ADs take the National Express when their lives' in a mess, it will make them smile

[BogRollBOGOF]

🎤On the National Express
There’s a jolly hostess
Giving porridge free
She’ll provide you with shots
amaretto or what
You like to seeeeee...

Going out was in style
Now we’re stuck in this aisle
Dream of being free
And it’s hard to get by
When your arse is the size
Of the furlough feeeeeee🎤

Bah ba ba la
Bah ba ba la

Tomorrow belongs to meee...

Welcome to the 17:38 to freedom, stopping at virtual hugs, critical discourse, and random tangents along the way. ETA unknown...

At least with all those precautions, sense kicked in about isolating!

It was really tough trying to be strict with distancing the Brownies when we were F2F, especially when they're next to their best mate in their class at school, but it was to protect all the pod from having to isolate.

@Reedwarbler
Re Boris /self-isolation, antibodies & vaccines.
From my limited understanding, they're not sure how long the antibodies last, so Boris could get it again, or pass it on. As he had it in April/May he could have lost his antibodies by now.

I think some of the vaccines don't rely on the body making antibodies, they work in a different way?? As I say, not an expert so that's badly explained.

If Boris hadn't self-isolated it wouldn't look good. Though I bet he won't have the dilemma of having to nip to the Westminster Tesco Express if Wilfred runs out of nappies.

Anyone still up?
Not covid or dementor related but I feel im having some kind of panic attack about going into work tomorrow. There's a situation that's developed and I am at the end of my tether with it.

@LivinLaVidaLoki Im here. Im more of a night owl than an early bird.

@LivinLaVidaLoki
I should be in bed but am also worrying about work tomorrow.

What helps you to switch off a bit? Is there anything you can concentrate on to distract yourself?

@LivinLaVidaLoki

Anyone still up? Not covid or dementor related but I feel im having some kind of panic attack about going into work tomorrow. There's a situation that's developed and I am at the end of my tether with it.

Exercise, get the adrenalin moving along. Dance to some daft music, then if you have netflix, amazon prime, go to bed put that on with headphones and watch listen to something familiar that will relax you.

Hi, @LivinLaVidaLoki

Put your worries into a box until 9am tomorrow. You can deal with them then.

If you have the Insight Timer app (loads of free meditations) go to the sleep bit and listen to a soothing Bedtime Tale.

Will it matter in a years time, five years, ten years. No it will not to put it into perspective.

Thanks @MercyBooth.
For the first time in my career I actually can't face "going in" tomorrow.

Long story short, my boss is a dick who's lack of knowledge in the field we work is astounding. I constantly have to carry him.

There is one element of my work that comes from another manager and its totally separate to my day to day stuff. This manager is difficult but we generally do ok. Or so I thought.

A while ago this piece of work was going to expand but my manager didn't tell me until after the first part was due. Other manager kicked off at me about it being late.

I explained that I hadn't been given the work until x date. She didn't seem to believe me.

I asked my manager to straighten it out so he sent an email to her explaining. He cc'd me in so I could see it had been done. However this email was a response to another she had sent and on reading the email trail the pair of them were bitching about my work on this project.

I calmly responded stating that there have been ample opportunities to raise any quality issues with me to enable me to address them etc etc.

He responded that he's no issue at all with my work and was just trying to diffuse her and the situation in a managers meeting.

So basically he threw me under the bus to get her off his case.

Now I'm meeting with her about this project knowing exactly what she thinks of me, knowing whatever I do won't be good enough and that she's been piping up in managers meetings with other service managers I work with about this too.

And I've nowhere to go with it as it seems the spineless, useless arse wouldn't back me up if my life depends on it.

My core work is for looked after children, mainly the 12 to 18 (residential and supported accommodation cohort) and in that I excel. I've done some excellent work that has made huge differences to these children and young people, but its this other bit. I just can't stand the idea of continuing with this woman and being completely unsupported by my manager.

Wow so many responses.
Thank you. I think I've used up my adrenaline today. I've body combatted for an hour, baked a Christmas cake, cleaned my house and done my laundry. I'm pooped.
I have tried reading, my usual go to when I can't sleep (got some not too hard on the brainers specifically for that purpose) but my mind still wanders.
Id usually talk to DH but he's asleep hes been unwell most of today.

Write it down then use one of the distraction techniques.

I have to put the DCs to bed with youtube yoga music going to deactivate them. Their weighted blankets are good if you can keep them horzontal for more than 5 minutes. Maybe some presure from an extra blanket might be grounding and comforting.

If I'm having a disturbed night, I find it good to count the hours in a OK, 6 hours until morning... Oh good, I have 4 hours left... much more calming than fretting about the time left.

Half hot, half cold water is soothing too.

I'll probably start nodding off now I've got it all off my chest.

But it was the weirdest feeling. I tried distraction but each time my mind wandered off to the situation my heart would start racing and I'd feel so hot. But then I could ground myself a little and I'd feel cold and my mouths dry.

@LivinLaVidaLoki I wish i had half of your motivation.

I'm just rubbish at doing nothing I think @MercyBooth x

Finally got to sleep sometime after 2. Just sat eating my breakfast and having a coffee. Seems less scary this morning.

I think it just seems a whole lot worse because I'm exhausted, work load is exhausting, its emotionally difficult and we are all having to wfh again so I just feel so isolated to boot.

I have come across another, and possibly a better, C S Lewis quote for the situation:

"On just the same ground I dread government in the name of science. That is how tyrannies come in. In every age the men who want us under their thumb, if they have any sense, will put forward the particular pretension which the hopes and fears of that age render most potent. They ‘cash in’. It has been magic, it has been Christianity. Now it will certainly be science. Perhaps the real scientists may not think much of the tyrants’ ‘science’– they didn’t think much of Hitler’s racial theories or Stalin’s biology. But they can be muzzled."

Not to say that I think it's all a vast conspiracy or anything - there's a real disease out there which is somewhere between rather and very nasty for those vulnerable to it. But there's also real control freaks, some of them in various government positions, for whom this is a great opportunity.

I also had a random observation the other day and meant to share it here.

Not had any "have you been in a car accident" cold calls in what seems like forever. This last month they've started picking up. I've had quite a few.

Wonder if these companies are now thinking that due to track and trace people are more likely to answer numbers they don't know at the moment.....

@LivinLaVidaLoki
You are spot on with pointing out that they had opportunities to address any problems they had with your work. It's their job to manage you, accidentally sending you that email trail is a lovely bit of evidence that they were avoiding doing so (either because they didn't actually think you're that crap, or because they were too lazy). This is how I reassure myself at work too.... I'm well aware of the bits and pieces I'm less good at (OC personality ) but if they're not raising it with you then how are you supposed to know you're not meeting the mark?

Morning all. The CS Lewis quote is very fitting.

Re scam calls, I heard they’re on a massive increase generally.

Good morning everyone. It's been a while since I've popped my head around the door. Hope everybody is as well as they can be.

@SirSamuelVimes I've also been having a bit of a nostalgia trip about my youth. Have you been watching the BBC programmes on the naughties? That's what started mine. I'm slightly horrified my youth is now seen as history and worthy of a TV programme though!

@MercyBooth

Devi Sridhar has blocked someone on Twitter for pointing out the risk to and the increase of domestic violence incidents during lockdown . I knew there was something i didnt like about her.

If she acknowledged that, it would be an admission that lockdowns are not a universal good and that their effects can be harmful too. That would mean she might have to do some thinking and, well, then she might realise she isn't as caring as she thinks she is and that maybe what she advocates isn't always good and she might explode with nuance.

ISay
'explode with nuance' Love it!

I have also had weird vibes from Devi Sridhar. She just seems to be enjoying it all a bit too much, if you know what I mean.

To (maybe?) lighten the tone, I noticed today that our local small supermarket, one of a pretty small chain, advertises outside the shop that they have "indoor butchery".