Social

I'm doing something this evening, unless unforeseen circumstances intervene, that I haven't done since I've been in my present job - I'm going to a social event with a goodly number of my work colleagues, namely the 'leaving do' for one of our shift managers, who's moved to a 9 to 5 job in a different part of the organisation, albeit still in London. Such outings are few and far between - it's pretty difficult to get shift workers together, almost by definition - and I've missed those that have happened in the past either because I've been working, or because, in my previous life, I've been in Cornwall when they've taken place. Tonight, though, I should finish work at 7:30, all being well, and the event is taking place in a pub outside a station just a couple of stops from 'worktown', so there's no reason for me not to go. Except that, while I haven't had the (ultimately all too justified) premonitions of disaster that preceded my visit to Manchester a few weeks back, there are still a few potential banana skins involved. Mostly in the sense that at least one, and maybe more, of our collection of outspoken bigots will be there, and, given the disinhibitory nature of alcohol, I might just be inclined to bite back at the sort of racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and, especially, homophobic bullshit I spend my working days surrounded by. And outing myself in the process, which could make my subsequent working life more than a little problematic. I'm not going with the intention of 'looking for a fight', even a verbal one, but I've spent so much time over the past three years or so silently seething about the stupid, ignorant and downright antediluvian attitudes of certain of my colleagues, and everyone has their threshold of tolerance. Time will tell whether mine gets breached this evening.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B