Are there three words that when put together instil more terror than 'team building day'? You could substitute 'day' for 'exercise' and it would probably be worse still, paint-balling or something competitive because someone wants you to work together and play together. Apart from a passing mention every so often I don't really write in detail about my day job on this blog, as it is just a means to an end to me and not what I'm known for. However, I no longer work at the courts and have joined a firm of solicitors, not only that but I haven't really been there long enough to get to know everyone and although I enjoy the work I don't feel part of a gang yet. I say yet, maybe it won't happen but that's not why I'm there to be honest. With this in mind, I had been dreading today because the whole office was closed so that we could go to Alton Towers, a perfect setting for a legal firm at the moment as we could quite easily have picked up some extra work there (too soon?).
It wasn't the dreadful experience I thought it was going to be, apart from the fact that I had dressed for yesterday's weather and got November's but that is something that happens to me and I put it down to being cursed; when I wear a coat it is too hot, when I leave my umbrella behind I know it will piss down. My fears of being put in a team or partnership and having to go on a treasure hunt were put to one side as we had a conference in the hotel with tea and coffee, where we were basically told how great the company was (I have, at this early stage in my tenure, no reason to argue - nobody watches you like a hawk to make sure you at least look busy and I don't have to clock out to go for a cigarette) before lunch. After lunch we heard some more about how great the company was and then we went on the theme park for the three hours before the bus was due to leave.
Despite the bad press the place has had recently, the park was busy considering it is a weekday and pissing it down. We had just under three hours to kill and a small group of us decided to start small and work our way up to the really scary stuff, nobody daunted by the fact that a ride had gone horribly wrong recently. This is where I started to feel sorry for families who brought children along for the day because you hardly get to go on anything unless one of your number has superb planning skills. After queueing for about forty minutes to go on a five minute ride I felt cheated, had I paid for any of this I would have been furious.
My other bugbear was how spaced out everything was. I am used to fairgrounds rather than theme parks where everything is close together. Travelling fairs are the best, especially Goose Fair, and my other similar experiences are of the Pleasure Beaches at seaside towns so my perception was all wrong. Alton Towers is in the middle of nowhere and spreads out for miles, it is like going for a walk in the countryside and occasionally seeing a roller coaster. They don't even have a mushy pea stall.
The Sunday Alternative #45 is available from here.
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July Housekeeping
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steveEoliver@gmail.com
