Damn the fly! People, come to Ukraine! In our country, this pandemic looks like this: the cashier-seller is replacing - as it should be, a mask. Meets with the cashier-seller, which he replaces. Both are masks under the chin, kiss almost in French)), the new one pulls on the mask again and takes up duty.))
Folks might have noticed I haven't been on much of late. Been snowed under on the work front... The additional hours totted up is now well over 40 days... If I was to take my outstanding leave and all the time owed, my last working day of the year would be a week on Monday...
Ages ago I talked about the step/cycle/swim challenge thingy at work, well I won, although that's a tad unfair, my score was double that of second place, I think I did quite well in the teams category on my own...
Since then my activity levels have plummeted, there's just so much to get done, I went for two and a half weeks without leaving the flat.... get up, work to the point of exhaustion, eat, realise you're not taking in what's on the telly, go to bed, repeat. Finally ventured out on Friday morning, it rained, went out yesterday morning - I've had drier baths, didn't bother this morning...
We're supposedly having a team lunch in a couple of weeks - not entirely sure how that'll work given the need for distancing and rules on mixing now in place - I don't really fancy traipsing into London to sit outside... and then have to converse via Teams as we can't hear one another speak... There's talk of work paying to taxi me in and back, but if there's £500 going spare I can think of better uses for it - my owed time works out at a fair bit more than that...
I won't be going home for Christmas - I was pretty reluctant anyway as i didn't want to risk taking the bug up there to my folks, but now it's not allowed without a fortnight's quarantine somewhere, so to go home for a fortnight I'd have to go home a fortnight before then and seal myself in somewhere... This does rather mean those jolly twits who have their decorations up already are not exactly in my good books...
I've been working from home for over 6 months now, and it looks like it'll go on for another six at least... My Sainsbury's delivery chap was right on point when he said "we're often the only person folks speak to" and that's pretty much the case for me - I get my shopping delivered, I venture out for walks in the early hours, I have very little interaction with other people. There's emails and texts to and from work and meetings on Teams but that's not really the same.
As I'm rarely popping on, I've no doubt missed lots, so I hope no one's grumpy that I've not responded to something, or commented on things. (I popped on specially to post the Ari thing as she thought it would get more attention coming from me - I don't think I can compete with #ArisBum and I don't seem to be anything like as scary...), indeed I'm only here just now to write this as I've been in front of the PCs (yep 2 on the go) since before 0400 and want to get away from the screens, have some food and see how crap BGT was yesterday...
iain-ecgunge said: Folks might have noticed I haven't been on much of late.
nope. maybe OTHER folks might have noticed? i've only recently begun to come here to hang out (and then, get busy with my real life, and don't check back in here as often as i'd like) i'm glad i'm not in the UK!
heck, here in iowa, things are ALMOST pre-covid normal from how it looks to me...
After a crazily long run of consecutive days of working, I've a couple of conference calls later and then I'm on leave until the 4th! Had to step away from most things to concentrate on work. Now to start catching up on everything...
Have to say I'm not looking forward to tomorrows collection of calls, half the presents are already opened as they contained perishables, the others are rather obvious anyway. There isn't much to talk about - I haven't done anything of note since early March and I'm not going to blether about a session at Mostwam with the family! There won't be anything exciting on the food front either, for some reason I didn't see the "Christmas dinner for one" ready meal (not that I looked for it...)
Thankfully there weren't many calls, I think because no one had anything to talk about...
I'm now being thwarted by the history gods as I'm updating the festive Numerically Challenged questions (ambitious, but hopeful) so typically there's a great film from one year and the UK Christmas chart that year... was abysmal on the seasonal songs front, I do try to keep to songs they might actually have heard... I might just put the same question in both sets as they won't remember anyway...
Ooh it's calendar change day eve, seemingly I'm supposed to really enjoy this day, being Scottish. Frankly, I find it mind numbingly dull. I've never been one for partying and even family get togethers turn into some form of endurance event, seeing just how much diabolical telly you can tolerate just to make it to midnight... (and for those who have missed the delights of Hogmanay live, Jackie Bird off the news and Phil n Ally, you're not missing much.... If you're lucky you might see a bit of the Edinburgh stuff...)
Doing the "fill a bit of telly time" review of the year is a bit pointless as there hasn't been much of a year since March, my Honours letter got lost in the post (I kid you not, my boss' boss got something in the first wave of COVID things...) As to looking forward optimistically, well there's my 40th when I guess I should go home and be all happy, not really sure if I can manage that... Perhaps the milestone birthdays on here that had plans thwarted will lead to something fun happening, assuming the vaccine roll out happens...
I'm having quite an Eeyore day today it would appear...
Today: not much, My partner is off to one of their other partners and possibly staying over. I am hoping to start catching up with all the jobs I promised I would do over the break but have failed to do. NYE -> NYD never really felt like a big deal and less so this year due to the lockdown.
Me: Here's to 2021 and trying to get things done in time for once. World: Getting back to a new normal that is good.
LisaMoomin said: I think there would be something wrong if you weren't feeling it..... Not that, that is very helpful... I mean, you are not alone! I think just no expectations, no pressure and just be kind to yourself is all I can suggest?
So the taking time back plan went well... 4 days "off" and going on conf calls on three of those... Worked every day this week and now have months of stuff to get done... (the delights of a project for someone else that is around 3 months work on top of the normal stuff and you can be sure the twit will expect it in 3 months time...) So am I'm already back at the stress levels of last year... Have pointed out that at this rate I'll be starting my 2021 Christmas break in September...
Had a couple of bad days last week, didn't post largely because all i seem to do is post when I'm down... I haven't been out of the flat much this month, although when i did I clocked up 45 miles walking, so that probably isn't helping, but when it's either raining, snowing, blowing a gale or icey, there's little to encourage going out. I have though been clocking up the miles on the bike, I should go through the 1,000 mile mark this week for Doddie Aid, so that's not too bad. Oh and the Porn Peddallers are trying to persuade me to do some virtual races for them... (we've ended up with the most vanilla kit possible - grey...)
For thursday & friday, i attended "Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training" (ASIST) which was interesting. We socially distanced & masked up when we had to, but no one seemed too worried about it (but didn't look like anyone fit any of the "high risk" categories) let's see if any alerts come back next week to quarantine because someone test positive for Covid?
Oh yeah, one way to avoid "going crazy" is to establish permanent residency there!
And then again, crazy comes in many different shapes & sizes... let's not forget the mainstream that regards all apsects of wam as a form of crazy?
I think I already have enough points to me classed as at least a bit mad if not fully crazy... Took a couple of days off last week, which helped, but straight back into the stress and frustrations yesterday... Supposed to be going on a day trip in April but am expecting it to be postponed...
Oh Iain...I'm sorry man. I feel you with work...not quite the same because I'm pretty sure you work more than me. I'm at my wits end too, the stress is peaking, I have serious eye strain from all the damn computer work (and then I come here like an idiot and am on the computer MORE)
Potatoman-J said: Oh Iain...I'm sorry man. I feel you with work...
Thanks, can't remember if I've said on here, but I know some know, I've only got one eye left and that one isn't exactly great so I'm supposed to be on restricted screen hours on doctor's orders (literally had a few months of my boss chasing me out of the office before I got the hang on reduced hours...) and then last year came around... I do find that things like here and watching things are different to working, still looking at a screen, but it doesn't seem to affect me the same. Ended up having a chat with one of the directors yesterday (daft sod asked how I was...) which helped a bit, hard to share the workload when the one machine is in my flat though!
Anyway, I actually came on here to add another sign I must be either going mad or getting old - this afternoon I've watched the Phantom of the Opera (recorded at the Albert Hall, rather than the Movie version) and really enjoyed it!
Since I seem to have half turned this into almost my blog... Work still managing the delights of frustrations... When it can take a week or twp to answer a question due to the work involved, it doesn't help when you then find out they no longer need the answer... It's a really great way to use the time I don't have... Still, I'm generally keeping to the hours I'm supposed to be doing.
Home life, there's the delight of one of the neighbours (It's bound to be one of those who hasn't learned that you can close doors with springs quietly...) moaned to the property management folks about my "garden shed" (my flat has a dedicated parking space, many years ago i bought an old van which has lived there ever since. It kept my bikes out of the weather and also looks after my sploshing strategic reserve.) So I guess I'll be encouraged to dispose of the van (did offer to sell it to them) So I'm starting to review what it contains and use them. As a result one of Candy's Wamstructions was done at the weekend, which was a nice bit of play, even if some of the clothes will need another visit to the washing machine (and most will then go off to the charity thingy) If the van's going, I'll try to get rid of a few things that I've wanted rid of for a while and get a bit more useable space in the flat (a sofa that's too low for me is a clothes horse/cupboard and isn't an efficient use of the space here. Anyway, so far the stock take reveals that I am rather well stocked for gunge, in a variety of types from the easy mix to the horrible and even some of the fun stuff that goes all stretchy - of course a lot of it isn't well labelled, that would have been sensible (the bags tend to have some powder residue so labels don't stick and I've found even marker pen rubs off... I've a feeling there's some stuff from the Gunge Mistress days in there (scenes still on sale) mainly footwear from memory, they'll end up in a charity bin too.
Oh and a lovely thing that's happened this week, all of us in the Porn Pedallers Cycling Club were given a free years membership extension after a year where none of their usual rides to places too place. However, many of us have actually paid up anyway and 4/5s of the money is going to the Terence Higgins Trusts which is really rather lovely.
So what excitement has there been this week? Well, not a lot from the work side, mainly spent the week doing stuff for someone else's project that no one's asked me to do, but will land on me at some point so better to get it done now when things can be influenced than end up in a mire in a month or so...
On the van front, I'm making progress emptying it - there's a lot of splosh stuff at the back so once I get that reduced, I'll be able to get at the other stuff easier. Discoveries so far, custard cartons fail after a period of time and more entertaining, uht squirty cream cans can split - not sure if it was in the cold or the heat, probably the latter but I think only the one can, it did lead to a few things going straight into the bin. I've done a couple of Candy's wamstructions and a couple of Jelly n Custard's sploshalong's to help use stuff up.
Other stuff, well on Saturday I did a race on Zwift for the Porn Pedallers, and scraped inside the top 50, I haven't studied the stats in great details but I'm fairly sure I was the second heaviest in the race (which had 1700m of vertical ascent) and by a fair margin - I'm not built for going up mountains, going down them though wheeeee!
The other day google did one of those not exactly helpful right now "this day last year" thingies, which flagged that it was a year since I had a session with Cassie. That trip to Weston was the last non-work place I've been to since, and we're less than a fortnight from a year of working from home. That also means it's a year since my last hug (that week was good for hugs, significantly skewing my weekly hug statistics...) Maybe I should dig out some screenshots from the session.
Work seems to be going mad again... Folks who view deadlines are targets and even then miss them... I'll clock up a whole year of working from home this week and it looks like the running total of additional hours will click over to 100 additional working days, so effectively work a day and a half, do one for free...
In more fun stuff, had another race for the Porn Pedallers yesterday, finished 50th, which wasn't bad for someone as big and heavy as I am...
And on the fun stuff, work is underway on season two of Numerically Challenged, if anything the silliness level is only going to increase!
Another week done, clocked over the full year of working from home... Not too much happening this week, I've had a mouse sneak into the flat so deployed humane traps and caught a cute little thing who looked to be in good health and not stressed by the experience. I took it a reasonable distance (over a mile) to an area outside the town and away from houses and released it. It took a bit of encouragement to leave the trap but did scamper off into the night. (I did wonder if it was a bit travelsick from the walk) Just to be sure, I set the traps again, didn't hear any more noise... until I woke yesterday to hear one close and another cute mouse was scoffing the bait - fatty porridge and sultanas - when you've residual fat from cooking add dry oats once it's cooled and they soak it up and you can give it the birds, helps avoid the oil going down the drains) So, mouse number 2 (I consulted Ari and she reckons it's a partner or relative) was released at the same spot as mouse one, this one was a bit slow to leave the trap but didn't need as much encouragement. Now I know the chances of either living a long life aren't great with all the predators, but had I used more lethal traps, neither would have had a second chance at life.
No play this week, but I did order some stuff in relation to Candy's wamstructions and there's a few more of them now.
Did a 102km race yesterday on Zwift, not very swiftly though but with no preparation I was just happy to get to the end, classified 13th (out of 13...)
Last race in the series on Saturday, classified 36th, but 1 second off 24th... they both had 30kgs on me though so to be even near me must have stopped for a coffee on the way round! Increased my ftp a bit too.
Work's rather chaotic again, the mental exhaustion isn't great, get to the end of the day and want to get on with something but just don't have the energy...
Bit of a rubbish week (again) I'm actually having a day off work tomorrow... I had pencilled in one of Candy's Wamstructions for tomorrow but the way I'm feeling I don't want the hassle of prep and clean up (and it was one of the more simple ones...) I've been outside once in a week... And even more frustrating, my legs seem to have gone on strike as when I've had the chance to get on zwift, there's been nothing...
"Really great to have a long weekend..." "Yeah, it's important to get some rest..."
Me "I worked three of the four days..."
...
"So, how are you getting on with your work for our project Iain?" (they're work is to set up meetings and eventually authorise payment, it is effectively my project, in a complicated business arrangement I'm effectively in charge of spending some Government money. And none of it is going on IT lessons from a pole dancer...
ME "Haven't had an opportunity to start, currently don't know when I will due to another project that is more critical."
"Well we reckon that one will ease for you in June so you can start on ours then, so that'll mean you can report in August..."
Me "Can I have some leave in August..."
Rest is important they say, Id just pointed out that I hadn't had much. So far, I haven't had a single day of leave this year. I've joked that I'll be taking my full thirty days in a single block at the end of the year but the ways things are going it's looking more and more likely.
On Wednesday, the critical project slid back by three weeks (they got the message that I was getting more than a little narked with working every day, so I'm actually having a weekend off) so the small window to work on this other project has gone, but we haven't told them yet...
It gets all the more amusing when folks try to help (you lose at least an hour you didn't have having a meeting where you point out that the main reason there is only me doing what I do is that gaining the knowledge and experience to do what I do as well as I do it takes years. I can't train someone and continue working at the rate I am. There isn't anyone out there with the competency to step in and match my output.
The only good thing is that I am at least getting paid for some of my overtime, which is handy for funding customs if nothing else! (One getting close to shooting, another ready to go)
In other, more on topic news, I did one of Candy's wamstructions today, mixed up lots of gunge, set the camera up and did the scene, got myself roughly degunged and went to stop the camera only to find it had already stopped so no idea how far into the scene it went before stopping, not sure if the card has got full or if the battery ran out (it was on a big powerbank thingy as the internal one is useless.)
Of course as a Brit, I'm seemingly supposed to be moping because of Philip, but quite frankly, I suspect the chap himself would have had enough of the endless coverage here within an hour yesterday. What does worry me is that a lot of the radio DJs have essentially become my jovial workmates helping me through the days and with the fun paused and dreary songs the order of the day, my jovial workmate is now more depressing than me...
Oof...that's a lot. I know you're always busting your balls with work. I get it, it's the same with me.
I started this job in medical equipment right before the pandemic thinking it would be a nice ease back into working after being on disability so long. Two months later, COVID hits and I'm like a mad man trying to keep up with hospital orders for oxygen and hospital beds.
Even with the pandemic slowing now, the work is increasing because the CEOs keep gobbling up other smaller companies, and any of those facilities in my area suddenly become my responsibility. Where I had 70 facilities ranging from rehabs clinics to large college based hospitals, I now have close to 200. Pay freezes have been put in place, so no one has seen a penny raise through it all. AND I haven't been able to take any time off not related to a medical day since October. But boy was it nice being able to finally go down and see Jayce.
It hasn't been all bad though. I actually managed to meet someone. She said she wasn't interested in dating, but we've been talking back and forth for almost two months now. She's a nurse and help me get set up for my vaccines. She's about an hour away and we've only had time to meet up once, but will probably see her this next week when I get my next shot. So just even having someone to talk to has done me a ton of good in keeping away the depression.
The comedy of folks having meetings to discuss how to ease my workload, when they could be working to get the things I need to know to get on with things...
Oh and the camera stopped cos the card was full, thankfully after I started to rinse off! Discovered that when you delete content from the card via the camera, it deletes one version and keeps another so you think you've removed everything but it's only half cleared. Now formatted the card so that should last a while.
Another week of working too much, being mentally exhausted in the evenings and getting little exercise... Had multiple calls on Friday from unknown answers (If I'm not expecting a call or don't know who's calling it gets ignored) all blocked, but the feeling of harassment stays... Haven't been outside since Wednesday, felt so down yesterday I didn't feel like going for a walk, last night I slept terribly, so I'll be struggling to stay awake without adding anything to tire me...
Another week, the joys of the day job means I'm currently working around the time of my birthday (it's one of those milestone ones...) which I'm not exactly looking forward to, nearly missed my Dad's birthday too... My parents are talking about coming down to visit in the summer, which is lovely, but here's me unsure if I'll be able to give them any time due to work... I've barely left the flat in the last ten days and I'm not sure that taking stuff to the bins really counts as going out... At least with the bike and zwift, I've done more than 200km this weekend, but since they messed around with the clocks I've not been sleeping as well... Got a hospital check up on Friday, so I'll have to venture out in daylight and go into town, just my luck the appointment's late in the afternoon so even that doesn't get me time off work...
I made it through another week! A couple of achievements in the last few days, first time properly out of the flat in more than a fortnight, first time out and about during the day in six months, first time on a train in thirteen months and also first visit to London for the same time. Most of that was fine, quiet on the trains, even travelling back during the peak, although i was at the back of the train when most of the stations have exits towards the front. London was a bit strange, in terms of people waling around, 14:30 had numbers of pedestrians more likely to be seen at 05:00... I was in town for a hospital check up at a different site to my normal ones so the delights of Google navigation... I don't know what clot designs the interface but if you display a right arrow and "now" I'll take that to me "take this road on the right" if you mean "keep going straight until we tell you to turn right" show a straight ahead arrow... I had a tour of a few streets... And then to top it off, buzz buzz buzz, this road, so i take it walk a bit thinking "there's nothing hospitally here" buzz buzz buzz you're here. Cue ten minutes up and down that road before discovering it was the next street down... And they want to let cars drive themselves with that tech capability... Anyway, the check up went well, i do love that you can always have a laugh with the staff, yes there are serious things involved but I think a lot of use cope through laughter. The other thing that really stood out from that visit was that it was in an LTN, and one that dated from before LTNs were called LTNs but expanded. This was within 5 minutes walk (non-Google aided) of one of London's most notorious traffic hotspots and yet here I was with the loudest thing kids playing after school. Folks pootling around on bikes of all types, a busy little park providing a pleasant oasis.
Work is still crazily busy and crazy sums up the Project who cancelled three days of work this weekend because they didn't have plant or people organised, moved the work to next weekend, then cancelled that... Have to keep pointing out to them that I work eight weeks ahead, they're just about managing eight days - it doesn't look good for them as they incur costs while not getting anything done.
Still not sleeping great... probably connected to the various things I've covered already... I seem to get one good sleep a week...