Time Flies
Posted: Tue 28 June, 2016 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: @Media 06, Domestic, Geeky, Getting Organised, Lead Developer 2016, London, Own Business, People, Thoughts, Travel, Work-related | Leave a comment »The Lead Developer conference this year was at the QEII Conference Centre – a spectacularly bad location (right next to Houses of Parliament, and round the corner from Downing Street) for the days of the Brexit Referendum and its aftermath.
It made me think of the last time I was there, though – which was for one of the @Media conferences, the first one I’d been to. Looking back, that was exactly ten years ago. Now that’s how to feel very old very quickly!
As well as the various talks and so on, it was also good to catch up with friends, including Topper and Pix, as well as meet some new people. It made me realise (yet again) that I really should be a bit more sociable, catch up more frequently and so on – although at the same time, it’s also always good to meet up with people and just drop into conversation as if you last saw them a couple of days ago, instead of a couple of years.
Unchecked
Posted: Mon 27 June, 2016 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Cynicism, Domestic, Geeky, Lead Developer 2016, London, Milton Keynes, Own Business, Public Transport, Travel, Work-related | Leave a comment »Last week, I was in London for three full days, travelling down each day. On both the Thursday and Friday (while attending the excellent Lead Developer conference) I was using the trains at peak times. Onn Saturday it was a busy time when I went down, and busy-but-late on the way back.
At no point in those six journeys did my tickets get checked. Not at platform gates, not on the train, nothing. I could’ve gone through the entire thing without paying a penny to Virgin Trains.
Of course, Sod’s Law being what it is, if I had braved it and gone without a ticket, there’d have been about six checks per journey. I know that – and it’s why I always buy a ticket. But it does annoy me, how rarely these things are checked, and it makes me wonder how many people do take the chance, and go without paying for the ticket.
Another Quiet Week
Posted: Fri 4 March, 2016 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: D4D™, Domestic, Driving, Health, Sociable, Thoughts, Travel, Work-related | Leave a comment »This week has been another ‘quiet’ week – or at least one where I don’t seem to have stopped long enough to do a decent post. Which means ‘quiet’ here and… less so in reality.
It started off well – driving home on Monday from a long weekend in Dorset. A ‘quiet’ ‘break’ that resulted in 600ish miles of driving – but also enough necessary downtime and peace to have made it worthwhile. In fairness I could’ve split the driving, or whatever, but it’s never the driving that tires me, so *shrug*
The place in Dorset will definitely be re-visited though – it was great, and all told thoroughly enjoyable.
The rest of Monday was less fun – once I’d got home I started feeling pretty rotten, and ended up having a sleep on the sofa. Felt a bit better when I woke up, but rapidly got worse again, and ended up with gastric explosions of an epic standard. At least it had the good grace to wait til I got home, rather than expelling my innards into a hire-car. Thankfully, there was only the one major dollop, so I was able to sleep etc.
Tuesday was a day on-site with my current client – could’ve done without it, but needs must and all that.
Wednesday and Thursday were back to almost-normal, but also included taking the bloody Saab back to the garage (another Engine Management light issue, which was why I had the hire care for the weekend) and going to the cinema, as well as a day where it seemed like people were all trying to kill me. (More of that in another post, perhaps)
And now Friday, and back on-site, as the boss is then away for two weeks.
And that, my friends, is a ‘quiet week’…
Low Steppage
Posted: Mon 25 January, 2016 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Driving, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Health, Introspective, Laziness, Milton Keynes, People, Thoughts, Weigh Less, Weight Loss, Work-related | Leave a comment »Because of the issues with the car last week, it meant I actually got out a lot less than usual.
I’ve written before about my general aims to get out more, walk more and so on – although I do a lot of walking anyway, in comparison to most people. As part of that, a couple of years ago now I started using the FitBit activity trackers and so on, which allowed me to keep an eye on things.
I have a 5,000-step-per-day ‘target’, which I normally blast through (although some days are closer than others) and average around 50,000 steps per week. Last week, for the first time since getting the FitBit, I did about half that, and didn’t reach my daily target on most days.
A lot of that was simply that I was working from home, rather than in my office in Milton Keynes. That meant I didn’t go out for a walk in the morning, nor to get lunch and then take the ‘long’ way back to the office – all of which contribute to those totals.
Additionally, I wasn’t feeling great – just a bit burned out, and with this nagging cough (nothing serious, it just keeps tickling and being a twat) it meant I didn’t want to go out as much as I usually do. And then not doing my usual weekend stuff of going to the cinema, walking round Milton Keynes etc. – it all conspired to make it my worst week in two years.
Of course, my worst week’s activity is still a lot better than that of a lot of people, but it’s annoyed me anyway.
A Remembrance of Shitbags Past
Posted: Fri 15 January, 2016 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Domestic, Legal, Thoughts, Work-related | Leave a comment »Yesterday, I got a call from an agency about a new job role – ‘Lead Developer’, great salary and good upcoming projects. It sounds like a fantastic role, and the company in question certainly know the value of buzzwords and marketing when it comes to this kind of thing.
Sadly – well, amusingly – it was for the same job/company as I worked for in Summer 2014. I didn’t write much about it at the time, because it ended up going down the route of taking legal advice etc., so wasn’t worth causing extra hassles by writing here and naming/shaming. (Not least because the owner of the company, known around here as ShitCo, wouldn’t feel any shame whatsoever)
It was not a good job – and was probably one of my worst jobs in the last decade. Not least among the issues was having taken the job on a salary offer of £x (and that was the salary on the contract , when it eventually appeared) but then the company deciding to pay me £10,000 less.
Coupled with working idiot hours and so on, yeah, it wasn’t a good role or time at all.
I ended up leaving after three months, with no notice (although my contract did say that was OK within the initial trial period) and nothing lined up to go to. Not that that’s ever stressed me out, as regular readers will know – and indeed, I was working two weeks later, at the contract I’m still working on now.
So yes, speaking to another agency about why I wouldn’t be interested in that role was entertaining – the agency couldn’t understand why they were looking for a fourth ‘lead developer’ in less than a year, but our conversation made things somewhat clearer for them, it’s fair to say. And the words “lying” , “scheming”, “disorganised”, “manipulative” and “unholy motherfucker of the first order” never even passed my lips.
Leaving 2015
Posted: Fri 1 January, 2016 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 2014/15, 2015/16, D4D™, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Food, Getting Organised, Looking Back, Own Business, Solo Dining, Thoughts, Travel, Work-related | Leave a comment »It’s the end of 2015, and for the first time in a long time, it’s been a good year. It’s had its ups and downs for sure, but the general direction has definitely been upwards and positive.
On the ‘ups’ side, we have…
- worked all year on the same contract, which has made things a lot easier
- built up some savings, for the first time in at least a decade
- started up my own company and business, plus laying the groundwork for next year’s developments
- been out to a good range of restaurants, and had a long weekend in Edinburgh
- done some writing, and developed some ideas for working on in 2016
On the ‘downs’…
- When I say ‘worked all year’, I mean it. Holidays and breaks have pretty much not happened. Certainly nothing more than that long weekend in Edinburgh
- I’ve not built up the savings as much as I could/should have – but that’s been down to stuff with the car, the restaurants, and actually having a decent year of non-monastic living
- having my own company again means I also have to deal with HMRC, Companies House, and bastard accountants
- I haven’t actually finished any of the writing things
So it’s all swings and roundabouts, but all told it’s been a good year with a lot of stuff I’m really pleased about and/or proud of.
A Christmas Lunch
Posted: Tue 22 December, 2015 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Festering Season, Work-related | Leave a comment »
Weirdly, today I’m going to a Christmas Lunch with my current client company. It was completely unexpected – I’ve heard them talking about it on the days I’ve been in their office for the last month, but hadn’t been invited. Fine by me, it’s hardly something I’m going to take offence at.
But last week the boss invited me, and changed my day in the office in order for me to be there. At which point it’s kind of churlish to refuse. (Even by my standards)
So there we go – my fourth work-based Christmas thing ever. At least it’s only a lunch thing.