Get a job I like

ridiculous I know but I’ve always wanted a patronymic. My dad was a Nicholas, and I like the diminutive of Mikhail—Misha. So farewell then joe schmoe…

looks like my time as a schmoe is coming to an end (at least for a little while). I shall need to find a new display name.

chance of a competency based telephone interview next week. It’s temp to permanent and more money. I have my misgivings about the sector the company are working in, and feel my confidence is low. However I’ll prepare as best I can and give it my best shot. If I’m unsuccessful I’m not going to beat myself up about it or become too despondent (I know I will feel a bit down if I don’t get through the telephone interview).

If Heaven made someone, earth can find some use for them

guy at work has got another job. And another guy who used to work there on a sort of job experience basis has landed a job with the Civil Service. In the case of the latter person this was very necessary since his partner is about to have a baby. I was pleased for both, but did feel a bit envious. I should find out if I’ll be kept on where I am in the next couple of weeks. Otherwise I just got to keep trying for something better I suppose.

meetings in my present work are held in two sittings (limited by the size of the conference room). I was in the first sitting at today’s meeting. The meeting was scheduled for an hour but was over in about 50 minutes. The manager who chairs the meetings said at the end of the first meeting “Oh goody, I can have a 10 minute recession.” (Her language skills are not great.) 10 minute recession, if only!

It took me a while to think of the word that she probably intended—recess. And so it was that at around 11AM I was thinking about Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, and Ironside. (Perry Mason is where I most likely first heard the word.)

week’s thought for the week in Greek was I believe in miracles which was a song by a British pop group called Hot Chocolate in 1900 and seventy something.

Tom also gave me some vegetarian recipes for Greek dishes which I’d like to try.

I actually like working there now (or at least I was enjoying it more until towards the end of the week my workload increased).

there is no word for negativity in Greek. The Greek writing of the other day said the negative electron rocks! but I only overheard Tom saying negativity rocks!.

Greek writing: negativity rocks! Tom’s response to management’s efforts to change a culture of negativity, complaining, and all energy sapping ways of feeling bad about your job. I appreciate where he’s coming from but at the same time I have experienced his tourette’s, his constant kvetching, his vitriol directed at management, and feel that it’s time he got a new job (which he is trying to do to be fair to him). That he’s intelligent and more capable than many of the managerial staff, and feels under appreciated, is another aspect of the problem.

reminds me of that Stephen Stills song: if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.

Greek writing was a line from a song by The Proclaimers:

I’m on my way from misery to happiness today, uh huh, uh huh

and provides a further example of Tom’s sardonic humour.