Most of us do dumb things at times. I used to hear work colleagues confidently claim that they never made mistakes, but they did, one being an attempt to convince the management that they were superior workers. That sort of mistake is due to poor decision making and to some extent, a deliberate risk.

The rest of us, sooner or later, foul up. Yesterday I did that magnificently. You see, when I get sent on these courses on how to search for jobs, I'm also obliged to attend a follow up interview. It's mandatory. Failure to attend results in loss of dangly things, not to mention a wad of cash from the government.

So what did I do wrong? Well, I sort of half remembered I had an interview scheduled for the Monday, but I couldn't find any letter confirming it. Perhaps I was wrong? Well I turned up at the Job Centre and discovered I was spot on. The interview had been scheduled earlier that day and I forgot it.

As an errant joobseeker, a crime against society only surpassed by raising taxes, I was obliged to suffer 'the procedure', in which my feeble excuses are logged and sent for a decision to be made about my claim. Gulp.

However, I survived intact. Firstly, I'd turned up for my signing-on session on the same day, and secondly, the lady who condemned me to the interrogation forgot to issue me with a warning letter. So my sentence was commuted to daily signing. Again.

Talking About Jobsearching

I've been contacted by an agency regarding a driving vacancy. Apparently I applied for it ages ago in amongst all the other hopeless causes. Then, right out of the blue, they phone me and ask if I'm still interested.

I can't actually refuse - that's the disadvantage of being unemployed - so yes, please tell me more. They asked about my experience in that field of work. Well... I did drive the van a lot back in my aspiring rock star days, and did the occaisional day doing parcels and multi-drop on an ad hoc basis, subbing in for a mate of mine who wanted the day off to have sex with one of the young ladies at a business he regularly delivered to. He got laid, I got paid.

Of course, that was twenty years ago. I mean, am I seriously being considered? I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the target area, I'm not quite young and fit as I was, and I haven't driven a vehicle in two years.

I have noticed this about courier firms. They have this wonderful optimism about sending employees out into the world in the vain hope they'll arrive at the right place at the right time. I have to confess, twenty years ago I once delivered a parcel to the people who sent it the day before. Can't wait for the chance to make another embarrasing cock-up.

That, I know I can do.

Weather Or Not?

It's been a funny kind of day. Thin stratus cloud and blankets of soft focus raincloud almost obscuring glimpses of the blue sky, but it never quite rained, never quite got warm or cold, never quite did anything other than stir even more yellow leaves on the trees. Should I dress for inclement weather and sweat buckets? Or go out unprotected in true macho style? Why do I get the feeling it isn't going to go to plan....?