My partner got a promotion - she's practically a new person. Doing something she enjoys, getting more money, she works later hours so she gets more time to do things around the house (the fact that I do most of the cooking/cleaning has bugged her for years). Win-win-win.

My employer has announced a round of voluntary redundancies. I prepared an application and ran it past my boss, just to see what they might pay me to close off my job. It was immediately declined, so I guess I'm sticking around until the involuntary redundancies (which have also been announced, just for a later date) come around. I've got an interview next week. The trouble with being a shitty employer in what is effectively a "corporate town" where everyone is employed by that company; when you announce layoffs? Everyone slows down. Everyone pulls back. Productivity has plummeted and trust has been destroyed. You can't hire new people to fill critical gaps, because everyone knows this massive organization is up shit creek and nobody wants to hitch their star to that particular wagon. My fellow managers? We were a team of 6, but we've been 4 since January, and still no replacements on the horizon. We have approval to recruit, but nobody wants the job for the salary we offer and be under the cloud of uncertainty. "Take a paycut and maybe get fired within the next 12 months? Kindly fuck off".

So we all pick up the slack, burn out faster, and we leave a slightly larger pile of crap for whomever remains. Yay.

Not all doom and gloom though, hobbies are continuing to be fulfilling. Writing, piano, gardening, stupid but hilarious youtube series.

Our new cat is settling in nicely (her name is Penny), though she's a much more "charged" creature than the previous critter. The demure, fastidious and sadly deceased, Elvis.

Penny is a riot. Everything she does, she hauls ass. Off to eat? 100km/h. Receiving pats? Not fast enough, let her help expedite the process by headbutting your hand. Need to clean? You best believe she's full force. An absolute wrecking ball. She now answers to Eggs Penedict, Lumpy Space Penny, Penelope Pants and of course, Gremlin From The Void. She got the last one after she halloween-catted down the hallway towards me one night. It was fucking horrifying to see the eyes glaring, then the arched shaped scuttling towards my ankles. She just wanted some love.

But she doesn't receive love, she takes it. You will know about the transaction.