30/11/2008 by paul.

I have been working in the electronics industry for 40 years and 2 months…I know that because I have just seen it on the redundancy settlement that I have received.            Now I am not shedding any tears over this, since I have seen it coming for a couple of years..and I stress that it has nothing to do with the ‘highly spun’ current recession.  What is weird, is the reaction of others to the news (of my redundancy, not the global self inflicted recession).     As soon a I tell anyone that I am being made redundant, they immediately adopt a sympathetic posture and voice a high degree of concern …., so I immediately have to re-assure them that it is no real deal to me.         In fact I have just been to the hairdressers and as part of that often forced convesation that takes place as ones hair is being cut, the young girl asked by if “I was on holiday today”, “just popped out of the office”  and whether” I would be leaving the office early today” (being a friday).      So, I just said “no” “yes”  and “probably” in that order, rather than saying that today was the last day of 40 years working for a multinational company and that today was the last day that I would be driving 100 miles on the motorway to get to/from the office. Also the last time that I would frequent that particular hairdressers.                                  So for the first time in a long, long time, I have just had to buy myself a car and a mobile phone (the later being a lot more complicated than the former), and on Monday …..well, I am not quite sure what happens from Monday.

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11/11/2008 by paul.

It could have been written for a sitcom.    Here in Solihull, at the 11th. hour, of the 11th. month etc. the girls in the office decided that we should all observe the 2 minutes of silence.
So, to mark the beginning and the end of the 2 minutes, they sounded the fire alarm.  Within a few moments of the sounding of the alarm for the beginning of the 2 minutes, the main switchboard phone rang. Of course, it was not answered, due to the silence.
Immediately after the 2 minutes, it was discovered that the unanswered phone call, was from the fire brigade. Receiving no answer, they rushed round to put out the fire…..making a lot of noise

Doh !    

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