In Reply To #75

Fascinating. An elephant is one of the few animals large enough to ride while sipping wine, having sufficient space under the eat to store a few bottles and a block of... cheese.

I see the makings of a first-class dairy heist!

In Reply To #76

To the Elephantoruim!

In Reply To #77

You! It's late! Why aren't you in bed?

In Reply To #78

Time is a illusion. Bedtime doubly so.

In Reply To #79

Illusion is an illusion...

Happiness. Relief. Achievement.

The passing of a kidney stone is one of those moments in life where you finally feel like you can... get back to living a normal life again. I feel like going for a long walk in the autumnal forested hills to celebrate this return to normalcy.

But it's raining. So I'm here instead.

In Reply To #81

Attitudes like that is what gives birth to kidney stones.
Sorry, but by the time you read this, you're already back to square one.

In Reply To #81

Kidney stones are punishment for the happy.

In Reply To #83

Really? I wasn't happy either time I passed a kidney stone back in 2002 and 2003.

This week I have mostly been annoyed at my company. Having raised the issue of a lack of formal training for my job role (since some initially high-quality training was arranged in the US in the first year or so) in every company review for about a decade I am now being threatened with a reduced Performance Review because myself and my colleagues were less than enthusiastic at our management's proposal that formal training/education isn't useful and that coaching would be better. My own manager works in a completely different company so clearly isn't in a position to deliver any coaching beyond the normal day-to-day work today. Apparently we were "negative" (damned bloody right) and requests to have formal warnings on our HR files were made. It was a fucking joke and the whole thing depresses me and makes me angry at the same time. It's time to dust off the ol' CV, I think. This is a bit of an idle threat, however, since we need a secure income for at least the next year or so given the upcoming financial heart attack that will be our property renovation next year.

Beyond that, I've mostly been spending time collecting and evaluating quotes for windows, doors and underfloor heating. It's a wild life...

Still, this evening can hopefully be spent watching England give a sound thrashing to the San Marino part-timers. Tomorrow will be spent trumping around Grand Designs Live at the NEC, after which I expect to sleep until Monday.

In Reply To #85

How the hell does being honest about that give them an excuse to soil your HR file? That's so far beyond stupid that I don't think a word exists for it yet.

In Reply To #86

It makes me so angry that I can spit acid. So, at least a career in show business could be on the cards...

You were probably happy beforehand, then given kidney stones to stop you from being happy. By the Kidney Stone Fairy.

In Reply To #88

I only had a brief glimpse of happiness in 2007. Besides that I have been mostly depressed for the last 17 years. So no, I wasn't happy right before the stones. I was actually contemplating finding a hole to lay down and die in back then. The stones were just injury to insult.

In Reply To #85

Take the issue up with HR. IF it's someone in HR causing the problem, take it to someone else in HR (ideally someone quite near the top).

If you're in a union, chat to them as well of course. They'll fucking love it.

Your manager has just opened the company up for a Constructive Dismissal hearing (he's denied you further training & used disciplinary action to prevent you complaining about it further - it will be very easy to suggest he's done this solely to create a hostile working environment and/or make it easy to terminate your employment in future (also making you want to resign)).

Human Resources LOVE it when managers do moronic things like that which open the company up to employment law suits. Really, they do.

Tell HR you feel like your job is being threatened by your manager. Tell them that you feel like he is creating a hostile working environment by enforcing disciplinary action because you requested formal training (which your employer is required to provide). Tell them that you feel he isn't developing you as an employee, and provide evidence (statements from you is fine, appraisals is better - if you haven't had regular appraisals, you've just hit paydirt)

HR aren't entirely on your side - but their job IS to protect the company from dickhead line managers doing shit like this, which threatens the company.

(also polish up your CV, look for another job etc. Always worth doing that & you will very probably be able to trade up - but only when you want to, not when your manager decides you want too many of your employee rights)