This WeekA pretty strange week in terms of things going on plus lots of late night calls with work. Sometimes it feels like I get up in the morning, shower, work, then by 10PM I've finished and ready to go to sleep again. Didn't get much sleep across the week- not good given I'm in the US this coming week and have a pretty hectic schedule (and of course I'll likely wake up at 4AM).Friday NightDrinks with some of the lads last night - good to catch up (and not talk about work too much). Planned our Summer Scotland trip - this...
A bit down today for some reason. I woke up fairly early and was in the office by just after 7AM. By 3PM I was exhausted. Still managing to keep my mind clear and come up with ideas etc. and trying to keep positive.My MacBook Air is slowly dying - not sure if it's a software or hardware problem. The biggest issue is that it seems to heat up really quickly and then runs slow (for example in DVDs or when loading multiple pages in Safari). I need to reconfigure it - but can't be bothered. Hopefully it'll get me through the next...
Chinese New Year LunchCNY lunch at the Peking (easily best Chinese food in Cambridge in my opinion). Getting there of course was a serious pain due to ongoing roadworks in Cambridge - I often think "Shouldn't Cambridge be twinned with Beirut ?". They are doing lots of roadworks over a bridge to support a guided bus route (that name sounds like something for old people doesn't it ?). Of course it's a typical Cambridge improvement designed...
Spent this morning in London, followed by the afternoon cleaning up the house in preparation for agents to come round and value it. I'd just love to be able to move house without a chain and might have a way to do it (fingers crossed). Of course I still have to get round the fact that I'm not over 55 and there is a covenant on the new place (but hopefully people might see sense). Got my Rimowa case fixed (again, sigh) - this time it was baggage handling at Stansted that kicked the living daylights out of it (normally it's...
Customer Service (or lack of it)Yesterday morning I decided to take the bus into work, got to the bus-stop and realised I only had a £10 note (not an issue when you live in a big city, but hey we're talking Cambridge here and to people here £10 seems to be a lot of money- strange given that it will buy you next to nothing). Got to board the bus and handed the driver the note, the look on his face said it all, followed by the words...
Just spotted an advert for Spam Fritters ! It's official - the UK suffering - to the extent that 1970's products are being revamped for the cost conscious consumer. What's next - Birds Eye Steakhouse Grills (the ad with the blue Ford Transit and workmen signing along), or perhaps Bernard Matthews advertising Turkey Burgers ??Burns night soon - an excuse for me to eat Haggis (that I don't really like unless it is deep fried), turnips (that are only second to Brussels Sprouts in terms of tasting awful), but...
Tired tonight after a long day. Last night I tried to get off to sleep but there was a really bad buzzing sound from the bathroom in my hotel room. I figured it was the aircon, tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. Realised that it would be a bit bizarre being at a hotel that borders a runway at Heathrow Airport, and not being able to sleep due to noisy aircon (rather than 'planes landing and taking off).Called reception and they sent a maintenance guy over (within a few minutes) who removed the roof in the bathroom and switched...
I'm writing this from the hotel at Heathrow airport. I'm here on business. Hotel airports are strange in terms of the constant commute of people. Each time I pass checkin there's another raft of people. It must be soul destroying to work at the desk in a place like this. The Sheraton hotel I'm staying at is okay, but very overpriced (but hey, they have a captive market).Off to bed to watch the latest Episode of Grey's Anatomy courtesy of iTunes....
Read on the BBC website a story 'Boy, 7, has never eaten a meal' describing a child (from Edinburgh) that had issues with eating (proper) food. Interview with his mother saying he sometimes nibbles on things, but in very very small amounts. Far be it from me to comment, but maybe she's just a really bad cook ? Maybe living in Edinburgh is also a factor (I always remember it as a culinary desert, only surpassed by Cambridge)- he clearly hasn't tasted a deep fried pizza with chi...
35 TodayNothing to write home about, but I'm now in the age bracket 35+. Kind of depressing :(.Lunch in LondonLunch at the Ritz today for my birthday. Surprisingly normal collection of people compared to what I expected (of course there were the "I am British" set of people you see in all of these places). Luckily I checked the dresscode and wore a tie (mandatory). London was painful in terms of the commute. Train from Cambridge was packed - not helped by someone trying to check tickets on a standing room only train. Got into...
First day back at work today. Of course it was nowhere near as bad as I was thinking it would be, apart from computer problems. However, this turned out to be a blessing as I wasn't distracted and just got the opportunity to wander round and chat with peop...
Anglia NewsNews at its best around Cambridge. Just watched Anglia News (local TV station) where one of the stories was about a garage owner being forced to ask customer to switch off their radios (as a result of the performing rights society). The usual quality journalism showing the owner throwing his radio in the bin, asking a customer to switch off their radio etc.Is there nothing really more important going on in the world...
Good ComedyWatched "Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe" last night, absolutely superb. Had lost faith in British Comedy recently, but found this to be really funny. That's 2 good comedy finds so far this year- the other being Frankie Boyle's Live DVD (that I've watched multiple times and still find even funnier each time I watch it). Credit Crunch AdvertsAnyone else noticed the credit crunch adverts that are taking place ? I particularly like the NatWest one- where various bank staff prompt 'customers' about random aspects of...
Well, I've been off work now for 4 weeks on sabbatical. It feels like 4 days ;). Back on Friday. I really can't believe the time has passed so quickly. In some ways taking time off over Christmas was a good thing - being able to catch up with people who were all available, extended leave due to holidays in lieu. However, in other ways it feels like a long extended holiday (like being at school or University). Well, another 4 years before it happens again.So, what have I managed to achieve ??Didn't fly long haul for 7 weeks,...
