Why do people do that?

Before I head off on a tiny rant which is likely to become quite, quite massive by the time I've finished with it, you'll be pleased to know that, at the half way stage of NaNoWriMo, I hit the ground running this morning with 25,075 words under my belt. Which means I am 75 words ahead of schedule, so I can take it easy for,oh, a minute or two at least. And if you're not pleased, well, you jolly well should be, because it means you only have to suffer my work for less than half the words you've already suffered and for small mercies we should be grateful.

Now, what I want to know today, specifically, is why do people say they will do things and then they don't? I have examples. Our house, to start with. And the people who say they are interested in it and keep phoning our agent to say they are going to make an offer. It has been two and a half weeks now, since they came around for their second viewing. And have they made an offer? Have they heck. Not even a silly one. They've bombarded our estate agent with faffing questions, in fact, the whole thing has been a faff, with Andy and I have been living in Tenterhook Faff City. Well, we've given up, now. No, not given up, merely lost interest. We've resigned ourselves to the fact these people are faffers, no more no less, and faffers do not keep their word.

Example two. Heather is still looking for a job. Two and a half weeks ago, she trailed miles across the county on the train and by Shank's pony, to go for an interview which this company invited her to. Have they let her know if she got the job? No. Shame on you, Holiday Inn. And then, one and half weeks ago she went for another job interview. It was two interviews, actually, one group one in the evening involving role play which Heather is very good at being a Theatre graduate and all, and then back the next day to work on the shop floor. 'We'll let you know within the week, ' they said. Have they? No, they haven't. Shame on you, Body Shop. And now she is waiting to hear back from another well-known retail outlet, who PROMISED to let her know one way or another by Wednesday if she got the job, following her interview last Friday afternoon. I shall with-hold the name of this company for now, to see if they are as good as their word, but heaven help them if there is no news by Thursday.

No wonder young people are so disillusioned these days, if this is the way the job market is treating them. And talking to friends who have graduate off-spring of a similar age, Heather isn't the only one who is being treated with such bad manners by the great British employer. I AM APPALLED, and I've had nearly thirty years experience of navigating my way around the workplace with all its quirky and sometimes unpleasant foibles. I have been hardened to the knocks, I am middle-aged and cynical about these things. But the generation who follows mine should not be taking on that hard-edged cynicism at so young an age. They are the bright young things, the optimists, the talent that is supposed to moving our country onwards and upwards. My pension depends upon it.

And thirdly...actually, there is no thirdly. Phew! Two rants, today, are quite enough.

And as I said to Heather, there are better things waiting for her out there, in her chosen field of employment. She's applied for a couple of theatre-based jobs in London. They are with smaller concerns than the likes of these multi-national companies who treat people like emotionless numbers. So hopefully, they will have more manners.

'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you love.'