dizzojay | Helloooo ... remember me??

Hey gang!

How are you all? I miss your faces - and the rest of you, of course!

Please forgive my temporary absence. I'm immersed into GISH madness, and it's been a crazy busy week for other reasons, other than GISH.

But anyway, I thought I'd drop by to impart some good news that we got today.

Mr D has got a promotion!!

LIke most things in our life, this didn't come via a straightforward, conventional route; but who cares. It's long overdue and well deserved!

Mr D applied for a job of Clerk of the Court in the Crown Court in a neighbouring town called Winchester (believe it or not). This was the third time he's applied for the job, and all the senior Managers were really behind him. They were convinced he was a cert for it.

He had the interview on Tuesday, and he found out yesterday that he didn't get the job. To say he was gutted was an understatement, especially when he found out that the person who did get the job was his immediate Manager.

His Manager's Manager (a lady called Claire) response was; 'I don't f*cking believe it!"

Mr D went to lunch and phoned me, he was very despondent. I could tell he was all for jacking it in. As he said, I gave them everything they asked for and it's still not enough. I don't know what else I can give them. I joined the service to progress, and they're not interested."

When he got back to the court, Claire called him into her office. She offered him his Manager's now-vacant position there and then.

It's the same level job he applied for, and it's on a 6-month trial. It's not exactly what he wanted because it's not as 'hands-on' as he likes, but he says it still sounds interesting and he's really up for the challenge. Plus he's got the freedom at the end of his 6 months to go back to his old job if it doesn't work for him.

But yes, overall he's thrilled.

The Ministry of Justice is rather set in it's ways. It has job bands of F (lowest level, which is Mr D's current level) to A (highest level). The job he's been offered is a D. Apparently, Mr D's appointment is the first time at Basingstoke court that anyone has been promoted to a D level without being an E first. ie: the first time anyone's jumped two bands in one go. Claire described Mr D's appointment as 'history making'!

I think that sums him up rather well!! :D