Room 101

This was supposed to be a whimsical goal where I could stick utterly irrational dislikes and over-react wildly to them for my own amusement. And so far I have, but I think I’m going to get something real off my chest this time.

I’ve been a bit quiet at times recently and I’ve not really been able to work out what’s up, but I know now. After an attritional 18 months at work I’ve barely received a word of thanks from my boss. I can’t be bothered with a detailed explanation, but I’m just exhausted from all that with barely a word of praise or encouragement (if praise isn’t deserved). At the risk of sounding like a child who wants a treat for eating all his greens, I need something to insulate me against all the negative stuff that I inevitably hear as part of my role.

I’m sure we’ve all done something cool that we couldn’t wait to tell someone, only to find them eager to point out how you could have done it better – well I’m f*cking bored with it. Give me constructive feedback after you’ve told me how f@cking awesome I am. I give myself such a hard time if I don’t feel I’m doing as well as I should and if my manager isn’t telling me I’m doing a good job, then I assume I’m not. He’s actually a genuinely good person, my manager, but he admits he’s not very good at ‘people’ stuff (respect to him for being honest). I know it’s only words and I shouldn’t place such importance on it but it’s really ground me down. I just feel a bit unsure of myself now, whereas I’ve not really been like that before. Am I doing a good job or not!?

I know there’s worse things (someone I’ve read on here seems to be going through something 100-times worse at their workplace) and certain things have really improved recently. But if not receiving a metaphorical lollipop for my efforts gets to me this much, perhaps I need a job more suited to my delicate sensibilities. One where I don’t have to keep a team of people happy at the same time as keeping to budgets and delivering results etc. I actually do like my job and I’ve no idea what else I could do though. I just need to do something positive.

Wow, what a lot of rambliness. That’ll do for now.

So…’not-giving-me-praise-or-encouragement-(if-actual-praise-isn’t-warranted)’...off into Room 101 with you. I’m not wholly confident that even the thick-walled underground bunker that is 101 can hold it, but here’s hoping ;-)

Ooh, perhaps it’s working already; I’ve mentioned elsewhere that I got a really lovely e-mail which means a lot. Now it’s my manager’s turn…

I know that I talk about adverts all the time. I’ve cut down on my TV so much, but I still seem to stumble upon lots of new and ever more hateful bitesized televisual attacks to my sanity (or adverts as they are also known).

But today, I saw this offering which just confused the hell out of me. I’m posting this out of sheer bafflement. What message are the Halifax actually trying to send us here? Who decided it was a good idea? I’m intrigued by the thought processes that lead to the conception of this 30-second embarrassment. I’m not going to put it in Room 101 because I don’t hate it. It’s just odd. Really odd.

Somebody must have bunged this in Room 101 already, but just in case…

Adverts that use graphical wizardry so that it looks like babies are talking, doing non-baby stuff. It should probably be funny but it freaks me out! I want it to stop.

So to summarise…
Babies, ok. Creepy computer-based twattery, no.

I’m not quite sure what they’re called, but it seems like every time I turn on the radio I hear some (ahem) R’n’B song which has been made even worse by the vocoder (?)*. Think Akon (and the Chipmunks?) with So lonely or Cher and Believe (which I don’t really mind apart from the stupid voice bit). Aaargh. No, no, NO!

The world will be a much better place without this appalling noise so into Room 101 you go. And so-called R’n’B artists will now have to think of a new gimmick to persuade their 14-year-old target demographic to spend pocket money on their wares. Woohoo, petty complaining rules!

• Any resemblance to a grumpy old man is not entirely coincidental ;-)

Time is relative. Or so they say _probably. And in the same way as not everyone likes all of their relatives, I haven’t been liking all of my time. So now I’ve built my own Room 101 I’m getting rid of some of it. The whole of the last three weeks in fact.

I should probably spend some time and effort separating the wheat from the chaff to save good bits – and there must have been some because I wrote about them in my gratitude-y goal. But I haven’t got all evening so I’m 101-ing the lot. I’m not going to make a habit of throwing away crap times because they’re part of life, but I’ve allowed myself to get stressed and felt more than a little sorry for myself so I’m going to clear the decks and get back on track.

‘Are you alright?...because you look terrible.’

That sentence is going in Room 101 for sure. Unless you are providing feedback on someone’s Halloween costume, don’t tell someone how awful they look. It’s not cool.

So a big thanks to someone who meant well this morning and is genuinely lovely, but kept repeating ‘God, you look awful’ with a concerned look on her face. Sadly she would not hear my pleas of ‘stop saying that’ and ‘please, will you stop saying that, I get the idea!’. The fact I was tired and having checked my ‘awful’ appearance in the mirror it confirmed she was right was no consolation. Yes, I look like crap, but don’t tell me!

With my handsomeness quotient severely compromised, I was forced to rely on my charm all day. Needless to say, nursing a badly punctured ego, this was not a success. :-D

So boooooooooo to ‘are you ok?...because you look awful‘. Booooo and goodbye.

Why oh why ITV, do you insist on including the bloody scores of all the matches as part of the preview for your Champions League highlights show! You c*cks! What’s the point. There are probably people who have avoided the scores so they can watch the highlights after work or something. And you don’t care. Shame on you ITV.

Would you preview an upcoming film by telling us how it ends? Would you tell a friend about the lovely surprise party that’s been organised for her? Would you tell someone what’s inside that mysterious tin in the cupboard with no label? Oh ITV, you probably would wouldn’t you? Because you are utter morons.

Haha, I enjoyed that petty little rant.

ITV – unlike you, I am not going to spoil the surprise of what awaits you in Room 101, but it ain’t pretty. In you go Jim Rosenthal and your idiotic pundit chums. :-D

Apart from a year or so when I decided to try being a chef (which I am not!), I’ve spent most of my career working with mainly women. And it’s been ace. It really has. Because the people I have worked with have been almost exclusively brilliant.

In an environment like that, daily discussions over why men are rubbish are inevitable. And sometimes justified. Yes, I suppose I do hog the remote. And ok, sometimes, I might place a little too much importance on the result of a football match that I have no physical involvement in. I like these chats because (a) they’re comedy gold and (b) I get to show (or pretend) that I’m not like those other men. But you knew that already didn’t you :-D

Anyway, these chats and office banter do not belong in Room 101. No they do not, because they are part of the fun of the office. So where’s all this leading…?

This is a pretty good example of what I want to send into my Room 101 (thanks to Miss E for the link!). I want to send magazine/newspaper articles that basically say ‘Tsk, aren’t men silly and rubbish’ in my Room 101. It’s fine at work, because we all know each other and can have a laugh together, but somehow when it’s written down like that I find it genuinely annoying. I’m not saying I’m being rational, but it’s my goal! :-D

• For legal reasons I must point out that I am against gender stereotyping of any flavour.

43T has helped me focus on the positives and I try to keep my little corner of this virtual universe upbeat when I can. However, no one can wear rose-tinted spectacles all the time and I must have an outlet!

This is where crap things will be chronicled before being banished for all eternity.