Taking Leave
Posted: Wed 9 January, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Work-related | Leave a comment »Bearing in mind how bad I was at taking my allotted holiday/ leave from work in 2012, I’m vaguely trying to be better organised this year. Although I think I might have been a bit over-eager.
Why? Because I’ve actually already booked myself off at the end of the year, for two weeks. It’s not even like I’ve got any solid plans for that time, but I did appreciate closing off the year, having the time out doing nowt.
I’ve still got plenty to book / take, and I will do so – but it’s kind of weird, being organised(ish) enough to plan something like that in early January.
Un-Fair
Posted: Tue 8 January, 2013 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Bankruptcy, Business, Domestic, Own Business, Travel, Web Development, Work-related | Leave a comment »Usually around this time, I’d be looking at hitting the Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, which kicks off at the start of February.
I’ve gone a few times over the years, usually building up some contacts for building websites etc. Sometimes I made use of them afterwards, most of the time I didn’t. (to be honest) It’s always an interesting trip, what with one thing and another.
This year, I’m not planning to go. Partly it’s on a week that is already madly busy, but also I’ve got enough on my plate for the moment without adding to it.
2014 may be a different matter, but 2013 is one where I definitely won’t be going.
The End of 2012
Posted: Mon 31 December, 2012 | Author: Lyle | 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.
On the Shoulder
Posted: Thu 27 December, 2012 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Commuting, Domestic, Driving, Stupidity, Thoughts, Work-related | 2 Comments »One of the developments in the work that’s been going on with the M1 has been a new congestion relief scheme. It’s been piloted on other motorways (mainly around Birmingham) and has now made its way to junctions 7 to 15 on the M1.
The plan is surprisingly simple, but takes a lot of work beforehand. Basically, the hard shoulder becomes a fourth lane in times of need, and new ‘refuges’ off the hard-shoulder are put in for cars that actually have broken down.
It’s a good scheme, and since going ‘live’ in early December it’s worked well, except for one assumption that has turned out to be rather flawed. And that assumption is this : that drivers actually read motorway signs.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about drivers who can’t (or won’t) think ahead and so fuck up traffic for everyone, and this is a similar situation.
Basically, when you can use the hard shoulder, the road information signs read “Congestion. Use hard shoulder“. You’d think that was pretty simple, and easy to understand. But no, most drivers appear to not see it, or not understand it.
How do I know? Because I do use the hard shoulder, and blast past the drivers in the other three lanes. (When I say ‘blast’, I’m usually going 60 – it’s just the other three lanes are stuck and doing 40) It’s perfectly legal, because I’m not jogging between lanes, just sticking to my inner lane and going past slower traffic. But when I do, a good 40% of the drivers flash their lights at me, implying (I assume) that they think I’m doing something wrong. Which implies that they’ve not read the signs, that they think the hard shoulder isn’t for driving on.
It’s not common yet, which could be the other reason people don’t get it. Whether it’ll catch on, I don’t know. But I do know it works pretty well so long as you can read the damn signs.
Finished for the Year
Posted: Thu 20 December, 2012 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Sleep - or lack thereof, Time, Work-related | Leave a comment »Today was my last day in the office ’til 2013 – for which no-one is more amazed than me. I’m now off for no less than 13 days – allbeit covering the Festering Season – which is going to be very strange.
Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I was off work for that long (and particularly being off on proper Holiday pay, rather than just not working) but it’s going to be good to have the time. Indeed, I’m currently so tired and wiped out, just having the time is a real bonus.
I don’t know yet what I’m going to do with most of my leave, other than relax. There’s some bits planned, which will all be good, but primarily, relaxing and preparing for 2013 will be the main objectives.
And it’s going to be needed – one of my final actions today was to list the projects my team will be working on for the first three months. Suffice it to say, it’s a big damn list, with 17 projects (as well as ongoing projects) between three of us…
Party Avoidance
Posted: Sat 15 December, 2012 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Old(er), Getting Organised, Work-related | 4 Comments »This weekend, I’m avoiding the work Christmas Party. It’s not local – it’s kind-of-local to the Devon office, but not for my office – and involves a 5-ish hour coach journey. Each way.
Mainly though, I just really didn’t fancy it. Not necessarily as an avoidance of the Festering Season – although that’s a happy side-effect – but more as a reflection of my current state of being.
In short, I’m knackered. I’m really bad at Not Working – even when I’m officially on Leave, and Not Working – and it’s always in my head. As part of an email on Thursday, I realised that my team of three (me, my developer colleague, and the designer) are responsible for no less than fifteen websites within my employer. Not just ‘basic’ websites, but also the systems to manage the businesses – and they’re complete business entities, not just side-projects or marketing biff – so it’s pretty intense. And that means my head’s always on The Next Issue.
I’ve been taking time off, as I had a massive backlog of holiday time to take, but still, I’m wiped out. Primarily because even with that, this month has involved lots of work, silly mileage, long trips, long days, and not much in the way of turning my brain off.
So the weekend would have consisted of an early start (6.30 AM – on a Saturday!) followed by a massive 5 hour drive/ride down to a venue on Dartmoor (No, it’s not Dartmoor Prison), a big company do with 100+ people and lots of drink (a lot of ex-military people equates to a lot of drink!) followed by another (minimum of) five-hour drive/ride home – allowing extra time for people to stop, week, puke and so on. That just strikes me as a weekend where I’d rather do my own stuff, sleep in, and generally recharge my batteries a bit.
Thankfully I’m not the only one missing it – there’s been a few others over the weeks – so I don’t feel too guilty. I’m best off out of it, and with the state my head’s in at the moment, everyone who is going is better off without me there. Quite simply, I’d be no fun.
All of which means it’s a quiet weekend, and right now that’s just fine with me. I’ve still got bits to do, just to get them out of my head, but at least it’s going to be done on my terms.
Middle of the Road
Posted: Fri 7 December, 2012 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Charm School, Driving, Work-related | 5 Comments »Yesterday was another Devon run, 400 miles in a day, as well as a bundle of work meetings and so on.
Yes, I must be mad.
Anyway, the entire run is motorway miles, which I don’t mind, and which the car pretty much shrugs off.
It does mean, though, that I come across *way* too many shitbag arsewipe drives who just sit in the middle lane, nothing on the inside lane, and sit there for mile after mile after mile.
It’s another of those things I don’t understand at all, and that seems to be becoming more and more prevalent. I kind of get it if there’s sporadic traffic (and particularly slower trucks etc.) on the inside lane, and the driver is just too lazy to “keep on” moving in and out to overtake. I kind of understand that – I don’t like it, and I think it’s still shit driving – but I sort of understand the thoughts.
But when even that isn’t an excuse, when the road is clear for miles ahead (and has been for miles already) I think it’s just a sign that the driver is an unutterable fuck-knuckle, with no redeeming factors whatsoever.