Tuesday
So uneventful have my days become that I stopped keeping my work diary for a couple of weeks.
The whole upper floor is in turmoil due to the telephone research team moving upstairs. Abi Reed (who manages the telephone surveys) loud in her demands about how the desks should be organised. I tried to ignore all the noise and disruption and concentrate on the seventy e-mails I had in my in-box.
I also spent time marshaling some evidence to present at an internal meeting.
Gary (Assistant in the Reading Room downstairs) on holiday but came in with his toddler son on his shoulders. I suppose he was interested in what might be happening to the ground floor - the rumour is that it is being moved back to London. "You don't even say hello" he said accusingly to Deputy Director Marcia Walsh.
In the afternoon an e-mail from Dawn offering me some freelance work (which at the moment is generating more money than my salaried job).
Most of the afternoon I spent writing copy.
Wednesday
I slept better. When I went downstairs I found both cats asleep in the long sitting room (where the curtains were still drawn and the room dark - my brother usually opens all the curtains when he gets up at 5). Only time for a cup of tea before rushing off.
In the office the disruption continued as Telephone Surveys continued the move upstairs - "I've come over here to hide" said Karen S, sitting at the empty desk next to mine and pretending the move was nothing to do with her. She told me that the Surveys team was under a lot of pressure to get more commercial work as the Institute was facing a financial squeeze. Rumours that the ground floor is being cleared so that it can be let out.
I spent the day working on reprints.
Thursday
On the whole I think having more people upstairs has improved the atmosphere.
Friday
E-mails from Mark Griffiths at Head Office which required long replies so that I felt exhausted when I had finished them (you have to be so careful what you say).
I chatted to Karen S as we both made coffee in the kitchen area.
Then I worked on an article in the style of a short story. Not sure if it worked or not. I put it away to look at later.
A telephone call from Ashish Sharma who told me pointedly "I am advertising the Birmingham job internally next Wednesday". He is obviously offering me it (but I could not run that operation without moving to Birmingham and I have already decided not to do that). I said I would give it serious thought.
Later I thought again about the Birmingham job. It would be a step forward, and more money. Perhaps I could work at home and just go there once a week?
So uneventful have my days become that I stopped keeping my work diary for a couple of weeks.
The whole upper floor is in turmoil due to the telephone research team moving upstairs. Abi Reed (who manages the telephone surveys) loud in her demands about how the desks should be organised. I tried to ignore all the noise and disruption and concentrate on the seventy e-mails I had in my in-box.
I also spent time marshaling some evidence to present at an internal meeting.
Gary (Assistant in the Reading Room downstairs) on holiday but came in with his toddler son on his shoulders. I suppose he was interested in what might be happening to the ground floor - the rumour is that it is being moved back to London. "You don't even say hello" he said accusingly to Deputy Director Marcia Walsh.
In the afternoon an e-mail from Dawn offering me some freelance work (which at the moment is generating more money than my salaried job).
Most of the afternoon I spent writing copy.
Wednesday
I slept better. When I went downstairs I found both cats asleep in the long sitting room (where the curtains were still drawn and the room dark - my brother usually opens all the curtains when he gets up at 5). Only time for a cup of tea before rushing off.
In the office the disruption continued as Telephone Surveys continued the move upstairs - "I've come over here to hide" said Karen S, sitting at the empty desk next to mine and pretending the move was nothing to do with her. She told me that the Surveys team was under a lot of pressure to get more commercial work as the Institute was facing a financial squeeze. Rumours that the ground floor is being cleared so that it can be let out.
I spent the day working on reprints.
Thursday
On the whole I think having more people upstairs has improved the atmosphere.
Friday
E-mails from Mark Griffiths at Head Office which required long replies so that I felt exhausted when I had finished them (you have to be so careful what you say).
I chatted to Karen S as we both made coffee in the kitchen area.
Then I worked on an article in the style of a short story. Not sure if it worked or not. I put it away to look at later.
A telephone call from Ashish Sharma who told me pointedly "I am advertising the Birmingham job internally next Wednesday". He is obviously offering me it (but I could not run that operation without moving to Birmingham and I have already decided not to do that). I said I would give it serious thought.
Later I thought again about the Birmingham job. It would be a step forward, and more money. Perhaps I could work at home and just go there once a week?
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