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History Lesson

Have a history teacher explain this...
if they can... muhahahaha...!

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
(moral - don't be elected to Congress in 2046)

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
(moral - don't be elected president in 2060)

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
(moral - if your surname is Johnson, you could give birth to an offspring in 2008 who could eventually become President!)

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
(moral - if you're born in 2039, you may end up assasinating a president...)

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.
(moral - if you have three names, the letters of which add to 15, you could end up also assasinating the president, if of course you meet the other criteria...)

Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln' made by 'Ford.'

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was visiting Monroe, Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was visiting Marilyn Monroe.

Oooh... bizarre eh?!

All of the above is purely circumspect and represents no real fact or anything... just found it interesting that's all.

[contemplating:- nothing much]
[listening to:- "Rabbit in your headlights" - Unkle]

Want One!

This is pretty cool... bit more interesting then a usual Dell block on the desk anyway.

This is possibly the finest piece of computer equipment I've ever seen...

It's only a keyboard, but wait... it's more technologically advanced then my car!

[contemplating:- selling a kidney to get one]
[listening to:- The Killers- Hot Fuss]

Right... the rant to end all rants!!!

I quit work!
Yay!

Foolish? Maybe

"BUT WHY?" I hear you ask... I'll explain about future prospects later... but for now I have to rant about my current employer, although they are doing everything within their rights, they're not being very nice about it.

1- I quit, intranet at work says give 4 weeks notice unless you're some kind of big shot or unless you die... So I did, thinking that giving my notice on 8th October 2005 would see me free from their reigns on 7th October 2005, nice one says I thinking that I should therefore get Friday 8th off... but no... apparently they take it from the Friday immediately proceeding from your letter of notice. So I have to now work 4 weeks and a day... Fair enough though.

2- My former employer gives a reward for passing exams and gaining "Cert CII" status. A lovely £750!!!(before tax) but, unfortunately, I wont get it because I left before 6 months was up after I got the qualification. And what makes it worse is that the payment has already gone into my payslip so the money has to then be paid back to my employer after I receive it in the account! Ridiculous! What rubs salt in the wound is that the company "reserves the right to claim this money back"... which means they don't have to get it back, but they just want to... like they need it on top of the £6billion profit they made last year eh?! But hey, I can understand it, I mean if I'd just got the qualification from them because they paid for me to sit the exams etc, and then got another job in Insurance at maybe one of their competitors, it'd make sense not to pay me... but when I'm not going to do anything to do with Insurance anymore it's just not cricket asking for it back! but hey, I see their point, so fair enough...

3- I was booked in to do overtime this Sunday, to test out the new system, I said in my leaving interview that despite me handing in my notice I'd still be happy to do it because obviously there was a reason I was asked to do it, but I'll understand if someone else would like to test it who will be here to maybe train others on how to do it. Oh... they don't need me anymore...

4- Oh and I'm actually not allowed to do overtime anymore. Leaving interview stated, "we hope you will continue to work just as effectively as you have done in your last month as to this point"... but what they missed out, but we'll remove any perks of actually working as you have done over the last months and years... But fair enough, it's because it will mess up my pay, having to be paid officially after I leave the company etc so I can understand that...

5- I got a statement through from the Pension Scheme, that I am only part of because it's an opt out scheme and I forgot to sign and return a form, ok I understand, fair enough... but they've been taking out £50 odd from my payslip month after month since I was 23. Now I'm leaving I wont get this until I'm 65, and by then it wont be worth anything. Fact is, I could've really done with that £450 not having been taken from my account! But hey, fair enough, it's my own fault right?!

6- I also found out that had I have quit my job prior to being here for 2 years, the money would've come straight back to me. But again, it's my own fault for not having looked into it enough... fair enough.

7- My lunch today, was ordered at 1.38. They came back to me at 1.45 and told me they didn't have what I ordered. I asked them for something else. They waived the 50p extra necessary for this latter product and went on their merry little way. I eventually got my food, HOT PASTA!!!, which could not be eaten in a hurry because of it's heat, at 2.23! meaning I had approximately 7 minutes to eat it and then walk a 3 minute, stitch hindered walk, back to the office. That just annoyed me...

8- I found out I'm not allowed to attend the Christmas party. That's fair enough though because I'm not going to be a member of staff, and it is only a reward for staff members after all... It;s my own fault for leaving too soon... Fair enough. However, if I had've taken early retirement instead of leaving, I'd be invited, and probably praised for turning up! but hey, it's my own fault for leaving now...

9- I found out that I'm no longer allowed to go for the company get together with our chief insurer. Now for most people, they just wouldn't care... it's just one of those things. Unfortunately for me, it just happened to happen today. The order was passed down from on high, "that Fernandez boy isn't going to be a member of staff, so he cannot participate." This is ridiculous! Heralded as a "team building exercise, this will do more damage in my eyes then anything else of the company, the powers that be and even my immediate management. After the glowing reports I've had about me, stating things like "My only criticism is that he is too thorough" and even in my leaving interview, "it's a shame you're leaving because you had been ear marked for an upcoming position which would push you forward in the company" and "[the md] has expressed his disappontment at your resignation as he kept hearing your name in all the right places" (whatever that means) and my criticism throughout my employment being that people putting in extra effort don't get rewarded here! and now I see that very thing. The last chance for my former employer to prove me wrong and they fall at the last hurdle. I'm angry. If you could only see how hard I strike each individual key when I type this...

My soul consolation. In 2 weeks I am part of a 6-a-side tournament football thing with work people, providing they don't remove me from the team. I have considered withdrawing from the team, as I am on the same team as the MD, this could prove a problem for them... but no... I have already paid £2 to enter. (don't get me started on the team that I've been put in... for some reason, I have been placed in the seperate team to my friends at work and with as I said, the MD. So instead, I am going to play such hard football that Wayne Rooney and his little temper tantrum against Northern Ireland will seem like a small lamb dancing in a spring breeze.

I simply have no longer got any "earthly" reason for wanting to work anymore for this company...

I will not break the rules, my team will win! Then I will claim the prize as my own and disappear into the night.

by the way- my new job is working for CarDVD.co.uk
plus, I have a girlfriend who is wonderful...

[contemplating:- what gets blood out of football strips]
[listening to:- my own breath whistling through my clenched teeth]