I'm sorry for the delay in putting up the next Tropical Twist, but it will be along later today (UK time).
I recently had a letter asking me to go along to the local Jobcentre Plus for a "Work Focused Interview" (eek!), at 11:15 today. Cue complete shambles...
I allowed myself an hour and a half to walk about two miles down the hill and out the other side of town to the Jobcentre - I wanted to allow myself time to recover when I got there.
I arrived at 11:00. The security guard looked on his list, I'm not there.
"Go upstairs and wait, someone will sort you out there."
So upstairs I go, sit down and wait...
"Can I help you?" (Examines letter) "Ah, you should be on the second floor."
So upstairs I go, sit down and wait...
"Ah, yes, she's in that office, she'll call when she wants you."
At 12:00 I got fed up and asked one of the security guards, who went and asked the lady whose name was on my letter.
"Go in and see her, she's free."
"I'm so sorry!" she says, "You're not on my list! Apparently, the woman who (hand) wrote your letter managed not to make you an appointment on the system at the same time! Sit down, sit down!"
It seems that it was not a "Work Focused Interview" after all, merely a review of my circumstances after four (ish) years since I was forced to stop work with Fibromyalgia. We ran through my background and she updated my file, no change.
(So it seems that not only did my appointment not get put on the system, the guilty party used the wrong form letter to send to me!)
She did ask what I do with my time, and I gave her the "transgender" word, which she didn't write in my file (that I noticed :P) and told her I was usually, well, basically here (without giving details). She thoroughly approved. It was also noticeable that her manner towards me, which had been good to start with, became positively open after that disclosure. I guess that "diversity training" must be working round these parts...
Enough of the rambling, I have to go post a chapter, so if you'll excuse me for a short while...
Penny
Comments
If you're walking in snow and ice ...
... might I recommend YakTrak Walkers which are bit like crampons but are elastic with stainless steel springs on them? I bought a pair yesterday in a nearby town before walking 2 miles home across the fields and they were great. I walked 6 miles today, much of it on very icy pavements and slippery and steep cross country paths and felt very secure. I just had to watch that they didn't become dislodged on lumps of ice. I got mine from Yeomans but I think they're a local chain (Derbyshire, UK).
Your interview in some ways sounded encouraging - TG ways at any rate. Perhaps not so good on the medical/jobs front. I looked up Fibromyalgia because I knew nothing about it and you have my sympathies. However I suppose you can take (very) small comfort from the fact that (according to Wikipedia) that it's more common in females than males to a ratio of 9:1.
Looking forward to the next 'Tropical Twist'.
Robi
Snow? No!
Unfortunately or not, depending on how you look at it, there's no snow here. I'm a fair way further south than you are, but not near enough to the coast to have been hit by the snow which crept along there recently.
We did have a couple of inches, but the rain we had at the week-end washed it all away. I expected ice this morning, which was one reason I set out early, but the pavements were completely clear. There was actually snow in the air as I walked down, but it had all gone by the time I got there and by the time I came out to forage lunch the sky was blue and I had to dig out my shades.
Fibro. Yeah. Fortunately I appear to have some of the less severe symptoms, at least according to what I read on the 'nets. Apart from the fatigue which happens every week or so, I have what almost amounts to narcolepsy. I can fade out almost any time of day. One day last week I fell asleep five times, usually it's just once mid-afternoon or so. Can you believe I used to be a courier? That's why I stopped :(
The other main thing I have is an extreme skin sensitivity. I liken it to bad sunburn or being dipped head-first into a hot chip fryer. It usually affects just my arms but can creep down the torso, very occasionally going right down to my feet. This usually occurs just as I wake up each morning and then for about an hour in the evening, although it can happen any time. The last three nights it's been happening at 03:00 and it takes me about an hour and a half to get to sleep again. No wonder I fall asleep in the day! There's absolutely no visible sign, it must all be within my skull (as opposed to within my mind).
Curiously, wearing women's clothing helps here. I have some long-sleeved t-shirts (£4 - Primark) I wear as vests under normal clothing, these have lycra and really help. Tights with lycra also make a big difference. Of course most clothing for women such as blouses and jumpers is made of softer material than men's so are a help for sensitive skin. About half the man shirts I own I can no longer wear without a long-sleeved top under them, the material is now too coarse for my skin.
Drugs? Amitryptiline turned me into a zombie until about 5pm every day. The side effects from Venlafaxin were so bad I lasted a fortnight on it; Gabapentin damped everything down OK but after three months my body adapted to it (!) so I stopped because it was a waste of time and money. I'm not on anything official at the moment, just putting up with everything.
My doc thinks the TG stuff is connected to everything else. Go figure.
Penny
Just Finished the Chapter
Hope things go well for you. I am enjoying the story.
Portia
Portia