9th November 2006

Work has been creeping up a little recently. I fully expected to be putting in the long hours following my return. It was meant to be a case of working hard but being seen to be working hard. There is a perception here that long work is hard work and I swore I would not subscribe to that. But life is too short (actually contracts are too short) to try to change the world so I’ll play the game. Thing is though work is a bit like a gas. It seems to fill whatever space you give it and still presses on the sides. The twelve hours days can easily become thirteen and fourteen if you let them. There have weeks where I haven’t seen the kids for a couple of days in a row.

My boss has certainly been well rewarded for playing the game over the last few years is beginning to view me with suspicion. He would normally wait until everyone else leaves, send off a few mails just to prove how hard he’s been working and then go. I can see him glancing up to see if I’m still at my desk when he is now looking to leave and there have been quite a number of occasions when I have faced him down. Its become quite the contest. I’m not keeping score, but I’ll bet any money he is!