Busy Time Off

 

Tuesday saw me get in at 9am from the Monday night shift, and it took an age to get to sleep. 

I was intending to wake up at midday, but slept past that to 1pm, having fallen asleep some time around 10:30am.

I had a show booked for 2pm, or at least I thought so. I had actually mistaken CT for ET, so it turned out that it was a 3pm start, not 2pm.

My chat with Chris from Walking Tall was dogged by technical issues, which continued to be a problem. I got thrown off the internet during that chat, even when we dropped the video element.

Other than the technical issues, the chat with Chris was great, but I worry about bits where the signal was screwy.  I’ll do an edit of the episode, and then see what there is.

Chris said to contact him if there’s a problem, so my thinking is that we could do a pick up recording if there are any bits that are just not possible to use.

However, one good thing from this is that my organising of block recordings has changed for the better:

(Top) Pods Like Us meets Walking Tall. 
(Bottom) Pods Like Us meets Blueprints For Disruption. 

When I used to block book recordings I used to allow two hours between them, with me assuming it would take an hour and a half for recording and then a half hour break before the next. Now I gave three hours or so between so that the time zone mistake wouldn’t be a thing, and it allowed for other technical difficulties.

At 5pm I recorded a show with Alex and Jakub from What’s Your Spaghetti Policy, which again was dogged with the same internet troubles. It did include an in the moment question from a show listener as well, which was fun. We share a friend, who is someone I know in “the real world”! 

After this show was recorded, Louise made some fantastic wraps that were delicious, during which we couldn’t get the tv to play anything due to the internet trouble.

Despite this, because of something mentioned in the show, that is being rushed to the fore to be released this coming Sunday. 

At 8pm I recorded a show with Jessa from Blueprints For Disruption, a superb show that looks at the subject of activism, speaking with those who organise and work in said activism, or teach about it in educational environments. 

We went deeply into the recent strikes in Canada for worker’s rights, the way that leaders in Russia manipulated the teachings of Karl Marx, the truth that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, and misconceptions from those on the outside. 

Strangely enough, this episode had barely any trouble, with the video element and transcription software working throughout. 

Go figure!

Pods Like Us meets 
What’s Your Spaghetti Policy?

Wednesday saw us relaxedly getting ready to visit my mum in the dementia care home that she was now staying in. I feel awful that it’s the first time we’ve seen her in about five or six weeks, but I was poorly for a while, with some residual effects sticking around longer than expected. Maybe that’s because of my shitty employers not allowing me the time to get better. 

On the way home we stopped at Tesco for some bits. 

That’s me in the corner… 

At 8pm Louise took part in another recording for the podcast Review It Yourself with Sean, speaking about the Bridget Jones films, which will be a continuing series of podcasts with the two of them picking films for each other to check out. They know what the next two films will be.

I stuck around in the background for Louise just in case for about 20 minutes, but then went to the bedroom to read volume of The Nice House On The Lake, but then fell asleep, waking at around 11 when Louise came in after they finished the chat. The Nice House On The Lake mentions Watchmen by the way, so there’s a link there. 

My girl has the podcasting bug now!

In some ways it was lucky that the show I had booked for Wednesday night had been postponed, because that was supposed to be at 11pm, when Louise and Sean had finished their recording. 

When my love came into the bedroom we watched the video footage of the episode that they had just done, and it was a great chat between the two of them. 

Because of this we got to sleep late, at about 4am, and then got up on Thursday morning at about 8:40am to feed the birds, getting back to bed at about 11am, waking up at 3pm properly. 

Back to work, for now…

I’m contemplating putting my notice in for around July 23rd for a variety of reasons. I’ve got nothing to go to, but with them not letting me use my holiday entitlement, I think I’m owed around twenty days, so that would be in with my final pay, so I think I could last a month or so on that last pay. 

Reasons for leaving - I’m sick of being out for about fifteen hours a day five days a week at night, never getting weekends off, never getting Christmas Day off, working every bank holiday. In November they promised a bonus system coming in January to help us out financially, which now in June hasn’t happened. When I was sick with bronchial pneumonia they were nasty about me being off, forcing me to go into work. I mentioned it ironically the other week to which Wayne in the office said with a smile “I wouldn’t hold your breath.” What a cunt! Reason for staying - it’s where I listen to podcasts. The worthwhile friendships there would continue after leaving.