And that's it...No more, no more. Shiftswinging is over. I haven't added anything for a while but here's a breif recap of what's happened recently:
1.) The valeting job ended two months early, the day before Christmas Eve, which was nice...
2.) After becoming seriously worried about what would happen next, i tried, and i tried, and i tried-applying for jobs that is, and it paid off with a unexpected find-a job working directly (albeit temporarily) for a large multinational car hire firm as a driver. (Don't worry, i'm not showing off, it sounds grander than what it was!)
3.) The job wasn't that great to be honest but i stuck it out for it's three month period, and was then laid off.
4.) And here i am again, unemployed.
Since starting Shiftswinging, the future fortunes of the country have improved, just a little. And i'm on the move too, moving around, trying to find work, and it's going to take time, but to quote a really old, obscure Prefab Sprout song: "end of the road i'm travelling, i can see Jordan beckoning..." Maybe one day i'll find my own Jordan (not the model obviously!) but we shall see...
This has been Shiftswinging, thanks for reading :-)
Friday, 11 June 2010
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Just thinking...
It's funny how things change, the older you get. Five years ago i owned a nearly new car and had a five year old car in the drive. Now i rent a dilapidated static caravan from a senile landlord, and drive a posh-rotten Fiat Tipo diesel, where the electrics have a mind of their own (well, it was £350 i suppose...)
Still working, slowly driving me insane and i nearly, very nearly walked out the other day, childish i know, but being promised basic working tools and not getting them is childish as well...just so glad it's a temp job, things are really getting busy in the valeting trade, with scrappage and all. Just a shame that they're scrapping all the decent, usable, nice old bangers and hence the fact i'm driving around in a Fiat Tipo where the electric windows don't undo. Or do up.
Starting to think "What Next?" in the new year (good idea for a magazine title that, imagine it next to What Car...), when the contract ends and it's back to Housing Benefit and Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance for me. Will i get work again immediately?, will i have to wait another three months or so for another temp job to come up?, who knows, but it does worry me, especially as all my wages are going on old debts, which isn't a huge problem, as long as i have a few pennies to buy Fish and Chips for Friday tea-time, buy the odd second-hand book or CD from a boot sale and fill the old tank up with diesel, then i'm happy, for now.
The problem is how long will it get to being back on acceptable income again?, i'm living on the breadline now, instead of the poverty line and i kind of like it. It tastes better than poverty.
It's not just me, and i still class myself as a "mild" case of poverty. My only regret was not charging all my bills to my credit card (when i had credit) and going bankrupt and starting again. Other people as you will know are losing jobs, then losing homes, and perhaps losing families, ie breaking up and that is tragic.
I really hope everyone who's come a cropper in this god-awful, greed led, incompetence followed recession can make good of it. I know i will never be careless with cash again, it will be hard for us all to get back on our feet, as i'm finding at the moment, but maybe one day in the next five years, this recession will be over, wages will be comparitive to some sort of basic, good, living standard, and maybe, just maybe we can look back..and smile?
Still working, slowly driving me insane and i nearly, very nearly walked out the other day, childish i know, but being promised basic working tools and not getting them is childish as well...just so glad it's a temp job, things are really getting busy in the valeting trade, with scrappage and all. Just a shame that they're scrapping all the decent, usable, nice old bangers and hence the fact i'm driving around in a Fiat Tipo where the electric windows don't undo. Or do up.
Starting to think "What Next?" in the new year (good idea for a magazine title that, imagine it next to What Car...), when the contract ends and it's back to Housing Benefit and Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance for me. Will i get work again immediately?, will i have to wait another three months or so for another temp job to come up?, who knows, but it does worry me, especially as all my wages are going on old debts, which isn't a huge problem, as long as i have a few pennies to buy Fish and Chips for Friday tea-time, buy the odd second-hand book or CD from a boot sale and fill the old tank up with diesel, then i'm happy, for now.
The problem is how long will it get to being back on acceptable income again?, i'm living on the breadline now, instead of the poverty line and i kind of like it. It tastes better than poverty.
It's not just me, and i still class myself as a "mild" case of poverty. My only regret was not charging all my bills to my credit card (when i had credit) and going bankrupt and starting again. Other people as you will know are losing jobs, then losing homes, and perhaps losing families, ie breaking up and that is tragic.
I really hope everyone who's come a cropper in this god-awful, greed led, incompetence followed recession can make good of it. I know i will never be careless with cash again, it will be hard for us all to get back on our feet, as i'm finding at the moment, but maybe one day in the next five years, this recession will be over, wages will be comparitive to some sort of basic, good, living standard, and maybe, just maybe we can look back..and smile?
Friday, 27 November 2009
Update, simple as that!
Just another brief update: I hate this job. I've never worked so hard for so little reward bar a pay packet and constant reprimands and reminders that if performance isn't up, then i'm gone...Stuff it, thinks i...
Ok, so that's a bad attitude to have, but the one thing that i can take from this job, is that it's seriously made me question what i want to do with my life. Do i want to be constantly slogging my nuts off for a pittance whilst i've got managers boasting that they're leaving for Saudi in the year, 70k a year tax free.
Sorry to bitch, and i guess be ungrateful. It's just been a very tough week...
Ok, so that's a bad attitude to have, but the one thing that i can take from this job, is that it's seriously made me question what i want to do with my life. Do i want to be constantly slogging my nuts off for a pittance whilst i've got managers boasting that they're leaving for Saudi in the year, 70k a year tax free.
Sorry to bitch, and i guess be ungrateful. It's just been a very tough week...
Thursday, 19 November 2009
In work and loving it: sort of...
Can we ever be truly happy? lol...
Ok, just a update here. Been in the new job for three weeks now and yes, i do like it. The job is ok itself, and something i've done before, but management are neither the brightest or best, and seem to put up new hurdles in the way of doing your job properly every day, which is extremely frustrating, especially as they are also target obsessed and never fail to keep reminding people what their performance is.
Which i could understand in a Sales environment, but not in a manual work environment. Sure, there are those who will always be lazy and will always need a theoretical kick up the arse from good management practice, but this is constant, "our work levels should be higher" which makes it feel as if the management have no faith in you, and add this to the constant goalpost movement and, sadly i hasten to add, it makes me feel sometimes as if there's no incentive to work hard, as it's always gonna be wrong...
Hold on, you might say: "you've been out of work for over a year, surely going back to work and earning is good enough incentive moves?" sure they are, but we are always in constant fear of losing our jobs early.
The contract ends in Feb 2010, but a sad, and strange thing i'm seeing is that if you make silly mistakes, you aren't reprimanded, in the words of Sir Alan Sugar: "You're fired."
No, seriously. The company (mention no names) is so obsessed with rules and targets, that you can be the best car valeter going but failure to dispose of rubbish properly makes you eligible for P45 collection duty in the name of "Health and Safety", but i think it's a acronym for "Hire and Fire", trust me, i've seen it happen. It shouldn't happen, but it does-we all knew we were on temporary contracts but it seems sometimes that the contracts are a bit too temporary...
Will report more soon...
Ok, just a update here. Been in the new job for three weeks now and yes, i do like it. The job is ok itself, and something i've done before, but management are neither the brightest or best, and seem to put up new hurdles in the way of doing your job properly every day, which is extremely frustrating, especially as they are also target obsessed and never fail to keep reminding people what their performance is.
Which i could understand in a Sales environment, but not in a manual work environment. Sure, there are those who will always be lazy and will always need a theoretical kick up the arse from good management practice, but this is constant, "our work levels should be higher" which makes it feel as if the management have no faith in you, and add this to the constant goalpost movement and, sadly i hasten to add, it makes me feel sometimes as if there's no incentive to work hard, as it's always gonna be wrong...
Hold on, you might say: "you've been out of work for over a year, surely going back to work and earning is good enough incentive moves?" sure they are, but we are always in constant fear of losing our jobs early.
The contract ends in Feb 2010, but a sad, and strange thing i'm seeing is that if you make silly mistakes, you aren't reprimanded, in the words of Sir Alan Sugar: "You're fired."
No, seriously. The company (mention no names) is so obsessed with rules and targets, that you can be the best car valeter going but failure to dispose of rubbish properly makes you eligible for P45 collection duty in the name of "Health and Safety", but i think it's a acronym for "Hire and Fire", trust me, i've seen it happen. It shouldn't happen, but it does-we all knew we were on temporary contracts but it seems sometimes that the contracts are a bit too temporary...
Will report more soon...
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Too much pressure
Way too much. I've always been the sort of bloke to be able to sort out my own affairs but now it really is getting too much. I'm being sent "where's our money?" letters on a semi-regular basis, the letting agent on the property i'm about to move from being a very sharp thorn in my side, with three letters so far. Having moved in to our new "home" me and my Fiance are arguing almost constantly, not directly, but in a way caused by severe lack of money and probably being stuck in a tiny space together.
And the loose ends that need tidying up, there seems to be no fucking end to it all. Address changes, joint benefit updates, the heating in our new home packing up, having to apply for more permanant work, the temp job not starting yet, etc, etc
But trying to sort it all out is a complete and utter fucking nightmare, even the simple bits and it's making me ill and in turn making me irritable and difficult, and more difficult for my fiance to be with me.
How she's put up with me so far is nothing short of a miracle. I make no bones about it: i have been a difficult bastard over the past few weeks with the stress of it all, and if she's reading this, i apologise.
I can put up with the heating not working, that's a minor problem compared to someone coming to pick up some surplus furniture from my old flat. I only wanted a fiver or tenner for it, if that, but i keep getting "ooh, it's not for me-i can't shift furniture, the colour's wrong etc, etc" from local second hand shops, i mean, for fuck's sake?, is it so hard?, i'm virtually giving you furniture that's not tat and you won't even take it?, fucking hell, is this what it's come to?
They keep giving me numbers for Sue Ryder etc, i don't completely mind giving furniture away to charity, i've done it before, but charity furniture collectors have a habit of not turning up (from my experience) and i'm below the breadline, and it galls a bit seeing stuff you paid for being given away and you don't even get the price of a bag of chips for it.
Sorry to gripe-it just keeps me sane...
And the loose ends that need tidying up, there seems to be no fucking end to it all. Address changes, joint benefit updates, the heating in our new home packing up, having to apply for more permanant work, the temp job not starting yet, etc, etc
But trying to sort it all out is a complete and utter fucking nightmare, even the simple bits and it's making me ill and in turn making me irritable and difficult, and more difficult for my fiance to be with me.
How she's put up with me so far is nothing short of a miracle. I make no bones about it: i have been a difficult bastard over the past few weeks with the stress of it all, and if she's reading this, i apologise.
I can put up with the heating not working, that's a minor problem compared to someone coming to pick up some surplus furniture from my old flat. I only wanted a fiver or tenner for it, if that, but i keep getting "ooh, it's not for me-i can't shift furniture, the colour's wrong etc, etc" from local second hand shops, i mean, for fuck's sake?, is it so hard?, i'm virtually giving you furniture that's not tat and you won't even take it?, fucking hell, is this what it's come to?
They keep giving me numbers for Sue Ryder etc, i don't completely mind giving furniture away to charity, i've done it before, but charity furniture collectors have a habit of not turning up (from my experience) and i'm below the breadline, and it galls a bit seeing stuff you paid for being given away and you don't even get the price of a bag of chips for it.
Sorry to gripe-it just keeps me sane...
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Countdown to work Part 1...
It's been a eventful past few days after i posted my last message, in fact the day after i posted my last message, my car died, literally-the cambelt snapped whilst driving to meet relatives, destroying the engine and i'm about £150 down financially due to that and it was a real panic time: i had no money to buy another car, none of my family had any spare cash to get another old banger to runaround in and i only had £50 to my name and £30 of that was the money i got from the scrapman for the car.
Thankfully a old mate came to the rescue with a £250 loan, and Neil, if you're reading, thanks again from the bottom of my heart and i am now mobile with another banger which will hopefully last a bit longer than the last one...
Finally got another place to live now, a mobile home. I was a bit weary of this at first, but i've decided not to be so stupid and snobby and just accept it, hopefully i might just even like it!
It was a cheap place to rent, and as a happy ending, me and my fiance are able to live together for the first time in six months. Not so nice is the letter i got from my current letting agent, similar to the one my Mum got in the last posting, but with more of a threatening court action slant...i wish they'd understand that if i could get the money to them any sooner, i would but had to pay for the new place to go to and did try a compromise with the letting agent as you will see on the previous post, and as said there: ho-hum...
Still waiting for the green light to start work, i got a phone call this week stating that it's been put back a bit, and i only hope i'm not being taken for a ride and in all honesty i'm taking advice from relatives about not putting all my eggs in one basket, and i'm going to apply for whatever suitable work i can find in the surrounding area of where my new digs are, but as said, i hope i'm not being taken for a ride, it would devastate me, especially as i trusted them so much.
On a negative work note, my fiance's uncle and cousin both worked for the same major player construction firm, the Uncle for over ten years and both were given their notices this week. I myself thought the building trade was going through some pickup in trade, and i hope they can both find alternative employment. Best of luck lads.
Just also noticed that if it drags on much longer, and i start work next month, it will be a month to the year since i first started this blog, crikey...
Thankfully a old mate came to the rescue with a £250 loan, and Neil, if you're reading, thanks again from the bottom of my heart and i am now mobile with another banger which will hopefully last a bit longer than the last one...
Finally got another place to live now, a mobile home. I was a bit weary of this at first, but i've decided not to be so stupid and snobby and just accept it, hopefully i might just even like it!
It was a cheap place to rent, and as a happy ending, me and my fiance are able to live together for the first time in six months. Not so nice is the letter i got from my current letting agent, similar to the one my Mum got in the last posting, but with more of a threatening court action slant...i wish they'd understand that if i could get the money to them any sooner, i would but had to pay for the new place to go to and did try a compromise with the letting agent as you will see on the previous post, and as said there: ho-hum...
Still waiting for the green light to start work, i got a phone call this week stating that it's been put back a bit, and i only hope i'm not being taken for a ride and in all honesty i'm taking advice from relatives about not putting all my eggs in one basket, and i'm going to apply for whatever suitable work i can find in the surrounding area of where my new digs are, but as said, i hope i'm not being taken for a ride, it would devastate me, especially as i trusted them so much.
On a negative work note, my fiance's uncle and cousin both worked for the same major player construction firm, the Uncle for over ten years and both were given their notices this week. I myself thought the building trade was going through some pickup in trade, and i hope they can both find alternative employment. Best of luck lads.
Just also noticed that if it drags on much longer, and i start work next month, it will be a month to the year since i first started this blog, crikey...
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Under pressure...
Today, my mum got a heavy letter from my letting agent on the current place i live in, after the rest of the rent i owe, a measly £190. I rang the letting agent midweek to let them know that as soon as i get the money, i'll give it to them, and if not, take it from my deposit at the end of the month when i move out.
So why the letter?, pardon my French but fuck knows. It's just another poxy "where's our money" letter from somebody else, other than those i'm already getting letters from, ho-hum.
I'm just getting bored of it all now. Really bored...
So why the letter?, pardon my French but fuck knows. It's just another poxy "where's our money" letter from somebody else, other than those i'm already getting letters from, ho-hum.
I'm just getting bored of it all now. Really bored...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)