Well, I ended up doing something yesterday that wasn't on my to do list... A nap! And after the nap I decided to undress under the sheets and call bf over...

The restaurant we went to with our friends turned out to be very good. I had a delicious chicken with green curry and coconut milk.

And now, the day after, after 10 hours of sleep, I finally don't feel like sleeping all day. Today is the day when Houdini will be "unleashed" into the neighborhood. And I think we'll continue to empty boxes, as it was motivating yesterday to see the place tidied up and less cluttered.

Less fun news too this week... We called the company where we ordered our doors in April, and they won't be ready till half AUGUST! 6 - 8 weeks till delivery, what a joke...

We're both on the computer right now, but after that:

- lunch
- cleaning up the house
- emptying boxes
- assembling furniture
- letting Houdini explore the garden for the first time (on a leash)
- grocery shopping
- friends visiting the house
- dinner in a restaurant

Wow, I hadn't even turned on my computer in a few days... Very unusual for me, lol. But between working 8 to 6, getting up at 6.20AM and coming home at 6.45PM, this little Belgian is more than pooped. Tomorrow should be a good day for tying up a lot of loose ends at work, which will hopefully translate into more reasonable work hours... For the first time since starting my job, I actually asked my boss to stop adding things to my to-do list for a while, to clear up the backlog...

In the meantime the house is slowly looking more settled, at least the living room and bedroom. Curtains are up, light fittings are up... And Saturday we have our first (unofficial) house warming! Some friends are coming over for bf's birthday, and before going out to a restaurant, we'll have a drink in the house. *sigh* Lots of stuff to do before then...

This weekend we spent 300 euros on two light fittings for the living room... Yes, we're addicted to pretty things Some paint touch ups, assembling and hanging up the bookcases, hanging up the curtains, hanging up the lamp above the sofa, and I think the living room will finally be ready. And then I think I'll take some more photos, it should look much better than the last pictures I showed

Well, lovely coincidence, right after my seminar on power play, I was "fortunate" enough to experience some manipulation techniques myself... It turns out that my co-worker (see blogs May 30 and June is trying to play some games with me and my boss.

Thursday I had a meeting with him to talk about my potential future function. I already sensed him trying to "push my buttons" to get me enthusiastic: glorifying the future position, appealing to my vanity and being demeaning about my current job. Especially that last tactic infuriated me, but I stayed cool. I spent the rest of the day thinking about the job, and prepared a list of remarks for a meeting with my boss, feeling apprehensive.

Yesterday I talked with my boss. This conversation revealed to me that the co-worker had been trying to manipulate not just me, but my boss as well... She was unaware of the extent of his plans, and (fortunately) didn't agree at all with them. I proceeded to explain to her how he had tried to "push my buttons" and had made negative remarks about my current job. I then told her that I had also asked him explicitly who's idea it had been to offer me this position: he had replied that it had been her idea, which was clearly not the case...

Well, I went out of that meeting being proud of my boss, even more convinced that I want to continue to work directly for her. And I felt disgusted at how the co-worker had tried to manipulate both of us into doing what he wanted. I'm not entirely sure, but despite him having a higher position in the organisation, bf has suggested that he might have been jealous of my position close to the boss, and therefore tried to have me transfered to a "better" position further away from my boss. But whatever the reason, my boss is going to have a serious chat with him Monday...

Last week and today I had a seminar about power play and manipulation. It wasn't my idea to go to this seminar, but my boss "recruited" me, because otherwise there wouldn't be enough people enrolled and the seminar would be canceled. It was reasonably interesting, despite the irritating "coaching" style of the teacher (applause after every exercise, hyper enthusiasm, etc.) But there was a lot of role playing (not something I'm particularly fond of)... Just imagine being told that you have to do a role play with your boss where you have to try and manipulate him/her, and you know she's tough as nails, and you're worried about what she thinks of you... Slightly awkward But we did laugh a lot. Strange to say, but my boss has been absent a lot lately, and I miss her.

As if our house hasn't cost us enough yet, we now discovered that the dishwasher is broken beyond repair. Well, to be exact, repair is possible, for 500 euros! I'd rather spend that money on a new one... *sigh* Poor bank account...

I mentioned a few entries ago that my job might evolve into something with more responsibility. I have now heard more about the plans, and it turns out that the co-worker wants me to change jobs completely within the company. Not too thrilled about that, as the proposed job in certain ways is a step backwards to me. Yes, less "administrative", but also less variation, less "privileged" in the hierarchy, etc. Thursday I'll be briefed fully on what he has planned for me, but already I'm quite apprehensive... My boss wants to know my opinion, but I doubt either of them will like what I have to say...

*sigh* Crappy Monday, I want some ice cream to compensate...

Can you tell that I like House? lol

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