I wore an outright skirt to work today

[crfriend]

The past none months have been soul-destroying and this job, as mundane as it is, will bring in income [...]

I'm sure I've said it before, and it warrants mentioning again: Whatever you do, do NOT allow yourself to be defined by what you do for "work". Mixing your sense of self up with your job is both easy and toxic at the same time. In this, I speak from experience -- an experience which let to a hair's-breadth of a suicide.

Unless one is one's own boss, one does not control his work situation; the boss does. If you have a good boss, then things will be pretty good; however, if your good boss gets replaced by a psychopath -- and they're more common than anybody wants to admit -- your existence will become a living Hell unless you can disconnect your sense of self from that now toxic environment. Recall that we are all human beings, and we all bring a very wide array of experiences and talents to bear when we labour for money; that labour does not define who we are -- our experiences and our personalities do, and we and we alone own those, not the boss (try as he may as a means of control).

Also recall that it's not your fault that the job-market sucks; fault for that lies farther "up the food chain" in the laps of those who pull the levers of power. So, there is no point in getting morose over things as long as the basic physical necessities are met.

[Sinned]

Crl, I agree with you. I've had the IT role with the big bucks and the high pressure bringing projects in to time and budget and I don't want that any more. It has damaged my health so now I want something more sedate that will take me to retirement. What I was getting at is that unemployment is ok for a short time ( and I think that you have gone through a similar experience in that it helps to heal hurts and recharge the batteries ) but when you get to the stage of really WANTING to work and keep getting rejected after interview then one's self of worth gets a real battering and it's easy for depression to set in. I don't mind retail as I get to mix with people and I mix well. I can go to work and leave work and leave it behind, something I had difficulty doing when working long hours and worrying about projects and the things going right ( or more often, wrong ).

As for sociopaths I know some. My second eldest son was married to one and it cost him a lot of pain at a time when he was fighting leukaemia and ultimately cost him his life as she destroyed, in a way we couldn't fight, his will to live. We are still paying for the damage that that particularly nasty piece of work has done. She has separated his grand-daughter from us even though they live close by. We are not allowed to see her at all.

MOH doesn't define herself by her job but I did as it was part of who I was. I don't any longer as I am the bottom of the food chain and my sinecure is down to other people. I am happier for it and I reckon that unless something drastic happens this may be my last role. We're in a position of having amassed resources so that we don't need a massive income in order to survive at a decent standard. We can still have our holidays abroad and emergencies can be coped with without any undue strain. I'd say that we're not rich but comfortable.

[STEVIE]

Dennis,
I won't profess any expertise in current U.K employment law but this is my take.
You are probably on some sort of probationary period, during which time they can terminate at will.
All that needs to be stated is that you proved unsuitable.
There is a time period, I think 104 weeks before the unfair dismissal rules kick in. Within this period any contest of dismissal is up to you and all that that implies. I think there may even be costs involved in an Employment Tribunal case, where none existed before.
Lastly, they could simply end up making your life hell and force your departure. I've seen that one quite a few times.
I really don't want to dicourage you but these are the reasons to go cautiously.
In my work, I had told some colleagues and my immediate boss so there were fewer surprises. I also have the benefit of being a union member. Finally, our government as an employer is highly conscious of "diversity", I tick that box for them. More so, as I pay for it.
Good Luck and BTW the profile photo's "nae bad a'va"
Steve.

[Sinned]

Thanks Stv, I have been meaning to post mon visage for a while and had a few minutes .... Next is to get some photos of my skirt wearing but you will understand that MOH is not really forthcoming in taking such photos, but I will get some.

I also take heed of your warnings and at the moment my job has a tad more importance than my skirt wearing ( at least I get to do that a time or two out of work ) so I will exercise a mountain of caution. The ghost of unemployment is too fresh for me to act otherwise. If it happens it will have to be a natural progression and a natural consequence.

[STEVIE]

You're welcome Dennis, hopefully we may live to see a day when such pessimism about our skirts is unnecessary.
Steve.

[Sinned]

I was out shopping today with MOH, grandson and one of my granddaughters when my new boss Caroline caught up with us. I introduced her to them and we chatted for a few minutes. It was a good moment but a shame that I was with them as I was wearing trousers. Had I been on my own I would have been skirted and I could have introduced my skirt wearing at that point. Missed opportunity in a way but no doubt there will be others. Incidentally my grandson's costume is a witch's dress "as it is the only costume that will fit him". Irony or what?

[dillon]

I also went as a witch, though in a half-assed way. I wasnt willing to shave my beard for it. But gave out candy and visited neighbors that way, then downtown in our little town and out to eat Mexican late.