Not Unemployed!

I've just heard news; I have been offered, and accepted, a job as a wind turbine control systems consultant engineer. I start in two weeks, which gives me time to get my family settled when they arrive tomorrow, on a fairly generous package. The place is about three minutes' walk from Bristol Temple Meads train station, so transport is easy. They also give five weeks' annual leave each year, one week better than Australian companies, which is a nice bonus.

The worst thing? I can't tell Kylie. She is in Singapore airport as I write, getting ready to get on a flight to London. It will be one more good thing for when she gets here.

Can I work for you, please???

Applying for jobs in the UK is often a bizarre process. Their equal opportunity employment legislation seems to be quite extreme, to the point that companies will require you to fill out a survey asking some quite personal questions so that they know exactly which minority you fit into before they can employ you. One company wants to know:

• Gender (complete with a note that if you are currently undergoing 'gender reassignment' you should state your future gender, not your past gender);
• Age range;
• Sexual orientation;
• Religion;
• Nationality;
• Ethnic origin; and
  
• Whether you have a disability.

I would have thought that actually this sort of data would lead to discrimination, rather than reducing it. It is all terribly PC, too; you are never asked such a simple question as, "What is your ethnic origin?" You are always asked, "What do you consider your ethnic origin?" or "Do you consider yourself to have a disability?" Nationality and age are the only two exceptions; even gender is, "What do you consider your gender to be?" with, of course, the disclaimer regarding those undergoing 'gender reassignment.'

I am one of the unwashed majority; I am a youngish, white, Christian, non-disabled, married, heterosexual male. I hope it doesn't count against me. The way this survey is worded, I could claim to feel like a youngish, yellow-skinned, lesbian Eskimo Rastafarian with no legs, and no-one could accuse me of lying (no-one who'd never spoken to me before, anyway). I wonder if it would help?

Cooking

I know the title of this blog is supposed to be just a pun, but I can't resist a comment on cooking, and, in particular, sausages.

The British know a thing or two about sausages which Australia's butchers could learn from. Even the cheapo pork snags I got from the local Co-op (a bit like the local IGA in Aus) were very tasty indeed, and will see me through many a cold evening without complaint.

I also found a bottom-of-the-range Peter Lehman Shiraz for "half-price" at £3.80. It is OK, but a poor reminder of home.

Ambition

OK, this guy is ambitious:

http://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/01/dodgy_cheque/

I mean, who thinks they're going to get away with that?