Nothing to do

There are no ads to do.

This is good, because it means I can do other shit.
This is bad, because I am running out of other shit to do.

I'm going to read my book (Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts).

(A little note here - if you intend to ever read this book, don't read all of the wikipedia site... shit.)


EDIT:
Out of interest, here is a history of the author:
The fact file on Gregory David Roberts.

* Born June, 1952, Melbourne, Australia
* Founder member, Anarchist People’s Liberation Army, 1969
* Union activist, Builders Labourers Federation, 1972
* Founder member, Australian Independence Movement, United Front Against Fascism, 1973
* Student Leader, Melbourne University, occupation of university Council Chambers, 1974
* Student Leader, Black Week Aboriginal Activism Movement, 1975
* Marriage break-up, loss of daughter in custody dispute, beginning of heroin addiction, 1976
* Armed robberies with toy pistol to support heroin habit, end year 1977
* Capture and imprisonment, 1978; Escape from Maximum Security Pentridge prison, 1980
* Helped by motorcycle gang, BLF Union, & revolutionaries to escape to New Zealand, 1980
* Fight conservation campaign to save sacred Maori mountain, Mount Maungahiha, 1981
* Escape from custody (twice) in New Zealand, end 1981
* Arrive in India, beginning 1982

FROM 1982 to 1990
* Six months in remote Maharashtrian village, learn to speak Marathi language
* Live in Bombay slum, establish and operate free clinic for slum dwellers
* Imprisoned in India for 4 months
* Recruited by Bombay mafia, training in currency crime, gold smuggling, passports
* Gunrunning operation to unit of mujaheddin fighters in Afghanistan
* Wounded in action, evacuated to Pakistan, recover and return to Bombay
* Appointed controller mafia forgery unit, write short stories, published in popular series
* Passport smuggler to Nigeria, Zaire, Iraq, Iran, Mauritius, Sri Lanka
* Establish casting agency for foreign extras in Bollywood movies, act in movies
* Arrive in Germany, work as singer, establish rock band, receive recording contract
* Manhunt by European police, escape custody in Italy & Switzerland, escape to India
* Act in Bollywood movies & TV dramas, establish travel agency in Bombay
* Passport smuggling to Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Nigeria, Zaire, Mauritius, etc.
* Break with Bombay mafia council, freelance drug smuggling missions to Europe

FROM 1990 to 2004

* Captured Frankfurt, 1990, imprisoned in Preungesheim prison with terrorists, 1990-91
* Teach myself to read & write German, win concessions, extradited to Australia, end 1991
* 2 years solitary confinement, 4 years mainstream prison in Australia, begin novel, 1991-97
* Develop philosophical and cosmoogical model, "Resolution Theory"
* Released from prison, begin novel 1997, end parole 2002
* Sell rights Shantaram, in USA (St. Martin’s Press) & UK (TimeWarner Books UK)
* Publish Australian edition of novel, Shantaram, August, 2003
* Tour Australia, New Zealand, Europe, UK, Ireland, Hong Kong during 2004
* Sell movie rights to Johnny Depp, Brad Grey, Graham King, Warner Brothers, October 2004
* Sell Italian Translation rights to Neri Pozza, October 2004
* Begin writing screenplay for movie version of Shantaram, October 2004

My "job" Pt 2

I'm working day shift! Which means, that I AM actually working :-)

I went to see Steve on Tuesday, showed him the ad that said that we were hired to do day or night shift according to our preferences. I also told him that I would leave if I didn't get day shift. He was a bit annoyed as this wasn't the information that he had told the recruitment agency to advertise (and I also doubt the recruiter had been telling him the truth about the ad) but he was gracious enough, and told me to wait until the afternoon... at which time he told us all that we would all get our initial preferences of day or night!

So yay!

None of my closer friends are doing day shift, but some of them may change. And hey, I don't really care - we'd have to sit at different workstations during the day anyway, and I'm not about to do night shift.

Interestingly enough, I've found out that I work 7.5 hrs during the day while night shift work only 6 hrs and FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF PAY. Crazy! So essentially I get 7.5 hrs worth of money more than them a week... which is grand.

O-oh...

...I just broke the head off a key that was sticking out of a filing cabinet at work...

I haven't told anyone yet. I hit it with my thigh as I walk towards the printer, then smashed it again (clean off) when I walked back...

The bottom of the key is still in the lock.

Damn new glasses disturbing my depth perception.

I'm embarrassed.

My "Job"

Ok, so I have a job.
Some of you will not know this. Some of you will not care. I myself do not care that I have a job.
It is a crappy job.
I make ads. Very silly ads.
I use very old programs that are only one step above Microsoft Paint.
I do not appreciate a five-week training module that pays me less per hour and in which I do nothing except purchase food and wonder if anyone would notice if I masturbated at my desk.
I have two trainers, one of whom uses the word 'dubious' a dubious amount of times per day.
In the four weeks I have been here, we have done a solid 10 hours of actual work. This would be ok if the rest of our time was spent larking, but it's not. I have to pretend to pay attention for 8 hours a day, to information that is handled poorly, repeated too often, and given out too slowly.
I am boredom personified.

I was hired as one of a group of ten new recruits, some of us to work day shift and some of us to work night. I opted to work day shift, but upon starting my training (which is during the day) I found out that all ten of us were actually hired to work night shift. Five nights a week. For only $1 more an hour. Bugger that!

If I were to work night shift, not only would I would waste all day sleeping, but I would never see Simon or indeed anyone at all beyond my work friends. As Simon would not want to stay living at my house when I won't ever be there, he would move out... to Newport I suppose, which would make seeing him even more difficult. (Also, it wouldn't be entirely wise to move out together as my job is not stable enough for the long term). This is not what we want.

Yesterday I went to see Steve, who organises the shifts. I asked him if I could work days as the recruitment agency had told me (and everyone) that days would be available. I was denied, and he tried to tell me that "sometimes people get flustered or nervous during interviews and they don't quite listen properly... and they get the wrong impression about the times they work." What a cockmonkeyed thing to say. I told him that everybody had been not only given that impression, but told outright that day shifts were available. But still he fobbed me off with the excuse that there are no desk spaces free during the day (despite the fact that 5 minutes prior to this discussion we had attended a farewell afternoon tea for two day shift workers).

So my plan is thus: Next monday (I finish my training on Tuesday) I am going to go talk to Steve again and tell him that I will be quitting if I cannot have day shifts. I don't quite expect him to capitulate, but I may as well try. I am also going to give him a printed copy of the seek advertisement that recruited us, to confirm to him that all ten of us were not simply "nervous" during our interviews. We were misled by the recruitment company (to what real purpose? I assume it was a mistake on the part of the recruitment agency rather than the company as at makes no sense to knowingly hire people who can't work night shift as you're then paying for training for no reason. On the other hand, the recruitment agency could have made the mistake on purpose, as they THEN get to hire MORE REPLACEMENT workers, and thus make more commission...) and I am going to tell Steve as such.

So yes. This is my "job".


On the brighter side, Simon is taking me out tonight for my birthday (which was a couple of days ago). Yay! I'm really looking forward to it.