Well, just thought I would pop by and tell you about the shitty weekend I just had! Truth is, I really need to vent right now and this is the ideal place to do it and get everything all off my chest!
Basically these last two weeks just gone, I have been in charge whilst Head Chef was on his regular two-week holiday that he always takes at this time of year. He came back last Wednesday, my day off, so Friday was the first time I had worked with him for approximately three weeks.(This was because I had taken a week off just before his holiday.)
Anyway, apparently we had a visit from the Environmental Health Officer and they weren't too happy. This was because of a number of issues that included dirty floor space under and around the wheels on benches, cracked floor tiles and poor maintenance issues and some items incorrectly date-labelled in fridge. For those not aware, all items in Commercial fridges have to be labelled with a day date label that signifies the day items must be used by along with a corresponding date referring to the date said item was made. Now bear in mind that I had not been there two days when the inspection took place and you would think I could not be held fully accountable. Oh no.....
H.C told me that when he came in on Wednesday that he was mostly pleased but that a few issues of cleaning (i.e: the floor around wheels under benches) needed to be addressed. BUT HE DIDN'T GET THEM DONE! Also, when I left on Tuesday, to the best of my knowledge all items in fridges were correctly labelled and dated and even if I had missed some of them, then he had two days to pick up on it and relabel or date! Bearing in mind as well that Wednesday/ Thursday were not particularly busy and he only had a wedding for 20 to serve outside of any other restaurant business he did....
And yet, when I came in on Friday, I got a right rollicking! I took the blame for a couple of date-label issues that I realised I had missed but even my fellow Sous-Chef Alan said later that H.C was out of order and normally them two are as thick and thieves and have each others back no matter whether they are in the right OR the wrong!
Anyway, Saturday he kind of apologised for the way he went off on one (quite rightly so) but then I come in Sunday and he has ANOTHER RIGHT GO ~ this time because Saturday night again, some things were not covered, date-labelled properly and the potato rumbler had not been sufficiently cleaned out or indeed cleaned out at all! This, bearing in mind, that he was there Saturday night also so should possibly have taken the responsibility for ensuring food items were put away correctly rather than instantly blaming me who had little to do with it and was busy cleaning work surfaces!?!
I will quite happily take responsibility and take blame when something is my fault but not if it isn't! I have always stated that I don't care what ppl think of me at work personally but I take issue with ppl questioning my professionalism. I have always said that no one should be able to question how well I do my job and this is a creedo I live by. They can think I am a Prick, a c***, a total arse-hole but I never want it said that I cannot do my job and do it well. It is a source of pride to me. This weekend, I feel that this has been continually questioned and has really totally and utterly wound me up, near to the point of me losing my temper and walking out. If I didn't desperately need the money, I would've walked this weekend ~ no word of a lie, believe!
I am still mad about it now especially because I find out that H.C has been saying that whilst he was on holiday, standards dropped. Err... no they didn't; I was just more focused on the food going out properly as I had a couple of important weddings to deal with -Big weddings- whilst he was away. The main issues the EHO had were with maintenance problems that she has brought up time and again on previous visits and we though have brought these issues to Management's attention, nothing has been done! The other issues she had just compounded the whole investigation and made things worse! But while H.C has been away, I have just continued the systems HE has put in place so if cleaning jobs got missed, it is because correct systems were obviously NOT in place and that is his responsibility. Leaving aside the fact that he had two days to address these before she came around and he just didn't!
If this all sounds like I am trying to dodge a bullet, then it is not that at all. Like I say, I quite happily accept responsibility where it is relevant but I WILL NOT be made a scrapegoat. Nor will I have my professionalism questioned so brutally when I work facking hard for the Company who own the Hotel!
Anyway, that is enough about that...time to move on. My spleen has been vented. Time to forget and just try and soldier on. As my old man always says, "Don't let the bastards grind you down" and I won't! Fack the lot of them! I know I did a good job these last couple of weeks in H.C's absence and even had that told to me by a couple of third parties (just so you know it's not just me blowing my own trumpet ~ not that I could reach anyway without having a couple of ribs removed...ewwww) so stuff what H.C says. He is angry and I understand that but don't take it out on the guy who tries fracking hard to keep the ship running straight when you're not there and sheds blood, sweat and tears doing it. Take it out on those who don't pull their weight....Wanker!
Sparky out....until next time, Nannoo ~ Nannooo..........
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Monday, 25 October 2010
When I get angry and I get pissed.....I sit myself down and write a list...and you've made my Shitlist!!
Grrrr......every time I try to make a concerted effort to spend more time on this Blog and give it more of my attention, things always seem to get in the way and I end up neglecting it all over again! Anyway, am going to try and be a bit more regular (o'er missus!) from this day on but am also going to stop worrying about it if I don't manage to keep to my promise. After all, this is my Blog and I shouldn't feel guilty about whether or not I keep it updated; it's up to me what I write and when I choose to write it!
Isn't it funny how the actions of just one person can really frack you off? There's this D.M (Duty Manager) at work whom we will call BH who has been there for a while. She is abrasive, constantly narky and walks round with a bag of potatoes on her shoulder as opposed to just a chip. With one comment, she can somehow manage to piss everybody off and get their backs up without even trying but goes around thinking everybody loves her. Well...Newsflash....Everybody thinks you are a fracking bitch and if any woman deserved a slap, it would be you!
I try not to HATE anybody as HATE is a very strong, powerful and negative emotion but some people just beg to be despised. Which is why, tonight, I have belatedly added BH's name to my Shit list; so called after the song by the group L7!
This list so far comprises of only three people: Penguin Zero, whom I infamously had a run-in with some time ago as readers of this Blog may remember; Creepy Crazy Dave, our freaky Kitchen Porter who has earned himself the moniker Captain Slow of late because he is so useless and is one hell of a nutcase who really has more than just a few spanners loose in his toolbox: and now BH, a stupid little bitch who now works part-time since the birth of her little boy and really can't seem to be able to take the pressure of working at The Hotel any more meaning that she storms about throwing her attitude around like a squat, obese Storm-trooper managing only to leave a trail of equally fracked-off people in her wake!
It's not just me either; Bon Jovi Roy has a similar reaction to her that I do, if not magnified ever so slightly. It is just one more way in which me and him are alike and another reason why we get on so well!
Until a hopefully-much-happier next time......Au Revior Mon Amis
Sparky xxxxxx
Isn't it funny how the actions of just one person can really frack you off? There's this D.M (Duty Manager) at work whom we will call BH who has been there for a while. She is abrasive, constantly narky and walks round with a bag of potatoes on her shoulder as opposed to just a chip. With one comment, she can somehow manage to piss everybody off and get their backs up without even trying but goes around thinking everybody loves her. Well...Newsflash....Everybody thinks you are a fracking bitch and if any woman deserved a slap, it would be you!
I try not to HATE anybody as HATE is a very strong, powerful and negative emotion but some people just beg to be despised. Which is why, tonight, I have belatedly added BH's name to my Shit list; so called after the song by the group L7!
This list so far comprises of only three people: Penguin Zero, whom I infamously had a run-in with some time ago as readers of this Blog may remember; Creepy Crazy Dave, our freaky Kitchen Porter who has earned himself the moniker Captain Slow of late because he is so useless and is one hell of a nutcase who really has more than just a few spanners loose in his toolbox: and now BH, a stupid little bitch who now works part-time since the birth of her little boy and really can't seem to be able to take the pressure of working at The Hotel any more meaning that she storms about throwing her attitude around like a squat, obese Storm-trooper managing only to leave a trail of equally fracked-off people in her wake!
It's not just me either; Bon Jovi Roy has a similar reaction to her that I do, if not magnified ever so slightly. It is just one more way in which me and him are alike and another reason why we get on so well!
Until a hopefully-much-happier next time......Au Revior Mon Amis
Sparky xxxxxx
Monday, 22 February 2010
We're the fairies from hell and we're all on a death wish!
Well, what an eventful evening!
Remember the penquin at work whom I was going to ignore? Well, things got off to a good start on Friday night when I successfully managed to avoid talking to her all shift except for when it was work related and there was already evidence of how attention-seeking she is when she began to whine at me for totally ignoring her. Anyway, she was not in at the weekend because she was ill but she was in again tonight and I started things off by asking if she was now feeling better? Okay, not strictly work-related per se but I was being polite and had begun to consider if maybe I was being a bit harsh and should give her a break. I had even wondered if I was wrong to delete her from my FB friends. After all, who am I to be judgemental? There could be lots of personal reasons why she is so aggressive in nature and surely I could just not banter with her but still talk to her?
Anyway tonight when I decided frack it, I would stand by my decision she began to get mouthy again calling me a prick and a wanker for ignoring her. She also decided this ostraciazation constituted a challenge and told me I had "pulled the short straw because just because I wasn't talking to her, she could still talk and bug the shit out of me!" A fellow penquin then demonstrated how she could get me to talk to her by giving me a hug, at which point the person I was ignoring began poking and prodding me about. Whilst I was attempting to chop cabbage, I should mention, so I had a knife in my hand. Anyway, I basically grabbed this person by the arm and told her "You really don't want to be messing me about; I mean it, I'm being serious...you DO NOT want to be messing me about!" I'm thinking she might have gotten the message!
Either because she saw in my eyes that I was seriously close to losing my patience with her or because I was gripping her hard enough to hurt, (unintentionally I might add) she let me go and quickly backed the frack off! Her friend later told me that I had left a mark on her arm, to which I explained that if she had not messed me about then she would not have got hurt. I didn't want things to end this way but if people will not get the hint then they need to be told! I have explained I have personal space issues and don't want these 17 year old waitresses throwing their arms all about me (and maybe most blokes are thinking at this point are you nuts but I am old enough to be all of their dads and those silly little girls really can get annoying when you are around them all the time!), but I guess sometimes you have to unleash The Dark Side if you want to get your message across!
Anyway, this paticular penquin did not talk to me for the rest of the shift and whilst this meant there was a bit of a frosty atmosphere whenever she walked through the kitchen, ultimately it felt as though the ends really do sometimes justify the means. Why did I not just explain why I was ignoring her? I'll tell ya why, because it would not have just been that ~ a simle explanation. She would have argued her corner that I was the one being aggressive, that I was the protagonist and the end result would have been the very confrontation I am tired of having and wish to avoid!
What do they say about letting sleeping dogs lie? Sometimes a dog has to bite before people learn to leave him the frack alone. And tonight, this dog's bite was much worse than his bark. But a silly little girl learnt a valuable lesson, one hopes!
If she is going to call me a prick and a wanker, then maybe I will be one if it gets her to back off and leave me alone.
Till next time..... woof woof from The Big W.....this is the rabid dog signing out until the next time he has to bite xxxx
Remember the penquin at work whom I was going to ignore? Well, things got off to a good start on Friday night when I successfully managed to avoid talking to her all shift except for when it was work related and there was already evidence of how attention-seeking she is when she began to whine at me for totally ignoring her. Anyway, she was not in at the weekend because she was ill but she was in again tonight and I started things off by asking if she was now feeling better? Okay, not strictly work-related per se but I was being polite and had begun to consider if maybe I was being a bit harsh and should give her a break. I had even wondered if I was wrong to delete her from my FB friends. After all, who am I to be judgemental? There could be lots of personal reasons why she is so aggressive in nature and surely I could just not banter with her but still talk to her?
Anyway tonight when I decided frack it, I would stand by my decision she began to get mouthy again calling me a prick and a wanker for ignoring her. She also decided this ostraciazation constituted a challenge and told me I had "pulled the short straw because just because I wasn't talking to her, she could still talk and bug the shit out of me!" A fellow penquin then demonstrated how she could get me to talk to her by giving me a hug, at which point the person I was ignoring began poking and prodding me about. Whilst I was attempting to chop cabbage, I should mention, so I had a knife in my hand. Anyway, I basically grabbed this person by the arm and told her "You really don't want to be messing me about; I mean it, I'm being serious...you DO NOT want to be messing me about!" I'm thinking she might have gotten the message!
Either because she saw in my eyes that I was seriously close to losing my patience with her or because I was gripping her hard enough to hurt, (unintentionally I might add) she let me go and quickly backed the frack off! Her friend later told me that I had left a mark on her arm, to which I explained that if she had not messed me about then she would not have got hurt. I didn't want things to end this way but if people will not get the hint then they need to be told! I have explained I have personal space issues and don't want these 17 year old waitresses throwing their arms all about me (and maybe most blokes are thinking at this point are you nuts but I am old enough to be all of their dads and those silly little girls really can get annoying when you are around them all the time!), but I guess sometimes you have to unleash The Dark Side if you want to get your message across!
Anyway, this paticular penquin did not talk to me for the rest of the shift and whilst this meant there was a bit of a frosty atmosphere whenever she walked through the kitchen, ultimately it felt as though the ends really do sometimes justify the means. Why did I not just explain why I was ignoring her? I'll tell ya why, because it would not have just been that ~ a simle explanation. She would have argued her corner that I was the one being aggressive, that I was the protagonist and the end result would have been the very confrontation I am tired of having and wish to avoid!
What do they say about letting sleeping dogs lie? Sometimes a dog has to bite before people learn to leave him the frack alone. And tonight, this dog's bite was much worse than his bark. But a silly little girl learnt a valuable lesson, one hopes!
If she is going to call me a prick and a wanker, then maybe I will be one if it gets her to back off and leave me alone.
Till next time..... woof woof from The Big W.....this is the rabid dog signing out until the next time he has to bite xxxx
Friday, 19 February 2010
Throw away...yesterday, Today is a brand new day
Just thought I'd pop by and give everyone a bit of an update on whats new in my life at the moment. Not much by all accounts but there a few things I wanted to talk about...
Firstly, I have started to have a bit of an issue with one of the penquins at work. I'm not going to mention names as I know that a couple of them from The Hotel have occasionally read this and I don't really want things to go any further than they have already ~ though there will be those who read this who will know immediately who I'm talking about! Anyway, she has this whole aggressive attitude thing going on and me, her and Bon Jovi Roy have all got into the habit of sharing a bit of banter. Anyway, she claims she doesn't much like it and yet she still insists on dishing it out whenever she's on shift. It seems to be okay for her to go about throwing it all about, but as soon as you return the favour and she runs out of witty things to say then she seems to constantly resort to abuse. Not that I'm bothered by that, I actually think it's quite funny, but it's like if you can't take it hon, then don't dish it out. I know she is only 17 so technically me and Roy should probably know better but in the kind of enviroment we work in, it is hard not to respond when she starts spouting off.
Anyway things came to a head the other day on FB when I made a comment on one of her photos and we started exchanging what I thought was banter when she seemingly got all defensive and started getting hostile. Which is fine but I have kind of had enough of it now. If she wants to be like thast then fine but I am taking the higher ground and am going to refuse to respond. This person has now been eliminated from my Friends list on FB and I have decided that from now on, I am going to ignore her at work and essentially ostracize her whenever she tries to talk to me about anything not work-related! I doubt very much whether she will be too bothered by this and I doubt she even cares whether she is on my FB Friends list or not but I am not doing it to get back at her. I am doing it because I am tired of her getting on her high horse and acting all defensive whenever anyone says anything she doesn't like. Basically, talking with her and exchanging insults has begun to get quite tiring and it exhausts me just trying to have a conversation with her so frak her! It's not the first time I have taken such measures. A few years back, there was a Receptionist at work with whom I had issues with so I gave her the silent treatment and refused to talk to her. I remember she got quite pissed off at that but hey, my mother always said "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all" so really I am just following my mother's advice!
The second thing is that I have started drawing and painting again! I haven't picked up my pad and watercolour pencils in ages but recently, re-reading IT by Stephen King, I have felt inspired and my muse has come back. For several days, my thoughts have been haunted and plagued by images of the clown, Pennywise, standing at the outskirts of Derry whilst, in the background, The Dark Tower looms over the town. It got to the stage where I had even begun sketching out ideas of how I wanted the clown to look, a whole lot scarier than Tim Curry's portrayal of Pennywise in the awful, awful mini-series they made of IT, and of how the picture would come together on the page. Then finally Wednesday, on my day off, I started it and though I have not yet done much, I have got as far as almost completing Pennywise, I am pleased with the initial results. I could talk about how, when I find my muse, the picture almost draws itself; how although I have an idea how I want it to turn out, the truth is I am never quite sure how it will until the painting is complete. But, unless you have an artistic streak in you, these things often sound daft. The fact is, I can only really paint and draw when I feel like a picture is right and this feels right. Don't ask me why but it does. I may not be as good an artist as I would like to be but I am hoping that, by watching her daddy paint, it will also inspire Emilie to start drawing. At the moment, she seems to enjoy putting pen, pencil or crayon to paper but all she can manage is scribbles. But the fact that she even gets simple enjoyment out of that is encouraging to me and I hope we can spend time in the future when she is older, drawing and painting pictures together. I have already got her interested in books by reading to her and she is quite happy to pick up one of her Peppa Pig's on her own and sit there turning the pages and talking to herself; almost as if she is making up her own stories to go with the pictures. Being a dad is so unbelievably rewarding and I never could have imagined, before Emilie, that I would get so much pleasure teaching her simple, basic things! Every moment spent with her is such a delightful joy!!
Talking of IT by stephen King (5), this is my fifth choice for my list of 1001 books to read before you die. I have read it like 10 times now over something like fifteen years and I never get bored of it. Each time I go back, it is like reuniting with lost friends and forgotten memories. It is my favourite ever Stephen King book and easily the best thing he has ever written! It tells the story of six friends who are called back as adults to their childhood home by the friend they left behind when a series of gruesome murders start occurring. Twenty-seven years ago, the seven of them confronted something that preyed on the town and swore on their blood that they would come back if the murders ever started again. Now they have...and it is time for those seven to finish what they started and take on IT; a creature that preys on the young and the helpless, feeds on the anger and fears of the town and can change shape to resemble that of which you are most scared of! It is an awesome book, to my mind like the film STAND BY ME (also a story by Stephen King originally) but with monsters in! It is also a story with two acts: the first set in late fifties America, the second in the mid-eighties where a group of adults have to face the fears they thought they had left behind them as a child.
IT will not be the last Stephen King book that makes my 1001 list, but it is by far the most important to me and one of the greatest novels I have ever read in my life! And trust me when I say I read a lot!!!
Friday, 22 January 2010
Ooopsy daisy...I did it again....
Sometimes I do think I am a very bad man...in the last few days, one of the receptionists at work (whom we all call Posh Robot for reasons I will not go into here, they being so trivial as to not warrant mention) has been given the old heave-ho; the boot; the sack. Has, in fact, essentially had her working career at The Hotel terminated with pretty extreme prejudice. Now I played no part in her removal from the system (before anyone even thinks of pointing the finger anywhere near my general direction) but I did kind of gloat about it on Facebook in my Status. And that is why, folks, I am a very bad man.....
To be fair, in these or any other times, no one really deserves to get the boot and I am perfectly sure she was a nice enough person deep down inside but the crux of the matter, the thing of it is..... she REALLY got on my swede! Annoying is not a good enough adjective to describe just how frustrating the woman was ~ mainly because, in point of fact, she was very shit at her job. She just couldn't cope, constantly got all flustered and had a very negative impact on me whenever she made the mistake of entering my presence simply because she had the ability to wind me up without even starting to speak to me! There are two people I really could not bear or stand to be around at The Hotel and she was the other one; the first being a potwasher known colloquially as Crazy Dave or CJD for reasons that are apparent within approximately five seconds of you meeting him. Trust me, this is not a guy you want within 500 miles of either your kids or anyone elses for that matter! If I could just get rid of him as well, then my working enviroment would have the potential to be a much happier place.
I am not saddened by the passing of she who was Posh Robot and will not miss her presence in the slightest but do consider that putting as my FB Status: "R.I.P Posh Robot; you may not be dead but you are gone and soon hopefully will be forgotten!" was maybe, just a little bit, unnessecarily cruel and indeed harsh. But it was funny and it did get a lot of comments and, after all, life isn't fair so if she did happen to see it and read it...well, the sooner she learns that lesson the better.
This is not an apology, I might add, but more in way of a confession. I am not a Catholic and share few (if any) of their views but wonder if perhaps there might be some simple penance I could make in way of absolution......one things for sure, my comments on FB obviously do not sit well with my New Year's Resolution ~ to try and be more tolerant and nicer to others ~ of whom I had both Posh Robot and CJD in mind when I made it. Still what importance do New Year's Resolutions exactly hold anymore anyway...?
At least I didn't promise to change in any significant way (theres no chance of that happening any time between now and The Day Of Judgement); my Resolution was meant merely as a means of adjusting my existing personality, tweaking it if you will, to try and make me a slightly better person. But am I so bad? I may be a tad naughty at times but I will always be Sparkymarky at heart and nothing I do or say is meant with any venom.
It's just that certain people annoy me and if theres one thing I am short of, it is patience with incompetents! I am not known for suffering fools gladly and that is something that is never going to change.....no matter how many Resolutions I make.
And yes, before you say it, I do know that none of us are perfect.....it's just that as a human race, we are by our very nature judgemental. And thats why some of us will never get along despite any best intentions.....
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Happy Birthday,....Happy Birthday....
Today is my birthday and I have reached the grand old age of...*ahem*.....36.
Not got much planned, am visiting the health visitor later for Emilie's 2 year check-up, but thought I had better check in here as well and give you a short update on my life and let you know that I am still about! Work is still the same though might have some more staff in the kitchen by the time I get back. Already had one commis started and he seems okay so far. I am now starting the second week of a 2-week holiday and have spent most of that so far just chillaxing and doing very little! Am reading lots of books, writing lots of Dooyoo reviews (and up to another £75 already!) and spending quality time with my daughter. At the hotel before I left, had 2 very hard weeks as HC was on his annual 2 weeks holiday; Geordie Ed quit in the middle of those and I got very, very stressed out. If hadn't been for all the bills needing paying, would've walked out the door it was so bad. That's one of the reasons I have not been on. There are so many Blog posts on here already about work and really wasn't in the mood to add to them or post anything really. Was a bit fed up and just needed some time away from the introspective eye of this Blog. But didn't want you guys to think I had forgotten you so....here I am!
Dooyoo is great but theres this one reviewer on there who seems to be dogging me at the mo! On three seperate reviews I have written recently she has left a disparaging comment offering advice or sent me a Private message in the same vein. I could block her so she can't send me messages but then I would worry about what she was trying to say to me. It's not like I'm a Fracking New Guy or FNG and have been writing reviews for some time now and also know she means no harm and is trying to be helpful but I just find her comments condescending and feel like telling her to frack off! Luckily I am too polite for that but honestly- if you read this, and you know who you are, please don't take offence but you are an interfering, pain-in-the-arse c*&%! Lol!
Managed to finally finish Saigon and what an epic read that was but very good all the same. Covering 50 years of Vietnam history through the eyes of one man and his family is no mean feat but the author really pulled it off with tremendous success! Since then some of the books I have read include Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith who wrote Gorky Park- an interesting thriller set around the legacy of Chernobyl; A Dozen Black Roses by Nancy Collins- a vampire novel featuring her anti-heroine Sonja Blue, herself a twisted new breed of vampire whom we first encountered in Sunglasses After Dark; and Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs. Am also still reading Mao but have only 300 pages left to go now so getting close to the end.
For my birthday, mostly got money as there is nothing I really wanted but also got the MIL to buy me Richard Dawkins book, The Greatest Show On Earth which supposedly offers the scientific theories behind why Evoloution MUST have happened beyond any doubt! Listening to the radio the other day as they discussed the new film which coincedentally has just beeen released about Darwin (who published the theory of Evoloution first) a guest commented that he could see no reason why Creationists and Evoloutionists had to be at odds as they are not exclusive to each other which I thought an interesting take. Know Dawkins is allegedly an Atheist but this other guy on the radio suggested that if you ignore the whole seven days of creation malarkey and treat it figuratively instead of literally, then there is no reason that you cannot accept that God, if he exists, could not have used Evoloution as his way of creating life. It's an interesting idea and it is good to see that science and faith do not have to be seperated and that there can be some common middle ground!
Going back to the topic of my birthday...why exactly DO we celebrate the day we were born? Is it some kind of ritual to make us glad that we are another year older and still alive...? It certainly feels no different to me than any other day except for the fact that I awoke this morning to my daughter opening all my cards! Maybe I should google the origins of the birthday celebration....anyway, 5 days to go till back to work so, for now, ciao ciao!
I have a very obscure translated-from-Russian seventies science-fiction novel to finish. And yes, it is very very good! :)
Not got much planned, am visiting the health visitor later for Emilie's 2 year check-up, but thought I had better check in here as well and give you a short update on my life and let you know that I am still about! Work is still the same though might have some more staff in the kitchen by the time I get back. Already had one commis started and he seems okay so far. I am now starting the second week of a 2-week holiday and have spent most of that so far just chillaxing and doing very little! Am reading lots of books, writing lots of Dooyoo reviews (and up to another £75 already!) and spending quality time with my daughter. At the hotel before I left, had 2 very hard weeks as HC was on his annual 2 weeks holiday; Geordie Ed quit in the middle of those and I got very, very stressed out. If hadn't been for all the bills needing paying, would've walked out the door it was so bad. That's one of the reasons I have not been on. There are so many Blog posts on here already about work and really wasn't in the mood to add to them or post anything really. Was a bit fed up and just needed some time away from the introspective eye of this Blog. But didn't want you guys to think I had forgotten you so....here I am!
Dooyoo is great but theres this one reviewer on there who seems to be dogging me at the mo! On three seperate reviews I have written recently she has left a disparaging comment offering advice or sent me a Private message in the same vein. I could block her so she can't send me messages but then I would worry about what she was trying to say to me. It's not like I'm a Fracking New Guy or FNG and have been writing reviews for some time now and also know she means no harm and is trying to be helpful but I just find her comments condescending and feel like telling her to frack off! Luckily I am too polite for that but honestly- if you read this, and you know who you are, please don't take offence but you are an interfering, pain-in-the-arse c*&%! Lol!
Managed to finally finish Saigon and what an epic read that was but very good all the same. Covering 50 years of Vietnam history through the eyes of one man and his family is no mean feat but the author really pulled it off with tremendous success! Since then some of the books I have read include Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith who wrote Gorky Park- an interesting thriller set around the legacy of Chernobyl; A Dozen Black Roses by Nancy Collins- a vampire novel featuring her anti-heroine Sonja Blue, herself a twisted new breed of vampire whom we first encountered in Sunglasses After Dark; and Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs. Am also still reading Mao but have only 300 pages left to go now so getting close to the end.
For my birthday, mostly got money as there is nothing I really wanted but also got the MIL to buy me Richard Dawkins book, The Greatest Show On Earth which supposedly offers the scientific theories behind why Evoloution MUST have happened beyond any doubt! Listening to the radio the other day as they discussed the new film which coincedentally has just beeen released about Darwin (who published the theory of Evoloution first) a guest commented that he could see no reason why Creationists and Evoloutionists had to be at odds as they are not exclusive to each other which I thought an interesting take. Know Dawkins is allegedly an Atheist but this other guy on the radio suggested that if you ignore the whole seven days of creation malarkey and treat it figuratively instead of literally, then there is no reason that you cannot accept that God, if he exists, could not have used Evoloution as his way of creating life. It's an interesting idea and it is good to see that science and faith do not have to be seperated and that there can be some common middle ground!
Going back to the topic of my birthday...why exactly DO we celebrate the day we were born? Is it some kind of ritual to make us glad that we are another year older and still alive...? It certainly feels no different to me than any other day except for the fact that I awoke this morning to my daughter opening all my cards! Maybe I should google the origins of the birthday celebration....anyway, 5 days to go till back to work so, for now, ciao ciao!
I have a very obscure translated-from-Russian seventies science-fiction novel to finish. And yes, it is very very good! :)
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
On the plus side...
Don't have to work with Ed tonight as he finishes at 4 and not tomorrow either, so next couple of days might be smoother as I find Commis Ross easier to tolerate. This hasn't stopped me however from examining other avenues of employment this morning.....I know theres a shortage of jobs at the moment but someone out there must want a good Sous Chef.....?
Forget 30 days of night, here's 15 days of shite!
Well, although it was really nice to have Bank Holiday Monday off and although we all had a really good day out at Banham Zoo ( with lovely scorching weather- whats all that about on a Bank Holiday?) and I got my dinner cooked for me too by Mrs.Sparky's mum, in some ways I almost wish I had been at work. Not because I didn't have a really nice time, because I did but because I felt as though yesterday I had to run around like a loony bin trying to do all the things I could've done Monday that included sorting out fridges and trying to replenish an almost empty sweet fridge! This makes me sound ungrateful I know and I don't mean to be because Monday was almost like a day stepped outside my life; as though, for just one day, I took a step out of reality only to take two steps back into the maelstorm the very next day. It is just that yesterday, working from 9 am through until 11.10 pm without a single break showed me, if there was any doubt, that this next two weeks are going to be HARD!
One of the reasons I stayed so late last night was because I was making sure that Ed and Commis Ross (who is back from holiday today) would be set-up for lunch. I have taken this morning off both because it is the other time apart from Monday that I will get any time off and because I need to look after Emilie whilst Mrs.Sparky is at work! I start back at 4 pm today as though it were a Friday (this is the shift I normally work on that day every week) and I am dreading going back into work after having the morning off but I needed to take some time for myself while I am able to as gawd knows it will be hard enough to do so next week!!
Yesterday was made harder for me by Geordie Ed who does not know the meaning of vocal restraint. Not only does he talk A LOT which in itself is really distracting and more than a little tiresome but also he just talks shit all the time that I'm really not that interested in. And yesterday he got into two confrontations with other members of staff and this is just the beginning of the two weeks that I am in charge. I need him in the kitchen as otherwise I am going to be deeply in the brown stuff but he is going to make it hard for me to cope I know it. It will not be anything else that drives me to despair but him, especially if he keeps coming into conflict with Front Of House! Last night, before leaving, I had barman Richie whinging at me about Ed and the way he spoke to him in front of customers and I had to say look Richie, I really am not interested and am not going to get involved! I have enough else to deal with being the only trained chef in the kitchen, and at times the only competent one, for the next two weeks and I really do not need any more hassle!
Think he took some umbrage at that in the fact I was not going to do anything but I already had words with Ed yesterday when he got a bit defensive with me and I cannot have him walking out whilst HC is away and dropping me right in it so, to some extent, have to keep him placated! Ed seems to think that the only person who can tell him what to do is HC but he seems to forget that for the next two weeks, I am HC! Gawd, why do some people insist on making your life more difficult?
It is a good job that I am fairly patient though this period will be a test of just how patient I can be and I think I might have to get nasty before HC returns. But, to be honest, I should not be having to cope with such poor staffing levels and it is utterly ridiculous that in a kitchen as busy as ours, I am going to be the only fully trained chef!! I am only one man and the longer this goes on, the closer I get to thinking I have had enough! I am as close as I have ever been to simply walking out in sheer disgust and the only thing that keeps me here is knowing I have to pay the bills......
One of the reasons I stayed so late last night was because I was making sure that Ed and Commis Ross (who is back from holiday today) would be set-up for lunch. I have taken this morning off both because it is the other time apart from Monday that I will get any time off and because I need to look after Emilie whilst Mrs.Sparky is at work! I start back at 4 pm today as though it were a Friday (this is the shift I normally work on that day every week) and I am dreading going back into work after having the morning off but I needed to take some time for myself while I am able to as gawd knows it will be hard enough to do so next week!!
Yesterday was made harder for me by Geordie Ed who does not know the meaning of vocal restraint. Not only does he talk A LOT which in itself is really distracting and more than a little tiresome but also he just talks shit all the time that I'm really not that interested in. And yesterday he got into two confrontations with other members of staff and this is just the beginning of the two weeks that I am in charge. I need him in the kitchen as otherwise I am going to be deeply in the brown stuff but he is going to make it hard for me to cope I know it. It will not be anything else that drives me to despair but him, especially if he keeps coming into conflict with Front Of House! Last night, before leaving, I had barman Richie whinging at me about Ed and the way he spoke to him in front of customers and I had to say look Richie, I really am not interested and am not going to get involved! I have enough else to deal with being the only trained chef in the kitchen, and at times the only competent one, for the next two weeks and I really do not need any more hassle!
Think he took some umbrage at that in the fact I was not going to do anything but I already had words with Ed yesterday when he got a bit defensive with me and I cannot have him walking out whilst HC is away and dropping me right in it so, to some extent, have to keep him placated! Ed seems to think that the only person who can tell him what to do is HC but he seems to forget that for the next two weeks, I am HC! Gawd, why do some people insist on making your life more difficult?
It is a good job that I am fairly patient though this period will be a test of just how patient I can be and I think I might have to get nasty before HC returns. But, to be honest, I should not be having to cope with such poor staffing levels and it is utterly ridiculous that in a kitchen as busy as ours, I am going to be the only fully trained chef!! I am only one man and the longer this goes on, the closer I get to thinking I have had enough! I am as close as I have ever been to simply walking out in sheer disgust and the only thing that keeps me here is knowing I have to pay the bills......
Monday, 31 August 2009
Reasons to be cheerful.....one,two,three
Well, thought I would post a new Blog entry because since this morning, circumstances have changed....I now have a day off tomorrow thanks to my mate Richard the manager, which is handy as Mrs.Sparky was taking Ems and the mother-in-law to Banham Zoo tomorrow for the Bank Holiday and now it means I can go with them!! Apparently Richard is going to supervise Geordie Ed and another temporary kitchen assisstant called Sammi during the day and, it being a Bank Holiday, it is not supposed to be too busy! One things for certain ~ my phones not going on tomorrow!! Gawd alone knows what I will walk into on Tuesday but I am sure I can handle whatever shit-storm I get left and besides, I get to have a day off so even if I have to work my ass off on Tuesday, which is pretty inevitable all things considered, then it will be worth it!!
Forgot to mention this morning as well, my dental experiences the other day! Had to go back to my local NHS Dentist on Thursday just gone to get the results of X-rays he had taken previously and he basically told me that he wanted to see me again that afternoon to remove my dodgy tooth straight away despite already being double-booked. Not being a fan of needles, and after a bad experience several years go which has prevented me from subsequent Dental visits, naturally I then began to shit the proverbial bricks. Still the thought of no more toothache was a big encouragement. Don't know if I mentioned last time but I have been woken up every morning between the hours of 02:30 and 05:30 for the last week with crippling tooth pain. Thankfully I have been able to take a couple of pills and return to slumber but still, it was not a nice thing to wake up to EVERY MORNING!! This was as well as the constant ache I had all day long and the savage attacks of toothache that could erupt during the day as well with little or no warning!
Anyway,I had to have three injections which were helped by this gel stuff they apply to the mouth before using the needle. This gel means you hardly feel the needle when it does go in! Still, the Dentist did have to tell me to slow my breathing as at one stage I was in danger of hyper-ventilating! Once all injections had been administered, he then proceeded to yank, and I do mean yank, out my tooth. The whole proceedure took a little under an hour and the injections left me feeling more than a little bit woozy but my experience was much better than my last Dental visit twelve years ago and really reassured me that it doesn't have to be a traumatic experience! My Dentist this time was very reassuring through-out, patient with me and very pleasent to deal with. I have no fears or worries about seeing him again after xmas, which is when he next wants to see me, and he claimed my teeth are overall in a fairly good condition; my recent cavity not withstanding!
Am so glad that it is all over and it wasn't an enjoyable experience by any means but I have had worse moments and at least the tooth-ache is now a distant memory. Thanks must also go out to my friend, Lisa who fed me scare stories before my afternoon visit then sent me a clip of the Dental scene from Marathon Man once it was all over! ROFL!! If you don't know the scene, you really should look it up!! It's a classic movie moment! But the good thing is, it put a smile on my face so good one Lisa ~ you know me too well!
So anyway you see, for once we have a cheerful Blog and reasons to be cheerful ~ one, two, three!
Until next time peeps! Ciao ciao!! Sparky xxxxx
Forgot to mention this morning as well, my dental experiences the other day! Had to go back to my local NHS Dentist on Thursday just gone to get the results of X-rays he had taken previously and he basically told me that he wanted to see me again that afternoon to remove my dodgy tooth straight away despite already being double-booked. Not being a fan of needles, and after a bad experience several years go which has prevented me from subsequent Dental visits, naturally I then began to shit the proverbial bricks. Still the thought of no more toothache was a big encouragement. Don't know if I mentioned last time but I have been woken up every morning between the hours of 02:30 and 05:30 for the last week with crippling tooth pain. Thankfully I have been able to take a couple of pills and return to slumber but still, it was not a nice thing to wake up to EVERY MORNING!! This was as well as the constant ache I had all day long and the savage attacks of toothache that could erupt during the day as well with little or no warning!
Anyway,I had to have three injections which were helped by this gel stuff they apply to the mouth before using the needle. This gel means you hardly feel the needle when it does go in! Still, the Dentist did have to tell me to slow my breathing as at one stage I was in danger of hyper-ventilating! Once all injections had been administered, he then proceeded to yank, and I do mean yank, out my tooth. The whole proceedure took a little under an hour and the injections left me feeling more than a little bit woozy but my experience was much better than my last Dental visit twelve years ago and really reassured me that it doesn't have to be a traumatic experience! My Dentist this time was very reassuring through-out, patient with me and very pleasent to deal with. I have no fears or worries about seeing him again after xmas, which is when he next wants to see me, and he claimed my teeth are overall in a fairly good condition; my recent cavity not withstanding!
Am so glad that it is all over and it wasn't an enjoyable experience by any means but I have had worse moments and at least the tooth-ache is now a distant memory. Thanks must also go out to my friend, Lisa who fed me scare stories before my afternoon visit then sent me a clip of the Dental scene from Marathon Man once it was all over! ROFL!! If you don't know the scene, you really should look it up!! It's a classic movie moment! But the good thing is, it put a smile on my face so good one Lisa ~ you know me too well!
So anyway you see, for once we have a cheerful Blog and reasons to be cheerful ~ one, two, three!
Until next time peeps! Ciao ciao!! Sparky xxxxx
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Be careful what you wish for....
Just a quick Blog to say that Crispy has finally gone!! On Tuesday, he broke one of the fundamental laws of Catering- don't swear at the customers! This, along with one of the other most fundamental laws of the kitchen ~ try not to kill anyone ~ is an act so unforgivable that it promotes instant dismissal. By Thursday, he had been fired and now Crispy is no more..... and as you can imagine, this is a double-edged sword for me. It is good because he was a twat. But it is bad because HC is going on holiday for 2 weeks tomorrow meaning I will have to work the next 17 days without a single full day off! This time includes the day of Emilie's birthday which I am very not happy about but, overall, I am quite anticipating the next two weeks as it is going to be one hell of a challenge....Right now I feel a mixure of trepidation and anticipation and know, that by it's end, not only will I be shattered but that also that my nerves will be torn to shreds. Now you know why I would like to leave my job so much!! The problem is that, without HC, I am the only other chef with any responsibility and, in his absence, that leaves only myself and two commis to cover all the shifts with the occassional Agency chef when we are very busy. If they turn up... which yesterday, the Agency we were supposed to have did not! Yesterday I started work at 10:30 AM and worked through to 10 P.M non-stop with no break. This is my life as a chef. This is why Sparky gets narky. And this is why I complain A LOT in this Blog. Because ultimately, I have a lot to put up with in my job. And it's not that easy, especially in this climate, finding something else to do.....
To quote Duncan Bannatyne...."Let me tell you where I am right now....I'm oot!"
Sparky xxxx
To quote Duncan Bannatyne...."Let me tell you where I am right now....I'm oot!"
Sparky xxxx
Friday, 21 August 2009
Hopes, toothache and shattered dreams...
Well, the last two weeks back at work have proved increasingly difficult and more and more frustrating! I am sooo tired of having to think constantly for everybody else be it fellow chefs, receptionists or young and supposedly intelligent waitresses who just swan along in their own little world without any concern under the sun that they are doing anything wrong. I am not going to quote examples because there are waaay too many to mention but, needless to say, after my holiday I am finding it harder and harder to keep my cool and let it all wash over me...
I keep seeing these adverts on the telly for Reds Driving School so thought about registering and seeing what occurs. I have been umming and aahing for some time about leaving the Hospitality Industry but have not done anything about it and thought this might present an opportunity. I signed up online and got given a date next week to attend an interview but, having looked into them online, it appears that the business is not all it's cracked up to me! They claim you can earn up to £30,000 per annum ~ research indicates this is highly unlikely in the first year. Also you owen a franchise so are basically self-employed and lease a car off them. And, at this interview session next week, I will be basically asked to stump up £3,500 approx for training that there is no guarantee I will pass! Only 10-15% of students apparently go on to becoming an instructor, the final examination to become qualified is a bitch to pass and the whole spiel about making your own hours is a farce because you have to make a certain amount of money each month just to pay franchise costs so find yourself at the beck and call of students that you have to go out and locate yourself in the first place! Not sure if I am going to bother next week as it seems like a waste of time but it is a shame because I quite fancied the idea of doing something comnpletely different but this would appear to be tooo much hassle; more in fact than it's worth and not everything it is cracked up to be! I know someone who left Catering to do this through BSM so may drop him a line and check out his opinion on things but this avenue appears to be a dead-end!
I really do want to do something different with my life but don't know what! I do not really want to be stuck in this job for rest of my life as I worry that I will miss out on so much of Emilie's life this way. My job is hardly sociable and, at the moment doing stupidly long shifts, even less so than normal! There is a career advice line they keep advertising on the radio so maybe I should check that out next week instead....
When I asked for questions recently, that was one of the questions asked ~ What am I the most afraid of? Well let me answer that now: I am most afraid of many things; 1} being forgotten ~ passing away without leaving anything of myself behind to be remembered by or not achieving anything memorable in my life. Not leaving an impression on anybody else's lives and becoming just another person who died. 2} Losing the two things most precious to me in my life, Mrs.Sparky and Emilie ~ they define me, who I am, and without them I am nothing. By having Emilie, perhaps it can be said that I have nullified 1} and that I have made my mark (excuse the pun) on the world but what scares me more than anything is that I might lose her or become lost myself before I get a chance to see her grow up and become the strong woman I know she will be. Or that I will lose her mum and Emilie will in turn lose her positive feminine guiding influence and become some kind of teenage tyrant that you read about in the papers. The thing that scares me most? Being alone! Mrs.Sparky is my rock and there are so many things I could not do without her even if I do not always show it or appreciate her. And by being my wife, she has given me the greatest gift she could ever have given me: our beautiful daughter who is the very essence of all our hopes and dreams of the future! Mrs.Sparky has given me some truly memorable gifts over the years and always surpassed herself but she will never outdo the arrival of the daughter that she brought into this world. Emilie is more precious to me than anything else in my life other than her mum and these two people are the only two on this whole godforsaken planet that keep me struggling on through all adversity!
The other question I was asked was "if you were cooking me a meal what would be on the menu (bearing in mind I don't eat meat - except chicken and bacon). What would be the setting and what music would be playing in the background?"
Well Kendie, the setting would be in the new house that I have not bought yet, in the dining room, lit with rose-scented candles. Guests would include yourself, Mrs.Sparky and some of our closest mutual friends from RISI etc and the music in the background would be a random sampling of Katie Melua's three albums because we had them as background music during the meal at our wedding and Damien Rice's album "O" because The Blower's Daughter was our first dance. I would do a simple melon and pineapple stack for starter ligtly drizzled with a passion-fruit syrup. For the next course, we would have chicken breast wrapped in Black Forest ham with sweet mashed potato, roasted baby carrots and fondant potatoes all masked with a redcurrant jus. For dessert, I would do a choice of individual white chocolate and raspberry cheesecakes or sticky toffee pudding with almond and honeycomb ice cream and a poppy seed tuille biscuit. And finally, I would present a small selection of cheeses that would feature white stilton with cranberries, Applewood smoked cheddar, a nice Double Gloucster and a rich goats cheese accompanied by cafitierres of amaretto flavoured coffee and little chocolate petit-fours. Hope that all sounds yummy enough. It's certainly making me hungry.
One other thing I have to endure the last few days is incredible tootnache as some of you might have read on my Facebook status. I haven't been to the dentist in some years after a bad experience and now have a recent upper cavity. Thankfully, I was able top find a local NHS dentist and registered me and Emilie (Mrs.Sparky needs to fill in a form yet so she can register!) and got an appointment for this morning. The dentist was very nice and friendly and told me he thought it was the cavity causing me problems but that I have a back lower on the same side that is slightly black which he wants to examine closer! Took some x-rays and I need to check in next week for results but he said other than needing a professional clean, my teeth weren't too bad considering! Which is nice! He has prescribed me anti-biotics for my tooth-ache which is cool as felt as though I was going insane with the pain last few nights despite taking strong over-the-counter paracetamols! Hopefully will soon have this all sorted!
Can't think of anything else to report, didn't mean to write such a looong Blog but you know how it is! Currently reading Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith, the sequel to Gorky Park, which is very,very good and just finished Child 44 set in a similar Post-Stalin Russia era and was also very very good! Right, going now... byeeeeeeeeeee! Le Sparks
I keep seeing these adverts on the telly for Reds Driving School so thought about registering and seeing what occurs. I have been umming and aahing for some time about leaving the Hospitality Industry but have not done anything about it and thought this might present an opportunity. I signed up online and got given a date next week to attend an interview but, having looked into them online, it appears that the business is not all it's cracked up to me! They claim you can earn up to £30,000 per annum ~ research indicates this is highly unlikely in the first year. Also you owen a franchise so are basically self-employed and lease a car off them. And, at this interview session next week, I will be basically asked to stump up £3,500 approx for training that there is no guarantee I will pass! Only 10-15% of students apparently go on to becoming an instructor, the final examination to become qualified is a bitch to pass and the whole spiel about making your own hours is a farce because you have to make a certain amount of money each month just to pay franchise costs so find yourself at the beck and call of students that you have to go out and locate yourself in the first place! Not sure if I am going to bother next week as it seems like a waste of time but it is a shame because I quite fancied the idea of doing something comnpletely different but this would appear to be tooo much hassle; more in fact than it's worth and not everything it is cracked up to be! I know someone who left Catering to do this through BSM so may drop him a line and check out his opinion on things but this avenue appears to be a dead-end!
I really do want to do something different with my life but don't know what! I do not really want to be stuck in this job for rest of my life as I worry that I will miss out on so much of Emilie's life this way. My job is hardly sociable and, at the moment doing stupidly long shifts, even less so than normal! There is a career advice line they keep advertising on the radio so maybe I should check that out next week instead....
When I asked for questions recently, that was one of the questions asked ~ What am I the most afraid of? Well let me answer that now: I am most afraid of many things; 1} being forgotten ~ passing away without leaving anything of myself behind to be remembered by or not achieving anything memorable in my life. Not leaving an impression on anybody else's lives and becoming just another person who died. 2} Losing the two things most precious to me in my life, Mrs.Sparky and Emilie ~ they define me, who I am, and without them I am nothing. By having Emilie, perhaps it can be said that I have nullified 1} and that I have made my mark (excuse the pun) on the world but what scares me more than anything is that I might lose her or become lost myself before I get a chance to see her grow up and become the strong woman I know she will be. Or that I will lose her mum and Emilie will in turn lose her positive feminine guiding influence and become some kind of teenage tyrant that you read about in the papers. The thing that scares me most? Being alone! Mrs.Sparky is my rock and there are so many things I could not do without her even if I do not always show it or appreciate her. And by being my wife, she has given me the greatest gift she could ever have given me: our beautiful daughter who is the very essence of all our hopes and dreams of the future! Mrs.Sparky has given me some truly memorable gifts over the years and always surpassed herself but she will never outdo the arrival of the daughter that she brought into this world. Emilie is more precious to me than anything else in my life other than her mum and these two people are the only two on this whole godforsaken planet that keep me struggling on through all adversity!
The other question I was asked was "if you were cooking me a meal what would be on the menu (bearing in mind I don't eat meat - except chicken and bacon). What would be the setting and what music would be playing in the background?"
Well Kendie, the setting would be in the new house that I have not bought yet, in the dining room, lit with rose-scented candles. Guests would include yourself, Mrs.Sparky and some of our closest mutual friends from RISI etc and the music in the background would be a random sampling of Katie Melua's three albums because we had them as background music during the meal at our wedding and Damien Rice's album "O" because The Blower's Daughter was our first dance. I would do a simple melon and pineapple stack for starter ligtly drizzled with a passion-fruit syrup. For the next course, we would have chicken breast wrapped in Black Forest ham with sweet mashed potato, roasted baby carrots and fondant potatoes all masked with a redcurrant jus. For dessert, I would do a choice of individual white chocolate and raspberry cheesecakes or sticky toffee pudding with almond and honeycomb ice cream and a poppy seed tuille biscuit. And finally, I would present a small selection of cheeses that would feature white stilton with cranberries, Applewood smoked cheddar, a nice Double Gloucster and a rich goats cheese accompanied by cafitierres of amaretto flavoured coffee and little chocolate petit-fours. Hope that all sounds yummy enough. It's certainly making me hungry.
One other thing I have to endure the last few days is incredible tootnache as some of you might have read on my Facebook status. I haven't been to the dentist in some years after a bad experience and now have a recent upper cavity. Thankfully, I was able top find a local NHS dentist and registered me and Emilie (Mrs.Sparky needs to fill in a form yet so she can register!) and got an appointment for this morning. The dentist was very nice and friendly and told me he thought it was the cavity causing me problems but that I have a back lower on the same side that is slightly black which he wants to examine closer! Took some x-rays and I need to check in next week for results but he said other than needing a professional clean, my teeth weren't too bad considering! Which is nice! He has prescribed me anti-biotics for my tooth-ache which is cool as felt as though I was going insane with the pain last few nights despite taking strong over-the-counter paracetamols! Hopefully will soon have this all sorted!
Can't think of anything else to report, didn't mean to write such a looong Blog but you know how it is! Currently reading Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith, the sequel to Gorky Park, which is very,very good and just finished Child 44 set in a similar Post-Stalin Russia era and was also very very good! Right, going now... byeeeeeeeeeee! Le Sparks
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Vacation time: day zero
Well, I am finally officially on holiday!!! A whole week is planned of pure relaxation, chilling and not doing anything even remotely resembling work! Mind, Mrs.Sparky has left me a list of jobs for me to be getting on with but it remains to be seen how much of it I get done. Just looking after my daughter will probably be a full-time job this week as Mrs.Sparky has been reporting to me that she is a bit of a devil child at mo when I get in from work.I should probably add that Mrs.Sparky is still at work this week for her usual three days, so we will only get Tuesday, thursday and the weekend together~ the rest of the time it will be just me and Emilie during the day. An example of my daughter creating havoc was in evidence the other morning when I updated my Blog....reme,ber I said it sounded as though she was trashing the living room behind me? Well, it turned out that whilst I had been ignoring her and typing my update,she had proceeded to toss as many of her toys as she had could lay her hands on outside through the open patio doors! I suppose thats what I get for not paying her attention but, with 5 minutes left before I had to leave for work, it really wasn't funny. And of course I had to at least attempt to clear it all up and get the toys back inside before Mrs.Sparky came down or else she would not have been best pleased! That'll teach me to ignore what my daughter is up to!
Actually, at the mo, Emilie is mostly playing up at meal and bed times! She is a bit of a pain to get her to eat at dinner time and the only way to get her to sleep at the moment is to leave her upstairs crying and go down and put the hoover on. Once she realises we can't hear her and are not going to come up then she eventually gives up and goes to bed. Sounds a bit horrible but she is testing the waters to see what she can get away with and pushing the boundaries a little so we have to show her who's the Boss or she will be forever thinking she can get away with things! It is not nice leaving her crying like that but we have tried getting her sleepy, reading her a story or two and calming her down but as soon as you go to leave her room, even if you think she is asleep, then she is up like a light and all tearful. She just doesn't want to be left up in her room on her own thats all but I am sure it is just a phase!
Crispy got another warning today when my mate Richard, the Manager of The Hotel, gave him a bollicking. He was told off for fawning over the waitresses and flirting with them, distracting them etc... One of the main culprits who always encourages him was also given a ticking off and I heard the if we can get a replacement then he will be shipped out as a trouble-maker as soon as possible. I did tell you his cards were marked didn't I? Course it's easy to just say that but the reality is somewhat different but I think it is just a matter of time before he upsets the wrong person. He nearly made Geordie Ed lose his rag again tonight and the guy is certainly doing well to earn his place on so many people's shit-lists! In a vote for the biggest prick in The Hotel, he would certainly top the poll though of course all the little girlies love him! Makes me sound as though I am a little bit jealous until you take into the equation the fact that I am old enough to be all their dads! No, it is more dismay on my part that these girls can't see what a cock he is and that they haven't got better taste! But then young girls always like the bad boys, don't they? oh but they have soo much to learn...
Finished Let The Right One in today and though I was a bit disappointed by the ending, I still really enjoyed it, would recommend it and want to see the film version. Haven't seen a decent foreign language film in ages it feels like! Had one of those moments this morning that all book~lovers will recognise where I had only a few chapters to go and had to leave to go to work! Was faced with that dilema- do I make myself late and finish the book or do I tear myself away and finish it off later. Went for the latter choice but I hate it when you get so close to a book's climax then have to put it on hold for something. Debating what to read next ~ I have Saigon which I really ought to read more of, 1977~the second part of David Peace's Red Riding quartet which was recently filmed as a trilogy for channel 4, John Connolly's latest Supernatural thriller starring Charlie Parker or Robin Hobb's latest novel set in The Rain Wilds which I bought, signed, last week. Thats the third of her books I have signed, one of which is dedicated directly to me and which I got when she came to our local Waterstones nee Ottakers,a couple of years ago now. As such, this latest book of hers will take pride of place and carries great sentim,ental value for me as I love her work as a fantasy writer! I am not keen on her books published under her own name of Megan Lindholm but as Robin Hobb, she excels ~ her characters are so believable and you can really connect with them and their world. I really want to read this newest book of hers, but I know it will take me ages to read as I will really enjoy it and savour every last word! Maybe thats something for later on in the week then...
Anyway, thats enough waffle....see you tomorrow when I will be updating you on the first day of my vacation.... au revoir
SparkyMarky :)
Actually, at the mo, Emilie is mostly playing up at meal and bed times! She is a bit of a pain to get her to eat at dinner time and the only way to get her to sleep at the moment is to leave her upstairs crying and go down and put the hoover on. Once she realises we can't hear her and are not going to come up then she eventually gives up and goes to bed. Sounds a bit horrible but she is testing the waters to see what she can get away with and pushing the boundaries a little so we have to show her who's the Boss or she will be forever thinking she can get away with things! It is not nice leaving her crying like that but we have tried getting her sleepy, reading her a story or two and calming her down but as soon as you go to leave her room, even if you think she is asleep, then she is up like a light and all tearful. She just doesn't want to be left up in her room on her own thats all but I am sure it is just a phase!
Crispy got another warning today when my mate Richard, the Manager of The Hotel, gave him a bollicking. He was told off for fawning over the waitresses and flirting with them, distracting them etc... One of the main culprits who always encourages him was also given a ticking off and I heard the if we can get a replacement then he will be shipped out as a trouble-maker as soon as possible. I did tell you his cards were marked didn't I? Course it's easy to just say that but the reality is somewhat different but I think it is just a matter of time before he upsets the wrong person. He nearly made Geordie Ed lose his rag again tonight and the guy is certainly doing well to earn his place on so many people's shit-lists! In a vote for the biggest prick in The Hotel, he would certainly top the poll though of course all the little girlies love him! Makes me sound as though I am a little bit jealous until you take into the equation the fact that I am old enough to be all their dads! No, it is more dismay on my part that these girls can't see what a cock he is and that they haven't got better taste! But then young girls always like the bad boys, don't they? oh but they have soo much to learn...
Finished Let The Right One in today and though I was a bit disappointed by the ending, I still really enjoyed it, would recommend it and want to see the film version. Haven't seen a decent foreign language film in ages it feels like! Had one of those moments this morning that all book~lovers will recognise where I had only a few chapters to go and had to leave to go to work! Was faced with that dilema- do I make myself late and finish the book or do I tear myself away and finish it off later. Went for the latter choice but I hate it when you get so close to a book's climax then have to put it on hold for something. Debating what to read next ~ I have Saigon which I really ought to read more of, 1977~the second part of David Peace's Red Riding quartet which was recently filmed as a trilogy for channel 4, John Connolly's latest Supernatural thriller starring Charlie Parker or Robin Hobb's latest novel set in The Rain Wilds which I bought, signed, last week. Thats the third of her books I have signed, one of which is dedicated directly to me and which I got when she came to our local Waterstones nee Ottakers,a couple of years ago now. As such, this latest book of hers will take pride of place and carries great sentim,ental value for me as I love her work as a fantasy writer! I am not keen on her books published under her own name of Megan Lindholm but as Robin Hobb, she excels ~ her characters are so believable and you can really connect with them and their world. I really want to read this newest book of hers, but I know it will take me ages to read as I will really enjoy it and savour every last word! Maybe thats something for later on in the week then...
Anyway, thats enough waffle....see you tomorrow when I will be updating you on the first day of my vacation.... au revoir
SparkyMarky :)
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Vacation time: day minus 1.1
Been busy again tonight at work but to be frank, am feeling a bit apathetic about it all at the moment. This is due to the fact that my week's holiday draws ever closer! And also because I can not really be arsed at the moment after the week I have just had as well....
Nearly had an incident with Crispy this morning ~ he has this habit of keep touching me when I have told him to keep his distance and today I came closer than I have for ages to actually hitting somebody. He really is the most annoying little shit and his very presence winds me up! I got so wound up this morning that my hands were actually shaking and I had to go walk in the car park for a couple of minutes to calm myself down! Anyone who knows me knows that normally I am quite laid-back and chilled so for me to get to the stage where I want to smack somebody then they REALLY must be irritating! Course I have more sense than to risk my job over a little c### like that but I tell you, he had better watch his back because any chance I have to stitch him up, I will not hesitate to use it and he is the sort of twat who will provide me with plenty of ammunition! Even HC said it wasn't like me to let someone get to me and really I shouldn't bite but it is bloody difficult! I must try to learn to rise above it as I should not really grace him with a response or sink to his putrid level. And, with any luck, his days at The Hotel are numbered anyway because he's not short of making enemies! Mind, all the jail-bait waitresses fawn all over him but then theres no accounting for taste one supposes!
My friend Katey has started her own Blog all about her reading habits and it made me think that really I should talk more about the stuff I am reading here, seeing as how it's what I do most of in my spare time.The link to her Blog, which I am sure she will not mind me sharing, is here: http://bookfreaksblog.blogspot.com/
Meanwhile I am currently reading the following:~
Mao, the untold story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday which aims to reveal the true man behind the myth and propaganda and is a heavy-going but most enjoyable read! I have been reading this for months and am still only half-way through because I find it difficult to read too much of it at once even though I find it very educational and a highly rewarding read!
Saigon by Anthony Grey, who also wrote Peking, all about a young American and his experiences living in Vietnam over the course of several decades starting in the 1920's. Again very educational and a little heavy-going but nonetheless a very enjoyable novel that really sweeps you up in it's epic tale. HC lent me this and Peking when I told him about reading Mao and Wild Swans which was also written by Jung Chang. Anthony Grey, apparently, originally comes from Norwich which is my home city!
Let The Right One In by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist all about a young boy who is bullied and ends up making friends with a mysterious girl who lives in the apartment next door and turns out to be a vampire! This is a great novel and Lindqvist is the only author I have ever read who reminds me of Stephen King in style and content. The novel is as much a satirical look at swedish life in the eighties as it is a horror novel and is quite nasty in places! But it is a gripping read and it is easy to forget it has been translated from a foreign language! It has been made into a foreign language film recently and this, in turn, is due for the inevitable Hollywood remake to be released sometime next year!
So, thats brought you up to date with my current reading profile.....I'll try to make a more concerted effort to keep you up to date with what I'm reading as I know at least some of you who read this will be interested...until then ciao ciao xxxxx Sparky!
Nearly had an incident with Crispy this morning ~ he has this habit of keep touching me when I have told him to keep his distance and today I came closer than I have for ages to actually hitting somebody. He really is the most annoying little shit and his very presence winds me up! I got so wound up this morning that my hands were actually shaking and I had to go walk in the car park for a couple of minutes to calm myself down! Anyone who knows me knows that normally I am quite laid-back and chilled so for me to get to the stage where I want to smack somebody then they REALLY must be irritating! Course I have more sense than to risk my job over a little c### like that but I tell you, he had better watch his back because any chance I have to stitch him up, I will not hesitate to use it and he is the sort of twat who will provide me with plenty of ammunition! Even HC said it wasn't like me to let someone get to me and really I shouldn't bite but it is bloody difficult! I must try to learn to rise above it as I should not really grace him with a response or sink to his putrid level. And, with any luck, his days at The Hotel are numbered anyway because he's not short of making enemies! Mind, all the jail-bait waitresses fawn all over him but then theres no accounting for taste one supposes!
My friend Katey has started her own Blog all about her reading habits and it made me think that really I should talk more about the stuff I am reading here, seeing as how it's what I do most of in my spare time.The link to her Blog, which I am sure she will not mind me sharing, is here: http://bookfreaksblog.blogspot.com/
Meanwhile I am currently reading the following:~
Mao, the untold story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday which aims to reveal the true man behind the myth and propaganda and is a heavy-going but most enjoyable read! I have been reading this for months and am still only half-way through because I find it difficult to read too much of it at once even though I find it very educational and a highly rewarding read!
Saigon by Anthony Grey, who also wrote Peking, all about a young American and his experiences living in Vietnam over the course of several decades starting in the 1920's. Again very educational and a little heavy-going but nonetheless a very enjoyable novel that really sweeps you up in it's epic tale. HC lent me this and Peking when I told him about reading Mao and Wild Swans which was also written by Jung Chang. Anthony Grey, apparently, originally comes from Norwich which is my home city!
Let The Right One In by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist all about a young boy who is bullied and ends up making friends with a mysterious girl who lives in the apartment next door and turns out to be a vampire! This is a great novel and Lindqvist is the only author I have ever read who reminds me of Stephen King in style and content. The novel is as much a satirical look at swedish life in the eighties as it is a horror novel and is quite nasty in places! But it is a gripping read and it is easy to forget it has been translated from a foreign language! It has been made into a foreign language film recently and this, in turn, is due for the inevitable Hollywood remake to be released sometime next year!
So, thats brought you up to date with my current reading profile.....I'll try to make a more concerted effort to keep you up to date with what I'm reading as I know at least some of you who read this will be interested...until then ciao ciao xxxxx Sparky!
Vacation time: day minus 2
Only today and tomorrow to work until I am on holiday for a week ~yaay~ and I get an extra day for working six days last week whilst HC was away ~double yaay!! It was my first shift with HC last night after around 10 or 11 days so couldn't stop smiling that he was back and that the burdens of responsibility, that had lain heavy this past week, had been unshackled from my shoulders! I think he wonderd why I was smiling like a loon ~probably he thought I had another job lined up ~but I would not tell him, just said when he asked "no reason HC, no reason."
I think he found it quite hard last night as we were very busy and the other chefs, Crispy and Geordie Ed, weren't a lot of cop and let things brush the kerbstones of In-The-Shit Street! I think he kindof realised, if he hadn't before, how hard it has been whilst he was away and how difficult it is to keep all the balls in the air when certain members of your team keep fumbling the pass. Certainly Ed is okay but he has a lot to learn and Crispy really winds him up as he does us all. Crispy is like the most annoying person you have ever had to work with and the sooner he goes the better. Word on the street is that his cards HAVE been marked by the management and that can only be a good thing!
Had another dream last night about Marco Pierere White again! What is it about this guy? This time I was staying or visiting this restaurant or hotel, it was a little unclear which it was as it sometimes is in a dream, and was looking for a back way out. Ended up walking through the kitchen and who should be there at the back near his office but Marco. I turned round and introduced myself and said something like "Hi Marco, I'm a chef too ~ nice to meet you, I have always had the greatest respect for you and what you do..." To which he just looked at me as if I had thrown up at his fet and was beyond his notice, as insignificant as a dung beetle, and just roared... "OUT!!!!!!! OUT OF MY KITCHEN NOW!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOUUUUUUTTTTT!!!!"
Honestly, there was no need to be rude! I was just being polite and, after all, it was MY dream! Next time, I must try and remember to tell him what a frak-head he is! Or maybe I can try deaming about somebody else ~ Angela Harkness for example who works with Ramsey ~ though why I should want to dream about her, I don't know as she's not the most asthetically pleasing on the eye of female chefs ~ or maybe that tw#t Jamie Oliver. At least he's a mockney like me and a bit cor-blimey-guv-go-strike-a-light so we might have more in common than I do with Marco! I can't believe I am talking about these people in my dreams as if I actually know them in real-life!
Time I went back to work I suppose....sounds like Emilie is trashing the living room behind me and I think it's time I gave her to her mum!!
Laters people..... Sparky xxx
I think he found it quite hard last night as we were very busy and the other chefs, Crispy and Geordie Ed, weren't a lot of cop and let things brush the kerbstones of In-The-Shit Street! I think he kindof realised, if he hadn't before, how hard it has been whilst he was away and how difficult it is to keep all the balls in the air when certain members of your team keep fumbling the pass. Certainly Ed is okay but he has a lot to learn and Crispy really winds him up as he does us all. Crispy is like the most annoying person you have ever had to work with and the sooner he goes the better. Word on the street is that his cards HAVE been marked by the management and that can only be a good thing!
Had another dream last night about Marco Pierere White again! What is it about this guy? This time I was staying or visiting this restaurant or hotel, it was a little unclear which it was as it sometimes is in a dream, and was looking for a back way out. Ended up walking through the kitchen and who should be there at the back near his office but Marco. I turned round and introduced myself and said something like "Hi Marco, I'm a chef too ~ nice to meet you, I have always had the greatest respect for you and what you do..." To which he just looked at me as if I had thrown up at his fet and was beyond his notice, as insignificant as a dung beetle, and just roared... "OUT!!!!!!! OUT OF MY KITCHEN NOW!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOUUUUUUTTTTT!!!!"
Honestly, there was no need to be rude! I was just being polite and, after all, it was MY dream! Next time, I must try and remember to tell him what a frak-head he is! Or maybe I can try deaming about somebody else ~ Angela Harkness for example who works with Ramsey ~ though why I should want to dream about her, I don't know as she's not the most asthetically pleasing on the eye of female chefs ~ or maybe that tw#t Jamie Oliver. At least he's a mockney like me and a bit cor-blimey-guv-go-strike-a-light so we might have more in common than I do with Marco! I can't believe I am talking about these people in my dreams as if I actually know them in real-life!
Time I went back to work I suppose....sounds like Emilie is trashing the living room behind me and I think it's time I gave her to her mum!!
Laters people..... Sparky xxx
Friday, 3 July 2009
If you go down to The Woods today....
Well, it is over a month since last Blogged so thought I had better get my arse in gear and update everyone who reads this ~ and there are more of you than I could have imagined as I am discovering that more and more people I know are reading this which is only a good thing. Work has not changed that much of late ~ a new chef due to start didn't turn up last week but we have got a couple of Kitchen Porters just starting; one of whom is a Geordie and very good so far in that he helps with veg prep and carving when we need him too and puts his colleagues to shame with how swiftly he gets things done in comparison! His name is Ed and every time I talk to him, I find myself developing a Geordie accent in my head! Sunday just gone, I worked my arse off with a thirteen hour non-stop shift in chronic heat and felt absolutely knackered monday and tuesday even though monday was very, very quiet. By tuesday night, I felt as though my feet were going to kill me they hurt so much! I am not sure how much longer I can keep doing this but there is nothing else about at minute and believe me I am trying. The Agencies I joined have sent my C.V to a few places apparently but they are about having as much result as a chocolate teapot!
Wednesday, decided to go to beach and thought I would visit Sheringham as went to Cromer a few weeks ago with just me and Emilie (Mrs.Sparky works wednesdays) and we had a great time building sand castles etc...unfortunately, after spending some time in town, we got down to beach to find there is no sand at Sheringham- it is all stones! Looks like they have been put there artifically as a sea barrier kind of thing but sure it was not always like that! Mind~ though I have been to Sheringham a few times over last couple of years, I have not really been down to their beach since I was ickle. By that time it was too late to move over to nearby Cromer and still get back in time for Emilie's tea so found a sandy kids play area and we played in that for a while instead! Still not the same!
Thursday, yesterday, 13 of us went to Legoland in Windsor. Pictures will be on FB soon and will post a few on here also! It was amazing but a very expensive day out even though we only paid half price for the tickets thanx to Mrs.Sparky's best friend who works for a well known burger chain and got us vouchers from their most recent promotion! There were only three kids ~ Emilie and Mrs.Sparky's best friend's two boys ~ and the rest of us were all grown-ups. It was a lot of fun and I even went on several rides which is unlike me! There was a log flume ~ which we went on twice because the first time it broke down while we were on it and we had to abandon~ a pirate ship, spinning tea-cups which left us very dizzy and giddy and a water barrel ride that spun you along some rapids and which gave me very wet feet and a wet arse! We took a picnic with us but they did this good thing with the drinks where if you bought a refillable cup for £4.90 then you got free soft drink refills all day which worked out very well!!
I think Emilie enjoyed it though it was a long day for her (and all of us) and we brought her back some Duplo which she has been playing with today. Bex (Mrs.Sparky's friend) suggested we do something similar again if we can get vouchers for somewhere else as we are all off thursdays who went yesterday so works out alright! That would be great as yesterday was a phenomenal day that really was just simply excellent!
The worst bit was the journey home ~ we got stuck in traffic coming out of Windsor, then stopped to feed Emilie and get some tea ourselves and so didn't get home till gone eleven. Nearly had an incident with the car too as once we reached Swaffham, I kind of switched off a bit thinking I know the way from here to home and ended up going wrong way cos not paying attention. Found myself on an unfamiliar road and Sat Nav told me to turn round and go back. Unfortunately in the dark and not knowing where I was, I didn't realise we were on a dual bit of road- luckily there was no harm done apart from a scare for Mrs.Sparky but it goes to show why you have to be a bit savvy with Sat Nav! I always took the piss out of these people who drove over cliffs because the Sat Nav directed them that way but in the dark and confused as I was, I nearly did a similar thing!! If the Sat-Nav hadn't told me to turn around, I would've kept driving till I found a way of turning back- it's no excuse but I was tired and had a long day so followed the Sat Nav blindly! Won't make that mistake again ~ that Sat nav is proving to be less than reliable on a few occassions now- it gets you where you want to go but sometimes tells you to take second exit at a roundabout when at a t-junction just as an example or tells you to stay left when it means take the slip-road on left off the motorway/ carriageway! It is often slightly less than clear at times but Mrs.Sparky paid for it so it's her loss!
Right, next thing I need to do is write a letter to my mate Sarah but will probs do that next week! Have not got that much to say because most of it is here and I know she reads this so don't need to repeat myself but it is sooo nice to recieve a hand written letter in the post and I sooo love it WHEN she writes to me so least I can do is return the favour. She'll need to text me her new address first though as she is moving to Leeds from Hull to start her new life training as some kind of social worker type. I think it will do her a whole heap of good and it must be very rewarding to think that you will be helping others and bettering their lives so hope she gets a lot out of it! GOOD LUCK SARAH!
Right that really is it now- will try not to leave it so long next time...laters ~ I will try not to be a stranger! SPARKYxxxxx
,
Wednesday, decided to go to beach and thought I would visit Sheringham as went to Cromer a few weeks ago with just me and Emilie (Mrs.Sparky works wednesdays) and we had a great time building sand castles etc...unfortunately, after spending some time in town, we got down to beach to find there is no sand at Sheringham- it is all stones! Looks like they have been put there artifically as a sea barrier kind of thing but sure it was not always like that! Mind~ though I have been to Sheringham a few times over last couple of years, I have not really been down to their beach since I was ickle. By that time it was too late to move over to nearby Cromer and still get back in time for Emilie's tea so found a sandy kids play area and we played in that for a while instead! Still not the same!
Thursday, yesterday, 13 of us went to Legoland in Windsor. Pictures will be on FB soon and will post a few on here also! It was amazing but a very expensive day out even though we only paid half price for the tickets thanx to Mrs.Sparky's best friend who works for a well known burger chain and got us vouchers from their most recent promotion! There were only three kids ~ Emilie and Mrs.Sparky's best friend's two boys ~ and the rest of us were all grown-ups. It was a lot of fun and I even went on several rides which is unlike me! There was a log flume ~ which we went on twice because the first time it broke down while we were on it and we had to abandon~ a pirate ship, spinning tea-cups which left us very dizzy and giddy and a water barrel ride that spun you along some rapids and which gave me very wet feet and a wet arse! We took a picnic with us but they did this good thing with the drinks where if you bought a refillable cup for £4.90 then you got free soft drink refills all day which worked out very well!!
I think Emilie enjoyed it though it was a long day for her (and all of us) and we brought her back some Duplo which she has been playing with today. Bex (Mrs.Sparky's friend) suggested we do something similar again if we can get vouchers for somewhere else as we are all off thursdays who went yesterday so works out alright! That would be great as yesterday was a phenomenal day that really was just simply excellent!
The worst bit was the journey home ~ we got stuck in traffic coming out of Windsor, then stopped to feed Emilie and get some tea ourselves and so didn't get home till gone eleven. Nearly had an incident with the car too as once we reached Swaffham, I kind of switched off a bit thinking I know the way from here to home and ended up going wrong way cos not paying attention. Found myself on an unfamiliar road and Sat Nav told me to turn round and go back. Unfortunately in the dark and not knowing where I was, I didn't realise we were on a dual bit of road- luckily there was no harm done apart from a scare for Mrs.Sparky but it goes to show why you have to be a bit savvy with Sat Nav! I always took the piss out of these people who drove over cliffs because the Sat Nav directed them that way but in the dark and confused as I was, I nearly did a similar thing!! If the Sat-Nav hadn't told me to turn around, I would've kept driving till I found a way of turning back- it's no excuse but I was tired and had a long day so followed the Sat Nav blindly! Won't make that mistake again ~ that Sat nav is proving to be less than reliable on a few occassions now- it gets you where you want to go but sometimes tells you to take second exit at a roundabout when at a t-junction just as an example or tells you to stay left when it means take the slip-road on left off the motorway/ carriageway! It is often slightly less than clear at times but Mrs.Sparky paid for it so it's her loss!
Right, next thing I need to do is write a letter to my mate Sarah but will probs do that next week! Have not got that much to say because most of it is here and I know she reads this so don't need to repeat myself but it is sooo nice to recieve a hand written letter in the post and I sooo love it WHEN she writes to me so least I can do is return the favour. She'll need to text me her new address first though as she is moving to Leeds from Hull to start her new life training as some kind of social worker type. I think it will do her a whole heap of good and it must be very rewarding to think that you will be helping others and bettering their lives so hope she gets a lot out of it! GOOD LUCK SARAH!
Right that really is it now- will try not to leave it so long next time...laters ~ I will try not to be a stranger! SPARKYxxxxx
,
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Highs and lows and roundabouts....
Not much going on in my life at mo- just feeling the usual feelings of apathy about my job which I shall not bore you with right now. Went for an interview at a recruitment agency the other day to see if they had any jobs going but the only one suitable was at a small Australian-themed restaurant/pub which I worked at a few years ago and hated. The reason- because I had to work similar hours there to the ones I have started to do at The Hotel now...history repeating itself~ just a little bit methinks!
Something that has cheered me up is finding someone on Facebook whom I used to work with and got on really well with at a previous job I had at a small hotel in Swaffham. She was a waitress, is about 19 now I think and her name is Sophie. Her and her twin brother Daniel started at the hotel a little while before I left and I always had a bit of a soft spot for her because she was always bubbly and friendly and, together with my other friends there- Danny, Nush and Katie, we always had a bit of a laugh! When me and Nush both left, I kind of lost contact a bit with the people I worked with there though I do still very occasionally talk to Danny by text, so it was nice for Sophie to accept my friend request when I spotted her on Danny's FB page. She sounds a bit fed up where she is, still at the same hotel though her brother has since moved on, so at least it's not just me who's a bit naffed off with work at mo. We had a bit of a chat a couple of days ago and it was good to catch up again and I look forward to keeping in touch.
Also got a chance to chat with my good friend Sarah on FB and it was good to talk to her too as we don't get much chance to touch base now as much as we used to ~ mainly because both our lives are soo busy at mo. She is changing her path in life and going to Uni to train to be a social-worker and I am always working all the hours god sends. But that's okay because when we do chat, that just makes our conversations all that more special.
Am slowly coming to terms with the fact that instead of belittling what I do and how little I time I get to spend with my daughter, I should be grateful for the time I do get to spend with her and make more the most of time spent with her and Mrs.Sparky. Also that I am fortunate to have some really good friends, Sophie, Sarah,Nush,Kate and Glynis among them, and that I should be grateful to be blessed with their friendship. There is just as much, if not more, in my life that is positive than there is that is negative and I should really not be spending the free time I do get stressing out but should instead be Carpe Diem; Seizing The Day. Easier said than done but if I can work on that then I think I will be happier in myself.
Of course I am still going to keep 'em peeled for another job but I am wondering if it is just me getting itchy feet again like I do every so often. Sarah, the other day, told me that I think too much and she is right- I should concentrate as much on living life as I do psycho-analyzing it as nobody knows how much time we have left and, like an egg-timer, who knows how quickly the sand is running through the glass. It is like the proverb, I forget it's origin, about the man who worried all his life away about everything and anything and then when he died he complained to Death that he hadn't had a chance to live his life. "Aaah," replied Death, "if you had gotten on with your life instead of worrying about when it would end, then you would've had a long and prosperous existance instead all your posturing has tired out your soul all the quicker!" "Can't I go back?" asks the man, "Knowing what I know now?"
"No," replies Death, "You had your chance!"
Something that has cheered me up is finding someone on Facebook whom I used to work with and got on really well with at a previous job I had at a small hotel in Swaffham. She was a waitress, is about 19 now I think and her name is Sophie. Her and her twin brother Daniel started at the hotel a little while before I left and I always had a bit of a soft spot for her because she was always bubbly and friendly and, together with my other friends there- Danny, Nush and Katie, we always had a bit of a laugh! When me and Nush both left, I kind of lost contact a bit with the people I worked with there though I do still very occasionally talk to Danny by text, so it was nice for Sophie to accept my friend request when I spotted her on Danny's FB page. She sounds a bit fed up where she is, still at the same hotel though her brother has since moved on, so at least it's not just me who's a bit naffed off with work at mo. We had a bit of a chat a couple of days ago and it was good to catch up again and I look forward to keeping in touch.
Also got a chance to chat with my good friend Sarah on FB and it was good to talk to her too as we don't get much chance to touch base now as much as we used to ~ mainly because both our lives are soo busy at mo. She is changing her path in life and going to Uni to train to be a social-worker and I am always working all the hours god sends. But that's okay because when we do chat, that just makes our conversations all that more special.
Am slowly coming to terms with the fact that instead of belittling what I do and how little I time I get to spend with my daughter, I should be grateful for the time I do get to spend with her and make more the most of time spent with her and Mrs.Sparky. Also that I am fortunate to have some really good friends, Sophie, Sarah,Nush,Kate and Glynis among them, and that I should be grateful to be blessed with their friendship. There is just as much, if not more, in my life that is positive than there is that is negative and I should really not be spending the free time I do get stressing out but should instead be Carpe Diem; Seizing The Day. Easier said than done but if I can work on that then I think I will be happier in myself.
Of course I am still going to keep 'em peeled for another job but I am wondering if it is just me getting itchy feet again like I do every so often. Sarah, the other day, told me that I think too much and she is right- I should concentrate as much on living life as I do psycho-analyzing it as nobody knows how much time we have left and, like an egg-timer, who knows how quickly the sand is running through the glass. It is like the proverb, I forget it's origin, about the man who worried all his life away about everything and anything and then when he died he complained to Death that he hadn't had a chance to live his life. "Aaah," replied Death, "if you had gotten on with your life instead of worrying about when it would end, then you would've had a long and prosperous existance instead all your posturing has tired out your soul all the quicker!" "Can't I go back?" asks the man, "Knowing what I know now?"
"No," replies Death, "You had your chance!"
Monday, 4 May 2009
This is my last Blog.....
Until I get back off holiday that is.....yes, I know I've been slack lately but to be honest,I haven't had much to say and I haven't felt particularly inspired.Sorry guys...
Anyway, a brief catch-up on whats been going down..... we had a new chef start but looks like he's upped and quit; Martin Abernathy has gone leaving just me, Ross and HC as full-time chefs and with me on holiday this week, it is dubious as to when HC will get his next day off!!(His last was on Tuesday just gone)Meanwhile, I am going to stay in a cottage for a week with Mrs.Sparky, Emilie, the mother-in-law, my brother-in-law Barry and his girlfriend Jenny and her young boy, Evan. Dead excited about it and could be fun though a week with M-I-L could be hard work....taking lots of books to read and also my PS2 and a couple of Bzz games for entertainment as Jenny is reputedly quite competitive and the thought of me and her up against each other on a quiz game armed with buzzers sounds like a real ice-breaker!
Been having a mass-reading session last few days- have gotten through three books in four days; admittedly though they were ones I had read before. On a crime spree at mo (Mrs.Sparky has mentioned that is the wrong use of the word in this context but I think it's amusing) and am reading Michael Slade's books on the RCMP and some of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole P.I novels. Am taking some Michael Connelly stuff to read whilst away and some of my TBR pile as well to get through....
Just cashed in £75 on my review site,Dooyoo again- not bad for 5 months work and already earned another £10 again so well on my way to another cheque and I have also discovered another review site which I'll talk more about when I get back and have started using it!
By the way, this is not the cottage we are staying in- this is the cottage from Evil Dead; the Sam Raimi video nasty from the eighties. Come to think of it....I think my mother-in-law may have been in that film.....that's a joke by the way..... Wish me luck in that cottage....I may well need it!
Anyway, a brief catch-up on whats been going down..... we had a new chef start but looks like he's upped and quit; Martin Abernathy has gone leaving just me, Ross and HC as full-time chefs and with me on holiday this week, it is dubious as to when HC will get his next day off!!(His last was on Tuesday just gone)Meanwhile, I am going to stay in a cottage for a week with Mrs.Sparky, Emilie, the mother-in-law, my brother-in-law Barry and his girlfriend Jenny and her young boy, Evan. Dead excited about it and could be fun though a week with M-I-L could be hard work....taking lots of books to read and also my PS2 and a couple of Bzz games for entertainment as Jenny is reputedly quite competitive and the thought of me and her up against each other on a quiz game armed with buzzers sounds like a real ice-breaker!
Been having a mass-reading session last few days- have gotten through three books in four days; admittedly though they were ones I had read before. On a crime spree at mo (Mrs.Sparky has mentioned that is the wrong use of the word in this context but I think it's amusing) and am reading Michael Slade's books on the RCMP and some of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole P.I novels. Am taking some Michael Connelly stuff to read whilst away and some of my TBR pile as well to get through....
Just cashed in £75 on my review site,Dooyoo again- not bad for 5 months work and already earned another £10 again so well on my way to another cheque and I have also discovered another review site which I'll talk more about when I get back and have started using it!
By the way, this is not the cottage we are staying in- this is the cottage from Evil Dead; the Sam Raimi video nasty from the eighties. Come to think of it....I think my mother-in-law may have been in that film.....that's a joke by the way..... Wish me luck in that cottage....I may well need it!
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Click...off...gone!
So, been a while since I last Blogged and just thought I had better check in briefly in passing and just show my Cyberface. HC is on holiday again for a week so am having to work 6 days at 12 hours each day- sometimes without a single break!! Whoever said it was easy being a chef needs shooting. Still, am getting to make lots of nice desserts such as Lemon Possett which I had seen done but never made myself before but is dead easy and rather refreshing. Basicallly all you need to do is heat some double or whipping cream to just before boiling with sugar and lemon zest, add lemon juice then pour into glasses through a strainer to remove zest (or leave that in) and cover with clingfilm and put in fridge to set. Takes about 2 hours to set but thats it! Job done- an easy, simple and rather nice dessert!! Who would have thought it was that easy- not me! Thats why I didn't believe my recipe book and went on the Internet to double check!
Actually it's not too bad being in charge this time and am actually quite enjoying it. Martin Abernathy is leaving our kitchen but there is a new guy called Simon sposed to be starting next wednesday. We had one new chef start yesterday too but today he came in, supposedly threw up and had to go home! Good start seeing as it was only his second day on the job! Actually I think he was a bit of a pussy because he looked done in yesterday after doing a 10 1/2 hour straight shift whilst to us (me and Martin) it is just another day. At the moment, life in our kitchen certainly sorts out the men from the boys!
This guy who started yesterday knows a couple of ppl I used to work with- my mate Nush who went to Sheffield and my other mate from The George in Swaffham- Katey. Talking of my mate Nush, she has been trying for baby and has resorted to IVF but because of recession and being made redundant, has had to put things on hold until next year. Feel really bad for her as she would make a great mum but just goes to show how this current climate affects everybody in different but no less important ways. Also makes me appreciate how much my daughter means to me and how lucky I am to have her- even if she is very precocious and developing a real stubborn streak to her personality. Bless her...
Whoever thought I would ever be bossed around by a 19 month old......lol!
This is Sparky going click...off...gone in true Sleeper fashion. Now there was a band Sleeper.... whatever happened to Louise and the band I wonder? Must google it and find out....
Actually it's not too bad being in charge this time and am actually quite enjoying it. Martin Abernathy is leaving our kitchen but there is a new guy called Simon sposed to be starting next wednesday. We had one new chef start yesterday too but today he came in, supposedly threw up and had to go home! Good start seeing as it was only his second day on the job! Actually I think he was a bit of a pussy because he looked done in yesterday after doing a 10 1/2 hour straight shift whilst to us (me and Martin) it is just another day. At the moment, life in our kitchen certainly sorts out the men from the boys!
This guy who started yesterday knows a couple of ppl I used to work with- my mate Nush who went to Sheffield and my other mate from The George in Swaffham- Katey. Talking of my mate Nush, she has been trying for baby and has resorted to IVF but because of recession and being made redundant, has had to put things on hold until next year. Feel really bad for her as she would make a great mum but just goes to show how this current climate affects everybody in different but no less important ways. Also makes me appreciate how much my daughter means to me and how lucky I am to have her- even if she is very precocious and developing a real stubborn streak to her personality. Bless her...
Whoever thought I would ever be bossed around by a 19 month old......lol!
This is Sparky going click...off...gone in true Sleeper fashion. Now there was a band Sleeper.... whatever happened to Louise and the band I wonder? Must google it and find out....
Saturday, 14 March 2009
One at a time please.....
Have decided that should only get one book out of library at a time at moment because when I get out more, my TBR pile does not end up getting touched and doesn't go down. It took me sooo long to read THE TERROR, over a week in fact which is a long stretch for me, and now I have two others to read as well; one the final part in a fantasy trilogy, the other a debut from a crime author I recently discovered called Jack Kearley. Actually have almost finished the latter because it is a lite read but must pick something on my TBR pile next!! Think I should read one TBR for each library book I pick up- that would work!!
Back to work later for 4 hours; have got tonight off because I worked wednesday! Still pissed off with work and really need a holiday but only got to wait until beginning of may so not long now. Am also going to book 2 weeks off together at some stage so I get a really long break as we all know I could do with it! HC has got 2 weeks together booked in September so why can't I? Know though that I will not want to go back when I am done!!
Anyway, thats all for now folks- short and sweet for today; speak to you laters xxxxx Sparky :)
Back to work later for 4 hours; have got tonight off because I worked wednesday! Still pissed off with work and really need a holiday but only got to wait until beginning of may so not long now. Am also going to book 2 weeks off together at some stage so I get a really long break as we all know I could do with it! HC has got 2 weeks together booked in September so why can't I? Know though that I will not want to go back when I am done!!
Anyway, thats all for now folks- short and sweet for today; speak to you laters xxxxx Sparky :)
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Don't you...forget about me...hey hey hey hey!
Had a detox day today from computer which, for those of you who know me, know that on my day off that is VERY unusual!! The only other time that has happened is when P.C played up and we couldn't use it! Didn't intend it like that-just found lots of other stuff to keep me occupied like taking Emilie to the park and swings which she absolutely loved!! Actually let her walk most of the way rather than using pushchair and only had to pick her up when we crossed the road walking back home and when we had to ascend a slope to get to play area. Had to go into work tonight though to cover for the Head Chef who had phoned in sick so, as you can well imagine, was not best pleased- in fact was pretty pissed off in fact. Thankfully it was fairly quiet- just restaurant, no functions- and he will be back to work tomorrow. Must have been one of them "24 hr" viruses then....
It's a good job really as I have my speed awareness/safety course tomorrow at 9 am at the University Of East Anglia Sport-Park (or Norwich UEA as we know it). Not sure what to expect but have in mind something like The Breakfast Club!!! I see myself in the Judd Nelson role for those who have seen the film though, when I was at school, I was more like the nerd, played by the guy who now stars in the T.V series of The Dead Zone, crossed with the character played by Ally Sheedy; a weirdo with a personality disorder who is a compulsive liar to begin with and who, it turns out, shouldn't even be in Detention, she just "didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday!!
My favourite scene is where all the teens are whistling the theme from The Great Escape when the teacher walks in and all you hear is Judd Nelson's character whistling "Da da da daaaaaah!!" That and the scene where Judd Nelson is crawling across the ceiling tiles to return to the Dention room after being segregated for mis-behaviour!! What a classic film!!
The Breakfast Club is my favourite all-time '80's movie closely followed by The Lost Boys, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck and Pretty In Pink. Man. I used to fancy the pants off Molly Ringwald!!! Always remember her in Sixteen Candles, a less well known flick in which her parents forget her sweet sixteenth- back in the day, everything she starred in for me was gold!!!
Anyway, I digress...will let you know how I get on with Speed Awareness tomorrow!! No doubt it will be nothing like The Breakfast Club and I will be throughly bored.... but you never know I might learn something! I have visions of us all sitting in a circle and having to stand up and say "I'm Sparky and I'm a reckless and irresponsible driver!" like we're in Alcoholics Anonymous or something.....
Right, gotta go...Mrs.Sparky is getting narky!! Will see you tomorrow little Sparkettes...xxxxxxx Sparky
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)