Tag: life

Life updates

~ e.v. ~ Leave a comment

I haven’t written here for too long. It’s the usual update – dog takes up all my time and energy, when he’s asleep I go to sleep too. Well, sometimes.

I’ve had the week off this week and have been spending a lot of time with him. He is amazing and I love him. He’s also a total pain who wants to run around and jump at me all the time, and my hands are covered in little scratches and tooth marks, but that’s OK and we’re working on it. He’s such a lovely little dog when he’s just padding around the house. He looks like a little bear.

He hasn’t enjoyed the fireworks. He’s OK with them when he’s inside, but getting him outside is difficult, which interferes with his toileting (as he’s very reluctant to go inside the house now – shouldn’t complain, but it’s not ideal for him to hold it). We’ve had fireworks every night for four nights in a row now, which I think is quite ridiculous and I really wish we could ban firework sales to individuals.

In other news… I have a stomach upset 🤔 Again! I think it might be spaghetti carbonara. I stopped eating spaghetti bolognese because the sauce is too much for my stomach (all the acid from the tomatoes, probably) and switched to carbonara thinking it would be better, but this is the second time I’ve had an upset stomach after eating it, so maybe not. It’s not as bad as last time, but I saw the signs and switched to an extremely boring chicken + rice diet (like my dog!) so that may have softened the blow.

So I’m back at work next week. Work annoyed me last week. My manager asked me to create some fake data in the system to display some charts for a demo. So I did. Then on Thursday morning the managing director called me into a meeting to complain that it wasn’t what he’d asked for. The problem was that he had created this data with no thought to how it would actually look when plugged into our charting system. What he actually wanted were completely different charts, but that is not what I was asked to do, nor was it realistic for the timeframe. He didn’t even tell my manager that he’d called me. I don’t deal with the managing director much, but when I do I always come away with a bad impression of him. So in some ways I’m not looking forward to work again tomorrow, but in other ways I feel like I have more important things (dog) in my life to worry about instead. It’s just a job.

Doggies

~ e.v. ~ 2 Comments

I never realised that having a puppy would be so much work. You see well behaved dogs out for walks, trotting alongside their owners with perfect behaviour. You don’t see all the training that goes into making a dog walk on a lead without attacking it. Or when they decide that what they really want to do is flip their water bowl upside down, while still full of water. Or the hours spent walking in circles around the garden while he searches for the perfect place to poo, because apparently it’s extremely important that you sniff the entire garden four times before deciding, except you also have a really short attention span so you might get distracted by a really tasty looking piece of grass along the way and then have to start over.

He always looks so calm and well behaved in photos. Trust me, he’s not.

He had his second round of vaccinations on Friday, so next weekend we can start taking him out. Chunky boy here now weighs 4.6kg, which is up from 3.9 only a couple of weeks ago. The vet didn’t seem concerned anyway, but I’m not sure if we’re overfeeding him… The breeder (or more likely, her young daughter) nicknamed him “Mr Chonk” because he was the biggest of the litter. But once we can take him out for walks he’ll be burning off more calories.

I don’t know how you tell if a dog is fat. For one thing he’s a crossbreed, so there’s a lot of randomness as to exactly what his genetics are so he doesn’t have a known ideal ‘shape’, and for another, most of what you see is fur.

We gave him the second dose of a ‘deworming’ tablet today. We did the first dose two weeks ago, and it made him completely crazy. He took it at about 11 in the morning and spent all afternoon totally hyperactive, barking, growling and generally worrying us because he seemed agitated and wouldn’t settle. We googled it and apparently it’s not a medically recognised side effect but plenty of people on forums talk about it. Others say it can’t possibly be the tablet because it’s not a known side effect. After having the second dose today, he was exactly the same again. So, yep, it’s the tablet. He’s supposed to have it done again in two weeks but we’ll have to ask to use a different medicine.

Doggos

~ e.v. ~ 3 Comments

So we went to see the lady about the cockapoo puppies and we have put down a deposit on a little puppy who is black with three white paws.

Unexpectedly, I feel very nervous and unsettled about it now. The problem is that I had a lot of allergies in the evening after we visited. So naturally my brain decided that I’m allergic to dogs, even though this was hours later and I was fine while I was there. Actually I’m allergic to something in the air around this time of year, possibly mold spores. It happens every single year. It’s been bad all week. I’ve been taking anti histamines most days this week to try to keep it under control. My parents are complaining about it too, so it’s not just me. Even my mum, who usually isn’t very affected by this kind of thing. I don’t think I’m allergic to dogs, but I’ve never lived with one, so as it’s suddenly popped into my head I am worrying about it. My dad’s aunt used to have a dog when I was a child. Unfortunately we never used to visit her often, because she lived hundreds of miles away, but I definitely spent some time with her dog and in her house and I didn’t have any problems. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

We have been busy trying to get everything ready. We have a little pen set up in the corner of the living room now, we just have a few more things we need to get before we go and collect him next weekend.

I hope he will be happy here, but he’ll be scared and confused at first. A little 8 week old puppy separated from his litter mates and his mother… it’s going to be tough for the little guy to start with. I think I’ll be sleeping in the living room next to his pen for a few nights so that he’s not completely alone… I thought about having him sleep in my room to begin with, but it’s probably too confusing for him. We want him to feel that space in the living room is his little area, so we don’t really want to be moving him around. I think we need to keep things simple and consistent for him, at least until he gets used to us.

Assuming everything is ready, we’re going to pick him up next Sunday…

Constants

~ e.v. ~ 1 Comment

After much anticipation, my current job matched the offer of the new job and also gave me a title promotion (Senior Developer). I accepted. It felt right. I’m happy with that.

I guess I’ve had a thing about feeling valued because of my last job. I think that being treated poorly there has made me focus a lot more on making sure that I’m getting a good deal. I’m also really pleased that now if they ever contact me, I’ll be able to tell them they can’t afford me!

I feel so exhausted now, tonight. It’s felt like several weeks of stress and maybe that’s catching up with me. I don’t really feel like the tablets have been doing much for the past few weeks.

Games

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I thought about it. The thing that gives me pause about the new job is the hours. 40 hours a week vs 37.5. It’s not much per week but it adds up to an extra 3 weeks working per year. The salary more than covers it though. That’s really the only downside. About the current job, I’m busy but in general find it stress free. There are occasional exceptions, but they are not the norm. We had a meeting on Wednesday (before I handed in my notice) and the MD said he wasn’t expecting to get everyone back in the office full time. So, really, if it wasn’t for the salary shenanigans, I wouldn’t be considering moving.

I feel like we are playing silly games with the salary. When I gave my notice, the reaction was very much “oh, you want more money? Why didn’t you say?”. Well, I did, and it still wasn’t competitive? Then they’re shocked when I get a better offer and leave 🤷 Like, really, you’ve been running a company for 20 years and you didn’t know that people leave when they’re underpaid? Don’t give me this rubbish.

I have some distrust over these shenanigans, but overall no other bad feelings right now. So I think the outcome really depends on how the MD handles it tomorrow and what he actually offers. If I feel he’s continuing to play games then I’m better off elsewhere, otherwise let’s see exactly how the two offers compare.

Drama

~ e.v. ~ 2 Comments

I handed in my notice and apparently sent a few people into a panic. My timing was terrible, as the MD was out so couldn’t handle it, but instead got my manager and the (I don’t know his job title? but he’s kind of the second in command) to discuss it. They both seem to think the MD will give a counter offer.

Anyway, the MD is going to review it over the weekend and get back to me on Monday. I’m not really sure what to expect with this. Despite my manager’s optimism, the MD has consistently low balled me when it comes to pay. On the other hand, he’d be silly not to match the offer, because it is the going rate for my level of skill, and hiring is hard and my departure leaves the company quite understaffed.

But am I open to counter offers? A few days ago I said I wasn’t, but if they do match the salary then I’m not sure my case for leaving and starting a new job is so compelling anymore. The MD also laid out a few days ago that he wasn’t expecting to go back to full time in the office, which was also a big fear of mine. So if the salary is equal, the main points are the hours (37.5 currently vs 40 in the new job) and the tech (more modern, CV friendly in the new job). Well, and the stress and risk of starting a new job.

I suppose I need to decide on my thresholds and see what Monday brings.

Happenings

~ e.v. ~ 2 Comments

I’m not at all happy with the weather the past few days. I tried running this morning and it was absolutely horrible.

Parkrun is back at the weekend but I don’t think I’ll be doing it. The COVID case numbers are shooting up very quickly, which puts me off. It seems like Parkrun has promised to return a number of times and then didn’t, but ironically now it looks like they’re actually going to do it, it’s happening at a time when there’s a higher chance of contracting COVID than any time previously.

I phoned the recruiter and said I was happy to progress. The next stage is to wait for the employer to send everything through. I’m not used to such a slow process! And it’s playing on my anxiety. Apparently they do some kind of background checking. The recruiter told me there would be a credit check (why?!) and a criminal record check. I’ve never had to deal with this for a job before so I don’t know what to expect. From my research it appears it will be the basic DBS check, because my role is not eligible for the standard or enhanced checks.

But since I’ve never done this and don’t know what to expect then I guess I should wait until this clears before actually handing in my notice? Obviously, I’m worrying I’ll fail the background check despite there being no reason I should. I’m worrying about references too. I’m sure my current employer will be fine, but the previous one… I have low expectations of them. I keep telling myself that they would gain nothing by starting a fight with me and potentially exposing themselves to a hefty lost earnings lawsuit, but eh. What if they just refused to give a reference? Thanks, anxiety.

Have a little faith

~ e.v. ~ 2 Comments

So, they have offered it to me after all. The recruiter phoned me Friday afternoon. I’ve said I’ll think about it over the weekend, but I’m pretty happy.

The only downside is the 40 hours vs 37.5, but as it’ll be mostly remote I’m OK with that. Everything else is either the same or better. A big thing is that they are using more modern technology, meaning I’ve solved the problem I would have if I stayed here for a few years, which is that the technology we use is rapidly approaching legacy status if it hasn’t got there already. The treadmill of technology…

I’m pleased with the salary. My employer gave me a 5% pay rise recently, and only because I complained that I hadn’t had one for over a year and a half (after being contractually promised a review after six months). He said (very unnecessarily) that most other companies weren’t doing pay rises with the uncertainty of the pandemic and he assured me that the raise he gave me was ahead of the average. The new job is a 23% raise.

The thing that stands out for me is that when I interviewed there, he asked how much I was making and then told me I was underpaid and offered a small raise over that. I’m sure he thinks this saves him money, but how much is it going to cost to replace me? Far more than what he’s saved. Whereas this new job didn’t ask how much I was making, they just made an offer based on their perception of my value.

So next week it will be formalised and I’ll give my notice. I’m not sure if my employer will counter-offer. I’d like to think they would, but they’re going to look a bit silly suddenly magicking up some extra money that supposedly wasn’t there before. Like Theresa May’s magic money tree. I think that they’ve burnt my trust enough on the financial side that I’m not open to counter-offers. Plus, the new job’s experience will be more valuable for my long term career value.

Uncertainty…

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I’ve had no interview feedback today which surprises me. Pretty much every time I’ve come out of an interview thinking they’ll offer it to me, they do indeed offer it to me and usually very quickly afterwards. I feel a bit unsettled to have not heard anything. However, it is a larger firm than I’m used to dealing with and large firms tend to move slower.

I don’t think I actually mind whether or not I get the job. If I get every job I go for then that just means I’m not aiming high enough. And equally, I’m not in a rush and this job isn’t perfect. If I don’t get it, there will be another comparable one along at some point. Either outcome is fine.

And yet I have been quite stressed again today. I’ve also been very hungry. Since I haven’t been running much lately I haven’t been getting hungry, but I guess anxiety will do that too.

I’ve been trying to force my body to relax a bit more. I spent the afternoon working on my laptop…. while laying in bed. It helps!

Changing plans

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I ended up cancelling the gambling company interview. I wasn’t that struck on them to start with, but I went through the Glassdoor interview reviews and that put me off more. There were a couple of reviews for the same level of position saying they’d been asked to do a week long task for free and then been rejected after doing it. Yeah, no.

So anyway….

I tried running in my new insoles yesterday and it was not a great experience. I am still getting slight numbness, even after barely running for the past few weeks, which is much worse than this has been in the past. Even with the insoles. I’m not sure if they’re helping at all, because the support is towards the back of the shoe, but if I’m pronating at the very last stage then my heel is already off the ground at that point. The other thing is that even after a fairly short run, the skin on my big toe was really sore. I have a callous down the side of it (probably from pronating), but this felt like a blister was forming underneath it. I’m not sure what that means…