The Waiting Man

Well... I didn't get the job that would have kicked me into a slightly higher tax bracket & got me out of the decaying cesspit of Debtors Prison

As noted earlier, the silver lining is that our September getthefuckaway can now proceed as planned... & needed

Other than that, here's all I have to say about it...

My working week goes like this: Monday, Monday, Friday, Wednesday, Monday, Friday, Saturday... repeat

I have Wednesdays & Saturdays off, so it feels like I have 2 Fridays... & 3(!!!!!) Mondays. If that seems like cruel & unusual punishment, it certainly feels like it - on 2 of the 3 Mondays anyway. Confused yet? How do you think I feel... I'm not even sure what month we're in - Christmas was a couple of months ago, right? So why are all the shops full of tinsel & blaring Christmas music at me when all I want is a coffee?!?

The stream of job applications continues from both my PC & my phone & the stream of responses continues to be as non-existent as the water-management plan for the Murray-Darling river system. I have a vision of a junk mail folder at the recruitment agencies that gets automatically emptied of all my applications every couple of hours. It's not as visually vivid as a printer spewing out my CV & cover letter, straight into a shredder directly beneath it... but it's probably more technologically accurate!

According to the rest of the world's media, Sydney & most of New South Wales is burning!!! Well, certainly a lot of the state is on fire during a drought & the weather has been unseasonably hot, incredibly windy & dry as a nun's nasty, but there are really only a couple of big fires causing concern right now & none of them are in Sydney. We had a couple of small grass & scrub fires in the suburbs, but they were quickly contained & there has been no threat to the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, or Bondi Beach... Or WaitingManor for that matter, which sits about 200 metres from a bushland National Park that hasn't had a decent back-burn fire through it in far too long. The last time there was a serious bushfire here was in about 1993 & I remember sitting on the front verandah with a friend, looking up the road at the smoke & occasional flames leaping above houses much closer to the action than us. There was a guy about 100 metres up the road, standing on his roof & I said to my friend - "See that guy? If he suddenly jumps down & starts running, help me get my guitars in the car..." Fortunately, it didn't come to that & the only damage was to a couple of manicured lawns that bordered the bushland...

All these fires probably aren't doing our Paris Agreement target much good... & the smoke from the fires has gone out over the Pacific Ocean & can be seen (& smelled) in New Zealand. Not a product we should be particularly proud of exporting...

Another day, another Prime Minister...

So farewell Malcolm Turnbull, the man who was given the job of Prime Minister, then wasn't allowed to be one - his own party's powerbrokers kept him muzzled, sedated & straitjacketed, then arranged to have him removed when he'd been sufficiently undermined to start wobbling...

I feel a bit like him at the moment... I left a job that was, okay it wasn't perfect, but there was mileage left in it. I took a job with a bigger, better, shinier place that promised much, told me all the right things & here I am, within a month, or so, regretting the decision, questioning my decision, my drive & my future, as it seems the company's pretty words were just that

I have a job interview on Monday, for a position that is sales related, but isn't really a sales role. That sounds perfect to me, as I now know for certain that I don't really want to sell things any more. It's the relentless pressure of targets that has worn me down. I love the work, I quite often love the product, I like talking to people, I just hate the pressures that budgets, targets & monthly meetings bring. Having to explain to people who should know better, that new locations in new suburbs, in new parts of town, don't yield the same figures as the old, established place you've had for years... & may not for a few months, at least... & that's not my fault

I'm at a stage in my life where I really should be reducing the amount of stress I have to deal with... & it's reached the point when my professional life just has to calm the fuck down, or I'll go postal

... Remember me?

Been thinking about posting again - like a lot of erstwhile LJ people do, I'm sure, but have finally put fingers to keyboard today, mostly because of this article which probably had loftier aims than simply getting people to 'blog again, but you have to start somewhere, before you leap off the grid entirely to devote yourself to... music, photography, world domination... whatever your 99% project is

Another reason it can be hard to sit down & write:



Layla... my most common view of her. Since becoming an only cat, following the death of her sister, she's... well, not exactly clingy, but very fond of climbing onto me, finding a comfortable spot & going to sleep. Which usually renders one or both of my arms inoperable for anything much beyond stroking her. Especially when I'm sitting at the computer. All part of her masterplan - cutting me off from the outside world so that I remain under her 4 thumbs, only to adore her... & feed her

She's also loving the fact that, yet again, I've been made redundant, so have a lot of free time to be sat on... regardless of whether I'm trying to write an application letter or not. How she'll feel when the money finally runs out, followed by the food, is pretty clear - there'll be one last WaitingMan-sized banquet, then she'll find her way out the door into the world

Redundant - surplus to requirements, un-needed, unnecessary, unsuitable. Having this happen 3 times in almost as many years makes you wonder about reasons - beyond the glib excuse of an unstable industry. After all, the common factor in all of these 'redundancies' has been me. On more than one accasion I've been told that, as a Salesperson, I'm not "aggressive enough", or in other words, I don't railroad people into buying what I want to sell them, I try to find out what they want or need. And that can sometimes take time. More time than the modern sales environment will allow. Apparently. The truth seems to be that, despite many companies claiming to be all about customer service, the reality is that we... 'they' want to fast-track you into a prepackaged box & have you pay for it within 5 minutes of walking through the door. Salespeople just don't have the time to sell any more... it seems

I've been called an 'Old School' Salesperson. I used to think it was a compliment, before 3 redundancies made me realise it's a criticism. Funny... my clients always seemed to be happy. Problem being that I had fewer of them than was desired, regardless of how satisfied they are

So, I've been looking at other things I can do (apart from taking photos & playing music) with all the peripheral skills one picks up over the years. Unfortunately, most of them seem to point in a direction I've been reluctant to go since arriving at the University of Sydney in 1985... Teaching. I've never had the desire, nor believed I have the temperament, to stand in front of a bunch of people & try to inspire & impart knowledge, facts & processes to them. Especially to children, with whom I've never had any empathy - even when I was one

Even so... why is it, when you're out of work & wanting to re-train & try a new track, that courses are so damned expensive??!! I visited the website of a reputable business training institution & was knocked dollar-&-centsless by the cost of a certificate course in corporate training. My severance package wasn't even going to cover the fees, let alone the time required to complete the course whilst not working

If you ever think that nobody cares if you live or die... try missing a couple of payments

We're okay though... Layla won't be having that Grande Bouffe any time soon. Long-suffering Partner is still gainfully employed at the coalface, occasionally thinking about how her pickaxe could be better used hacking at softer tissues than materials that only profit others

Oh to be free as a bird...

Morning All,

A busy end to the old year & a busier start to the new one. The new job seems to be finally kicking into gear, meaning I've been getting home absolutely ragged... & then, between Christmas & New Year, it was time to take this guy for a walk/splash/frisbee-fest



Yes, Pirate was staying with us while his owners headed south for the Season. Love that dog. I really do, but wow - we both sank into the sofas on the day he returned home & didn't move for hours

Other job opportunities thought dead & buried before taking up this new one, have come back to life in the New Year (surely Easter is the time for that?). One is still appealing, one is... not so much, but I may jump through the hoops for the practice at least

Blerp... The morning after the night befpre...

Not hung over - didn't drink very much at all last night, but definitely emerging from a food coma. December is traditionally spent with various friends & colleagues, at various tables, having food plonked in front of you, which you plough through as you review the year that was... & last night was no exception

The last Wafflers meeting of the year is always a buffet affair & I've spent this past week organising numbers, doing seating arrangements & liasing with caterers, making sure that the 73 guests would all get something they like to eat. For such is the job of Dinner Secretary in the Club & I've been doing it for nearly 2 years... & boy, does it take a toll

Most months we have somewhere between 30-40 people & even that can be a bit tricky, 'cause everyone has their preference as to who they sit with, what they can & can't eat... L-SP & I have dubbed the 3rd week of the month 'Wafflers Week' & have learned that any disagreements we have, about anything, can be put down to the stress of dealing with that finicky bunch & are not to be seen as anything other than pressure relief, So finagling with almost twice the usual number means that this week, it's probably been best for L-SP to not talk to me at all... except that, because of the aforementioned social nature of December, we've probably talked more than usual. No black eyes, or divorce lawyers though... I'd say we've come through rather well... fed !!

Can't wait for April 2015's AGM, when my term on the Committee is up & they'll have to find a new Dinner Secretary... Boy, will we give 'em hell with our requests...

An 11th hour reprieve might be at hand for my career too. I got a call just as we were heading out last night, from an immediate past colleague, with news of a job opportunity with a much larger & much more reputable company than the one I'm starting with on Monday... & in the same product range that I've been working with over the last 2 years. Which is good, because I wasn't looking forward to emptying my head of all the technical info I've gathered on it, so that there'll be room for the new stuff I'll be flogging. Anyway, hopefully off to see a man about a horse this morning. What does one wear on a Saturday when going to see a potential employer, but it's not actually an 'interview' as such, more just an introduction & fact-finding field trip?

So what a year it's been

As prevously mentioned, I was made redundant twice this year, which accelerates the trend started in about 2008, when the bottom started to fall out of the Sales industry... or at least in the sectors of it I tend to work in - goods that are nice to have, but not really life-essential (though you try living in a house with no carpets, television, heating or a BBQ out the back!!)

I can lose count of the jobs I've had in the last 6 years without trying terribly hard, which is not a good thing to see on one's CV... & potential employers always ask about it. What frustrates me about that is when I explain the circumstances to them & ask them about the stability of their company & its plans to ride out this downturn, there's always a rosy picture painted... & yet, here I am, 6 months after starting my newest role, banking my latest small redundancy cheque & wondering where to now?

When I close my eyes & picture my perfect job right now, I see a desk with a tray on the left full of papers & a tray on the right that's empty. At the end of the working day, I see a tray on the right full of papers & an empty tray on the left. Repeat 5 times 'til Friday, with breaks for lunch

A letter of offer & an employment contract landed in my Inbox tonight. Accepted & signed

Starting on Monday next week, I am, once again, a contributing member of society... so can feel fully justified in complaining about how my tax dollars are mis-spent, like everyone else does

Man... that was a long six months...

Interview 2 for a job well within my abilities, but I'm not the person who has to believe that...

Today has been one of those days when you wish you could just fast-forward to the next stage of your life because this current one is getting frustrating, boring, annoying & old

Next...

On with the business attire, into the city, up to the eleventh floor & through the motions required to get past middlemen to the decision-makers...

Who I'll be meeting with on Monday

When did this all get so complicated??!! And could someone please explain why I have to go through an interview with a 'consultant' who's never been in Sales & knows nothing about either the company or product I'd be working with... My young friend ~ what is the point of you??!!??

The wild weather has returned... Outside now, the wind is actually howling. We had a huge downpour of rain for about twenty minutes before it settled into an hour-long shower, as well as some impressive flashes of lightning & thunder which shook the Manor when it was right over us

But it's an old, sturdy house this... brick, concrete & a solid roof. With any luck, this weather will do some damage to the McMansion owned by the family over the back fence, for whom I have little time, no regard & couldn't find a redeeming quality in if you threatened me at gunpoint... which would only give me ideas...

An interview for a part-time counter-jockey job today, which went well. As I said to the Loved One afterwards ~ "If you aim for the stormwater drain, you'll at least hit the gutter"

Wishing & hoping & praying... & waiting... 'cause that's what I do

Surely someone has to end this drought & offer me employment some time soon...

Not as hot today as expected, but still warmer than Summer's generally been up 'til now. Here on the coast, we had a southerly breeze & occasionally wind for most of the day

Another domestic day ~ washing sheets'n'shirts, clearing kitchen cupboards, then heading out to re-stock them & pick up supplies for a stir-fry dinner... the body was crying out for crunchy green things (& not the green things we cleared out of the cupboards!!)

A couple of movies from Foxtel this evening:~ The Adjustment Bureau & The Adventures of Tintin. Both okay in their ways, but I don't think we missed anything by not seeing them in a cinema. Glad we watched them, but don't need to see them again

I'm sure I used to go out on Saturday nights... I'm sure we will again, but it makes fiscal sense to raise the drawbridge & not venture far from WaitingManor when times are fiscally tough. I sent out about a dozen job applications over the last few days & have only had one automated reply... which was a rejection

Ah well... Chin up, chest out, soldier on...

Back to reality... Still feeling a bit blah after arriving home on Sunday, but the world won't wait

So, employment & unemployment matters have been dealt with, a test of my failing eyesight has been arranged, shopping to replenish the larder, banking business & today the Loved One returned to work, not a happy camper. Neither am I ~ I seem to have caught a cold somewhere in the last 20,000 miles. An early night then, for both of us



We miss this...

Alive & reasonably well.

Opportunities to move to a higher tax bracket & a (hopefully) more supportive, flexible, inspiring & friendly!! workplace continue to present themselves occasionally, like today. Ideally I'd like all of those things, but at this point would settle for any one of them,

The work upheaval & abuse of February/early March has had an effect on me, but not, seemingly, on my cow-orker, who still regards business opening hours as little more than a suggested hint as to when to arrive or, like yesterday, to be ignored entirely. As I've said before, I'd like to know what deity he's protected by, as I could use that kind of invulnerability myself...

On the home front, things are quiet. My L-SP has started a new role in her company which is a bit daunting, especially when combined with the loose-ends & loose screws left behind in her old role & department, who & which are determined to make her do two jobs at once. All of which means time at home is treasured & spent restfully. Somehow, we still manage to get out & about socially a few nights a week, but with a dreamed-of holiday approaching in about six months, I'd like to scale down the socialising & become a boring, money-hoarding hermit for a little while, with the promise of a greater, overseas reward to come. We'll see how that goes.

Enough... Have a photo;