Suits you Sir!

Heyy Ya'll, 

As with last week, here I am again writing to you from my chain-hotel room in Welwyn Garden City and after completing my first week as an Operations Manager I am back and kicking ass. Nerves now well and truly behind me, I am really getting my teeth stuck into the role with many of my different ideas and implementations already being rolled out and put into action. There is so much to unpack and unpick that I have found myself contemplating the move but I am determined to sort this out and turn this into the blossoming business it once was. 

After working away all week though I was certainly very pleased to get home, something I never thought I would feel, but thundering up the motorway, foot to the floor I was eager to get home and see everyone, dogs and future husband included. Letting myself through the door, first, one to greet me was the youngest, my two-year-old Jackapoo, who after a little barking at the intruder soon realized it was me and was overcome with joy so much so he piddled. 

Next was our eldest who after shuffling her way through from the living room was more than happy to see me, something that is not common for her. Unfortunately, she had been poorly in the week since I had been away. On Day 2 of me being away when Mr. Warehouse returned from work to find a pool of blood (and "contents"), he was concerned, to say the least. With minimal sleep and a poorly dog on his hands, he wasn't sure what to do other than bundle her into the back of his tiny tin-can of a car and take her to the Vets. It was unclear if she had been sick and vomited up blood also, a thought process of ours since she had been coughing and making noises akin to having a hairball for the last few days, although more likely to have come from the "other end". Confirming it was just a simple tummy bug, the pooch was shipped off back home with some antibiotics and instructions to rest easy. 

And finally, there he was, my big bear. Mr. Warehouse wrapped his arms around me like he had not done so in a while, telling me how much he missed me and that I can't ever leave again. In a joking way, not in like a domestic violence way. Just thought I should point that out. Anyway, After eating out of a hotel room with basic provisions and takeaways all week all I craved was a home-cooked meal and so we did what we do best, made dinner together. Before I knew it I was back in my spot cuddling into the comfiness of the armchair and scoffing a cookie dough ice cream from the local dessert man. This is where I have wanted to be. 

As Saturday morning burst through the blinds it was time to start the day, and first on the agenda was a suit fitting for my father. After scoping out a couple of places a few weekends back with my future brother and sister-in-law, the boys had settled on a small independent formal hire place in Leighton Buzzard. Entering the premises we didn't really know what to expect, however, the previous experience of a high street suit shop located within a busy shopping mall had not thrilled us as there was nothing to try on and the lads weren't feeling the love when it comes to our pre-booked appointment. 

So when all four of us walked into the establishment, taking note of the high ceilings, bespoke garments, and glistening crystal chandeliers I was more impressed with the offerings. Within minutes the two brothers were undressed and in cubicles, suited and booted staff running rings around us, flying off to find a bigger shirt or whizzing in with a smaller jacket, swapping out one waistcoat for another or knotting up a matching tie and pocket square. I was blown away. This was something I was more used to as a bride in a bridal appointment with sashes and sleeves and veils being thrown around left, right, and center. 

But I was glad of it. It showed willingness and eagerness to please, making sure that nothing was too much trouble and anything and everything was possible. Even fitting my father with a huge gut and a determination for wearing his damned kilt was not a bother for them. Every question we asked was a yes and encouraging Mr. Warehouse especially to feel confident in what he was wearing. I was certain this was the place to hire the suits from and the brothers agreed. Paying deposits and with promises of further fittings and appointments to measure up, we booked them in. I was just so glad and happy that my groom got just a special treatment as I did in being a bride. I just cant wait for the big day now ...

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

If you want to achieve greatness then stop asking for permission

Hello all, 

I write to you today from a hotel room just outside London in Welwyn Garden City. I have just finished my first day as an Operations Manager back in the Security industry. There is certainly a lot of work, but I am ready and raring to go. Giddy with excitement I jetted off this morning just after the morning rush hour, whizzing down the M1 and banging out the tunes. Arriving at HQ, based on a sleepy industrial estate in Hertford, and walking through the office, I smiled at all the new faces and desperately tried to remember their names. Nervous, I was certainly glad I had taken the opportunity for this role and was anxious to get my teeth into the job. 

Logging into my PC after an hour or so chatting with the office manager and MD's Daughter, I felt as though I knew what this place was about and had a good idea n what they needed and were looking for from me. It helps already that I know the systems that they use from my previous roles within the security industry and almost certainly I have been used to using them to a much higher level than they currently use. I think even just from today's observations and previous discussions I will be able to teach and provide some invaluable knowledge into the system and how to use it to its full potential. 

I am calling the first five months of this year my "secondment" from the security industry and although I had left, most of what I had retained in terms of information came flooding back quickly which was also impressive not only to my peers and new colleagues but also to me. As well as becoming familiar with the office bod's, my aim was also to dig a little deeper and really root out the issues and problems so I can make a bit of an action plan going forward of how I would fix things. 

Having had no experience as a manager (only managing engineers' diaries and on the odd occasion booking the car in for an MOT, some holiday, or maybe the odd doctor's appointment) I was worried that the large price tag attached to the job would be something unmanageable and the expectations unachievable. But if today has proven anything is that people were willing to listen and almost be guided a bit by me. Most if not every other job I have had, I walked in and was told where to sit and who to report to and where the water cooler was. Now I am the one that is walking in and I think everyone is almost expecting me to say "my gosh, isn't the way you're doing things here inefficient" and start implementing changes. 

Personally speaking, I don't feel as though this is a good management tip and certainly not the way you get people onside and willing to be open to ideas and changes. I think that this week alone will be challenging, hence me staying away in a chain hotel room with limited facilities and virtually no catering so as to dedicate myself to the role, ensuring that the implementation and onboarding process is as much success as possible. I have lots of different ideas and things I would like to change or implement but I need to take it easy and learn how things are being done at the moment rather than going in all guns blazing. I don't think I need a management qualification to tell me that won't help and will only get peoples back up. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

The future depends on what you do today: Part 2

Heyy, 

As a continuation from last week, I explained that positivity and hopefulness were continuing in way of a new job. After smashing not one but two interviews at an environmental solutions company (installing and maintaining heating, air-con, solar panels, and other eco-equipment for schools, care homes, and other public type buildings) I was offered the job. However, due to the difficulty of deciding which person was right for the job in managing a schedule for over 40 engineers, a curveball was thrown my way because I and another candidate interviewed so strongly they wanted both of us to come on board and work as a team. Giddy with excitement I accepted. 

As previously, out of courtesy I called round the interviews I had left, one of which being the security company I had on the following morning - A Saturday. Wishing me luck in my new role I thought nothing more of it and carried on with my day, however, within 5-minutes I had a call back. They had increased their salary by £9,000. NINE-GRAND! Nine-Thousand pounds. I thought about it for like a hot second and whilst I had obviously accepted an incredible offer to work for an amazing company (so it seemed at least) and doing a job I loved and knew well. I mean it wouldn't hurt to go to the interview and see what it was all about - Would it?

And so I went. I woke up at the crack of dawn, even earlier than I would on a normal weekday at work, dressed to impress, and drove the hour's drive to an industrial estate on the outskirts of Hertford. Walking into the building I was nervous, intimidated by the huge price tag this job had but intrigued to know more and what they wanted for that cashola. I met with the MD and we entered his office on the first floor to where I spent most of the morning listening to what this company director had to offer me. 

Honest and truthful, the MD admitted he had not interviewed anyone else, nor did he want to as I had come following some blinding references from my previous employer (much appreciated considering they failed to give me my bonus and took nearly three months to pay me my final allowances). But why me? Well the benefits for them were simple - I knew the systems that they used from my previous roles within the industry and probably to a much higher level than they currently use, therefore being able to in a way teach and provide some invaluable knowledge into the system and how to use it to its full potential. I had just come away from the security industry and albeit taken a "secondment" into another sector, the industry knowledge I had gained over my nearly five years was also impressive. To say I was interested was an understatement. Wanting to know more I dug a little deeper. I wanted to know what they wanted and if I could provide it. The money was a lot, the most I had ever earned in my life. It would be like doubling my and Mr. Warehouses' household income overnight. 

I have no experience as a manager, only managing engineers' diaries and on the odd occasion booking the car in for an MOT, some holiday, or maybe the odd doctor's appointment. I have never been involved with the hiring or firing of anyone. The closest I ever came was putting out a job advert and sifting through crappy CVs looking for the good ones. But how hard could it be? Take a couple of courses, add in some firm ways of doing things and add a sprinkle of empathy or compassion and surely that is good management in its bare basic of formats? 

Agreeing to meet the MD and his daughter (seemingly office manager who is trying to keep a lid on everything) a few days later on the following Tuesday to look around the Milton Keynes base they wanted me to run out from, we called it a day. I was anxious about accepting, but I wouldn't be there if I wasn't fascinated by the opportunity.

The lock-up was cold and in desperate need of some love and care, but it would do for starting up. Walking around and struggling not to shiver due to the chill from the building being empty for so long I thought to myself that I could work with this and in the past had worked with less or worse. After chatting with the MD's Daughter at length about the struggles of the system and how the lack of procedures and proccesses only add to the problems within the company I felt at ease knowing I had a huge amount to offer the company. But now I a massive deliberation on my hands. 

Did I take the safe route with a job I know (and had already accepted) or do I take a huge risk and jump headfirst into a role where I am managing not just diaries but people too, with no training and very limited experience. As Operations Manager at the security company, I would be expected to lead the Service Team and provide much-needed support in organizing new works, repair callouts, and planned maintenance, working with a team of engineers and support staff. It was a big decision and one I battled over the coming days. 

If I took on and continued with my already accepted job offer as a scheduler at the environmental solutions company then looking at my CV it would seem as though I have either been lazy or just simply passed up opportunities to grown and climb that career ladder. Equally, I worried about if the Operations Manager at the security company was just too much of a gamble as it was a lot of responsibility and right before getting married and hopefully starting a family soon was it just a case of the right thing, wrong time? Loved ones I spoke to only seemed to give opposing views and most of my ex-colleagues who were still in the industry said that I should go for it, not wavering or hesitating in the slightest my ability. But I did. For so long I have thought I wasn't capable and worried that I wasn't good enough. I mean sure the money was great, all the holidays we could have, the nice car I could upgrade to, and that four-bed detached house in the next village over was a little closer and achievable than before. But was it worth the risk? Could I do it?

Picking up the phone I dialed the number on my job offer paperwork. I was nervous. Was I making the right decision? Someone answered. I explained the situation and they accepted my apologies however I could hear the frustration and disappointment in their voices. They thanked me for letting them know and wished me luck in my endeavors. The decision was made - Say hello to the new Operations Manager in Security. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

Life After Las Vegas!

Afternoon Everybody!

So my first week back from my Las Vegas wanderings and suffice to say that the holiday blues are well and truly kicking in - Especially since it has been raining pretty much all week long since our last conversation. Which brings me round again to the year that ensues. 

This year I have found myself asking some important questions in terms of my life progression, who I associate with, who I date and what I will do, not to mention where I will travel. Alot of those things I don't know yet and some I do but for the most part I think I have come to realise that at the ripe old age of twenty-four this year I don't have that much to show for it. 

By this point in most Twenty-something's lives they have gone to University, pissed it up at freshers, dated (and slept with) some dodgy people and earned a degree from it all, graduating in long gowns and pointy hats in the knowledge that it will stay on the mantelpiece of their family for years to come as a reminder that they are better than you. If you have not gone down that route (and sometimes even if you have) then you take a Gap Year otherwise known as a "Gaahp Yaarh" for those of a more affluent background! This may include many of the above such as pissing it up with other fellow travellers and dating/fucking some dodgy people along the way. Unfortunately for me I have got drunk many a time and fallen in the gutters of Great Britain, not to mention the amount of wrong-'uns that I have kissed so far on my journey of finding a future-husband. All of this is lovely but the more I commit to the daily grind, the more I feel the need for a random and spontaneous holiday of discovery. 

I need to grow. Expand. Develop. Things in life sometime get too stale and somewhere along the line you loose yourself a little bit. I want to loose myself completely and then re-find me. I doubt this can be done on a two week break to Thailand but that is what I am planning. A chance to make some new friends, meet new people and learn about other cultures. A chance to see the world before life gets any more serious. 

Now don't get me wrong, I love the creature comforts of home and all but I know that within the next five years at least it will be harder to escape, and in ten years it will be practically impossible to get away even for a weekend let alone skipping off for some travelling and self-discovery bollocks. In time I do want marriage and a family of my own but right now there is no need to be so cautious. I am twenty-three and should be as throw-away and carefree as a plastic bottle containing cheap vodka. I think I need to experience this not only for me but also for my future generations - My Children, my grandchildren, maybe even my great grandchildren. Oh can you imagine their wonderment when Grandma tells the kids about the time she rode an Elephant through the forests of Thailand or when she cuddled a baby lion in South Africa or about that fling with a surfer on an Mexican beach at spring break? 

At the moment I have had many a tale to tell about life gone by, anecdotes from dates and general life, but now is time for a change. This year I have already travelled to America. Now its time to conquer Asia as well. 2015 with be the year of travelling and exploring the world. Who knows maybe it will even spill over into next year as well. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Two's Company, Six is a Gatecrash!

Hey there one and all, 

So last week I explained away my review of a little known film called 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. This week however I turned Fifty Shades of Pink when I had a Déjà vu momento in which I was whisked back to an occasion I thought could never be written let alone happen twice, That Christmas Eve in 2012 - Merry ExMas! 

Awaiting my uncle outside a familiar Italian Ristorante in Bedford I pondered as to his whereabouts. It was never like him to be late, and for that fact it was never like me to be early for something. My phone bleeped with message telling me to go inside and get a nice big glass of wine ordered, instead of standing outside freezing whilst my Uncle was stuck in rush-hour traffic. 

Seating myself at the table it crossed my mind that this restaurant held fond memories of eating dinner across from a bearded and the childlike innocence of Mr. Cheese. Ahh yes. Long gone are the days of blue eyes and goofy smiles. I waded happily in my thoughts until my dinner date arrived. We sat, ordered bread and olives and yet more wine. Happy in my Uncle's company I was glad to have seen him before I went to Las Vegas. Albeit a small holiday it was still going to be the longest I have travelled, but I felt it and will be the start of an even bigger adventure into the world, as yet unexplored by Moi. 

As our Thursday night ensued we ordered our dinner and passed the time with conversations of work and family. Until that is I saw the flashes of a bright, post-box red jacket. "Oooh that's a nice winter coat I thought" I thought to myself. But just as I wondered where the owner had bought it from my ears caught the distinct sound of a voice I knew. "Surely not! It cant be! Its a Thursday evening for crying out loud?!" I thought, beginning to internally flap. But yes, it was. And as the women turned to be shown to her table I already knew who it was. Momma Cheese! As the seconds dragged I thought, hoped even, that she would be here with friends or someone else. "Not him, please, anyone but him!" No sooner had I thought those things I was suddenly thrust into a world long forgotten. Momma Cheese embraced me, soon followed by a warming hug from Baby Cheese, Mr. Cheese's youngest Brother. Mr. Cheese himself however could only muster up a short and stout "Hi". After the introductions you could tell we all felt awkward especially given the fact my Uncle had never met any of these people. Nevertheless, my ex-boyfriend and his family, now including Pappa Cheese were sat on the table next to us, so close in fact that if I put my arm out I probably would have had it round Mr. Cheese's shoulders. 

As dinner continued I listened intently to their conversation, desperate to be in two places listening fully at once. But as with anything like this - As if I am some sort of expert, of which incidentally I probably am now this has happened a second time - It was always going to be weird. Whether we met in the cereal aisle at Waitrose doing our weekly shop or in a hot and sweaty club with sticky, vodka and Redbull laced floors it was always going to be odd to say the least. Difference in as I found myself dipping in and out of their family dinner and subsequent conversations that came with it I realised that whilst I miss the intellectual conversation surrounding politics, current affairs and other matters of topical interest I certainly do not miss the way I felt when I was with (and without) my lover, Mr. Cheese.

I struggled with my Uncle to tell of anecdotes I had endured with Mr. Cheese for he was mere centimetres from me and would probably be able to retell every accountable detail in such tale not to mention fully vouch for the moments themselves. Looking back through our year together I see it through rose-tinted spectacles; The long hot summers days, lunches out, parties and social occasions not to mention the wonderful weekends in the Capital spent parading shops and eateries in West London and exploring the Chiswick High Road together in blissful harmony together. Fond memories of naughty emails and snuggles watching animal documentaries before bed. Mmm, Sunny days were they. But once the sun was gone there were clouds and storms in the skies that whilst simple to forecast were not so easily saved with an umbrella or raincoat. 

As the Cheeses' family meal ended, my Uncle and I sipped on strong Italian Coffee. Watching them dress in coats and winter attire I stood to be greeted and was again embraced by all members of the family. All bar one. Mr. Cheese himself had sprung from the table as soon as the bill was paid and dashed straight for the exit. Anyone would have thought I had the Plague or something. Not so much as a goodbye or see you soon. Nothing. As I said farewell to his family a little part of me was saddened I could not go home with them or that Mr. Cheese would not be joining me back in my flat tonight. It was then that I realised I was much better off without Mr. Cheese. Sure he was somewhat well off and his family affluent to the highest degrees I have ever come into contact with but it was not for me. The incessant need to have a cup of tea every four hours. The compulsion of vegetables and fruit at every meal. The absoluteness of getting a good nights sleep every night. And the lack of partying like a proper posh person slowly would have ground me down. I enjoyed his company most of the time yes and in terms of friends I think we would have been great, but as more than that I doubt it. I knew from the start that Mr. Cheese wasn't 'The One' and so I didn't pin too much on him, well at least I thought I hadn't. 

I had a relationship with this man, a sexual relationship (albeit not a very good one but regardless a sex life of sorts) and yet still he could not face up to me and be gracious. Gentlemanly and courteous he was not. Ignorant and ill-mannered he was. For someone brought up well from a pleasing family background and a good moral standing I would have thought more from him. I could have understood it if I had been the one doing the dumping; But it was I whom was the Dumpee in all of this. If anyone was going to have a diva moment and walk out it should have been me. But as I conversed with my agony aunties - Miss Tweedle-Dumb and Miss Tweedle-Dee later on after live tweeting and messaging them throughout said gatecrash; Maybe he just wasn't over me!? Maybe the sight of seeing you, so unexpectedly and so well turned out after the split made him regret his choices and wonder what life could have been like. And to an extent I probably agree, I mean come on! Maybe I am the Mount Kilimanjaro of women. Easy to climb onto, but hard to get over!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Spreading My Wings

Morning one and all, 

So the past couple of weeks have been hectic and in all honesty I know that the next few up until I leave for the States are going to be even more-so. But as life passes by in a haze, blurring one day into the next and weeks into months I wonder to myself when I have a moment from the manic madness that surrounds my desk and wonder what I want from life. 

Consulting my head I know that my long-term prospects are to find a man, settle down, move in, get a dog, get engaged, become someones wife and bear children then spend the next eighteen-plus years of my life occupied by baby vomit, what Sarah said at the school gates last Friday and why Dairylea Triangles only come in packs of six. And that is all whilst trying to hold down a job, house, bills and keep my husband relatively happy with the weekly blowjob, despite me having to wait ages for him to return the favour. Ahh yes, how I cannot wait for life to start with me being the head of my family. 

But something has struck me the past few months, and that is the fact that I am twenty-three. I still have lots and lots and lots (and lots more) living to do before that happens. Your twenties are meant to be the throwaway years. The ones that you spend travelling through Cambodia with some random hippie called 'Russell' whom of which you have a passionate love-life despite it not being a permanent fixture. The years you spend drinking away your hard-earned cash and sleeping with less than affluent village idiots where you have a better relationship with your duvet than with your mom or dad. 

Yes, I have thought for a long time about what I want out of life and what with being twenty-six days and counting into the New Year there is no time like the present to make some changes in order to better myself, my horizons, love-life and experiences making me an all-round better person and someone who will be able to grow some more delectable tales to tell. When I finally put down the bottle of Sambuca and turn off the disco lights in my late twenties I want to be prepared with stories of the years when I was acting-adult. I want to have dinner parties with new friends and go to mother and baby groups where we can chat about all sorts of life lessons and anecdotes that would help us through the sleepless nights and mash-throwing contests of our children. 

While Mr. Cheese was not the best kind of person in all regards, least his bedroom ability to keep up with my libido, he did awaken a fire within me to get out into the world and see things. When Ghana-gate was first announced I always thought I would like the idea of just going somewhere for several months and travelling, working, learning and having fun all at the same time. Maybe I would make some new friends or even meet that all-illusive 'The One'. Africa. Asia. Australia. The Americas. All are so rich with sites and scenery I am struggling which to do and where to go. Mr. Warehouse? I don't think or even know if he is the travelling type. He is such a home-bird I think it would be too much to fly away for months at a time with no sense of where we are going and what we are doing. I don't honestly think he is cut out for it, let alone us as a couple?! Besides I think I would enjoy it more and I may get more out of it if I was on my own. Anyway, you can only fit one person on an elephant at once!

I have however settled with this year exploring a little closer to home. Europe will be my big hitter this year and I may consider taking a good two weeks in order to go travelling around it, accompanied by as many weekends away as I can cram in. Denmark, Switzerland, France, Italy, Poland and Austria are all top of my list including fascinating cities like Prague, Budapest, Berlin and others slightly closer to home like Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh. I would like to say that every bank holiday apart from the end of May (being Miss Tweedle-Dumb's birthday which I would be crazy to miss) and Christmas/New Years I would like to get away somewhere. Although with the first Bank Holiday of the Year looming just a fortnight after flying back from Las Vegas I will have little time to hatch a plan of action. I was thinking of maybe even packing a bag and heading straight to the airport to pick up a cheap flight anywhere and just going for a mad spontaneous binge getaway. 

However in order to do this I must take action. I must be proactive in my search for adventure with the view to seek out fun and delve into the unknown. You see, after Mr. Workaholic left I was completely empty. I had no purpose in life and nothing to get up for in the morning but to go to work, with the odd occasion of escaping wretched Northampton to come back home and get drunk with friends just to take the pain away from the heartbreak. Slowly I have come round to the idea that I need to explore, not only myself but others and new things. I feel that I am now, partly because of Mr. Workaholic, that I am a commitment-phobe, megalomaniac who gets bored very easily. 

Maybe this is another one of my Quarterly-Life-Crisis', but of late my toes have been chillier than ever, although they are now starting to thaw out after someone surprised me with just some simple affections and kind gestures. Sometimes you can be so wrapped up in something or an idea about what you want to do, that you loose sight of just how good you have got it. Things in my head recently have become clouded and as a result I have felt trapped and in need of escape, which probably explains the thoughts of travelling and exploration I have day-dreamt about at my desk. There is only one way out from the situation I find myself, and I know, from experience, it will not be pretty or easy but it is something that may well have to be done. When or even if is another kettle of Koi Carp. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx