Fool on the Hill

First things first. This is for Rachy.
It's a shout out at the Clyde and it's on THIS Saturday. I may be there with my camera (hidden and otherwise). Actually, just remembered I have the kid that day. I'll see.

Anyway, be there or be talked about.



OK... the following is pretty dull so you have been warned. I treat my blog as a journal for my kid to read to me when I'm in the sanitarium she puts me in.

Anyway, these are the chronicles of my job hunting the past fortnight. The dull starts here. My contract ended here on the 28th Feb and I'd got a job offer from a mob in the building 5 doors down and it was in the building of this girl I knew and that just added to the complexity/excitement/novelty. I dont think she'd have minded but her wife might not have liked it, BUT that's another story. "Start anytime in March", they said. Work wanted a 1 week extension. Sure, I said. Asked the new mob. No problems. Then another week extension. Same thing. Then a third. Emailed the new mob. No reply. Not wanting to seem 'too keen', I rang them up 2 working days later. 'Dont worry. We got someone else.' Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...... I said. Ahhhhhhhhh, I said again. I was *so* annoyed at myself for not asking for the job offer to be on paper, annoyed at them for not telling me that they werent willing to wait anymore (I'd have ditched the current work) and annoyed at the current work for extending me 1 week at a time (5 times!). Granted, I'm getting a farewell lunch every week but the turnout has been pretty poor lately.

Job interview #2. I'd worked with this person before. Got the job email Thursday night, interview Friday evening. They were desperate. MUST deliver in 4 weeks. It would be stress city. They want me to start Monday morning. Told them I'd need to go back a day or 2 to hand over stuff. They cant allow that, they say. I told them morally (whatever that is), I cannot accept the job then. Immediately after the interview, I rang my current work commiting myself to them for another 2 weeks. 60 seconds later, I get a call from the interviewers. They say, OK, I can go back to hand over stuff if I still want the job. "Dude, you are 60 seconds too late". Crazy really. They get me, they lose 1 day this week. Today is Wednesday, they still havent got anyone, so they have lost 3 days already. Loyalty? Gawd, I hate having it. I dont know if I did the clever thing, but I think I did the right thing. And I'm relieved it worked out this way.

Job interview #3. I found out that the person who would be doing the phone interview was someone I worked with 4 years ago. I will refrain from saying too much cos I remember reading somewhere that employers sometimes do online research on job applicants. So apart from expressing a curiousity as to *why* he would want to interview me and asking you guys what the polite word is for stupid, I will leave it at that. O.K., just this bit then. I got 30 minutes worth of questions like these... "Chai, have you ever been really busy and your colleague asks you for your help. How would you handle this, Chai?" and "Chai, you are behind in your work and your manager hands you even more work. What would you do, Chai?". I was beginning to wonder what sort of technical position I had applied for.

Anyway, I did finally get a job. I start on the 10th April. It's with some people I used to work with. Yes, I know I'm professionally promiscuous. Anyway, the offices are the poshest I've ever seen. The work environment is like a hotel lobby, lots of space. It's really new and really well furnished. No expense spared. It'll be different from what I'm used to. Hope I can wear jeans not have to wear a tie, cos the elastic on my tie is a little frayed, from old age. Bow tie, you say?

Good eh? So have been very busy with work, looking for new work and as usual, preparing my tax for the ATO and trying to fit in a semblance of a social life in there somewhere. Frigging paper work. Next job, I'm going permanent even with all these new IR laws. Just need to work for a company with > 100 employees.

And I lost pennant racquetball to an 18 y.o. GIRL! The guys now want me to wear a skirt next time I play. Sure, no problems, I said. I already do that at home.
Is there no end to my humiliation? But anyway, 2 of the guys on the Australian C'wealth table tennis team, I've beaten before in competition, so there. Nyeh, nyeh. Oh yeah, I may have forgotten to mention the small matter that they were little kids then. Take that, you snotty little 12 y.o. OK, one was 17 and the other 15.