...tick...tick... BOOM

My Dear Princess and Dear Fellow,

Today's title is

a) yet another Lin-Manuel reference
b) a reflection of the sad truth that my days at Kāinga Ora are now officially numbered

It's true. First of all I did not get the Lead BA job. This was no surprise to me. I interviewed as an actual human being but their questions were for a politician.

They will get someone who can be bothered to play that game. Alas, it is not me.

Second, I am now well over the 2 year mark. Organisations get squirrelly past 24 months. And so my BA Team Lead told me my next extension will be my last. It takes me to 2nd December.

Briar was upset. "NO," she said. "JUST NO."

And threatened to kidnap me.

Briar is a bit of a character.

I've had nice, if less threatening feedback from others around the floor. Including from BA Team Lead himself who said he was "gutted".

I'm actually ok about it. I feel fortified and energised from my time here. I'm optimistic about Next Contract. And if it is sh1t and I end up working for Smock 2.0 I know I can always return to Kāinga Ora with the 2 year clock reset in 2023.

But Aarzoo was also unhappy. She was having a bad day. And although I do not know her well, I could tell. I ditched a meeting and took her for coffee because feelings are way more important than meetings.

It seemed to cheer her up.

And at 3.30 we all went for drinks to say goodbye to another BA who has just left his permanent job to go contracting. At this little get-together, Aarzoo and Briar got talking and Aarzoo said I had made her feel better.

"You have such positive energy," she said. And so then Briar tried to include her in the kidnap plot.

Here you see the both of them, in the planning stages.

It is not hard to be positive with people like this around me. I will be sad in December I know. But my god it's been a trip. And how can I be anything other than positive after what I've been exposed to?

S.