It's been another rollercoaster week as my brain is starting to normalise (which in my case means a wavepattern of happy moments and sad moments.
Sad moments included:
- Our favourite Blog spammer posting 4 spam replies in one day about a desktop stripper.
- Having a meeting at the UWV to dicsuss the result of the review, being asked if my knee and backproblems are a great hindrance in my daily job as a waste truck driver. (When I replied that could be possible, if not for the fact I've never driven a waste disposal truck she started to frantically go through the rather large file they have on me).
- In that same meeting at the UWV I was asked about a 2 year gap in my employment records. Gap? When I asked what timepriod she meant, she actually ment the time I worked for the UWV as a Facility Manager. After telling her I worked in the office we were having our chat she looked at me in disbelief, so I started to describe the building and the area she has her upstairs office, as well as the cafeteria, security and parking garage details (which was probably more information then she ever has had about the bulding but ok). She then apolagised, started to frantically go through the file to look for my resume, took it out and it clearly stated that I had worked at the UWV in that timeframe and in what position. Her reply? She genuinely thought I had added my time on benefits as work on my resume. I kid you not. (I can honestly say it is one of the stupidist things I have ever heard from what should by all respects be a educated person)
- Being told that in order to take me off sick leave and into unemployment benefits she would have to find 4 jobs that paid more then 65% of my last wage. With a big smile on her face she then told me that she had found 4 such jobs. Plastic parts assembly, rubber parts assembly, soldering motherboards, and small elecntonical assembly. The paper was facing her, so the jobs and salary figures were upside down, but I could easily read that all 4 of the figures had hourly rates BELOW the number she quoted as 65% of my last wage. When I asked her were I could find such jobs, she said that they had none available at the moment, but my reintegration case worker should look into it. What she fails to mention is that it would also involve moving to China or something? The only simple assembly jobs around here these days are government sponsored work camps for the (mentally) handicapped and people who have been unemployed for a very, very long time and are put to work there to motivate them. When I say it like that it feels a bit like North Korea! :D
- In the same breath, again with a large smile, she said I was doing a super job in getting more mobile by working out, being very active at looking for a suitable job and proper help, and that because of that she would be terminating my sick leave at the end of January 2017. She insisted I should apply for unemployment benefits in mid december cause that takes 6 weeks to process. When I questioned what would happen when the 6 month reintegration process (which is basically a program to make you fot for work again - not a program that actually gets you a paid job) would be finished she told me that the UWV will not help people on unemployment benefits on reintegration, that is only for sick people.
- Basically, because the guy evaluating me took over 5 months to do so before he signed off on the program, meaning I entered the program after July 1st instead of before that date, I fall under a new law that cuts the getting ready for work and into a job - program in 2, and they will only help me with the first, something they have already admitted isn't really needed for me as I have been working since I was 16 and up to lower manager positions, so I know very well I need to get to work on time, look presentable and how to communicate. But they insist I must follow the 2 steps, but will not help me with the second step, the one I actually applied for and need!. If anyone can follow their logic, please contact me as it is confusing the heck out of me.
- She then started to insist the reintegration office should be "lenient" and just find me a job, even if they are not paid by the UWV to do so (and it is actually in the contract they are basically forbidden to do so as they are pnly paid for assesement and training!) and have a nice life.
- After the meeting I sent out a help message to the reintegration office, my councellor and my social worker (and Kim of course) as I felt the earth was falling underneath me. The path we had set out together was suddenly just cut off and I was in utter despair.
So, what about the good stuff? :)
- Kim turned *cough* 24 *cough* on wedsneday. She had to leave early and didn't wake me. I then went to the meeting with the UWV (see above) and when I got back I picked her up a birthday card. Later that day, we had a long talk about her and my day, I gave her the card and she was all smiles due to the humour of and written in the card. I can be such a joker :)
- Our dinner for 2 at the Italian place was excellent. We had a great waiter, great food and a long talk that at times was funny but also serious, about the kids, the house, therapy etc and where we would be when we grow old together :) We had a great time.
- On thursday, I took Kim to the early 4 'o clock movies in Eindhoven to see "Magical Creatures and where to find them" cause she was dying to see it (bit of a Harry Potter fan, she is). She loved it. I loved it. That by itself was great, but after a long stay in the cinema ( 3 hours!) we went outside to see GLOW. Eindhoven ic alled the "City of light" and GLOW is a long route through the city centre and the university grounds of art displays with light (and sound). You just follow the route and there are lots of stops that have displays. Some as small as a small tent, others covering a a huge industrial smoke stack or all along row of trees, with turning lights, lighted wires and sound. it is quite the event actually, I can really reccomend it as some of the art is intercative (one such set up used motion capture cameras to display forms of light on a display in front of you so you could manipulate it by moving. It was great fun). After doing just the university part of the tour (by itself over 3 km's) my knee just would not go any further, we grabbed a burger and took the train back home. When our kids are a bit older we will take them to see GLOW too.
- Being told by all 3 supporting parties that I'm well motivated, I'm thinking of solutions instead of problems and I'm not being to harsh on me (all the time). My councellor and social worker will have a metting next week to discuss the outcome from the UWV, I will scan and send them the letter I will receive next week and after that we will fight the outcome. My reintegration worker was a bit more blunt. "Fuck UWV, we will get this done without them" (but he too will be invited to the meeting)
Today I finished putting (almost) all of the boxed kits into the cabinet. I'm missing 2 or 3 boxes with kits in them, and I think I have about 6 cases with nothing but bagged unboxed kits in them. And yes, that means I have more stuff then the average shop. So sue me.
Technically, finding a nother half width Billy case would be ideal to sort all of it. Realistically, alot of what you see there has to go as well, either by building it or selling it. Which means getting my ass in gear and start doing stuff.
Which involve selling this lot to add funds to Paypal and my own account.
That pile should get bigger next week (cause do I really need 4 Ju-52's? Over a dozen FW-190's and Me-109's?) and then I need to make a list, look for up to date 2nd hand prices, and list them on forums and FB.
Also, I have been doing some shopping. I picked up some items suitable for the desert like a Airfix 40mm Bofors (also suitable the BEF and the rest of the war) and a few sheets of decals. Also arrived (and arriving) are more boxes of Battlefront scenery. I received a 2nd box of rail track and rail track extension, and have 2 more boxes of rail track extensions on order plus a cobblestone box and a swamp box. If you would have asked me if I had bought these before Brexit, the answer would have been no, as it is just too expensive, but with the Pound having taken a nosedive and knowing certain UK shops that ship for free it has sudenly become much more affordable. The fun part (for me anyway) is that when everything has arrived (and with everything I mean the railtrack, cobblestones and dirt roads) it all neatly fits in a 3 drawer Moppe so storage and labelling that will be a breeze. When everything has arrived I'll add a light drybrush to the bits to make them stand out a tad more, and I'll mark everything with a white or silver permanent marker on the underside like I mark all of my stuff. Can't be too careful these days.
My last bit of the day is that I want to congratulate the employee from Yodel who managed to relabel my signed for package from SE6 1AP London to S66 1UB Rotherham by adding their transfer label straight across my packing label, completely messing up the adress, then keeping it in a depot for a week and sending it off to someone who gladly did not accept it. I'm not quite sure how in this automated day and age they managed to cock that one up (after peeling back all the labels, my label appeard in mint con dition, no tears, rips, smears or what so ever, perfecly legible in large script), but I was pleasantly surprised that even with this, PostNL was still able to track and find the parcel, ship it back to me (well, all my packages do have a rather large return adress in the top left corner so no rocket science there) and will even pay me back my shipping costs in full, meaning I can send it on it's way again next week, back to the UK, this time in a even larger box to make sure there is lots of room to put their oversized labels on. And also send it signed for again.
Right, time for bed. Tomorrow the girls will come home again and I have missed them dearly. It's also Kim's real birthday party so there will be plenty of friends and relatives around, sunday we will have a nice day off. And next week I'll make that list :)