Obligatory Ramble

What's up with that Sod's Law thingy? With the snow finally cleared up, the Christmas stress gone for another year, and the kids back in school, January was supposed to be the month where things settled back to a nice, normal routine. I mean, you always have to allow for life's little Cock Ups, because lets face it, they always happen, but on a scale of one to ten on the Normal-a-mometer, we should be sitting pretty at around about a three at the moment.


Wrong!!!

Now I had plans for the first couple of weeks of January. Nothing too strenuous, you understand, but plans nonetheless. My major Must Do was reading a writing buddy's novel draft, but in order to do so I need Word. I have Word on my small laptop, but not on the one I am currently using. My small laptop, you see, is the third laptop to have died on me in the last two years. It only powers up when it is in the mood (apparently the right mood seems to be mostly absent at the moment), and even when it does power up, it has the unfortunate habit of having a hissy fit and turning back off again. Obviously it has issues, but there doesn't seem to be a shrink out there who provides counselling for Loopy Laptops.

I have blogged several times about my perpetual bad luck with laptops, so this shouldn't come as any surprise to regular readers, but it still comes as a surprise to me. I just don't get it. It's not like I abuse my computer software or anything. I mean, if I deprived it of company, or didn't regularly charge it, or I shouted plentiful profanities at it on a regular basis, then perhaps I could understand why it has a nervous breakdown so often. But I don't do any of these things.

Moving on.

So I had planned to blog Wednesday this week, and today. Obviously today is covered (as I am sat here typing), but Wednesday's blog never happened. My usual reason for not blogging is not having a subject to blog about, but I've had a couple of topics suggested to me in the last week (which I will definitely use!), so that wasn't the problem. Wednesday was one of those days that were 'off' for me. First I overslept, which is never a good way to start off a day as you always seem to be playing catch-up. I blame my new mattress, which is so comfortable that it's quite possible I may take up permanent residence there.

Anyway, I managed to get to work only three minutes later than my official 6am start, which considering I woke up at 5:42, was pretty good (thank heavens for taxis!). Of course, I had plenty of comments on my Bed Hair throughout my shift, but I can live with a little teasing, especially when I can laugh about it.  I worked my shift, went home, blitzed the entire house, and did general Wednesday-ness things, but somehow I never got around to sitting down and writing my blog post (though I managed to whip up a post for my scheduled slot over at Burrower, Books & Balderdash, thankfully). Before I knew it, it was time for bed.

Thursday wasn't much better. I at least got to work on time, but aside from the usual Thursday-ness which leaves me little to no computer time, I also had to make an unplanned shopping trip to buy a new duvet for my bed. One of my cats - not sure which one was the culprit - was accidentally locked in my bedroom and decided that my bed was the only place they could, ah, 'relieve' themselves. *mutters darkly*  Cue frantic scrubbing of brand new mattress, extra time with the washing machine, and mad dash to nearest shop that sold duvets. I don't think I sat down properly until way past 9pm, and I was so exhausted that I was pretty much comatose.

Yesterday was a little better, but I am always busy on a Friday with those mundane housewifely things that have to be done, so again I didn't have chance to sit down and blog.

But never mind!!! I will not be deterred! I SHALL acquire and install Word on this laptop so that I can fulfil my writing buddy requirements! I SHALL NOT be discouraged by life's little Cock Ups!

Onwards and upwards, anallat. Youknowzit, clart!

5 Things... I Hate About Working In Retail

1 - The fact that I have the early shift, which means I am usually out of bed at 4:30am, three days a week. I am a night owl by nature, and am generally asleep no earlier than 1am. I'm always tired. Always. I really don't understand why there is this need to open a grocery store/newsagents at 6am, seven days a week. My place has maybe half a dozen customers in the first hour on a Sunday morning, so it hardly seems worth it. Weekdays I get, what with builders and other tradesmen out and about, but on Sundays most people with an ounce of sense are still in bed at that time of the morning. Possibly my lack of understanding for opening at 6am on a Sunday stems from the fact that I am jealous of all those that get to have a lie-in, but still...

2 - When customers expect you to serve them when they are too busy nattering on their mobile phones to even bother to look at you. That really bugs me, it's the height of ignorance.

3 - The brevity of traditional holidays, which are sacrificed in order for most shops to be able to open so that they can squeeze a few more pounds out of the paying public. Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, Bank Holidays... these used to mean that every single shop on the high street was closed. Not any more. Not only are the holidays practically made null and void, the poor people who work in retail usually have no choice but to work on these days, thus spoiling any holiday festivities that they may have had planned.

4 - The general attitude towards people who work in retail. Just because we operate the checkouts or spend the day putting out stock, it doesn't mean we are brainless idiots who don't know how to do anything else. I've had customers come into the shop who are obviously business men/women, with their smart suits and jingly watches and mobile phones, and the way they sneer- yes, sneer - at me makes my blood boil.

5 - Rude, obnoxious customers. There are a huge range of these monsters lurking in the general public, from the people who practically throw their money at you, yet expect you to count their change back into their open hands, to the people who seem to think it is their purpose in life to blame you for the 'scandalous' price of a box of eggs. Then there's the bloke who thinks that if he rants at you for a few minutes, you may be able to magically conjure the newspaper that he wants, despite having been told that they haven't been delivered yet. The list is endless. Customers can be a horrible breed.

This was originally going to be a '10 Things' post, but I soon realised that most of my 'things' were customer related, so I was swiftly reduced to '5 Things' instead. That's still five more things than I'd like, though...

Still, it's job, and luckily I like the people I work with, so it's not all bad. Now, if I could just manage to get through the day without any customer interaction, I'd almost be happy.

Alarm clock image permission.

I really likes it, like innit...

Last night I waz avin sum wine like, and nosin around Facebook, azyoudoo, and I fort I'd do a status update fingy where I menshunned the fact that it would be nice to like, like it when people 'like' sumfink. On Facebook, see, if you iz feelin layzee and dunt want to bovver commentin on sumone's status, you can 'like' it, like innit? Only sumtimes, you might not like the fing that is on the status, but you might like the fact that sumone likes it nuntheless, youknowarrimean?  So there should definitely be sum way to like a like, like.

Anywayz, when I posted this yer conundrum, lotsa peeps started liking it, like. And then the peeps wot weren't being layzee also commented, and then they liked the comments about liking the likes too, like. And then I fort, bluddy ell, imagine bloggin about the likes in Taff speak, coz we Taffies always says like, like anyway.

Anywayz, by the end ov the night, like, there were like twenty odd notifications on my Facebook omepage, and most ov them waz likes. Peeps had been liking all over the place, like, it waz bluddy bangin! Course, I may ave fort it waz bangin coz of the wine, like, and praps the vodka might ave had a lirrlebi to do wiv it too. But it dunt marrer, like, one way or the ovver, coz I still fort it waz funny. Youknowzitmakezsense!

While I iz yer, like, I should probbly menshun that I have been feelin a lirrlebi guilty like, about the fact that I aven't blogged much so far this yer. In fact, this iz only like my second blog post of two fousand and leven. I iz a very norty Taffy and obviously needs a good spankin like, innit. I aven't been a total layzee slag though, coz I ave been working on my fantasee novel in and out, plus my normal working and home stuff too. The fing wiv blogs though, iz that I needs a subject to tork about, like, and I iz still aving probs finking ov stuff. No marrer, though, coz az lon az I dunt leave it for munths on end like I did last yer, like, then this yer will be an improovemunt, like innit.

Next week I will be mostlee bizzi wiv this and that, but I iz aiming to get sumfink posted aroundabou Wensdee, like, and praps I can put togevver anovver post for Saturdee too, like. We'll see. In the meantime, if you az a Facebook 'coount, maybee you should try liking everyfink on there. Even if you dunt like it. If nuffink else, it passes the time, like innit?

Youknowzitmakezsense!

Image permission.

The New Year Thingy

Wow, a new year already! I don't know what happened, but 2010 passed in a blink of an eye. Or so it seemed. Anyway, I'm not one for making new year's resolutions - well, I make them, but never stick to them - but I do like to at least have a few goals to aim for in the coming year. A goal is much better than a resolution in my opinion, mostly because resolutions are sort of stressful. You are promising yourself that you WILL do something. With a goal comes the same promise, but it somehow seems to put less pressure on you. I know, they are technically the same thing when you think about it, but the wording makes a lot of difference. *nods* Plus it helped me fill a paragraph. *shifty*

Anyway, in continuing with last year's great result of dropping - and keeping it off! - 40lbs, I'd like to lose another 20lbs this year. I'm much happier with myself at my current weight, but that extra 20lbs would make me ecstatic. I have no illusions about how hard this will be. The less weight you have to lose, the harder it is to shift it. And whereas last year I did little more that eat smaller portions at mealtimes, and cut back on my bread and junk food intake, this year I will have to calorie count and exercise to be able to lose those excess pounds.

I'd also like to improve on my blogging frequency. I have scheduled posts to write for my writing group's blog (Burrowers, Books & Balderdash) which I usually manage to do - even if I'm late doing them - but my poor Princess Of Procrastination page has been badly neglected this past year. I'm not sure yet how often I am aiming for, but almost anything would be better than last year's abysmal blog count.

Lastly I want to set some writing goals. I want to try and punch out the sequel to my modern twist on Cinderella, and also get back to working on my fantasy novel. I'm shying away from editing for the moment, mostly because I hate doing it and it tends to make me procrastinate even more than normal over my other writing stuff. I set three goals for editing Cardiffella last year, and failed each time, so no editing goals for the moment. They're obviously a bad influence on me.

That's it, really. My new year thingies. Not resolutions, of course, because you know that I don't do them. *winks*