Concentration

So apparently, I have a fairly high IQ. Why then can't I seem to crack it at the work place. Where I come from initiative and an ability to successfully find solutions to problems encountered are encouraged and show the employee to be an asset to the work place. Here in the UK, an ability to unquestioningly follow the book and not see the various shades of grey in between the black and white are seemingly more desirable attributes. For me, I can't understand that. Those rules are written as guidelines by a mortal human being and surely are useful to those wishing to understand the basic workings of a system. After that I believe, one should have the freedom to analyse and search for better more efficient approaches to getting a job done. Unfortunately its not like that. Get to work at 8am and say "Yes sir/ma'am, no sir/ma'am, three bags full sir/ma'am" until 5pm. Whatever happened to teamwork? Surely employment at an establishment means that one has been accepted as part of a team? This implies that that individual has the right to suggest or at least voice their opinions to how they feel things could be improved. While this obviously doesn't have to be acted upon, the mere fact that the person is listened to creates an environment more conducive to teamwork? Instead, the UK employer is threatened by this 'uncooperative' approach.
My opinion? Too much insecurity among management people has caused highly valuable people to effectively have their wings clipped, thereby effectively placing a ceiling on their career paths. Just because a leader is scared that his position will be usurped. Something is not right here!!
To make matters worse, I have a concentration problem. Priorities change their levels of importance as something else grabs my attention. Consequently I need guidance in the workplace until I understand the system fully. Once I understand it, my natural instinct is to try and improve on what is in place. This then leads to the above mindset of feeling threatened. Blame is shifted onto yours truly because 'he doesn't have a clue about what is going on' and I can't defend my actions. Ugh!
Then I'm asked why I've taken so long to get back into full-time employment!! =P

Taken on another venture into the depths of Epping Forest.

The last few days

Ok, so I haven't made a post for a few days but I'm back now. I've sent quite a few friends to this site to check out the blogs but doesn't seem to be much interest. Oh well, I suppose the idea is more about self-therapy than anything else!

Trying to find a job like crazy. I'm going bonkers sitting here and not earning a salary. Its not good for the self-esteem when everyone else has money to at least get out the house, but you can't even leave the room. I must have sent out over 40 CVs this week. Plus I'm claiming JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) and they've mucked my claim up. Something to do with them not being able to get it on the system. Probably because they can't find the PC's 'on' switch! lol

I posted a new pic on Photopoints today called water. If it has moved too far when you visit the site, just search for my username 'seanetnel' and you'll see it there.

Gotta restring two guitars today. My 12-string Yamaha and my 6-string Seagull. Hopefully these strings last!

Coffee time...

A totally artificial landscape made on Terragen.

Terragen

I've been playing with Terragen and having a lot of fun with it. I'll post a few through later on, but for the meantime, you can get DEM's (Digital Elevation Models) from http://www.geocommunities.com . These can range from anything from a small lake to the surface map of Mars. Once you have acquired the DEM, you just enter it into Terragen and Hey, Presto! theres a 3D representation of the landscape. You can get Terragen from http://www.planetside.co.uk/

I'm off for a pig on spit in about two hours time. I may have to cycle, so that may take a while but should be fun...

I think I know what is wrong!

I just read that over two thirds of the UK population support a ban on smacking children. The reason for this being that
"The current law allowing for "reasonable chastisement'' dates back to 1860 and means that children have less protection from smacking than adults."!

I don't see the relevance in that to be honest with you. The next statement is even more nonsensical:

"The current law giving children less protection dates back to the century before last and is clearly out of step with modern family values.

"In the 21st century, equal protection must be every child's right. It is vital that hitting children becomes as socially unacceptable as hitting anyone else, which means modernising the law, as at least 10 other European countries have done successfully."

In other words, these people (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) are conversely claiming that our modern family value system is the best that it has ever been, and as time progresses things can only get better! Line that up with society's current state of decay and I would say that their arguement is promoting 19th century values rather than opposing them. I think if there is anything that this world lacks - and in particular the UK - it is discipline in the home. It is a biblical principle and has proven its value over THOUSANDS of years. To say that UK youth don't need to be disciplined (with a smack) shows just how far people in this country have been led away from the truth. Rather than going with what is right, people will bleat away and follow the fool with the loudest voice. No-one has an individual opinion anymore. What is fed to them by the Sun and other liberal media becomes what is morally acceptable and socially pleasing. Just look at the cannabis legalisation scenario. First it was introduced and faced opposition. It was then shelved and re-introduced a few months later. There was still opposition to the issue, but it had dwindled in size drastically. Now, you can't get put away for doing the drug. Suddenly the police force want more drastic measures introduced to deal with the spin-offs of its legalisation. ITS TOO LATE SUCKERS!! You should have thought of that BEFORE you made it legal. The same thing has taken place with child discipline except that this nation has been ammoral since the sixties and so they have no moral point of reference. If it feels good, it must be right. Thats why nobody in this county goes against the flow anymore and stands up for what is right; "It doesn't feel nice..." rings in my ears. Slowly but surely, society has distanced itself from biblical values until it is now every man for himself. Very dangerous... There are now no 'moral fences' to protect us from running out onto the 'immoral highway' and some hotshot seated in government decides what he will or will not make socially acceptable today before teatime.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not advocating child abuse, but I strongly believe that a child needs to be disciplined with the hand of a parent who provides its security and love so that it can learn life's lessons in the home environment rather than - one day - walking out into the real world and just taking what he/she wants or doing what he/she wants because 'it was fine with Mommy and Daddy so it must be fine now...'.

Tell me what you think... I'm going to get some tea...

Todays picture! Shadow experiment in the park. I did a few of them and they turned out quite well I thought! What do you think? You can see the rest at:
http://fire.prohosting.com/seanonel/

Ok, so I'm slowly getting the hang of this blog thing. Took some time!

I intend to publish the days best photos with each post along with my daily rant. I haven't had a chance to rant today as I went to bed at 10h00 this morning. I woke up at 17h00. Oops! I feel SO guilty. Oh well, these things happen.

Ho hum.

I have entered a competition to win a Nikon D70. At the moment I am desperately looking for something that gives me more control than what I have at the moment (just a Konica KD-310Z). It takes good enough photos (for a point and shoot) but I am so limited by the automation that I don't think it will keep me happy for very much longer. I have pushed the poor thing past its limits I am sure!

We cycled into the forest yesterday and found the tree below. Helen sat on its root and looked absolutely dwarfed by it. We ended up at some dam where I managed to get some sunset photos. Only one was worth keeping though.

Gotta go, dinner awaits!

We found this stunning old tree in Epping Forest. I think it has to be one of the biggest I've seen in the Forest.