"Rhodes... where we're going we don't need Rhodes"
Had my last meeting with Mr Parmar, well the last one should be in six months but the money runs out. Everything is fine and it was all quite jolly! Apparently the main issue I still have, a clicking, sore bit on the outside of the knee, is cause by my Iliotibial tract rubbing on the drill site and should lessen with time. the rod is sticking out a bit and rubbing on this tract thing but should smooth off and get absorbed into the bone.
Also we've sorted the lawyer stuff to quite a tight deadline, set by the Company. Funny really because it was mainly them causing the delays. But once they had sorted all the typos and got the amount right we had an agreement to sign and that should be that.
On the trip front I went for the third option in the end and just book something quick. So I'm going to Greece. I've booked a week on Rhodes. It looks like a nice place with a gym and several swimming pools. This will be the first time I've been on a beach holiday as normally its all activity
for me so the difference should be interesting.
Now I just have to get some beachwear and some reading materials and then I away from this England of constant rain!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Skiing March 2008
Yeap
I've just booked to go on a ski trip next March. It's six months away so I should be fit enough by then. It's important to get straight back on the horse as the saying goes.
The trip is with my friends from Ware it should be a nice gentle re-introduction to Skiing as its a group with a full range of abilities.
To aid the recovery, and because I have a little time on my hand, I've been going to for walks around the village each day. the government say you should do 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times a week. so I'm got a nice little route worked out which has some ups and downs to get me slightly out of breath for an hour.
The route runs up behind my Parents house, through the woods, across a couple of fields until I get to Mill Lane. Then its up Mill Lane, the steep climb stretches out the knee) and then across the huge rolling field above the Lamas until I get to the point Walkern road bridge goes over the bypass. Then its reverse course and return home.
I great walk with good views of the village, as it runs along the ridge, but not to good when its raining.
I've just booked to go on a ski trip next March. It's six months away so I should be fit enough by then. It's important to get straight back on the horse as the saying goes.
The trip is with my friends from Ware it should be a nice gentle re-introduction to Skiing as its a group with a full range of abilities.
To aid the recovery, and because I have a little time on my hand, I've been going to for walks around the village each day. the government say you should do 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times a week. so I'm got a nice little route worked out which has some ups and downs to get me slightly out of breath for an hour.
The route runs up behind my Parents house, through the woods, across a couple of fields until I get to Mill Lane. Then its up Mill Lane, the steep climb stretches out the knee) and then across the huge rolling field above the Lamas until I get to the point Walkern road bridge goes over the bypass. Then its reverse course and return home.
I great walk with good views of the village, as it runs along the ridge, but not to good when its raining.
Suits you sir
I'm impressively unprepared for looking for a new job. Not only do I have to fix up a 3 year old CV, I find that all my smart clothes are in storage.
So I had to go out and buy a new suit today. This is probably a good thing as I haven't used them much in three years they are probably too small. That goes for shoes that aren't trainers as well. The fit is now up to a 40" Regular although the trouser are still 34". I guess if I put on the old jackets I would now look a bit like a bouncer.
Still writing my CV. it's like pulling teeth. I'm doing a full permie CV has I will probably need it at some point and then cutting it down into one suitable for contracting. With a full CV you give lots of detail about yourself, as well as your skills, so a company can work out if you are a good fit. However for a Contractor CV it should be much short, not more that 2 pages, and only concentrate on the skills the company is looking for.
And no word from the lawyers, I guess my old company are still messing them around.
So I had to go out and buy a new suit today. This is probably a good thing as I haven't used them much in three years they are probably too small. That goes for shoes that aren't trainers as well. The fit is now up to a 40" Regular although the trouser are still 34". I guess if I put on the old jackets I would now look a bit like a bouncer.
Still writing my CV. it's like pulling teeth. I'm doing a full permie CV has I will probably need it at some point and then cutting it down into one suitable for contracting. With a full CV you give lots of detail about yourself, as well as your skills, so a company can work out if you are a good fit. However for a Contractor CV it should be much short, not more that 2 pages, and only concentrate on the skills the company is looking for.
And no word from the lawyers, I guess my old company are still messing them around.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Lawyers and leg bending
The beard has now gone and I've had a hair cut so I'm looking professional again, partly for the future interview but mainly because I needed a passport photo that didn't make me look like a nutter.
Thursday was a trip to the Physio
He said that there had been no progress in the last three weeks despite me walking in this time without the crutches. I was thinking that he could go and get knotted. OK the progress isn't amazing but I definitely moving around better.
I told him about the redundancy and about the end of my medical cover. We sorted out that we could have a couple more sessions until it runs out on the 17th Oct (one month from me signing the letter on Monday). That got him off my case a bit but he still wanted me to do the exercises 'every hour'
Friday night in the pub
A company tradition even if most of us now don't work for the company anymore. It was Christians leaving do and most of us had already planned on going before events happened.
I did get a call in the middle of it, after I had had a few pints from the lawyer to say that the company wanted the contracts signed by the by the close of business on the Friday, but as they hadn't actually sent mine yet and the ones that they had, needed some correction, then it wasn't likely to happen. I said it was no bother to me and repeated to them that they didn't need to tell me what the company is like as I had worked for them for three years!
The other event that evening was that Matt turned up, so he had recovered from the shock on Monday and seemed ready to get on with job hunting.
Thursday was a trip to the Physio
He said that there had been no progress in the last three weeks despite me walking in this time without the crutches. I was thinking that he could go and get knotted. OK the progress isn't amazing but I definitely moving around better.
I told him about the redundancy and about the end of my medical cover. We sorted out that we could have a couple more sessions until it runs out on the 17th Oct (one month from me signing the letter on Monday). That got him off my case a bit but he still wanted me to do the exercises 'every hour'
Friday night in the pub
A company tradition even if most of us now don't work for the company anymore. It was Christians leaving do and most of us had already planned on going before events happened.
I did get a call in the middle of it, after I had had a few pints from the lawyer to say that the company wanted the contracts signed by the by the close of business on the Friday, but as they hadn't actually sent mine yet and the ones that they had, needed some correction, then it wasn't likely to happen. I said it was no bother to me and repeated to them that they didn't need to tell me what the company is like as I had worked for them for three years!
The other event that evening was that Matt turned up, so he had recovered from the shock on Monday and seemed ready to get on with job hunting.
Friday, September 21, 2007
CV Writing
Mostly this week I've being doing a bit of revision, watching season three of LOST and trying to update my CV.
Man its hard I haven't touched my CV in three years and to try and sum up your time at a company and then sell yourself on paper is really difficult. So its slow going. Fortunately the management at my old company had a bad attack of buzz words towards the end so I can just put them all straight in; Agile, TDD, Scrum, WCF, SOA, Continuous Integration, Product backlogs, etc.
LOST is fine. I had put off watching it as I got fed up with it during the second season but I find I have free time on my hands and so I decided to get caught up.
and the revising, well starting interviewing again means technical tests which meant reading around the subject to be able to answer questions about .net development which you never really need to know when you are actually developing.
Man its hard I haven't touched my CV in three years and to try and sum up your time at a company and then sell yourself on paper is really difficult. So its slow going. Fortunately the management at my old company had a bad attack of buzz words towards the end so I can just put them all straight in; Agile, TDD, Scrum, WCF, SOA, Continuous Integration, Product backlogs, etc.
LOST is fine. I had put off watching it as I got fed up with it during the second season but I find I have free time on my hands and so I decided to get caught up.
and the revising, well starting interviewing again means technical tests which meant reading around the subject to be able to answer questions about .net development which you never really need to know when you are actually developing.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Passports and Postoffices
Its a case of bad timing but my passport is about to expire so I've been rushing around trying to get it renewed.
So I had a trip out to Hertford to the big post office to use their check and send service. I got there a bit early and it was deserted so I went for a wander until 9am. Quite how there managed to be a 10 person queue outside in the 5 minutes I went to the cash machine I don't know. The trip home was fun as well, I got the bus back with all the OAPs.
Anyway the reason for the sorting my passport is that I was thinking of doing something like the last time I was made redundant. I decided it would be a good time to take a long break and went on a trekking trip around some of the national parks in America. I did a big loop from San Francisco via Monument, Yosemite, Dead Valley, Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon and Moab, down to Los Angeles.
So I had a trip out to Hertford to the big post office to use their check and send service. I got there a bit early and it was deserted so I went for a wander until 9am. Quite how there managed to be a 10 person queue outside in the 5 minutes I went to the cash machine I don't know. The trip home was fun as well, I got the bus back with all the OAPs.
Anyway the reason for the sorting my passport is that I was thinking of doing something like the last time I was made redundant. I decided it would be a good time to take a long break and went on a trekking trip around some of the national parks in America. I did a big loop from San Francisco via Monument, Yosemite, Dead Valley, Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon and Moab, down to Los Angeles.
So my options are
- get another permanent job.
- going contracting - setting up a company and finding a job for a couple of months and then do a big trip.
- going sailing perhaps a tall ship cruise.
- going trekking although my knee is not really up to it.
- or go on a smaller holiday and sort my life out when I get back.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Facebook and the voided pass
Poor Matt
Monday didn't go too well for my mate Matt. He was on holiday while all the redundancy thing was happening so officially didn't know anything about it. Fortunately some of us rang him at the weekend (although we didn't know if he was included as well) and told him all about it.
Otherwise the first he knew about it would have been on Monday morning when his door pass didn't work.
Which is exactly what happened.
Matt was always early into the office, usually getting in at 8:20ish. so he was half expecting it to happen and that he would have to wait around until someone else got into work. So I had a very odd phone conversation with him at about 8:40ish after he had tried to get it, with me sitting at home and him sitting in the park near the office waiting for 9 am so he could go in and get fired.
For him that's how 5 years of service ended to the company.
I did go in to work later on but Matt didn't stick around and went home. I was there to signed away my right to fight the redundancy and take the money. Also I was there to collect all my personal stuff.
So I cleaned my desk and my locker under the watchful eye of Charlotte from HR. Met with Susie to sign the agreement letter. I wasn't able to sign the no contest contract as I was told I needed to get legal advice first. Fortunately the company would put some money towards that and an independent lawyer was in the offices seeing some of the others so I got a bit of time with him. He took me through the contract and explained the process and sorted out some of the vague details with Susie. He said he would get the company to complete all the details and then he would mail me the contract to sign. Seemed like a nice chap for a lawyer!
Generally the day was a slow process as I stopped to talk to everyone coming backwards and forward. I was in the main lobby for quite a long time neither getting closer to the office or towards the door as a steady stream of people still employed and those collecting their stuff turned up.
It ended in the pub again as we discussed the events of the day over a few pints of beer.
When I got back I set up an ex-company group on facebook so we could all stay in touch.
Monday didn't go too well for my mate Matt. He was on holiday while all the redundancy thing was happening so officially didn't know anything about it. Fortunately some of us rang him at the weekend (although we didn't know if he was included as well) and told him all about it.
Otherwise the first he knew about it would have been on Monday morning when his door pass didn't work.
Which is exactly what happened.
Matt was always early into the office, usually getting in at 8:20ish. so he was half expecting it to happen and that he would have to wait around until someone else got into work. So I had a very odd phone conversation with him at about 8:40ish after he had tried to get it, with me sitting at home and him sitting in the park near the office waiting for 9 am so he could go in and get fired.
For him that's how 5 years of service ended to the company.
I did go in to work later on but Matt didn't stick around and went home. I was there to signed away my right to fight the redundancy and take the money. Also I was there to collect all my personal stuff.
So I cleaned my desk and my locker under the watchful eye of Charlotte from HR. Met with Susie to sign the agreement letter. I wasn't able to sign the no contest contract as I was told I needed to get legal advice first. Fortunately the company would put some money towards that and an independent lawyer was in the offices seeing some of the others so I got a bit of time with him. He took me through the contract and explained the process and sorted out some of the vague details with Susie. He said he would get the company to complete all the details and then he would mail me the contract to sign. Seemed like a nice chap for a lawyer!
Generally the day was a slow process as I stopped to talk to everyone coming backwards and forward. I was in the main lobby for quite a long time neither getting closer to the office or towards the door as a steady stream of people still employed and those collecting their stuff turned up.
It ended in the pub again as we discussed the events of the day over a few pints of beer.
When I got back I set up an ex-company group on facebook so we could all stay in touch.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Redundant
Well I guess I don't have to worry about the office politics anymore
Friday morning started normally with the Traffic project scrum meeting at 9:30 where we talked through what we are doing on the project and what the next lot of work is we will be starting. You meant to stand in a scrum meeting the idea being that if you are standing you will be quicker. However I've been sitting at these meetings because of the knee. The aim of a scrum meeting to for each person to cover three things and three things only 'What I did yesterday, what I'm doing today, and what problems am I facing that are stopping me getting things done'. So we successfully sorted out what the team was doing and went back to our desks.
Waiting for me when I got back was an invite to a strategy meeting. The list of people on it was a bit unusual rather than just being the normal people the go to planning meetings it included a range of people from junior developers to Fabio our technical architect and some developers from the our teams. Raza was one of the developers from another team and he came across to ask what the meeting was about. I didn't know but joked that looking at the selection of people if they fired us all then the company would be in a bit of trouble and alot of the systems knowledge would be lost. Funny how accurate you can be when you are making a joke. So we all trooped off upstairs to Breakout (the meeting rooms are all name after computer games).
The Strategy meeting was as awkward as you would imagine a meeting to tell people that they are being fired, can be. all the guys from IT arrived at the same time to find, Richard (CTO), Susie (Head of HR), Liam (Recruitment), Ruth (Recruitment) and Barry (Tech Support) already in the room. Richard started to read from a script and it was at that point that my heart rate went through the roof and my hands started to shake (they shook for most of that weekend). He read from a script that basically said that they were reorganising the company and as such they didn't need as much staff as they had. They would meet with each of us individually and go into details of our redundancy packages.
Up to this stage I was thinking that it was pretty much like the last time I got made redundant the developers in the room where the ones getting the chop the rest where there to make it official. I was sitting next to Ketan and we could see across to Robo. But Robo's shocked reaction didn't sink in with me until Richard said the time of his meeting with Robo. they also read out the meeting times for Fabio, Ruth and Barry so it was at that point we realised it was them as well. Richard also said that the rest of the company was being told right now and that the was another group being given the bad news in a different meeting (these were people from the business side). He then said we could stay in this room if we wanted and then our computers had been locked. He finish off by saying something about being sorry but by that time I wasn't really listening anymore and was just thinking things through.
So normally at times of crisis this British make a cup of tea. So I suggested that but then realised that Raza was sitting next to me. He's just started his month of fasting so for him the whole shock to the system couldn't be softened with even a glass of water.
We sat in the room for a bit and talked. I explained what happened to me the last time and Gareth made lot of jokes! I guess we all react to shock in different ways most of us by joking about it. We decided to go down to the coffee bar outside the canteen, also so the smokers and the ones who have given up smoking could go out a have a cigarette.
I had to go back up for my 1-2-1 meeting with Richard and Susie, this time it was in JetPac. Richard read through another script, this time saying much the same thing but adding if I didn't want to fight the decision then they would give me a pay off to 'soften' the blow. But I had to make my mind up fast as the money would start decreasing. I had until the end of business on the Monday to agree to get the full amount which roughly speak was about a month and half of pay. If I didn't agree until the end of the Friday after it would drop down to the statutory minimum payment, which for me is 310 pounds for each full year that I've worked with the company.
That done I went back down to the office with my little pack of documents and collected my stuff. By this stage most people had got to the pub but I hung around for a bit talking to people and keeping Raza and Lutfur company as they don't drink as so weren't going down the pub. Checking my computer I found that they hadn't locked me out and so I was able to collect some of my personal files; CV, pictures and some music files.
We left the office and Raza did come down the pub to say goodbye. That's where I stayed for the rest of the day drinking, mostly at first with Ketan and Fabio. Later everyone else turned up including lots of old members of staff, it was planned as a big night already because my mate John was leaving anyway and Gareth had invited lots of people. It got very messing towards the end and I heard reports afterwards that a couple of people needed help getting home.
Fitting I suppose, that it all ended in a pub which always has been the heart of the social spirit of the company.
Friday morning started normally with the Traffic project scrum meeting at 9:30 where we talked through what we are doing on the project and what the next lot of work is we will be starting. You meant to stand in a scrum meeting the idea being that if you are standing you will be quicker. However I've been sitting at these meetings because of the knee. The aim of a scrum meeting to for each person to cover three things and three things only 'What I did yesterday, what I'm doing today, and what problems am I facing that are stopping me getting things done'. So we successfully sorted out what the team was doing and went back to our desks.
Waiting for me when I got back was an invite to a strategy meeting. The list of people on it was a bit unusual rather than just being the normal people the go to planning meetings it included a range of people from junior developers to Fabio our technical architect and some developers from the our teams. Raza was one of the developers from another team and he came across to ask what the meeting was about. I didn't know but joked that looking at the selection of people if they fired us all then the company would be in a bit of trouble and alot of the systems knowledge would be lost. Funny how accurate you can be when you are making a joke. So we all trooped off upstairs to Breakout (the meeting rooms are all name after computer games).
The Strategy meeting was as awkward as you would imagine a meeting to tell people that they are being fired, can be. all the guys from IT arrived at the same time to find, Richard (CTO), Susie (Head of HR), Liam (Recruitment), Ruth (Recruitment) and Barry (Tech Support) already in the room. Richard started to read from a script and it was at that point that my heart rate went through the roof and my hands started to shake (they shook for most of that weekend). He read from a script that basically said that they were reorganising the company and as such they didn't need as much staff as they had. They would meet with each of us individually and go into details of our redundancy packages.
Up to this stage I was thinking that it was pretty much like the last time I got made redundant the developers in the room where the ones getting the chop the rest where there to make it official. I was sitting next to Ketan and we could see across to Robo. But Robo's shocked reaction didn't sink in with me until Richard said the time of his meeting with Robo. they also read out the meeting times for Fabio, Ruth and Barry so it was at that point we realised it was them as well. Richard also said that the rest of the company was being told right now and that the was another group being given the bad news in a different meeting (these were people from the business side). He then said we could stay in this room if we wanted and then our computers had been locked. He finish off by saying something about being sorry but by that time I wasn't really listening anymore and was just thinking things through.
So normally at times of crisis this British make a cup of tea. So I suggested that but then realised that Raza was sitting next to me. He's just started his month of fasting so for him the whole shock to the system couldn't be softened with even a glass of water.
We sat in the room for a bit and talked. I explained what happened to me the last time and Gareth made lot of jokes! I guess we all react to shock in different ways most of us by joking about it. We decided to go down to the coffee bar outside the canteen, also so the smokers and the ones who have given up smoking could go out a have a cigarette.
I walked back into the office to get my wallet and ran straight into the IT meeting explaining what's happening. I listen at the back for a bit and then went out a round the other way to get to my desk.
First order of business was to find a quiet corner to ring my Mum and tell her what has happened. Then it was down to the coffee bar with the others. We passed the news around and found out about the others who got the chop and some of the people not given the chop came down and commiserated with us.
Talked to Christian and some of the others about setting up as a contractor. Christian quit a couple of weeks ago and was still working out his notice. Basically a set up a company, get an accountant and then find a job through some recruitment company like GCS. GCS is a company that during my time in the industry a lot of the good contractor guys that I have worked with
have come from. So once I get home that's what I'll be looking into.
I had to go back up for my 1-2-1 meeting with Richard and Susie, this time it was in JetPac. Richard read through another script, this time saying much the same thing but adding if I didn't want to fight the decision then they would give me a pay off to 'soften' the blow. But I had to make my mind up fast as the money would start decreasing. I had until the end of business on the Monday to agree to get the full amount which roughly speak was about a month and half of pay. If I didn't agree until the end of the Friday after it would drop down to the statutory minimum payment, which for me is 310 pounds for each full year that I've worked with the company.
That done I went back down to the office with my little pack of documents and collected my stuff. By this stage most people had got to the pub but I hung around for a bit talking to people and keeping Raza and Lutfur company as they don't drink as so weren't going down the pub. Checking my computer I found that they hadn't locked me out and so I was able to collect some of my personal files; CV, pictures and some music files.
We left the office and Raza did come down the pub to say goodbye. That's where I stayed for the rest of the day drinking, mostly at first with Ketan and Fabio. Later everyone else turned up including lots of old members of staff, it was planned as a big night already because my mate John was leaving anyway and Gareth had invited lots of people. It got very messing towards the end and I heard reports afterwards that a couple of people needed help getting home.
Fitting I suppose, that it all ended in a pub which always has been the heart of the social spirit of the company.
Monday, September 10, 2007
sans crutches
First day going to work without crutches
Seems to be going OK apart from trying to get across Victoria station. People sort of assume you're going to get out of the way for them but while I can do a reasonable straight line I can't yet dodge, but then again most people just bounced off me and for one bloke in particular, I can push back too.
I've noticed that the reason I walk very slowly at the minute is due to only using one leg to push me forward. I've been favoring the left leg for so long now, when I try and force the left leg to push as well the increase in speed is quite noticeable. So as I get back to normal walking I should speed up in no time.
Jokes about crutches stopping me shaving (I've had a beard for about a month now) must have reached the fifty mark by now. The beard is doing fine!
Seems to be going OK apart from trying to get across Victoria station. People sort of assume you're going to get out of the way for them but while I can do a reasonable straight line I can't yet dodge, but then again most people just bounced off me and for one bloke in particular, I can push back too.
I've noticed that the reason I walk very slowly at the minute is due to only using one leg to push me forward. I've been favoring the left leg for so long now, when I try and force the left leg to push as well the increase in speed is quite noticeable. So as I get back to normal walking I should speed up in no time.
Jokes about crutches stopping me shaving (I've had a beard for about a month now) must have reached the fifty mark by now. The beard is doing fine!
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