Friday 17th June 2022

Last day of the week, and the ongoing crisis that is travel expenses rolls on and on with me getting more automated messages. I get my revenge in raising two "tickets" against the system so creating automated messages of my own.

That'll learn it.

I guess the other thing this week is my merit increase at work. I mean, in these difficult times having a job is great, but with more responsibility, I pointed out to my ex-boss that all of us in our team have so much experience, so how much more than 25 years would we need togo from being a specialist to senior specialist, which is a leap in corporate level with a pay increase to match.

He could not answer me.

So there we have it. We're good enough to do the job we're doing, but not good enough to get a wage increase for doing so. The only option is either to go for a new job in the company or leave.

So, I feel quite good in myself creating these conflicts, not just accepting the shit for what it is. I have done this in meetings, which starled some of our colleagues in India who I suspect would not speak back like that to a manager.

Other than that, Friday was to be the hottest day of the year, by some margin, and again too hot to go for a walk. Too hot for work, if I'm honest. Jools was up and about early, as she was going to yoga before work, and I would sort out the bins before work, then make a second coffee and log on.

All normal stuff.

The day was full of meetings and phone calls, meaning no time for any actual work again. Which is the modern way.

On Friday I should have been going to see Dr Feelgood in concert in Dover with my friend, Peter. All was set, we had tickets and everything. On top of that, we and Peter and his wife were due to go to London for an event on Saturday, and all were looking forward to it. But on Tuesday, his Mother in Law was diagnosed with cancer. So as you can imagine, they're not going to either the gig or to London. Which is more than understandable.

Jools went shopping after work, so once I was done at two, I sat in the back garden with Scully waiting for her to return with the shopping. It was too hot to move.

Jools did return, we put the shopping away, then sat back outside sipping coffee and eating ice creams.

Living the dream.

I really didn't feel like going to the gig. The reason is that I thought Wilco Johnson was still in the band, and I wanted to see him play, but it turned out that he left the band years ago, and now none of those in the bad are actual original members.

The question I have to ask, therefore is, what is the difference in that and a "tribute" band who plays a famous band's songs?

I do the music quiz, then cook fritters and drink a large portion of a bottle of wine, and any thought of going to the show slipped out of my head. It would have been an oven in there anyway. I mean it was an oven in the house! So, we try to go to bed early, I read a bit, but it was so hot. Too hot for any cats to join me on the bed too.