Mad Day Anniversary

Tuesday was a mad day. What started out as a day booked off as holiday to spend time with my wife on our ten year anniversary turned into a day where we hardly spent any quality time together.

Things got off to a bad start actually the night before as Harriet developed tummy pains and we spent a couple of hours down in A&E getting her checked out. It turned out to be nothing. When we got home at 5:00AM Jacq said she'd been up with the dog crying while we were out. Not the best of starts. Knackered.

Jacq took Dylan to school while Harriet slept. Got a call from a company that Trapper had given me the nod about the day before. They were interested in my CV so I arranged to go see them in Stafford later that day at 4:00PM. I then went off for a couple of fillings and came back with a frozen lop-sided mouth which made Harriet laugh. Soon after we took Pebbles off to the vets for her first jab. The vet seemed pleased with her general health and condition.

Time then to head up the M6 a bit to Stafford and have an interview. It's been a while since having one of those. Seemed like a decent place. Offered a position there and then. Opened ended contract. Just the job. The journey both ways seemed fine. No worse than the trip to Coventry for sure. Think it could happen if the contactor side of things can be setup. Gosh. That all happened a bit quick.

Back home I continued building a new PC for Duggo. Bit of a mad rush. Stopped for a balti with t'wife. A brief moment together. Then back onto finishing off the PC. Delivered it to their house about 9:30PM and then dashed back home to catch Lost.

What a day.

Ten years. Blimey. It's gone quick.

Notice

Today I handed my notice in. What a relief. After weeks and weeks of trying to second-guess my future, I've gone ahead and secured it for myself. Sod 'em.

So goodbye to the long term plans and hello to the glorious uncertainty of contracting. Bring on the big wages!

Pebbles

Here she is! It's Pebbles! She is lots of fun and LOTS of work. She's charmed the kids and almost driven the wife to distraction. She is such a little cutie. We love her to bits.

Back From Holiday

It's been nearly a week since we came back from our holiday at Center Parcs and it feels like ages ago. We had a great week. The weather was kind and we found that we really enjoyed it. The kids raed it better than a 'normal' holiday. It was nice to be riding around on a bike. First time for years. Simple pleasures.

Sunshine Casts It's Spell

Lovely weather cast a beautiful spell over this weekend and even the normal routine events seemed to be slightly more enjoyable than normal somehow. Coming out of the house on Saturday morning into warm sunlight was a great start. With me wearing shorts we all walked down to the swimming baths. The kids did great.

In the afternoon we worked and played in the garden. Paul and Lyn popped in for tea and a chat about being self-employed. Interesting stuff he had to say but I think I'll stick with the umbrella company approach when I finally go contracting. They said they'll be over next weekend to have a cuddle of the pup when she arrives.

Sunday we shopped at Merry Hill for some holiday food and a bit of reading material. Jacq picked up Douglas Coupland's latest, jPod. We love Doug! I'm going to be sneaking a peak at this book while were away for sure.

Rest of day spent packing and organising for going away tomorrow to Center Parcs. The hallway is jam-packed with stuff ready to load into the car in the morning. How come there's so much stuff?! We're only away for 4 nights! I hope I can fit it all in.

Work, Work, Work (Nearly Finished)

Coming towards the end of what is possibly my last week in Winchester. I've been quite busy trying to help out with various tasks. Slow compiles drag out the process painfully. It won't be a quick getaway tomorrow as I don't want to leave things unfinished and drop others in it next week. But what a joy it will be to be home at the start of a weeks holiday.

Bank Holiday

Jacq snapped the above shot during a visit yesterday to Gullivers Kingdom. A great picture and rare for the fact that all four of us are in the frame. We managed to generally have a fun day even though poor Harriet was not feeling very well.

Today was a Bank Holiday complete with traditional rain. We went to see X-Men 3 which was OK. Nothing more than that. Harriet was feeling worse today and it's been hard trying to make her comfortable. A combination of a sore throat and a couple of very wobbly teeth has kept her on the edge of upset all day. Poor sweetheart.

Theresa popped in following a trip to Brum and we discussed plans for next week's holiday. Dylan spent a couple of hours playing with his mate David. I fetched him home as soon as I could. I'm torn between letting the kids play with their friends and having them around me on my rare times at home. I miss the kids so much during the week. I miss out on too much. It's not right you know.

Richard Herring

Went to see Richard Herring at Artrix in Bromsgrove. Nice enough venue that I'd not been to before. Not many people turned up to see Richard which was a shame because he was excellent. Unfortunately the atmosphere was simply lacking. There simply weren't enough people there to achieve the rquired critcal comedic mass. In his blog about the evening it was obvious that it was a dissapointment for him. I will definitely go see Richard again. I really like him.

A Bunch Of Books

Back home from another week in Winchester to some nice post. A bunch of books from Amazon. The Taschen books are amazing value at just six quid each. Check them here and here. The Paul Morley book I've been meaning to get for ages so I might just take it with me on holiday. The Jarman book, Jacq got me for a penny! (plus postage) He is still a hero of mine.

Accidentally bought a MacBook this afternoon! Couldn't help myself. I saw the offer of 0% over 6 months on their website and decided to go for it. Got nearly fifty quid 'educational discount' just for saying that the kids would be using it. Bargain.

As for the working week. The big news is Phil handing his notice in. Fair play to the man for walking the talk. I'm trailing behind but I have at least sent out the CV and let's see what happens. I'm covering for the lead engineer who is on holiday which keeps me busier than I would like. It's hard to remain de-motivated and pissed off when you're busy with stuff.

I Need T-Shirts

I need t-shirts. I'm itching for my first Valleyschwag which apparently is being dispatched next week. In addition I've also ordered schwag from the Google Store. Soon I will be full-on geek-boy slash old-git.

Update: Google sent me advice of the shipping and taxes invloved in the order and it took it from $40 to over $100! So I cancelled the whole deal. I'll just wait for the Valleyschwag.

Double G And The Traitorous 3

Trawling around the web tonight looking for info on the upcoming Scritti Politti album for Rough Trade, I discovered some cool stuff. First off, the news that they recently played live, that's LIVE, in Brixton under the alias, Double G And The Traitorous 3. Now, Green is famous for NEVER playing live so that's a big thing in my book. But also, I found out that they are playing another gig at the Hay literary festival on 2nd June. I SO want to go. The timing isn't great but my god, I love this band. I should go. I really should.

Probably won't.

MacBook

I really fancy one of them new MacBooks. The white one looks real sweet. Jacq wants one too. This is a dangerous situation. We both want one. The cash is in the bank. If we accidentally find ourselves in the Apple store anytime soon then something naughty might happen. I'm scared.

Breaking The Week Up

Although working down in Winchester again this week, I came back up for Dylans birthday on Wednesday. Took the kids straight to Wacky Warehouse after school. They had a good time in there playing together. Mom and Dad turned up and we all eat there.

Phil had a good 'meeting' today. Sounds like he's sorted there. Nice one chap. I really must get my act together and get sorted also.

Mom and Dad just called in, they won't see us now for a month due to holidays. I'm a bit tired from this afternoons drive home. Good to be home though. Not much on this weekend, which is nice.

Parties & Puppies

Dylans 7th birthday party on Saturday morning. He was so excited about it. He had a fantastic time in the Wacky Warehouse. The cousins came back to ours afterwards for lunch and playing.

Sunday morning we went to visit our new puppy at the breeders house. What a cute sight the puppies were bouncing around the place. Each one so very cute. Can't wait for June 11th when we pick her up.

Another Working Week In Winchester

The meeting with Juergen went well, but remains a pointless exercise. If he was still going to be my boss in a few weeks, then it would have done me some good. Oh well, whatever. Very little work news this week which is very fustrating as June gets ever nearer.

Phil and others on an evening shift in the workshop this week. This meant more company while working late plus an alternative meal opportunity. A pleasant change to eating in Winchester pubs and drinking beer.

Managed to fit in a few runs this week. This mornings was glorious. Instead of the park, I jogged into town and around the cathederal. It was a lovely sunny morning. When I got back to the hotel I felt great. I could get into this.

Managed to keep up with E3 news this week despite being with clients all day. Sony stealing Nintendos motion detection in controller idea really stank. I wouldn't mind a PS3 though.

Down & Back Up

Down to Winchester this morning and back up tonight as tomorrow is my meeting with Juergen. Mightily puzzled about this meeting. I'm hoping he will have something interesting to say but in reality I'm expecting a bland statement of the obvious. There are a number of people waiting to hear what he has to say to me so there will be plenty of chat when I get back down to Winchester after the meeting. This is bad timing as I'll have customers in tomorrow. Hopefully Lars can stall them for a while.

Phil is on the evening shift, just spoke on Google Chat. I like the sound of pizzas in the workshop. I'd rather eat my evening meal there. Earning money while eating pizza and no temptation of booze. That works for me.

Shorts

Lovely sun this morning. Shorts on, first time this year. I love wearing shorts. Longish, baggy and loads of pockets are my favourites. So, we did swimming lessons and then came back home for relaxation and house/garden tasks. In the afternoon it got cloudy and rainy. We went out to our local balti house, Raja, for our evening meal. Unfortunately I had to swap my shorts for trousers. Too cold for shorts.

What an interesting post about weather and trousers!

The View From The Workshop

The view from the workshop is an uninspiring tangle of computer gear, cabling, monitors and panels. The days pass by on my hard plastic chair. Trying to get the occasional bit of project work done while constantly listening out for the latest bit of gossip. Any scrap of news that might hint at our future fate. Suprisingly, I'm still in quite a bouyant mood and am managing to take pleasure in the here and now. Wether this is an outcome from Mindfulness, I don't know.

Lost series 2 started last night. First episode was top notch. The second was a bit of a letdown and didn't progress the story much. Stayed up till midnight to watch them which was a bit late really. I was tired when I woke this morning but at least I wasn't having to cope with any hangover issues. I think I need to give the beer more of a miss. Went out for a jog in the park. I didn't run for miles but whatever, something is better than nothing. I just need to keep doing it on a more regular basis.

Dan chucked in his notice yesterday. Respect to him for that. First one out of the door at Coventry. Who will be next?

Spring Cleaning

Despite muddled thoughts it has been a practical and productive couple of days off. Saturday afternoon in the garden was glorious. First grass cut. Overgrown access route hacked backed back. The kids playing in the garden in the best weather of the weekend.

Watched 'The Island', started on Friday night and finished on Saturday night. Can't explain why it was so rubbish. It looked great but it simply didn't hold my interest.

Sunday morning at the mall getting the groceries then some jobs around the house. A bit of drilling always fosters a sense of achievement. Went round the woods to play tennis and catch with the kids. Occasional interruptions from inquisitive dogs reminded us of our pup who we'll have with us soon. Well, in about 6 weeks, after our holiday. Can't wait. We'll be round the woods a lot more often then.

Sunday night telly good at the moment with Derren and Jack. Lost series 2 starts tomorrow I think and I'm away back down in Winchester, boo.

Valleyschwag

I ordered Valleyschwag. I was very excited. Then I got a mail saying that they couldn't send me my schwag for the price on the website. I was very dissapointed, but not totally suprised. They said they hadn't expected so much international interest. So, they said, we have updated the website, go back and re-order. So I did. I ordered Valleyschwag. I am very excited.

Out Of The Blue

I need to blog some stuff purely to get the thoughts out of my head. My head has been quite a calm place of late despite the ammount of uncertainty around. For me, this has been a real achievement. But I think things have reverted slightly. I'm back in my old ways. Sitting practise isn't helping. I hope this blog post does.

I can pinpoint things to a phonecall from Seb my ex-boss I got on Friday night. Completely out of the blue. It has brought into focus choices I've been considering recently. The time to decide is coming sooner than I thought.

Hard Plastic Chair

Another week in Winchester. 12-hour days on a hard plastic chair. The job trundles along. At least Phil is down here too. A chance to catch up on all things geeky, creative, gtd, contracting plans, work gossip, etc. Dave H down here also and good to have a beer with him at last. Information about the company future has slowed to a trickle which is a bit fustrating.

Not Completely In The Dark

Went to Hatton Farm Village on Saturday which was ok if a bit pricey for what it is. Why do these places always charge so much for adults when there is only stuff for kids? It's pure extortion and I do resent it. Anyway, the sun shone a bit and the kids had fun and that's the main thing. Bumped into Paul from the Wire list and we rode on a VERY bumpy tractor. Nice to see him. The jammy bugger has tickets to one of the upcoming Radiohead gigs. Grr.

I took some more snaps with the new camera and I'm still pleased with it. In general, it's helping me take a much better picture. The indication of the focus point is a godsend.

Installed new hard disk into our pooter and setup Windows XP afresh. Once I was happy with that, I connected up the previous disk and proceeded to recover the data and made numerous backups. Soon I'll reformat the old disk and I'll have acres of room for data and backups, hurrah.

All in all a very enjoyable extended weekend and now I'm looking down the barrel of another week away down in fun old Winchester. Not really looking forward that much, I'll miss everyone but I'll be earning some extra cash. As I remarked to t'wife earlier today, being in Winchester is probably the best place to be with all the current company shenanigans. If I was still in Coventry I'm sure I'd be feeling completely in the dark/

A Couple Of Days Off

Only did a couple of days down in Winchester following the Easter weekend and I'm back up home for two more days off with the kids. No fresh news work-wise. Seems like they're still trying trying to sell us even though the rumour is that no-one will touch us.

Weather weren't so good today. We went over to Coventry to the Transport Museum, which was pretty good. Popped into Micom to pick up a new hard drive for our PC.

Jacq got more Enid Collins bags in the post today. Her collection has now grown to four. At some point I need to put up some shelves to display them.

A Fine Weekend

The weather was unusually kind for an Easter weekend. The Sunday was spent over at Theresa's mostly in the garden all day. I took a load of shots with the new camera and am pretty pleased with the results. Steve, who has just bought a Nikon D50, the git, was quite impressed with it too. Got some nice effects shooting into the sun with the flash forced on. Also macro shots with flash had a cool unreal feel. Look out for some examples on flickr.

A Brighter Outlook

Much talk during the week of future work plans. I've started coming around to the idea of going down the contracting route. The positions currently advertised are double my current hourly rate. It's got to be worth a try, and if it's not for me then I'll just get another staff job. Quite fancy the idea of working for myself.

Very last thing on Thursday before driving back up, Trapper had a chat that indicated things may not be done and dusted with regard the sale of the business. Juergen is down for a meeting on Tuesday and it needs to be made clear to him what the opinion of the staff is regarding recent management performance. I'm looking forward to that meeting, it should be very interesting if he gets a rough ride.

The thought of positive future work plans and a possible 11th hour change of plans has meant that I've got a stress-free outlook on work stuff going into this Easter holiday weekend. Not stressing at all like I was last weekend. That's got to be good news health and family-wise. In fact I don't really mind what the outcome is now. Maybe a slight preference for staying within Siemens for all the technical interest, training, travel, etc. But if that don't happen, then I'll take the contractor wages thank you very much.

Back To Business

Back down in Winchester again this week. No new info about the sell-off so it was pretty much 'back to business'. It works for a while. Time passes and the job moves forward. Then I remember the current situation and the full sense of the BETRAYAL hits home. It takes a while then to gather my thoughts and get back to the task in hand.

Seems from a quick jobsearch on t'web that Pete's crew, ADI are recruiting. Very tempted to call and get the head's up. Took a call from an agency fishing for info about the sale. I told them I might be in touch in a few weeks.

Back up home this afternoon for dentist visit and a night in my own bed. Bliss compared to last nights hotel room. The hotel heating and ventilation plant was directly below me and had the room vibrating all night.

Goat Kids Bouncing

In-between classic April showers, we managed to get out this afternoon and visted Rays Farm. It was very nice to be out and about together in 'holiday mode'. The sight of some little goat kids bouncing around had us all in hysterics. Completely diverted my mind from dull work matters. In fact I can't even think straight about work stuff anymore. Spent too much energy going over things in my mind and have simply exhausted the subject. Until more is known, there's simply nothing to be said, decided or acted upon.

Aftershocks From The Bombshell

Many beers last night at the irish bar. Helped a bit. Didn't bother going into the Winchester office this morning. Straight into the car and up the motorway after some breakfast with my German colleagues. Back home and feeling more down than yesterday. Can't get straight in my head quite what I should be doing now. Nothing I guess, just wait and see what the next few weeks hold. Struggling to control the urges to make the jump to another company. I just want out right now. Is there any chance that there will be any opportunities arising to stay in Siemens? Conversations with colleagues aren't helping me to make sense of any of this now. How I'm going to have any shred of work ethic left for next week I really don't know.

In other, non-work related news, the hard drive I ordered from Micom for Dad's PC came in the week so I fitted that this afternoon and setup it up for him to take away tonight. Had a little go with our new camera that also came this week. Looks sweet. Need to take some photos now. Picked up the kids from school. They broke up today for the two week Easter holidays. Lucky things.

Big Change Is Coming

Been down in Winchester all week. The work has been going quite well and the project team spirit high, but that all ended today with the announcement that Siemens is selling us. Total bombshell! I'm pissed off. It's always been my plan to develop my career within the orgainisation but now it seems that will never happen. So what choice now? Why travel to Coventry every day when I could do similar work closer to home? I guess big change is coming then. Oh well.

Post Pre Another Week Away

Back from the last stint in Germany and haven't had much time to blog so here's a quick post before I dash off down to Winchester for yet another week away. I'm not looking forward to the coming week much, purely because I'm sick of the hotel lifestyle. I just get used to the pleasure of having my stuff around me at the weekend and then I'm off again to the bland suitcase life.

Last weekend I built up my new CD shelves, and this weekend I got them filled. Not completely organised to my liking yet, but getting there. Wire on the top obviously, followed by a general alphabetical order with grouping for bands and solo projects. I should post a picture here but the camera's been playing up for ages. The good news is we ordered a new one this weekend cos we're feeling a bit flush and we need one before the summer arrives. Ordered a Canon A620 from Jessops for 195GBP which is a 100 quid off their store price! Quite a bargain I reckon. Looking forward to having a play next weekend and maybe I'll post a piccy then. Must get the CD's orgainised too.

All in all a lovely weekend, which made up for last weekend's limp Mothers Day. The kids have been a delight. Occasionally annoying and stroppy as all kids are, but delightful all the same. Hints of sunshine have me looking forward to weekends spent a bit more 'out and about' soon. Hopefully catching the moments with our new camera.

Changed the links area again on the blog. Trying out the Google Reader sharing function. Now any stories I 'star' in my reader should appear here in a list box. If anyone notices a problem with it, give me a shout.

I'll try and keep online during the coming week but as for the 'interestingness' of any blog posts, I can't promise anything. Apparently there will be a big meeting on Thursday about the company's future so if you're interested in that sort of thing, I might post a report.

Horrible Flight

Horrible flight over this week. Oppressed by a sweating fat man sat next to me and surrounded by the Moldova womens soccer squad. It certainly wasn't the standard business flight I've been used to. A scarey patch of turbulence added the final flavour. Definitely the worst flight I've had. I'm so glad this is the last week of here in Germany. No more flying for me for a while.

Minds Think Alike

Very, very interesting to see Mindfulness popping up on the 43 Folders site. I can see the link. At a certain level, it's about clearing mental space. Wether the reason is to get more stuff done or to combat stress, it all involves 'being in the moment' more. I'll be checking on the progress of this thread on the site.

Switch It Off And Switch It On Again

Things are back on track. Knocked out the Test Spec last night in my room, it's a bit pants but it'll do. Tried to go online this morning with my PLC and it worked first time. So I guess last night I simply needed a reboot. The old 'switch it off and switch it on again' trick. Funny how I forget to do that nowadays since so much stuff works without reboots now.

Karlsruhe Spring

It feels like spring has sprung over here in Karlsruhe today. I flew over with a case full of warm clothes and I don't think I'll be needing them. The sun has been out and so are the people in pavement cafes.

Starting software testing today and the first challenge is just to get online with the system! No fix at the moment and most colleagues have now gone home. So, I'll park that problem up till tomorrow and get on with some test spec writing which I'll have to carry on with this evening in the hotel.

Flat Pack Hell

After recent days spent building up Ikea shelving units, today provided hopefully the last of the flat-pack hell. It seems like we're starting to get straight with some books coming out of boxes and onto shelves for the first time since the move. Jacq's been trying to get me to dump some vinyl as part of the sort-out. It's a really tough call. Should an LP be dumped if you now own the CD? I don't know. These are tough philosophical questions. I'm not sure I'm qualified to provide answers.

The Gaps In Between

Another busy 'working from home' Friday in which lots of things happened and I managed to fit some project work into the gaps in between.

Dropped the kids off at school and went to see my doctor for another blood pressure check. This check was at the end of a month on the tablets he prescribed me. The good news was that my BP was down to just about the right numbers for my age. I've now got the go ahead to start getting into some exercise and get my act together lifestyle-wise.

Put the car into the garage for an engine service. While waiting to drop it off I stood for a long while chatting with a mechanic and admiring the 1965 Mini he was working on. It was in superb condition and made me smile just to look at it. Just a year younger than me and still going strong.

Back home for a few hours at the project work then another session with Linda. We practised quite a lot of Chi Kung which felt really good this time and I was complimented on my stance. I'm seeing her again in two weeks so I need to work at integrating the practise into the coming weeks in Karlsruhe.

Took our old two-seater sofa round to Mikes with his help. It was easy enough to carry round to the house, but a bit of a bugger to get through to the back room. Now they've got two sofas in there it's a bit full but I reckon they'll be real comfy in there. I hope so anyway.

Parents came over in the evening. Dad glad to be back from Ireland.

I Understand No German

Finally got around to putting some German language lessons on my iPod. I've been really slack about this, Adrian and Phil have been studying it for ages now. I had a go with lesson 1 on the drive to work. As I got to the office the only phrase I could recall was 'I understand no German'. I tried my phrase out on a German guy working in the office and at least he understood me!

Running Taper

Mark Clifford, the genius behind Seefeel, has a new CD 'Running Taper' out on his Polyfusia label. If you click the link, you can hear a track from it. Just been listening to 'Idealess' and it is a lovely thing. Really makes me want to make some noise.

Working At Home, Blogging In Bed

Back from Germany late last night and up bright and early for quite a busy 'working from home' type day. We took Dylan to school and then hung around, Jacq did the refreshments prior to the year 2 assembly, and I nipped out and got my hair cut. After Dylans cute assembly we picked up some supplies and headed home for the last bit of the morning. At midday the coach arrived bringing Harriet home from Ingestre Hall. Sounds like she had a great time there with stories of 'eating tuck after light's out', absolutely classic.

Jacq helped out with year 1 kids in the afternoon while I had another session with Linda. The practise didn't go so smoothly over in Germany. The hotel environment proved to be a distraction and we discussed some strategies for dealing with that. Sitting practise was good and the body-scan practise tried for the first time. Must try to maintain a consistent approach in this coming week to really fix it into my routines.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing some actual work. Design decisions made while in Germany are now being questioned. If only these issues had been addressed by the original design process then we would not have been forced into making decisions at this late stage. Sometimes, despite what the customer says, we have to trust that we know a thing or two about designing control systems. It's the only way to go forward at this point.

Went over to visit Mum tonight as Dad is over in Ireland catching up with people. Sounds like he's having a good time there and I'm glad he's finally making the space for himself to do this sort of thing. Long overdue.

Typing this from bed. Blogging in bed rocks! It's the future.

Working In A Karlsruhe Stylee

A bit of snow, a warm hat, lots of walking, public transport, iPod soundtrack, PCS7 programming, hotel breakfast, canteen salad, Subway sandwich and mumbling the occasional words in German.

Working in a Karlsuhe stylee.

I think there's worse places to be sent to work in than Karlsruhe. I'd rather be working at home of course but this place is better than being stuck in Winchester which is where I'll be in a few weeks no doubt.

Jacq and Dyl sound like they're having a fine time while Harriet is away at Ingestre Hall for the week. Looking forward to friday when we're all back together.

Siemens Industriepark Karlsruhe

A Connection Thing

Worked at home yesterday and had my second session with Linda. We did sitting and standing meditations and I think I'm getting into it more. No revelations as such but a tangible sense of relaxation and peace. Will be interesting to see how I can integrate the practise into next weeks visit to Karlsruhe.

Swimming today and Dylan still wasn't happy swimming from the deep end even though we'd practised it loads last Sunday. Harriet swam superbly and passed her level 8 test!

Quick phone chat with Mike while making lunch. We agreed that Sally Phillips was a godess last night on 8 Out Of 10 Cats.

Went over to Marys in the afternoon. I haven't seen the Steves since christmas I think. General agreement on the greatness of My Name Is Earl. Theresa still not committing to the June holiday yet. Just what does she need? I'm gonna have to force the issue next time I see her.

Came home and watched Curse Of The Were-Rabbit which looked great on the telly after I played around with the connections. Ran the DVD through the RGB input and it made an amazing difference to the picture quality. Also, the annoying crackle in the left speaker seems to have gone, so that must have been a connection thing.

The Start Of Spring?

March already. The met office are calling it spring but it doesn't feel like it right now. It's been cold, but no snow to speak of. Enjoying the blinding glare of the sun through the windscreen on these clear mornings soundtracked by Boards Of Canada.

Feeling ok with work stuff which seems unusually under control. Can it last? I dunno. Trying to keep taking my tablets and practising the meditations. Drinking less coffee. Am I feeling any different yet? No. But, early days yet.

Check My Links

Tinkered a bit with the blog today. I've wanted to organise my links for a while but didn't want to have to get into any sort of coding. Finally I found the combination of services that appears to give me what I want. First off, I created a Bloglines account to scan through the rss feeds of the usual suspects of news sites and publish the good stuff on a blog. This blog also provides an rss feed which gets converted by Feed Digest into some javascript dropped into my Blogger template. Job done. Check my links.

The Old House But Different

Swimming in the morning. Shopping in the afternoon. Party for Harriet later and Mitchell came over to play. Noticed that our old house is up for sale. Checked it out online and there were a number of photos of it inside. It was weird to see pictures of somewhere you know so well, changed by others redecoration.

Much musing in the evening over holiday choices. Center Parcs is looking favourite. Probably in thhe UK even though it's way more expensive than over in Europe. The booking will be made soon.

Precious Snow

Friday at home again. A covering of snow made the walk to school fun. Harriet carried her snowball all the way to the playground. I saw a number of kids carrying huge chunks of snow in their arms towards school. Too precious to throw around, this rare material called snow. I wish the kids could enjoy a proper downfall of the white stuff.

Back at home I settled down for my first solo meditation. Had about a 20 minute session in total and it seemed ok. Calming. Got me in a good place ready for the work session. Getting into my sequence logic. Nice when a plan comes together.

Got the car back. Still needs an engine service but I'll book that next week. Just glad to have my 'wheels' back. Watched Kingdom Of Heaven tonight and really enjoyed it. Unusual film for me to like but I guess I was just in the right placce for it.

My First Meditation

Thursday I worked from home. Car in the garage for MOT work. Spent a lot of time on the phone to various colleagues. At last the pieces are coming together and some coding can take place.

Broke off at 1:30PM for my first meditation session with Linda. An interesting hour or so. Not sure what I got from it but I've decided to follow it through for a few more sessions to give it a fair chance.

Didn't get the car back as some work needs doing on the brakes so I guess no office action tomorrow either.

Mike came over in the evening and we went out for a beer or four. Attempts to go down the Hagley Road were aborted and we ended up in the local which turned out to be just right. T'was real good to see him and hear his enthusiasm for his current creative outputs. Go for it fella!

An Update From The Doctor

Saw my doctor today and thankfully my BP has gone down a bit. I need to do a month on the tablets to confirm that they really are working. My blood tests haven't shown up anything to worry about so that's another bit of good news.

Update

Back from Karlsruhe Wednesday at midnight. Blood test first thing Thursday then took Dyl for another hearing test at City. Into the office late morning, not many in to catch up with. Reported project progress and probably started alarm bells ringing.

Worked at home Friday and the alarm bells continued to ring. Got a login for the I&S ProFlow system which seems a neat way of exchanging large files. Went into town for lunch and a stroll around the Bullring.

Saturday swim only for Harriet as Dyl complained of earache. In the afternoon we saw Zathura with Carol and Dave. Rest of day just hanging and doing a bit of project work. The application is well and truly in my head now and it's not going away. Need to make some REAL progress in the coming few days. I need all of my CFCs in place and get down with sequence development.

Free Is My Favourite Price

Those nice people over at Computer Arts have made all of their tutorials available for free. That's very nice of them isn't it? They used to be 99p each and so I never bothered with any of them. But I think I will now. Free is my favourite price.

Back At My Hotel

Back at my hotel room and about to watch a movie on my laptop but first I did a check for any wireless networks, and hey, I found one! So what's a boy to do but leech some bandwidth and have a web browse. Shamone!

Karlsruhe Commute

Another commute over to Karlsruhe. A journey eased by my swanky new earphones I picked up at the airport. The ear-plug style really boosts the bass and cuts down on the aircraft background roar, leaving the skittering rhythms of Laika to soundtrack the flight.

Done a few hours in the office and now I'm the last one here. I guess I'd better take the tram over to my crummy hotel. That means no more internet connection for today. Arrgh!

Through The Roof

While in hospital last year I was told to get my blood pressure checked out as it seemed to be a bit on the high side. So yesterday I saw my doctor who checked it and declared it to be "through the roof". Apparently my 180 over 110 is a bit more than on the high side. It was a bit alarming. I had an ECG done to check that my heart wasn't already damaged by the high pressure (it wasn't) and he put me straight onto medication to get the pressure down as a priority. Apparently five years at this kind of pressure and I'd be done for. Yikes.

Back Home And Working At Home

Got back home at midnight last night. Got a taxi home from the airport complete with the city's most talkative cab driver. I mumbled my way through his endless conversation whilst praying constantly for him to please... shut... up. This morning I got up easy and have been working from home. But now I'm really feeling tired. My eyes are closing as I'm typing this. I should take a nap but a coffee will have to do.

After mentioning the chat function within Gmail, they only go and launch it today don't they? Tried it this morning and it worked well. It will probably only be Phil that I chat with as it's a great way to keep updated with the office gossip.

The Winter Olympics open today in Italy. Google have uploaded hi-res data of the area for Google Local and Google Earth. Must try and catch the opening ceremony tonight.

Sparky The Hamster

Phoned home last night and Dylan picked up. I asked how he was and what he was up to and his reply was, "We haven't even got a hamster!" What a cutie! (That's Dylan, not the hamster. The hamster I've not met yet.)

Travelling Back

Travelling back today but in the office all day till six before setting off for the train/plane. It's going to be one l-o-n-g day today. The iPod is on charge on the desk getting ready for the journey. Progress has been happening within the project so I guess it's been a worthwhile trip. I'm back out here again on Monday for some more.

Sitting here at my desk I'm really cherishing my internet connection. Couldn't do without it. Makes being away so much easier. Checking my regular blogs helps loads. Keep on posting people!

Some great web stuff to pimp at the moment. 30 boxes is looking good and being very useful in practise as I'm planning out my forthcoming weeks. Looking forward to getting chat working within my Gmail as this will be an even greater way to keep in touch using IM. Lifehacker keeps on feeding the goodness with a link to this tidy little torrent client which I'll install when home and then I'll be hitting this list of torrent sites hard.

The Great Bull

This is superb, The Great Bull, a version of 'The Great Bear', which in itself is a version of the London tube map. Made me a bit homesick. And a bit proud strangely.

Another Day In Karlsruhe

Ate out last night with Marco at an African restaurant which was very nice indeed. I gave the crocodile meat a miss and stayed with the vegetables.

Not much to say about the work side of the trip. Things are plodding along and it seems I'm expected to turn up here every week even if it's just to show some 'presence'. Seeing as I don't really command much presence, being a humble sort of chap, I don't really know if I will meet this requirement. But, if that's what they want me to do...

Karlsruhe Again

Karlsruhe again. Monday is basically travelling. The journey is not hard, but the time taken means that not much else can be done in the rest of the day. Hotel is a bit basic but it'll do for a few days. The noise from the surrounding area is a challenge. There is a level crossing right outside the hotel where the tram cuts across. A bells rings constantly while the barriers are down and this happens every ten minutes!

Tuesday now and I'm in the office, meeting some new guys on the team. Looking forward to a productive few days. Initial meetings have been promising.

On a comedy tip, I got an entertaining mail from Mike today. Reading his latest blog entry at the weekend was laugh-out-loud funny. I really hope he keeps it up cos it sounds like he's on a roll right now. Check him out here.

Happy Birthday

To me!

The above display was made for me by Harriet on the dining table. Opened up my cards this morning and I got some lovely hand-made ones. Dylans card of a fast car featured working flames! Got a cool Hellboy figure plus the directors cut DVD. Also got last night from mom, the Firelfly DVD box. I'm picking up some great DVD's lately, just need to get around to watching them.

Ramblings From The Week & Other News

The big news in the office is the suspension of the current redundancy program that was due to be announced next week. Very strange news which has been explained away by the management but could be a cover for something else big. More waiting and uncertainty I suppose.

In other news, I shall be in Karlsruhe again next week for more collaborative work on the project. Can't say I'm hugely looking forward to being away again but I'm itching to get into writing some code. It's been another busy week but not of much substance.

Got new tyres fitted during the week while at work using a mobile service I found on our intranet. Most convenient way of getting a chore done is to do it during work hours. Saves me wasting a few hours at the weekend.

Dylan has been off school all week with a throat infection and I've enjoyed taking Harriet to school for a few days. Last day of the working week and I'm taking the opportunity to work from home.

Work have blocked access to flickr through IE so I've installed Firefox to get around it. Enjoying the look of the Firefox Aquafox theme.

Yuk! Yet fascinating account of wasps making roaches into zombies here.

Big Telly

Hurrah! We got a big telly! At last!

Showed t'wife the slimline Samsung telly and she agreed to the purchase. 500 notes for a 32" CRT widescreen pure flat and 100Hz refresh ain't bad, and the slimline design is a real bonus. I had to go back to the store by myself to pick it up and it only just fitted in the back of the car. No way could I have fitted in one of the full size beasts, and no waaaay could me and Jacq have lifted one into the house. We only just managed with this slimline one. Just watched House Of The Flying Daggers on DVD and it looked a treat. Check it out:

Snowing In Karlsruhe

It's been snowing here all day in Karlsruhe. That's more snow than I've seen in a long time compared to Birmingham. The snow has actually made the weather feel slightly warmer.

Work stuff is still ok, not much to report about that. Ate with Marco last night at an African restaurant which was really nice. Couscous and vegetables, yummy. Not sure what we're doing tonight. Haven't managed to watch any of the DVD's I brought over with me. Haven't slept very well all week in the hotel. Looking forward to my own bed.

Karlsruhe

I'm in Germany this week. Busy busy with work stuff. Working with colleagues on the initial setup of the software project. Quite a nice office environment as you can see:

Not much to report about the trip. The work is going pretty much to plan. The weather has been sunny but bloody cold. The beers have been nice. The team went out to a local brewery on the first night. A nice gesture. We ate Mexican last night and tonight I think Marco is taking me to eat African. Should be interesting.

As always, looking forward to getting back home. Sounds like the kids have been busy with friends and clubs. A week away is about as much as I can stand.

Puter Fixed

The nice man from Siemens-Fujitsu called today with a new motherboard. Hurrah! The puter is alive again.

Been Poorly

Just another cold I suppose but it knocked me about a bit. Came on last Thursday so I went home and sweated it out like a whore in church. The fever passed and I struggled back to work as I had a colleague visiting from Germany. Got most of the usual tasks done over the weekend but basically I was wiped out. Well enough for work Monday and feeling better now. Work is loading my brain quite a bit and learnt yesterday that I'm working in Germany all next week. The project is at a critical stage and I reckon we'll be working some mad long days next week.

Oh well, hence the non-blogging recently. Will try and get back into it. Oh yeah, the main home PC busted last week as well. That's another reason I haven't blogged. Waiting for a Siemens engineer to bring us a new motherboard. Oh well.

Bought a new washing machine last night. Not the most fun way to spend cash it must be said. Went for a Bosch which happened to be reported at the weekend by the Guardian as the best supplier of white goods accoring to Which? reports. Would have liked a Siemens one of course but not worth the extra hundred quid. Hope it gets delivered before I'm away next week.

Lost Without Lost

The two-part final episode of Lost season 1 is over. Superb stuff. The hatch is open. The boy is taken. But what now? Channel 4 say that season 2 is coming in the Spring. When is Spring? I need more detail. I need dates!

Google Earth Out Of Beta

Google Earth rocks my world once more! It's out of beta and the latest download scored me some high-res pictures of my part of Birmingham at last. Superb fun just buzzing around my local area. The data might be a few years old but what the hell. Download it yourself and see if you're on there!

Good Time For The Gogglebox

Nice to see Richard Dawkins on the telly tonight pointing out what a right old load of bollocks religion is. Top man Richard. No new arguments in the programme but good to hear the sane voice of the atheist being broadcast.

Also on telly, more good stuff, a new series called Life On Mars. Nicely done. Cool seventies detail. I think I'll keep watching.

And with the last two episodes of Lost coming on Wednesday, it's quite a good time for the gogglebox.

Probably The Last Weekend Without Overtime (For A While)

My Name Is Earl is fantastic! Caught the first episode on Channel 4 friday night and I'm a fan straight off. The characters are superb, Earl and Randy are classic and I'm undecided at the moment who is my favourite. If you haven't seen it yet then catch up quick people, it's an absolute treat.

Nice to have a good laugh at the end of a strange week. Depressing work news plus lots of intense project activity. I brought the laptop home but never switched it on. It's probably the last weekend I'll be able to do that for a while. Things are getting seriously busy.

Back into the swimming lesson groove on Saturday. Good to catch up with Carol and Dave. In the afternoon myself and Dylan went with Dave and Mitchell to see Kong. The boys enjoyed it. I was kinda bored but I did like the digital recreation of 1920's New York.

Sunday morning, the girls weren't up, me and Dylan went to McD for breakfast. It was really nice, just the two of us tucking into pancakes.

Work Stuff

Simultaneous announcements at our offices today. NEVER good news, and it wasn't. The company is looking to loose people, specifically engineering capacity. They've said that we are safe at Coventry, but it's only the start of a process and what shape we'll be in at the end, who knows? I'm not feeling very positive, but today was so busy working with Wolfhard that I've hardly had time to focus on it. I'm unsettled at the prospect of having to attend an 'interview' next Wednesday in Manchester to discuss my skill-set. Can't shake the feeling that I'm re-applying for my own job. Not nice.

Christmas, The End

The end will be official today as we're taking the tree down. I don't really want it down yet but tomorrow I'm back at work and it seems right to draw a line between. Overall it's been a good holiday. We could have done without the colds but there you go. I didn't get all the creative stuff done that I had planned. In fact, I did nothing creative at all, which is a source of a little regret. But I'll just do something about that, I'm NOT going to stew over it like I have been doing. New years are for resolutions, so I'll simply resolve to be a bit more creative in my free time.

New Years Day

Went back over to Marys to look at their wireless network. Steve had installed AOL software on Beckys PC and now the network don't work. God, I detest AOL! Their software is completely shit! The interface is nasty and the functionality limited. It's an impoverished experience of the wonderful web. Why anyone would want to use it is beyond me. Oh well, rant over, Steve wanted it on, so I simply un-installed, then re-installed the wireless adapter and things came back to life.

The kids stayed to play for a few hours and me and Jacq went into town for a walk around the shops. This was very enjoyable. No kids to worry about for a while. Picked up a few nice things. Some DVD's for the collection, Hitchhikers movie, Complete Ripping Yarns, Fear & Loathing and Filth & The Fury.

Watched Fear & Loathing later with some bottles of wine. Johnny Depp was superb as Hunter. Debauched.

Un-Happy New Year!

Let's be clear about this...

I HATE NEW YEAR!

I tend to feel the sadness of another year passing rather than any pleasure from the new year to come. Consequently, I always have this impression of new year 'celebrations' being completely false. I dislike the pressure to have 'the best night ever'. The idea of being in some place surrounded by 'revellers' horrifies me. MIserable sod I am, I know, but this is how it is for me. I'd rather meditate a while and focus on the new year, NOT listen to bloody fireworks!

Imax

Went to see Polar Express in 3D at the Imax cinema at Millenium Point. We met up with 'the sisters' for the 10:00AM showing to save some cash on the entrance fee. When finally sat down with glasses in place, the 3D effect was very good. The movie looked great but the characters looked a bit odd, faces were too fixed, dead looking. The story itself was pure sentimental toss and really was over the top. I was begging for it to finish. The kids liked it though, so that's the main thing.

Over to Marys afterwards. Rebuilt Beckys PC and setup wireless network. The WEP key took an age to sort out as an incorrect string is not reported back, the adapter just fails to acquire an IP address. Not very helpful.

Crumpet

A good TV night last night. After a few nights of Sky Movies, it was back to the normal channels for an excellent docummentary on Crumpet, pin-ups from the TV and movies of the 60's and 70's. A most enjoyable program crammed full of cleavage. This ticked all the boxes for me. From the Carry On's to the Vampire Lovers, the presenter knew his stuff. All the commentators seemed, like me, to have lusted over these women as boys in the seventies. Madeline Smith was my fave. What a cutie!

Following that program of high art we decended into the action/weird genre for the second to last episode of Lost. Wow, this was a good one. Finally the French woman appears and talks to the whole group and suddenly things swing into action. The boat gets launched and goodbyes are said, preparations are made for the coming attack of 'the others', and the usual 'memory clips' featured a number of the characters in or around the airport prior to the fateful flight filling in little gaps in their stories. Can't wait for the last one, although I'm sure it won't end in any conclusions. I hope they've got season 2 programmed in at Channel 4 soon.

Finally we watched the Comic Strip that we taped from earlier in the evening. It wasn't vintage, but it was good to see that they were still working together. There's no reason why they shouldn't be able to do something brilliant. But this wasn't really it. In saying that, it DID feature a generous ammount of cleavage (which was nice) which returns us back to Crumpet.

And It's Over

Through the Christmas 'peak' so hopefully a bit more time for just 'nothingness' from now on. Jacq and I have drifted through Christmas with lousy head colds. Mine's clearing now but Jacq is still full of it and has had basically no voice all day today.

Christmas Day was fun and the prezzies were fab. I got the Peel biog I asked for plus CD's from Boards Of Canada and Gang Of Four. We visited Jim in hospital at the same time as Mary so there was a whole bunch of us around the bed. Left him about to tuck into his crimbo dinner. I hit the red wine during the food prep for our dinner in an attempt to break though the cold symptoms. The dinner was great I'm sure but I couldn't taste it much. Afterwards I zonked out on the couch. I must stress that this is NOT the norm for me! I awoke to find the washing up done which got me out of a chore.

Boxing Day we had the clan around. We catered for 15 and probably did too much. There was loads left at the end of the 6 hour visit. Jacq thought it wasn't much of a success but I thought it was ok. But of course I couldn't taste anything. Buzz on the PS2 was the hit I knew it would be. I didn't get a game as the guests came first so I was mostly in the kitchen, washing up with my head pounding. Later we played a bit of Burnout Revenge which was another of my prezzies. It's a mighty fine looking game. As I said, it was a 6 hour visit and by the end we were all done for. But again, no early night for us, I spotted the pilot episode for the new Battlestar Galactica and it looked supperb so I stuck with it till 2:00AM. I did TRY to like the Dr Who shown yesterday. The Beebs big one for Christmas. It left me cold. I just like my sci-fi to be american I guess.

Today we had Mike and Liz come over. Prezzies exchanged. Buzz played. Did a copy of the Boosh DVD's for him. Must get around to watching them soon. After their visit we had Paul and Lynette, still on Thailand time as they only got back Christmas Day. Their prezzie for Dyl was a cool helicopter.

So tomorrow should just be us and our own devices. There's batteries to be purchased for toys yet to be played with.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve and we're just watching TV and waiting for the kids to get to sleep so that we can bring down their prezzies and arrange them under the tree. They've left a mince pie out for Santa which I'll have to scoff down with this cup of coffee.

I'm feeling quite rough at the moment. Just cold symptoms, but it's bad timing for the foodie enjoyment to come over the holiday. Didn't get much sleep last night due to the sore throat so I got up at 5:30AM and went shopping for the last batch of groceries. What we don't have now we'll have to do without, but as the family are coming over on Boxing Day I just hope there's some food left for them.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning, bring on Christmas!

Skip The Flash Intro

This made me chuckle in todays Technology Guardian...

"Adobe buys rival Macromedia for $3.4bn. The sale completes in December; it would have been faster if the lawyers had skipped the Flash intro."

Prezzies In The Post

A couple of treats in the post for me today. A recording of Fergus's recent performance at Trinity College Chapel and the latest of Pauls 'Yak' CDs of WIRE rarities. So far I've only listened to a bit of Fergus's CD and really enjoyed the intriguing textures.

Wasted trip to hearing clinic with Dylan this morning, hopefully a more productive appointment will be made in the new year. Managed to get the last of the Christmas food shopping this afternoon and thankfully it wasn't the panic and chaos I was expecting. So let the relaxing begin.

Wrapped

I hate wrapping presents. Don't know why but I get really impatient when wrapping each item. Jacq and the kids went over to Marys this afternoon which gave me the opportunity to wrap Jacqs prezzies. Thankfully they're all done now.

Tidying Up For The Slob-Out

Yesterday was quiet. In most of the day, not doing much. Early start for beers last night with Mike and Paul. Abbotts ale was supped in quantity. The usual 'review of the year' chat was chewed over.

A bit groggy this morning. The 'pub atmosphere' eminating from my clothing turned Jacq over. Pottering around the house doing some chores today. Not quite the 'slobbing-out' I have been predicting but there's plenty of time left for that. Got to get everything prepared for the slobbing session. I can't slob-out in an untidy house!

Harriet had a friend visiting this afternoon. Later, we went over to see Jim in hospital and then on to Merry Hill for some last-minute prezzie shopping. Now this COULD have been utter madness and I WAS expecting the worst, but although busy, it wasn't complete chaos. So, Jacq and the kids went off for a stroll while I picked up the prezzies I needed, mostly for Jacq. I think I'm all done now. Finished.

The Start Of The Christmas Holidays

It's been quite a while since the last blog post so I should explain... Work is the reason I suppose. Not that I've been absurdly busy or have been doing millions of hours, but there have been many threads dangling for a few weeks that have been occupying my thoughts and I've not had any mental space left forr blogging.

But things have changed now.

First off, quite a few of those work threads have been tidied or become clearer in the last week such that I can see the way forward at last. This means that I can let go of some stuff that has been nagging a me for a good while. And the other factor is that I'm now at the start of my Christmas holiday. It feels real good. There are still some orgainising tasks left but in general, things are very relaxed it is most enjoyable.

Yesterday was the last swimming lesson before Christmas and the traditional 'playing with floats' session. Although suffering with a cold, Dylan insisted on going in so I had to go back home and get his things for him. In the afternoon we shopped for groceries and continued the 'stocking up' effort. The tops of the kitchen wall cupboards are groaning under the weight of goodies and booze.

Today we went up town for a little look around the shops first thing before they got busy followed by a tour around the German market. Much snacking was enjoyed and the Gluhwein hit the spot.

Tonight we sat down with some more movies. I switched on the movie channels on Sky and we've caught up with quite a few treats already. I keep digging at Jacq that we'd enjoy them more on a bigger telly but I guess the funds aren't really there. I'll keep working on her.

Planning on making good creative use of this holiday period as well as polishing off a few work tasks to boost my productivity for the new year. Also going to catch up with some more blog posts. I've got the Karlsuhe posts to update and there have been a few blog-style thoughts of late that I'll try and transcribe.

Monday tomorrow and there are NO pressing chores, NO work to prepare for, just hanging out, what a joy. Meeting Mike and Paul on Broad Street for beers at six, should be a blast.

Trip To Karlsruhe

Taxi to airport and met up with Phil, Adrian and Dave. Looking forward to flying, it's been a long time since my last take-off. Straight up through the low cloud and into bright sunshine. Restarted Ballards Millenium People. Smooth connection from Frankfurt airport onto the train system. The ICE train was fast and smooth. At 195km/h it was so quiet that Phil and I were practically whispering our conversation. Out of the station at Karlsruhe and onto the tram and more examples of efficient public transport. Got the S3 tram to Mendelssohnplatz and checked into our hotel. We had some time to kill so we had a walk around a bit of Karlsruhe town centre and picked up a couple of pressies for the kids. IN the evening we met up with some of our European colleagues for a 'Welcome Beer'. The beer was tasty and free and it flowed and flowed. Not much self-control exercised but just about got away with not drinking too much. Don't want a hangover on the first day of the conference.

Germany Here I Come

It's been a busy old weekend but I must post a summary prior to tomorows trip to Germany. Saw Liars and Celebration last night at the Flapper with Paul. Good to be out. Gig was good. Really liked Celebration. The singer decided to come into the crowd and stand next to me and sing. Best seats in the house!

This morning we went to see the new Potter movie. Good stuff. Enjoyed it. Tried to do my packing in the afternoon then went out to see a canal boat parade in town. Met up with Mom and Dad there. Seems from Steves Flickr stream that Mary and co were there too.

There's other stuff I'm missing here but I need to get to bed. End of post. Germany here I come.

See What I Did There?

Hey guess what? I DID buy a lawnmower on Sunday AND I got the grass cut too! See what I did there? I was using some reverse psychology on the situation. Feel pretty good about the whole deal.

Since the weekend, the days have flown by. I'm not really getting enough sleep so I'm going straight up after this post.

Caught up with Phil yesterday and agreed plans for next weeks trip. Jacq picked up some Euros for me. I picked up a travel adapter. Now I've just got to learn German on the flight over!

Work Desktop

Loving my dual-screen setup at work. This is a grab of the desktop from last Thursday where I was checking out some basic PCS7 functionality using the mighty VMware while at the same time monitoring my email and listening to a tune. With VMware I'm nicely setup now to develop and test my PCS7 stuff for my current project without being tied to a bunch of IL40 PCs back at the office. Hence this weekend being spent testing out some SCL ideas for standard blocks.

Can I Get A Lawnmower?

A few weeks ago, alright, probably months now, my lawnmower packed in and I've been meaning to get a new one to do the 'last cut' of the year. Well, after weekends of kids parties, today seemed like a good day for it. Sun shining autumn-style and a free afternoon ahead, I popped into the local DIY store. But could I get a lawnmower? Could I buggery! Seems that I'm in the wrong season now. The store just wanted to flog me a range of tacky christmas lights to nail around my house. I'll be trying another store tomorrow, but even if I get one it'll probably be raining and then next weekend it'll be kids parties again and before you know it, it'll be christmas and... and... oh well, just let the grass grow. I'll sort it out next year.

Interesting Author

I'm a bit behind in discovering this guy, but anyway, Cory Doctorow seems like an interesting author. Among many things, he's published a few novels of a sci-fi/tech/geek nature which look interesting. What's cool is that he makes them all available for download in loads of different formats. Really loads, like even iPod notes format. I've saved off a few in pdf stylee and I'll give them a go, nowt to lose.

Code Design Is Good For The Soul

WFH today which meant I could go to the Year 2 assembly and watch Dylan. He had a couple of lines to say which he spoke beautifully, really loud and clear. He was the best. I'm not biased.

The works tasks in hand today are thankfully design related. It's been so very long since I was involved in any sort of code design and it's really enjoyable to be doing a bit again. Wether the blocks I'm designing are used in my current project or not doesn't really matter to me right now. I'll be using them probably in my next project for sure. It feels almost like a creative act and that's good for the soul.

Going Deaf For A Fortnight

I had this thought a couple of months ago that I'd like to get out and see more local gigs. I haven't been out to many as yet, but someone who most definitely has, is Pete Ashton. He's currently in the middle of a project called Going Deaf For A Fortnight in which sees he's going out to a local gig every night for 14 days. It's an interesting snapshot of the Birmingham gig scene. Some of the gigs he reviews seem at first glance to be unappealing prospects but it transpires that there's something of interest at most of them. Makes me want to get out to some more gigs. There's a few events on my Upcoming list at the moment and hopefully I make it out to some of them.

Snippets

Snippets of catchup...

Thursday, Steve picked up one of our old sofas so now we have a bit more room in the room. Still got one left but we might keep it.

Friday morning, Year 5 assembly. Harriet and Amanda did an audience survey of crisp favourites and presented a bar chart. Cute.

Working from home. Dull documents for my current project. Very hard to motivate. Would have been even harder in the office. More distractions there, people to have a moan with, and a couple of hours on the motorway for the pleasure.

Carols 40th birthday party went off well. It was a complete suprise to her. She loved the present Jacq got her. Dylan had great fun running around with Mitchell at top speed and doing the classic knee-slide across the dancefloor.

Saturday morning, Jacq and Carol talking about the party. Both the kids doing great swimming. Chilled at home before going over to Marys for the traditional bonfire party. The bonfire took off, despite early battles with some rain, thanks to wood brought over by Theresa. The fireworks were good but as always there were just too many. Didn't even open the box that we brought over, left them with Steve to set off , he'll probably get more fun out of them than we would.

Sunday morning now. Up early and I don't know why. I should probably go back to bed and resume my lie-in. Raining. Not doing much today. Domestic stuff. The new week will soon be here.

Codename V

Mike came over Monday night and it was good to see him in fine spirits so soon after his second op. We listened to a few things but no creative stuff. But soon, oh yes, soon. I'm quite stoked by a sample challenge thrown down by Mike to get some stuff out of a piece of Bladerunner soundtrack.

Chatted a bit about 'V For Vendetta' which he has lent me. We checked out the movie trailer and it looked pretty good to me, although Mike warns that they've fucked up the ending so I won't get my hopes up. There doesn't seem to be must publicity around at the moment for the movie yet the site states a Nov 05 release but the latest news item is from July. Strange. I finished the book this evening. I fancy reading some more graphic novels.

We Got New Sofas

Yes it's true, we got new sofas. Two leather two-seaters plus two big pouffes for some feet-up action. Now we've just got to get rid of the old sofas blocking up the front room.

Blists Hill Day-Out Action

Managed to do a family day-out thing today to Blists Hill in Ironbridge. We had a great day there spending our old money in the old shops. The weather was lovely. We walked for miles around the place. Our ticket included other museums in Ironbridge so we'll be back there again for some more day-out action.

Bye Alistair

Saw on the IC list today that it was the service for Alistair yesterday. I was most impressed to learn that Colin had turned up for it. What a nice gesture, I'm sure Alistair would have been chuffed. Bye Alistair.

Damp Again

Another damp holiday day. The forecast says that tomorrow might be sunny. I do hope so. We need to get out for a trip somewhere.

During some retail this afternoon I spotted the Peel biography. That's going on the christmas list. Watched some programs about him tonight on BBC4. It was the anniversary of his death just a day or two back. Still hard to believe he's gone.

Half-Term Full House

It's the half-term holidays and I'm off for the week. The weekend just gone, Dylan was at a party Saturday and Harriet at one Sunday, then today we had a house full. Dylan had two mates over to play and Harriet had one. We knew it was going to rain all day today so we were in the house anyway. The kids had a grand time but there was a lot of background work required to keep things running smoothly between everyone. I'm pooped. Dylan has another friend over tomorrow then maybe after that we'll get out and do something if the weather holds.

Technical Specialists Unused

In the office today, which is unusual for a Friday for me but seeing as I'm on holiday next week I thought I should put in an appearance. Myself and Adrian had a good go at SteveP about training and tech support stuff and a whole range of issues. It just came pouring out. I think most of it just breezed over Steves head. He probably just wanted us out of his office. I'm not expecting any follow-up.

Earlier Steve had questioned me about the SINAUT product and his plan for getting some info into the office, which ammounts to getting a product specialist to sit with the particular SAS engineer for a day. It seems that he's totally forgot that he has got three technical specialists in his department who are supposed to get up to expert level on these products and support the rest of the teams. I reminded him of this and he said, "Oh yeah". I despair.