The Random Thread

[JoM]

The fields are so wet. There are massive puddles of water in a lot of them; the ground is so wet I don't think it can take any more rain in.

It's the same here, everywhere is so waterlogged

[JoM]

I mentioned in my holiday thread that John had gone to Belfast last night for work and Saundra replied saying that it was shame he was straight back into it. I think he's relieved that he's not got to head back into gen office straight away.

They moved to new offices on the Friday that we went away and last Monday, which he was glad to be missing. The boss, Tom, decided that rather than pay a removal firm they'd move themselves so he hired a transit van and they had to move around 30 large desks and chairs and many other fixtures and fittings, big heavy bookcases etc, a massive conference table, countless computers and monitors, photocopiers, printers including the one which prints out their drawings to a large size...and the new offices are up a flight of stairs.

Anyway, he had a text at 5.20am last Monday morning from the secretary, asking if he had the DNS settings for the computers. He didn't. He was put in charge of IT by Tom and eventually had to give it up a couple of years ago as he couldn't do that and run his own department at the same time as the IT side was really demanding. Tom passed this on to the solicitor who he's employed full time (who barely has any legal work to do and just drifts around the office doing odds and ends on a solicitor's salary) but he has no idea about IT and just muddles through.

For a start, John doesn't have anything to do with IT and even if he did why would he take these settings on holiday with him? No thought was given to the time difference either which they should do since they're an American owned company and deal daily with the US head office.

15 minutes later, at 5.35am, Tom texted and asked the same thing.

What made it even more annoying is the fact that Tom had that ridiculous idea that John and his department had to take all of their annual holiday in January, unless they'd already had some authorised, so this was the only holiday he has for the rest of the year and even then they think it's acceptable to bother him with questions which have absolutely nothing to do with him.

[JoM]

Oh, and another thing. It's awkward using John's friend as a driving instructor.

Joe has a lesson on Thursday but Neil told him that he's due a payment for his next block of lessons before that. I've made a note of every lesson he's had in my diary (lesson 1, lesson 2 etc), reason being that I didn't do that with Tom but by my reckoning there were still four lessons remaining of the block we'd paid for, so around £90 worth, after he'd passed his test but because I hadn't noted his lessons down I couldn't be 100% certain. We're paying him full whack by the way, not mate's rates.

Anyway, I'm certain that Joe still has a lesson left from the last block that we paid for, even taking into account that Neil called him one day when he had a cancellation due to snow immediately before Joe's lesson and took him out for an extra hour and also the lesson straight before his test and the test itself. I've added all of those up and still think that he has a lesson remaining.

John will say just let it go, but I dunno. I think if it wasn't a friend of his then he'd be thinking differently Funnily enough, another friend from their cycling group used Neil to teach his son and he messaged John one day and said that he thought Neil was ripping them off because of the amount of lessons his son was having before being put in for his test.

[JanB]

Next door has lost the plot

It was raining and he was out in the garden, strimming

[JanB]

Jo, I think it's time for John to look for another firm to work for.

And as for Neil

[Kaz]

A friend doesn't try to fleece a friend - tackle him Jo, he's relying on the friendship to get away with shortchanging you

[Kaz]

As for the job stuff I thought Mick's work took the P sometimes, but that's ridiculous

[saundra]

Good job you where away whlle they moved no what twits they are and ringing you up as for the friend giving lessons well that's not good go elsewhere and tell him welcome home

[saundra]

I'm happy as I'm a bit doddery these days iv put the spare kettle tea bags instant horlicks and oxo cubes in the spare bedroom looks quite cosy no more carrying cups upstairs pity I haven't got a spare toaster as well

[JanB]

Makes sense Saundra x