That’s been the summer then - although looking out the window this morning, it’s not going anywhere in a hurry. A proper Indian summer is with us in the UK but it’s a rubbish excuse for not blogging. I have no-one to blame but myself. So what’s been going on ?....
Well - workwise, Pooh and I have got to the end of our run with the Big American company that needed Starfleet’s help. We think we’ve helped and everyone (including the Big American company) seem to be quite happy with what we’ve done. We haven’t really p!ssed anyone off and signatures are on the relevant pieces of paper to prove it.
Talking of signatures on paper - I’ve collected three in the last month that I’m particularly pleased about. One is (to be fair a digital one) from my UK departmental lead, who agree’s that I’m a good guy really and anyone who said otherwise was wrong in the past - so actually I’m worth hanging on to. That’s nice to know.
The second is from my UK bosses, bosses, boss which says thanks very much for your help, and the third one is from the overall commander of Starfleet (Mr very very important - and extremely influential - although not quite so well known as Steve Jobs) who says congratulations on being here still after 25 years! 25 YEARS!??!?! REALLY!??
In reality - I haven’t been here for 25 years - although I have been here for 10 - and I find that scary enough. The way employment law works in europe, means that should you transfer from one company to another as part of a take-over or outsourcing agreement, your service up until that point all counts as service with your new employer.
I’ve had three interviews for jobs in my whole career - but only the first one was as an unknown. The other two were internal interviews. That's how good I am. They all want to keep me really. :-) I’ve worked for five different companies in that time (so that’s an average of one every 5 years) and they’ve all been related to each other in one way or another. Basically, it went like this: a take-over, a promotion, a promotion, a merger, an outsource which all adds up to 25 years.
I got a great pen. :-)
Now - armed with my new pen - Pooh and I are all set to run off a new adventure, which is just around the corner. We’re just fending off the remnants of the old one, but there’s really not a lot left now. Who knows what delights await us - but I’m sure some of them won’t be too delightful.
Outside of the work-o-sphere, I’ve had a couple of weeks off (one of the other benefits of being around for so long, is that for this year only I get 35 days vacation - so I have to crowbar it in where I can).
Me and Mrs G went down to Swanage for a week to stay in a lovely little cottage by the sea. Swanage is a quaint old seaside town - rather stuck somewhere in the end of the 50’s and 60’s in places, while a few businesses are trying to drag it into the new century. To be honest, I wish, they’d mostly leave it be. The old pubs and fish and chip shops, hark back to a time when summer holidays meant sandcastles and fish and chips and not airplanes and overcrowded hotels. Proper english in a traditional way. Sticks of rock and “kiss me quick” hats - all that sort of stuff. Lovely.
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Daughter also had a holiday - and jetted off with her mates to the Canary Islands for a week, only to come back with a georgous looking tan. Pah!
The second week was spent at home in the rain. Not quite so much fun, but I did get a few little jobs done that needed doing, including the reframing of a few photos that I’d been meaning to sort out for ages. Very happy with the result.
Then we’ve had a trip to the Rugby to see good old Gloucester kick it out of Bath. That was fun - if a little too much imbibing.
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My next big trip is only a week or so away now too. This time it’s golf - with the lads in sunny Spain. I’m sure Mrs G isn’t over the moon on one hand, because we’ve not been abroad for any proper sunshine this year, but on the other hand, she’ll be glad to have some space to herself for a week without me - and we are planning on doing something a bit more special in the new year. Not decided exactly what yet - but it’s on the cards.
SO there we go - a bit caught up. I don’t want this to be huge - so I’ll limit my tech news comment - which is vast - to another post. If you’re interested I’ll be blathering about Facebook, Google+, the iPhone 5 (or lack thereof) and the Kindle Fire (and others). But that’s for the next post.
Glad to be back - stay safe - and keep calm and carry on.
This post originally appeared here: Posterous
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