Beyond a Joke

Beyond a joke!

Yesterday (Apr 29th) I spent the day trying to sort out a new supplier order because I am the only person capable of doing it. It took me all day as I kept getting asked this and that by Tom, Dick and Harry.

Today I have spent in the Workshop trying to clear the backlog of equipment repairs that haven’t been done by our 2 Engineers. In between that I have our Driver complaining that I think they are skiving, so I have to type notes again so that I don’t forget what was said, and I also have a member of staff who’s relationship is on the rocks and they might have taken up drinking copious amounts of alcohol to combat the pain and anguish. I’m sure I could smell it on them yesterday. Due to this I have to contact HR as it is a Health and Safety issue...but remember I’m supposed to be sorting in the Workshop all day...making my backlog of ‘normal’ work even greater!!!

The Gaffer goes out and almost immediately the Sales Rep is on a personal call to his other half discussing holidays in June/July, after getting in late this morning! Yeah yeah, they might have had an early start yesterday, but they also left the place for THREE WHOLE FUCKING HOURS over lunch, and then left at 15:30 to go home...

Now, here’s where this little rant became a large concern. The Sales Rep came out into the Workshop and said ‘Come here’ (beckoning to the office). He whispered in my ear ‘pretend it’s a piece of kit and you know what I mean’.

I thought he was leading me to the Showroom to show me a Customers piece of kit that maybe they were being daft about. Oh no...he’s leading me to his computer where he’s watching a YouTube video of some Air Rifle shooting (the only slight thing we have in common).

I’m working my fucking knackers off here trying to catch up on stuff that I can’t catch up on because I keep wiping everybody else' arses for them, yet those who toss the fuck off like this get the same recognition!!!

Let's moan about the Football.

What's to moan about, I hear you ask?

Bradford City beat Sunderland 2 - 0 and did it very well, but my god can people moan.

At Bradford City there are 56 seats covered. They are never used and they are covered in memory of the 56 supporters who sadly lost their lives in the fire of 1985. The Bradford City fire is etched into the memory of anybody from Bradford, it was a tragic event that will never be forgotten.
Where do these come in to it?
Well some cantankerous bastard was moaning about it.
2 other seats had been re-allocated, elsewhere in the stadium, and he was moaning, wondering why 2 had been re-allocated and there were still 56 covered up.
I didn't bother arguing, I would have bitten his head off. This guy had already pissed me off. He seems to have total disregard for everybody and everything.
Within the first 5 minutes of meeting him he was moaning about cyclists and the road, and how the Tour De France should have been sabotaged by throwing diesel and tacks on the road. He was moaning about people parking on a tight road when he had to get his wagon round, telling me he was going to bash them off the road.
He's supposed to be a professional driver FFS! If he's driving a wagon he must have taken the CPC or "Certificate of Professional Competency".
People like this get on my tits.

Then there was the Steward who I overhear.
Manager: "There were a few missiles being thrown, but at least nobody got hurt".
Steward: "Yeah, well. I got hit on the foot".

SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP.........

Anyhow, from a non Football fan who makes it to quite few games...C'Mon CITY!!!

What is it with...

...these people that want everybody to known what they're up to?
I tried calling you at 09:40, you didn't answer the call.
You didn't have to text me to tell me you're rushing around getting ready to go to the vets, and that you'll call me at 10 o'clock.
The suspense wouldn't have killed me, I could have waited 15 minutes 

I'll tell you what...

...boils my piss.

It boils my piss that I have 3 kids under the age of 5 to get ready by myself in a morning, yet I'm still at work no less than 15 minutes before our 'official' start time.
When I say I'm at work, I mean I'm through the door, I've turned the alarm off, I've done a walk around flicking lights and display TV's on. I've come into my office, fed my fish and changed the backup disk...and sat at my desk no less than 15 minutes early.
If you're early, you're on time, if you're on time, you're LATE!
It boils my piss that NOBODY else cares to do this.

It boils my piss that when I do get here, I park in the car park where the DIRECTOR asked us to park when we moved into this building. Yeah it's perfectly legal to park up the road and away from the shop front, but the DIRECTOR asked us to park in the car park that belongs to the building, so I do. If I ever park outside the front of the shop, or even on the loading bay, it's because I'm loading or unloading something into my car...and then I move it, immediately. It boils my piss that the other 'senior manager' (and I use this term VERY lightly as he has nothing to manage but himself, and still fails to achieve an acceptable outcome) flouts this reasonable request.

It boils my piss that I spend 50% of my day working, another 45% of the day working and 5% not exactly working. By not exactly working I mean the odd sly text message, usually around 10 am when the Wife will be on her break. After all, she left the house at 05:15, so I've not exactly had chance to speak to her.
It boils my piss that some people spend 50% of their day tossing it off, another 45% avoiding work, and the other 5% not exactly working.
Yeah he might bring in the sales, but very few new customers unless they are handed to him on a plate.
Yeah turnover might have increased, but only because customers have come to us.

It boils my piss that as soon as the sale is complete, he thinks that is his work over with. Maybe it's not, maybe he could give a bit of customer support every now and then. Maybe his customers choose to speak to somebody else because he's as much use as a Turtle on a Tram line.

It boils my piss that when my Mother-In-Law passed away before Christmas, I took a couple of days off to support my Wife and Family, and to attend the funeral.
I didn't spend my days on the phone trying to sort things out, I didn't disappear for hours walking around the place telling everybody my business and fishing for sympathy. I got on with it, I've boxed it up for later, when I'm alone (I'll get a day to myself some time, eventually). Yeah I wouldn't mind if somebody asked how I was doing, in fact, I would relish the opportunity to offload my woes, but I'm not going to harp on about it to get sympathy.
It boils my piss that every customer and supplier that he has spoken to knows everything about him.
Work is work, home is home...leave them there.

But I'll tell you what really boils my piss, the fact he's allowed to get away with it, that's what boils my piss.

Fire Fighter Pension Rant.

Here's a good moan for you...this is taken from Firefighterengland
Quite frankly, it's the honest truth and I am right behind them on this.

Open Letter to the Public

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

Dear Citizen of the United Kingdom,

It is with a heavy heart that I feel I have to write to you. I am a Firefighter and I feel it’s my duty to explain to you why I have chosen to take Industrial Action. This I’m afraid is the only option I have left. I have spent my working life serving you. I have seen and done things that nobody should ever have to, but I do it and live with the scars because I am a Firefighter, it’s what I do. I am there when you need me the most, willing to lay my life on the line to help you and your family in your darkest hour.  I am not a hero, in fact I resent that title. I am a human being just like you, only a human who has dedicated their life to train and train and train again for any situation. Who has fought through heat and smoke to be there when you need me the most. Who has studied for hours numerous cars to know the best way to cut you free. Who has swum in icy lakes to save you from drowning.  This is to name but a few.  I don’t do it for thanks, I don’t do it for praise, I don’t do it for money,  I do it because I am a Firefighter. It’s what I do. The only thing I ask, which I never thought I’d have to, is to be treated fairly and with respect.

The current Government have decided that since the financial crisis, people like me will have to pay for it. People who are easy targets.  This not only includes nurses, teachers, police, ambulance staff and other essential  services, but people who rely on benefits through no fault of their own to survive. We continue to be penalised while the real crooks get away with it. The Government have decided my future and I must accept whatever decision they seem fit.  No negotiation, no looking at any evidence provided, just dictating what I must concede to.  This I can not do.  It is not in my nature to lie down and accept what is unfair and unjust.  I am a Firefighter, the clue is in my title, I will fight for what I feel is right just as much as I would fight for you or your family’s life.

This weekend sees 96 hours of Industrial Action been taken all over England. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, Industrial Action will be avoided as negotiations have taken place and the relevant authorities have seen sense in sitting round a table and compromising to find a solution.  I am bitterly disappointed that the current Conservative Government, particularly Eric Pickles along with the current Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt  and former Fire Minister Brandon Lewis, think so little of us that this has not been an option.

It has become apparent that members of the public think that I am asking for more pension and more pay. This is certainly not the case, even if the Government let you believe this.  I am not asking for a single penny more.  Just what I signed up to and what I was told I was guaranteed.  The Government have started to lay new pension regulations which will be unattainable for many Firefighters’. The Fire Brigade Union has plenty of evidence to back this up*. In my 50’s, I will be asked to take a fitness test which hasn’t been laid out in writing, so I have no idea what it will involve. If I fail the unknown test I will face the choice of dismissal or a heavily reduced pension.  A decision I feel is immoral for just getting older.  The Government are also taking more pension contributions for longer and then paying out less.  This is unacceptable without any negotiation. The last time I checked we were in a Democracy, not a Dictatorship. My message to the Government is simple. Negotiate with us, don’t put us in a situation where we have no choice but to strike.  It’s not fair on Firefighters or the Public.  You have a responsibility to all of us.  Take it seriously.  This is not a game.

Please do not think that the decision to take Industrial Action has been taken lightly. It pains me that this has been our only option and even now the Government refuse to negotiate.  I wish for no lives to be endangered, but this is only the beginning of our fight.  More cuts are to come.  You will have less and less Firefighters, less and less Fire Stations.  Fire Engines are becoming a thing of the past as 4×4’s and even Mini’s are being used.  I hope that you can support me in this time of need and put pressure on your MP to challenge the way that I have been treated and the way the future looks for your Fire and Rescue Service.  The Government will try to tell you Fires are a thing of the past.  This is not true.  We still face overwhelmingly difficult fires on a daily basis across the UK.  The Government however fail to tell you that flooding has significantly increased. They fail to tell you how the Fire and Rescue Service have had to face new threats with Terrorism as 7/7 showed. We face new challenges with more and more chemicals that are used in the modern world.  The Government don’t tell you that much of what I do isn’t in my ‘role map’ but I do it voluntary so I can deal with anything thrown at me. We may be called Firefighters, but fires are only the start of it.

I implore you to speak to your MP and tell them your feelings. You can find them herehttp://findyourmp.parliament.uk.   Go out and show your support on the picket lines. Speak to a Firefighter, they will be happy to answer any questions you have.  We need you!  Help us to stand up for the future of not only ourselves, but the future of the Fire and Rescue Service in England.

Thank you for reading.

Yours sincerely

A Firefighter of England.

* http://www.fbu.org.uk/

As a volunteer myself, in the care sector, and having a Brother in the Fire Service, I know why these guys chose their career. It isn't about the money, nor is it about being a hero.
It's because they truly have a passion to save people, a passion to ensure the safety of the general public.
These guys (and gals of course) chose to become Fire Fighters because they have humanity in their blood.
All they are asking for is that they are looked after, like the Government promised they would be.

Stand by them folks, please.

The Spirit of Movember.

I've been growing a beard (and keeping it trimmed I'll add) for about 2 years now.
It covers up a whole load of ugly but I liked it. The Wife strongly disapproved of it.
Tonight, I thought I would give her a treat and also join in with the spirit of Movember.
There was a bit of a bash on at work, hot towel shaves, beers and pie and peas, so I thought I would pop my head through the door for an hour so as not to appear ignorant.

I chose to get it all taken off...

...hey, it'll cheer the Wife up...

...or so I though.

It was half an hour before I got sat down...and then it took the best part of an hour to get it done...and when it was done I couldn't just leave without chewing the fat, could I?

So I rock up home after almost 2 hours, clean shaven and without a drop of beer passing my lips...to be greeted with 'I thought you were only going to be an hour?'

Well FUCK YOU...the beard's coming back!

The right information...

That's all I want. That's all we need here.
So, when I challenge our Sales person for the right info, why do they tell me that I'm 'pressing all the wrong buttons today'???


All I said was that it's OK moaning about getting an order wrong, but if we don't get the right information in the first place, what are we supposed to do?