Pigalina's Palace: March, 2007

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March 29

Pigalina Has Bronchitis.

When I started my new job all of my new colleagues warned me that I would get ill. I work on the reception desk at the social welfare office, so you can imagine that some of the people I encounter may be a bit germy.

On Monday I awoke with a sore throat and a slight headache. I was in bed by 8pm that night. This gradually progressed over the next two days until last night I whiled away the hours in a feverous state which caused Mr Pigalina to become quite concerned as I thrashed around trying to get the blankets off me. Usually I can't get enough blanket and will gladly wrap myself up so that I am snuggly as can be. The night was also punctuated by loud honking, phlegmy coughs that caused Mr Pigalina to think I was vomitting everywhere. Poor Mr Pigalina did not get a full night's beauty sleep thanks to my carry on.

So, on doctor's orders I am to spend the next few days in bed, guzzling liquids, anti-biotics and paracetamol. I am currently in bed with Ricky Gervais and Ade Edmonson for company. Mr Pigalina said that I wished such lazy time upon myself after seeing what a great time our friend Rodney was having off work nursing a broken thumb. Tis true I did comment that it looked like he was having a great time but I failed to remember that to be off work requires some form of painful accident or illness.

March 08

New, Secrecy Clause Signed, Job

Last Wednesday I left the first ever job that it has not been a huge relief for me to see the back of.

My very first job was delivering junk mail in a hilly suburb. The job paid terribly, the junk mail was heavy, I had to fold each item to fit it into the mail boxes and Dunedin is not famous for its delightful weather. There was one time that I got caught in a torrential downfall of rain. This did however seem to seal in Mr Pigalina's mind that he should ask me out on a date. Something to do with me being in a soaking wet, white t-shirt (with Dennis the Menace on the front).

There was the job I had at a rest home when I was 16 - serving food and wiping bums, an odd combination. The day after I learnt to put on a catheter and was informed I would be learning showering I quit.

I had a few retail jobs in between and a job, for two weeks where I placed sanitary towel bins (yes, those kind) and nappy bins in to a huge dishwasher.

Then I had my job at the supermarket while I was at University. It was delightful to stand in one place for up to 8 hours a day and be talked down to by snooty ladies. They don't seem to realize that 80% of the checkout operators are their future teachers, doctors, lawyers and...customer service reps. Here is a photo of the delightful day that I left there, note the beautiful smock:

So happy to have left

My next job was where this blog all started and you can read about some of my great experiences in the archives. As if you would. It was in an electronics store, which you think would be pretty sweet but due to lack of staff and very demanding customers I went a bit doo-lally and started hoping to get hit by a car so that I could have a few weeks time-out in hospital. I have since learnt that I could have gone onto a Sickness Benefit on the grounds of stress. Why do I never know such useful things at the time? Instead I left that job and moved to the job I spoke about at the start.
At first I didn't enjoy it much, there didn't seem to be much to do. Soon I began to appreciate the laid back nature of the job and the people that I worked with. When I left it was only because I had to, I had been covering maternity leave and with the baby not only out but almost a year old I had to go. There was nowhere for me to stay.
This brings me to my title and the reason that, apart from having been away on holiday for two weeks, I have not updated my blog in a while. I am now working for what I suppose most people would call the unemployment office. Currently I am the receptionist (though in the future I will apparently be training and being given clients to manage.) This position is fabulous for meeting colourful characters and hearing long-winded life stories, such as this. However, as much as this would be great blog fodder I am unable to use any of it! I had to sign a secrecy agreement indicating that I would not do such things. I am not even sure that I am allowed to tell Mr Pigalina about my interesting day. Well, I am certainly not allowed to tell him who I saw and why. Mostly though the stories that I hear and people that I meet are incredibly depressing and make me so glad that I have the life that I have.
I have discovered since working in my new job that you can legitimately be off work and receive money (albeit a small amount) for tiredness and a lack of motivation. What? I could have been off work this entire time?