Apart from the continuity issue (see below) the other thing that bugs me a bit about fantasy fiction is the passage of time. Vast amounts of time.
Take David Eddings' Belgariad/Mallorean saga for instance - we have a central character over 7,000 years old and others who have been around almost as long. In Terry Brook's Shanarra series we have over 500 years between events with, again, thousands of years of history going on in the background. And yet everyone is still living in "medieaval" times. This goes for most of the epic sagas out there on the shelves.
Does no-one in fantasy land ever watch their kettle boiling and have a James Watt moment (yes I know that's probably apocryphal, but you know what I mean)? Do the people who build the sophisticated locks for city gates, construct the siege engines, forge the weapons and armour never tinker with clockwork or wonder how the transport system could be improved?
When you look at how life on Earth has changed over just the last 1000 years, it seems odd to me that people we are supposed to believe to be as intelligent as ourselves would not have come up with a few of the innovations we've seen over that period. Sometimes you get pseudo-explanations such as magical accidents making events repeat themselves rather than progress, or evil wizards stamping out change, but still. It doesn't stop me devouring trilogies by the truckload but at the back of my mind I'm always wondering how life would be better if the hero had a jeep or even a bike at his disposal for those long quests in search of enlightenment or a magical wotsit.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Yawn...
Is there anything in this life more satisfying than a Saturday afternoon snooze on a sunlit sofa?
Or, where did the last two hours go?
Or, where did the last two hours go?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
In the way
I was going to write something deep and meaningful tonight, but I'm just getting too much "help" from tawny here.
Another time maybe.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Now wash your hands
Now that the media has found other things to talk about (hoorah for MP's expenses) it seems that we are now "officially" worried about Swine Flu. Not only has our governement issue leaflet plopped onto the doormat today, but notices have appeared in the toliets at work telling us how to wash our hands. While part of me is appalled that we need to have such basic information pointed out in a poster over the sink, I also have to admit how much we really need them.The number of times I wander into a cubicle to find it unflushed. I really don't want to see other people's bodily wastes thank you very much. So if they can't even be bothered to dispose of the evidence I doubt very much that they are washing their hands either. And I thought we only employed adults.
Still, I am sure they are all better than this guy!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
So, I like birds
Just been watching this Crow in our garden. We have two bird baths and it has been picking up bits of bread from the lawn, soaking them in one or the other while having a drink, then taking the bread off somewhere else. Whether to eat or feed to another bird (probably a bit early for babies I believe) is hard to tell. We seem to have two crows hanging around at the moment so quite likely we might get some babies on the lawn at some point in the year.
Never been a die-hard bird spotter, but do enjoy watching them flutter around the garden. We have a resident Robin as well as the regularly visiting sparrows, wrens, blackbirds, pigeons, collared doves, great/coal/blue tits, starlings and assorted gulls. I have also seen a heron, green woodpecker, jay and one or two others flash through on occasion.
Last Sunday we started the day with a visit to the Trimley Marshes nature reserve - just up the road but we'd never been before and I could defnitiely get more active in the bird watching field after that. Somehow the setting (and good weather) fitted perfectly with my mood to make a bunch of ducks, geese, gulls etc the best show on earth. Was particularly taken by the Avocets and Great Crested Grebes.
Of course now I want a better camera with lots of zoomability...
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Continuity and Conformity
Now just take a look at those books there. 8 volumes by David Wingrove making up his Chung Kuo series. All those paperbacks are UK first editions, so you'd think they might all look somewhat similar. But no, someone from the publisher's marketing department decided to change the design twice during the initial publication of the series so I get a mixed looking shelf.
While that is slightly annoying to the pedants out there I'm more concerned about what goes between the covers than what's on them. Not in the case of this series actually (it just made a nice picture to illustrate the point) but of fantasy and science fiction series in general.
When watching a tv series you kind of expect things to alter between episodes as there are generally a whole raft of writers each tackling their own episodes. They all get written in parallel without the benefit of seeing what has come before so mistakes slip in. What bugs me though is when things change between books in a series with only one author.
I'm not just talking minor changes either - the odd spelling change to a character name I can forgive - but wholescale re-writing of history. I'm currently listening to Terry Brooks' Shanarra series and there are numerous examples where he changed the history of the four lands in writing the prequel - which was the eighth book to come out. Fandom has the name Retroactive Continuity for this and I'm not keen on the concept. If you've established a coherent world I do think you should stick with it no matter where in that world's timeline you are working. OK, so it may mean having to reign in some of the wilder imaginings but at then the author also has the challenge of keeping the suspension of disbelief going.
The only example I approve of is RetCon - the memory loss drug in Torchwood which at least makes a joke of the whole thing.
I'll talk about another pet hate of mine in fantasy literature another time (not one that stops me readingit though!)...
Monday, May 04, 2009
Felixstowe Run 2009
Another good day at the seaside with old vehicles.
Pictures now going up on Flickr so click through to see more.
Pictures now going up on Flickr so click through to see more.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Steppin' Out (not with Joe Jackson)
Although it is generally recommended, there is some debate in medical circles about the benefits or not of walking 10,000 steps a day. Whatever the truth, it is at least a target to aim for. And we all like those, don't we?
I have only managed 10k a handful of times so far in 2009 but I hit my new high point for the year so far yesterday, with 14,644 clocked up on the pedometer built into my phone. And as that only records distances of 8 steps or more, and it was on charge during the evening, I'm guessing I actually beat the 15,000 mark. The 8 step thing is a problem when going for a big target as it means a lot of steps just don't get counted. Mooching slowly round shops or museums, only moving a few steps from shelf to shelf or between paintings doesn't add to the total even though the steps themselves are still taken. Still, they say you should only really count brisk walking when counting for health reasons.
We have been measuring our steps here for a good four or five years now, on and off. I have had free pedometers from Kellogs cereals and also a work and local paper-sponsored plan to collect enough steps to walk to the moon (which I don't think got more than halfway there before the colective will vanished). Neither of those lasted more than a few months of active use before being conveniently forgotten about. Plus the clicking used to drive me up the wall.
For the last year though, I have had this mobile phone with pedometer software that doesn't click for every step I take. It has certainly kept me motivated to try and aim for the 10k as being a proper mobile I do actually have it with me all the time. I confess I do get a bit fed-up sometimes when I can't get close to my target though. When the weather conspires agianst me, or meetings run into the lunchtime period I will be lucky to make 4,000 on a work day and most of those come from the walk to and from the bus stop. A wet weekend can be even worse at maybe only 2 or 3,000.
Since Christmas (when it went away for a replacement screen due to an unfortunate car park incident) the phone reckons my average daily wandering is 7131 but as it only retains the daily totals for four weeks I am not sure if that is an overall or rolling average. Mind you, the "advanced" results page gives me a total of 414,401 steps and a daily average of 6578 so I'm more than happy to stick with the higher figure to boost my ego! Hopefully I can get to the million step mark without breaking another handset.
And you never know, I might eveb manage to lose a few pounds into the bargain.
I have only managed 10k a handful of times so far in 2009 but I hit my new high point for the year so far yesterday, with 14,644 clocked up on the pedometer built into my phone. And as that only records distances of 8 steps or more, and it was on charge during the evening, I'm guessing I actually beat the 15,000 mark. The 8 step thing is a problem when going for a big target as it means a lot of steps just don't get counted. Mooching slowly round shops or museums, only moving a few steps from shelf to shelf or between paintings doesn't add to the total even though the steps themselves are still taken. Still, they say you should only really count brisk walking when counting for health reasons.
We have been measuring our steps here for a good four or five years now, on and off. I have had free pedometers from Kellogs cereals and also a work and local paper-sponsored plan to collect enough steps to walk to the moon (which I don't think got more than halfway there before the colective will vanished). Neither of those lasted more than a few months of active use before being conveniently forgotten about. Plus the clicking used to drive me up the wall.
For the last year though, I have had this mobile phone with pedometer software that doesn't click for every step I take. It has certainly kept me motivated to try and aim for the 10k as being a proper mobile I do actually have it with me all the time. I confess I do get a bit fed-up sometimes when I can't get close to my target though. When the weather conspires agianst me, or meetings run into the lunchtime period I will be lucky to make 4,000 on a work day and most of those come from the walk to and from the bus stop. A wet weekend can be even worse at maybe only 2 or 3,000.
Since Christmas (when it went away for a replacement screen due to an unfortunate car park incident) the phone reckons my average daily wandering is 7131 but as it only retains the daily totals for four weeks I am not sure if that is an overall or rolling average. Mind you, the "advanced" results page gives me a total of 414,401 steps and a daily average of 6578 so I'm more than happy to stick with the higher figure to boost my ego! Hopefully I can get to the million step mark without breaking another handset.
And you never know, I might eveb manage to lose a few pounds into the bargain.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Fangs a lot!
Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.
Anyway, what we have here is my first book blog since the resurrection, so it seems appropriate to delve into the world of the undead. Sundays With Vlad by Paul Bibeau is an entertaining look at how Dracula, his real life counterpart and vampire culture in general has entered into the world we inhabit.
To get the negative vibes out of the way first, I was disappointed that in a book marketed as Travel we don't get to visit either London or Whitby, where several of the major plot points of Stoker's novel take place. I can forgive Bibeau for not venturing to Exeter, home of the Harkers, but it would have been interesting to compare the church at Whitby with the castles of Transylvania. And there are still plenty of dark and forbidding alleys in London which evoke the feel of the period and can indeed have you imagining vampires lurking around the corner amongst men in stovepipe hats and ragamuffin urchins.
The places we do get to see, however are vividly described and Bibeau gives a very good sense of the history which pervades into modern attitudes, even given the inevitable changes wrought to the scene over the centuries. I was particularly taken with the section looking at carnival attractions, haunted houses and the like in a decaying American seaside resort. So much of that could equally apply to much of the British coast.
Delving into the sub-cultures who have adopted the traits of the vampire (from role playing games to political hopefuls to the inevitable goths) we see a bunch of people who fervently believe in the powers or attributes of the creature of the night and yet try to integrate with society at large rather than just walling themselves off in a crypt or hiding in the darkness. We also get lots of small asides and vignettes such as the fancy dress store trying to keep up with demand for vampire costumes in the run-up to Halloween and the reactions of "normal" guests sharing a hotel with a vampire convention.
I came away thoroughly entranced by the subject, and with knowledge on facets of Vampire lore I'f never considered before. Recommended.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Not a diary
Just thought I'd mention, should anyone wonder, that I've not brought this back in order to keep it up as a diary as happened in the past. That was never my intention last time and somehow it slipped into a list of things I'd been up to rather than a place to get my thoughts down in words.
So don't expect daily posts and details of what we had for tea - unless it was something worth writing about of course! I do intend to go back to talking about the books I read, music I listen to and so forth though in amongst more discursive posts.
To that end, right now I have stuck Media Player on a random trawl through the music on the hard drive and so far have experienced:
808 State - Timebomb (Fon Mix)
Interference - Overload (Live)
Back To The Planet - Teenage Turtles (Extended Version)
A snippet of an interview between Jeremy from the Levellers and Simon Munnery, and
Hot Chocolate - Are You Getting Enough Happiness.
Which goes to prove something about which CDs I've ripped but quite what I'm not sure!
Tonight I have also listened to the latest Collings and Herrin Podcast (I get them here, but you can also find them on iTunes) as created by Andrew Collins and Richard Herring. For now suffice it to say that I enjoy them terribly and that Mr C's three volumes of memoirs are some of my favourite books and will probably get their own post at some point. Give the podcast a go if you can spare one hour, six minutes and thirty six second smetime.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Things to read
So, why have I decided to come back into the blogsphere just now?
Well, I've spent the last five years reading other people's words after getting fed up with trying to think of my own. Gradually the need to waffle on again has overtaken me and adding the occasional comment to the other blogs I read hasn't fulfilled that need, so here I am having a go a the real thing for myself once more. Hopefully someone, somewhere will get some enjoyment out of reading this along the line.
Some of those other blogs have been talking about magazines recently (see for example David Hepworth and five-centres) and that got me thinking about the ones I have pored my way through over the years.
There were always magazines in the house when I was growing up. Mum favoured My Weekly and Family Circle while Dad was a subscriber to National Geographic and also had some relating to his job as an Electrical Engineer. There were also two others we had all the time, but I'll come back to those later.
When we first got our ZX81 (and probably beforehand during the decision making) the Computer Magazine made it into our lives. Sinclair User was the first, to be followed in time and as the computer changed by Your Spectrum/Your Sinclair, Crash, Computer & Video Games, ST Format, Edge, Mean Machines, Mega, Games TM and Retro Gamer. I have subscribed to some of these over the years, and bought others off the shelf religiously every month but now find I read no computer or gaming magazines at all.
Music mags had a stronger hold on me, with Q, Kerrang, Raw Power, Sounds, NME, Mojo, Vox, Classic Rock, Rock & Reel and even Lime Lizard holding my weekly or monthly affections from time to time. But, as with the computer ones, I have stopped buying music magazines at present. I will still dip in when there is something particularly tasty on the cover or something I want to hear on a covermount CD but there is just too much out there and not enough time to consume it for me to be a regular reader right now.
So what do I still get month in, month out? Well, just SFX and Death Ray (and that one is a bi-monthly publication anyway). I've been buying SFX since the first issue and just can't seem to stop. Same with Death Ray. Even if I do only read half of most issues these days. Too many articles on films and tv shows I'm just not interested in, but enough wheat within the chaff to keep me going.
And then there's the Radio Times. This, along with the TV Times up until the listings market got de-regulated and we onlyhad to get one, has been the staple magazine of my entire life. I cannot remember a time when Tuesday evening wasn't spent ploughing through the listings to see what we might want to watch next week. The arrival of the Christmas double-issue, presaaged by a couple of weeks of early publications, is still one of the highlights of the year. Even if the amount I actually choose to sit down and watch shrinks on an almost daily basis, knowing what I have to choose from (or choose to avoid) is one of those things I just have to work out. Every Tuesday.
Well, I've spent the last five years reading other people's words after getting fed up with trying to think of my own. Gradually the need to waffle on again has overtaken me and adding the occasional comment to the other blogs I read hasn't fulfilled that need, so here I am having a go a the real thing for myself once more. Hopefully someone, somewhere will get some enjoyment out of reading this along the line.
Some of those other blogs have been talking about magazines recently (see for example David Hepworth and five-centres) and that got me thinking about the ones I have pored my way through over the years.
There were always magazines in the house when I was growing up. Mum favoured My Weekly and Family Circle while Dad was a subscriber to National Geographic and also had some relating to his job as an Electrical Engineer. There were also two others we had all the time, but I'll come back to those later.
When we first got our ZX81 (and probably beforehand during the decision making) the Computer Magazine made it into our lives. Sinclair User was the first, to be followed in time and as the computer changed by Your Spectrum/Your Sinclair, Crash, Computer & Video Games, ST Format, Edge, Mean Machines, Mega, Games TM and Retro Gamer. I have subscribed to some of these over the years, and bought others off the shelf religiously every month but now find I read no computer or gaming magazines at all.
Music mags had a stronger hold on me, with Q, Kerrang, Raw Power, Sounds, NME, Mojo, Vox, Classic Rock, Rock & Reel and even Lime Lizard holding my weekly or monthly affections from time to time. But, as with the computer ones, I have stopped buying music magazines at present. I will still dip in when there is something particularly tasty on the cover or something I want to hear on a covermount CD but there is just too much out there and not enough time to consume it for me to be a regular reader right now.
So what do I still get month in, month out? Well, just SFX and Death Ray (and that one is a bi-monthly publication anyway). I've been buying SFX since the first issue and just can't seem to stop. Same with Death Ray. Even if I do only read half of most issues these days. Too many articles on films and tv shows I'm just not interested in, but enough wheat within the chaff to keep me going.
And then there's the Radio Times. This, along with the TV Times up until the listings market got de-regulated and we onlyhad to get one, has been the staple magazine of my entire life. I cannot remember a time when Tuesday evening wasn't spent ploughing through the listings to see what we might want to watch next week. The arrival of the Christmas double-issue, presaaged by a couple of weeks of early publications, is still one of the highlights of the year. Even if the amount I actually choose to sit down and watch shrinks on an almost daily basis, knowing what I have to choose from (or choose to avoid) is one of those things I just have to work out. Every Tuesday.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Back at the keys again. Friday's visits went pretty well and while we haven't had any feedback from the operators yet the impression on the day was good so we are hopeful. Then Friday night was the wedding...
First time either of us had been to the football club here in Felixstowe. Quite a nice little clubhouse with a splendidly cheap bar (not that I over indulged on one pint, but I did buy some for other people...). Bride and Groom were great, the company was pretty good (even if I still couldn't bring myself to do too much conversationing - I will get the confidence one day), the music was good (first time I've seen a DJ at a function playing music from a PC) and overall it was quite fun. Joan danced her feet off and I stood by and did my best to mingle.
Most of the weekend was spent blitzing the house and garden but we also had Alexander to stop over on Saturday night, which was a laugh.
And not much more to add really. Joan is over the road at a Body Shop party and I'm debating whether to do any ironing or just go wandering around the web for an hour or so...
First time either of us had been to the football club here in Felixstowe. Quite a nice little clubhouse with a splendidly cheap bar (not that I over indulged on one pint, but I did buy some for other people...). Bride and Groom were great, the company was pretty good (even if I still couldn't bring myself to do too much conversationing - I will get the confidence one day), the music was good (first time I've seen a DJ at a function playing music from a PC) and overall it was quite fun. Joan danced her feet off and I stood by and did my best to mingle.
Most of the weekend was spent blitzing the house and garden but we also had Alexander to stop over on Saturday night, which was a laugh.
And not much more to add really. Joan is over the road at a Body Shop party and I'm debating whether to do any ironing or just go wandering around the web for an hour or so...
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Much as I enjoy the chance to get away from the office with all the interruptions, phones ringing and so forth and much as i enjoy learning new stuff I can categorically state that today was a pain in the backside and an almost total waste of time. We were out (at the Novotel again! Slightly better lunch than last week but still nothing startling) for the second phase of training on the mPLAN software that is supposed to revolutionise our lives if we ever get a working version. But of course the data still isn't ready to go in to it (and won't be until September or Christmas depending upon who's estimate you believe) and even the chap from the firm who wrote it didn't seem to know what parts he was trying to demonstrate were intended to do. Really fills you with confidence that does. Plus with the first session a couple of months ago now the morning was further wasted in going back over what we covered then, with the afternoon deviating from plan when we started picking holes in things and wanting more detailled explanations than were probably expected. I think we were all pretty fed up by the end of the day (especially when the expected 1615 finish turned in to a 1730 one).
Must think positively about what it will do if we ever get to use it.
Add to that the late finish meaning I wasn't able to get back to Felixstowe in time to pick Joan up from work (and the message I left her got garbled so she stood around for 20 minutes waiting for me in vain) and I was not a happy bunny. Especially as she is now out at a hen party for someone who works with Helen (the wedding is on Friday and we should be at the reception later in the evening - depending upon what time they get finished at Argos as it is Catalogue launch time again). Would have been nice to unwind with her company tonight but I shall just have to do the best I can alone.
So, what else has been going on? Well, as mentioned Joan was working all weekend so I didn't really stray very far from the ironing and shopping and stuff. And then more sorting of timetables and so forth at work. Chris and I had our first operator negotiations meeting for all the new timetables on Monday, but I'm not sure if we have any feedback from it yet. I think they were pretty receptive but we shall have to wait and see. Of course there could be stuff in the in-box that arrived while we were out getting frustrated today... We are out again on Friday so hopefully some good results from those. Thrills galore with the ususal mix of emails and stuff otherwise.
Saturday also saw the last page being turned on Harry Potter 5. I definitely enjoyed it, and less of a cliff-hanger than the end of the last one, but I still want JK to get the rest of the series written please. Wasn't all that impressed with the much vaunted tragic death either - both in the way it was engineered and how the aftermath was handled. Or indeed the actual event. OK, I know the series is intended for children but I think a bit more drama could have been put into that scene. Last night saw the close of another book read since Saturday - a collection of questions and answers from the Last Word column in New Scientist magazine. Things like Why is the sky blue? (Because of the way light is scattered by the atmosphere) and Why doesn't superglue stick to the inside of the tube? (It needs damp to set). Interesting stuff in the main and looking forward to the second volume I also got at the same time.
Have now started on Sprout Mask Replica by highly recomended teller of tall tales Robert Rankin. It has been a good few years since I last read any of his stuff and I've kind of missed him. Very strange stories mixing the mundane with the ridiculous - every day meeting elements of the fantastic and science fiction but not really categorisable with anything else I've ever read. Good stuff though and I really must get round to picking up all the books he's written since I last bought one...
Must think positively about what it will do if we ever get to use it.
Add to that the late finish meaning I wasn't able to get back to Felixstowe in time to pick Joan up from work (and the message I left her got garbled so she stood around for 20 minutes waiting for me in vain) and I was not a happy bunny. Especially as she is now out at a hen party for someone who works with Helen (the wedding is on Friday and we should be at the reception later in the evening - depending upon what time they get finished at Argos as it is Catalogue launch time again). Would have been nice to unwind with her company tonight but I shall just have to do the best I can alone.
So, what else has been going on? Well, as mentioned Joan was working all weekend so I didn't really stray very far from the ironing and shopping and stuff. And then more sorting of timetables and so forth at work. Chris and I had our first operator negotiations meeting for all the new timetables on Monday, but I'm not sure if we have any feedback from it yet. I think they were pretty receptive but we shall have to wait and see. Of course there could be stuff in the in-box that arrived while we were out getting frustrated today... We are out again on Friday so hopefully some good results from those. Thrills galore with the ususal mix of emails and stuff otherwise.
Saturday also saw the last page being turned on Harry Potter 5. I definitely enjoyed it, and less of a cliff-hanger than the end of the last one, but I still want JK to get the rest of the series written please. Wasn't all that impressed with the much vaunted tragic death either - both in the way it was engineered and how the aftermath was handled. Or indeed the actual event. OK, I know the series is intended for children but I think a bit more drama could have been put into that scene. Last night saw the close of another book read since Saturday - a collection of questions and answers from the Last Word column in New Scientist magazine. Things like Why is the sky blue? (Because of the way light is scattered by the atmosphere) and Why doesn't superglue stick to the inside of the tube? (It needs damp to set). Interesting stuff in the main and looking forward to the second volume I also got at the same time.
Have now started on Sprout Mask Replica by highly recomended teller of tall tales Robert Rankin. It has been a good few years since I last read any of his stuff and I've kind of missed him. Very strange stories mixing the mundane with the ridiculous - every day meeting elements of the fantastic and science fiction but not really categorisable with anything else I've ever read. Good stuff though and I really must get round to picking up all the books he's written since I last bought one...
Friday, July 16, 2004
Been a busy week these last few days (does that make sense?). Tuesday afternoon I was back across town to the old dingy St Edmund House for a briefing from our graduate trainee Mark on how his review of what we do is going. In the presence of our Assistant Director, Director and Portfolio Holding Councillor (as well as Ian and Mitchell with Charles and Derek and Julian to back us up). I actually found it quite useful - and not just in terms of finding out what he is up to - lots of stuff I've never really thought about before taking this new job. (I wonder how long I can continue to think of this as the new job...). We also gave an update on what we are doing
with the PSA area routes which seemed to go down well.
After that we all (well, us from the group, not the bigwigs) went over to the bar for a swift half. So that was the first time I'd been over there since the move as well. Also called in to say hello to Richard and was reminded again how pleased I am with Endeavour House despite the minor niggles. However, all was not joy and happiness. While I was over there Mum & Dad's cat got hit by a car and there was nothing the vet could do. Really sad as he was great fun.
Wednesday was a presentation skills course which was held at the Novotel in town. It was pretty good as courses go, but where we should have got:
What we actually had was a load of stuff about using Power Point. Not exactly what it said on the tin. And standards of lunch have also gone downhill since I was last at the Novotel (only one vegetable on offer - and that Broccoli!) although the mid-morning bacon rolls were up to scratch.
There was also a pretty good mix of people on the course from across the council (although biased towards Education) so we got a variety of topics covered and things talked about. Although they all managed to find a word or two of praise for Park & Ride.
Yesterday I was again out of the office - in a minibus with Charles doing route timing runs. One of mine/Chris's for the PSA area and one of his for his Lowestoft changes. Not a bad little run out in the ocuntry really. Most of our guessed times proved to be spot on the mark so just some minor tinkering to do. If only the weather had been a bit better and lunch in Yarmouth hadn't been so grotty (I should have suggested we find somewhere other than ASDA to go but you can't win them all - especially when Charles is involved).
Today back to a zillion emails and phone calls so will be glad to leave here soon for a night of relaxation and watching someone else get kicked out of the Big Brother house.
with the PSA area routes which seemed to go down well.
After that we all (well, us from the group, not the bigwigs) went over to the bar for a swift half. So that was the first time I'd been over there since the move as well. Also called in to say hello to Richard and was reminded again how pleased I am with Endeavour House despite the minor niggles. However, all was not joy and happiness. While I was over there Mum & Dad's cat got hit by a car and there was nothing the vet could do. Really sad as he was great fun.
Wednesday was a presentation skills course which was held at the Novotel in town. It was pretty good as courses go, but where we should have got:
- Strategies for designing effective presentations
- Defining clear objectives
- Gauging different audiences
- Proper preparation
- What technology to use and back up equipment
- Clarity of information
- Hints & tips for presentations (body language, appropriate eye contact)
What we actually had was a load of stuff about using Power Point. Not exactly what it said on the tin. And standards of lunch have also gone downhill since I was last at the Novotel (only one vegetable on offer - and that Broccoli!) although the mid-morning bacon rolls were up to scratch.
There was also a pretty good mix of people on the course from across the council (although biased towards Education) so we got a variety of topics covered and things talked about. Although they all managed to find a word or two of praise for Park & Ride.
Yesterday I was again out of the office - in a minibus with Charles doing route timing runs. One of mine/Chris's for the PSA area and one of his for his Lowestoft changes. Not a bad little run out in the ocuntry really. Most of our guessed times proved to be spot on the mark so just some minor tinkering to do. If only the weather had been a bit better and lunch in Yarmouth hadn't been so grotty (I should have suggested we find somewhere other than ASDA to go but you can't win them all - especially when Charles is involved).
Today back to a zillion emails and phone calls so will be glad to leave here soon for a night of relaxation and watching someone else get kicked out of the Big Brother house.
Monday, July 12, 2004
So here I am sat at my new desk. I wonder if I can get round the whole allocation of the group before we move to another building. Can't say I have noticed any improved group dynamics resulting from this revised seating today, but we will all be keeping a weather eye on things.
Good weekend, which was nice. Worked away at home on Saturday - and also finished the Dam Busters. Comments from previous days still apply! Then as it was released to the paperback preferring hordes I popped in to Smiths on my way to collect Joan and obtained the 5th in the series Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Enjoying it just as much as the first four thus far.
Sunday we went to the market and for the first time in ages I actually got something other than fruit, veg and bird food. OK, so only a book but one I've been considering anyway for £5 less than the price on the back. More details when I come to read it. Then a bit of shopping and a lazy afternoon followed by relaxed evening. Waking The Dead has returned for a new series and we are pleased.
Today has been fine for me, but frustrating for Joan as there seem to be loads of internal squabbles going on in the shop right now. Feel very sorry for her but not sure what I can do to help. Oh well, four weeks from now we will be in the mountains so hopefully able to forget things for a bit.
Good weekend, which was nice. Worked away at home on Saturday - and also finished the Dam Busters. Comments from previous days still apply! Then as it was released to the paperback preferring hordes I popped in to Smiths on my way to collect Joan and obtained the 5th in the series Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Enjoying it just as much as the first four thus far.
Sunday we went to the market and for the first time in ages I actually got something other than fruit, veg and bird food. OK, so only a book but one I've been considering anyway for £5 less than the price on the back. More details when I come to read it. Then a bit of shopping and a lazy afternoon followed by relaxed evening. Waking The Dead has returned for a new series and we are pleased.
Today has been fine for me, but frustrating for Joan as there seem to be loads of internal squabbles going on in the shop right now. Feel very sorry for her but not sure what I can do to help. Oh well, four weeks from now we will be in the mountains so hopefully able to forget things for a bit.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Looks like I will be moving desks again on Monday (well, I might start now actually). Seems that the arrangement of Community Transport and Network teams on our block of desks isn't to everyone's liking so it's musical chairs again to try and appease some of the moaners. So just when I had got used to a right hand desk I get to go back to a left hooker. Not 100% pleased as it means giving up being able to hide behind a cupboard (which has also proved useful for sticking information on out of the way) but I will just have to cope with that. Also a bit dubious about my new desk neighbour but that's life. Will just have to arrange things so I work at home more if required.
Not much else to record today. Still reading the Dam Busters and appreciative even more of what they went through in the cause of defending the country and so forth. Really don't know if I could have met the challenges the same way. No plans for the weekend so will just see what occurs.
Not much else to record today. Still reading the Dam Busters and appreciative even more of what they went through in the cause of defending the country and so forth. Really don't know if I could have met the challenges the same way. No plans for the weekend so will just see what occurs.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Well, we are now on our third new Dyson in as many weeks. Having phoned the firm up and played it down the line to them they agreed it was something that was in need of an engineer visit or replacement so after booking the former Joan obtained the latter from Marion (well, it does still come in the old 30 day replacement window with Argos anyway despite being a replacement already) so I then had to cancel the visit. Hopefully nothing else will go wrong or we will just get a refund and be done with it. Mind you, I'm not sure what we would get in exchange as I have no desire to return to the days of emptying bags after cleaning a carpet or two, and when the thing works it does a great job.
But I was kind of right about Sunday - all we really did was go to Sainsburys and Makro to pick up a few odds and ends and didn't get a lot more than that acheived. We did have lunch at (no longer "Fatty") Arbuckles as it was conveniently located on our route. Quite tasty and they have had a repaint since we last went, but they have also changed menus and so forth and not the same as it used to be. I guess we will still go there occasionally (it must be about once a year or so) but won't be rushing back in a hurry. Mind you, we could have been put off slightly by the incredible number of screaming kids dotted around the dining area. Another reason I am so glad we have no offspring - I couldn't be doing with all the hassle frankly! Still, they do at least have variable portion sizes on the menu so we were able to go with small meals and actually finish them for a change. So many places these days seem to serve vast amounts that the wastage factors are ridiculous. I don't mind paying for what I eat, but object to a huge portion costing more then being wasted.
Yesterday and today spent getting to grips with my target of writing a procedures manual for the team. I should probably be doing things with the PSA area timetables but as Chris is off and has left no instructions I don't know where he is at with them. OK, so I could phone him at home, but I prefer not to. If nothing else it might encourage him to phone me at home on my days off, which I'm not at all in favour of.
New detective series starting tonight (55 Degrees North) set in Newcastle so I expect we will give that a try and hope it doesn't get Joan too homesick. And best of the current crime bunch Waking The Dead returns next week for a new series. Looking forward to that a lot.
And finally, finished The Gun Seller yesterday. Not much to say really, the plot all came to a nice end that was reasonably well paced but it hasn't left me wanting to know what happened next to the protagonists. Have now returned to the truth with the second Paul Brickhill world war two book in my collection - The Dam Busters. Again, one I've read before (and also seen the film a few times) so familiar ground but good stuff anyway. Am now in slight shock at realising it must be a year since I read the Great Escape but never mind, time flies and there's nothing we can do to stop it. This one is just as meticulous in searching out the facts and just as enjoyable to re-read.
But I was kind of right about Sunday - all we really did was go to Sainsburys and Makro to pick up a few odds and ends and didn't get a lot more than that acheived. We did have lunch at (no longer "Fatty") Arbuckles as it was conveniently located on our route. Quite tasty and they have had a repaint since we last went, but they have also changed menus and so forth and not the same as it used to be. I guess we will still go there occasionally (it must be about once a year or so) but won't be rushing back in a hurry. Mind you, we could have been put off slightly by the incredible number of screaming kids dotted around the dining area. Another reason I am so glad we have no offspring - I couldn't be doing with all the hassle frankly! Still, they do at least have variable portion sizes on the menu so we were able to go with small meals and actually finish them for a change. So many places these days seem to serve vast amounts that the wastage factors are ridiculous. I don't mind paying for what I eat, but object to a huge portion costing more then being wasted.
Yesterday and today spent getting to grips with my target of writing a procedures manual for the team. I should probably be doing things with the PSA area timetables but as Chris is off and has left no instructions I don't know where he is at with them. OK, so I could phone him at home, but I prefer not to. If nothing else it might encourage him to phone me at home on my days off, which I'm not at all in favour of.
New detective series starting tonight (55 Degrees North) set in Newcastle so I expect we will give that a try and hope it doesn't get Joan too homesick. And best of the current crime bunch Waking The Dead returns next week for a new series. Looking forward to that a lot.
And finally, finished The Gun Seller yesterday. Not much to say really, the plot all came to a nice end that was reasonably well paced but it hasn't left me wanting to know what happened next to the protagonists. Have now returned to the truth with the second Paul Brickhill world war two book in my collection - The Dam Busters. Again, one I've read before (and also seen the film a few times) so familiar ground but good stuff anyway. Am now in slight shock at realising it must be a year since I read the Great Escape but never mind, time flies and there's nothing we can do to stop it. This one is just as meticulous in searching out the facts and just as enjoyable to re-read.
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