the other guy that was renegotiating his contract, is working again, although from home. does not matter to me, and its been good to have an extra pair of hands and someone else to deal with all the shit and to ask any questions i have. it has meant this week i have mainly been concentrating on 2 projects instead of the 4 or 5 that were going on at the same time, and i have been able to concentrate on one thing for at least a few hours as opposed to do 20 mins on one thing and 20 mins on another and a few minutes on something else. its not very productive and it ends up being chaotic. its been better this week. i could complain and i often do, but i cant really now.
am reading a lot of books. i dont really know too many people in my new company so i tend to read at lunch times as well. am getting over 2 hours a day reading time a day. have just re-read 'the graves are not yet full' and also 'all the shahs men'. this week i will start a new book all about the revolutionary armed forces of columbia. despite doing an engineering degree and only studying physics, maths and chemistry from the age of 16, history was always my favourite subject.
had football on thursday and it wasnt that good. its been lame the last few weeks i have played. we got a couple of new people playing and they play like 5 year olds by never passing and just running with the ball every time they get it trying to beat the whole team on their own. its shit when you are on their team and its shit when you are playing against them because whoever is on their team seems to stop trying after 15 minutes because they know they wont get a pass from them. its one thing if you are lionel messi and can dribble past a whole team, but these guys are not even close to that. it just makes for an uneven broken game. if its like this for the next couple of weeks, i might start missing the occasional week and go to the gym instead. i play football not to just run around or even to win or lose. i enjoy the game and i cant enjoy it when those 2 clowns are playing like little children. we are better than that, and i definitely am.
had been asking a couple of friends if they wanted to go to cali in september. one of the guys said he might be interested but actually when i think about it, part of me almost regrets asking. i dont think they are going to be into the same stuff as me. i dont think they are going to want to see bands play or go to the beach or try out different food and explore the city. i think they will mostly want to just go drinking. its good to go out in the evenings but those guys tend to get very drunk by the early hours and its not a good look.
anyways, they are my friends and so it means they have no money or curiosity or are just disorganised and wont be able to book themselves a ticket by the time it comes to it, and i will probably go solo....again. no bother. might try and go to chicago for a few days this time round as well. its one of the great american cities and i have never been. will be interesting to see what its like in the midwest. new york and LA have a certain type of atmosphere and feel to them.
today i have mostly been listening to dan le sac v scroobius pip - thou shalt always kill. awesome lyrics.
Saturday 28 April 2012
Friday 20 April 2012
fluidity
weekends are golden. i never used to appreciate them before, but the last few years i really do look forward to them. work was up and down this week. some of the time it was ok and some of the time it was maddeningly frustrating. whenever it got really bad i would just get on a job site and apply for a job. its good therapy and there were a couple of really good roles out there which i would be interested in doing. have still not heard about that thing in Qatar, but i never just apply for one job and wait for an answer. you have to hit everything all the time.
i didnt go to football last night. i had a bit of a sore throat and the sniffles, caught from being crammed like cattle with other people on the train in the morning, and the thought of playing football in cold and rain last night was not what i needed to be doing. also it will be good to rest a bit as my foot that injured over a month ago is still not completely healed. i might play next week if the weather is ok, but its been awful all week. it looks exactly like it would in november as you slide into the midst of winter. dark grey clouds and rain and cold. its horrible.
hope to hear about some jobs next week otherwise i will carry on applying. i think one of the things that makes me not like the place, aside from the fact that its all disorganised and a mess, is that i cant see myself learning much there, and thats a bit demotivating. i dont really have anyone else i can learn from there. when i am the smartest (and only) guy in the room, you are in trouble and its not much fun for me.
today i have mostly been listening to anison - fluidity. new music for y'all.
i didnt go to football last night. i had a bit of a sore throat and the sniffles, caught from being crammed like cattle with other people on the train in the morning, and the thought of playing football in cold and rain last night was not what i needed to be doing. also it will be good to rest a bit as my foot that injured over a month ago is still not completely healed. i might play next week if the weather is ok, but its been awful all week. it looks exactly like it would in november as you slide into the midst of winter. dark grey clouds and rain and cold. its horrible.
hope to hear about some jobs next week otherwise i will carry on applying. i think one of the things that makes me not like the place, aside from the fact that its all disorganised and a mess, is that i cant see myself learning much there, and thats a bit demotivating. i dont really have anyone else i can learn from there. when i am the smartest (and only) guy in the room, you are in trouble and its not much fun for me.
today i have mostly been listening to anison - fluidity. new music for y'all.
Tuesday 17 April 2012
little talks
the guy whose contract ran out the day after i started my contract, is still negotiating his return. he has asked for more money and from what i hear, he is going to get it, but hearing the conversations of some of the managers, his stock appears to have fallen, not professionally but personally. there is a way to negotiate a new contract and they way NOT to do it, is to wait till your last day, dont sign the contract thats been offered and then hold a gun to their head saying you will only come back for more money, otherwise its all in the hands of the new guy (me).
its easy to make yourself look valuable and prized in a situation when its you v some newbie who just walked in through the door, but it cheapens you and is a way of falsely creating a circumstance to make you look vital as opposed to getting your higher rate because you are worth it and on the quality of the work you produce. thats what it looks like to me.
also, that fella thought he would have people queuing up in the city offering him lots of money in investment banks and hedge funds. those days are over and he has never worked in finance before so he wont get a look in anywhere. he also doesnt have any exams or certifications so thats 2 excuses for some HR person sitting in a bank to ignore his CV.
i got an email today from the guy in Dubai recruiting for the job in Qatar. he just gave me an update that things were going slow but that he was still on the case. will see how that goes. my current contract is getting a little better. the first few weeks are always difficult and i just have overly great expectations every time i start a new job. my enthusiasm tends to be high and i get frustrated not being able to contribute or do any work. am able to do work now, although its still frustrating but at least i feel like a producing some work and fixing things.
have also realised that i am vastly overpaid for what they are asking me do. i wouldnt be surprised if lots of others were as well, but i wonder how many could admit it. seems like a bit of a gravy train for a lot of people there. oh well, good luck to them, whatever makes you happy i guess. looking at it in terms of what i want to do, its not quite it for me, but in the meantime i will take the money. it keeps me off the streets and keeps my bank balance ticking upwards quite nicely. if Qatar comes through,i will have a big decision to make.
am reading prodigously at the moment and finished the book, in the footsteps of mr kurtz. its a very good book about the congo and its long time leader, mobutu. i recommend it. have download a free book from amazon about opium in china. it was written in 1908 and i have read the first few pages and its sounds horrific. another thing we didnt study in history lessons at school, though it is quite embarressing for britain to have been running a heroin cartel that makes the sinaloa mexican drug cartel look small time. information like that is best not publicised or taught and should be hidden from us. there is no reason not to read it. its free on amazon. all you have to do is download the kindle app which is free also.
today i have mostly been listening to of monsters and men - little talks. happy music.
its easy to make yourself look valuable and prized in a situation when its you v some newbie who just walked in through the door, but it cheapens you and is a way of falsely creating a circumstance to make you look vital as opposed to getting your higher rate because you are worth it and on the quality of the work you produce. thats what it looks like to me.
also, that fella thought he would have people queuing up in the city offering him lots of money in investment banks and hedge funds. those days are over and he has never worked in finance before so he wont get a look in anywhere. he also doesnt have any exams or certifications so thats 2 excuses for some HR person sitting in a bank to ignore his CV.
i got an email today from the guy in Dubai recruiting for the job in Qatar. he just gave me an update that things were going slow but that he was still on the case. will see how that goes. my current contract is getting a little better. the first few weeks are always difficult and i just have overly great expectations every time i start a new job. my enthusiasm tends to be high and i get frustrated not being able to contribute or do any work. am able to do work now, although its still frustrating but at least i feel like a producing some work and fixing things.
have also realised that i am vastly overpaid for what they are asking me do. i wouldnt be surprised if lots of others were as well, but i wonder how many could admit it. seems like a bit of a gravy train for a lot of people there. oh well, good luck to them, whatever makes you happy i guess. looking at it in terms of what i want to do, its not quite it for me, but in the meantime i will take the money. it keeps me off the streets and keeps my bank balance ticking upwards quite nicely. if Qatar comes through,i will have a big decision to make.
am reading prodigously at the moment and finished the book, in the footsteps of mr kurtz. its a very good book about the congo and its long time leader, mobutu. i recommend it. have download a free book from amazon about opium in china. it was written in 1908 and i have read the first few pages and its sounds horrific. another thing we didnt study in history lessons at school, though it is quite embarressing for britain to have been running a heroin cartel that makes the sinaloa mexican drug cartel look small time. information like that is best not publicised or taught and should be hidden from us. there is no reason not to read it. its free on amazon. all you have to do is download the kindle app which is free also.
today i have mostly been listening to of monsters and men - little talks. happy music.
Friday 13 April 2012
r u mine
work was ok this week. i keep expecting people to start complaining about their stuff not being done or about my asking too many questions but they havent. i had a meeting with my boss and he seemed to be happy that i was there to hold things together and said it was expected to be difficult being there on my own. they seem to be happy that i have managed to keep the lights on.
i got a call back from the guy in dubai who was recruiting for a job in the middle east. initially i had told him that i didnt think i might have the skills they were looking for, and he agreed, but then he called me back and said a couple of people he had put forward for it had been rejected and if it would be ok to put me up for it. he also said the job was in Doha, Qatar. i told him to go for it and that i would do it. its a 6 month contract doing a vmware implementation for what i imagine is an oil/gas company or bank or something similar. for someone always complaining about a lack of sunshine, i dont think i would be doing the same in Qatar. will see how it goes. will do it if i get it. that place is swimming in cash and i really could do with getting out of london for a while.
had football last night and it wasnt that good again. not sure if i will play next week. my foot still hurts after games, and it might need more time to heal. it also was cold and started raining and its just grim weather to be playing in. maybe thats why i have not been feeling it recently.
today i have mostly been listening to arctic monkeys - r u mine. i have been a bit critical of their recent material which just sounded like a band that had run out of ideas and had started to sound like generic guitar music. this is a respite from the monotony of their last few singles and shows there is still an ember of the fire that burns from when they first started making music and recording.
i got a call back from the guy in dubai who was recruiting for a job in the middle east. initially i had told him that i didnt think i might have the skills they were looking for, and he agreed, but then he called me back and said a couple of people he had put forward for it had been rejected and if it would be ok to put me up for it. he also said the job was in Doha, Qatar. i told him to go for it and that i would do it. its a 6 month contract doing a vmware implementation for what i imagine is an oil/gas company or bank or something similar. for someone always complaining about a lack of sunshine, i dont think i would be doing the same in Qatar. will see how it goes. will do it if i get it. that place is swimming in cash and i really could do with getting out of london for a while.
had football last night and it wasnt that good again. not sure if i will play next week. my foot still hurts after games, and it might need more time to heal. it also was cold and started raining and its just grim weather to be playing in. maybe thats why i have not been feeling it recently.
today i have mostly been listening to arctic monkeys - r u mine. i have been a bit critical of their recent material which just sounded like a band that had run out of ideas and had started to sound like generic guitar music. this is a respite from the monotony of their last few singles and shows there is still an ember of the fire that burns from when they first started making music and recording.
Monday 9 April 2012
blackstar
it was a long 4 day weekend for easter. weather was cloudy and cool and it got progressively worse so that today it rained the whole day. it looked like november outside instead of spring time in april. cycled to the gym and put in a couple of good times. could have gone a little faster but my bike its a bit tired and everything needs to be lubricated and tightened up. its just feels a little loose and i havent got 100% confidence in it at high speed. something for me to do one evening this week if it ever stops raining (forecast is rain all week).
was glad to be away from work. its all a bit frustrating and i can go in tomorrow with a clear head and start relaxed. got called on sunday morning at 9am by someone in dubai who had gotten my details from somewhere and asking if i was interested in a 6 month contract in the middle east. i told him i was. i dont think i know the stuff they are looking for, but it sounded like he wasnt too sure either so will see if he gets back to me. i wont hold my breath.
in the meantime i have decided to apply for other contracts. i feel better when i am at least trying to find something better. it gives me a psychological boost and makes me feel better about going to work. will see how it goes. maybe nothing will turn up or maybe there might be something good out there. if you dont keep looking and put yourself out there, then nothing is going to happen.
i feel myself already counting down to september and a trip to california. have asked a few of the guys from football if they are interested. a couple of them have said they might be, but i am almost certain they wont make it. they dont have the curiousity to find new bars to go out to on a friday night in london, let alone wanting to go all the way to LA and san diego. if they went there, they would find the closest irish pub to the hotel and go there every night. i guarantee it.
its why i always end up going solo. i dont spend a small fortune following a football team and on a season ticket. i dont have a car and i dont spend £50 per week on beer in the same shitty pub every week. some people have things that are important to them, be that tottenham hotspur, beer or a mercedes. whats important to me is california and sunshine and beaches and girls in bikinis and a couple of friends that live out there.
today i have mostly been listening to radiohead - blackstar. its from their great album the bends. after that album came OK Computer and the consensus and critics all said it was their masterpiece and best album. thats not true. the Bends is their best album.
was glad to be away from work. its all a bit frustrating and i can go in tomorrow with a clear head and start relaxed. got called on sunday morning at 9am by someone in dubai who had gotten my details from somewhere and asking if i was interested in a 6 month contract in the middle east. i told him i was. i dont think i know the stuff they are looking for, but it sounded like he wasnt too sure either so will see if he gets back to me. i wont hold my breath.
in the meantime i have decided to apply for other contracts. i feel better when i am at least trying to find something better. it gives me a psychological boost and makes me feel better about going to work. will see how it goes. maybe nothing will turn up or maybe there might be something good out there. if you dont keep looking and put yourself out there, then nothing is going to happen.
i feel myself already counting down to september and a trip to california. have asked a few of the guys from football if they are interested. a couple of them have said they might be, but i am almost certain they wont make it. they dont have the curiousity to find new bars to go out to on a friday night in london, let alone wanting to go all the way to LA and san diego. if they went there, they would find the closest irish pub to the hotel and go there every night. i guarantee it.
its why i always end up going solo. i dont spend a small fortune following a football team and on a season ticket. i dont have a car and i dont spend £50 per week on beer in the same shitty pub every week. some people have things that are important to them, be that tottenham hotspur, beer or a mercedes. whats important to me is california and sunshine and beaches and girls in bikinis and a couple of friends that live out there.
today i have mostly been listening to radiohead - blackstar. its from their great album the bends. after that album came OK Computer and the consensus and critics all said it was their masterpiece and best album. thats not true. the Bends is their best album.
Monday 2 April 2012
mothers of the disappeared
another shite day at work. too much stuff going on and i was on my own completely today so had no one to ask about where anything was. i can sit there and support vmware or the F5 load balancer or the active directory or any of their windows servers, but i cant guess how their network is segmented or where their firewalls are, and yet it appears as though they expect me to guess it. how am i supposed to know, if no one tells me and the people i ask cant tell me.
no bother, its a short week and there are only 3 more days to go.
whilst interviewing for this role that i am at now i also interviewed at an investment bank. they were hiring 2 Windows server admins, and they interviewed 3 candidates, including me. you would figure i had a 2 in 3 chance. well it turned out they wanted the other 2 and they turned me down. they said technically i was good but that the other 2 guys would be a better fit in the team. yeah, whatever. anyways it appears as the other 2 didnt work out because they have re-advertised for 2 windows server guys again. its weird how shit turns out and not bigging myself up or anything, but thats what happens when you turn me down. i might not overly sell myself in interviews but i know what i know and i will happily go up against the competition. if they choose to go another way, they can, but i knew i couldnt have been the worst out of 3. that bank can go eat shit. ha ha ha!!!.
the only bonus about working there (aside from the money) is the hour and half reading time i get on the train. am in the middle of reading my book about the dirty war and the disappeared in argentina in the the 70's and early 80's and its a shocking and heartbreaking story. if you have the means, i recommend you read it. it will also make you think about the language presidents and prime ministers use in their 'war on terror' and the justifications they give. it resembles that used by the military junta in argentina who also justified their actions using language that justified their murder and torture.
today i have mostly been listening to u2 - mothers of the disappeared. this was from a time when u2 sang about important things.
no bother, its a short week and there are only 3 more days to go.
whilst interviewing for this role that i am at now i also interviewed at an investment bank. they were hiring 2 Windows server admins, and they interviewed 3 candidates, including me. you would figure i had a 2 in 3 chance. well it turned out they wanted the other 2 and they turned me down. they said technically i was good but that the other 2 guys would be a better fit in the team. yeah, whatever. anyways it appears as the other 2 didnt work out because they have re-advertised for 2 windows server guys again. its weird how shit turns out and not bigging myself up or anything, but thats what happens when you turn me down. i might not overly sell myself in interviews but i know what i know and i will happily go up against the competition. if they choose to go another way, they can, but i knew i couldnt have been the worst out of 3. that bank can go eat shit. ha ha ha!!!.
the only bonus about working there (aside from the money) is the hour and half reading time i get on the train. am in the middle of reading my book about the dirty war and the disappeared in argentina in the the 70's and early 80's and its a shocking and heartbreaking story. if you have the means, i recommend you read it. it will also make you think about the language presidents and prime ministers use in their 'war on terror' and the justifications they give. it resembles that used by the military junta in argentina who also justified their actions using language that justified their murder and torture.
today i have mostly been listening to u2 - mothers of the disappeared. this was from a time when u2 sang about important things.
Sunday 1 April 2012
chairlift
last thursday i went to the leaving drinks of one of the guys that used to work at the hedge fund i was at last year. i also saw a couple of guys who still work there but were in another team. they told me that they all had to take 10% rate cuts, so it now turns out that i am earning more than they are now. there are some really talented people working there and it did make me realise how lucky i am to have landed where i am and for the money i am getting. maybe it will help to motivate me because i do feel quite de-motivated at the moment. i shouldnt but i do.
maybe its starting the new job on my own with hardly any handover. maybe its because of 6 months of darkness in a long winter. who knows. either way, i left the drinks feeling a lot better.
aside from that its been a quiet weekend. went out for drink with a couple of friends on friday night. my friends can be a bit lame sometime (quite often). we ended up going to a bar that we have been to about 4 times in the last month and every time, its been lame. so why are we going there again??!!!. its all they ever suggest. i only go there because its a chance to see my friends after a week of work, otherwise i wouldnt bother.
its a 4 day week this week as its good friday bank holiday. i know i had 2 months off work but i always like a day off.
today i have mostly been listening to chairlift - i belong in your arms.
maybe its starting the new job on my own with hardly any handover. maybe its because of 6 months of darkness in a long winter. who knows. either way, i left the drinks feeling a lot better.
aside from that its been a quiet weekend. went out for drink with a couple of friends on friday night. my friends can be a bit lame sometime (quite often). we ended up going to a bar that we have been to about 4 times in the last month and every time, its been lame. so why are we going there again??!!!. its all they ever suggest. i only go there because its a chance to see my friends after a week of work, otherwise i wouldnt bother.
its a 4 day week this week as its good friday bank holiday. i know i had 2 months off work but i always like a day off.
today i have mostly been listening to chairlift - i belong in your arms.
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