Posted: Fri 2 May, 2014 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Health, Work-related |
As I mentioned earlier in the week, this has been another of those times where I’ve been whacked by a vile cold once I’ve changed contracts. I refuse to “man-flu” it, because when all’s said and done it’s just a cold. A heavy and grotty one, but a cold all the same.
It seems to be fading now. Last night was rotten, lots of coughing leading to less than two hours of decent sleep. That’s usually where we turn a corner, and things improve again.
Today I’m just a big bundle of snot, but at least that means it’s being expelled at last, rather than stored up to fight another day.
We’ll see how things go from here – but I’m hoping it’ll all settle out a bit for the coming long weekend.
Posted: Tue 29 April, 2014 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Domestic, Health, Introspective, Work-related |
It’s a new week, and a new contract. The most recent one in Cambridge has been – hmmm, how to put this? – not fun at all. Chaotically disorganised would be another way to put it – they weren’t even aware that the contract came to a close last Friday. Not a word was said, even on the last day – and I got a call on the Monday asking where I was.
So yeah, it’s not been overly fun, and I’m glad to be done with it.
The downside though, is that I’m now doing my standard thing of having relaxed post-contract, which leaves me open and vulnerable to any bugs that happen to be lurking around. My resistance is dog-shit, because I’ve been stressed with work etc., and the reduction of stress increases the likelihood of my feeling like death warmed up for a few days.
If I were smart I’d book a few days out between each contract, just to let myself get back on an even keel. Indeed, I might even start thinking about doing exactly that.
Of course, if I were really smart, I wouldn’t work for shithead companies, and/or wouldn’t get stressed about doing so. But meanwhile, back in reality…
It’s nothing life-threatening – it never is – and this time it’s just (another) rotten stinking cold. I’ll get over it – I always do – and I’ll try to not make things overly dramatic in the meantime.
But Lordy, I do wish I had enough common sense to spot those stress-levels ahead of time.
Posted: Mon 21 April, 2014 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 2013/14, Bankruptcy, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Project 42, Work-related |
While the last eight weeks have been pretty tight (as written about earlier this week) with the weird and slow pay structures of the agency behind my current contract – well, current for this week, but thank God, it’ll then be over – it also has been (yet another) illustration of how far things have come. As if I needed it.
Two years ago, this whole thing would’ve been a nightmare, and would’ve left me deeply in the shit.
Now, it’s been OK. It’s been tight, I’ve had to move some things around, and make some arrangements – but it’s been OK. Some of that has been because of being able to invoice some other clients and have smaller amounts of money coming in from other sources. Of course, at the moment I have no other safety cushion – no overdraft, minimal savings to speak of (although both of those will be changing) – but it makes things a bit shakier than I’d like. Not as shaky as they have been in the past by any means, but I’ll be happier this year to put some fiscal cushions in place as well.
Until then, obviously I’ll be happy just to actually get paid, and have money in my account again, but it’s another thing I’ve managed to get through. And really, that’s no bad thing.
Posted: Thu 17 April, 2014 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Agency Idiocy, Domestic, Finances, Work-related |
This current contract has had one major downside – the agency in question have the worst pay schedule I’ve ever seen.
Of course, there are also quite a lot of other downsides, which is why I’m not going to be extending or renewing the contract anyway. But that pay schedule is definitely a contributory factor to the entire thing.
It’s come through an agency I hadn’t previously dealt with, and while they did say that the job paid monthly (which is fine with me) they carefully didn’t explain quite what they meant. This tells me that they damn well know the pay schedule is insanely broken/dodgy, but can’t be chuffed to do anything about it.
Usually, a monthly contract is paid by dint of the contractor submitting an invoice and getting paid seven days later. All well and good. You have an invoice deadline of (for example) the 23rd of the month, submit by then and get paid for month-end.
Not with this agency. Oh no.
You submit your invoice for the end of the month. They then take three weeks to pay, *and* still send it BACS, so it takes three days to hit your account. So, for example, the invoice for March, submitted by the ‘March’ deadline of 4th April (don’t ask) doesn’t hit a bank account ’til 18th April. (Which is a bank holiday – something the agency only realised when I asked them what they were doing about bank holidays) For me, because this one has gone through an Umbrella company, I don’t get paid ’til the next working day – the Tuesday after Easter.
My colleague who started on 31st March won’t get paid til the 23rd of May.
In short, that’s shocking. And I can’t wait to get paid (three days before my contract ends).
Posted: Tue 8 April, 2014 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Customer Services, Design, Domestic, Geeky, Reviews(ish), Stationery, Thoughts, Work-related |
One of my loves is – as sad as it sounds – stationery. Pens, Inks, and particularly note-pads of various types. I use them a lot in my work, taking notes, keeping track of ideas and projects. Well, that’s how I justify things, anyway.
Recently I’ve been getting savage temptations from a company called Bureau Direct, who have a huge range of everything I love using. I’ve been impressed by their service, their range, and the speed and efficiency of their service. Sadly, their weekly promotional email is like temptation itself.
The most recent addition to my collection arrived over the weekend – a pack of three limited-edition “Field Notes” notebooks called “Shelterwood“.
They’ve managed to get a fine layer of American Cherry wood as the cover – I have *no* idea how they’ve managed it, but they have. The covers are still flexible, but they’re a razor-thin laminate of ‘proper wood’. Naturally, all the covers are different (as you’d expect from wood) and they’re ace. The books aren’t as big as I’d thought they might be – about A6, I’d guess – but that’s fine, and makes them different from my normal notepad-size too.
It turns out that Field Notes do these limited editions on a regular basis – I suspect I may end up with more…
Posted: Thu 3 April, 2014 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Creativity, Domestic, Getting Organised, Own Business, Travel, Work-related, Writing |
When this current contract ends, I’ve already got the next one lined up, which will be another 4-6 weeks of work, taking me through to the start of June. It’s a nice situation, having something already lined up and waiting to start – not all that common, and helped by the knowledge that I have no intention of extending this one at all.
It’s making me think about what’s next (i.e. what’s after that) and I’m actually contemplating taking a week off, disappearing to a cottage somewhere.
It’ll be expensive though. Not the cottage (or whatever) itself, that’s not too bad. But I’ll still know that it’s costing me a week of work, which is a not-insignificant amount. Mind you, I haven’t actually had a proper break/holiday in more than two years, so it’s something I’m definitely thinking about.
I’ve got some ideas on locations, but also of things I want to do. But mainly just taking a break, and hopefully putting some of what’s in my head onto paper/disk/keyboard.
Right now, that’s sounding like quite the plan.
Posted: Wed 2 April, 2014 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Work-related |
At the current workplace, I’ve heard more jargon and bollocks than I know what to do with.
The one today was “onboarding” – which is apparently another word for “starting a new job”. I suspect it’s only used by cunts and idiots – but really, Jesus Christ, “Onboarding”?!? Fuck me.
One of my loves is – as sad as it sounds – stationery. Pens, Inks, and particularly note-pads of various types. I use them a lot in my work, taking notes, keeping track of ideas and projects. Well, that’s how I justify things, anyway.