The Waiting Man

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

Busy times, but not really worth writing about, so here goes...

I wonder if this is what stability feels like? I'm working somewhat regular & consistent hours, the job throws up surprises, but nothing that can't be handled by us, or me. L-SP & I are steadily working away at the bills & stuff, being mildly social, but nothing outrageous or 'special' lately. I've finally taken possession of a company car, that should help with the bills even more &, other than some predictable bumps in the daily grind, life is... relatively calm

The most exciting thing was when one of our wayward teenager cats made a break for freedom out the front door last night & disappeared into the dark, prompting much walking up & down the street with flashlights, tapping of food bowls in the front yard & multiple sotto voce threats of what I'd do to the varmint when I found her. Had to make sure she didn't hear me...

After about 30 minutes, she came racing down the street & into our yard, followed about ten seconds later by a large fluffy tomcat who has lived on our street for 10 years or so. He wasn't really chasing her - I got the impression he was actually herding her back to where she belonged. Given his size, I suppose it's possible he's part Kelpie... Anyway, errant cat returned, doors secured & crisis averted, I sank into the sofa... it had only been a mild coronary...

No new photos lately, so I've been going through the Archive:-



A Black & White Night...

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A good week at work, on the whole, though I'm feeling strangely uneasy... No real reason why, after all, I brought in over $30,000 worth of sales this week, but feel kind of joyless about it. Perhaps it's that we're in the 'limbo' stage of the proposed move to new, bigger, brighter premises - where we have to wait for other people to do their bits, after the frenetic rush we had to find the location, plan its acquisition, then plot the layout & look of the place, now we wait for solicitors, designers, builders, installers... strata title committees. All the mundane stuff that has to be done. Meanwhile at our original location, the relationship with the soon-to-be-former business partner continues to spiral generally downwards, but with some eccentric twists. A very strange man...

A quiet week on the home front - some catch-up dinners with family & friends, but life hasn't changed dramatically in the first week of Decade VI. Nor do I expect it to... That's usually when something happens

Here's a thing...

A couple of weeks ago, I had an e-mail notification from LinkedIn - yes, some of us are actually on that thing, but that's another story... telling me that a former employer of mine had taken a look at my profile. For reasons which will become clearer, I was curious, so clicked on his page, which mentioned prominently that his company was looking for new staff

Some background: In early 2013, recently returned from an overseas holiday & unemployed, I landed a job with the flooring company headed by this guy & his brother. It was a family company - Dad still worked in one of the branches, having started the whole thing in the late 70s/early 80s, Mum still did whatever it was she did... mostly keeping Dad & the boys in line, I suspect, with a fair amount of book-keeping thrown in. Anyway, they had both a residential & commercial division & seemed to be doing well. I'd never sold flooring before, but was a quick learner & was soon doing okay... I thought. 18 months later, they closed my branch &, despite having previously been assured of another role within the company, I was out on my ear. Not happy, but at least I was soon snapped up by another flooring company & so on & tedious etcetera

Last year, while road-tripping in the USA desert, we got word that the company was "under administration", a polite way of saying they were circling the drain. Long-suffering Partner & I made some suitably pithy remarks about karma, then continued on our sandy way, not giving it much more thought

And that was that. I'd noticed, driving past their original Showroom in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs, that a differently-named flooring concern now occupied the site, but still didn't think much about it. I also knew, via LinkedIn again, that their long-time main salesman had left them for a job in real estate. Care factor - not very much...

Until this past fortnight, when not only was my old boss cyber-stalking me, but then he called, wondering if I'd "like to have a chat". I was at work at the time, still somewhat surprised by all this, so agreed to meet in a few days - today. Given the way things turned out last time I worked with him I told my current Employer about the call & embellished it with a potted history similar to that above, albeit with some more colourful language. I stressed that I was perfectly happy where I am & had no intention of going back there, unless/even if they made the offer of the century

After today's meeting, I still feel pretty much the same way. He quickly explained away the financial difficulties of last year, blaming over-extension & some partner companies going under, leaving him holding a hot potato he couldn't trade his way out of. The family lost the commercial business, but managed to keep the residential side &, radically downsized, are concentrating on that. But his tone & pitch were still that of an ambitious man, looking to grow the business again as soon as possible, using words like "hungry", "driven", "focussed"... all of which are code words for 'Forget about your wife, your social life & evening meals - you will work for us now... all the time!!' & are, usually, my cue to thank someone for their time & GTFO of there. Combined with the monthly sales target figure he nominated... & the fact that, for the 90 minutes I was there, the phone only rang once & nobody came into the Showroom, it all adds up to a big, stressful pie in the sky, that would dance frustratingly out of reach every time I got close enough to even think about getting a slice of it

So, on the whole... No, I don't think so

I'm not sure I've really forgiven them for reneging on their promise to keep me on board after they shut down my showroom - even though, if they had, it would only have been a leap into another frying pan, relatively shortly before the whole thing tipped into the fire anyway... but it's the principle dammit!! That, & the fact that the years since then have been filled with a roller-coaster of unsatisfactory short-term roles... Even though that's not necessarily their fault, they precipitated the ensuing avalanche I still bear a lot of bruises from

As I said to my current employer, when telling him of all this - What kind of stupid rat swims towards a sinking ship??

End of the first week in the new job. I've already been out to a few site inspections & measures & feel a lot better about it - sure beats standing around in a showroom all day - even the one I turned up to in the rain, only to find the client had cancelled 3 days earlier... or so she said - she was a few sausages short of a barbecue, I thought

So my weekend begins & it looks like being another damp one. My plan for the next two days then? Just hang around...

... before we can claim rains of biblical proportions

Yes, pretty much from the day Summer ended, Autumn seems determined to wash away any memories of unbearable heat & humidity with a week's worth of rinse cycles. Am I complaining?? Not at all!!! Autumn is my favourite season of the year down here - the heat backs off, but it's not too cold, I feel more comfortable in my preferred attire (jeans, boots, long-sleeved shirt), both cars have had a decent wash, courtesy of Mother Nature, who has also been taking care of garden-watering duties with enthusiasm & the clouds provide great sunset photos:-



The only things that aren't enjoying the long bath are our two resident Butcherbirds. Doesn't stop them appearing regularly at the clothesline whenever they decide it's feeding time, but they're looking a little bedraggled. No photo of wet birds, sorry. But here's what they look like dry:-



No news or progress on the change-of-employment front. Things have been quiet on both sides. WaitingMan will wait & see... as usual

Still going through the photos from the USA trip last year, even though the Travel Diary is complete, plenty more shots are on my Flickr page & I have edited a few more into older entries of the Diary too. Like...:-



And



More news when there is some...

Sometimes life just lines you up with things & does its best to knock you over

Actually, today wasn't that dramatic... just filled with too much stuff. First - to the optometrist, where I had my eyes tested thoroughly & now need to go upgrade my glasses. It's a slippery slope once you start wearing the darn things & subtly rely on them more & more

Then to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned & a second opinion on my wisdom teeth. Last year's dentist told me I should have the 2 bottom wisdom teeth taken out as soon as possible & was slightly miffed that I hadn't felt any discomfort from them & was therefore reluctant to book myself in for a couple of thousand dollars worth of surgery immediately... This year's model affirmed that the 2 teeth would be a problem - just not quite yet. Basically, when I start to feel any pressure or pain (it's a fine line between them), then it'll be time to book surgery. I have a friend who knows some people who know some people who can help with all that at the time without completely bankrupting us. But for now - wisdom remains within

I had forgotten about the squealing, screeching noise the hygienist's tools make against your teeth...

Afterwards, off to an informal chat with the owner of a flooring company, who had contacted me last week. I'd been recommended by a former employer - one who'd made me redundant, so I was a bit curious about it all. Did he recommend me because he thought I was good? In which case, why make me redundant in the first place?? Or was he recommending me because he doesn't think much of this other company??? How little does he think of me, or how much does he dislike me????

Am I overthinking this...

Anyway, I met with the owner & his off-sider & their offer is attractive. The location is closer to home than my current job - which was only ever meant to be a means to an end anyway. But with 2 people at my workplace taking holidays in March, I'm reluctant to leave them in the lurch by abandoning ship. I wonder/hope my prospective new employer might understand & maybe even appreciate both my predicament & professionalism. We shall see

A quiet evening at home then, nursing tender teeth, a slight headache & too much to think...

Hello LJ... one tired unit reporting in

Working in Sales, dealing with the post-Christmas/New Year onslaught of cashed-up bargain hunters all wanting to buy furniture at what they think are reduced prices. Long days, a long drive to & from work that gets longer as my week goes on. Today was my Wednesday & I'm on the downhill slope to a weekend sometime during next week... Follow all that? Good

Went on a small road trip on my weekend earlier this week... wound up at the Hunter Valley Gardens, a few hours north & a bit west of Sydney. Took my first photos for the year. Here are two of them...





Seems we stumbled into Jurassic Park at some point

Bed now. More travel diary when I can get to it

... & the world wonders what you're up to

Had a lot of time for reflection, contemplation, navel-gazing, recrimination & other thoughts in a general downward trajectory (dejectory?) lately & today was thinking about my 2 immediate managers in my last position & how they smiled... a lot... all the time. Always quick with the "G'day Justin, how ya goin'" greeting, but not really listening to your reply. Always smiling though

Even when handing you a redundancy notice. Smile - you're out of here. Right now. Shake hands, a quick inane pleasantry, now get out

I don't think I trust people who smile a lot, then. If you're prepared to fake being cheerful that much, what else are you faking? I'd heard one of them talking about a former employee whose jokes they just didn't 'get', but they smiled & laughed along anyway... then sacked him. They used to laugh at my jokes too

It's true - once you learn to fake sincerity, you can fake anything...

Yesterday was my last day at my now 'old' job, which I'd only been at for 8 months, so not exactly 'old' in that sense... This time though, I actually resigned, instead of being "made redundant" or being "let go". I'd forgotten what choosing to leave a company is like & had to think for a while about how to write a resignation letter & whether you should be completely honest & unedited about your reason(s) for leaving, or politely & professionally vague - in case you need a good reference some day

This is all because I was kindasorta head-hunted for a new role with a company in the same field, doing much the same work, but with two major bonus points - about 1/3 more salary & I get my weekends back - mostly. So it's goodbye to the 7 Day Trading at basic retail award wage & hello (again) to being paid what my skills are worth & a relatively normal social schedule, which Long-Suffering Partner has already started filling up with overdue lunches, dinners, catch-ups etc... We call it 'spinning the plates' - getting around to as many friendships as we can, to keep them spinning on their poles & not come crashing to earth. We do think of you all as fine china plates, not plastic disposables or Corel unbreakables. Royal Doulton at the very least... Look out for a call or text soon, once I know what I'll be doing & when

And to my former colleagues - some more than others...

Must stop myself falling out of the habit of posting frequently...

Settling into the new company, though the weekly salary goes up & down at a rate that would be amusing if we weren't in such dire need of a steady (& preferably substantial) income at the moment. We're being billed to death & sundry little expenses are getting their kicks in as well. So belts are being tightened, little luxuries are backburnered & home-cooking skills are dusted off & developed

And today, my mobile phone finally coughed its last & dies, taking the SIM card with it apparently, as I've been unable to transfer any of my contacts information over to the new phone this evening. So an e-mail has gone out to those for whom I have an e-mail address, to call, SMS, or write back with their telephone details... I wonder which of them will take the opportunity to break orbit & drift away??

No new music yet, but the camera still clicks:-

First day at the new job

First days are never much to write about - indoctrination I mean 'training', paperwork, introductions to people it'll take me weeks to remember... oh, & a couple of actual clients to see

But mostly it was shifting heavy & unwieldy stock... with more of it to do tomorrow. Sweaty work!

And now, my sore back & I are going to bed...

Following on from yesterday, which was really just an excuse to share my esteem for the late Paco De Lucia... a 'proper' Journal entry

Of sorts

I've just been reading an article over on the Sydney Morning Herald site about lessons learned from the worst jobs the writer ever had. Having just had a s#!tty day at work, it made me think about all the other jobs I've had that were less-than-ideal & what, if anything, I've learned from them

( Read more... )

To be continued... maybe

Long day...

Work this morning & it was busy... which is a good thing ultimately, but kept me on the hop. Then home to collect the Loved One & off to pick up the In-Law family for a cramped drive in the new car to Bankstown, to see the new residence of my Sister & Brother In-Law... & measure it for carpet. More work!!

A shopping expedition on the streets of Bankstown, then to Arncliffe for a family dinner with my new favourite Uncle, then the long way home via Woolloomooloo & our local supermarket for supplies

And now... zzzzz... Maybe

Family dinners. Why are they more exhausting than others? Discuss...

A birthday dinner for my mother, with Father, Sister & the Loved One at a local Thai restaurant where the staff know us & look after us quite well... even if the Tom Yum soup is a bit spicy for the parents. They keep ordering it though

An uneventful day at work other than one event ~ a series of e-mails & then phone calls that got progressively more agitated & angry as the war over payment ensued, including threats of being sued & calling in the tabloid current affairs shows