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

Are harder to manage than a group of dogs, because when the dogs push your limits you can load them into the van and tell them that's the end of their walk as they've been so naughty and you are not walking them anymore today.

With people you can't push them into the van and lock the doors until they do what they are told. Much as you might want to.

Which is probably why we talking about managing people as "herding cats". I hope this journal wasn't prompted by something really bad, although it probably wasn't just a general rant.

At least you can talk to people. With dogs, I presume, it's all in the *way* you say it rather than *what* you say.

It kind of was some minor niggles that I shouldn't have to keep telling my staff about, and then a couple of hours later two people who work for me had a massive row in my kitchen. :/

After I posted the journal entry I meant.

"With people you can't push them into the van and lock the doors until they do what they are told."

If only! But in my profession that kind of thing is frowned upon. Although maybe when I get within spitting distance of my retirement I'll start being less restrained.

I'm wondering if prison guard would suit me better as a job? I can push them into small areas and lock them in then.

coely, I'm wondering if you and I will ever get to retirement age, as they keep putting it up. By the time we get there it will be at age 125 or something.

You should be in my situation... Unless I can get the British Department for Works & Pensions to talk to the French equivalent I'm stuffed... According to the French government I'm missing about 12 years of contributions, and according to the UK government I'm missing about 15 years... which means I can't retire in either country at the moment until I'm about 75-80 years old!

They should be linked, Whisky. There must be someone who can help you out. Try the Embassy, the European human rights commission.... All the Brits in our town are about the same age and for us (Ha! the advantage of being in Germany) it just involves a visit to the town hall.

I had fun getting documentation from my old school and college to prove that I was in education from when I was 16 till 1973, and it's time I went back there and sorted all the paperwork now.

I'll ask my colleague who's French if she has any ideas of how she would go about it, with half her working life spent in France and half in Germany. But she's just gone out for a smoke. Perhaps she'll never make it to 65 at this rate.

Sorry, Mina - will take the rest of this conversation away from your journal.

Feel free to stay! It's taking my mind of my own problems.

Now there's an invitation.... Shall we set up camp here permanently TC?

**looks around**

Although the place could do with being redecorated....

Needs lights I think.

anyone?