h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I second Mr D, FG. Go talk to the boss's manager. And anyone who tries to make you drive a forklift truck without training is a danger to himself and others. And if you do decide to leave and go back to the old job, make sure said manager knows EXACTLY why you are leaving. For the sake of your successor if nothing else (though I'd do it to relieve my feelings...)

*sigh*. Is old Freddy doing the backwards cha-cha again? *looks it up* Yes he is, the little b***er, since the 14th. Didn't Lil warn us recently? In Sagittarius too. Which means communications (and especially the mail!) are particularly up the spout apparantly. Also explains why S and I (I'm gemini and Freddy is my pal, he IS sagittarius) are utterly unable to understand a word the other says at present. Should be over for Christmas. Can but hope. We've got inlaws.

Hyp - seriously, take Annie anyway. Normally I'd really really NOT second someone taking an uninvited dog along, but if he takes his big bouncing brute to your place, then he's being insanely unreasonable to deny you Annie. Surely you can keep Annie and cats in different rooms. I mean, how do you deal with your cats when HIS dog is visiting you? Exactly.

Harrumph to the entire universe.

*Can be heard thumping about in the kitchen cupboards, looking for chocolate*

It is a fabulous Autumnal evening here in Wales, down to 1C already, a crystal clear night and tonight's full moon is reflecting in ripples across the river

Hugs for both FG and Ag.

FG, don't quit until you talk to your boss's boss. Or maybe someone in HR, if they have that at the postal service. Do you have union representative? It sounds to me like your supervisor might be doling out the ol' baptism by fire routine to see what you're made of.

Ag, I don't want to make things worse by taking Annie. However, I'm not sure but I think I'm going to have the flu that weekend.

Plus, we really could have bad weather. The long range forecast for that weekend calls for a possibility of an ice storm.

FG, I can't believe they expected you to drive a forklift with absolutely no instruction. That's insane.

I'm glad to hear it isn't raining in Wales.

Oh ah. Flu. *Hands Hyp a hip flask containing Alittleofwhatyoufancy for having a comfortable and pleasant flu with*

Ice storm? Blimey. And there I was feeling hard-done-by cold river mist and slight ground frost. Well, the Oxalis IS hard-done-by. All the leaves have burnt orange dots from frost-bite. And I went to work in a sweater and hand-knit very woolly socks.

Which reminds me, I have a pair of socks to finish by the weekend, as my Aunt-Who-Appreciates-These-Things and who lives up to her ankles in freezing mud and mountain streams on a moor surrounded by sheep and ponies, needs warm feet in her wellies.

Ag, I've met people like that shouter in the librarian where I work. To date, I think the funniest line I've been approached with so far is, "I'm getting a bit aggravated by now, so where do you sell the bullets?!"

Despite my years of wisdom, I showed him where the bullets were. I figured he'd need to buy them before he could use them on anyone anyway, and then the problem would be solved.

But whenever people start shouting about things, it's always fun to assume that I have the power and authority that they're shouting is based on. "You're absolutely right, I'll take that up at next month's stockholder meeting" is a phrase that, surprisingly, seems to satisfy a good number of people rather than make them furious. I can't figure out why, but it's fun.

{[j'au]}

s for anyone being Freddied at the moment - esp FG, Lil, Ag and Hyp.

Just had a very thought - could you not do a little bit of practice with the fork-lift near your boss's car, FG? That'd teach him.

My new job is taxing me severely - perhaps just a dose of the Freddies - but I'm beginning to doubt if I'll still be there in a few months time. The quality of my work is suffering because of time and financial constraints and I come home after a day thinking I've achieved zero.
The latest is that the boss is taking on another 'provider'- and I, being a lesser entity in the foodchain, will be moved out of my treatment room into a miniscule converted staffroom where I can put the palms of my hands flat on the ceiling. I aint gonna work in a cupboard
I got a letter yesterday from a practice 40 mins drive away, saying they have a vacancy and are paying £12 an hour more than I'm on just now. Hmmmmmm.

driving a forklift without training is illegal in the states too - it's regulated by OSHA

I need some info from my UKian imbibing friends. Is anyone familiar with GlenDronach single malt? I was given a bottle by a colleague who just came back from holiday on the Right Coast of the pond.

[GDZ]

*waves*

The lady from the RSPCA didn't come around today. About 11 o'clock I realised that I just wasn't going to be able to leave work in time for her to arrive so I rang and re-arranged for Friday when I'm taking a day's annual leave (If I'm allowed to) so I can sort loads of things out and start helping B move heavy stuff.

Feeling a bit annoyed by the whole kaboodle really. I love Timmy already and really want to take him home. But my registrar sent his sick child to nursery today because he couldn't take time off so I can hardly take time off to adopt a cat. Unless I offered to look after his sick child as well.

Teuchter, that sounds like a nice increase. Would you be working the same number of hours a week?

Update. Today's e-mail from my brother told me to bring my own coffee. And to tell Mother to dress warmly because they keep their house colder than she keeps hers. I love my brother, but I am beginning to wonder if he wants us to come or not. He couldn't buy a can of coffee and turn the thermostat up for his 84 year old mother. And yes, he can afford coffee and heat. He makes a hell of a lot more than I do.

Oh, for heaven's sake! If that were my brother, I'd tell him that I'd rather not be an imposition and decline the invitation.

Then I'd invite mother to my house, turn up the heat and keep the brewing all day.

Hyp, that sounds a bit silly. If you're 84, and his mother, you deserve, for a couple of days, to have them keep their house a bit warmer for you. Thats what we did for my grandmother, and she lived with us for about three years.

It is hardly nescessary in the overall picture, but I have to correct some wrong facts I wrote about the Danish local politics (being a conscientious journalist and all ). It is not 252 but 271 communities/counsils becoming 96.



And sorry, Lil. Of course there is Agnes the zombie masseuse - and now Kelli's Gloria Mundi, vampish actionwoman.

I'm looking forward to read and tentatively take part.

I seem to recall that all Salonistas are valid potential characters as well and I think...

*looks around and counts on his feathers of some kind*

...there are more female than male Salonistas. Some more female made-up characters would be good, though, I agree. Didn't intend to be sexist with my creation.

*sends some glares to Ag's patron, Teuchter's boss and FG's supervisor*

I knew it!!! I knew it was Freddie! I've just vented in my journal and now I'm drinking whisky, always a bad sign.

Another for FG. I've was once left floundering in a new job with no help or support or care and it's a horrible experience. You are not a failure - your employer is.

I apologise whole-heartedly for remembering the sort of stuff Mr Ross has been known to get up to and will attempt to erase it from my memory and give him a fresh start.

There are times when my children irritate *me* to a level that would make me happily accept your offer to put them to work in your sweat shop, Marv, so you should perhaps avoid that sign - you might get some takers. NOD and SIC are old enough to behave properly in the library nowadays - they will go to the children's section and choose books and read them quietly, while I browse the grown-up section and spy on them at intervals. So I'd be mighty peeved if they were classed as unsupervised and given espresso and puppies. On the other hand, I'm never out of range, and would be down on them like a ton of bricks (and hauling them outside and straight home at the speed of light) if they misbehaved. Sigh. I'm having a bit of a parental confidence crisis at the moment so probably I'm wrong on all counts.

All of which reminds me, I saw a piece of extra-terrestrial matter tonight. No, *really*. I was driving home and something zipped over the sky, and it was like a small ball of fire with a tail - comet-like - which then disintegrated as it fell to earth. It was very close and I was seriously freaked.

Interesting to read about the Danish restructuring of local government, I'm waiting to hear what John Prescott is going to unleash on the UK. The trend seems to be to move towards the "European" model of regional plus very local, which would mean the axing of county councils in England and probable restructuring (possible axing) of District/Borough councils. The groundwork for this has already been laid, with almost zero publicity, as far as I can make out.

Hypatia, your brother really does sound unwelcoming.

I once - but only once - put the phone down on a customer who had rung up to have a go. It was while I was a parish clerk, so I was taking the call in my own home and in my own time, and receiving the flack for something that was down to the councillors, not me, and I quite suddenly flipped. Looking back, that incident was probably the final straw.

My eyes hurt.

Mol

*Once again idly wonders just who this Freddy is and how he's messing up everyone's lives when his seems relatively unaffected...then remembers that last time he wondered this he decided not to learn so as to avoid inviting some sort of Cosmic Fred Of Chaos into his life that, quite frankly, his life can do without*

Ah, yes....Freddie....sorry 'bout that.

I didn't set out to come up with a male or female character, honestly. I just wanted to shift a classic Western character into a sci-fi setting. "Casey Jones" was an easier name to turn into something that I liked than anyone else, so I swapped the opening letters to get J. C. Cones and you've got yourself a famous railroad hero...in SPACE!

I need to devote a day to adding "...in SPACE!" to the end of every sentence that I say. It'll probably work as well as "In accordance with the great prophecy."

*s for Mol and Hypatia*

Hyp if I were you I'd just tell your brother you can't possible make his kind invitation because, er, well invent some blatently false reason. Just make something up.