So, parts 39-47 are now part of Chapter six. It's quite weird as I look over the Chapters, it feels like a real story. Well, more like a real story. I also find it odd that I hadn't done this a long time before, makes more sense.

So, anyhoo... updates. My PC is still in the care of the pale wardens of the great magic boxes at PCWorld. Once again I'm stuck on this pathetic laptop. My job still sucks, people are being let go of now, including...*drumroll please* surprise, surprise... Mike "le pothead" Currie. Saw that coming a long time ago, just never expected his luck to hold out that long. We all survived the credit crunch together, and now that the company is in really good straits management decide to let a bunch of key folk go. Personally, I think that's a betrayal and quite stupid strategically. It's the key folk that helped hold the place together and made it as efficient as it became over the last year, now performance is taking a nosedive and doubtless management will wonder why. There's already a bunch of new folk taking their places and.... well... what can I say? We now have twice the number of employees, and going on a daily basis, we're doing less than half the work we should because we have to train these new folk to do their job.

Okay, I can understand management are caving in to the government by employing all these new folk. Fine, I can understand that there's alot of people out of work. BUT, I can't abide or understand why good, reliable people have lost their jobs, almost wholesale in some departments. Our admin staff have only TWO people who've been here for more than a year. Oddly enough management are still the same, just everyone else seems to have been hung out to dry. We could have taken on half the number of new folk, kept the "veterans" and still been just as productive.

But I'm not in management am I? so obviously my opinions and I don't count.

Peter, one of the old hands, has gone to a different company already and has hooked a number of folk up with new and better jobs. I might just take him up on his offer. Any loyalty I had to the company, not that I ever had that much I was more loyal to the people I worked with, has been set on fire, pissed on, stomped on and chucked out a window. Thing is, when I first came I quite liked the job, liked the people even better, sure the pay was shite but it was a paycheck that at least helped me stay afloat. First two years or so were pretty good, I even got promoted.

Then the old boss retired and we had a couple of inneffectual types that took the reins, now we've got a half decent guy but most of the handpicked folk who answer to him are useless. The only thing that kept me there was a lack of other opportunities and the fact that even despite the change of bosses it was still the same folk on my level. People that knew what they were doing and how to deal with muppets and arseholes. Now we don't have them. Guys like Joe who made you smile just by walking through the door are gone, replaced by these slack jawed idiots and people who can't find their arses with both hands and a hall of mirrors.

Well, when I leave I'll wish them good luck. They'll certainly need it. Especially the greenhorns, they'll need a boatload and more.

As for everything else, it's bleeding cold, wet and windy. Met up with Gareth and Stacy to see how they're doing, of course Gareth and I made a detour to his room to bask in the glow of his Snes XDDDD Apart from the fallout from Stacey going off like a suitcase nuke when she caught us, they're fine. He's well on the mend.

Haven't heard from my cousin in a while, and as usual that's got me a bit worried. It's probably nothing, but despite myself I worry for him. Perhaps too much? He's a big lad, he's got good mates with him, he knows what he's doing... even if the PM doesn't. But, in contrast, heard from my other cousin Dieter, apart from a close call not too long ago he's fine and a bit homesick. To be honest I never pictured him as a soldier, but he proved me wrong, so...

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, I've been considering getting a dog, but I don't want to do it while in between employment and financially unstable. Not sure as to what breed to get though. I'll have to dig out my books on that. There's a dog shelter not too far from me so I can check out what they've got. I know it's probably me wanting Sally back, but damn it I can't help that.

Apart from that, nothing much else is afoot, so I'll bid you all a good day