So, I had the most fantastic idea as I was going to bed last night. However, so as to minimise the disruption to Karen’s sleep, I had to hope that I wouldn’t forget it by this morning.
And I didn’t. So in the last few minutes, I have lovingly crafted the Uborka Advent Calendar. Should be obvious how it works.

I don’t get my hair cut very often, but when I do, I usually fall into the trap of being wowed by some amazing spray or gel or other delightfully aromatic product that the hairdresser applies to my hair in a business-like fashion.

What’s that? I say. Does it make it easier to comb?

The hairdresser agrees with all my assumptions about wonderness of product, cuts and blow-dries my straggly locks to give them that rare salon-finish, and shows me the back of my head in the mirror.

I put my glasses on and then she shows me the back of my head again.

It looks just as I would expect the back of my head to look, so I pretend to understand why she is showing me the back of my head in the mirror, and then go to pay.

At that point, I always accidentally pick up a jar of the wonder-product, and place it on the counter, confident that just owning it will make my hair continue to look salon-finished for the next twelve weeks.

The wonder-product invariably costs almost as much as the haircut itself. See exhibit A: Item on the left cost about £10 over a year ago, still three-quarters full; Item on the right a whopping £12.10, this weekend.

Haircut on Sunday. Salon-finished look gone by Monday morning.

There are three main elements that I find stressful in the workplace: Not knowing what I’m doing, Not being in control, and Not feeling liked or useful. My new job features all of these elements in varying degrees.
Now that I’ve been doing it for four weeks, they are beginning to recede; I know a lot more than I did, but there’s an awful lot still to learn. I have been trained mostly by the girl who works for me, who very much wanted the job that I’ve got; so that’s been a challenging feat of management skill, for which I have largely relied on the force of my charming personality and my utter indifference to power struggles of any kind. Now that I am finally becoming useful in the role, I’m able to ease her workload a bit, and she is starting to relax. I do feel her pain, but there’s nothing much I can do about it; it wasn’t me who passed her over.
Back in the heady days of working in the recruitment industry, all my colleagues were delightful, bright, positive people who took an interest in everyone they met, and I miss that very much. It was good for me to be among such types, and I hope a little bit of it has rubbed off on me. I don’t think my new colleagues get me.
On an unrelated note, does anyone have good menu suggestions for a three course vegetarian meal for some friends we have never entertained before?