Early Risers.

[monkeysarefun]

Well summer is going out with a bang!   It hit 40 degrees today, its still 32 outside at 9:30pm. 

 

A southerly change is coming up the coast, going by  the weather observations its just left Wollongong and has reached the southern suburbs, so I should get it in the next half hour or so.

[Hroth]

14 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

and the knuckles???

 

Its when the palms have to be shaved that you know you're in trouble...

 

[PhilJ W]

I'll just leave this here.

[monkeysarefun]

10 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I always found the 'why do you want the job' question to be useful and revealing. I always recommend honesty (noting if you actually do want the job you should make an effort and prepare) and use it to get a feel for whether it is the right organization and role for you. An interview is a two way thing and as much about you deciding whether you want the job. 

 

Another bit of advice is that the interviewer probably wasn't born yesterday and has probably heard everything before so will identify BS very quickly. Obvious advice I know but I wish I had a pound for every time people gave me what they thought were perfect answers which pushed every button which pretty much got them red lined.

 

 

I just had the thought  that I have not been to one job interview in my entire working life. My first job was a traineeship that I won from passing an exam with questions like  " here's a hacksaw, put the blade in the correct way" and so on. Since then every other job I've scored has been as a result of  being head-hunted, having chance informal chats with someone random  that has ended in a job offer secured with a handshake, or from word of mouth.  My current contract is for 2 more years which should  see me out to retirement so all going well I'll never have to sit one.

 

Which is lucky since I don't have an interview suit.

 

In fact, I don't even have a suit!

 

Edited February 29 by monkeysarefun

[PhilJ W]

[PhilJ W]

Unless it's fresh flour.

[iL Dottore]

30 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I'll just leave this here.

That doesn't look like @polybear's writing.....

 

But I could be wrong....

[monkeysarefun]

14 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

 

 

Or cockatoos.

 

 

[Hroth]

16 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

Discriminatory!

 

[PhilJ W]

This is my idea of a morning run.

[PhilJ W]

Sweeney Todd's pie shop are NOT testing out a new line.

[southern42]

11 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I always found the 'why do you want the job' question to be useful and revealing.

 

The common question I frequently got was: What makes you think you can do this job?" It was not the question itself that bothered me but the snooty, looking down their noses attitude that came with it, especially when I came with higher qualifications than required. Maybe I should have given a 👑 mightier than thou 👑response but I still would not have wanted to work for them! 😂

It was bad enough working in an element of an us and them environment - the academics v* support and domestics as then called. Unfortunately, it got worse the longer I worked there and consequently aided my earlier than planned decision to go. Unfortunately, the attitude of a few more-senior staff was most demeaning and would put you in the trash can with Oscar but without the "love" 🤪.  Fortunately, most more senior staff I encountered treated me with more respect and in many cases expected/asked me/us to work well above grade because they knew I/we had the requisite skills and knowledge.

 

*I worked on both sides of the fence.

 

Who remembers this, then...? 🤣

 

Take care. Be good. "Look on the bright side of life."

Polly

 

 

Edited February 29 by southern42
clarification

[Hroth]

32 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Sweeney Todd's pie shop are NOT testing out a new line.

 

Thats not the worst you might find...

 

If the chicken in the supermarket appears to have burned legs:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68406398

 

 

 

[Erichill16]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

What if the bear isnt a pet. Asking for a friend @polybear.

[Barry O]

Great News!

 

Dr Eldest starts his full time role on 1st August!  Woopiiiidddooo!

 

Bas

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. And a very soggy land at that. It is also bin day today (recycling) and as if it wasn't bad enough with the huge reusable bags that we have to put the stuff in the binmen left the bags in the middle of a very wet lawn and I had to use my walking stick to hoik them off of the lawn.

Edited February 29 by PhilJ W

[Hroth]

We had recycling bin day today too.

One big wheelie bin takes all.

Sometimes they turn up at the crack of dawn, sometimes late afternoon.

 

Mid-dayish today!

 

Edited February 29 by Hroth

[Ian Abel]

BIN day...

BINs dutifully placed at curb-side and already serviced, except for the recycle, they usually show up much later in the day.

 

Super busy with 'work" last two days, still no sign of it letting up! Taking a new report and running it for ALL months last year, showing minor discrepancies all over that have to be addressed. Seems they were juggling accounts/departments last year with much abandon! 😵🤪

 

Yesterday evening attended the 'soup supper' at church as the post supper music was a local group that are and excellent trio of women singers, always great to hear.

Later today off to pre-rehearsal happy hour followed by a suspected LONG rehearsal as we have to start preparing for three separate performances covering the Easter season.

 

Yesterday was cold by MINNESOTA standards, won't bore with the actuals.

Today trending towards May temperatures, -7c and sunny first thing high of 8c forecast, BUT, lows next several days 3c - 8c range with highs 12c - 21c, TOTALLY NUTS!!!

 

Carry on.

[PeterBB]

23 hours ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

  That happened to me once back in the days of employment but nearing early retirement time

I was doing shifts , so one day I must have had a doze at lunchtime on an early shift day , so between

11-30 and 12-00 after a 0700 start and a 05-30 get up .

 

 So what is the problem I hear you say , well one of my work mates happened to have a camera

with him , this is what he presented me with the next day .   Barsteward .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppers, know the feeling. but thanks for the trigger.

 

Used to be able to kip anywhere.  During a lunch break my peers found me asleep in the staffroom slumped over a table.  Presumeably they had tried the simplest things to check a response.

What they did next was to put perfume on my shirt collar - it did not wake me ...

The realproblem came when returning home SWMBO demanded to know what I had been up to ...  I had not noticed the perfumebeing in the midst of a cold.   

Relating this response next day the reponse was group laughter as it mappears that they had a good laugh while undertaking the said action.

[PeterBB]

16 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Good evening everyone 

 

 But at least my knees are ok, due to have pouches in the knees of my trousers that hold a foam knee pad in place. They are much more comfortable than those that fasten behind the knee, I keep forgetting that I’m wearing them! 

 

I've had some of these for many years but for some reason it doesn't take long for them to fall out so evetually got fed up with using them.  Agree that the ones fastening round the knee are a real pain butm recently while working on something tht will eventually havemany  parallel strips oof metal inked together have folded the straps back and skide onto them when needed ... it had proven so far to be very comfortable although it would not wrok in the garage or otherwise outside.

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

At my last job for most of it, I was the highest qualified, but the lowest ranked in the department... More than once a few minutes disappeared during the settling time for calibration. It's hard to stay awake when sat there not being able to move without upsetting the readings.

 

It's drizzled for most of the day with the odd intermission of rain, according to weather radar, the heavy stuff will arrive soon.

 

Another month of the clubs accounts updated, amazingly it worked out first time. Next month the big one, the HMRC return.

 

Much muddling done, quite successful too.

 

Having had two electric shavers escape from my wash kit in to the river ( one week after the other) I've long since gone back to wet shaving. Tes and Coe handles with triple blades.

 

I meant to mention the other day that something nasty is going round here, one of our MRC members is badly off sick and someone known by a club member is sick enough to have ended up in hospital. It's not COVID but it is quite serious..

 

Heavy stuff has just started landing...

[polybear]

9 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

* curly fries, pizza and baked beans were conspicuous by their absence!

 

 

Interviews are a two-way process….. and you just failed…..

[iL Dottore]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

Interviews are a two-way process….. and you just failed…..

Sorry that you feel this way PB. But the lunchtime interviews took place in Switzerland - where we have real food. Not UPF abominations.

 

Besides, anyone who can't go without pizza, curly fries or baked beans for even one meal would be totally unsuitable for a job that takes you all over the world and often to places where they haven't even heard of pizza, curly fries and baked beans (and who have great local food instead).

[DaveF]

I had my planned walk to the local Tesco Extra where I found some nice hot cross buns and a newspaper.  The walk was much easier than it was on Tuesday.  When I got home I did my monthly accounts, it didn't take long and everything balanced first time.

 

Since then I've had coffee, watched Homes under the Hammer, had lunch etc.

 

I looked at the garden and found 21 different species of plants in flower - usually it is about 15 at the end of February but a few things are early this year and a few snowdrops are still hanging on.  I also watered the plants in the greenhouse which are mainly succulents, it's the first water they have had for quite a long time.  Some almost hardy fuchsias in there are just developing a hint of green in their leaf buds.  I remembered to use the small watering can which is not heavy.  I didn't do any weeding, bending is still difficult.

 

By then I was tired so had my rest, since then I've half done a Sudoku, read a bit and had a cuppa.

 

I've no idea yet what I'll do after tea but there is a 30 minute power saving event from 6 - 6.30pm.  I find it hard to save electricity at that time, I cook either at lunchtime or just before 6pm.

 

David

[polybear]

18 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Here when it happens it  cracks everyone up, especially when it occurs at touchdown.

 

Huntsman spiders - natures practical jokers.

 

 

 

Couldn't you post things like these resized to 1mm x 1mm.....with a warning beforehand?

 

18 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

.....and the ever popular “why did you apply to us and not the competition?”

 

I've applied to both - I want to see (a) who makes the better offer, and (b) which Canteen is best

 

17 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I see you have a waste disposal problem there. The Sweeney Todd scrote and other undesirables disposal company is what you require. We can discreetly dispose of all such undesirables without leaving a trace. We can also provide the most delicious meat pies.

😈

 

Sounds good - but do you have the manufacturing capability?

 

16 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

The thing I hate about many selection processes is the fashion to be 'competency' based. To a normal person that might mean competent to perform the role but in the world of selection and recruitment it is about a range of soft skills, behaviours and pretty much anything except whether you are competent to do the job. Increasingly requiring written answers as part of the initial application.

 

Things like give us 500 words on a time you have been a team player, been nice to someone, solved a difficult problem, solved world hunger etc. More than once I have been encouraged to apply for roles in the civil service. Some of the roles were very interesting but when I looked at the application not only could I not be bothered to write a series of essays about a time I was nice to someone etc etc (which in fairness might indicate I wasn't right for the roles) but it was pretty obvious what the selection process was looking for and that I wasn't it. The hiring managers would say 'don't worry,  I know what I want' then admit their voice was only one of several and the recruiting procedure was what it was.

 

I am not questioning the importance of looking beyond narrow technical competence, clearly it is essential for a candidate to have the right attitude and be someone you feel comfortable with, but that's really what an interview is about. Usually you can establish a person's technical competence quickly and easily, the real purpose of an interview is getting a  feel for the person.

 

I wonder how they'd cope if you asked them to write an essay whilst you are doing theirs?  Interviews are a two-way process......

 

7 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I wouldn't get too cocky, Bear.

 

It's inadvisable to weigh yourself every day - daily fluctuations in weight can be up to about a kilo or so depending upon a number of factors (you void about 200 - 400ml of urine at a time. So that's 200g - 400g). Taking a middle value of 300mL/300g per urination, void 4 times and you've lost 1.2 Kg - which will return....

 

The most reliable way of weighing yourself is to weigh yourself once a week at the same time on the same day, after voiding (solids and liquids) before eating or drinking anything and preferably completely unclothed. This helps smooth out the daily fluctuations in weight.

 

The other thing, you'll only have reached your desired weight once you have had repeated measurements (plus/minus a tiny variation) of that weight over a period of time (I forget what that is).

 

Unfortunately, weight loss isn't easy (or terribly permanent), otherwise there wouldn't be a problem with obesity in many countries. It's a multi-factorial problem that calorie restriction can only partly address.

 

Jonah....