use them for question 8)
N/A
15) How often do you visit your parents?
Father: fairly regularly, we live in the same town. Mother: rarely, I haven't seen her for about four years.
16-a) Are you a member of any clubs or groups for purely social purposes?
If you count things like roleplaying and the like then yes.
16-b) For networking purposes?
Yes - at work.
17-a) Are you active in any fandoms online?
What?
17-b) In real life?
I don't even know what they are.
18-a) Do you have a Crackberry or other similar extended mobile telephony device?
What's a crackberry? **Looks online** Errr, no.
18-b) What features of your phone/mobile device do you actually use?
Phone, camera, mp3 player.
18-c) What features are there but baffle you as to their purpose or usefulness?
Games, video camera, bluetooth, wap, radio, mobile DJ, and some other stuff I don't even know what it's called.
19) How many computers do you have in your home?
1.
20) Do you consider the environmental impact of your actions before making a decision?
Not all the time.
21-a) Realistically, which new car would you buy if you had the means right now?
A VW Beetle.
22-b) Fantastically, which car from this or any era would you magically *poof* into existence in your driveway?
A 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.
23) Do you listen to NPR, AM talk radio, or podcasts?
No.
24) Do you watch the Daily Show/Colbert Report?
No.
I'll keep this cut short because it's pissing me off enormously, and you don't really want to hear more of why my life sucks just now.
Remember that guy who phoned up and was really abusive to me over the phone a few weeks ago? He called back last week and this time I was in a better mood to deal with the inevitable abuse that he started spouting. I warned him that I wasn't prepared to be spoken to in such an aggressive manner, and when he continued I put the phone down on him. Go me.
On Thursday morning I had supervision with my line manager, and he set the tone of the meeting by saying that this guy had rung up County Hall and put in an official complaint against me. Not shocked that this arsehole had done such a thing, I acknowledged the information, sensing though that there was more. Indeed there was.
Without even bothering to hear my side of the story, County Hall upheld the complaint, have entered it onto my personal record and have demanded, via my line manager, that I make a written apology to the guy who I put the phone down on. "So I'm supposed to sit there and take abuse from members of the public?" say I.
"No, but you're supposed to warn them before putting the phone down on them" says my supervisor.
"I did, and if County Hall had bothered to ask, the rest of the office can vouch for the fact that I did that."
"Well you have to write a written apology anyway and then we'll sort it all out."
Says I, "stuff that" and I walked out of supervision. I have (once again) consulted with other more senior managers (twice in one year is not good) and my union, and when I get back from my trip to Berlin next week, I will be lodging an official complaint against County Hall.
The down side is that this will destroy my future career options with County Hall, but I'm not altogether sure I want to work for them any more. If anyone knows of any operations managers jobs going, please let me know.
For those who want an update, but don't want to hear about my stress, the second cut is a mindless meme...
Nicked from raggedy_man
1) Married, Single, Divorced, Remarried, Widowed?
Married. Technically.
2) Kids?
One cat.
3) Home: rent or own?
We own it, or at least the mortgage company does.
4-a) Do you have a lawn?
Yes.
4-b) If so, have you ever told those damn kids to get off it?
No, it's private (rear garden).
5) Job Title:
Senior Practitioner/Cohesion and Equalities Champion.
6) Standard transportation to and from your place of employment (make and model please if it's yours):
Renault Clio. Or walk.
7-a) Morning wakeup beverage:
I don't drink in the morning. I don't need to in order to wake me up.
7-b) If applicable to above, how do you take it?
N/A
7-c) Do you drink it all day, or just a morning thing?
N/A
8-a) What "wacky" things have you adorned your workspace with to show your coworkers that you're not just a dull faceless drone?
A purple bug that shouts abuse at you if you throw it at the wall, a "Singapore" paper weight, two pictures of Davyd (one with a red nose blu-tacked to it) and a free calendar that I got from a Chinese restaurant.
8-b) Do you doodle in meetings? If so, what do you usually wind up drawing?
I don't tend to, I think it's rude.
9) Last time you were unemployed, and for how long
About three days after I finished university.
10-a) Did you vote in the last general election?
Yes. I believe that if you don't vote you have no right to complain about the government.
10-b) Do you plan on voting in the next one?
Yes.
11) In a social setting are you more likely to drink beer, wine, or mixed drinks?
Wine (white - red gives me aheadache).
12-a) What kinds of beer do you prefer? (brand or general type)
I don't.
12-b) What kinds of wine do you prefer?
I prefer Chilean or Spanish, though my father gave me a surprisingly nice German white last year.
12-c) What kinds of mixed drinks do you prefer?
Anything with rum in it.
13) Do you play video games?
No time.
14-a) Do you have any of your old toys from your childhood?
No.
14-b) Do you still play with them? (or maybe use them for question 8)
N/A
15) How often do you visit your parents?
Father: fairly regularly, we live in the same town. Mother: rarely, I haven't seen her for about four years.
16-a) Are you a member of any clubs or groups for purely social purposes?
If you count things like roleplaying and the like then yes.
16-b) For networking purposes?
Yes - at work.
17-a) Are you active in any fandoms online?
What?
17-b) In real life?
I don't even know what they are.
18-a) Do you have a Crackberry or other similar extended mobile telephony device?
What's a crackberry? **Looks online** Errr, no.
18-b) What features of your phone/mobile device do you actually use?
Phone, camera, mp3 player.
18-c) What features are there but baffle you as to their purpose or usefulness?
Games, video camera, bluetooth, wap, radio, mobile DJ, and some other stuff I don't even know what it's called.
19) How many computers do you have in your home?
1.
20) Do you consider the environmental impact of your actions before making a decision?
Not all the time.
21-a) Realistically, which new car would you buy if you had the means right now?
A VW Beetle.
22-b) Fantastically, which car from this or any era would you magically *poof* into existence in your driveway?
A 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.
23) Do you listen to NPR, AM talk radio, or podcasts?
No.
24) Do you watch the Daily Show/Colbert Report?
No.