It’s back! Time for the first Muse of 2022!
Let’s dive right in shall we?
Work
The period between Christmas and New Year’s was pretty quiet, and this didn’t come as a complete surprise, as people had plans and those plans didn’t involve bathroom shopping. We coped easily with the (lack) of customers, even when my manager went off sick with covid (our former manager, now a regional manager, provided cover during that period). When we entered 2022 things got busier and I’m pleased to say I booked on quite a few new orders, taking advantage of the current sale to earn myself some extra money. The increased foot-flow also meant the days didn’t feel quite so long.
However, with lots of people comes the annoying side of retail – people. Typically customers don’t come into the showroom in small, manageable groups; as we got busy, we’d end up with several groups at once. We had people tread mud all around the showroom (is it that difficult to wipe your shoes before coming in?) and on one occasion a pair of obnoxious little pillocks came in, with the sole intention of being difficult. I will never understand what motivates kids to behave like that – what do they think they will achieve, who are they trying to impress? I consider them idiots, nothing more.
It’s the life I chose. In order to make money out of retail sales you have accept you’ll deal with the public. It’s not exactly fun, but it’s the nature of the game. I only wish the public would make my life easier! A steady stream of customers means money, but presently it also means being stuck in a mask all day. This is quite annoying, albeit necessary. What makes it even more annoying is when customers linger, especially as it gets late. Get out so we can go home!
Writing
I haven’t done a lot of creative writing work lately. Instead I’ve been indulging in F1 2021 on the PS5 and generally being laid-back towards writing. I need to try and get back into the groove, though I’ve felt so shattered and devoid of imaginative juices that I’m not at all sure when the groove will take me. Perhaps I will resume work on my dystopian project soon.
What I have recently learned is that The Awakening is pencilled in for a November release. There are a few things to consider regarding that – such as additional edits to make – but with luck and good liaising with my publisher, I’ll hit that mark.
Heating, Eating, and other Tory Scandals
It’s a new year, but the same old incompetent and useless Tories. Alongside their list of issues David has presented, there is still no answer to the Christmas party scandal, and no indication whatsoever that Johnson, Gove, Rees-Mogg or any of the existing idiots in government will be able to take this country forward. We face rising energy bills, our economy continues to suffer because of Brexit, and there is no accountability. This generation of Tories is hopeless, self-serving and utterly blind to the plight of the average Brit, yet thanks to a compliant media we keep voting for them. We might as well be lambs voting for wolves.
It gets even worse. It appears (in yet another act of staggering contempt for the British people) that there was a party back in May 2020, at Downing Street, during a time when the country was in a full-scale lockdown and people could not visit loved ones, or even say goodbye face-to-face with terminally ill relatives, without risking serious consequences. An article in the New York Times highlights, with terrifying clarity, how Johnson and his cronies are eroding our liberties and undermining our democracy.
We need to be more vocal about this.
Science goes Searching
On Christmas Day 2021 the James Webb Telescope blasted off on a journey to the L2 point, an area of space 1.5 million KM from earth, where it will spend the next few years. It is a beautiful piece of engineering and a remarkable scientific instrument that will allow us to ‘see’ the earliest stars and galaxies in the universe, as well as providing new insights on stars and structures a lot closer to home. There are those of an ignorant mindset who do not understand science and therefore do not understand the importance of this probe and what it can do, but to myself and many others, we can unlock some of the universe’s deepest secrets, and that is incredibly exciting.
Dreams
Where do I start with this?!
I have had dreams of being on country holidays and discovering rare sci-fi ships on sale at the giftshop. I’ve had a dream where I was either a mouse evading a cat or I was trying to help a mouse evade a cat (it might have even been a bit of both). I dreamt I was back in one of my office jobs but we seemed to have something to do with a dinosaur park, which may or may not have been Jurassic Park. I think my subconscious flicks between subjects when I slip in and out of being asleep, leading to some very disjointed nocturnal adventures.
I also had a dream about travelling on the London Underground, only they were rapidly building new portions of it whilst we waited on a train. Oh, and my wife and I were planning our wedding… even though we’re married.
Crazy Cars
Where I work you have to turn left as you pull out of the small car park. There’s no choice here. On the other side of the road you can pull to the right and turn into the car park, but you can’t leave that way and turn right, and turning left would put you heading into traffic. In this instance, it appears someone did indeed head into traffic, which would have been a terrifying experience for anyone heading off the roundabout and towards them! There didn’t appear to be a smash, but still, it created a bit of excitement and also a jam.
Cutting Things Out
I have taken the decision to move on from a couple of miscreants who were contributing nothing to my life, other than arguments. Since they are both utter implacable and incapable of reasoning with, is there much point in continuing to have ‘conversations’ with them? No.
My problem is that I can be argumentative and stubbornly stand my ground when facing certain types of character. I dislike ignorance and dishonesty and feel the need to confront it where I find it, but this is detrimental to me and my time. It’s better to cut such people loose, and let them rant into their echo chambers.
I wish I had more to say but it’s been a fairly slow last couple of weeks. Perhaps the next two will bring more excitement!
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