Short Staffed

I’ve been feeling the pinch of a lack of staff lately but today I hope that my manager realises where I’m coming from. It’s been a difficult week with key members of my team on holiday which means that I can’t get my jobs done. I hope she also realises how underdeveloped the rest of her team actually are when it comes to simple processes. So to get through this, my manager has decided to do my work while I spend the day hitting the hard graft to get on top of the large deliveries that have arrived late. On top of this there’s a big offer on so we’ve got increased deliveries coming into the shop, as well as problems with tills. So I’ve been on my feet all day and hopefully it’s going to give me the insight to rattle a few of her cages further up the line. And if she doesn’t respond in kind, then she’s going to lose her backbone and a lot of trust.

Belligerent Buses

When you travel long distances on a train, you can buy one ticket to cover the whole of your journey, even if you’re using services owned by different companies. So why can’t it be the same for buses? Life would be much easier if you could hop on a bus and say; I’d like a ticket to the edge of the next county. But most buses are subsidised by councils, and it’s through these that the companies make their money. I suppose that there are a couple of reasons. Firstly, buses are mostly used by old people and those with free passes. Secondly, they take a lot longer to get anywhere; especially if you’re passing through major towns; and it would probably be quicker to get to your destination by rail. But trains don’t go everywhere and if you just want to make an honest journey involving several buses, there’s very little options available and you have to make an early start.

Phipps NBC Mayor's Mash at the Thomas A Becket, Northampton

We needed to break our journey back to Brum, so we decided to have a womble into Northampton. It was a bit of a walk up the open wind-swept alongside fast-moving traffic and we were actually heading out of the centre rather than in. But it turns out that it was the nearest pub with a Cask Marque certificate. It was a nice standalone stone building alongside a main road, and might have been a farmhouse in times before the town was established. Inside was a quiet bar which curved around the corner to a quiet snug. There were four handpumps and in front of those were some raised tables and barstools with leather seats. The barman was an ex-greasy haired hipster and had glasses to match. The beer didn’t have any noteworthy flavours, but it was refreshing and was well kept. It did seem to be a bit of a local’s bar so we made ourselves scarce as soon as we were done.

Lost and Found #nuclearmermaid 2

Jenny didn’t know where she was. She’d been trapped in a glass tank ever since she got caught when the metal sphere invaded her home. She didn’t know where the corpse of her mother was or how far away she had travelled. The sun had been replaced by a brighter light that never seemed to fade. And now there were bipeds gawping at her through a glass screen; the kind that her species had been trained to steer clear from if ever they were to venture into the shallow end. Occasionally floral flakes would appear on the surface but the rest of the fish always got to them first. She would have to guess the time of when they arrived so that she could be one of the first next time; but she was very weak. The only other way was to try and take a lick off one of the other fish once she was sure that they were asleep.

Animal Red Herring at The White Lion, St. Albans

‘Look, a distraction.’

‘You mean the red one?’

‘What else is there?’

‘Well, there could be a bird approaching which would be much more deadly.’

‘It’s going the wrong way.’

‘Is that the one that we should shoot?’

‘Definitely. It’s up to something.’

‘But what if that’s the one that they want us to shoot?’

‘Well, maybe we should ignore the safety kill and shoot all of them just to be sure?’

‘What, and contravene orders?’

‘Well, they’re all expendable to us really. Better that we complete our objective than letting the culprit get through.’

‘All right, shoot away. But shoot the red herring first.’

‘Why?’

‘I want to see what the others do once the red one’s dead.’

‘What?’

‘Well, they may all change direction and try to reprise his role.’

‘No, I think they’ve thought of that and they’ll just carry on.’

‘Best shoot one of the others then.’

Sheet Shopping

How much hassle is it to get a fitted sheet? Turns out, not much. You need to make sure that it’s the right shade to go with the room and hope that the colours won’t run in the wash. You need to make sure that the sheet fits, and that it’s not too rough. So the first thing you have to do is eliminate what you don’t want from the online listings. Once you’ve got the colour, size and thread count worked out, all you need to do next is to work out how soon you need it then go shopping for the cheapest price. It turns out that caution is needed to ensure that it’s the right one, so you don’t have to go through a lengthy returns process. That’s much better than saving on postage and ordering a second so that you’re not stuck with two products that you can’t use.

Fuller's Black Cab at The Garibaldi, St. Albans

We use a regular cab firm to get around to our favourite pubs at night. They now record your number so they can track your car and tell you automatically how long until it’s due if you have any doubts as to when it’s due to arrive. I hate getting a cab on my own as I’m usually stuck for conversation other than to ask the driver how busy he’s been. Anything else could be interpreted as racist. I usually have to get in the front as I’m either the first off three or last of three to be picked up or dropped off. I do miss city cabs with their glass screens separating the front and back seats for safety reasons. But the rural cabs are more comfortable and you can relax more. The fare can sometimes be a problem as you’re struggling to get as close to the right change as possible and leave a tip if they’ve collected you early enough. On some occasions we’ve been collected in a minibus when there was just three of us. When we queried this, the driver’s response was ‘I was closest!’.

Is Quora quorate?

I was looking up a fact on a website called Quora and had to enter my e-mail address to make the screen go away so that I could carry on reading. Because of this, I now get weekly e-mails about people asking questions. I was looking forward to a wide range of interesting debates and opinions, but the most common theme seems to be which books to read to improve their writing with dreadful spelling mistakes. I found myself typing out an answer for something to do with credit cards then began thinking about the context and I had no idea what previous experience this person had with credit cards, so I just forgot it. There’s people seeking opinions on everything they possibly can. Sone questions are very vague and need a lot more thought put into them. Others are just seeking opinions and advice for straight forward processes that a simple google query can resolve. Maybe they just don’t like Google.

Track Sonoma at the White Hart Tap, St. Albans

So the Russians are allowed back in the Olympics. This seems all too suspicious as it’s the state that is responsible for administering the drug tests and it’s the same organisation that self-regulates its athletes. Shouldn’t the justice system also be responsible for appointing someone to enforce the tests? What exactly is stopping the Russians from repeating the process? I’m guessing that the only reason that the ban has been lifted is because the Russians have something that everyone else wants: investment. It’s amazing how much money goes into these Olympic villages just for the sake of a few weeks. Every event must have a brand-new venue which probably won’t be used ever again; or on the off-chance that it does, it will undergo a major refurbishment to be upgraded with all the latest facilities and technologies. And of course, nations complain if they can’t do everything in one place as they’ll separated from their fellow countrymen. Unless they’re Russian. In which case they’re used to being a million miles away from each other.

Stop the Train #dreamdiary 63

It’s a nice warm sunny day and I’m sitting in the school playing fields with my friends from home. I have to catch the train into town later to get a haircut, and as I see a train in the station I decide to go and investigate how often they run to sort out what time train I should catch. I leave my satchel of belongings in a pile and head back up the hill to say farewell to my friends. But as I return to them I spot the train’s porter loading my bag onto the train. The train then departs before I can return to the station. As I think where the next stop is, the last carriage disappears at the bottom of the field and the first carriage comes into view at the top. I board the train at this stop and retrieve my bag from a pile in the middle of the aisle, but this train has now departed and I’m now on the wrong train trying to work out where the next stop is and how I get back home.

Greene King Gangly Ghoul at The Beehive, St. Albans

Ghouls are notoriously ghastly, and their purpose is only to spook and terrorise us. But the concept of a gangly ghoul has a more productive purpose, and the ghoul might even be nice. He only hangs out with other ghouls for conformism and companionship, and he may even be a bit of an outsider. Other ghouls look to him for protection because of his height, especially when goblins appear. It’s always expected that the large protect the small. But all this ghoul wants to do is have a nice quiet pint on a moonlit night perched just outside the local tavern. If his tribe should be a bit rowdy, that’s when he questions whether he’s in the right situation. And if the enemy should happen to buy the beer before the other ghouls realise who he is, then the loyalty of the gangly ghoul may just be turned. So be wary of your misfits or they might not do what you expect of them.

Fight the Power!!!

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." -Alice Walker.

No-one should make you feel insignificant. You should never underestimate what others will do for you if you have the confidence to ask. If you feel like you’re being told what to do all the time, you start to lose your humanity and fade into the system. Just by speaking up, you can summon others around you to join you in your cause so long as it’s just and will benefit everyone. Doing nothing shows that you accept the situation and people will assume that you are contempt with this. But at the same time, it’s hard to feel that sometimes your contribution is greater than others, and that others need to pull their weight. If you can only illustrate that executing your influence is for your own gain then others will be reluctant to follow you. But if you use too much of your power, others will have to give up theirs.

Elgoods Saturday Night Beaver at the Mermaid, St. Albans

The smell of wet dog isn’t very welcoming when you venture into a pub, but that’s exactly what we got when we came in here. The beer choice and quality was also disappointing; but at least the brewer had worked hard to make a novel attempt. I was under the impression that this was one of the freehouses of the town and that they’d have more of a local selection available. The young barman was very friendly and was interested to learn where we’d come from; and he did have an excellent selection of snacks. I’d been here before and the place clearly needs a lick of paint as it looked much scruffier than my last visit. But this pub also had a community feel and there was a shelf of books for people to help themselves and while away the afternoon. Unfortunately I think that we were the only customers present during our visit.

In the Can

Plastic is deemed to be bad. It gets stuck in rivers and pollutes the environment. And since we can’t trust people to dispose of it, the next best thing is to get rid of it altogether. So we’ve decided to bring back tin. It keeps things fresher for longer and it’s easier to recycle since we can talk people into getting a premium for what they recycle. It means that metals are cleaner and the environment is greener since everything is being returned to the ecosystem. Of course, transporting all this metal is a difficult task because of all the extra weight. Magnets are being deployed in all of our supermarkets to help cope with heavier loads. Cars require fatter tyres to bear larger loads and a loading ramp to facilitate packing from shop to home. And of course, sales of plasters and tin openers have gone through the roof.

Sharp's Doom Bar at the Cock Inn, St. Albans

This was the final pub that we visited on that same roundabout in St. Albans. It was a pub that stretched around the corner and was full of old beams. To the left is a modern lounge with comfy chairs where you can sit with a book or newspaper and while the afternoon away, where there’s a bit toom much open brick on offer. To the right is a restaurant with full views of the road outside. Between these rooms are a few tables and barrels to perch drinks upon. It’s quite quiet, but the smiling barmaid always pops in to keep an eye on things as she dashes between the lounge and the restaurant. It’s otherwise quite quiet apart from the odd person who arrives for their reservation. The beer is a bit bland and it’s nothing special; it’s simply there to tick boxes; but there’s a large display of wine glasses hanging over the bar.

Candy Crimes #candy

Candy was hungry. She’d had to control herself in front of her father and the hosts but here in her own private room she could really let loose. The room was a bit small and would become smaller when she’d had her way. She was sure that the randy guards who had been eying her up all night were guarding her door, and were jostling to get a peep at her through some painting the moment she’d fell asleep. Well, tonight she’d give them a show to remember. Reaching a foot out from the bed, she managed to reach the key in the lock and turn it with her toes. She then balanced her heel on the door knob drawing the door back so as to make it creak and attract the attention of the guards.

‘Come on in boys, I’ve got something special to show you.’ She couldn’t wait to see their faces.

Doctor Who: Plague City by Jonathan Morris

Doctor Who: Plague City by Jonathan Morris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting story which was similar to an earlier TV episode and the book even referenced it towards the end. Some of the treatment towards Bill did make her appear a bit simple at times, though at others it does heighten her sense of street smarts. At times you can almost predict what the characters say and do. I did find some of the local Scottish dialect difficult to follow but the author has a sense of humour and even makes references to it in his acknowledgements. If you’ve been to Edinburgh then the book does allow you to picture the situation quite vividly. What the book doesn’t do is reveal the past of The Doctor, bit instead focuses once again on his God complex. I did enjoy the doctor’s choice of music and even found myself looking up the songs on YouTube. It’s also a great explanation as to what happens in Edinburgh in the summer.

View all my reviews

Back to School #dreamdiary 62

I return to my dorm for another school year. I have a large rucksack on my back. I walk along a footpath on a hill which levels out with a two-storey building below me. I enter the building through a single glass door with a wooden frame at the end and enter the corridor. I turn right and at the end are two wooden doors. I unlock the one on the left and enter my apartment that I share with five other people. In the living room, in place of where our telly should have been, is a DJ table set up with speakers in place of legs and there’s a mixing desk on top alongside a silver metal briefcase full of CDs. Above the table is a metal frame with a lighting rig attached to the top. The DJ is wearing a brown pork pie hat and some large semi-circled shades. All the doors to the bedrooms are open, and each one has someone else’s stuff in them. I spot my flatmate in the kitchen who tells me that she doesn’t know what’s going on, and walks out.  

Robinsons Dark Vader at the Blacksmiths Arms, St. Albans

This traditional merchant’s house is located on a busy roundabout on the edge of town. It has a corner bar at the far end, giving space to a lounge area for drinking and a raised stage area which has space for diners during the day. It’s owned by a chain so you can expect reasonable food at fairly cheap prices for the area. It was quite quiet for a Thursday lunchtime but the licensee was happy to chat to us about the ales on offer. There’s no space for outside people watching but there is a garden space towards the rear. The beer was a bit bland and was more of a brown colour rather than red, and I couldn’t really taste the spicy toffee and biscuit flavours. Then again, you can’t always have your own way. I’ve also found out that they’ve had an outside refurb since my visit. I just hope that they’ve got the same smiling gaffer in place.

Tooth Times

I’ve got a new dentist. It wasn’t by choice; I go to the same place that I’ve always gone to, but my old one’s left. I had to be careful as the old one was a woman, so I had to take extra care with my personal hygiene by making sure I arrive early and I’m not sprinting up to the hill and into the reception five minutes before my appointment is due. Both dentists also have Asian surnames which I never remember as I only see them once a year usually for five minutes with the notion of getting out of there as soon as possible. My new guy makes me wait. He apologised last time, but he didn’t this year. He also complimented my brushing last year; whereas this year he wants me to focus on my gums. I do have an electric brush but often I forget to charge it which means I end up doing the scrubbing manually.

3 Brewers IPA at the Beech House, St. Albans

This was the first of three pubs that we visited dotted around a busy traffic island in St. Albans. It’s amazing how three such businesses can survive as they’re in close proximity of each other. There’s a couple of tables outside its glass windows and inside it’s very airy and spacey and the whole pub is a large open plan area. To the front left are some tables set aside just for drinkers, and this includes those who are seeking too. These are tiny tables with small upright wired chairs, and there was a patron set up there to take advantage of the free wi-fi. Beyond this is a waiter’s station which separates the front from the rear, which is a large hanger with long benches filled with diners taking in lunch. The barmaids were young but were pleasant to serve us. We opted for the local IPA then spotted the Cask Marque certificate hanging in a frame at the end of the bar.

Fight the Resistance!

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. -Henry Ford.

In today’s modern society, it may not matter which way the wind blows in order for an aeroplane to take off.  There’s always resistance when you build up speed on the runway, and technological advances have allowed planes to adapt to that. But when you’re trying something new, you’re going to be up against a lot of other people who are all jostling for the same attention, and life doesn’t always necessarily stop to serve the next person in line. It’s up to you to convince everyone else that this is your time to shine, your methods should be the path forward and that you deserve to butt in ahead of others. Sometimes you may have to move backwards to allow others to pull ahead, but if you can find a way to soar above them to accelerate your progress later then you’ll know that you’re on a winning path. 

In the Picture

Mum wanted to get a picture of my brother’s wedding hung on the wall. Previously, there was a single photo of her in a swimsuit standing under a palm tree. I got the image off my brother and after downloading it onto a memory stick, I hit the town to get it printed at my local branch of Jessop’s. Normally I’d just plug the stick in and press a few buttons to choose my size. Today however, there was a bit of a farce on. The first two machines were having some kind of technical update and there was a queue in front of me waiting for service at the counter. I looked at the next machine and a man in overalls said, ‘they’re not working mate.’ It seemed odd that there weren’t any signs up to indicate this; and he didn’t seem particularly forthcoming as to when they would be fixed. Needless to say, I found it much easier to get my photos developed elsewhere.

Millions Rejoice (Thousands Mourn)

As we approach the final months towards the PPI claim deadline, millions are preparing to rejoice. No more will they have to suffer listening to loads of legal gibberish on the radio about making claims. They’ll also be more relevant television ads on the cheaper channels as there’s one less thing for them to advertise. Of course, this is on the brink of another crisis. What will the people who used to process all the PPI claims get up to? Will they be let go? Will they have time to re-train in another profession? Will they return to the streets to stop people to ask them if they’ve had an accident? Or will they simply waste their resources advertising that the deadline has now passed and everyone’s missed their chance? Perhaps some might investigate time-travel and advertise the fact that they can travel back in time to a point where they can still process your claim. We shall have to wait and see.

I Vont to Suck your Bricks!

The count had outgrown his castle. More accurately, he’d eaten it as it was made out of Lego bricks. He was now twice the height of a normal Lego man, and double his width. It was getting harder and harder to hide himself, especially from the sunlight during the day. He’d spent today in the shadows hiding behind the police station, and the cops had put the prisoner’s screams of terror down to their normal pleas of being asked to be set free. Amazingly, he’d resisted the temptation to break in and feast all day, and luckily there’d been no time for the cops to check. He could hear through their radios that they’d all been called out on traffic duty because of an accident on the construction site. The count had considered going there to feast tonight, but how would he hide his new growth? His only option now would be to visit Duploland and build a new castle out of their bricks, since they would be much harder to digest.

Moving Work #dreamdiary 61

It’s early in the morning and I arrive for work just in time. There’s a few people waiting outside the building for me as it’s my job to unlock the building. They’re a bit annoyed as it’s been snowing and my arrival will cause them to clock in late by the time I unlock the doors. I kneel to unlock the padlock. Everyone’s darted inside by the time the steel shutter reaches the top. My first task is to find somewhere to put my lunch. I find this kitchen with lots of small ceramic cupboards but none of them are big enough to store my lunch box. I suddenly realise that this kitchen is actually a show kitchen that’s in the public area and it belongs to a neighbour of ours that we share the building with. I head around to the side where our shop is and there’s no sign of our business whatsoever. I leave the building and climb a hill. Halfway up, I see a sign inside a shop window with our logo on it advertising which way to walk to get to the store. I climb the hill and see we’ve moved to a new brick building and a blue company lorry has just driven down the road in front of me, presumably having made a delivery. I stand outside and wander if I should even bother to enter.

Lego Vampire!

There’s a new craze of Lego that’s hitting the shelves. It’s a complete set model of a single standalone figure made of much smaller Lego pieces, and you’re building them with strips rather than traditional Lego bricks. And instead of it being a Lego figure, it’s on a bit bigger scale, double in both height and width in fact, and it’s got a fair weight. They could have cheated by leaving a hollow hole inside, but Lego don’t compromise on the model’s structure. It may look a bit out of place in Legoland though. This one’s a vampire for Halloween, and it comes complete with a decorative bat as well. It comes with complete instructions but at times you look at it and wonder which section you’re building. You won’t know until the great assembly at the end. I wonder if they’ll produce a jack o lantern set for this year.

Just Popping Out

I need a break. In particular, I want to go to the cheap shop next door for candy. The trouble is that if I go back through the shop, I’ll be seen on camera and by my manager. I’ll also be seen if I walk past the entrance, or if I go into the supermarket, since it’s now owned by the same company. It’d be nice of the bargain shop guys would let me back through their warehouse; but they’ll probably be breaking their protocols too. The only way is to sneak past the camera and the front door. So if I can hail down a car coming into the car park, I can get the driver to drive me past the door to the entrance of the bargain shop without anyone spotting me. But then it’s convincing the driver of the car to do so, and the driver will probably want reimbursement for their troubles. There’s also the question of how long I can go before by absence is spotted. Woe is me.

Chasing Castleford

This is our delivery system. It doesn’t tell us when our deliveries arrive, it only tells us how much we’re expecting. It also lets us delays deliveries from different depots if they don’t show up at all. Amazingly we have five different systems to tell us when to expect the delivery. The first is a planned sheet on our web page; this also lets us know if we’re sharing it with another store. This also introduces the third system; since we can contact a previous store (if we’re sharing that day) to find out what time it left the previous store and whether or not they experienced any problems. Our second method is a live tracker linked to a computer; though not all the trailers are fitted with a tracker. This is an oddity in itself; as when it’s not an Argos cab pulling the trailer, it’s usually an Eddie Stobart cab which can be tracked anywhere with its registration; yet we don’t receive this information. Finally, there’s a delivery helpdesk but we’re not supposed to call them unless they’re an hour late. And all of this happens before we even check the stock in for processing.

Circumstances and Decisions

"I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions." -Stephen Covey

When it’s your job to serve others, it’s hard to dictate your own circumstances or own the day. If you had no customers then you could choose exactly what you want to do, but you’d probably get no income either. And since you can’t predict your customers, it’s quite difficult to own the day. What would be ideal would be just enough staff to ensure that everyone gets the attention they deserve. But when the company cuts costs by not recruiting the right level of staff, you have to work even harder to ensure that everyone gets attended to in a timely manner. And because some need more attention than others; it can cause delays at times. If you can decide what can happen when then you can plan for it; or at least be prepared. But when you’ve got no control of what’s happening around you, you really need good leadership to pull through.