Meritocracy

Amendment: did I say “demotion” in my last post? I meant redundancy. Sigh.

Still, not me. I’ve had my official debriefing with heavy emphasis on the “none of this was personal” aspect and detailed description of how all our work has been assessed on various catagories for the last few months. It is reassuring to know that I am working in a meritocracy, as any workplace should be. It means that web use and desk naps are not taken into account, just the quality of the work we produce. Strangely the changes, scheduled for Oct 1, will create an almost total gender balance in our part of the office from the existing mostly male writing team with female project managers. I don’t know if this will make any difference. Probably not. Personalities are far stronger than gender characteristics, but there are some people here of very limited understanding.

Since most of the housefolks moved out me and partner have been spending more time in each other’s pockets. I find this interesting because although we’ve been living in the same house for 2 years we’ve only just started formally sharing a room and with our only other housefolk little more than a cackle at the top of the stairs it is much more like living alone as a couple. A final stage of adjustment/trial of if we could or should live together. So far we have spent half this time with me ill and him nursing me. At the moment we are still in the transition phase, one night we couldn’t think of anything to do and moped about, last night we were full of giggles and ate noodles in bed while watching DVDs. I’m sure it will balance out.

An interesting thing that came up while watching said DVDs was a discussion about American dating practices as represented on TV. I was wondering if the multiple dating concept was as prevalent as TV makes out of if it’s a middle class urbanite thing, and partner said he didn’t like the idea at all and preferred the “once you ask someone out that’s who you’re dating” method, aka the British method. I told him that that was just a part of our culture to think that way and he looked concerned. I’m sure to him it feels as natural as cheese on a pizza but it is just a concept of our particular society. I think his concern was that I might believe that and want to date someone else. I do believe it, but I am quite happy being monogamous with him. Meritocraticly I believe he justifies this choice.

BREAKING NEWS

If you were given the opportunity to ask David Cameron a question about the housing crisis what would it be?

This post sponsored by Panorama who emailed me this morning

Housing crisis update

I’ll admit, it was starting to get sticky. We were all supposed to be leaving at the end of August, and with my partner not yet in work and only six weeks to organise the whole thing we were starting to get concerned. Luckily the shit of our economy has hit the fan of recession and our landlord is now unable to sell the house out from under us. I’m sure he’s pleased because he loves us really. This means we can stay put for a while longer and gradually amass the wealth we need and the time we would prefer to look for our next home. We have also been given full licence to decorate the house (with offers of paint vouchers) and as there will be fewer of us turn one of the downstairs rooms into a dining area. This pleases me as I have not eaten at a table for years, and it will make our house less student-like. It also provides a second room to hang out in, so we will have more living space. I intend to buy a bookcase. Or three. I will need them for all the cast-offs I pinched from (soon to be former) Housefolk Femme.

Yesterday I learned how to perform a poisoned kiss. The trick is to snarf a big, juicy pear then kiss someone allergic to raw food. Let the itchiness ensue.

Shallow, moi?

What’s that word, the one you would use to describe the feeling of reassurance you get from seeing others not do too well at things? It’s not shallow, it’s not really cruel as you don’t wish it on the other person nor are you glad that it’s happening to them – just glad it’s not happening to you. If only there was a thesaurus of vagueness I could use to look it up.

At present I am reassured that although I don’t think I’m doing very well with my money I am at least ticking over and standing still, unlike certain people of my acquaintance. It is always unfortunate when a rent cheque bounces but in this case the person will be able to cover it with a little rejigging of accounts. The idea of not having my rent makes me very sad in a nauseous way, and I hope it does not become a concern in the future when budgeting for a higher rent in the new house may be tricky.

What I find highly irritating in terms of financial failures is Housefolk Epsilon’s failure to pay the bills. All the other housefolks gave him the money a month ago, when the bill came, and now we are getting red letters. He said he was waiting until he got paid, but I think he already has been. And now he’s gone home – presumably to beg the money from his mum. Because he spent his on more computers. I kind of hope we get cut off – even though it will cause huge disruptions and loss to all of us – so I can justify my anger towards him for this, for putting us all at risk and impacting all our credit histories and being so drastically irresponsible. I even wonder if he spent our bill money, if maybe that is the reason he needs to beg a buy out.

What does the z in zomg stand for?

I’m not sure if it’s for emphasis or if it means something specific. What you might call a headscratcher.

Zomg! No post yesterday due to unprecidented busyness. A cackload of work made its way to my inbox and I barely had time to compose a thought of my own, so busy was I expressing the will of others. It saddens me because I had promised to read something for a dear friend, which I now aim to finish this afternoon.

Zomg! Housefolk did not pass the army fitness test as he injured himself half way through. They have invited him back to try again later. This does mean he no longer has anywhere to go – an important factor in the housing debate. He has made many suggestions of friends and family who may be able to put him up and get him jobs. This is his pattern, to not do anything himself but depend on the kindness of others. I think he would be ideally suited to a corporate environment but after living in London for a year he didn’t get anywhere near an office job. Where is his motivation? His desire for personal improvement?

Zomg! My partner got his results yesterday and is now the proud achiever of a first class degree. He now has Bsc hons after his name. I am very proud. Tomorrow he will get his mark for his dissertation which I am very interested in as I read all sixty pages of it to check spellings etc. Nothing quite like having a professional spellchecker on hand. He is pleased and it has given him the confidence to apply for better jobs. I hope he gets a job soon – we will feel tremendously rich with two incomes and it will help when house hunting.

Like jumping off a cliff into some rapids

I have a small amount of dread that I am trying to contain for the sake of beloved who is straining at the seams and could probably use support more than a heap more worry. Soon we will have to move house.

Moving house in the logistical sense is not too bad as we won’t be going far and I have already enlisted the help of a man with a van. Ditching our deadweight housefolks will be emotionally straining (Housefolk Femme has already announced she is leaving). Moving in together as a couple will be nerve-wracking although after two years together sharing a room in the group house I think it will be ok. My partner believes it will leave him friendless but I think the opposite – it will encourage him to see more people more often than just relying on the people he lives with for entertainment and to go places with. I know that he knows people in the area, admittedly not as many as before, but he doesn’t get in contact with them. He’s as bad as I am! I hope it gives me a kick in the arse to do more things for myself too, both in meeting people to hang out with and in working on my personal projects. *sidenote: I am working on the design of my third cross stitch*

Choosing a house to live in will be difficult. It’s not something either of us have done for several years. It will also be the first time we’ve had a real grown up rental and not a student rental, which isn’t that weird because there are people with mortgages at our age but does mean we’ll have to get references, proof of employment and possibly credit checks. We will also have to find a house accepting of moggits. I have been looking on house ads and many of them say ‘no pets’. Some of them say ‘furniture optional’ which I think will be best: if it’s not their furniture they shouldn’t mind if the cat stratches it. We shall see how easy this is when we try to estate agents.

This is all of course in addition to the housing crisis that is currently afflicting the property market. Now I can have my very own little housing crisis.

#sad# stress and effort. I wish I could afford to buy but I have very little savings and a small pay packet (for low stress, good experience work which I like). Significant other doesn’t have a job at all which makes it worse, for I may have to do the whole thing in my name.

On the plus side, with the £4 we will have left over at the end of this we will be able to buy our very own furniture! #oh gods#

The work/slack balance

It’s a difficult thing to attain, the work/slack balance. Yesterday I worked, and didn’t take a break to bum around on here. Even in the evening I was busy cleaning my house. It’s such a naughty house, skidding in the grass and jumping in muddy puddles. Today I have work but I’m not sure how much of it I can do – there are gaping holes in the information I have been given.

My female housefolk is attaining success – she has earned a place to learn a new career (or any career, given how much use our degrees have been the last couple of years). I am pleased for her, I hope this is the start of many years of goodness. She deserves goodness. She doesn’t know where she will be living though, so we are still having trouble over housing arrangements and the expiration on our current house is coming up fairly soon. cripes.

Tragedy has struck. The cat has blood on her paws. A blackbird calls for his lost love.

Although I do not subscribe to gender restrictions I can’t help take a little delight in the knowledge that today is the one year anniversary of starting my job, Housefolk Femme is embarking on a secure career path, and Housefolks of the male variety are languishing somewhat. I want them (except Epsilon) to do well, or at least do better, because I know they are capable of it and I know they would be happier for it.