Banter 2021 Off-Topic Chat Thread

[Hamingja]

I make it as a provisional member next in take and will pay the $$ to let it sit there and rot.

Waited since 05 to get in... not igivng it up now - but wanna see the Aussies and the Cats at the G from the members before i cark it.

now if I could just get home......

GO Catters

My grandad was smart and signed me up when I was born. I reckon I got restricted membership in early 2000s but only got full membership last year and of course GF not at the G

 

[GeelongFTW]

Lets pile on Glad
DEATHS
Total Deaths per 100,000 People

STATE	CFR	DEATHS	per 100k
Victoria	4.0	820	12.4
Tasmania	5.6	13	2.4
NSW	0.8	56	0.7
ACT	2.4	3	0.7
WA	0.9	9	0.3
SA	0.5	4	0.2
Queensland	0.4	7	0.1
NT	0.0	0	0.0
Australia	2.9	912	3.6

Its not the Victorian Governments fault that the Aged Care system was handled abysmally by the federal government.

 

[GeelongFTW]

Everyone caught the final Episode of Loki? Knocked it out of the park again.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Hey Cats_R_Cool_4_Ever. Ning Ning

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

What's the chance we don't play the Tigers at the MCG next week.

I guess it depends whether the 5-day lockdown works or not. But I think even if it's lifted at midnight next Tuesday, it's probable next week's footy will be a no crowds affair if played in Vic.

 

[winty]

 

[winty]

If this isn't an endorsement for the effectiveness of wearing a mask, I don't know what is...

 

[winty]

Haha. Annastacia Palaszuzuk just called the Delta variant of Covid the Sydney Strain in her press conference this morning! Love it!

 

[James1970]

Gotta love this town...

 

[cats_09]

Don't think I've ever been so happy to be sent home after 5 hours on shift - I'm casual so hours aren't guaranteed, but been working the same site all week with returns of 9.75, 8.5 & 10 hours

Been getting up between 5:30 & 5:40 all but Tuesday morning, working outside in the cold and up late last night watching the football - so being told at 12pm there's no else for me on site today wasn't setting

Getting a coffee & pie for lunch from my local bakery, then home to have a nap

 

[krided]

Don't think I've ever been so happy to be sent home after 5 hours on shift - I'm casual so hours aren't guaranteed, but been working the same site all week with returns of 9.75, 8.5 & 10 hours

Been getting up between 5:30 & 5:40 all but Tuesday morning, working outside in the cold and up late last night watching the football - so being told at 12pm there's no else for me on site today wasn't setting

Getting a coffee & pie for lunch from my local bakery, then home to have a nap

What exactly you do for living if you don't mind me asking?

 

[winty]

What hope do NSW have if they get mixed messaging like this?

 

[cats_09]

What exactly you do for living if you don't mind me asking?

I started in traffic control about 6 weeks ago

They decided to schedule me a genuine nightshift for Monday - 23:30 start and finishing whatever time Powercor finish the work

I declined that shift, so now I'm waiting for a phone call to explain myself - feels like they're either testing me or pushing me this last week as I worked over 9 hours on Monday and they told me they were going to put me on call for that night

 

[krided]

I started in traffic control about 6 weeks ago

They decided to schedule me a genuine nightshift for Monday - 23:30 start and finishing whatever time Powercor finish the work

I declined that shift, so now I'm waiting for a phone call to explain myself - feels like they're either testing me or pushing me this last week as I worked over 9 hours on Monday and they told me they were going to put me on call for that night

Heard that the hours can get really intense while copping terrible weather, but the pay wouldn't bad right?

 

[Spazz Cat]

I started in traffic control about 6 weeks ago

They decided to schedule me a genuine nightshift for Monday - 23:30 start and finishing whatever time Powercor finish the work

I declined that shift, so now I'm waiting for a phone call to explain myself - feels like they're either testing me or pushing me this last week as I worked over 9 hours on Monday and they told me they were going to put me on call for that night

Its the way to go. Don't let them push you or they'll just f**k you over and expect it.
Nights are really cold at the moment.
They need you at least as much as you need them.

 

[winty]

 

[krided]

Bondi alpha's showing Covid and rest of Straya that they won't submit to this made up flu.

 

[cats_09]

Its the way to go. Don't let them push you or they'll just f**k you over and expect it.
Nights are really cold at the moment.
They need you at least as much as you need them.

Having Tuesday off, I was able to go to my local bakery and got chatting with one of the staff who's also about to start working traffic control for the same company - she was given some advice which she shared with me

"I've been told they'll try to test you, and push you, so it's important to stand your ground early otherwise they'll keep trying to take advantage of you" - so here I am standing my ground again

Don't get me wrong, in due course I'd be happy to do actually night shifts, but I've been there only 6 weeks and at this stage I don't have the hi vis night whites. I worked an 11 hour shift last week that didn't finish until until 6pm and had a women get very close to hitting me once it got dark because she didn't have her headlights on and while I had the reflective tape on my clothes, they don't stand out if there's no light reflecting off then

I know I'm still on something of a trial period at the moment - like we can't even purchase a uniform/Hi Vis PPE through them until we've been there 3 months, so if that aren't happy with me declining this shift then so be it. I've worked with same really good folks, but there's not too many I've worked with who will talk up the company & how great it is to work for them - seems that a good number, whether newbies or even long timers, don't necessarily have too many good words to say & would walk if the opportunity presented

 

[cats_09]

Heard that the hours can get really intense while copping terrible weather, but the pay wouldn't bad right?

I think it's been 3 weeks since I had an official lunch break during a shift, and if the weather is shit then we're stuck out in it - had that a couple of times

The pay is ok, though I've seen some companies pay additional/double rate in wet weather but I'm not that lucky

At this stage though I'm not sure I could make a sustainable living working with this particular company long term - during the job interview they indicated that "while it's casual employment, it's not uncommon to be working close to full time hours", but I'm averaging around 30 hours per week

I've worked with some long timers who's shifts have dropped to 2 or maybe 3 days a week over the past year as the company focused more on recruitment of the unemployed over that timeframe due to government kickbacks for companies taking on new staff & job seekers

 

[winty]

If only the first part of this was true...

 

[OzeSparky]

As a business owner, if you don’t mind me asking Cats 09 what jobs you had in the past?
Just asking cause I could never work behind a desk.

 

[cats_09]

As a business owner, if you don’t mind me asking Cats 09 what jobs you had in the past?
Just asking cause I could never work behind a desk.

I've worked various roles at Centrelink - front office, back office and call centre

Worked in not-for-profit with a key focus on fundraising & marketing. The vast majority of that was sitting at a desk behind a computer and doing data entry - I always enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the office and with at events, functions or whatever allowed me to be away from the office. I also dealt with back pain and they finally got me a height adjustable desk after a fight - apparently my medical massage therapists request for a standing desk was sufficient and I needed a letter from a "medical" professional

Plus other odd office jobs

I've always said I hate being stuck within 4 walls and none of those jobs helped change my mind

Traffic isn't my dream job or something i necessarily want to do long term - when I left my job in fundraising I retrained to move into tourism but obviously that sector has turned to shit the last 12 months. I haven't given up hope of ultimately working in that field or even something with better conditions than TC

 

[Down at K Park]

Anyone else thinking the olympics is going to be a total disaster, and they should just cancel it?

Athletes dropping like flies with covid infections already, and it hasn’t even started yet. The people of japan largely don’t want it.

 

[cats_09]

Anyone else thinking the olympics is going to be a total disaster, and they should just cancel it?

Athletes dropping like flies with covid infections already, and it hasn’t even started yet. The people of japan largely don’t want it.

Up to the IOC to cancel it

Apparently there's a clause in the contract that the host country can't cancel/postpone it etc, that it's only the IOC who are allowed to do so

I'll watch various events if it goes ahead but wouldn't be surprised if it's cancelled

 

[Down at K Park]

It should have been pushed back to 2024. And moved the next scheduled ones back 4 years.