WORK!!!!

Can I just say before I begin that I will get those photos to you, I promise!!! I have a whole bunch that I am getting reprinted and I will post them out in the next couple of weeks (Joseph pics included).

So, I'll never ever complain about only having a couple of hours to myself in the morning to get my chores done again whilst Luke is at preschool. I have never been so bloody knackered in my life, really. How can getting a nice innocent part time job leave me so shredded mentally and physically? Hmmmm, reckon it goes a little bit like this .....

My friend at the recruitment agency I used to work at called me a month ago and said "Paula, are you still thinking of getting some part time work?" "Yes, defininitely" I replied, "Oh fabulous, this company in Runcorn are looking for someone 5 mornings a week to do some general admin in their Technical Dept, what do you think?" "Send my CV" I unwittingly replied. Cool, 8.30 till 12.30 5 mornings a week, just doing some light admin work, home for the afternoon, loads of time with Luke to do stuff. Can't really get better than that can you? I thought ..... allow me to continue .....

So, I went for the interview, I was slightly hindered by the fact that I had a really dreadful sinus infection, a cough that sounded like a backed up toilet (really not pleasant) and a cold sore up my right nostril that looked ever so alarmingly like a hard piece of snot trying to poke out. It was snowing really bad outside, the temp was - 4 and I had heels on that were making me walk like a well dressed penguin. The receptionist was really lovely, a nice comforting looking woman who tried hard not to be alarmed when I wheezed my name at her and then settled into a coughing fit that could only be stopped by sucking hard on my asthma inhaler and taking deep breaths. The girl who was interviewing me came out to greet me, I say "girl" as that is what she was as opposed to "woman", I was half expecting to have to sing the "alphabet song" as part of my interview questions. She was a very young looking 26 years, dressed in baby pink with very blonde hair, no make up and on her feet she had what I can only describe as pink pumps. So, I had the interview, and I really wasn't interested in the position after her telling me about the job. It sounded way too full on for what I was looking for, it was raising purchase orders on SAP which I have never used before, organising travel arrangements for Engineers, booking accommodation, sorting out time sheets etc etc etc. The kind of thing that if I was childless and looking for a full time job that I wanted to get my teeth into I would go for, but I just wanted something that I could do for a few hours a day and go home and forget about. I realised at one point that I was actually resting my head on my hand, so I convinced myself that I didn't stand a chance at all of getting the job, I realised I hadn't been at my best and my answers weren't the usual "punchy" one's that I give. Guess what, they loved me, thought I was so organised and professional ....????!!!!! So, I took the job.

I started two weeks ago, it is soooooo full on. Really incredibly hard learning a new job on part time hours, especially as there is so much to learn. The girl who is teaching me the job is full time and it is to relieve her of most of the admin to free her up to do other stuff (hmmm). The office is the Technical Service Dept (it is an Instrumentation company) and I shall be diplomatic here, but they aren't the most friendly bunch of people I have ever met, but it is early days so I shall give them the benefit of the doubt.

I have to get up at 5.30 in the morning to mobilise Lukey Sam, he has to be in nursery for 8.00 and then I collect him after his lunch at 1.00pm. Trouble is I leave work at 12.30 to collect him, then we go home so I can eat and then spend the afternoons doing all the stuff I used to do in the mornings so the poor little sod is knackered and we don't really have our quality time together during the week. I really miss it so much.

The job is a 3 month contract (with a view to being longer) so I'm hoping that maybe after three months I can get something that isn't so full on and possibly for a couple of full days a week so that it will free me up for the rest of the week to spend time with Luke doing fun things.

I did go for a job a couple of months ago that would have been perfect, it was for a software company doing research for their internet sites. Problem was though that the woman interviewing me had a dreadful cold and I twice picked up her snotty tissue off the floor and gave it back to her (don't ask me, haven't a clue why I did it). I think I scared her a bit, didn't get the job.

So, there you go, that's me for the next few months. Has taught me though not to take time with Luke for granted, they are only little once aren't they.