I was on site today and my laptop bag strap gave way again. It wasn’t as bad as last time where the bag swung in a perfect parabola and slammed the PC inside into a stone stair at roughly terminal velocity. Well, it was terminal for the laptop. The hard drive died completely.
This was a little less spectacular, thought he bag did bounce and roll all the way down about 15 steps. The damage amounts to a small piece of plastic that fell off and the keyboard now seems to be raised in the middle. Strangely, the first time I powered it up afterwards the sound worked for the first time in 2 weeks. I knew it just needed a good kick.
Anyway, even if I had bust it, I couldn’t care less. See, I only need some steam-powered piece of crap to last me to January 20th. Because that’s when I start my new job.
Yup. I quit. I handed in my notice. I’m leaving SoftSols / MatrixRM / whatever-they’re-called-this-week and moving to Software Solutions Partners. Much as I really like working there… OK. Much as I like the people I work with, it’s been a dead end for the last couple of years. Nowhere to move to (with 17 staff unless I bought the company I couldn’t exactly get a promotion) and no skill base to improve on as we only sell one product. Alright, there’s this new thing they’re marketing, but it’s designed to basically be boxed and on a shelf so I’d not come near it as far as support goes.
They are insistent I work out my notice. This is fair do’s as I have to pass a lot of customer-specific details on, particularly about one client. Said client knew I was leaving before my boss did. Oops. Mind you, the reasoning went something like this:
*bring bring*
“Hello. I’m the chap from the agency. We got one reference, but the other from your previous employer came back ‘no longer at this address’. Can you get us another one?”
I thought for all of two seconds. “Would a reference from a customer I’ve worked with for over three years do?”
“Sure – would they give you one?”
“Hang on…Ray? Would you write me a reference?”
He said yes, gave me a very nice reference indeed and I got the job. So I could hardly not tell him. Thing is, this very customer went mental when he found out that the sales guy he’d been dealing with for years left the company. It wasn’t so much that Mike left, it’s the fact that we deliberately withheld this information for ages until eventually someone told him. I just pre-empted this and made sure I was honest with a guy who I’ve grown to respect a hell of a lot over three years.
But anyway. I have a new job. Lalalalalala.
I have also test-driven the new C4 (nice) and have a Subaru Legacy sat in the driveway that I have on 24-hour test until tomorrow afternoon (annoyingly disappointing). I’m also toying with looking at the Focus (old one so I can get it cheap and loaded with toys) and a few others. Suggestions? I don’t know what my limit is car-wise, though no “sports” cars and no soft-tops. And I prefer a hatchback.
About bloody time too. Some of us have been hearing you whine about your job for ooooh, 4 years? 😉 (It´ll be my turn tomorrow!)
As for a car, get one that doesn´t guzzle petrol like anybody´s business.
If money´s no object, then the Toyota Prius is dead cool and KITT-like – computer console and everything. Otherwise, the Daewoo Matiz is cheap, and highly manouevrable.
Although leather has its uses (mmm… wipe clean), I prefer fabric. And I also tend to go for the extra doors that a hatch gives me. The C4 coupe has crap visibility out the back, and the few other coupes I’ve tried have been the same. I guess it’s something you get used to.
Megane is on the list to be test-driven and considered!
Andy – happy birthday. The Prius is ****, which is one reason you won’t see me near it. It’s expensive, huge, horrible to drive and gets less miles per gallon than my Golf. A VW Polo diesel will do twice the mileage, costs a third to a quarter as much and doesn’t look as bad.
I just finished a 25-hour test drive in a Subaru Legacy and that’s definitely off the list. Rattles, squeaks and no acceleration at all.
Current top of the list is the Citroen C4 diesel hatch because of the toys, and because the equivalent petrol is only available as an automatic (spit). I’m also looking at the Astra, Mazda 6, Focus… I’ve got a month before I start. Plenty of time.
As far as I’m aware it’s only 3-door and I prefer 5. I also don’t like the shape as much as mine, and the interior sucks. Mind, I’d toy with the R32… But only because it goes like **** off a shovel.
Auto. Ick. If god (assuming he/she/it/them existed) meant us to drive autos then we’d not have left feet or left hands.
Cheers for that Chris. As it stands, I get a hire car when I start – I assume at that time they also discuss with me what cars I can have, etc.
So far I’ve just tried the Subaru and the C4. I’ve got information on the Vauxhalls, Mazda6 and Megane so far and will be looking to test drive them. The Focus is on the list, but I fear I may be too late to get a good deal on an old one.
Congrats on the job Mosh. Onward and upward eh?
Congrats…..
Car Megane 225 if you want fast and cute……
Congratulations on the new job – seems to be that time of year 🙂
On the car front, I just bought meself one of those Focus Edge things they’ve been advertising like crazy for the last few months, and they’re really jolly good – especially seeing as, at the moment, they’re actually cheaper than the Zetec Focus they’re based on (I got a new 1.6 16v 3door hatch with metallic paint for a smidgeon over 10k). They’re not the most exciting cars in the world to look at, but they’re a brilliant drive and, as you say, you can get stack of extras for cheap because it’s end-of-line.
Congratulations on the new job! Hope the new one gave you a big fat pay rise!
Carwise – I have a nice Renault Megane coupe, bright yellow to match my hair, 2 litre, leather interior, lush! Remember those adverts about 5 years ago of the little girl with red hair, waiting for the bell tor ing? Slade in the background? That’s me, that is!!!!
Congratulations on the new job, may the new year bring you lots more pleasurable moments 😉
Cramlington has absolutely nowt going for it. I have the misfortune to live there!
Hey Andy… can you really see Mosh in a Prius? lol
I could toy with an Audi A3 as well… but it’s only a Golf. Or vice versa. If you take the hub caps off a Golf, you can see the Audi logo stamped into the axle!
I test drove a Megane and really didn’t like it. The acceleration was strange – it overrevved far too easily, but then didn’t do anything with the power once you engaged the clutch. The brakes were *way* too sensitive – every gentle touch of the bakes turned into an emergency stop – and the handling was imprecise and unpleasant. Okay, true, it looks great and it’s got loads of gadgets inside, but Renault seem to have put all their time and effort into those rather than into making it a nice car to drive. I test drove the Megane Sport Hatch 1.6 Dynamique and the Focus Edge 1.6 Zetec on the same day, and the Focus was so much of a better drive it wasn’t even funny.
It was Morpeth… as if I’d go out in Cramlington!
lol, Yellow Megane Coupe… *blushes*
Meet me in that pub round the corner after 9pm wearing the nice fishnet stuff and I’m sure it will be 😉
Of course, as I have no idea where you live it’ll take me a bloody age to find exactly which pub so bear with me. I may be some time.
Nuthing wrong with automatics :o)
I have one of those semi auto ‘boxes in mine, works a treat.
Oh, and Caz, the company I’m going to work for sells insurance brokerage software…
Oh, I forgot to mention. When I handed in my letter of resignation, my boss said “well, what do you want me to do? Spend half an hour haggling and seeing what I can do to keep you?”
“Only if you have a desire to waste 30 minutes you’ll never get back again.”
Ohhh Congrats hun 🙂
let me know if they need any insurance *is getting into her new sales mode* 🙂
Sending sympathy to Maggielizzieannie 🙂
Sharon – yellow Megane… would that be the one where the owner discovered mysterious bonnet damage after one of your nights out in Cramlington?
Vauxhall? No! Run away! Don’t touch! Not even with a really long pole!
(unless it’s the VX220 or that Australian thing, neither of which are actually Vauxhalls, and as a result are actually quite good despite having a Vauxhall badge on the front)
IIRC, the Mazda 6 is basically just a Mondeo with a different bodyshape (same as the Mazda 3 is just the new Focus). You might like to look at Mondeos too – a bit dull, perhaps, but damned good cars nonetheless. And Fords really do handle better than anything else out there.
yayy – Anni, speaking as a fellow yellow car driver (Peugeot 306 convertible with black leather seats mmmm – goes well with the purple hair) – isn’t it easy to find in car parks as everyone else goes for the more boring end of the colour spectrum!
I’m particularly fond of driving around with the top down (the CAR’s top before you ask) in the summer on a boiling hot day (so not often then) and playing Bananarama annoyingly loudly – heeheehee
yayy – new job AND Xmas excitement all at the same time – it’s too much, I canna take it any more captain…
Car-wise – I like Peugeots, but then I’m weird so what the hey…
You in a faster car than you have… eek *runs off to buy health care package and sick bags*
You know how I feel, but going to say it again to pee you off… CONGRATULATIONS babe 🙂
How about the new Golf that they had on Top Gear? Or would that be too good to have toys?