RIP AC2

Hmm, thought I would give imaging a go. Funnily enough I don't seem to be able to instantly set up pics like other people do.

Anyway, the pic below is from an online game called Asheron's Call 2 - now no longer played as we've discovered WoW. Still I played the game from October 2003 until November 2004. A long long time playing as the Tumerok Missile/Healer Crucifer.


Test Pic from Asherons Call 2 

...the devil you know...

...is a saying I absolutely agree with and unfortunately, readily identify with.

Just as we thought the flat was perfect - washing machine working, power shower working, window opens, bathroom door looks nice - things went horribly and very drastically wrong.

As Susan was opening the blinds last weekend, they came crashing down on top of her and the tv, tearing a chunk of plaster out of the wall. Susan was thankfully ok; so was the tv for that matter. But the wall looks horrendously bad. And it doesn't look like it's something that will be fixed in one day.

The landlady finally came out to have a look last wednesday and she brought a builder with her. Lots of umming and ahh'ing took place, with lots of "there were no cracks in the walls when we installed the blinds" statements by the builder.

Of course not, Susan and I got up on chairs and repeatedly hammered the walls just to get that effect (that's sarcasm by the way).

As far as I'm aware, they will have to tear out the loose remnants, mix up some cement, apply it, plaster over it, and then in a weeks time when the cement has set, re-attach the blinds to it. That's if the landlord decides that it's worth the bother and not just attach a curtain rod.

This means more time off for me and its at the worst possible time. Not only has Brett resigned and looking forward to leaving (which means he will only help me occassionally) but another guy has been made redundant and the 1st Line Support engineer has gone on holiday as well. Arrrghhh!

Over the past few days, the idea of working in a company where the 3rd Line Support Techie is leaving in 4 days, where the web designer is leaving in 10 days, where the 1st line Techie is on holiday for another 5 days is all too much for me.

I have been run off my feet the past week, and I have another week to look forward to. I can't take time off for interviews because I've been warned by management that any time off I may take will conflict with business-critical issues. A fancy way of saying "if you leave, we'll be up shit creek without a paddle".

The question I'm asking myself more and more is:

"And why do I work for these people exactly?"

The Flat Vs The Job

Well...


We've moved into the new flat and things were looking up. Then, unfortunately, they looked down again.

Firstly, and because this is at home, its very important, there are a lot of things wrong with the flat. "Hiss boo sucks" I hear you say? Yes, unfortunately.

The power shower doesn't work. The washer/dryer doesn't work. The sink leaks. The sealant around the bath isnt there. The WC isn't flush against the wall. The carpet in the hallway hasn't been tacked down. The main window in the lounge doesn't open. the bathroom door handle keeps falling off... The list is endless. I'm glad to say though that some of these things are being fixed as we speak. Hopefully, things will begin to look up and we will be happy to spend shed loads of money for a flat that actually doesn't annoy us.

EDIT: Hopefully some of these will be addressed soon. We've since found out that the Washing machine doesn't work because some clever genius attached it to the Hot water mains and not the Cold water mains. This means that on a cold rinse, you get... wait for it... hot water. In fact, on any programme, you get hot water.

This could also explain why the power shower doesn't work, because it too is on the same pipe network.

Next, Brett has resigned from work. For those of you who don't know, Brett was the Senior Network Manager and the guy who kept on about paintball for weeks after TheNumNum's stag do.

Brett kept wondering if there was life out there and decided just before his appraisal to actually look. Indeed there was life out there and in fact, that life was better than the one he had at the moment. So he made a big decision, went for an interview and came back all smiles. I think he was actually looking to see how much he was appreciated here but no counter offer was forthcoming and he resigned.

He came over yesterday and whispered in my ear "You need to think about your future". Which, of course, made me think, 'am I appreciated here?'.

When I gather the courage to find an answer to that question, I'll let you know.

EDIT: The answer to this question has been a dismal "maybe". Unlike Mr. Volunteer (That's Brett to you and me), I don't put myself into a situation where I can be exploited, therefore I'm not integral to the system. Still, I am now looking for work as I'm coming up to FIVE years in this company. I know I wanted solid experience in the IT industry but this is getting ridiculous.