Suzy, Drinker Of Coffee

Today is the first day of the company's new identity (see last Wednesday's post), although for the moment that is all. Following the last two days, I got the bus before the one I got yesterday i.e. 1400 from town, instead of 1415. Got in therefore almost 30 minutes to spare! Still no seats... everyone is finishing at 1600! After about 10 minutes of looking, finally was told to sit with the email team once more - got a desk quick enough, but had to wait until 1500 to get a chair!

During the evening, turns out they've got another new spreadsheet that we have to fill in... but because I'd been doing emails for the last three weeks, no-one thought to tell me...

The company marked today's changes in a number of different ways. This included a "come in dressed in company colours" day - and by complete coincidence, I had a red top, black skirt ready for today! The company also bought in a large amount of munchies and drinks., and shared it out throughout the day so everyone could benefit (that was well thought out). There were a number of events, including a "rodeo bull" in the canteen area.

Everyone was given a printed copy of an email, which said "Assuming out new name is the first step on this road. In the weeks to come, we will replace our signage, change our email addresses, and legally move towards the new company identity". Sounds a bit like gender reassignment, doesn't it? Bizarrely when I was out on walkabout yesterday (trying to stay awake!), I saw the power substation building at one side of the building, which is still endorsed "BT Call Centre". BT ran the building up to 2001 I think, when it became ClientLogic, and now Sitel.

So for now, the name has changed, but that is all.

I spent the afternoon with a friend from the south. Caroline had come up to Angus on Friday, and had acquired a car from a relative. Today, she was going to be driving it back down south, but she stopped in Dundee for a few hours first! It was her first time here for two years, and we used part of the afternoon to talk about a huge number of things. In the end, the car ended up having to head back to Angus, because the breaks were making a somewhat unusual noise... and she's staying up there tonight now. At least she made it to Dundee and back in one piece!

Another long day - eighteen hours plus in the end - but, believe it or not, I wasn't as tired as I was the previous evening. I woke up in time for the 0800 fast bus (M9) to Glasgow. The choice was of this one, or the next one an hour later. The latter would leave me with not a lot of time to get there i.e. about 20 minutes, and 15 is pushing it. After being a bit too tight for time the last time I was up at Sandyford, decided to go for the earlier this time - even if it meant pulling out of Dundee at 0800.

The counselling service is part of the centre, although it is entirely separate from them (in terms of confidentiality etc.), so it is meant to be entirely open. Alex apologised for being just a little late with starting off, and we headed for the counselling room - yes, they've got a room specifically devoted for the purpose, with similar soft seats to the rest of the centre, but also dimmed soft lighting, which helped soften up things. While I managed to over-run my hour a little bit (and still only skim through my life since August), it was good to have an impartial voice to think about what is going on in my head right now. I will check with my own doctors at my forthcoming appointment about something similar more locally, but in the meantime, she's booked me in for next Friday.

So, that was that - and it was time to head back to Dundee, with just enough time to grab lunch, and head for the 1330 fast (M9) bus back to Dundee. This was my planned/booked departure, to ensure I could get back to Dundee to start work - and as I got into work for 1608, I started at 1615 (time in 15 minute blocks). Apparently, "we need you" they said earlier in the week!

Today was of course, my last day on the email team, as this is the end of three weeks. Has it really flown by in that time? The email system decided to reward my loyalty by crashing with forty-five minutes left to go, but the time was used to count and check our daily stats.

I have enjoyed my time answering email enquiries. What makes it different, I hear you say? Well, bearing in mind I am limited by what I can say, I will explain why I liked it. Firstly, it was something different to do. Variety is certainly the spice of my life. It was the same job, but that little bit different. The voice wasn't so much of a problem (although it's gone this week, I shall need to work on it for, and after, the weekend). I did get some good feedback from customers on my responses, including one who praised the service he'd had from me... and all I did was to answer a few questions. Like I said before, it's not what you do, it's how you make people feel.

Oh, and when I got home, there was a letter from Ninewells photobiology unit (laser hair removal), which confirms I am now on the waiting list. That's not bad - I only asked Dr Ewan for the referral back on 23rd January.

As if this week could not get any more surreal... it just did.

I missed this, presumably either because I've been off, or a non-smoker! The number of times I recently heard the smokers amongst work making references to buses in the north-east - most notably around Inverurie, lead me to question Ian... and, yes, out in the car park, we now have the bus shelter that used to be at Inverurie Town Hall. I still had a bit of my "lunch" break left at this point, so I went out for a look.

You won't see it driving past along Riverside Avenue, because it has been placed into the former brick smoke shelter. However, if you walk around and try look at it from the car park side, you will see it there. The timetables are fairly fresh, dated 13 November 2006. The audio unit has been removed, however (if it was in there in the first place - the picture doesn't show the area clearly).

In the background of this picture, you can see what the bus shelter looked like, before it came "doon tha road". Irony of this being... I got on a 493 there back in August, on the way to Ellon (to change for Fraserburgh). Until now, I was probably the only person from my place of work to have used that shelter... until now...

... and by the way, the old ones (that were replaced as part of Dundee SmartBus) from Apollo Way West ended up at Lathalmond, Explorer Road North/South in Dunkeld and Aberfeldy. So, why did we get one from up north? Well, it turns out that Trueform (contractors for Dundee City Council) are currently installing some new kit for Aberdeenshire Council too. So, look out for more Aberdeenshire shelters around the city soon?

I did feel a bit better today, than yesterday (or Wednesday) - that wouldn't be too difficult. Something that I'd already been considering was speaking to a counsellor over the way my mind has been going for the last few months (before Wednesday) - in fact, this came to my mind over the weekend. There are some "unexplained" things in my life right now, things I don't understand in my own mind. As a result, I've got one for Friday next week at Sandyford.

In other news... if you wondered what happened to that truck from earlier this week...


SUV mauled, hauled from bitterly cold, frozen bay

February 9, 2007) - Cut and drag. Cut and drag. Cut and drag.

Employees of Jim's Service Center in Rochester worked for 36 hours to haul a mangled sport utility vehicle from the icy waters of Irondequoit Bay late Wednesday night.

The 2000 Chevrolet Blazer was frozen, partially submerged, for nearly two days after its owner, Travis Newberry, 20, of Rochester drove the SUV onto the iced-over bay late Monday night.

The vehicle broke through the ice into 4 or 5 feet of water about 450 feet from shore. Newberry and two friends were not injured during the incident.

Removing the vehicle "was a monumental task," said Jim Mathews, owner of Jim's Service Center. "I didn't expect it would be as time consuming or as manpower- or equipment-draining, as it was."

Toiling in the bitter cold with whipping winds, workers first cut the ice around the SUV with chainsaws and then flipped it on its roof to drag the vehicle to shore, Mathews said. But the vehicle - filled with water and ice - repeatedly fell back through the ice.

Two of Mathews' workers fell through the ice during recovery efforts. No one was seriously hurt, he said, "just a little cold."

The ice was reportedly 9 inches thick where the SUV broke through. The vehicle, which weighed 4,147 pounds when empty, weighed over 9,000 pounds after it was removed because it was filled with "huge ice blocks," Mathews said.

Officers did not charge Newberry with any violations since it is not illegal to drive a car on the ice, said Sgt. Jonna Izzo of the Irondequoit Police Department.
A state Department of Environmental Conservation official said Tuesday that the owner was responsible for removing the vehicle and associated costs, as well as any fines that might be levied because of fluid leakage or other reasons. But DEC Regional Director Sean Hanna said Wednesday that the agency does not plan to levy a fine against Newberry, who has cooperated with DEC officials in recent days.

"We kept a close eye on the situation; nothing or virtually nothing leaked from the vehicle," into the bay, Hanna said. "We've all made decisions in life that we've regretted. We think he's paid enough for his mistake."

It's still unclear whether Newberry will recover any of the loss, according to Kristen Steinmiller, vice president of Steinmiller Associates in Webster, which did not write the policy on the vehicle.
Workers at the agency have been wondering themselves whether any policy would cover the damage. "It's definitely not collision," she said.

There's a chance that comprehensive coverage might pick up part of the tab, Steinmiller said, but "I think they'll deny it."

Newberry could not be reached for comment.

The recovery cost "will be in the neighborhood of $5,000," Mathews said, but he has not reviewed all of the expenses and has not drafted a bill yet.

Mathews said that he was among a crew of 10 men who worked on the recovery.

The crew, which repeatedly cut 10- to 15-foot sections of ice away from the SUV, used both winching and an elaborate pulley system to drag the vehicle to shore. As they worked, dozens of people stopped by to assist by holding flashlights and helping to move equipment,, Mathews said.

"We were so appreciative of the support," he said. "It really made a difference."


...and, on a humourous note, the B*stard Operator From Hell has a somewhat topical explanation to the boss this week, when asked to deal with his daughter's ex-company laptop.
"You should go to Vista."
"So you like Vista?"
"Not really, no. I run a Vista simulator."
"Virtual Server?" the Boss asks.
"Nah, I just turned on all the flashy crap in XP, changed the background image, took some memory out of my box and clocked down the CPU. Then broke Media player. Works like a charm."

Wednesday was quieter at work. We were a few bodies down in the team, but it didn't really matter, as it got quieter - well, a lot quieter, quicker than yesterday. The thing is, throughout the day, I had this weird headache that kept coming back... and I felt a few other weird feelings... and I had those pains in my shoulders... reminded me somewhat of how I felt on Sunday...

... I got home, back in the door. I got really upset... and that was putting it mildly. There was no particular reason for it - just "everything". I'd not been this way for several weeks now... why did I feel this way? I couldn't understand it... but the more I thought about it, it became worse... and the headache now reminded me of that which I had several months ago.. .maybe it's some sort of warning... early into Thursday morning, I eventually managed to get to sleep...

The last day of the first week of 1500-2300 shifts... and somewhat bizarrely, I was locked out for the last 35 minutes... of my pc, I mean! I had came back from my beak, logged into my PC (Windows 2000), it came up with a bizarre un/pwd/domain box that we'd never seen before, so I was advised to reboot the pc... and then, locked myself out of the account... oh well, it happens... So, in the end, I did manage a full week... and stopped off for a bite to eat on the way home for something different...

On the way out of work, two different Forum members were driving each of the last buses from the Tech Park - one on the 76/73A (32477 - back in service at Arbroath, with windscreen replaced!), and one on the 29.