Eight Years

Posted: Tue 5 May, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, 2019/20, Bankruptcy, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Thoughts | Leave a comment »

Turns out, it’s eight years today since I moved to the current house.

A lot’s happened in that time, and I’m still here. It’s the longest I’ve lived anywhere since I left home, which still feels very weird.

I keep on thinking about moving on (and, as I said in a previous post, right now I’m glad it hasn’t happened) and being somewhere new, but so far I haven’t found anywhere I really feel right about moving to.

I don’t know what the future will bring, or where it’ll find me, but for now well, eight years. Wow.

Year End

Posted: Tue 31 December, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Bankruptcy, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Own Business, Resolutions, Thoughts, Web Development, Work-related, Writing | Leave a comment »

Here we are, at the end of 2013. It’s been an eventful old year, what with one thing and another.

In no particular order – and probably leaving out a load of lesser stuff – my 2013 has consisted of…

  • Having Mondeo kill itself in the outside lane of the M1 – always an interesting experience
  • Renting a Renault Megane for two weeks – the shittest car it’s ever been my displeasure to drive
  • Buying the Saab as a replacement for Mondeo, and it’s done well so far.  Handing back the Megane was also an absolute joy
  • Countless meetings all over the country
  • Completing my bankruptcy period – it stays on the record for four more years, but it’s discharged now
  • Being made redundant from the job I started the year with
  • Going back to contracting and
    • getting the first job I applied for – indeed, they offered it to me at the interview, and wanted me to start immediately
    • And the second – although it turned out to be shit
    • And indeed the third – on that one they offered after phone interview, without even meeting me
  • Forming my new company, which will start trading from mid-January
  • Sorting out an ISA savings account – which actually has some money in it!
  • Continued writing, and getting some ideas out onto keyboard/paper – time will tell how successful that stays
  • Been able to purchase some stuff I didn’t have in the new house – like a proper bed-frame, etc.
  • Caught up with friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in far too long
  • Attended two weddings – and another one’s already booked for 2014

All told, it’s been pretty busy, somewhat hectic, highly changeable, and not a bad year at all. Sure, things could have been better/smoother, but when all things are considered, I’d say it’s been a positive year.

The Last Year

Posted: Mon 4 November, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, 41 - 42, D4D™, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Work-related, Writing | Leave a comment »

Since this time last year, my plans were simple – well, the main goals were, anyway.

The plans, laid out on my last birthday were

  1. Weigh Less
  2. Write More

With those simple plans, I actually did OK over the last twelve months – and got a lot more stuff done besides.

For weighing less, I’ve lost just over a stone in the last year. Could be better, could be worse. I’ve monitored my food intake etc. over the year, and kept track of health/exercise/etc., but it’s not been as good as I wanted it to be either. Something to be continued with over the next year, anyway.

For writing more, that’s kind of worked and kind of hasn’t – it depends on what you class as ‘writing’. I’m writing more on D4D, and I’ve written some other pieces along the way (or at least started them, although I’ve also locked up on a couple when they’ve not worked out) so again, successful, but could do more.

I do feel that this last year has laid a lot of groundwork for the next year – I’m getting back into the swing of things, building up my own plans and routine, and generally feeling a lot more prepared for the coming year than I did this time last year.

Having Time

Posted: Tue 8 October, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Commuting, Domestic, Driving, Health, Travel, Weigh Less, Weight Loss, Work-related | 2 Comments »

With the job change, I’ve just regained about 2½ hours a day. My commute has gone from 45-50 minutes each way to 20-25, which gives me the best part of an hour straight away.  However, I was getting to Cambridge 45-60 minutes early, and leaving 45 minutes late in order to avoid the really slow/shit traffic on the dire sections of road.  So that’s another 90-105 mins regained too.

With that time, my primary aim is to get back into doing something healthier, the cycling, maybe some workout stuff as well. That’s the plan, anyway.

However, despite the new workplace being a lot closer, I’m not planning to aim (yet) for cycling to work and back. Even the shortest route is a ten-mile journey, and some of the roads are pretty dodgy.  I might explore a bit, see how things, go, but for now that’s firmly in the “see what happens” side of the list.

When all’s said and done, I’m just glad to have the time back, alongside having a better contract that’s making me happier too. I don’t mind idiot commutes (as regular readers know anyway) when it’s a job I’m enjoying, and when I’m happier with how work is coming along. When it’s a shit job though, the crap commute just exacerbates everything, makes me even less happy, knowing that I’m wasting even more time, that the entire thing is just a faff, and one I can’t be arsed with. It also turns out that when I’m down about my work, it also has a lot of knock-on effects on other bits of my life, as well as my self-image/ego/whatever, which I plan to write more about for tomorrow.

Q4 – Plans

Posted: Tue 1 October, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, 2013/14, Creativity, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Own Business, Work-related, Writing | Leave a comment »

So here we are, the start of the final quarter of 2013. Where has the year gone? It’s been pretty busy, but hard to believe that we’re already three-quarters of the way through the year.

Anyway, such is life. Onwards and upwards, and all that rot.

The final quarter of my 2013 is going to be used preparing for 2014 – at least that’s the intention so far. Whether or not it happens in the way I hope, well, time will tell.

The main things I want to do are about preparation, about going into 2014 with some finished developments, stuff to build on/from, and see what happens.  There’s likely to be a fair dollop of work being done, and it feels like the right time to be doing it.

Along with the new contract, which should take me through to the end of the year, I also want to :

  • Form up a new limited company for some of the business stuff I’ve got in my head and…
    • Write the primary framework for at least one of the ideas
    • Write the primary business site to attract attention to the products
    • Possibly attend a couple of related exhibitions and trade-shows, in order to drum up some more interest
  • Also do some maintenance on stuff I’ve inherited (well, been asked to keep on working on) from Previous Employer
  • Get on with some writing – there’s one idea in particular I want to work on
  • Continue to work on the losing weight / gaining fitness thing

That’s the ideas, at least. It’s going to be a varied three months, I think, but that’s the basic framework…

2013 Phase 3 : One week in

Posted: Mon 16 September, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Food, Getting Old(er), Health, Weigh Less | 6 Comments »

So, as I wrote a week ago, I made some minor(ish) changes to lifestyle last Monday. Obviously it’s only a week in, but I thought I’d write a wee bit about what’s happened in that week.  I’m trying to get back into routines and patterns on these things, so I know that a week is kind of short, but if I’ve done it for one, I can do it for more.

The changes were

  1. Cutting out bread completely
  2. Eating better while at work  (i.e. no sandwiches, in particular)
  3. Walking/cycling more

And so far things have been OK, I’m pleased to say.

I’ve had no bread at all – although I’ve not cut out pasta or other wheaty products as such – and honestly I’ve felt no change, and seen no changes or results. I’m going to keep on with it for a while more though.

I’ve certainly eaten better at work, mainly through getting back to eating stuff I’ve made at home and taking that in, rather than paying for it on a daily basis.  I do need to find a balance here still, because as a contractor, it’s better for tax purposes (don’t ask) to buy something each day.

Exercise has been the big one. I’ve been out on the bike five times, and covered fifteen miles, there being a rather nice little three-mile circuit from home that works well for me. My times have dropped noticeably already – I’m using the Strava app on the phone to track things – and we’ll see how it goes.  My leg muscles in particular hurt like buggery on a couple of occasions, which isn’t surprising considering that the last time I was  cycling properly was in 2005 when I worked at CrapCo. But I’ll get better, get fitter, get faster. That’s the plan, anyway.

More importantly though, I’m quite enjoying it at the moment. I’m hoping to get into the routine before the nights draw in and the weather gets worse, so that then I’ll have even fewer excuses for not going. I have missed a couple of days this week- one through vile weather, another through being busy doing other stuff – but I can live with a five-out-of-seven plan for the moment.

All told, it’s all looking fairly positive.

Decisions, Decisions

Posted: Sat 14 September, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Bankruptcy, Business, Domestic, Own Business, Work-related | Leave a comment »

So, as well as everything else, I’ve got a number of projects ongoing for which I’d now (I think) like to form a limited company again.

I know the company name is available, I already own the relevant domains etc.  It’s just a question of whether I actually do go down the route of limited company – which has its own issues with paperwork, accounts etc. – or whether I just do it as a sole trader.

In general, I prefer the limited route, and I’m safe again to be a director now the Bankruptcy has discharged. But I need to decide which will work best, and how it will all combine to work.  I know that with a Ltd. I can also use it for my contracting etc., although that tends to make the company very profitable very quickly. Might be a good thing, might not.

And of course some of it will also come down to whether any of the main banks will let me have a business bank account, what with only being a month out of Bankruptcy.

It makes more sense (kind of) to start on this kind of venture in January, start of a new year and all that. I need to think about all of these things for a while before making the decisions on where I’ll be heading. And that’s some of what this weekend will be about, I think.

2013 Phase Three

Posted: Mon 9 September, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Domestic, Health, Weigh Less | Leave a comment »

This time last week I wrote about starting the final third of 2013, and what I wanted to be working on with that. Part of that project/phase is to be healthier, and ideally weigh less too.

Because of the change in working location, I’ve had to stop my membership of the gym in Luton, where I was working before. There’s no point in my having a gym that’s 30 minutes away in the wrong direction, and that thus I now wouldn’t be using at all.

I may sign up for a gym in Milton Keynes, as I’m there a lot more often, but I don’t know yet, and I don’t need to decide right now.

What I am doing right now is

  1. Cutting out bread for a while, to see what happens.  I’ve never really done this before, so it’ll be interesting regardless.
  2. Related to one, changing some of the stuff I have while at work, lunches and the like.
  3. Getting out and walking/cycling more.  I went out for a short cycle ride yesterday for the first time in *cough* years, 3 miles in 20 minutes, and I’m hoping that’ll improve pretty quickly.

All told, it can be summed up as “Eat less/better/differently, exercise more.” Whether things will change or not remains to be seen – after all, things only really started yesterday, so there’s some time to be taken yet.

The plan is just to get into a routine on this stuff for the moment, see how it all goes.  I’ve got the plan in my head, but we’ll see how things work out when the real world gets its ass involved.

2013 : Final Third

Posted: Mon 2 September, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Creativity, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Health, Own Business, Web Development, Weigh Less, Weight Loss, Work-related, Write More, Writing | Leave a comment »

So here we are, the start of September. Which means we’re two-thirds of the way through the year. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?

For me, the first two thirds of the year have been more about staying stable, getting stuff done, getting things in place and ready for whatever comes next. It’s been pretty successful: I’ve got through the bankruptcy period,, I’m pretty settled on location and house for the moment, and  I’ve changed jobs, with all the fun that entails. (Oh, and got some pretty good contacts and future opportunities from people within ex-employer)  It’s looking pretty positive.

But now it’s time to step things up a bit. There are things I want to do, or at least want to start, and see how they work out. The plans and ideas are there, but now it’s implementation time.  (Yeah, I know, heard it all before)  I’m not saying they’ll all work, I’m not even saying they’ll all get out of the starting gate – but I want to at least try.

For this next period there’s really three main projects going on, alongside the general gradual development/sorting of finances, which is now just an ongoing process. The other three are :

  1. Health / Fitness
  2. Project Development
  3. Writing

Pretty self-explanatory, I think. But a bit more detail…

Health / Fitness

One of the goals for 2013 has been to improve fitness, improve health, and lose weight. So far it’s kind-of happened, but not properly. I’ve been going to the gym, but it’s not really working for me – and even less so when it’s now in the exactly opposite direction to where I’m going for work…  So it’s time to rethink (again) and get back into doing something. I’m not yet sure what it’ll be, we’ll see. There’s a couple of ideas, anyway.

Project Development

As always, I’ve got some ideas for some web-based businesses. I think I’ve now got the overall plan, so it’s time to see how things work out. The primary ideas are all based round a particular theme this time, so who knows, it might actually work out. I’m aiming to get the main sections for the first significant project written by the end of the year. Maybe more, with a bit of luck, but I’d like to be ready to get it launched in early 2014 and see where things go from there.

Writing

Similar to the above, I’ve got two ideas that I want to get into some kind of shape over the next four months. I think that’s a reasonable timescale. We’ll see.

So yeah, the next four months ’til the end of the year should be quite interesting. That’s what I’m hoping, anyway…

 

 

 

Employed

Posted: Thu 15 August, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Business, Domestic, Getting Old(er), Work-related | Leave a comment »

It’s now been confirmed that I’m gainfully employed in a long-term contract from Tuesday 27th August. It’s a six-monther, based in Cambridge, and stands to pay me more than a year with my previous employer – and that’s before taking into consideration the expenses thing and so on.

Going through this whole process again has been really good for me, as it turns out. I was beginning to wonder whether I was still in the right place/industry, and while those doubts still remain to a degree, at least my own personal confidence has been somewhat restored.

All told, the events for this last month have been :

  • 17th July : Made redundant
  • 19th July : Last day of employment
  • 22-29th July : Week off, no CVs sent out etc.
  • 29th July – 4th August : Send out some CVs, talk to some agencies
  • 5th August – Phone Interview with Company X
  • 7th August – Interview with Company Y, with immediate job offer and immediate start for a short-term contract
  • 12th August – Interview with Company X.
  • 13th August – Phone Interview with Company Z. Job offer from Company X. Interview offer from Company Z

So – two face-to-face interviews, both of which have led to work.  One further phone interview, leading to face-to-face interview.

It took me three weeks (including a week off) from notice of redundancy to getting work. I could’ve done it quicker, most likely, but I took it slow and was wanting something that I wanted to do, rather than just whatever comes next.

All told, I’m really quite chuffed with that.

Year One

Posted: Fri 9 August, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Bankruptcy, Domestic, Finances, Thoughts | 1 Comment »

As of today, I’m no longer technically in bankruptcy. (Which is a weird word to type, but that’s something else entirely)

I declared myself bankrupt a year ago today, and that discharges automatically after one year, other than in exceptional circumstances. Basically, if the court decides you’ve been obstructive, or untruthful – or you’ve continued to build debt while in bankruptcy, or done anything else seriously stupid – they can extend the period of bankruptcy, but I’ve not done any of that, so it expires today.

There’s still a long way to go before it’s completely expunged from the record – another five years, in fact – but regardless, this is a milestone. (Rather than the millstone that the debts themselves were)

I’m still paying what I can afford for the next two years too. Once that’s done, it’s about rebuilding properly – for one thing, the amount I’m currently paying through the court system can go into a savings account. I haven’t missed the money, so I might as well keep paying it, but for my benefit rather than anyone else’s.

Bankruptcy isn’t an easy process, it’s not one I’d wish on anyone else. But it’s also not the great stigma on one’s character that it used to be, and while it’s not The Answer, it most certainly is An Answer.

For my own life, I’m glad I made the decision to go down this route – not that there were many other options, to be honest – because it’s allowing me to start again, to build up from those solid foundations that the last year has let me build.

11

Posted: Fri 9 August, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, 2013/14, Change, D4D™, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Old(er), Getting Organised, Thoughts | Leave a comment »

Somehow, D4D™ has now made it to its eleventh birthday. I never expected it to do so, but I can’t deny, I’m actually fairly proud that it has.

Events over the last eighteen months have meant that the writing here has slowed down, and lost its frequency (and in some ways I feel it’s also lost its way a bit) but I’m going to see how we do over the next year, and wait ’til this time next year to see what happens.  I might close it down, I might just keep it with irregular updates. Right now, I just don’t know.

The last couple of years have been – interesting, I think it’s fair to say.  D4D’s been through that time with me (well, obviously) and will continue to do so, I think. There’s still a long way on this old journey, and I think/hope the next year (or two) is going to be instrumental in whatever comes next.

Organisational

Posted: Mon 5 August, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Bankruptcy, Change, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Thoughts, Work-related, Writing | 1 Comment »

This last week has involved getting quite a lot of stuff organised, and it’s felt pretty successful, to be honest.

Among other things, this week I’ve

  • Sorted out the Car Tax for the next 12 months
  • Paid a power bill that nPower had totally screwed up (and that’s the subject of an ongoing fight/complaint)
  • Halved the cost of my car insurance from the start of September (and raised a complaint regarding the amount I’ve been paying for the last six months)
  • Sent out CVs and organised interviews for the coming week
  • Organised myself (and a fair amount of my life) for the coming month
  • Started a couple of new projects, both techie ones and writing ones
  • Generally sorted out a whole load of things, most of which aren’t overly relevant to D4D™ or worth writing about, but are worthwhile for me to sort out
  • Even made time for lunch with the parents!

So all told, it’s been a pretty good week. In some ways the last twelve months has felt like being in Limbo, waiting for things to pass/happen, and that’s been OK. But with the changes of the last couple of weeks, as well as things that’ll be coming to pass at the end of this week, it’s now time to get my ass back in gear, and start figuring out what’s next.

Week One

Posted: Sat 27 July, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Domestic, Getting Organised, Introspective, Work-related | Leave a comment »

For the first time in ages, I’ve had a proper week off, following on from the changes with my employment status. While I was there, my email never really turned off (partly through my choice, partly through knowing there was no-one else to support the things I’d written) so in some ways it never felt like ‘holiday’ or ‘leave’. Work always intruded, emails to answer, and even phone calls for assistance on a few occasions.

This week though has allowed me to properly slow down, relax a bit, and get on with non-work stuff.

Yes, I’ve been sending out CVs and so on – and also paid a final visit to the Devon office to say “bye” properly to people, rather than just disappearing into the ether – but it’s still been a very pleasant piece of time, and helped by it being some of the best weather we’ve seen in a year or more.

The search for work will kick up again on Monday, plus there’s quite a few I’m waiting to hear back from, and I’ve already got a couple of interviews lined up, so we’ll see how things go.

For the moment I feel pretty optimistic about the entire thing. That might change over the next few weeks if nothing serious comes up, but for now I’m quite chilled and optimistic. It’s all a bit ‘wait and see’, which usually does my head in, but for now I’m OK.

We’ll just have to see how things work out.

Ongoing Reductions

Posted: Mon 24 June, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Diet Coke, Domestic, Getting Organised, Health | Leave a comment »

Since last November I’ve been cutting down on my intake of Diet Coke, and doing OK on it. I’ve written about before, and will no doubt write about it again in the future.

We’re now six full months into 2013, and I’ve kept the intake down. It’s not zero – I don’t want it to be – but in general it’s about a quarter to a third of what it used to be, if not less. I’m still quite proud of that reduction, and of keeping the reduction going. My water intake has increased significantly as a result too, which is also supposedly a good thing – it’s certainly doing its thing to keep my kidneys in working order!

I still have good days and bad days – but less bad days than I used to – but overall I think it’s fair to say that the reduction might just be here to stay. Time will tell of course, but I think this is the longest sustained cut-down I’ve had in years.

One Year

Posted: Sun 5 May, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2011/12, 2012/13, Change, Domestic, Getting Old(er), Getting Organised | Leave a comment »

Exactly one year ago today – date-wise, rather than weekday-wise – I moved to the new place.

It’s been one hell of a year, and eventful in many ways.  Looking back, in some ways it’s raced past and feels like only a few weeks. Indeed it’s only when I look back and list the amount of stuff I’ve actually done in that time, check out all the changes and occurences in that time, that I realise how much has been done, and then it seems amazing how I’ve fitted it all into such a short span.

There’s still a lot to do, many changes to be made, many things to be tried and worked on. Some I’ll do, some I won’t. But this last year has been a good building block, and it’s laid the foundations for a lot of the upcoming stuff that should be really quite interesting.

January Progress

Posted: Mon 4 February, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, D4D™, Diet Coke, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Health, Weigh Less, Weight Loss, Write More, Writing | Leave a comment »

Back at the end of 2012, I said I’d got two main plans for this year,

  1. Weigh less
  2. Write more

So, one month in, where do we stand?

On Point One, I’ve lost half a stone.  Obviously that’s not insignificant, but there’s a long way to go still.

As part of it, I’ve been keeping a food diary for the last month, which has been interesting. It’s allowed me to keep track of what I’m eating and illustrate any bad foods (or even bad days) although it’s shown more that the intake side is lower than it should be. (I’m averaging about 1600 a day, from current evidence)

As I’ve written before, I’ve also had the health MOT this month : blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid, blood sugar, the lot. It’s all come through OK, so that’s another thing.

And, of course, I’ve cut down my intake of Diet Coke significantly. It’s still got a small way to go if I’m to cut it out completely, but it’s still massively reduced from where it was.

Now it’s a case of upping the exercise levels as part of that project point.

For Point Two, I’ve managed to do some writing, although not as much as I’d hoped. I’ve got a short story mostly done, which I want to get completed in the next few days. I’ve also been writing a new idea, and that’s currently about a fifth of the way through it. Again, it’s something I’m working on, and it’s already better than it was last year, but there’s a long way to go.

Still though, it’s been a good start to the year.

Diet Coke – Progress

Posted: Fri 18 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Diet Coke, Domestic, Getting Organised, Health, Weigh Less, Weight Loss | 1 Comment »

A while back, I started cutting down on my intake of Diet Coke, and I have to say, so far it’s going pretty well. It’s been a bit turbulent, and while I halved it when I started back in November, by mid-December it was back to normal. I properly dropped it again once I was on leave over Christmas, and it’s been kept down for near on a month now.

I’d decided that I wasn’t going to cut it all the way out – or at least not immediately – and opted instead for a phased withdrawal. It’s a drink I like drinking, so I don’t know that I’ll cut it all the way out.

Anyway, so far I’ve done pretty well. I’m down to about one-third of what I was drinking, and I’ve replaced the majority of the intake with water, which is supposed to be a better alternative.  (I’m not yet convinced – I don’t feel masses better for it, it’s – frankly – fucking boring, and it makes me piss like a horse)

I’m pleased with how I’m doing – I have good days with even less intake, and I have shit days where I have more, but most importantly, even on the shit days I’m drinking no more than half the Diet Coke I was doing.

It’s not been part of the weight loss plan – the calorific intake wasn’t that high, even when the intake was high – but it’s part of the general plan for this year, regardless.

There’s still a way to go – but I’m happy with where things stand for now.

Embarassing Fat Bodies

Posted: Wed 16 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 1BEM, 2012/13, Cynicism, Food, Health, People, Thoughts, Weigh Less, Weight Loss | Leave a comment »

Channel 4’s got a new series of “Embarassing Fat Bodies” at the moment, and it’s really annoying me.  Not just because of my own ongoing issues with weight-loss, but just because of the people.

I know I’ve a long way to go, that’s a foregone conclusion. As such I’ve probably not got much room to talk, currently. You know what? I really don’t care.

You see, the difference with me is that I’m doing something about it. I’m taking the hints from my body, and I’m doing something about it.

The people on Embarassing Fat Bodies just don’t – or at least haven’t – and it’s like they’re waiting for some bloody wizard to come along and wave a wand at them to fix the problem.

One of the people on this week’s programme had a hernia the size of a basketball, a lipoma the size of two footballs, is housebound, and has a BMI of 79. Yes, seventy-fucking-nine! But still she eats – and admits to eating – meals for three or four people.

Another one, 35 stone, BMI of 66 waddled in, having done a food diary, talking about “a bag of crisps”. It turned out that what she meant by that was the huge family-bag size bag of crisps. This is someone who can’t stand, and has brought an office-chair into her kitchen so she can scoot around the kitchen rather than walking around it.  But still, a diet of crisps, chocolate, full-fat fizzy drinks.

How long does it take to pick up the hints? If you’re that size, at least cut down what you’re eating, or go for the healthier alternatives!

Again, I’m not perfect, I know. Some of my diet isn’t grand – but my intake is on the low side, not the excesses listed by some of the people on this programme.

GP Results – Thoughts

Posted: Tue 15 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Cynicism, Domestic, Food, Getting Organised, Health, Weigh Less, Weight Loss | Leave a comment »

In some ways I’m quite happy about the GP results – they were a lot better than they had any right to be.  In another, I’m almost annoyed, because I can’t deny, I kind of hoped there would be some kind of medical explanation for why I don’t lose weight.

I’ve done the food diary – admittedly only for a week, although I’m going to continue doing it for a while more – and my intake averaged out at 1750 calories, give or take. That’s *low*, my basic maintenance should be around the 2,500 – 3,000 mark, so I should be losing weight quickly and easily. But I’m not. It’s much the same as it has been for ten years, with the exception of losing a stone through Slimming World three or four years back.  (Even that was fucked- the time I went with their exact plan, I gained weight)

And now there’s no visible medical reason for it either.

I know I need more exercise, and that’s part of the plan for this year.

But basically, right now, there’s no sodding reason for me to be the size/weight I am. And that pisses me off.

GP Results

Posted: Mon 14 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Cynicism, Domestic, Food, Getting Organised, Health, Weigh Less, Weight Loss | Leave a comment »

So, having (finally) seen the GP this time – only half an hour late, that’s almost early compared to usual – I’ve got the final figures…

  • Blood Pressure : 120/80
  • Heart rate : 75
  • Cholesterol : 5.7
  • Thyroid : Normal
  • Blood Tests : Normal

Being a pissbag, the GP wouldn’t give me exact figures for the thyroid results etc. – I remain cynical about “normal” until I can check – and refused to give me a referral to the dietician service. Instead I’ve got to see the diabetes nurses next week for diet advice. Because, of course, they’re the ones who know.

Luckily I’m also getting the diet advice from someone else I trust, so it’s not hyper-relevant to get the referral, but I do want the request on my NHS record. I asked for the same thing in Norfolk, and Suffolk, and nothing happened at all. So I’m more serious about it this time round.

Anyway, all told I’m bordering on healthy – with the exception of my BMI and weight, which I still want to work on. Considering the BMI and weight, there’s no way the rest of the figures should be as good as they are.  So all told I feel quite positive about things, for once.

I’ve still got bits to work on, obviously – I do want to reduce my weight, and work from there, but knowing that the basics are OK is a big thing too.

GP Follow-up

Posted: Mon 14 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Domestic, Health, Weigh Less | Leave a comment »

This afternoon, I’m back at the GPs, finding out the results of blood tests, and getting the blood-pressure taken. Well, that’s the plan, anyway.

I’ve also asked for a couple of specific tests, as they’re issues that run in the family.

  1. Blood-sugar  (Well, fasting blood sugar) levels for Diabetes
  2. Thyroid levels – there’s been thyroid issues for at least two prior generations of my family
  3. Cholesterol – I figured I might as well get this while I’m at it.

I’ve no idea what the results will be, so it’s going to be interesting to see what they are.

 

Food Diary

Posted: Mon 7 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Domestic, Food, Health, Weigh Less | Leave a comment »

In the run-up to the start of 2013, I wrote a little bit about the goals (well, they’re more like guidelines) I’ve got for the year. I’m keeping it pretty simple, although there’s lots of other stuff under those main points. For the moment I don’t plan to share the sub-points, because they’re not actually of much use to anyone except me.

Anyway, as part of the “Weigh Less” goal, I’m starting to write a food diary from today. Obviously that’s not all of the plan, but it’s a good starting point for establishing what I’m doing, and what needs to change.

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to do this with the help of Dragon, and to be able to help him with his training for being a PT by doing the initial food diary, analysis and plans with him.

I’m going to see how it all goes, and I’ll write more about it as time goes on.

Along the way, as well as getting results from the GP (including that missing blood-pressure test) over the next couple of weeks, I’ve also invested in some proper weighing scales, including body-fat.  Much as I like the idea of them, I didn’t go for one of the Withings or FitBit ones in the end – £100 for scales is a bit much, and while I like the idea of keeping those records and graphs online, I can do the same thing by myself, either locally or on RunKeeper etc.  Besides, seeing those updates from other people on Facebook and Twitter pisses me off in the end, so I don’t want to do the same to other people.

Instead, and on a recommendation, I’ve gone for these scales from from Omron, which do everything I want them to.

So – progress is being made. I’ll be interested (and probably depressed) to see the initial figures, but I’m thinking/hoping that they’ll provide me with more impetus for going ahead with the weight loss.

2013

Posted: Tue 1 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, D4D™, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Old(er), Health, Weigh Less | 3 Comments »

And so – a new year. (Again)

As per many years previously, I don’t really do New Year Resolutions, they’re not my thing.

So my plan for 2013 (as written about very briefly back in November) is pretty simple. It’s not resolutions, just a bit of a plan, and that plan can be summed up thus…

  1. Weigh less
  2. Write more.

And that’s it.  There’s other stuff along the way, but that’s the two key points, really.

Anyway- have a good one. I certainly hope to do so.

Closing Out The Year

Posted: Mon 31 December, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, D4D™, Domestic | Leave a comment »

Today proved to be a day for getting things done that I hadn’t got round to doing for a while. The full list is ineffably dull (as these things usually are) so I won’t bother with the full thing. Suffice it to say, it’s been a pretty productive day.

The real key thing though is that I’m now registered with the local GP – I don’t need to be, per se, but well, I figure it’s better to be registered than not.

As longer-term readers of D4D™ know, I bloody hate GPs in general, but still, it’s better to be with a local one, rather than the one in Suffolk I was registered at.

Anyway, all told it’s a decent way to close off 2012, getting a few things off the list of stuff that needed doing.

 

 

The End of 2012

Posted: Mon 31 December, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Change, D4D™, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Old(er), Getting Organised, Introspective, Thoughts, Work-related | Leave a comment »

At last, we’re at the end of 2012.

It’s been quite a year, all things considered. I’ve written about that elsewhere, so don’t need to repeat myself really.  Suffice it to say, it’s been eventful.

As it is, I’m closing off 2012 with no debt, and with the groundwork done to start building back up from. There’s a long way to go – it won’t be done in 2013, I know for a fact – but the basics are done, and now it’s “just” the building back up.

I’m not planning any big changes for 2013, to be honest. I’m happy with work – yes, I did just say that – and so long as things don’t change too radically, I hope to be there for the full year. (And even I can’t believe I just wrote that) I’m as secure as possible in the house, the tenancy goes through to November for sure.  Of course, things can still change when it’s rented property, but it’s as safe as it can be for the moment.

So the basics are as safe and stable as I can make them for the moment. I’m not planning anything major changewise – 2013’s a year to get myself sorted, and to deal with myself rather than dealing with anyone else.

I feel pretty optimistic about it, to be honest. I don’t know all of what it’ll bring – who can? – but regardless, I think/hope it’s going to be a good year.

Getting Back

Posted: Mon 12 November, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, 41 - 42, Domestic, Gigs, Music | Leave a comment »

In conversations (and D4D posts) last week, I realised it’s now more than a year since I’ve been to a concert. I’ve eased off on them over the last few years, partly through getting a bit pickier following some that were pretty bad, and partly just through a lack of available time and finances along with venues not being as easy to get to.

Manchester was fantastic for getting to/from gigs, and had plenty of good venues as well. Bracknell was less good, and Norfolk/Suffolk were a pain in the bits.  From the new place, it’s likely still London (although there’s also other smaller locations which aren’t too bad) and what with one thing and another it’s not been great for booking tickets.

Anyway, I’d thought I’d make some changes, and this weekend has meant that’s started – my first gig in 14 months will be in Janurary, seeing the Cowboy Junkies (yet again) , this time at the Barbican in London.

And I can’t wait.