A headache of Headhunting

I've been head-hunted! I've taken a call from an old friend working in another shop to let me know there’s a possible chance for promotion in another store. So yesterday I discussed this with my manager; which puts the team in an awkward position as we’re already losing a strong team member next week owing to his advancement. There are two other team members who are also advancing up in cascade; and the team needs me to help keep the meter running. So as we approach our busiest time and the boss plays away, I’m worried as to where’s my chance to step up into the limelight to advance my career. Where’s my chance to progress and develop and try out new things? I'm just a bit tired of being left behind in this company and to clean up other people’s mess, while they step up to shine and take all the credit. 

Sweat the Horse Stuff

Nick Grimshaw’s Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff recently featured a picture of a white horse with a long white mane grinning at the camera. Even though I've yet to watch an episode of his show; I can’t stand the guy. He’s an untalented lazy presenter with a gay face and a lazy attitude. Anyway, I can already picture the lame jokes that Grimshaw will make about this horse. Because he’s worth it. He has orgasms over the horse’s mane of hair. To be honest, it’ll probably be more exciting if the horse hosts the show; just like the traditional show of Mr. Ed. He could hang out in the stables of a racecourse; watching the world go by and take the mick out of all the mindless celebrities (just like Grimshaw!).  There would have to be a reason as to why the horse isn't racing, but that’ll come to me at some point or other. He could be retired; or it could just be the mystery of the show.

Waste is every little

Tesco's supermarket has been heavily criticised by the green brigade for throwing over two thirds of its fresh food away. Yesterday they announced that over 30,000 tonnes of food were thrown away. Surely by now you'd thought that by now their supply managers would be able to get the supply and demand balance right; selling just the right kind of quantity without risking the freshness of the product. Yesterday they announced that over 30,000 tonnes of food were thrown away. And yet this morning I'm treated to a documentary on how to manage your kitchen. Do they think we're that stupid? Good grief. What the supermarkets need to do is to buy less and offer reduced prices to the main stock when it goes past its prime; and let the public know when the freshest ingredients are available; giving them a choice. Just like a new car, everything depreciates on value over time; and this is something that these grocers desperately need to manage. Quality is value; use it to your advantage. 

Lost in the Labyrinth

I've just finished reading Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth. It was a strange tale to start with; but I made good progress and managed to read around three chapters a day. The constant flashbacks made the whole plot confusing; and I often had to backtrack to remind myself as to what each character were up to. This morning, I burned right the way through to finish the book; and amazingly I found myself heading back through it to pick out the good bits. I never thought I’d do this in a million years; I found so many bad similes and vague scene descriptions in the book; it never seemed to flow.  It’s quite hard to picture the characters; but I've been told that the TV series portrays it a lot better. And now that I've finished the whole book, I've got some time to think about the next book from the BBC’s Big Read.

An Education in Intoxication

Yesterday was my first trip to Oxford. I’d been before; but this was the first time in the actual city. And a very busy city it is too. There were pedestrians everywhere; and the high street was absolutely rammed. Even the buses had trouble getting through their lanes. We were there to visit the beer festival and sample a couple of hostelries afterwards. And so, it seemed, a lot of students were doing the same thing.  The Gownies were out in force visiting the pubs as part of their initiation week. The classic pubs that were in the heart of the college district were packed out with students. After the Turf’s Tavern we visited the White Horse; where a group of Morris men arrived to entertain us. I only stayed to watch the first dance; as the music was very familiar and wanted to get on with exploring. So onwards to the Eagle & Sun, where, as we neared, a whole crowd arrived and took over the whole pub just as we approached the doorstep.  To make things easier; we decided to venture out to the Lamb and Flag, where it was much less crowded; and gave us enough time to visit more pubs.

What are our Saturday shows teaching us?

I've been watching the Saturday morning cartoons this morning and it seems that the latest cartoons are lacking somewhat of a plot line. Each storyline seems to show that the main character never gets their way to become an epic hero to win the day. In Horrid Henry, for instance; the last comic is taken from his store by his arch enemy/next door neighbour; and there's no grown-ups to help him. The parents are concerned about  the mess; the helpline calls him stupid for trying; and the final scene shows Henry surrendering in a maids costume by teatime, with no resolution as to how to get his comic back. I  find this slightly alarming; are we teaching our children to give up do easily? That there is no cause worth perusing and we should just give up? Where's the inspiration? Where's the ambition? And, most importantly; what are we teaching these children?

 

Heat or Eat? Let's work together on this.

This morning’s news featured a ‘heat or eat’ campaign; focusing on the hardships that older people face thins winter. Now I'm no economics expert; but when you hear that something like this happens; you know that something’s gone terribly wrong with life choices. There’s not been any opportunity for provision; yet there’s the social aspect too. Older people should not be left socially alone for the state to care for. Friends and family should have a responsibility too. And friends aren't that difficult to make nowadays. Just offering someone a simple cup of tea or talking to someone on a regular basis can have a major difference; and this may lead to invites to social functions or something even more. But if you really are in a heat or eat situation; then please do eat and send for help to make yourself more mobile; at least you will find some warm spaces out there.