Bit of a bummer...

So.. after a fairly...interesting week, Friday arrived.

The day was met with mixed feelings. Felt great getting to the end of the 1st working month as such, because of the promise of payment for services rendered, but due to this country's interesting policies I had to go for a National Insurance number interview. Those who have worked here (legally that is) will know what I'm talking about. So I had phoned up Social Security services and found what was ( according to them) the closest office to me and they came back asking if I could do this Friday morning as an interview date. I told the lady over the phone that it was in order as I had just received my copy of my contract (signed by 6mil other people the day before) and had my letters stating where I live is kewl (opening a bank account has it's plusses).

So I was scheduled to have my interview at 9:10 on Friday, and had told Rob (my boss) that I would be late for work (although I had worked in the hours already during the week so I was kewl, had actually overworked the hours, but I digress). So all was well in Z's world of flying ponies.. uhm.. don't ask.. anyhoo.

Worked out the whole journey (with fair amounts of help from Grieks), and got to bed feeling ok that the end of the month will be a good experience.. if only I knew.

So I get to Dalston Kingsland station ( after taking the Jubilee tube to Stratford), and find that the area I'm in resembles something like.. Mowbray (would be a good comparison).. having been in such areas most of the last 2 years back in Cape Town I wasn't scared.. been a lot more scared walking into ITV the first time.. I take the directions as provided to me through the post (which I must say is most efficient in this country, except to get packages back to bosses in Cape Town, hey Craig ? :), and arrive at the social security office about 8:40 (which was the plan incidentally).

Not being the first person there I got a little worried that this might be one of those situations where goverment organise 20 interviews with 5 interviewers for the morning thinking that 10 or so won't pitch, but waited the 20 minutes out until they opened the doors. Was ussered into a line of people and gave some lady the letter they sent me.

Needless to say my feelings about goverment efficiency was yet again proved correct, and my 9:10 interview started promptly at 9:50 [which was about the time I was hoping to get done with it and get back on the trains and head to work to hopefully get to work at close to what I said], being that I was fairly well prepared though I have to admit I did walk out of their around 10:15 so it didn't go completely bad.

I finally got to my desk around 11:20 though. I had done most of my timesheet (contract worker now, have to fill those out) the previous night at home and added into it that I was going to do 5 hrs of work on Friday (this I added on Friday in the office),and handed that to my boss to sign so that I could fax and mail the copies to where I had to. He did so, and it was in the post before I went to the pub with Paul (co-worker) and Colin ( another co-worker). The plan was to go to Stamford Arms, and then Rob would phone Paul for us to go to Doggits (another pub). This however (and unfortunately) is not how it went down. We got to Stamford, had one round, and the boss had not called yet.. so around 13:30 my bosses boss turns up and starts to order rounds.. :(

That's where it all went south. Needless to say, never went back to the office, boss did eventually make a turn at the Stamford though, bought him a round which I hope helped my case, but I suspect I screwed up. Eventually walked back to the office to email the project I'm working on to myself at home, so that I can make up the time I lost over the weekend. Will also be going into the office hectically early on Monday morning to work in them hours and then start the normal work hours around 9:30 or so.

Tomorrow (actually later today already) it's down to the London International Dive show at Excel.

Hope you all have a great week ahead. Me and Grieks, we've put April down as a new month and a happy month :) Not to mention I'll get paid in £'s for the first time ever,hopefully a good experience to happen at the end of April.

L8r.
Z