Option one is a healthy noodle salad with Thai fishcakes and dipping sauce.
Option two is a dirty big Yorkshire pudding with mashed potatoes, peas, Broccoli and gravy, accompanied by (in this case) a no-chicken Kiev.
I was inspired by thisismylife's recent blogging challenge on @liketu, 'The 30 Pictures 30 Stories Challenge'.
They were originally inspired by rubencress '30 day not-so ordinary ordinary items challenge' and I find both challenges a great way to encourage daily posting on hive.
This challenge is pretty open-ended; please feel free to follow my formula, or thisismylife's or rubencress' challenge structures listed in their posts linked above 🔼
The only stipulations are that you post one picture daily with a personal story for 30 days.
Write your story/anecdote to the best of your ability, and use the tag #30stories and/or the #notsoordinary tag if you're following rubencress' challenge. It is also advised to use the #challenge tag.
As I am a professional writer outside of hive blockchain and only dabble as an amateur photographer, I thought I would follow thisismylife's challenge format to tell some stories and anecdotes about my strange life.
Ok, imagine you've just had one of those days when you're boss has passively aggressively told you that you're not productive enough.
You know the type... always with the questions.
Q: "Do you think taking 4 days to produce a report is acceptable?"
A: Yes, I do when the report is potentially going to win us over half a million pounds to complete our project within the charity. The fckn KPI's are on your database and therefore your responsibility to add a page to the report indicating they were all met or exceeded.
Q: "How long does lunch break really need to be?"
A: One hour. I was told firmly by my line manager that not taking a one-hour lunch break was against the charity's own rules, and also illegal based on what is written in my contract.
Q: "Since when did it become so hard to use a mobile phone to email 1000 people?"
A: Since forever you mad person.
Q: "Why don’t you have MailChimp installed on your phone?"
A: Because I value my life and don't try and text while doing 80 MPH down the M6 to attend a meeting about what the agenda will be for the next meeting.
Q: "Why couldn't you email the list while driving half the length of the country using your hands-free headset?"
A: IT'S ILLEGAL IN THE UK TO USE HANDS-FREE TECH NOW!
Q: "When will the press release be ready, tomorrow?"
A: The press release was ready yesterday; it is just that the overzealous ex-journalist in our coms department believes he needs to proofread everything I write because I only got a degree in 'Imaginative Writing'.
I mean... what does that even mean?
It means I can put myself in the mind of a journalist, and write in a journalistic style to put together a simple press release about the rare breeding pair of mating birds of prey called Merlin on one of the nature sites we manage.
At this point I need to clarify I didn’t actually answer my project manager most of the time, the answers in this post were hypotheticals, what I would have said if I’d just let my mind free to speak the truth. Generally, I just ignored the stupid questions or dropped a piece of work (such as a report on her desk in front of her without answer) and in extreme cases I’d take it up with my line manager, who always agreed with me. Fckn corporate culture is what it is though, and it has even infiltrated ecological charity organisations!
Quite honestly, there is nothing I find more idiotic and counter-intuitive than micromanaging passive-aggressive bosses. I'd have preferred a simple, "get it done, it's what you're paid for"... ahhhh I'm so glad I no longer work for a company 😂
Phewweee, well that was quite a rant and perhaps you can see why I have never worked for anyone other than myself since I worked the job that I lifted that conversation from... and they were a fairly well-meaning charity, who treated their employees with a decent measure of respect.
So, my question to you is this - if after a day of pointless questions taking up valuable time where you could be completing the tasks that actually needed doing, would you want the healthy option (picture one) or would you go for A Dirty Big Yorkshire Pud with Mash picture two?
One is undoubtedly better for your body, option one is a lovely Thai noodle salad with 5 protein-rich fishcakes (and to be honest I've probably chosen too nice a healthy option here to make my point), or would you go with the comforting, belly busting, carb coma-inducing, option two.
Some people might think I'm a little mad here, and they're probably right 😂
Number one is the more sensible option, and you'll probably sleep better and wake up better able to face the day.
But stress can do strange things to a person, which is why I raised this point.
The Thai salad and fish cakes would take ages to make, whereas the pre-made Yorkshire pudding takes 5 minutes in the oven, and the accompanying veg about 10 minutes to boil up (I'm a vegetarian so I know this would all take longer if you were adding meat into the mix), then whack some onion gravy granules in a jug, give it a good mix and then pour it all over that oozy carb fest.
The funny thing is that ordinarily, I would go for the Thai salad and fishcakes any day of the week... apart from when I used to have to deal with unnecessary stress from a particularly passive-aggressive project manager.
Speaking of project management... I'm off now to cook a lasagne.
"Do you really feel it's necessary to blend up the chopped tomatoes into a fine sauce?"
"Is it really a lasagne without lamb mince?"
Oh, sorry I was channelling the spirit of my old project manager again there, I must exorcise her spirit quickly before the lasagne ends up ruined 😉
So, out of the two options, given the stress scenario, I’ve narrated, which would you choose? Please let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading 🌿
All photos and media design used in this post are my own.
Camera: Samsung S7 Smart Phone.
To see me perform my poetry on-screen please visit my YouTube channel Mainly Poetry.
To hear more of my poetry please visit my SoundCloud channel Mainly Poetry.
To read more in the 30 Pictures 30 Stories Challenge series, check out Days 21 -28.
Day 27 – Tuesday is the New Saturday (Poetry and Beer)
Day 26 – How I Found Hope in a Poem
Day 25 – A Heavenly Picnic (Paddington Meadows)
Day 23 – Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Altar (Selective Colour Photography #4)
Day 22 – Time for a Healthy Wrap (Biggie Smalls Style)
Day 21 – St Georges Hall (Selective Colour Photography #3)