Update for 2024

 March

Greetings, fellow bloggers. Is blogging still a thing?

Since I last posted I have become permanent at my favourite workplace, I am in my second-last term of my Masters degree, my weight is much the same, my health isn't great at the moment, lovely husband is still lovely, my daughter is in her 3rd year of Occupational Therapy at Uni, dramas at acrogym, son is in final year of high school, father-in-law very unwell, and I need a new kitchen. 

In more detail:

About 18 months ago the organisation I work for went through a "transformation". I jokingly always put the quotation marks in, just a reshuffle with a fancy name, right?, but actually it probably was pretty major. Anyway, it included several rounds of job interviews for nearly everyone (very stressful for some who had been there a long time but had to re-interview, and quite a few people left). Firstly, permanent staff either got slotted in to new positions or had to interview if there were too many people at that level. Then casual staff like me had the chance to go for what was left. I stuffed up my interview really badly. It was online, which I had never done before, and I had to share my screen and do a demonstration. I practiced a lot and thought it went smoothly on the day despite my nerves. Then I found out I had demonstrated the thing I had been practicing and not the slightly different thing they actually asked for on the day. D'oh! I was actually rated unsuitable (apparently the panel were not all in agreement about that). I told myself I didn't care too much, I stayed casual at my favourite location instead of permanent part-time somewhere else. Then there was another round of interviews, open to external applicants, to make an 'order of merit' for future openings. I did well in that one, and was told I was top of that list. Indeed, I was offered a job quite quickly but in another city so I turned it down, but stayed top of the list. And didn't hear from them again for a long time. 

Meanwhile everyone in my library retired and new people started, except for the person I was filling in for. Stacey was there 2 days a week and me the other 3. So on my days I, as a casual and also the lowest ranking person, was suddenly the expert old-timer! Weird. Then Stacey went on long term leave. Because I was working on my Masters, my new boss let me go on 4 days per week instead of 5 (Fridays are very quiet anyway), and also put me on a long term temp contract so I could use sick leave and flex which casuals don't get. Finally at the end of last year Stacey quit. I hadn't seen her for a long time, as she was never there when I was, and she was a private person anyway, so I don't know why she had gone part time and then left at her non-retirement age. My boss hinted it wasn't good, but of course didn't share any details. Anyway, the boss called me into her office and said they would be hiring someone new, unfortunately as I wasn't on the list it wouldn't be me but she could offer me a couple of days somewhere else. Ah, what? No, I'm top of the list! After a couple of weeks sorting that out (I wasn't on the list from the failed interview, but was on the other one) I was given the job. So yay. And even better, she let me stay on 4 days and has got someone in to do the other one day (I haven't met her, but her emails are nice.) 

So I am now happily permanent. And I am nearly finished my Masters so then I will be able to go for higher ranking jobs. If I want to. I've enjoyed some of my studies but it is a lot of work so I'll be glad when I have some free time again. I've been doing well though, all Distinctions and Credits. 

That's a long enough essay for today!