Mr Angry

Sorry for not having much to post in the last few days, however, this is partly due to me not wanting to continue to repeat myself on topics already posted, and some of these are taking up much of my time lately.

Today I will tell you about something that annoys me tremendously.  To help sell my house I took the steps of contacting my local council to request that trees bordering my house are cut back as they have grown too high and large and cause a bit of a nuisance.  They kind of hide my house a bit.  So, a guy at the council told me that the request was logged and the work would go ahead soon.

Two weeks later I had not seen any activity so I emailed him again and asked on progress, to which his reply was, “The trees that would be adjacent to your property would be something that the highways department at KCC now deals with, which can be contacted on 08**8 2***00. If however these trees are on an open space/park, then this would be something that we will deal with.”  
So what he was basically saying is, actually I did nothing about it last time hoping you would go away, as we don’t even deal with this issue, and actually you have to go elsewhere for help.  That’s two weeks wasted already, so, I went on to call the number and spoke to a lady who again ‘logged’ the issue and gave me a reference number if I wanted to follow up on it at any time.

3 weeks has passed by and the trees have got worse and no-one has been to cut them back, so yesterday I called the number again and gave my reference number (yes, I did keep it) and the guy tapped his computer and looked up the file.  This was his reply “ah yes, the guy who is dealing with this is away on holiday until the 17th July, so I doubt anything will happen until after then”.  I said, “you’re kidding me, that’s miles away, like 3 weeks”  he said “yes, I know, but no-one will be taking up his work whilst he is away”.

So, here’s my point, given that this particular County Council is a huge organisation and possibly one of the biggest in the country, I find it unacceptable that in a company of this size, the effectiveness of a department relies on one individual to operate, when this guy goes on holiday, the parks & grounds department puts up a ‘closed for lunch’ sign and the cogs stop turning.  The residents of the county have to suffer the shortfall.

They don’t even carry out the work with their own internally employed staff, it is passed out to a landscaping firm, so it’s literally a process of booking the work with them amongst the others that they do for the council.  The timescale so far is 6 weeks will pass before the guy comes back (incidentally I have no issue with a man wanting holiday, my issue is no-one will take his work whilst he is gone, imagine what he is coming back to!)  and then a further delay whilst this work is booked and completed.

As I said earlier, Unacceptable!

In Czech news today, I read another shocker.  Well it’s shocking to me, possibly not so for the Czech people.  In the political world the stalemate between the political parties has still not been resolved.  So, in his own words the current Prime Minister has offered his resignation to instigate a constructive move forward to establishing a new government, said to be a coalition between the ODS and 2 smaller parties the Greens and the Christian democrats.  Wow, the Prime Minister resigning!

more to come

The past week has been quite busy, I had a chance to catch up at lunch with an old friend,  She is still having a hard time with men, this is a real shame because she is a really nice girl, very genuine and kind.  Unfortunately though she has had one of those runs of luck.   For a long time she was with a guy, who was also really nice, but they were just not compatible, but it took her over 4 years to do anything about it.  Then she finally did, but went straight into another relationship with a guy who is completely messing with her head, at a superficial level the new guy is also a nice bloke, but he shows signs of being a bit cranky.  For a while my friend was telling me that the current relationship was nothing serious and it seemed that maybe he was more into her than the other way around, but then he did the dirty on her and ‘dabbled’ with another girl, which should have put an end to it there and then, but for her own reasons my friend seems to react to this by suddenly coming across as the pursuiter as opposed to the pursuitee.  Since the incident others have surfaced and looking from the outside in, I would say that the guy has trouble keeping his pants up, but that’s really none of my concern.  My friend has played down their relationship and talked about their ‘obvious’ troubles over the past 5/6 months, sadly though, she seems to struggle to understand that the coupling really has little future stability, and I suggested to her that she needs to be free again and take some time out from men to get herself straight.  However, the last thing to report on this is that she chooses not to end it but continue punishing herself with less than she deserves.  Again, this isn’t my pain, I just hope for her that she can gain the courage to come to a more forward thinking decision soon and get herself back on track.

I went over to Essex on Saturday Morning , to meet a previous employer, which may be fruitfull, hopefully this week I will secure some work, albeit temporary but certainly some way to earn a living.

Last night I sent a CV over to the Hilton in Prague asking for advice on employment in the health club of the Hotel,  it would be rather cool to get a reply and hopefully some useful information.

Of course, there is no need telling you all that England are playing today therefore I will be glued to the TV in a short while getting stuck in to the match, lets hope the outcome is positive so that our participation in the competition continues.

There should be a bit more leafleting for me to do this week also, I am just waiting for a call from the club I do the job for to let me know that the stock is in, then I can be on my merry way walking a good 4/5 hours per day from door to door listening to my music to pass the time.

I have had a quiet time with Petra this past couple of weeks, although there are some things that concern me a little, she seems less happy more recently than I remember her to be earlier on.  I’m not to sure why this may be, there are a number of things I can speculate about, the obvious one is that she wants to be home, and it is harder knowing that we have begun the process but are held up from not selling the house very quickly.  Other reasons would concern me more, I’m not sure she feels the same way about me as she used to,  we laugh less now, and some of the fun that kept us going seems not so forthcoming.  I certainly wonder if my ‘ways’ are contributing to her changing ‘ways’  I have no doubt that couples feed off each other in a close relationship. Therefore it may just well be that I am the cause of the less positive, fun loving, tolerant and amusing PJ that I first met.  I must make more effort to inject life into our lives and love.  I certainly won’t go through this conjuring ideas that it is only PJ to blame for the waning enthusiasm.  Positive thought and positive action, is the ingredients I must begin employ in the creation of our future happiness or longevity.

I must say, that the effort will be worth it, as she is the best thing that has happened to my life and certainly the most positive force in our future potential.

Drivers beware

New points system to be launched in CR.  It’s about time in my opinion, having experienced the astonishingly appalling driving in the Czech Republic.  They are horrendously unsafe, impatient, drivers and are considered possibly the worst in Europe, with accident figures to support the claim.  The new points system will bring the Republic in line with other countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Britain, Austria, Hungary and Poland.  As in the UK if a driver can be penalised for an offence and receive a number of points which may vary according to the seriousness of the offence, once a driver has racked up 12 points they will lose their licence for 1 year and then have to retake a driving test before getting the licence back.  The points system will not replace the current fines system, this will remain.  Other important changes include a law that will allow police officers to confiscate a drivers licence on the spot, thus, in theory enabling them to take the most dangerous drivers out of circulation immediately.  This should be reserved for only the most serious offences where an accident has resulted in someone being killed or drink driving.

If you bear in mind that the Czech people and the police are well known for high levels of corruption, I have to say, won’t this just increase this.  A driver will be so intent on changing the officers mind so as not to receive a penalty points notice I’m sure they will ask the officer to “look in the glove box, there may be a ‘gift’ for you”?  Perhaps I am wrong, there is corruption in the current system, but I don’t believe any one can hold a ‘system’ to blame, it’s usually human nature that creates the deception.  If we think we can get away with it, then we’ll have a go.  As with the introduction of any new policy or procedure, teething problems will become evident and no doubt adjustments will be made!  So, beware, as of the 1st July 2006 the law will come into practice.

Look on the bright side

It seems like nothing wants to go to plan at the moment, I’ll share just a couple of these things. Well you already know that I want to move to Prague, but this has to wait for the house to be sold here in the UK. The house has now been on the market for 2 weeks and as yet we have had only 2 viewings, neither were interested, the first because the house was too far out of town, (we live less than 3 miles from town) and the second because the toilet is separate to the shower room. This one bugs me, I would rather people were honest and said something like the house looks shit and I don’t want to live there. How can is be a problem for someone if the toilet and bathroom are separate, as a feature I would have thought this is more of a benefit than a problem? My reason is that when the lady of the house wants to have a long soak or decent shower and ‘pamper’ she can do so with out the interruption of the man of the house wanting a good dump mid-performance! Who do you know can use the bathroom and the toilet simultaneously? Well, apart from a few dirty buggers who can’t be bothered to get out of the shower or bath to have a wee. Do you get what I am saying?

So I am struggling to remain positive, I so wanted to sell quickly, I can’t think of anything else at the moment except being in Prague. It would have been so nice to have made it for summer, but alas it’s not to be, instead we will get there for a harsh winter to greet us. I shouldn’t be so negative even the winter is a beautiful thing, with the snow and the chance to ski, but there will probably be less work?

The job hunting has been no easier, today I sent off 5 CVs, how can I explain to you the dilemma I am in. I have spent the past 12 years in the health and fitness industry and for the past few at a senior management level, (before that I was a cabinet maker) however, I no longer want my life to pass me by whilst all I do is work for the gain of the corporate business and the shareholder. I have spent 20 years working my nuts off and feel cheated of actually doing something with my life. Meeting my wife taught me that life is more about growing in knowledge and experiences and spending time with people you love to be around making the time for laughter and love. Stepping out and steering your life in the direction you choose, and hopefully being fulfilled. I knew this would be hard to explain, but I kind of feel that I am missing out on something, or at least have been. It has hit me that I can no longer allow this to happen, I must take action to change the direction I am heading.

This is the goal, unfortunately everyday life must also be taken care of, like paying the bills and putting food on the table, so I must find some work until the house can be sold and our new journey begins. As you can see this is just temporary so I have to look for something that I can easily walk away from when the time comes but also pays enough to make it worth while getting out of bed. It has been difficult getting potential bosses to consider me for any regular type of work as they can’t see why someone who has been somewhat of a high flyer would want to take a job of admin assistant or factory worker of machine operator etc. I would like to do some bespoke cabinet making or work on parks and grounds, but again the employers can’t see the wood through the trees, excuse the pun. My one reasonable option is just to sign onto an agency as a temporary worker and just go where they tell me and try to muddle on until we are set free. This is fast looking like the only option at the moment. It looks like I have something to do tomorrow now.

As for the agency selling my house I will pay them a visit and see what more they can do to get the result. It hasn’t quite been what I expected maybe they are too keen to over promise and just end up under delivering; I think this will be the topic of our conversation tomorrow. It would be something if they actually placed my house in the advertising, it got one crappy spot in the paper last week and that has been it. Who do they think they are kidding too, the agent told me today “it was in the paper this week so that should help” mmmhhhhh, well I brought the papers and it wasn’t in any of them. There really is no need to lie, it just makes it worse.

Dance With My Father

So what did you all do for Fathers Day? I wonder how many people saw their father and how many wanted to see them but were unable to for whatever reason? Well, I’m very glad that I was able to see mine. Since my parents moved to Lincolnshire I have hardly seen them at all. The only person to blame for this is me! I think they moved away about 6 or 7 years ago but I can’t remember seeing them any more than 2 times per years since, maybe at Christmas or mid year around my fathers birthday, which incidentally is 15th June, so it always falls around fathers day to. I’m disappointed that I don’t see them more, particularly now that they are older and I have a wife who is the sweetest thing. However, I always have the same excuse, I never have enough time, the trip takes 3 hours each way so it can be a little tiring, but should never really be used as an excuse for not making the effort.

I was so happy to see my dad yesterday, I miss him and I feel for some reason that I need to be closer to him. I can’t explain what my heart is telling me, I just know that I am sad that we never had a particularly close relationship when I was growing up, and I’m struggling with wanting this now, you know the kind of thing, like I want to spend the day with him just pottering around in the shed or moving junk around the garden just to chat and be close to him whilst we do nothing in particular. I want to talk to him about stuff, and in that, receive a lesson.

I love and respect my dad so much, he is an amazing man, even if he is stubborn as shit. As long as my memory serves me I remember that he is a hardworking, steady and quiet man. I never hear him complain about anything regardless of how if affects him, he just presses on. I wish I could be more like my Dad.

I wish I could tell so much more, but first I have to sort it through in my mind and understand. I’m 35 now, and maybe it’s the journey of life that is teaching me these new feelings. Tell me, does everyone feel this way?

Maybe you have heard the song by Luther Vandross, ‘Dance with my Father’? I know it has also been done by Celine Dion, although I do not know who owns the track, I prefer Luthers, but my point is grab it and sit and listen to it, the words are spot on and every time I hear it I think of my Dad and I don’t know why but my eyes start to leak, maybe they are broken?

Politics v Football

The political stalemate continues as the weeks pass by since the Czech elections took place, with neither the left or the right able to form a government, this must be a very worrying time for the people. However, it appears that trying to sort out and stabilise the government is the last thing on their mind as football fever grips the nation. Yes, Czechs have got far more important things on their minds at the moment - Jan Koller's thigh and Milan Baros's foot to name but two. For the next few weeks the Czech Republic along with the rest of the world will be glued to their TV screens for the World Cup.

You don't have to go far in Prague these days to find people watching or playing football - there's a mini pitch at the bottom of the Wenceslas Square, and big screens set up in a number of locations around the city centre. Vinohrady's legendary Riegrovy Sady beer garden has got two of them.

There was a very international feel to Riegrovy Sady on Tuesday, with fans from all over the world, not just Czechs, Brazilians and Croatians. The world cup is being watched all over Europe with a mix of nationalities together cheering the teams and drinking beer and having fun. Many fans not just supporting one team but also their favourite adopted team, like myself who cheers on the Czechs and the English. What a difficult match if they have to play each other? I hope that the games become more exciting as many that I have watched til now have really been little boring, but as the competition builds I’m sure so will the tension and quality of the play.

Saturday

What a rush around day, first thing in the morning we have to give the house a once over and make sure everything was spotless, we had our first viewing! I will update you on the outcome when I know more. We had a family BBQ to look forward to, have been looking forward to it because I knew it was likely to be a fairly large event and an opportunity to meet Helens family again in a relaxed environment. Petra and I arrived about 1.15pm after a slight tour of Sittingbourne because of my not paying attention to where I was going!

we had a great day, so many of the aunt's, uncles and cousins where there, and of course grandparents! In fact at one point there where 5 generations. They are a really funny bunch of people, and I don't mean in the 'strange' way, in the humorous way. Often spending 15/20 minutes arguing over something for fun. Very amusing. Of course I must mention the reason for the event, it was Englands first match of the world cup against Paraguay, unfortunately it was a disappointing game, with only 1 goal and a lack luster performance from the England squad, the only part to be pleased about was the result. 1-0 England

Sunday will be another relaxing kind of day, with Petras cousin and Auntie coming to see us, hopefully I will get the BBQ running and have a few hours in the garden. I'll be working most of the week so I will have to keep the house real tidy at all times in case we have more viewings whilst we're at work. Keep you fingers crossed for us, we really want to sell quickly.

Not Much Progress

I know I have not posted anything substantial lately, I have been lacking content and inspiration. For the main part I have been obsessing about selling my house, which because I am so naïve I assumed it would have done so by now, because it has been on the market since Monday, after all! I got a call from Jack at the estate agents today to tell me that he and his colleagues are very busy contacting registered buyers and attempting to attract them to the house. Do you think its true? I hope so, I guess they have every reason to be doing so, because without selling the house they make no money.

I will go down to Crown job agency on Monday/Tuesday and sign on for temporary work, I have been waiting for a contact to get back to me to see if they can offer me some work leafleting but as of this minute I am still waiting for a call, I can’t wait forever so if I get something at the agency it’s tuff. I have a couple of days work for my brother tomorrow and Monday, which is excellent, because I know I can earn some cash. It’s going to help.

Petra sent a couple of emails to some Czech removal firms, to ask what they would charge to come to the UK and complete our house removal to Prague. I almost fell of my seat when I opened the attachments. Two of the firms want about £2800 and another firm wanted £2100, which is better but still a lot of money.

Petra is doing a really great job carrying on working whilst I am home, she is so great about it all, and doesn’t say anything or nag me. I think she knows that I want to be working, I just have to find the right job where I can get a little enjoyment and a reasonable wage. She never seems to worry about anything, maybe she does worry but just doesn’t show it. Always takes everything in her stride and seems to live life with her heart rather than her head, she is the complete opposite of me, and this may be why we get on so well. I am too much of a thinker and analyse everything, more than enough. When she came back to England to be with me, there would have been plenty of reasons for her not to come but she took the chance anyway and made the very most of it. I am so glad she did to. She changed my life completely.

David Beckham Interview

During a recent press conference, reporters questioned David Beckham about who he had identified as strong opposition players. David said "Well, there are quites a few really good players and we will have to mark them closely, for example, Ronaldo is an exceptional player." Press "So you fancy a Brazilian?" David "Oh, no way. Victoria says it hurts like hell!" (laughs and giggles) "What, why are you all laughing...."

Czech Election Deadlock

I was hoping that the election of Friday/Saturday would be clear cut and decisive, but alas, the country finds itself in a very uncertain period. The voters gave no clear winner and the outcome remained deadlocked between the CSSD and the ODS. I don't know where it goes from here, do they do a recount, or do the elections have to run again. Maybe it goes to the courts and the justice system to name the government. (that will be fair then! :-/).

On a different point, my house is now up for sale and I hope, with real hope, that it sells quickly. I haven't got a job yet and although we are not up the creek, I would rather be working whilst we wait out the sale period and make the final plans for our move to Czech, I guess not getting the job I had gone for made my mind up finally that it was time for us to accept the risk and leap into the next chapter of our lives, we will not know what it holds until the pages are turned and our life story plays out. The only sure thing is that I feel in my heart that I must try to live in Prague and see if it brings to me a purpose in my life that I feel has been lacking for the past 2 years. I am so lucky that I have found a woman to love who fulfills me, she is my rock and completes me. It has been since I met her that I have realised that my life must move on, to experience more, learn more, LIVE more. She is my treasure and my pleasure, and I want to be the same to her.

Shopping with Wife

Two guys are pushing their shopping trolleys around a store when they collide. The first guy says to the second guy, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going".
The second guy says, "That's OK. It's a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate".
The first guy says, "Well, maybe we can help each other. What does your wife look like"?
The second guy says, "Well, she is 27 yrs old, tall, with blonde hair, blue eyes, big breasts and is wearing short shorts and a tank top. What does your wife look like"?
The first guy says, "Doesn't matter --- let's look for yours."