Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments

[Something Fishy]

Also in case you don't go on the 'Life is okay' thread. I have just heard I have a rental flat to move into soon! It's been 3 months of increasingly desperate searching but I just have to organise moving now.

Good news. Congrats.

[TordelBack]

Also in case you don't go on the 'Life is okay' thread. I have just heard I have a rental flat to move into soon! It's been 3 months of increasingly desperate searching but I just have to organise moving now.

Hurrah, well done SG!

[sheridan]

It feels a bit like anyone I know who has asthma is getting worse at the moment and I wondered if it was caused by increasing pollution levels. It's ridiculously bad in London now.

Last year pollution levels in London broke annual legal limits by the eleventh day of January.  That is, in eleven days the limits for the entire year were broken.  This year it only took 'til the fifth.  And the current transport minister wants to remove congestion charging even though approximately 10,000 people are killed in the city by pollution each year.

[sheridan]

It feels a bit like anyone I know who has asthma is getting worse at the moment and I wondered if it was caused by increasing pollution levels. It's ridiculously bad in London now.

Last year pollution levels in London broke annual legal limits by the eleventh day of January.  That is, in eleven days the limits for the entire year were broken.  This year it only took 'til the fifth.  And the current transport minister wants to remove congestion charging even though approximately 10,000 people are killed in the city by pollution each year.

p.s. I've been sent a pollution alert whenever levels are expected to be moderate or worse.  I used to get a few every year (certainly no more than one a month). (just checking) I've had eight this month so far.

[staticgirl]

We all need to win the lottery so we can get away from the SE....

[Smith]

I have the flu.

[staticgirl]

Keep warm and get well soon.

[Smith]

Thank you.Im feeling a bit better today.

[von Boom]

[Mardroid]

I got a call last Thursday from an agency offering me work this Monday (yesterday) at a nearby town I asked when the role ended and the esponse was "no end date".

Now I'm aware that is a bit ambiguous, but I think most of us would interpret that to mean that work is probably long term right? Especially as when I enquired about wages, they gave me a rather low figure but  they could reassess me in 13 weeks time.

I didn't mind too much. I would prefer job security to high wages.

So I went in yesterday. Pleasant company setting. Staff were quite pleasant. The job was easy. Rather repetitive, and I can imagine it getting a bit boring, but for the low wages, that's okay .

I finished it all rather quickly.

At the end of the day myanager approached me.
"How are you doing?"
"Fine I finished it all."
"Good. What did [the agency] say about your hours?"

"They told me I would be working from 9:00 to 5:30."

"Great. We won't need you tomorrow. We just needed you to put those through."

Wonderful.So I spent £20 for a weekly bus ticket I don't need. Thank God I didn't fork out for a monthly ticket.

Thankfully I have an interview for other work tomorrow. I came very close to cancelling it yesterday after starting the other job, but something told me to wait to see how that first day went. I'm so glad I listened to that small voice, although I have my doubts I'll get the job.

[Mardroid]

Sorry Smith. I hope you feel much better soon.

[Smith]

Thank you all.

[staticgirl]

Mardroid I really hope you get that other job. I wish people were treated with more respect - you're a person not an economic unit to be deployed however they wish with no thought about how it affects you.

[The Legendary Shark]

Yup - what Staticgirl said.

[TordelBack]

Yeah Mardroid, you deserve far better: employers can be outrageous gits.  I can't even remember how many times I was in your shoes - looking hungrily at a few weeks' work vaguely and loosely sketched out as bait in a phone call, only to be back on the bus by 5 the first day.  I've been self-employed for a long stretch now, but for my current project (which is actually okay) with one of my main clients I switched to a PAYE month-long contract since it was completely monopolising my time - I now have their HR badgering me to sign that contract (despite its term having expired over a week ago) because they 'need to have their paperwork in order'.  I pointed out that there surely can't any real hurry, since they haven't actually renewed my contract and I'm only in work this past week out of pure good faith on my part, but that apparently isn't a pressing concern.  It is for me!  Quid pro quo, folks.