Naoko's news, views and shoes thread

[NaokoSmith]

Hey guys! I am back to tell you about one step I have managed.

(Tori, the phone number of that rugby player's dad? Or at least your story about him! although ... I have a whole novel of yours to review )

Some of you may remember I took out a grievance against the university I work for. I was quite impressed that I even got to take it out formally, as their rules are so tortuous that you can usually do this only when the moon is full on a second Tuesday in a month with z in the name.

It is not easy to take out a grievance and can often lead to tears but I'm glad I took mine out. Having to write out multiple times why I felt aggrieved made me realise just how discriminatory those b*stards had been. As an example, for a couple of years I actually believed I wasn't very good at online teaching because they knocked me back from a contract, claiming I wasn't. Then this year I was asked by Others to babysit fellow tutors doing online teaching as I had suddenly become the resident expert at it

In the end, the university are still saying: No No, Dr. Smith, we are sure there was no wrong-doing on our part. Except that they wrote to say: "No No, Ms. Smith, honestly, nobody here thinks of you as less qualified than you actually are," signing themselves Prof. StupidSexist. (Seriously )

However ... they also offered me a brand new line manager. They said she would be instructed to set me up so that I could not possibly fail to get teaching contracts I ought to get.

I know from what I heard on the grapevine that there was a big stinko caused over the appointment of the brand new line manager, with the Head Cheese insisting on sitting in on interviews and rejecting the first round of candidates as unsuitable. I know that the worst line manager, whom I fingered in private talks with Head Cheese as the source of all the problems (he bullies all the other managers then they bully us), was 'off sick' for months.

I have just signed off my grievance, saying: OK, boys, I am happy with my new line management arrangements, so I will let the rest of it go. And within minutes (maybe it was a coincidence? ) I had an email from the new line manager saying how much she wants to meet me, and she hopes I will have lots of suggestions for her how she should manage us all!!! Seriously.

Ahhh! maybe I will actually be able to get on with some teaching now! Hahaha, like I wasn't teaching most of the way through all this anyway

I love you all and will be back soon!

 

[SamScribble]

Hey guys! I am back to tell you about one step I have managed.

I love you all and will be back soon!

Onward and upward, Naoko

 

[Handley_Page]

Onward and upward, Naoko

Here Here.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I love you all and will be back soon!

Yay! Good luck with it all.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Thanks guys!

Yayyy! One more step - I've finally got a date (potential date!) for completing and signing off on ownership of Piglet's and my new home. We were told it would be this Friday!!! but then someone's solicitor wanted to go on holiday (no, seriously, that is what happened) and we all have to wait a week so they can sort it out with a tan.

I'm packing the essentials here! Someone said to me: "Yeah, all you need is champagne and underwear!" And I was like: "I don't need underwear!"

We are moving to a lovely quiet area (<snerk>), I think it's mostly retirement homes. There are lots of little houses with pocket handkerchief lawns that are all kept tidily mowed. Hopefully there are resident silver foxes who will be keenly offering me rides - on their motorised wheelchair if I'm lucky

Back reviewing soon.

 

[Handley_Page]

Thanks guys!

Yayyy! One more step - I've finally got a date (potential date!) for completing and signing off on ownership of Piglet's and my new home. We were told it would be this Friday!!! but then someone's solicitor wanted to go on holiday (no, seriously, that is what happened) and we all have to wait a week so they can sort it out with a tan.

Back reviewing soon.

Welcome back, Duchess.

 

[TxRad]

Motorized wheelchairs? Be careful riding on someones lap on a cobblestone street. Especially with no underwear. You might spill your champagne.

Do hurry back

 

[Handley_Page]

Motorized wheelchairs? Be careful riding on someones lap on a cobblestone street. Especially with no underwear. You might spill your champagne.

Do hurry back

She'll require a person with a red flag to precede her on the road, perhaps ?

 

[NaokoSmith]

Motorized wheelchairs? Be careful riding on someones lap on a cobblestone street. Especially with no underwear. You might spill your champagne.

She'll require a person with a red flag to precede her on the road, perhaps ?

You can have the job, if you like.



Well, chaps (especially any chaps wearing chaps), it is kinda hard to tell you how happy I am right now. The new little place is even nicer than I had imagined it would be! Piglet has settled down already, and her teacher is full of praise for how well she's done through all this (she even got a 100% attendance certificate for the term during which we finalised the separation and did the move and everything!). The Fella has tidied up his act, is a much better Dad now and is starting to be a nice friend to me again too. (I always did suspect that once we were no longer in that kind of relationship to each other, he might remember that he likes me as a person.) I have managed to get us into a good dynamic. Instead of me hassling him for money for Piglet, and him bitching that he doesn't have enough, we are competing with each other who can spend more on fun stuff for her, LOL. He is green with envy at the moment because I am planning to take her to Rome, when he only took her to London, LOL.

I have more free time with the evenings she goes to stay with him. As we have an election coming up, I have started doing stuff with local politicos. This area is stuffed to the gills with jolly eccentric posh socialist ladies, I feel totally at home.

My new line manager seems to be a Good Egg (Easter ... egg, geddit? Ho ho). I went to meet her and we talked about my upcoming appraisal, and how to conduct the meeting. The notes say you can do this by telephone, Skype or even flash meeting. "What's a flash meeting?" she said. "One where you get your bits out and show them off?" I think we might be able to get on well <snerk>.

I have been busy sorting out all the new white goods for the house - or in the case of the fridge, black goods! I didn't even realise you could buy a black fridge, much less that I had ordered one so I was a bit surprised when the delivery guys unpacked it. "Once you go black, you never go back," they assured me. Adding sternly that they were only talking about fridges.

OK, I am even posting a story on here! I have started uploading the chapters of a hefty fantasy romance novel, and reviewed it on my blog. I have also treated myself to a review of a story of Ogg's which has long been one of my favourites, it just makes me squeal with laughter!

Here are a couple of pix of my pussy or rather, pussies. The cats are ecstatic here, as there is a big park just outside (I like it too, as I can even see Piglet playing on the swings from my living room window). They are easily able to indulge their favourite hobby of bird-watching, and find many patches of sunshine to lie in during the day. I am really enjoying the well-designed kitchen (especially now it has a black fridge in it), and the big garden. The neighbours are all incredibly kind and friendly, it's very peaceful here and lots of dog-walkers and people with children go by on their way to the park, all saying: "Hullo!" "Good morning!" There is a fabulous llittle village of arty gift shops, independent wine store and super WiFi cafe nearby and altogether, I kinda can't believe how lucky ( well-planned) this move has turned out to be!

 

[TxRad]

Welcome back young lady.

Now that things are getting sorted out maybe you will grace us more often with your charming company.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Welcome back young lady.

Now that things are getting sorted out maybe you will grace us more often with your charming company.

That's my plan!


I am having a lovely breakfast here - Lazy Eggs Benedict. I can't be bothered to make the hollandaise sauce today so I just sloshed some Hellmans mayo on top. I am having trouble finding the sugar for my coffee ... as I am the only one here right now, it can only be me who has put it back in a Stupid Place, which is very annoying.

 

[R. Richard]

Welcome back!

 

[NaokoSmith]

Welcome back!

Thank you!

For you I will wear my red feathers and hooly-hooly skirt

 

[Handley_Page]

Thank you!

For you I will wear my red feathers and hooly-hooly skirt

You plan on "livin' on Cokey-Nuts and fish from the sea" perhaps?

Welcome back, Duchess.

 

[glynndah]

You plan on "livin' on Cokey-Nuts and fish from the sea" perhaps?

Welcome back, Duchess.

Don't we all?

 

[stickygirl]

Oo I love it when there's good news from friends but I think I have some catching up to do in your case, as I've not been here so much lately either.
I look forward ( or not ) to reading your last few posts but it sounds like the story has had a happy ending

btw, anyone heard from Tio?

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hullo guys! Good to be back.



I can see Tio over in Misquotes, tee hee.

Gah, I have a mountain of ironing here before I rush off to the airport to pick up Piglet from her Easter trip to my sister's. Apparently they went on an egg hunt at Floors Castle. I was joking that I hoped they picked up some history while they were there, but Piglet said the chocolate eggs were very small and the castle was more interesting. Boo hoo! she is growing up! Boo hoo!
LOL

 

[JackLuis]

Good to see you're back on board.

 

[Handley_Page]

Good Morning, Duchess.
Coffee?

 

[TxRad]

Kids growing up!

What a concept.

It happens to the best families.

Small chocy eggs at a Castle? Is that a metaphor for something?

Ok, ok, I'll have my coffee now.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Oh dear I have missed coffee! I had to wait nearly an hour for the flying Piglet to come in, as there was fog at the airport. And for some reason the airport Wifi bans Literotica! so I could only check my work email and knit socks.

Hullo JackLuis, my dear!

Where is Naked Party these days? Has it come to this, that nobody goes naked on a smutty chat board ... I mean a board dedicated to the honing of fine writing skills

 

[Sammael Bard]

Oh dear I have missed coffee! I had to wait nearly an hour for the flying Piglet to come in, as there was fog at the airport. And for some reason the airport Wifi bans Literotica! so I could only check my work email and knit socks.

Hullo JackLuis, my dear!

Where is Naked Party these days? Has it come to this, that nobody goes naked on a smutty chat board ... I mean a board dedicated to the honing of fine writing skills

It has died a horrible, horrible death in your absence...

 

[NaokoSmith]

It has died a horrible, horrible death in your absence...

LOL, what have you been up to in my absence? You have become a moderator, oh ex-poacher! Have you been having lots of fun? Are you going to come and have a floral martini with me in the resuscitated Naked Party lounge?
- single one <snerk>

 

[Sammael Bard]

LOL, what have you been up to in my absence? You have become a moderator, oh ex-poacher! Have you been having lots of fun? Are you going to come and have a floral martini with me in the resuscitated Naked Party lounge?
- single one <snerk>

Oh, I had involved myself in a lot of Forum shenanigans. Didn't have a lot of fun, but it was a ride.

Save a seat! I'll be right over.

 

[Handley_Page]

What is a floral martini ?