Time Out
Posted: Mon 29 April, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Old(er), Getting Organised, Health, London, Own Business, Sleep - or lack thereof, Thoughts, Time, Work-related, Writing | Leave a comment »This week (and some of next) I’m actually on leave from the job. This is A Very Good Thing.
I don’t have much in the way of plans, the main thing is just Not Working, and taking the much-needed time out.
Of course, there are things I want to do, or at least get onto “paper” and out of my head, but that’s all going to be done on my terms, rather than within the demands of an office.
I’m sure there’ll be a couple of days out and the like along the way, but really the main thing is just time out. It’s been a pretty hectic first third of the year, and the next one isn’t looking like it’ll be any quieter, so downtime is definitely a good plan.
One Year On – Work
Posted: Wed 10 April, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Geeky, Work-related | Leave a comment »Amazingly, I’ve now been in the current job just over a year and this week, among other tasks, has involved my 12-month appraisal.
All told, all went well. They’re pleased with me, and I’m OK with them.
Even better, I also got told today that the BTEC e-learning package I put together has been approved by the BTEC examiners, and the whole course including my tech is apparently “excellent”
So I must be doing something right.
Mileage, and Local Knowledge/Ignorance
Posted: Tue 9 April, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Driving, People, Travel, Work-related | 2 Comments »Another long day today, with a Devon run and a stop-over in Bristol to deliver some other work-based stuff.
All went well though, and again the Saab’s doing just fine. I’d be happier if the fuel consumption was a bit better, but it’s still not too bad.
Mind you, Bristol is a bag of shit to drive round. I don’t know who designed their one-way system, but I’m pretty sure they were either a) insane or b) a fucking idiot. Perhaps both. (And I also bet it was the same person who designed the one-way system in Farnham. But that’s another story)
What amazes me with Bristol – and it’s a view based on several visits, and not something I’ve seen as much anywhere else – is how little people in Bristol know about Bristol, and places in it. I had been given the wrong address for the office I needed, but the security people in the wrong place *and* the people in the right place didn’t know how to get from one to the other. And it turned out to be a matter of crossing a dual-carriageway to get from one to the other. These two office buildings are within sight of each other. Yet no-one knew about the other.
The final straw was being at the right place, saying I was at [centre] North, and being told – by people in [centre] – that I was in the wrong place. They didn’t even know their own fucking building had two entrances!
Anyway, it all got sorted in the end, so all’s good.
Cold
Posted: Sat 30 March, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Health, London, People, Work-related | Leave a comment »This week I’ve had an utterly vile cold. Not flu (or man-flu) just a vile cold which was a full-on joy of snot and sneezing.
Last week was a long one – two days work, a drive to Manchester, two days in the absolutely effing freezing offices of the company up there, driving home, and then a very long Friday involving popping in to work on a day of leave to get stuff sorted, then down to London for the night, including a truly shit night’s sleep. I think it knocked my resilience down a lot, and the cold was the result.
It’s all over now, and all I’m left with is the remnants. A cough, and a nose that makes me look like a leprous coke-addict.
What is it about colds, and particularly tissues? We really still can’t come up with something that doesn’t end up abrading your nose like sandpaper after wiping away a day of snot? (And don’t even try mentioning bloody “tissues with balsam” – they still do the same) I don’t know, maybe microfibre cloth or something – but there’s got to be something better than the current “technology”, surely?
So yes, this weekend is brought to you by a lack of snot, and a prevalence of ‘orrible flaky skin all round my nose. Lovely.
Settled In
Posted: Fri 29 March, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Bankruptcy, Driving, Travel, Work-related | Leave a comment »It’s taken some time, but I’m now well settled with driving the Saab. The last two weeks have been the proving points, as I’ve done some significant mileage in that time.
Last week involved a trip to Manchester, and this week has involved another Devon run, so in the last couple of weeks I’ve done the best part of a thousand miles.
It’s handled it all fine, I’m pleased to say. No issues at all, and at a decent rate of fuel consumption. Not as decent as Mondeo used to get, but that’s petrol vs. diesel for you.
Indeed the only downside I’ve found – and it’s a tiny one – is that the Saab doesn’t have cruise control. I rarely use it, but on occasion it’s good to be able to engage it and stretch/exercise my leg, rather than holding it in one position throughout the drive. I particularly noticed it yesterday, having covered the whole 420 miles in one day, and the massive majority all at one speed. (That particular run is 99% motorway driving – out of 210 miles, I think I’m non-motorway for six of them)
But that’s – so far – the only minor downside. All told, not a bad purchase.
Blessed Relief
Posted: Fri 15 March, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Charity, Cynicism, Domestic, People, Stupidity, Work-related | Leave a comment »So, today is Comic Relief day (AKA Red Nose Day) – one of those shit fund-raising days that encourage people to be “crazy” and “funny” by getting dressed up and acting like tossbags. “It’s all for charidee, innit?” Fuck off.
For the record, I don’t mind Comic Relief – the charity, not the activity. They do good stuff, both in the UK and everywhere else, and I think that’s good. I just can’t stand the way people go stupid about it. (Let’s be honest, I’m not a fan of people most of the time anyway) It’s always the “I’m mad, me” bell-ends that love it, along with (sometimes) some of the quieter office people who normally don’t say a word, but do something special “for charity” (or out of peer-pressure, I don’t know) At least the quiet ones are amusing to watch, because they’re so mortified and teeth-grindingly awkward about the entire thing.
My main amusement this year has come from the changes at Radio 1. (Yes, I still listen to it, despite the increasing ass-hattery of the presenters) In previous years, Chris Moyles has raised millions of pounds on his show for Comic Relief. Just in 2011, his “longest radio show” raised £2.4million on its own, and there was other stuff that year as well. When he left last year, Comic Relief came in and revealed that Moyles’ show had raised just under £11 million.
This year, the new Breakfast Show presenter did a show yesterday for Comic Relief, and raised … £250,000.
Of course that’s still a decent amount, don’t get me wrong. But he’s all impressed with himself for getting that figure, and I’m thinking “Moyles managed that in about an hour”
So, that’s been amusing.
In the meantime, though, tonight I’ll be avoiding the TV (and any thought of shopping etc. can sod right off) and doing absolutely nothing Comic Relief related. This is A Good Thing.
Home Alone
Posted: Sat 23 February, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Animals, Domestic, People, Thoughts, Work-related | 1 Comment »Since moving to the new place, I do miss having dogs around. Prior to here, I’ve had dogs (even daft pain-in-the-arse bastard ones like Hound) for the last eight years, and you kind of get used to it.
So I kind of miss having them around, but at the same time there’s no way I could justify it at the moment with how life’s running.
As it is, the cats are OK if I leave them overnight. I always make sure they’ve got enough food, and all that, but really it’s pretty easy. I’ve also located a nice local person who can come in and feed them etc if I have to be away for longer, which is also a bit easier.
With a dog (or more) I’d also be far more constrained with walk times etc. which I couldn’t actually manage on a regular basis – let alone the extra joys there would be with me doing a long one-dayer or overnighter.
I get a regular reminder of this from the neighbours though – they have some little thing (I’ve never actually seen it, to be honest) and every time they go out, the poxy thing howls and yaps for a good 30-45 minutes, and sometimes longer. I’ve no idea why they never seem to take the bloody thing out with them, but there we go.
Anyway, it all just reminds me of how needy dogs can be, and how much I wouldn’t want my neighbours to be having to live next to someone whose dog(s) howl every day when I go to work, or go out anywhere.