Leave

This is the first time in over a decade I've had to think about when to book annual leave.  I used to get so many holidays that I didn't worry about having time off. Now, I'm back in the rat race I have to think about it, when is the best time? How long for? How can I eek out my time? The first thing however, before, any of that is getting out the shared diary and checking when I'm allowed to book time off.  With over a dozen people in the department, there is a rule that no more than 3 can be off at any one time.  Fair enough. Then there are "hot spots" - popular holiday times, when a lot of people want time off - for example in August when the weather is great.  These "hot spots" are more to enable staff with children to take a holiday, as one disgruntled employee told me, he'd been asked to move his booked week because someone else had children and as such they wanted to be with their children on their summer holidays.

Now I understand parents needing to be with their children over the summer, childcare over the summer is very costly, however I also think why should someone who is single or with a partner but chooses to not have children have to give up their week? The work colleague gave up his week and took it later in the year. He said he didn't mind doing it but only because he'd not booked a flight anywhere, however had he booked a flight he would have been forced to give that up.  Does having children mean you can dictate when you have time off?

Shroud of Turin-g

Thought I'd dig out my school jacket tonight. I've been wearing the same dark blue/black suit at work for a month, (it has been washed!) but i fancied a bit of a change before all the staff members think I am a Goth.  Dusted down one of my school suit jackets.. yes, it's brown velvet I was going for that retro teacher look.. however it's worn now and frayed at the sleeves. It made me think about how much memory fabric holds, all the scuffs from rubbing elbows on tables, all the splatters from paint or threadbare patches where pens have worn away at the cotton.. then I noticed.. the shape of my old mobile phone in the pocket, hidden but for an outline like a modern day shroud of Turin

I found my old flip phone and placed it over the silhoette

The photo doesn't really do it justice but I hope it cane be made out

Age Concern

A few weeks ago I took a road trip with the other new recruits from my work. Four of us, two men and two women crammed into a car and drove to a York for a day long course. On route many topics of conversation came up including one of age. They were all the same age 22.. (give or take a few months) So when it came to revealing my age, I asked them each to guess - and was surprised by their comments. I'd just turned 39, yet they put me in my early 30's - average 32! They were all surprised when I told them of my true age and I felt pleased that I didn't think I looked it.

Yesterday I was working with an older woman, and she was asking me how I was settling into my new job. I told her that in the main it was OK, however I missed being creative, I also felt incredibly tired after work and I was struggling to remember the procedures.  She sympathised and said asked if I'd considered a medical reason why I was tired? then said, "when people get older they aren't able to retain the information they once could as easily!" she went on to say "I've noticed as I've gotten older......" at that point I switched off, wondering how old she thought I was! She had grown-up grand children, did she think I was in my late 40's? I changed the subject deflated by the knowledge that I'd aged nearly 20 years in 2 weeks.

Superiority Complex

The Daily Mail, I've said it so many times before, but "Why do I read that paper?" I'm sure I only read it to get annoyed, or maybe I read it to feel somewhat superior to the silly journalists who write for it and the average pleb who comments on it's website pages! (I have to admit I have commented on it's pages too so I include myself in that insult)

Todays gripe is the incredible large banner that spans the top of yesterdays Daily Mail website concerning the joy of a new born baby from a couple of minor celebs. Directly beneath is the heartbreaking story of an ordinary couple who have been trying to have a baby for 17 years and finally they have a baby boy, but he only survives for a month..  Talk about insensitive layout!