Being Replaced

One of my colleagues is currently traveling around Europe on an amazing 3 month adventure.

The day after she left, another colleague replaced her at her desk with a skeleton, dressed in a cute dress.

She has become a valuable member of the 'Dumpster Fire Team' and we feel we may be working her too hard, possibly to the bone!

So, to ensure we are looking after her, I took her to class with me so my students could share their caring side, evaluating her vital signs, as we didn't want her getting overwhelmed with all the work.

She eventually was assessed as doing ok and stayed to supervise the remainder of my class.

She is considering taking a lecture next week

Working

 And just sometimes, you have to stay at work whilst it is dark.

In New Zealand, whilst we do have daylight savings, our wintertime is never a time that we get really early sun sets, usually 5.30pm will be the earliest and it will only be for a very short time. Unlike the UK that can have sunset as early as 3.55pm

So, if I am still working and it is dark outside, then something has gone a miss and, in this case, it was to get a student assessment completed for them.

Flowers for a Friend

A friend just had some surgery, and I wanted to let her know I was thinking about her, flowers are my way of doing that, and even flowers that will not wilt and die.

I have so much paper to use, but still struggle to decide what colour to create. Although this time, I asked the recipient what her favourite colour was the week before, which gave me at least some form of guidance.

I need to teach myself to make some different shaped flowers so that I can do a bouquet of different flowers and not ones that are all the same shape.

They were greatly received and I love that they will last longer than a fresh bouquet.

Doughnuts

 Some days, to get through Friday you need something special.

Today, my car had a mind of its own and drove to the best little doughnut shop in town, at 7am, and I took a large box of treats to share at work.

Whilst my appetite is still not great, I did manage at least half of a doughnut and everyone else appreciated breakfast on this cold winter Friday

Chiefs Rugby

 Many years ago, I can't actually remember when, but I do know it was before 2019. I started working for the regional rugby team on a casual basis.

It had started a few years before that even, that I wanted to volunteer and do something. I saw an advert for volunteers to help at major sporting events, when held in the city and so I went along. I did this for a few years, always in a role of greeting people and getting them excited and prepared with their ticket for the gate ahead. Or even just answering questions about where to find something.

Then they asked if anyone was interested in casual work instead? It would only be on the 6-7 game days in the season, but we would work inside the stadium instead in some capacity. I was working on a casual hourly basis at the time (although it was equal to about 3 days a week all year so wasn't that casual), and a little extra money was not going to do any harm. The games were always going to be on either a Friday night or sometime over the weekend and that fit in with the boys and life in general.

I ended up as a gate supervisor. Support the staff at the gate as they do the ticketing and deal with/solve any ticketing issues that arose. We don't get to watch the game, well, the second half if we want to but we are always working during the first half.

I have written about sunny days at the game in the past few years.

It is actually now a role that I really don't need to do, I actually work full time permanently and so the money necessity is not there, but for some reason, I just don't seem to give it up when they ask each year if I am available for the next season ahead. When I first left the family home, I decided that keeping it on was a good idea as yes, it did bring in a little bit of playing money, and it got me out of the unit, where I was living alone and so it was good for me to have something other than my job to focus on (I do not class this as a job, although it has its stressful piss me off moments for sure!) and despite everything else, it is still actually a little bit of relaxed fun, and I enjoy the atmosphere.

I did justify itself to me by saying that the small extra $$ I received were good for spending money for my travels and seeing as I was just in UK and Rarotonga last year then it does help my travel fund, not enough to buy a plane ticket but allows for some extra spending money when on holiday.

Last year, we all complained about how unprofessional we all looked in the uniform/outfit they wanted us to wear. We are front facing with the patron and they are usually annoyed about their ticket not working or being wrong and obviously, I am the one stood there informing them that they can't come into the stadium until they go and get their ticket sorted, which believe me, some take great offense to! So, to have this person, dressed in casual with a large yellow bib hanging off of us looks crap, in my opinion and I feel we should be dressed much smarter.

This year I asked if it was alright to dress a little smarter and NOT to wear the bib?

The new manager agreed and so I got myself a smart suit and shirt with a necktie for winter and presented myself in a different way. I don't always have to wear the jacket, especially when it is 25c outside, but in my opinion (and that of another colleague who followed suit and wore a smarter outfit) we now look professional, more in control and people are definitely kinder in the way they speak to us as they feel we have some authority and are not just a casual staff who is being paid minimum wage to cause them hassle on game night. (We are casual minimum paid staff, but it doesn't show)

This season has started for 2025, and yes, I am back here doing it all again 😃

I have said that I would really like to move to a corporate serving role inside the corporate boxes and not stood outside in all weathers. After all the years I have been doing this, it would be nice to be inside and doing a different role, but secretly, I think I would miss my gate (although not some of the drama and crap I deal with that we are just not paid enough per hour to deal with)

Watch this space next year

Blood Donation

 My journey to supporting blood donation and other products has been long and slow. I am British, although have now spent half my life in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, back in 1999 the blood service decided that the risk of mad cow disease from anyone who, at one time or another, had lived in Great Britain for longer than 6 months during 1980-1996 could no longer donate due to the threat of contaminating the blood product and their lack of being able to test for it and ensure the products were not contaminated (which takes out more people than you realise and definitely takes me out, as I was born there and lived there in some capacity util Feb 1998) which lead to me be unable to donate for the last 24 years!

Before I moved to NZ, I had donated about 10 units of blood, at some stage for a small while, they decided I needed it more than they did! So, whilst I was a regular donator, there was the odd year where I didn't donate. With red blood cells, you can donate once every 3-4 months, so not many times in the year.

Once the ban was lifted this year, I ventured back and gave some blood. I also noticed that they did plasma donations and after some enquiries I decided to give it a go. You can donate plasma every 2-3 weeks, yes, weeks. This is due to them filtering your blood to remove the plasma and returning the red blood cells back to your body, thereby not depleting your body of them and allowing you to not have to make new red cells (the part that takes the time and the reason you can only donate blood so infrequent)

So, here I am, allowed to donate again and happy to donate plasma every 3 weeks or so. I could do it every 2 weeks but felt that was just not suitable, so 3 weeks minimum between donations is my setting and it is achievable and works for me. I think you should do what works for you and not always what they would say, this then makes it work for your life, your body and allow you to sustain it, which I feel is better than not at all.

Helping Others

 My time to once again, take an hour and help others