Just a v.quick excuse for a post this week as I fear that there is SO much going on right now (when is there not...?) that I may get a bit behind with my 'one a week' commitment to blogging. I have got next week off but ... there has been a significant development with the move and it looks like we will be moving house in just under two weeks. Same week I start the new job. So I think the next few weeks are going to be a bit hectic whilst I try and declutter 10 years of crap from my house. It's the kitchen cupboards tomorrow (there's a tin of BEAR in there, of all things) and today a huge bag of clothes was left out for the NSPCC. Although to be fair, a sack of clothing cleared out of my wardrobe is about as effective as chucking a deckchair off the Titanic. But still.
So, just under two hours to go at 'the job'. 'The job' that got me out of a hole after not working for six months (halcyon days full of endless trips to the gym and Starbucks, oh yes and the Job Centre.) but 'The job' that has also threatened by mental health somewhat the last few months as I felt increasingly stuck in somewhat of a career cul-de-sac. I have scored a bottle of Moet and a posh plant for the new gaff.
And so back to publishing. During my 18 month hiatus from publishing I have questioned whether I really wanted to go back into it, or if I was just clinging to it because it's all I've ever known/done since University. During my interview at the new place I realised how enthusiastic (geeky?) and animated I became as I talked about publishing, book shops, selling cycles, retailers vs wholesalers etc and also how right it felt to be surrounded again by books in display units, dump bins and, even better, spilling out of crammed bookshelves. I felt like I'd come home.
No doubt I will blog about it so watch this space...
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Friday, 6 August 2010
Sunday, 30 May 2010
In praise of colleagues
For those of you who don't know I currently spend 75% of my working week in an office on my own. Initially this concept appealed to me as I can be a miserable old sod sometimes and am great with my own company. I also thought how irritating colleagues can be and also how distracting, so I thought it was the ideal set up. 9 months later it has fast lost its' appeal, especially when so many of my friends have started new jobs in buzzy, busy offices.
When I landed my first office job almost ten years ago my first department was 'okay' but they didn't really get me. I'd say something witty or scathing and it was usually met with a 'tumbleweed' moment! Also the office manager was obviously in the throws of some sort of eating disorder and would comment "that's 4 now" or other such remarks as you went for the tin of chocolates! Hmmm. A nice enough group of people but I didn't really fit in.
Eighteen months later I was promoted to a similar role for the Export dept. From day one I slotted right in and realised I didn't have to tone down my sense of humour and could say what the hell I liked and even better than that people thought I was damn funny!
Pub club on a Friday was a regular highlight. Putting the world to rights over a hearty, usually chip based feast and then returning to the office usually 2.5hrs later, having come the longest possible route back from which ever public house we had patronised. Sometimes we would swing by the cake shop or more often a newsagent to get some treats for the afternoon. Whatever time we waltzed in the old maxim always applied "Too late to start anything now" and a glorious afternoon of snacking, arsing around, visiting the BT3A website ensued. For a period of about 18 months I was more often than not also going out on the lash/pull with one of the other ladies that worked there so we'd usually start plotting our night out.
Lorry watch was another popular past time in this department,as we overlooked the Sainsbury's depot. You got extra points for a Prestons of Potto lorry but not many for a Vitacress one. These were emblazoned with the slogan "Watercress makes a meal" um, I beg to differ?
I count myself lucky to have worked with such an amazing bunch of women and I am still in touch with them all with some of them being some of my closest friends.
Unfortunately I was passed over for promotion a few too many times (ha, I did actually do some work in case you're wondering so it wasn't because of that!) and had an ongoing issue with my salary so had to leave and head off to the big bad city to work for another publishing house. Again I found myself working with a good gang and made some more chums.
As soon as I joined I was inducted into the cult of Cake Friday where there was a rota and everyone had to take it in turns to bake. Although some people did cheat and buy it in instead. It was highly competitive and actually quite stressful! Having to find something to make that hadn't already been done and also trying to transport the bloody thing in on my 1 hr 20 commute proved tiresome! At the end of each rota there was also a Cake Idol scenario where we had to vote who had made the best one on that round, essentially a popularity contest. Apparently the politics around Cake Friday haven't changed, I've been told, and some of my ex-colleagues got there knickers in a real knot a few weeks back when gasp! they thought the new girl had forgotten to bow to cake Friday and were apparently debating this extremely loudly 'oh my god I can't believe she hasn't remembered' etc! Moments later a picture perfect Victoria Sponge was proffered so they literally had to eat their words...
End of month drinks were also a feature on the last Friday of each month. I didn't manage to go to many of these due to my commute, or I was working from home or had another social engagement to get back to. Wads of cash were put behind the bar by the company and it usually got very messy!
And now it's just me, myself and I. I always have to make the tea, there are never any goodies and there's no one to go to the pub with. Which is annoying as there is a very nice one a stone's throw from my office. It's really beginning to get me down and is one of the many reasons why I need to get the hell out. I guess it's not all bad... I did most of my paperwork for my fitness assessment at work, I've read books and magazines, drafted blogs, painted my nails, arsed around on Facebook & Twitter, watched things on I-player and even had a few crafty power naps at my desk. Swings and roundabouts I suppose...
When I landed my first office job almost ten years ago my first department was 'okay' but they didn't really get me. I'd say something witty or scathing and it was usually met with a 'tumbleweed' moment! Also the office manager was obviously in the throws of some sort of eating disorder and would comment "that's 4 now" or other such remarks as you went for the tin of chocolates! Hmmm. A nice enough group of people but I didn't really fit in.
Eighteen months later I was promoted to a similar role for the Export dept. From day one I slotted right in and realised I didn't have to tone down my sense of humour and could say what the hell I liked and even better than that people thought I was damn funny!
Pub club on a Friday was a regular highlight. Putting the world to rights over a hearty, usually chip based feast and then returning to the office usually 2.5hrs later, having come the longest possible route back from which ever public house we had patronised. Sometimes we would swing by the cake shop or more often a newsagent to get some treats for the afternoon. Whatever time we waltzed in the old maxim always applied "Too late to start anything now" and a glorious afternoon of snacking, arsing around, visiting the BT3A website ensued. For a period of about 18 months I was more often than not also going out on the lash/pull with one of the other ladies that worked there so we'd usually start plotting our night out.
Lorry watch was another popular past time in this department,as we overlooked the Sainsbury's depot. You got extra points for a Prestons of Potto lorry but not many for a Vitacress one. These were emblazoned with the slogan "Watercress makes a meal" um, I beg to differ?
I count myself lucky to have worked with such an amazing bunch of women and I am still in touch with them all with some of them being some of my closest friends.
Unfortunately I was passed over for promotion a few too many times (ha, I did actually do some work in case you're wondering so it wasn't because of that!) and had an ongoing issue with my salary so had to leave and head off to the big bad city to work for another publishing house. Again I found myself working with a good gang and made some more chums.
As soon as I joined I was inducted into the cult of Cake Friday where there was a rota and everyone had to take it in turns to bake. Although some people did cheat and buy it in instead. It was highly competitive and actually quite stressful! Having to find something to make that hadn't already been done and also trying to transport the bloody thing in on my 1 hr 20 commute proved tiresome! At the end of each rota there was also a Cake Idol scenario where we had to vote who had made the best one on that round, essentially a popularity contest. Apparently the politics around Cake Friday haven't changed, I've been told, and some of my ex-colleagues got there knickers in a real knot a few weeks back when gasp! they thought the new girl had forgotten to bow to cake Friday and were apparently debating this extremely loudly 'oh my god I can't believe she hasn't remembered' etc! Moments later a picture perfect Victoria Sponge was proffered so they literally had to eat their words...
End of month drinks were also a feature on the last Friday of each month. I didn't manage to go to many of these due to my commute, or I was working from home or had another social engagement to get back to. Wads of cash were put behind the bar by the company and it usually got very messy!
And now it's just me, myself and I. I always have to make the tea, there are never any goodies and there's no one to go to the pub with. Which is annoying as there is a very nice one a stone's throw from my office. It's really beginning to get me down and is one of the many reasons why I need to get the hell out. I guess it's not all bad... I did most of my paperwork for my fitness assessment at work, I've read books and magazines, drafted blogs, painted my nails, arsed around on Facebook & Twitter, watched things on I-player and even had a few crafty power naps at my desk. Swings and roundabouts I suppose...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)