Friday the 13th

Incase you didn't know, this Friday is no ordinary Friday - it's Friday the 13th. I don't usually believe in all that bad luck malarky. I don't look out for four leaf clovers and I certainly don't carry around a rabit's foot or a horse shoe (what's the deal with all the feet??) Let alone touching wood. I mean it's touching wood. Seriously, how is that going to help?

BUT. I can't help feeling a sense of impending doom as this Friday the 13th of ALL Fridays, I have to give a presentation to the Board and Chief Exec. AND I have to drive up to Milton Keynes to do it. Why can't they come to meeee?

I'm pretty nervous, although Mr Chief Exec (he's a newbie) was in the office the other day and agreed with me that we should change the working week to two days on, five days off. So I think it'll all be alright.

To block, or not to block...

There are two types of companies. Those that block facebook, and those that embrace it. Oh yeah, and those that allow you to use your 'quota time' minutes to login to it. Pah. (I'm currently working in the latter environment).

I think it's a big mistake for organisations to start blocking these kinds of websites. Sure, go ahead and block the porn, but don't take away my social networks!! Although it's generally the view that by blocking certain websites staff productivity will increase (oh I've seen the graphs), I disagree.

We'll find a way to waste time. We'll chat. We'll go for a little walk. We'll make 10 cups of tea in a day. We'll then go to the bathroom just as many times. We all need a break away from work every now and then, even if it's just 5 minutes to check your webmail (yeah that's been blocked too!!!)

Instead of blocking potential distracting websites, companies need to embrace them. Set up a blog, create a wiki for your team, start a facebook group for your staff, get linkedin. Give employees a way to communicate and engage with each other beyond board meetings and group emails.

Otherwise they'll just end up pointlessly ranting about it on their anonymous blog like me.

So that's my mission in my new job. To turn around a whole organisation's way of thinking and help them see that the web really isn't that scary after all.

Let the battle between IT and Marketing begin! (eek)

In at the deep end

Today was my first day in my new job - and yes, I did swear a few times at idiot drivers who don't know how to indicate or stay in their lane - but overall, it was definitely a much needed breath of fresh air.

As with any new job, I have definitely experienced information overload today. So I've just been making like a sponge and going with the flow.

Although I do think I've been thrown in at the deep end a bit. Tomorrow I have to be at work at 8.30 to attend an external meeting with my Director, in place of the Head of Marketing and Comms. Eek. This also involves an hour long car journey to and from the meeting with the Director - that's two whole hours people! Bigger EEK.

Hum...bring it on!

And then we came to the end

So that's it. It's all over.

As of today, I no longer work in the city. No more hour long journeys travelling to and from work in the make shift sauna that is the tube.

Although my lovely work chums did buy me a copy of The Piccadilly Line: An Illustrated History, so I will never really forget the fun times me and the old purple line had over the last one and half years.

I packed up my Whack It and was on my way!

And now I have four long days to start getting nervous about my new job...eek.

My last week: The countdown begins...

This is it. My last week working in the city has finally arrived. After a year and half of regularly complaining about the tube, the people on the tube, tube advertising - generally ALL THINGS TUBE - I can finally hang up (er, or remove from my wallet) my Oyster Card.

Yep, as of next Monday, my world will no longer look quite so much like this:



Courtesy of www.staynl.com.

But despite all my moaning, I think there are definitely some things I will miss about working in London (after the haze of B.O. and tube rage has lifted):

1. Being able to pop out at midday and choose from a wide range of worldwide foods for lunch.



2. Being able to meet up with friends who also work in London and are a short tube hop away.



3. Being able to stop at the giant Topshop on my way home from work.



4. Being able to go out for a quick drink after work at any number of bars that are on our doorstep.

So it's not all bad, I will be (a little bit) sad to leave...and I'm sure all this will kick in once I've settled into my new job. But for now, leafy 'burbs here I come!

Ever feel like you're having one of those days?

StickGirl in the suburbs

Ok so there is a reason for the launch of my 'city vs suburbs' poll - which, by the way, has only been taken by one person. And it doesn't even really count because that person was me. Boo.

The reason being: I am moving to the suburbs!

Well not really, but my new job means I'll be going there every day. At the moment I live in on the edges of the London - not quite green enough to describe it as the 'leafy 'burbs', and not really exciting enough to call it the 'buzzing city'. A city/suburb limbo seems to fit the bill more correctly.

Anyway, all this tube rage has started to get a bit much. So I thought it's time to try out road rage. Yep, as of next month I will be driving through pleasant scenery (OK, the A30) to get to my new job.

At least now my rage can be contained inside my car, instead of just inside me. Hooray!