Taking my finger off the self-destruct button

poorbutrich

Wordsmith wrote: »

Oh, dear. I don’t know what I should have done in this situation … We have a chap, in his early forties, I’d say, who can’t read or write. When he comes in for his Jobseeker’s I have to witness his mark. Well, he was one of the few men in the village who ever bought Penth*use – our one and only top shelf mag. (Probably other people in the village did buy it, but they wouldn’t go to their local shop to do so.)

[One month he came in and bought a second copy of an issue I knew he already had – boss thinks he just didn’t know it was a different one, my imagination thought other things.:eek:]

We stopped selling the mag a few months ago, but he would still come in looking. He’s just been in and bought a women’s magazine – women as in recipes, diet and knitting patterns. Now, he might really want to crochet a baby’s shawl, but as it was actually two mags bundled together I rather suspect he was taken in by the plastic wrapper. I was in an agony of indecision – should I let him buy it and find out when he was, ahem, alone, or should I shout out “That’s not !!!!!!, Patrick, put it back!”? I let him go ahead and buy it, and now can’t stop thinking of the huge disappointment he is facing.

Perhaps the women's mag was for someone else - I hope he gave her the correct one :rotfl:

poorbutrich

Wordsmith wrote: »

A man I admired and respected died yesterday morning after a particularly nasty illness. I haven’t seen him for some time but knew the time was imminent. There were lots of issues surrounding the situation, which I can’t go into here as they don’t directly involve me, but which heighten the tragedy of the loss. It has made me immensely sad.

Spurred on by this unhappy event, I made one of my promised phone calls last night to a very dear, elderly friend. My ex-father-in-law, in fact. He was very pleased to hear from me and it was so lovely to talk to him. It was only a few months ago that I saw him (at my dad’s funeral), but I can’t believe it has been so long since I picked up the phone to chat. Sometimes I wonder if I don’t speak to people because I feel something of a failure … and yes, I do know what I would say to someone if they said that to me! It is also something to do with getting bogged down with things and not noticing time pass – which really is just self-indulgent and selfish. But having talked to my friend last night, I do feel that whatever the stumbling block was it has been overcome as long as I make a point of ringing again in a couple of weeks. So, a big (stupid, unnecessary) hurdle overcome. On to the next friend I owe a call to big time …

Really sorry to hear about the death of your friend. Horrible news, but at least you got one good thing out of it; contacting someone else that you're close to. Last year, I moved back to my current part of the world and kept meaning to go and see an incredible elderly lady that I knew. She was a well-known author, painter, polyglot and won an award for bravery during the war, and was a complete inspiration to me. Of course, life gets in the way, and I remember seeing her obituary in the paper and being utterly furious with myself for constantly procrastinating.
Hope you're ok - you've had such awful luck recently.

DDpimp

Hi Word, finaly found your diary and I have been noseying through, First off condolances on your friends passing (but at least you had them in your life) Just thought I would let you know I was a chef for just over a decade but fell out of love with it (in fact i dispise it) and have run and owned my own restaurant for a couple of years.Running your own business can be hellish as I am aware, it's just the endless grind of thing's that got to me.Well I poped by to say hi and wish you well in all your endevoures.

Wordsmith

Thanks for calling in DDpimp. Running your own restaurant must be a nightmare. I know both chefs and restaurant owners. They spend all summer working long and unsociable hours and all winter wondering how they are going to survive until summer.

DDpimp

Ye it is hellish to say the least, thats why i refuse to enter a kitchen again.Worst of all as soon as people know that you have done this in a career they always say "Oh!! cool you can cook" or "How do you do this?" It realy gets on my nerves;) Ye but in Thiland its even harder and not just due to the language barrier.I honestly would'nt give the slightest concideration to entering the catering industry in this country at all, it has been butchered(excuse pun) to death, only real way is to offer something new or of supreme quality.I had an idea to set up a roti stall but found it way to problamatic when considering the insurance and so on.

Well I hope you are well and have a good day,

Regards DDpimp

Wordsmith

Brian is in hospital! Most unusually for me, I was feeling unwell on Tuesday and went home early, which was lucky because while there Brian got attacked by a big cat (that's a ginger farm moggy, not the rarely seen West Coast tiger). He came in limping, but he's pulled a muscle in that leg (his particularly bad one from his mishap when tiny) and rest has put it right again. But by yesterday morning he couldn't put any weight on it and was hopping around on three legs - and since his back legs are out of proportion to his front legs, this meant that he was spinning round in circles most of the time. As an aside, I find this odd, because a three-legged stool can't wobble, whereas a four-legged one can. I shut him in the house in the morning because I had to go to training client's - with all the windows firmly shut because there is another big cat (that's a black and white farm moggy, not the rarely seen West Coast tiger) that comes in sometimes to terrorise my two and drag bags of dog food around so it is strewn all around the house. When I got back he was obviously in a lot of pain, so off we went to the vet.

The vet didn't have much to say about the leg, but he did want to chop Brian's nuts off. Brian was lying on the table going, "But it's my leg, it's my LEG", but to no avail - the gonads are going to go. While he's under anaesthetic, the vet is going to xray the leg, but he doesn't think it's broken. There does appear to be an abcess there though. Because the leg is weak anyway, this is a bit of a worry, but we shall have to see how things go this afternoon.

And we shall have to see how much it is going to cost. At least a hundred euros, I suspect.

miggy

I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend, Wordsmith, all the more in that there were other issues. I do think you've done well, though, bringing good out of the loss by contacting someone else and renewing that friendship. You remind me that there are a few people I would to well to get back in touch with, especially as my rota has settled down to best-part predictable so I can make plans.
LOL about Brian - I am guessing he's a dog but at first (sleepy brain) I thought of a teenager (sleeping in someone else's car...)! Just like a teenager, though, he'll know where there's a 'proper' meal and a warm bed (apart from the car, that is).
Am off to make a contaact list, inspired by your example.

Edit: I wrote the above and cross posted with you - I wasn't laughing at poor Brian for his poorly leg, just for his trying to leave home. Hope he perks up soon and, er, doesn't feel you've added insult to injury! It will be all for the good if the vet recommends it. Sorry about the effect on the finances, though, I hope Brian is suitably subdued and doesn't cost you any extra for a bit.

DDpimp

My untmost deepest simpathys go out to Brian, from one male to another,Im so sorry mate.

beanielou

Hope the vet bill isent too big & Brian is on the mend soon.

miggy

How is Brian, Worsdmith? Did they keep him in?