Never trust Google Maps

Today I did my first visit to The Job Centre in order to sign officially on to The Dole.

My appointment was at 1055 with my personal advisor - Advisor Number 2 - So personal she has a number instead of a name.

In great anticipation of meeting with Advisor Number 2 I left the house at 0950, these are the true events that followed.

0952 - Realise it is actually quite cold and go back home to get a jacket

0955 - Depart the house, again

1000 - Arrive at bus stop

1014 - 156 bus arrives, I appear to have timed this well with travel

1030 - Bus arrives at the designated stop according to google maps. I start walking in the planned direction

1040 - Still walking, no sign of the job centre

1041 - Panicked phone call to Lopz, don't know where I am going and everything looks the same. Stupid London.

1042 - Lopz quickly confers with Google Maps, I am in the right area but neither of us understand where exactly the Job Centre is as it is located in the middle of a green patch according to GM.

1043 - Hyperventilating done by myself, can not afford to miss The Dole meeting

1044 - Start walking back in the direction I came from desperately searching for this supposed street name

1048 - Still nothing, Lopz offers to call the Job Centre and solve the mystery

1052 - I ask a chavvy passerby if they can help. What a surprise, the Chav knows where the job centre is. And who says that typecasting is politically incorrect?

1057 - After desperately running down the road I make it in to the Job Centre just behind schedule. Am sent to wait on a couch.

1100 - Chav staring at me. Could it possibly be because I am staring at him?

1101 - Break staring match with chav. Thankful for safety of people in the room. Think he might be mad.

1103 - Girl in pink velour tracksuit walks in. Again, who said that stereotyping was politically incorrect?

1107 - Advisor Number 2 comes to collect me. Her name tag says Babs.

1110 - Babs informs me that I was sent to the wrong Job Centre and that they don't deal with my postcode. Have to repeat the same mission tomorrow morning in Kingston.

1115 - Exit Job Centre and scream

Tomorrow had better be less exciting.

Babs promised me it would be.

1155 - Arrive back home and curl up on the couch to watch Gossip Girls.

First day is over

Today was my first day of unemployment.

After waking up at 0900, looking at my phone and going in to a flat out panic because I'd overslept and was going to be late for work I suddenly realised that I didn't have to go to work and that I had the whole day to sleep.

So I got up.

That was probably my first mistake. In retrospect I should have slept till 1pm, had lunch and then gone back to sleep because that would have been more eventful than my day was.

0930 - Ate breakfast

0940 - Watched an episode of One Tree Hill

1025 - Watched another episode of One Tree Hill

1115 - Old Housemate came around (he is job hunting too) and we reworked my CV and cleaned up on my Powerpoint skills

1315 - Ate lunch

1345 - Watched another episode of One Tree Hill

And so on.

The day stretched in to a whole long day of nothingness with me just staring at my computer screen willing a new job to appear.

It is strange how you can waste away 10 hours until your housemates arrive home and then waste another 4 hours until it is time to go to sleep again.

Tomorrow I am going to go meet with a recruitment agent and beg her for a job. If tears work I will try it, if promising sexual favours works I will try it and if handing over my first born works I will try that too!

This is my pledge to you!

Oh and I probably will watch some One Tree Hill cause you knows I am all over that shit!

Cry me a River

Most of you who follow my blog will know that I soon become unemployed and am job hunting. So far without any success but we are still holding thumbs on that front.

I have never realised before how stressful looming unemployment is and how it can affect you in ways you just don't expect. I do feel sorry for my friends and housemates as I just start crying sometimes for no apparent reason.

Housemate: Can you please pass me the salt?

Miss M: Voice cracking from welling up It isn't anywhere near me!!!

Housemate: Umm Miss M it's fine, I can get it myself

Miss M: Tears starting now I know

Another evening on the telephone to Lopz at 3am in the morning

Lopz: Miss M are you ok? What's wrong?

Miss M: Wracked with sobs I DON'T KNOW!!! I JUST FEEL SO SAD!!!

Lopz: Do you want me to come round?

Miss M: Gasping for breath between the tears No I'll be fine, I just can't stop crying

*sighs*

My father upset me greatly today because he ended up speaking to a Line Producer in Cape Town who informed him that she has more work than she knows what to do with and that if my skill sets are what she is looking for she could "offer me a job before my plane hits the ground".

I don't know if I am ready to go home yet but if no job comes up soon in London I might just have too.

I don't know if I could leave my London Family quite yet.

I just don't know.

Welcome to the jungle

There is the smell of fear in my office at present.

When the bottom dropped off the banking system around the world last year I never thought that it would affect me. In the newspapers each day we were reading horror stories of people losing their jobs, images of bankers leaving their offices with their belongings in cardboard boxes were transfixing us but again, I just never saw it happening to me.

Now one by one the Freelancers in my office are having their contracts ended. There is a freeze on commissions from all the channels and because of this new contracts and hiring are just not happening.

What small jobs there are I now have to compete with my friends for. I have to compete with the people who I've been working with for almost 2 years and it's horrible.

I feel exception guilt when I get called in to go and meet with one company and my colleague doesn't.

To make matters worse we have a departmental meeting tomorrow where the near future of our company is going to be explained to us. Staff are foreseeing redundancies and the gossip is that they are going to try and get rid of as many people as possible, bring the staff down to skeleton and then start rehiring people for smaller contracts if and when they actually get commissions.

All I can say about this is go out shopping people! Buy food, buy household products, buy clothing and buy music! My lively hood depends on advertisers putting money down for slots and unless you guys start buying their products it is never going to happen!

You all have my permission to go shopping.

I spy with my little eye ...

After saying yesterday that I am embarrassed to be working for a company which would be capitalising on the death of someone I would like to state that I soon will not be working for them.

Before you all jump to conclusions this has nothing to do with my rant yesterday but more to do with the economic decline which is happening all of the UK at present.

2 weeks ago I was called in to my Line Manager's office and informed that when my contract finishes on the 13th of March they unfortunately will not be able to extend it any further due to the severe lack of work within the department. I was reassured that this has nothing to do with my performance, as if they had the resources they would keep me, but unfortunately is the future of things to come as all the industries dramatic cut back on their work force.

So I'm job hunting.

This is quite scary as I haven't had to do it in almost 2 years and I have very few contacts truth be told.

Anyone reading looking for a Production Co-ordinator? Drop me a line if you are!

I know I'll be fine but it is just an added stress that I do not need.

I am joining the ranks of my friends though - too many of us seem to be losing our jobs at the moment but thankfully a fair few number of them are landing on their feet! The wonderful Lopz managed to get her dream job after receiving the boot and my ex housemate is getting an opportunity to find a job that he REALLY wants as opposed to just having one for the visa.

Perhaps it will be the best thing for me?

Pain in the arse colleagues

I really hate this when I am finished my work.

1955pm

Miss M: Hey dude, is there anything I can do to help you with before going home?

Colleague: Not at the second, but do you mind hanging around cause I might need help soon

YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING ME?

You want me to stick around at work and wait for you to finish what ever the fuck you are doing to see, if maybe, you need some help?

What a load of fucking bullshit.

I hate my colleague sometimes.

What not to do at work

I almost lost my job today.

Not the best way to start a Wednesday.

Last week I got contacted by another company whom I had worked for years ago asking what my availability was and if I'd like to come in for a chat.

Well I'm not a girl to turn down a cup of tea and a chat so I made arrangements to go and meet with him not really thinking anything of it.

He basically offered me a similar role to what I am doing now but with a slightly higher credit on the show so I can essentially move up faster. The money wasn't much better and as soon as I was done meeting him I had made the decision to reject the offer as I do not really want to leave my current company unless something AMAZING was offered to me.

End of story and I'd removed it from my mind.

Until this morning when I got a message from the Unit Manager asking if she can have a quick chat with me.

I almost shat my pants as I couldn't think of a reason why she'd want to see me.

Basically it turns out that the company I had gone to see contacted my Head of Production BEFORE I even met with him to find out references for me so my company started thinking that I was job hunting and were waiting to hear my resignation.

They even went as far as to line up other people for the next show that I am supposed to be going to work on and wanted to make sure that was fine and find out when I would be leaving.

I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!

And never again will I go behind my companies back about another job.

Though in all fairness he should not have contact them without my permission. It is only because he knows my Head of Production.

Man that scared me so bad.