For the last three days, I've been studying like a nutter for a crucial SQL 2005 exam today. It's all been very reminiscent of Week 14 in UL and this morning, just to add to the atmosphere, I've been bouncing around the kitchen to Sit Down by James on the radio.
I'm looking forward to a busy week. I've got some IT nixer work to do, a picture to print and frame, a few construction emails to follow up on, more running and cycling and lots of sleep to catch up on.
Our friend is having his a debut art exhibition on Friday, which will hopefully lead to bigger a better things, and we're heading from there to Sligo - sleeps are definitely this week's priority.
Hmmmm, unemployment looms around the corner and I'm not entirely sure that I mind being laid off. I don't relish not working but I won't miss the current insanity that I call a job.
What I am going to miss is the fact that I'm 12km from home - close enough to be reasonably convenient, far enough to be a decent cycle. I've been cycling 3 or 4 days a week since January and I've notice a real improvement in health and fitness. The other thing I'll miss is the hour for lunch and the proximity of a green area which allowed me to started running. I'm on week 5 of a "Couch to 5k" program. Funnily enough, while I'm toning up and getting fitter, I haven't lost a single pound despite all my cycling & running. I'm claiming I'm building fat-burning muscle and that the weight loss will follow.
As for the social element of the workplace; I've got people I can socialise during working hours so being out of work isn't as lonely as it could be but I will miss the craic with the girl in HR who shares my sense of humour ("What do you call a priest on roof, Christian Slater") and who has made me think about broadening my taste in music - now currently listening to Elbow, Franz Ferdinand, Bell X1 (though I have an album of theirs already)
So, contract termination is a mixed bag - it brings obvious problems but has some positive perks. There's no money but the daylight is stretching and all that sunshine is going straight into my bucket of happiness.
Well, how's that for a day. I got paid, finally cleared the credit card and just got the news that my financial situation is about to change for the worse. This is somewhat irritating as I had plans taking me to May. Obviously not now. Still, the sun is out, I'm back from a run, I'm healthy, I'm happy, Elbow's "One Day Like This" is boosting my spirits and I'm ready to take it all on.
I read this today: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7921279.stm
I can't decide whether a collision with an asteroid would be a terrible calamity or just really, really cool.
...if you think that your "Cycle to Work" scheme is going to get people on their bicycles and pedalling to work. They won't, and you know what, they are absolutely right. Most days of the week I use my bike to travel the twelve kilometers to work. I travel from the North side to the South side crossing the city center through O'Connell street and I really couldn't encourage somebody to start cycling to work in Dublin - at least not an experienced one.
No, everyone, stay in your cars. Here's why:
Badly lit, poorly trained cyclists,
Pedestrians with the special force-field that allow them to walk in front of cyclists,
Motorists- especially taxi drivers who are supposedly professional drivers,
Bus drivers, particulaly those that overtake to immediately pull in at a bus-stop,
Appalling road conditions,
Hopeless cycle lanes,
Ludicrous road markings,
Poor law enforcement.
When there is a decent cycling environment in this small city, then start cycling. You'll do wonders for your health, you'll help the environment and you will save an absolute fortune. In the mean-time stay in your cars, or take public transport just don't take up on the cycling to work scheme.
Minister Gormley and the Green Party, you need to do more, much more.
One of the problems with having an employer is that there's 8 hours (10 if you count the commute) that you can't really blog about. Of course, sometimes work can put you off writing at all. Then there's the moaniness. I mean if I sat down to write I could probably moan for Ireland this year but somehow I'm beginning to get the feeling that that would be counter-productive. It's unlikely to be particularly cathartic either; seeing that whinging in 10 pt Helvetica is likely looking in the mirror on a grizzly day.
Perhaps a good look in the grizzly mirror might just snap me out of it - y'know to show me that I need an emotional shower & shave.
Wow! That is a lame metaphor. Really
She's done it and we are so proud. One of the sparkly stars alluded to here has landed a job on the right side of the Shannon. From a work perspective, it's a brave move but from a happiness perspective I think it’s a stellar move! Even though she's moving to the other side of the country, given how hard she works, I don't think we'll see any less of her. She'll still be the same orbit just jiggled to one side a little -- and sparkling a little brighter. E., well done. We're inspired.
Generally I find that the in the (small) galaxy of people whose orbit I share, the ratio of sparkly stars to noxious bodies is very high. In fact, the number of noxious bodies I encounter is truly miniscule. At the moment though I've got one spectacularly noxious body orbiting far too close. I also appear to have picked up a fairly smelly nebula as well - you know, an unpleasant cloud but not something that's actually significant. What's needed now is a gentle cosmic breeze (or someone to press the Hyperspace button, but we know how risky that is)
Current state is tired - Sunday evening blues.
Still quite broke; no , no very broke - but employed. I've been mostly cycling but not I'm not making much progress in shedding the ballast. I think now that I'm exercising, I need to look at the diet too.
I need an injection of altitude.
Too knackered even to write. Good I hate our (ex-)builder.
