I never really liked having "idle" time off work. For my first five years in my previous job I used to go to America once a year, which took two to three weeks of my holiday allowance, and did two Star Trek cons, which handled most of the rest of it - the remainder I'd use as odd days. (I got four weeks to start with, I think, raising to five weeks and two days due to promotions/long service) The first time I actually had spare holiday was the April 2005 - March 2006 year, because I hadn't gone to the US (my friend had come over to me in February 2005 instead), and I'd not really done much else. So I had a week off doing sod all at the end of January 2006, and I found that when I got back it took me ages to get back into the habit of working, whereas before I'd been a steady worker, covering any available shift, often doing 6 days a week - occasionally 7, though my Manager did generally try to avoid it, and if that did happen, one of the shifts at least would be a short five hours or so. Still, that week really threw me off-kilter, and that was a job I felt happy at; my co-workers were essentially my family and the shop was my home. (I did fifty+ hour weeks on a few occasions.) Here I've had two weeks off, in a job I'm still trying to get used to and often dislike, with people I still don't know or feel particularly comfortable around (which is my fault, not theirs - I've never been one who gets along with people instantly) and, to make things worse, my first shift was a late turn as a spare at my least favourite station.

As one can imagine, I did not go in expecting the best... in fact, I was absolutely dreading it.

Since it was a late turn and the station in question has a staff car park, I drove in, which took me about half the time I allowed. Unfortunately due to living just outside London I have to use a road that can be packed absolutely solid; I went to collect my partner from Cockfosters the other day, a journey that takes 10 minutes in light traffic and twenty in heavy traffic, and I arrived after 35 minutes. And I had to go further than that. So I thought, okay, I'll leave at 4, even if it takes an hour I'll get in at 5, which means I won't officially be late. Of course, after craaaaaawling down the road we live in, I had a fairly clear journey, and it only took me half an hour to make it there. I signed in, asked what the supervisor needed me to do - expecting to be told, as usual, to go and relax in the staff room as a) there was half an hour before my shift started anyway and b) they never seem to think of anything for spares to do but, to my surprise, I was told to go down to Platforms 3 & 4 to oversee the end of 'rush hour'. (Recently I went and met my partner at Holborn after work. I'm itching to work at a station that's actually busy, rather than what passes for busy at this end of the line...) So off I trundled, expecting to be dragged off at any point to work on the gateline so that people could go on breaks but, to my surprise and immense pleasure, I was left down there until it was time for my meal break. The supervisor did come rushing down after about ten minutes pointing out that my shift didn't start until five, and I just said, "I know." I'm not quite sure that they've ever grasped that I'd probably pay LU to let me do this job, at least the platform side of it. He did send other CSA's down now and then to check if I wanted a break but I didn't (excessive breaks from the platform are regarded by me in much the same way as idle holidays... as long as I can go to the loo or grab a drink of water should I need it, I'd rather stay in place instead of switching off) and so I ended up down there from 16.40 to approximately 20.00.

After my meal break there still wasn't anything much for me to do, so I was told to just wander round the platforms and assist where needed. I did platform checks - found one extinguisher without a security seal - and then read this week's Traffic Circular. Helped a few people up the stairs with luggage and did the odd announcement where it was needed. After 10 o'clock I did a few announcements about Bounds Green as well since some of the drivers still aren't remembering to announce it. I also got a customer moaning - although he did at least keep it civil - about the fact that drivers haven't been doing so. Whilst I sympathise, and I know that the information is in the traffic circular and also on the driver information boards at the adjacent stations so there's really no excuse for them not announcing it, I also feel that if it's "the fifth time this month" then the customer should possibly have figured things out by now, especially since I expect he makes it to Bounds Green sometimes and they have publicity up about it...

I stayed down there until after 11, at which point I was bought up to the gateline to oversee it for a little while before I went home. The "highlight" was a female who had wanted to get off at Bounds Green, complaining about the fact that we chuck lone female travellers off the tube and make them wait alone at the dead of night. Since the bus stop is right outside the station entrance, which is brightly lit, covered by monitored CCTV, within loud talking distance of the gateline staff - and therefore *easy* yelling distance, not to mention just about in our line of sight - and I knew that when I got home I had to walk down the back of a dark row of shops, alone (and, as it happened, past a bloke pissing in a bush), I didn't really actually agree when she was trying to appeal to my female-ness "as a young girl yourself". No, dear, I'm not that easily scared, actually. Sorry that I'm not a wailing female but I don't like perpetuating the "OMG I'm a girl I'm helpless" stereotype.

That said, I got the satisfaction of being able to leave mid-rant from her because it was time to go home. Hurrah! I'm doing the same shift tonight... wonder how it'll go?

I've finally got round to adding some links to the right of these posts, and I'd like to thank The Station Supervisor for linking to me after I left a comment in his blog.. in the unlikely event anyone reading this hasn't found his blog yet, go read, it's far more interesting (and generally less wordy!) than my own!