Tired
Tired.
Posting from Islington.
Between one thing and another, I'm nearly an hour late for my Monday Night two hours of Life Drawing, so I thought 'Screw It!' and hunkered down at this net cafe instead.
My local net caff is closed right now because they are all Muslims and they are fasting/feasting for Ramadan. Or something.
To be honest, I'm not sure why the net caff is closed right now.
Today was rough. I survived, but it was rough.
But first of all, when I left last night, I was going to head into Leicester Square to go see Serenity.
I got to Leicester Square just in time to catch the 2100 session.
And Serenity rocked. Great Science Fiction with a Pirate/Western twist, subtextual political messages and great effects.
Plus the Dialogue. Joss Whedon writes great dialogue. Anyone ever saw an episode of Buffy knows that.
But this time he really excelled himself. The trademark wisecracks were there. But there was more. Mixed in was some kind of 18th Century/Yorkshire/Appalachian Dialect that the characters kept slipping into. Plus scenes where characters would freak out and start shouting in what sounded like Cantonese (it is worth noting that when the movie showed an instrument readout, or a label or something, quite often it was in Chinese/Japanese Characters).
I loved it.
What I didn't love was the fact that the movie got out at 2330, just in time for me to miss all the trains home.
Yep. Nightbus for me. Jeez that sucked.
Not to mention that I had to iron a shirt and black trousers when I got home.
In any case, I was tired and moody when I got to work today.
There I discovered that I've been moved from Cruisy Court Three to Hellish Court Two.
I also discovered that the girl that the Agency sent to replace the girl that replaced Chris wasn't coming in to work, and would be replaced by someone else.
I'm guessing she just didn't feel like being thrown into calling the list. Can't say I blame her.
Bear in mind that this makes three List Callers to quit in four weeks.
A minor fact that kept me biting my tongue repeatedly during the day.
The District Judge today was Mr Baker. Not as bad as Miss Quick, but still pretty harsh to work under. Did I mention that when I mentioned that I was working under Miss Quick people would twist in sympathy?
Same thing happened to me at lunch today.
The morning was crazy, the engine of justice that is Court 2, Highbury Corner, sputtered and jammed at places and predictibly the DJ was frequently snide to me, among others. Even the Prosecutor got a serve on occaision.
I was already having minor kittens because a) two weeks of the slower pace in Court 3 had predictibly put me in need of some swift gear shifting, the kind I was a little out of practise at and b) just for fun, the beaurocrats had decided that all this week the list callers need to fill out forms noting when each and every defendant makes himself/herself known, and when they go on trial.
As if we didn't have enough to do.
In any case, I took a licking from the DJ, and even the Clerk, who has been nothing but complimentary in the past spoke her piece.
Though thankfully she kept it to:
"Jason, that was a complete shambles."
The afternoon was better. I managed to keep most of the threads together, keep most of the balls in the air and even keep the cases moving.
Even the Clerk told me that I had done better.
The part that bugged me was that at times I started to lose my cool in a way I don't like to.
I tend not to shout at people. I've spent most of my life being shouted at, and apart from the three hours a week I used to scream with the Fighting Uruk Hai, shouting at people is just something I've tried to avoid.
Usually if I'm pissed off I'll smile and talk really quietly. Smile the way a cannibal would smile at a fat explorer. Smile the way a wolf would smile at a limping reindeer.
I have to be in really bad shape before I'll shout at someone.
And today I found myself raising my voice in a way that I haven't at this job before.
At times I wasn't so much calling the list some much as barking it back at the DJ, in response to one of his snide remarks.
The part I was sure that I could feel the Ice cracking beneath my feet was at 1305.
People had been coming and going all morning. List calling could be compared to a strange game of solitaire: match the Solicitor to the Client, sometimes get the client out of the cells, make sure the Solicitor is in the room, make sure that the CPS have the relevant documents, if a probation officer is needed make sure that the Probation officer is in the room and not in the other Court Room that they have to cover. If the defendant is in the cells make sure they have seen a solicitor, or find out if they represent themselves or if they want to see the duty solicitor. Find the right answers for the surly relatives of the accused. Make sure the advocate has filled in an orange form, to which you've added the case numbers and handed it up to the Clerk for them to add it to the Pink File (as often as not, swinging loose so that you have to secure it to an orange tag before dropping it in the box in the hall out the back of the courtroom.
Put all the pieces together, call it on, then try to put the pieces together for more cases to be called before you have to jump up and do something else.
I used to have nightmares about Highschool. Now I have nightmares about work.
I know that this is starting to read like a throwback to my recently dystopian illustration of my life. Don't get me wrong, this morning someone called up with one day's work carrying sandwiches for some company in Camden, and I was happy to tell them that I was working today, tomorrow, the rest of the week and probably next week too.
Anyway, back to the story.
People wanted cases to be called before lunch, some cases required people brought from the cells. Bringing people from the cells takes time and has to be done in order that the case will be called.
Just at a crucial moment a Czech translator started asking me something, into my left ear. My left ear which seems to be periodically blocked up by wax or something since Saturday (mental note, if it doesn't get better, see a doc).
The DJ starts saying something along the lines "Can the List Caller Please Call the Next Case on. This is not the time to keep us waiting, it is five past one and..."
That's right where I cut him off.
"SIR, THE NEXT CASE IS ON THE 203 REGISTER, IT IS CASE X TO Y, JOHNATHAN Q DOE, HE APPEARS VIA CUSTODY AND IS REPRESENTED!"
Percussive delivery. Not shouting, certainly not screaming but with an edge which stopped the DJ mid vitriolic flow.
I was sure that I was going to get into trouble for that. It is the kind of thing I spend my life trying not to do, but sometimes it just comes out that way before I can stop it.
Strangely enough I later asked people about me raising my voice and they didn't seem to be too shocked.
It still bothered me. I might lose my cool, but I don't lose it like that and I would have to be particularly bothered before I shouted at anyone, let alone a District Judge.
In any case, I didn't hear any more about it, I finished the list by quarter past four and to the best of my knowledge I still have a job to go to tomorrow.
I'm going to get something to eat and get some sleep.
But first I have to go home and iron some clothes.
Yay.
Over and out.
J
Posting from Islington.
Between one thing and another, I'm nearly an hour late for my Monday Night two hours of Life Drawing, so I thought 'Screw It!' and hunkered down at this net cafe instead.
My local net caff is closed right now because they are all Muslims and they are fasting/feasting for Ramadan. Or something.
To be honest, I'm not sure why the net caff is closed right now.
Today was rough. I survived, but it was rough.
But first of all, when I left last night, I was going to head into Leicester Square to go see Serenity.
I got to Leicester Square just in time to catch the 2100 session.
And Serenity rocked. Great Science Fiction with a Pirate/Western twist, subtextual political messages and great effects.
Plus the Dialogue. Joss Whedon writes great dialogue. Anyone ever saw an episode of Buffy knows that.
But this time he really excelled himself. The trademark wisecracks were there. But there was more. Mixed in was some kind of 18th Century/Yorkshire/Appalachian Dialect that the characters kept slipping into. Plus scenes where characters would freak out and start shouting in what sounded like Cantonese (it is worth noting that when the movie showed an instrument readout, or a label or something, quite often it was in Chinese/Japanese Characters).
I loved it.
What I didn't love was the fact that the movie got out at 2330, just in time for me to miss all the trains home.
Yep. Nightbus for me. Jeez that sucked.
Not to mention that I had to iron a shirt and black trousers when I got home.
In any case, I was tired and moody when I got to work today.
There I discovered that I've been moved from Cruisy Court Three to Hellish Court Two.
I also discovered that the girl that the Agency sent to replace the girl that replaced Chris wasn't coming in to work, and would be replaced by someone else.
I'm guessing she just didn't feel like being thrown into calling the list. Can't say I blame her.
Bear in mind that this makes three List Callers to quit in four weeks.
A minor fact that kept me biting my tongue repeatedly during the day.
The District Judge today was Mr Baker. Not as bad as Miss Quick, but still pretty harsh to work under. Did I mention that when I mentioned that I was working under Miss Quick people would twist in sympathy?
Same thing happened to me at lunch today.
The morning was crazy, the engine of justice that is Court 2, Highbury Corner, sputtered and jammed at places and predictibly the DJ was frequently snide to me, among others. Even the Prosecutor got a serve on occaision.
I was already having minor kittens because a) two weeks of the slower pace in Court 3 had predictibly put me in need of some swift gear shifting, the kind I was a little out of practise at and b) just for fun, the beaurocrats had decided that all this week the list callers need to fill out forms noting when each and every defendant makes himself/herself known, and when they go on trial.
As if we didn't have enough to do.
In any case, I took a licking from the DJ, and even the Clerk, who has been nothing but complimentary in the past spoke her piece.
Though thankfully she kept it to:
"Jason, that was a complete shambles."
The afternoon was better. I managed to keep most of the threads together, keep most of the balls in the air and even keep the cases moving.
Even the Clerk told me that I had done better.
The part that bugged me was that at times I started to lose my cool in a way I don't like to.
I tend not to shout at people. I've spent most of my life being shouted at, and apart from the three hours a week I used to scream with the Fighting Uruk Hai, shouting at people is just something I've tried to avoid.
Usually if I'm pissed off I'll smile and talk really quietly. Smile the way a cannibal would smile at a fat explorer. Smile the way a wolf would smile at a limping reindeer.
I have to be in really bad shape before I'll shout at someone.
And today I found myself raising my voice in a way that I haven't at this job before.
At times I wasn't so much calling the list some much as barking it back at the DJ, in response to one of his snide remarks.
The part I was sure that I could feel the Ice cracking beneath my feet was at 1305.
People had been coming and going all morning. List calling could be compared to a strange game of solitaire: match the Solicitor to the Client, sometimes get the client out of the cells, make sure the Solicitor is in the room, make sure that the CPS have the relevant documents, if a probation officer is needed make sure that the Probation officer is in the room and not in the other Court Room that they have to cover. If the defendant is in the cells make sure they have seen a solicitor, or find out if they represent themselves or if they want to see the duty solicitor. Find the right answers for the surly relatives of the accused. Make sure the advocate has filled in an orange form, to which you've added the case numbers and handed it up to the Clerk for them to add it to the Pink File (as often as not, swinging loose so that you have to secure it to an orange tag before dropping it in the box in the hall out the back of the courtroom.
Put all the pieces together, call it on, then try to put the pieces together for more cases to be called before you have to jump up and do something else.
I used to have nightmares about Highschool. Now I have nightmares about work.
I know that this is starting to read like a throwback to my recently dystopian illustration of my life. Don't get me wrong, this morning someone called up with one day's work carrying sandwiches for some company in Camden, and I was happy to tell them that I was working today, tomorrow, the rest of the week and probably next week too.
Anyway, back to the story.
People wanted cases to be called before lunch, some cases required people brought from the cells. Bringing people from the cells takes time and has to be done in order that the case will be called.
Just at a crucial moment a Czech translator started asking me something, into my left ear. My left ear which seems to be periodically blocked up by wax or something since Saturday (mental note, if it doesn't get better, see a doc).
The DJ starts saying something along the lines "Can the List Caller Please Call the Next Case on. This is not the time to keep us waiting, it is five past one and..."
That's right where I cut him off.
"SIR, THE NEXT CASE IS ON THE 203 REGISTER, IT IS CASE X TO Y, JOHNATHAN Q DOE, HE APPEARS VIA CUSTODY AND IS REPRESENTED!"
Percussive delivery. Not shouting, certainly not screaming but with an edge which stopped the DJ mid vitriolic flow.
I was sure that I was going to get into trouble for that. It is the kind of thing I spend my life trying not to do, but sometimes it just comes out that way before I can stop it.
Strangely enough I later asked people about me raising my voice and they didn't seem to be too shocked.
It still bothered me. I might lose my cool, but I don't lose it like that and I would have to be particularly bothered before I shouted at anyone, let alone a District Judge.
In any case, I didn't hear any more about it, I finished the list by quarter past four and to the best of my knowledge I still have a job to go to tomorrow.
I'm going to get something to eat and get some sleep.
But first I have to go home and iron some clothes.
Yay.
Over and out.
J
posted by the.exile at 6:57 pm
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