It Fat lady sings time at work for the project
The whole redesign project, all our business channels, about 20 developers and 10 odd tester have been madly busy to get to this point. They where in at the weekend (I decided to take it easy and not come in mainly cos I got a bad cold and had big nights out on Friday and Saturday, rather than an attempt at rebelling) and until late the last couple of evenings (pizza on Monday and Nandos on Tuesday from the bosses).
The last two days went amazingly quick with lots of different issues and people wanting information. We were aiming to get all the functional bug sorted for today and then concentrate on the content and styling issues while the testers start regression testing.
So we are in the eye of the storm, so to speak.
Just tidying up
The guys have been working really hard and Gordon (the PM) says he will be organising a wrap party. hopefully I will be able to surprise everyone with the gifts I got for them (may have to get a few more as I only got 25)
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Center Parcs
It was a lovely weekend
As I mention before I was my Mum's 60Th Birthday and to celebrate we had a family weekend away to Center Parc at Elvendon Forest near Norwich.We stayed from Friday to Monday, we had a great time, the apartment was away from the main complex and nice and quiet. Well that is apart from the odd bits of noise generated by Ivy and Freddie. This is the most time that I've spent with them and I felt that I got to know them a bit more. Certainly some of their sleeping habit like waking up at 6 am! Freddie has just managed to hold largish plastic balls (a little larger than his hand) and its very funny because he hasn't learned to let go and as he waves hand around he looks someone has super glued the ball to his hand! Ivy is a real dynamo and I don't know how her mum, Emma has the energy to keep up with her.
We hired bikes to get us around and a buggy bike thing for the kids to sit in. Having bike was Ideal as the place is a bit large to walk to every thing but not big enough that you can't easily reach stuff by bike.
The down side to the bikes was that they aren't the best in the world as I found out on Sunday morning. I had gone out to pick up the morning copy of the Telegraph, using a free voucher we got and I decided to have a bit of a tour around the side and some of the back lanes. I had covered most of the park and was doing the loop closest to the flat when the chain popped right off. Bang!
I went straight over the handle bars and landing part on the concrete road and part in the bushes by the side. first to hit was my right elbow and it was this arm that took all the damage. It felt for a minute or so like I'd dislocated it as it hurt and didn't respond to my trying to move it. fortunately I had only badly bruised it and apart from it being sore, the main injury was to take the skin off the elbow. Its amazing how much blood comes from such a little wound, only about the size of a 50p. It bled for hours.
So I gathered myself up and wheeled my bike back along the path. Almost straight away Ed, my brother in law cycled up and was able to guide me straight back to the flat via a short cut. Everyone help me get tidied up and clean the wound.
The paper was fine.
Apart from that, the weekend was great just being together as a family. We didn't manage to do too many things while we where there, partly because everything cost and we didn't fancy anything enough to pay for it, but mainly because it was a holiday for relaxing. Not that we didn't make good use of the pool with its different types of slides and rides. We (well I did) went each evening after most of the kid had gone home for there tea, so we got on all the rides when it wasn't too crowded. Also the salt water pool was good for my elbow!
I hope we do a holiday like this again sometime soon.
My mum loved her present we had all clubbed together to buy her a stained glass round window to go in her hallway. Emma designed it based a bit on art deco and Charles Rennie Macintosh and Sunrises, and Claire organised it from a place near where she lives in Horsham. The window when it's in place will look amazing with the sun pouring through the different colours, gold, red, blue, green and purple.
As I mention before I was my Mum's 60Th Birthday and to celebrate we had a family weekend away to Center Parc at Elvendon Forest near Norwich.We stayed from Friday to Monday, we had a great time, the apartment was away from the main complex and nice and quiet. Well that is apart from the odd bits of noise generated by Ivy and Freddie. This is the most time that I've spent with them and I felt that I got to know them a bit more. Certainly some of their sleeping habit like waking up at 6 am! Freddie has just managed to hold largish plastic balls (a little larger than his hand) and its very funny because he hasn't learned to let go and as he waves hand around he looks someone has super glued the ball to his hand! Ivy is a real dynamo and I don't know how her mum, Emma has the energy to keep up with her.
We hired bikes to get us around and a buggy bike thing for the kids to sit in. Having bike was Ideal as the place is a bit large to walk to every thing but not big enough that you can't easily reach stuff by bike.
The down side to the bikes was that they aren't the best in the world as I found out on Sunday morning. I had gone out to pick up the morning copy of the Telegraph, using a free voucher we got and I decided to have a bit of a tour around the side and some of the back lanes. I had covered most of the park and was doing the loop closest to the flat when the chain popped right off. Bang!
I went straight over the handle bars and landing part on the concrete road and part in the bushes by the side. first to hit was my right elbow and it was this arm that took all the damage. It felt for a minute or so like I'd dislocated it as it hurt and didn't respond to my trying to move it. fortunately I had only badly bruised it and apart from it being sore, the main injury was to take the skin off the elbow. Its amazing how much blood comes from such a little wound, only about the size of a 50p. It bled for hours.
So I gathered myself up and wheeled my bike back along the path. Almost straight away Ed, my brother in law cycled up and was able to guide me straight back to the flat via a short cut. Everyone help me get tidied up and clean the wound.
The paper was fine.
Apart from that, the weekend was great just being together as a family. We didn't manage to do too many things while we where there, partly because everything cost and we didn't fancy anything enough to pay for it, but mainly because it was a holiday for relaxing. Not that we didn't make good use of the pool with its different types of slides and rides. We (well I did) went each evening after most of the kid had gone home for there tea, so we got on all the rides when it wasn't too crowded. Also the salt water pool was good for my elbow!
I hope we do a holiday like this again sometime soon.
My mum loved her present we had all clubbed together to buy her a stained glass round window to go in her hallway. Emma designed it based a bit on art deco and Charles Rennie Macintosh and Sunrises, and Claire organised it from a place near where she lives in Horsham. The window when it's in place will look amazing with the sun pouring through the different colours, gold, red, blue, green and purple.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
A little time off
For the first time since Feb I going to be away for the next few days. Work and all it's crazy deadlines and missing bits of development can wait until next Tuesday when I come back. I can decide whether it would be better if people find they need me and want answers to things while I'm away or that I'm not needed because I've done a good job in educating people about my Customisation system and left it running in a very stable state.
Customisation hasn't had an real bug raised against it during the whole of the testing process so far. A couple of issues raise for bits of extra functionality but a 'clean sheet' for the stuff we created before testing started.
Anyway I digress, I'm off to Centre Parks on holiday with the whole family. Mum and Dad, Emma, Olly and Ivy, Claire, Ed and Freddy. That's Seven Adults and Two kids so I hope its a big chalet. We sorted out a great gift for my mum and should have a top celebration. I'm planning on mostly running, swimming and sitting around.
Should be great!
Customisation hasn't had an real bug raised against it during the whole of the testing process so far. A couple of issues raise for bits of extra functionality but a 'clean sheet' for the stuff we created before testing started.
Anyway I digress, I'm off to Centre Parks on holiday with the whole family. Mum and Dad, Emma, Olly and Ivy, Claire, Ed and Freddy. That's Seven Adults and Two kids so I hope its a big chalet. We sorted out a great gift for my mum and should have a top celebration. I'm planning on mostly running, swimming and sitting around.
Should be great!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
It's all gone to seed
Had a bit of a weird day yesterday
1) Last night in the supermarket I decided to get some more seeds and dried fruit. I take them to work as a healthy snack. So I selected a couple of different things including sour cherries, lovely, and then carried on shopping. A couple of minutes later down the other end of the shop I spotted a bag of mixed seeds which looked quite tasty but when I picked them up it was a bag of bird seed. D'oh! as the saying goes all this healthy food stuff is just a load of bird seed.
2) A cool tag line for an advert I saw in tube this morning. It was for Burger King and it said
'Eat like a King and not like a Clown'. Whether or not you like Murder King you have to agree they definitely scored one against Maccy Ds with this one.
1) Last night in the supermarket I decided to get some more seeds and dried fruit. I take them to work as a healthy snack. So I selected a couple of different things including sour cherries, lovely, and then carried on shopping. A couple of minutes later down the other end of the shop I spotted a bag of mixed seeds which looked quite tasty but when I picked them up it was a bag of bird seed. D'oh! as the saying goes all this healthy food stuff is just a load of bird seed.
2) A cool tag line for an advert I saw in tube this morning. It was for Burger King and it said
'Eat like a King and not like a Clown'. Whether or not you like Murder King you have to agree they definitely scored one against Maccy Ds with this one.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Al Bean
Last night after going into work (Sunday) because our project deadline is today, I got the opportunity to hear speak, Al Bean, one of the Moon Walkers.
He was the fourth person to walk on the Moon as pilot of Apollo 12 and since leaving NASA he has devoted his time to being a painter. So I had two reasons why I wanted to hear him speak my interest in all things Space, since a little boy and including getting a degree in Physics, and my hobbies in Art, including evening classes for the last couple of years.
It was a really uplifting experience as he is a delightful speaker with warmth and a great sense of humour and he gave some insight to how human, and down to Earth (sorry!) the other Moon walkers are. Like talking to Neil Armstrong about which hand he used to steady himself before the first big step (micro gravity is very difficult to stand in until your body learns not to overreact when you start to lose balance) and Harrison Schmitt wishing he had drawn his daughter's name on the side of a boulder while he was up there.
He spoke about the feeling of travelling with out moving in space where as there are no mile markers the journey is very still and feels motionless with just the Earth moving away quickly at the start and the Moon rushing to meet you at the end. And he spoke of the desire to try and look over the top of the Moon to see if he could see the far side.
The talk gave some insight into the fear and excitement he felt through the experience and brought the whole subject down to a very human level, where you could image yourself trying to balance in the Lunar gravity or being in awe at the size and beauty of the Earth.
He describes the Earth as paradise and is very thankful to have made it back and at the sheer wonder of the everyday things, like simple ordinary people, that he sees around him.
The main message he had to give was make the best of your opportunities as your won't believe what you can do if you try and everyone has a 'song' or a story to tell and if you don't try and make it happen then it will never be heard in all eternity.
Very positive and I for one am very glad I had this once in a lifetime change to hear him.
He was the fourth person to walk on the Moon as pilot of Apollo 12 and since leaving NASA he has devoted his time to being a painter. So I had two reasons why I wanted to hear him speak my interest in all things Space, since a little boy and including getting a degree in Physics, and my hobbies in Art, including evening classes for the last couple of years.
It was a really uplifting experience as he is a delightful speaker with warmth and a great sense of humour and he gave some insight to how human, and down to Earth (sorry!) the other Moon walkers are. Like talking to Neil Armstrong about which hand he used to steady himself before the first big step (micro gravity is very difficult to stand in until your body learns not to overreact when you start to lose balance) and Harrison Schmitt wishing he had drawn his daughter's name on the side of a boulder while he was up there.
He spoke about the feeling of travelling with out moving in space where as there are no mile markers the journey is very still and feels motionless with just the Earth moving away quickly at the start and the Moon rushing to meet you at the end. And he spoke of the desire to try and look over the top of the Moon to see if he could see the far side.
The talk gave some insight into the fear and excitement he felt through the experience and brought the whole subject down to a very human level, where you could image yourself trying to balance in the Lunar gravity or being in awe at the size and beauty of the Earth.
He describes the Earth as paradise and is very thankful to have made it back and at the sheer wonder of the everyday things, like simple ordinary people, that he sees around him.
The main message he had to give was make the best of your opportunities as your won't believe what you can do if you try and everyone has a 'song' or a story to tell and if you don't try and make it happen then it will never be heard in all eternity.
Very positive and I for one am very glad I had this once in a lifetime change to hear him.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Deadlines and Spacemen
It the Friday before the Monday project deadline and it's all getting fraught around here. Most people will be in at the weekend. I'm doing Sunday cos you get 1.5 Holiday rather than Sat where you only get 1 day and is no reward at all.
Still Sunday should be a brilliant day because in the evening I'm going to a talk by Al Bean the fourth person to walk on the Moon. I saw one by Buzz Aldrin a couple of years ago and it was very interesting. A once in a lifetime experience and no mistake. Also full marks for my Mum for telling me about it otherwise I would have missed it.
Right its Friday and time for the Pub. Bizarrely there's a big carnival music event happening in the shops by the office right now so I'm going to look at that too. Free finger food! and it makes a change to be typing away with a musical (sort of) accompaniment.
D
Still Sunday should be a brilliant day because in the evening I'm going to a talk by Al Bean the fourth person to walk on the Moon. I saw one by Buzz Aldrin a couple of years ago and it was very interesting. A once in a lifetime experience and no mistake. Also full marks for my Mum for telling me about it otherwise I would have missed it.
Right its Friday and time for the Pub. Bizarrely there's a big carnival music event happening in the shops by the office right now so I'm going to look at that too. Free finger food! and it makes a change to be typing away with a musical (sort of) accompaniment.
D
Friday, September 01, 2006
Messages thru the mists of time
so I managed to mail my friend jis back and some up my life at the minute ...
I suppose the first thing to say is sorry! As you know part of the human male condition is our tardiness when it comes to replying to letters, etc. but half a year is pretty bad.
As to why I haven't replied I guess it was mainly because I wanted the email to be interesting and was waiting until something interesting to happened so I could mention it. Pretty silly really as that's a recipe for never getting around to it.
So although nothing Earth shattering to report, Hello!
(...ooh I've just noticed how simular to the start of your email that was freaky)
So what's been happening to me the last few years. Well I'm still living in London, I've now been in my flat and owner since 1999. It's located in the Docklands part of the city and I now own it up to about shoulder height of it. It's a good area with lots of stuff that has opened in the past few years so there's plenty of things to do.Its also pretty handy to get anywhere in London which is one of the main reasons why after all this time I still like being there.
My current work is in Victoria which is the other side of London and it only takes about an hour. Of course if you ask an Londoner how long it takes to get to somewhere in London they will tell you about an hour no matter where it is, but its a fact it takes about an hour. The company I now work of and have been for nearly two years, is called uS****h.com. They are a web site were you can pick out better deals on your gas supplier, broadband connection, current accounts, etc. Not a bad place to work as I have a very good view of Buckingham place and the park from the office window (still!). Actually you may of heard of our parent company as they are American. They are called S***pps, I believe that they own Dilbert, Snoopy and most of the local newspaper in America. They bought us about 4 months ago for a silly amount of money around about 180 million pounds.
On the social side of things I'm currently single and don't have any kids. however I do know a bit about what you where talking about of how kids can effect your like as I'm now an uncle twice over, a boy and a girl. Ivy who is a bossy one and a half and little Freddy who is a very jolly seven months.
My big plans for the future, well near future at least, revolves around skiing. This January for three months I'm planning on taking a break from work (they don't know yet) and spending the time learning to become a ski instructor. I've chosen a course based in Banff which should polish up my skiing to a high level and get me through half the Canadian Instructor grades in three months. So I'm already getting a bit excited about it and I've been doing training running around London in preparation, well trying to. This means I'm trying to work out the best thing to do with my flat while I'm away. If I'm lucky I should have no problem renting it out to someone who works up at Canary Wharf and, hopefully, cover my mortgage and most of my trip expenses.
The other unusual event I have coming up is to do with a choir I've been singing for, for a couple of years now.This Christmas we will be doing Benjamin Britten's St Nicholas with about two hundred other people. Its a full Cantata with professional tenor and amateur choir (us) and a mixed orchestra. Not really my taste in music but should be an experience to be in the middle of the choir and orchestra.
Well that's some of the thing happening to me at the moment. I do also have some items of news about people from Uni. that you may remember
I see a fair bit of Big Phil and the other guys from my house in Leeds and some of them where only down a coupleof weekends ago to go to the CAMRA British Beer Festival at Earl's Court. Of course we are all a little wider than we used to be (must be the beer) except Phil who cut quite a slimish figure these days.
Also Colin Mortimer and his wife Clare are good friends and are living close to me in London just across the river from me in Rotherhide. So I see them very often.
Next week Paul Ryan and his wife Rachel are having the baptism of their second kid, Sam, and I going up to Darlington for it. I should meet up with a couple of the lads from Leeds and hear what they have been up to.
Also if you can remember Julie Thomson, well she's having wedding do next month. Not the actual Wedding that was last January in Algeria (Husband's Country) it's more of a wedding blessing but still a good excuse for a right old knees up.
...um it sounds quite exiting now that I look at it all on paper!
Anyway hope life is well with you and your growing clan. It does sound your have an exciting time of it and arestill the dynamic go getter I remember from that TV program.
Cheers
D
P.S. Nearly forgot my contact details!
...
I suppose the first thing to say is sorry! As you know part of the human male condition is our tardiness when it comes to replying to letters, etc. but half a year is pretty bad.
As to why I haven't replied I guess it was mainly because I wanted the email to be interesting and was waiting until something interesting to happened so I could mention it. Pretty silly really as that's a recipe for never getting around to it.
So although nothing Earth shattering to report, Hello!
(...ooh I've just noticed how simular to the start of your email that was freaky)
So what's been happening to me the last few years. Well I'm still living in London, I've now been in my flat and owner since 1999. It's located in the Docklands part of the city and I now own it up to about shoulder height of it. It's a good area with lots of stuff that has opened in the past few years so there's plenty of things to do.Its also pretty handy to get anywhere in London which is one of the main reasons why after all this time I still like being there.
My current work is in Victoria which is the other side of London and it only takes about an hour. Of course if you ask an Londoner how long it takes to get to somewhere in London they will tell you about an hour no matter where it is, but its a fact it takes about an hour. The company I now work of and have been for nearly two years, is called uS****h.com. They are a web site were you can pick out better deals on your gas supplier, broadband connection, current accounts, etc. Not a bad place to work as I have a very good view of Buckingham place and the park from the office window (still!). Actually you may of heard of our parent company as they are American. They are called S***pps, I believe that they own Dilbert, Snoopy and most of the local newspaper in America. They bought us about 4 months ago for a silly amount of money around about 180 million pounds.
On the social side of things I'm currently single and don't have any kids. however I do know a bit about what you where talking about of how kids can effect your like as I'm now an uncle twice over, a boy and a girl. Ivy who is a bossy one and a half and little Freddy who is a very jolly seven months.
My big plans for the future, well near future at least, revolves around skiing. This January for three months I'm planning on taking a break from work (they don't know yet) and spending the time learning to become a ski instructor. I've chosen a course based in Banff which should polish up my skiing to a high level and get me through half the Canadian Instructor grades in three months. So I'm already getting a bit excited about it and I've been doing training running around London in preparation, well trying to. This means I'm trying to work out the best thing to do with my flat while I'm away. If I'm lucky I should have no problem renting it out to someone who works up at Canary Wharf and, hopefully, cover my mortgage and most of my trip expenses.
The other unusual event I have coming up is to do with a choir I've been singing for, for a couple of years now.This Christmas we will be doing Benjamin Britten's St Nicholas with about two hundred other people. Its a full Cantata with professional tenor and amateur choir (us) and a mixed orchestra. Not really my taste in music but should be an experience to be in the middle of the choir and orchestra.
Well that's some of the thing happening to me at the moment. I do also have some items of news about people from Uni. that you may remember
I see a fair bit of Big Phil and the other guys from my house in Leeds and some of them where only down a coupleof weekends ago to go to the CAMRA British Beer Festival at Earl's Court. Of course we are all a little wider than we used to be (must be the beer) except Phil who cut quite a slimish figure these days.
Also Colin Mortimer and his wife Clare are good friends and are living close to me in London just across the river from me in Rotherhide. So I see them very often.
Next week Paul Ryan and his wife Rachel are having the baptism of their second kid, Sam, and I going up to Darlington for it. I should meet up with a couple of the lads from Leeds and hear what they have been up to.
Also if you can remember Julie Thomson, well she's having wedding do next month. Not the actual Wedding that was last January in Algeria (Husband's Country) it's more of a wedding blessing but still a good excuse for a right old knees up.
...um it sounds quite exiting now that I look at it all on paper!
Anyway hope life is well with you and your growing clan. It does sound your have an exciting time of it and arestill the dynamic go getter I remember from that TV program.
Cheers
D
P.S. Nearly forgot my contact details!
...
New Blog
Well this thing has just been converted over to use the new beta blogger that connects straight to my gmail account. This means that I should all be private now so I can add a couple of blog entries that I wanted to do at the start. These are about me and what I'm planning over the next year or so. I want it private for the time being because I haven't told work yet what is going to happen and I don't want them to know until I've had my next review and pension check. Just in case it all goes Pair shaped you understand. ;-)
Weekend Working
Gordon the project manager is still asking people to come and work at the weekend. I'm not doing so and we're dealling with the situation by not talking about it. A pretty standard approach in this company.
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