Friday 27 December 2013
Tuesday 24 December 2013
Wednesday 18 December 2013
Monday 9 December 2013
Saturday 23 November 2013
Maximo Park - Brain Cells
put my shoulder out a couple of weeks ago and have been busy at work, hence the lack of posts. days are dark and cold and i had nothing to say or nothing worth reading. i am bored with life in winter and i dont expect anyone else to be interested.
got tickets to see nine inch nails but its in May 2014 which is a long time away. i am not going to go for a quick break in europe at the beginning of december so it looks like i am stuck here for the next few months.
work has been fine, but as is usually the way, i have still been getting calls about other contracts. like a lot of things in life, nothing happens for a long time and then you get offers from everywhere all of a sudden. where were you when i needed you. i dont need all these offers now.
below is the new maximo park single. its wicked. saw them in LA last year. that was a great night.
got tickets to see nine inch nails but its in May 2014 which is a long time away. i am not going to go for a quick break in europe at the beginning of december so it looks like i am stuck here for the next few months.
work has been fine, but as is usually the way, i have still been getting calls about other contracts. like a lot of things in life, nothing happens for a long time and then you get offers from everywhere all of a sudden. where were you when i needed you. i dont need all these offers now.
below is the new maximo park single. its wicked. saw them in LA last year. that was a great night.
Friday 1 November 2013
what a cunt
borrowed my sisters car to drive to the gym yesterday evening and on the way home i got pulled over by a policeman. he strolled around the car, took my details, discovered i was who i said i was and that the car was not stolen, and then gave me a £50 fine for driving with my fog lights on and told me i had to visit a police station with in the next 7 days to prove i had insurance and MOT. what a cunt. its like he was just looking to give someone a ticket for the most trivial thing he could possibly find. he also spoke in that patronizing manner that police practice.
why the fuck are you patronizing me and talking down to me?. if anyone is going to be patronizing you would think it would be me. after all, i am the one with the engineering degree that works for a hedge fund and makes at least triple what you earn. even then i did not talk down to you like you were a piece of shit (which you are), and you did to me.
anyways, after the initial anger subsided as i drove off it did get me thinking. i am lucky that £50 is not much money to me, but what if i had been a security guard or cleaner that was just going about their business and was driving to or back from work. £50 would be a days wages and they would have lost it just because some little dick mother fucker wanted to ticket someone. foglights on. fuck me!. i will take a day of your work for that.
having seen the shit the guy at work who is a special constable on the weekends does, it just reinforces what i thought of the police. its just for people that are servants of power, who do as they are told, who think they are important and who are selected for that position because they dont question the stupidity of things. if you are obedient without a mind of your own, then join the metropolitan police.
on the subject of the copper at work, i was told he had been bitter at not being promoted at work after being there for 8 years. to be fair he works hard and know his shit, but he lacks maturity. that was proved last week when he was supposed to fly out with our team leader to one of the international offices. he was supposed to be there for 6 days. he got there and stayed 1 day and changed his flight and flew back the next day because he was not feeling well. thats an £8000 plane ticket wasted and our team leader left in the shit to do all the work himself. he did not even tell the teamleader he was going to go. he just left. you better have something pretty fucking seriously wrong with you to pull some shit like that.
needless to say, he committed professional suicide as everyone was talking about the stunt he pulled and he has plummeted in the eyes of the team leader who had been grooming him for his role when he leaves in 6 months. he is always whining about wanting to leave and threatening to get another job, but he has been there 8 years and he has never worked anywhere else. he is inexperienced at dealing with people and can be a little unprofessional. he temporarily was heading up the desktop support team and in the first week he threatened them all of them with a written warning because someone missed something on the morning checks. he did not endear himself to any of them.
he might be top dog where he currently is and have the comfort of 8 years of infrastructure knowledge but you dont act and pull shit like that at a new job. they will fire your ass. he thinks he is being shat on by the company. he does not realize that they are actually accommodating him and making concessions to him he would not get elsewhere. hope your mortgage is not too big because you might miss some payments with your attitude, and if you got the stones then get out there in the market and lets see how long you can cut it being someone else's bitch. the impression i get is that he will be difficult to manage somewhere else and no one will want to be managed by him. thats kind of backing yourself into a corner.
he is back next week. if he has any self awareness he will be quiet as a mouse. if he is in cunt copper mode, he will be acting normal as if nothing happened. that bravado might fool your copper mates but me and the team leader have been doing this shit for a long time and we have seen plenty of your sort before.
why the fuck are you patronizing me and talking down to me?. if anyone is going to be patronizing you would think it would be me. after all, i am the one with the engineering degree that works for a hedge fund and makes at least triple what you earn. even then i did not talk down to you like you were a piece of shit (which you are), and you did to me.
anyways, after the initial anger subsided as i drove off it did get me thinking. i am lucky that £50 is not much money to me, but what if i had been a security guard or cleaner that was just going about their business and was driving to or back from work. £50 would be a days wages and they would have lost it just because some little dick mother fucker wanted to ticket someone. foglights on. fuck me!. i will take a day of your work for that.
having seen the shit the guy at work who is a special constable on the weekends does, it just reinforces what i thought of the police. its just for people that are servants of power, who do as they are told, who think they are important and who are selected for that position because they dont question the stupidity of things. if you are obedient without a mind of your own, then join the metropolitan police.
on the subject of the copper at work, i was told he had been bitter at not being promoted at work after being there for 8 years. to be fair he works hard and know his shit, but he lacks maturity. that was proved last week when he was supposed to fly out with our team leader to one of the international offices. he was supposed to be there for 6 days. he got there and stayed 1 day and changed his flight and flew back the next day because he was not feeling well. thats an £8000 plane ticket wasted and our team leader left in the shit to do all the work himself. he did not even tell the teamleader he was going to go. he just left. you better have something pretty fucking seriously wrong with you to pull some shit like that.
needless to say, he committed professional suicide as everyone was talking about the stunt he pulled and he has plummeted in the eyes of the team leader who had been grooming him for his role when he leaves in 6 months. he is always whining about wanting to leave and threatening to get another job, but he has been there 8 years and he has never worked anywhere else. he is inexperienced at dealing with people and can be a little unprofessional. he temporarily was heading up the desktop support team and in the first week he threatened them all of them with a written warning because someone missed something on the morning checks. he did not endear himself to any of them.
he might be top dog where he currently is and have the comfort of 8 years of infrastructure knowledge but you dont act and pull shit like that at a new job. they will fire your ass. he thinks he is being shat on by the company. he does not realize that they are actually accommodating him and making concessions to him he would not get elsewhere. hope your mortgage is not too big because you might miss some payments with your attitude, and if you got the stones then get out there in the market and lets see how long you can cut it being someone else's bitch. the impression i get is that he will be difficult to manage somewhere else and no one will want to be managed by him. thats kind of backing yourself into a corner.
he is back next week. if he has any self awareness he will be quiet as a mouse. if he is in cunt copper mode, he will be acting normal as if nothing happened. that bravado might fool your copper mates but me and the team leader have been doing this shit for a long time and we have seen plenty of your sort before.
Saturday 26 October 2013
Monday 21 October 2013
Monday 14 October 2013
no power
had a day off work today and it was good because i got some stuff done that had been hanging around for weeks and weeks. went to the gym last weekend and was training like a beast. a few weeks back i missed a couple of my mid week sessions and it means by the time saturday comes round i have not trained in 5 days and you lose resistance, but i have been forcing myself to go on a wednesday or thursday night and i am feeling the benefits of it. training like a beast on the weekends.
work is going ok as well. the guy who is a policeman said something telling on friday. he has to go to one of the international offices for a week next week and he mentioned that he had to leave his police id behind because there was some rule that said you can not take it when you are going to another country. he then added "i will have no power next week". after my post a few weeks ago, it proves my theory.
bought a new book today about andrei sakharov. its been a while since i read a good biography and he is a man i have heard interesting things about.
dan le sac v scroobius pip are playing a show later this month but its sold out. they are touring and playing in february in camden. am thinking i might go to it. will need to make my mind up soon as i bet they will sell out quickly.
this is fierce.
work is going ok as well. the guy who is a policeman said something telling on friday. he has to go to one of the international offices for a week next week and he mentioned that he had to leave his police id behind because there was some rule that said you can not take it when you are going to another country. he then added "i will have no power next week". after my post a few weeks ago, it proves my theory.
bought a new book today about andrei sakharov. its been a while since i read a good biography and he is a man i have heard interesting things about.
dan le sac v scroobius pip are playing a show later this month but its sold out. they are touring and playing in february in camden. am thinking i might go to it. will need to make my mind up soon as i bet they will sell out quickly.
this is fierce.
Wednesday 9 October 2013
oldboy
i signed my new 6 month contract about a week ago and it will take me up to april 2014 hopefully. the other job that was paying ridiculous money did not come through so no bother. have had a couple of other calls about other contracts but i turned them down. i focused on doing a good job where i am and i dont want the distraction. besides, there is no reason to leave for a little more money or the same money.
weather has been surprisingly mild but this afternoon it changed and there was a cold wind blowing when i was walking home from the station. summer has gone and it wont be back for a very long time. there is 6 months of darkness and cold ahead of us. fuck, what a depressing thought. just need to take it one week at a time.
spike lee has made a remake of a korean film called oldboy. the original film is very very good and has a bit of a twist to it. i do wonder if they will have the same twist. i cant really see mainstream audiences and big studios going for it. the trailer has josh brolin in it which looks like a very good bit of casting. will check it out when it comes out.
weather has been surprisingly mild but this afternoon it changed and there was a cold wind blowing when i was walking home from the station. summer has gone and it wont be back for a very long time. there is 6 months of darkness and cold ahead of us. fuck, what a depressing thought. just need to take it one week at a time.
spike lee has made a remake of a korean film called oldboy. the original film is very very good and has a bit of a twist to it. i do wonder if they will have the same twist. i cant really see mainstream audiences and big studios going for it. the trailer has josh brolin in it which looks like a very good bit of casting. will check it out when it comes out.
Wednesday 25 September 2013
6 months
it is the last month of my 3 month contract and i was planning on have a quiet word with the guy who hired me to ask if he still wanted me to stay or if i should put the word out on the street that i might be available in 4 weeks. anyways, he beat me to it and told me today that they wanted to offer me a 6 month contract. i was a little surprised to be honest, because i do not really think i am doing that great a job for them in the infrastructure team. most of my time is spent working with the programmers in the development team and i have not really done too much on the infrastructure side of things for them, which is why they hired me.
actually, they probably hired me to work with the developers so the rest of them would have more time to do the infrastructure work. yes, that makes sense now. that is why they want me to stick around longer. anyways, i verbally said i would do it.....but i saw a couple of other contracts that are paying ridiculous money so i applied to them as well. they will understand if i have to jump ship for silly money. i probably wont even get called in, but like i always say, always apply. let them turn you down. dont turn yourself down. if i stay at this firm for another 6 months i will still be happy.
in previous posts i have been critical of pharrel and the neptunes. to me a lot of their good stuff sounds like a rip off of teddy rileys production on the michael jackson album, dangerous, and when they have done other stuff its just poppy shite. that song that did recently with robin thicke was shite. that song he did with daft punk, that got to number 1 was shite.
anyways, after all that, here is when they did something good.
actually, they probably hired me to work with the developers so the rest of them would have more time to do the infrastructure work. yes, that makes sense now. that is why they want me to stick around longer. anyways, i verbally said i would do it.....but i saw a couple of other contracts that are paying ridiculous money so i applied to them as well. they will understand if i have to jump ship for silly money. i probably wont even get called in, but like i always say, always apply. let them turn you down. dont turn yourself down. if i stay at this firm for another 6 months i will still be happy.
in previous posts i have been critical of pharrel and the neptunes. to me a lot of their good stuff sounds like a rip off of teddy rileys production on the michael jackson album, dangerous, and when they have done other stuff its just poppy shite. that song that did recently with robin thicke was shite. that song he did with daft punk, that got to number 1 was shite.
anyways, after all that, here is when they did something good.
Monday 23 September 2013
commodification part 2
further to my last post about the commodification of personalities online, here are 2 more examples from people i know. one of them has written his job on facebook as being a finance director. er...no you are not. you do helpdesk 1st line support and you help the girl in accounts when she needs invoices organised. why lie?. actually, yes ok, lie if you want, but there are people on your facebook that know what you actually do, and you might make yourself look like a big shot in front of people who do not know you, but you look silly in front of the people that do know you. its pathetic.
in the second case, a friend of a friend has just got a job at a large american internet firm, that everyone has heard of. he got the job through another friend who is a manager there and hired him. i heard that this guy was good from someone i know, so i thought i would look him up on linkedin.
for me there is a test to find out if someone is bullshitting and that is if they are specific about the skills they have and what they have done. as the saying goes, there is no 'I' in team, but with regards to resumes, i only want to read 'I's. i want to read experience that conjugates verbs with the singular not the plural. 'we built', 'we delivered', 'we....' whatever. fuck all that, what did you do?. i built, i delivered, i architected. thats what counts.
anyways, in his linkedin he writes
"experience creating and delivering Internet software, systems, sites and campaigns"
"I understand the Internet from the wires up to the app, along with a wide range of development/deployment tools & techniques"
Specialties:
» Computers
» Internet
» Bullshit detection
fuck me, have you ever read more generic, non specific bollocks ever from a techie. i thought bullshit detection was one of his specialities. i cant be because his detector should have been going off full blast when he wrote this.
experience..delivereing internet software, systems. eh???, all of them?. which ones? sun, oracle, apache, IIS, websphere, sharepoint, lotus notes, java, asp, C#, VB, weblogic, netscape, linux, windows????.
"I understand the Internet from the wires up to the app", non specific again. TCP/IP, UDP, Muliticast, DNS, IGMP, BGP, EIGRP, OSPF, Cisco, Juniper, F5, Barracuda, Watchguard, ASA, PIX, Sonicwall, X.25, ethernet, token ring.....etc????.
"a wide range of development/deployment tools". i know developers and there are lots of specific ones. i know sharepoint developers, and i know people who do java and c, and i know people that do vb and asp and .net, and i know people that used to do flash and javascript and cold fusion. their specialties dictate the development tools they use. people who do .net tend not to use eclipse. guys who do java dont use visual studio. be specific and stop bullshitting in broad generalizations covering everything. hey, maybe he does know everything, but i am pretty confident he does not. in fact i suspect he might know not much at all.
how do people fall for this shit?. if i saw a profile like that i would not give it a second look, or i might but only to mock it. its no wonder some people need to get friends to hire them, but you would not get an interview in any good company where you would have to do some real work.
i have been critical of a lot of the people that work in tech departments in finance, but there are also some staggeringly talented people you come across and i very much doubt he is in their class. they are very good, they deliver projects and they know their shit and they are specific about what they know and do.
its 2 more examples of playing to a crowd of people that dont know you and embelishing your internet presence to make you look better than you are.
they play this at my gym. its not that good but its good for background music to train to.
in the second case, a friend of a friend has just got a job at a large american internet firm, that everyone has heard of. he got the job through another friend who is a manager there and hired him. i heard that this guy was good from someone i know, so i thought i would look him up on linkedin.
for me there is a test to find out if someone is bullshitting and that is if they are specific about the skills they have and what they have done. as the saying goes, there is no 'I' in team, but with regards to resumes, i only want to read 'I's. i want to read experience that conjugates verbs with the singular not the plural. 'we built', 'we delivered', 'we....' whatever. fuck all that, what did you do?. i built, i delivered, i architected. thats what counts.
anyways, in his linkedin he writes
"experience creating and delivering Internet software, systems, sites and campaigns"
"I understand the Internet from the wires up to the app, along with a wide range of development/deployment tools & techniques"
Specialties:
» Computers
» Internet
» Bullshit detection
fuck me, have you ever read more generic, non specific bollocks ever from a techie. i thought bullshit detection was one of his specialities. i cant be because his detector should have been going off full blast when he wrote this.
experience..delivereing internet software, systems. eh???, all of them?. which ones? sun, oracle, apache, IIS, websphere, sharepoint, lotus notes, java, asp, C#, VB, weblogic, netscape, linux, windows????.
"I understand the Internet from the wires up to the app", non specific again. TCP/IP, UDP, Muliticast, DNS, IGMP, BGP, EIGRP, OSPF, Cisco, Juniper, F5, Barracuda, Watchguard, ASA, PIX, Sonicwall, X.25, ethernet, token ring.....etc????.
"a wide range of development/deployment tools". i know developers and there are lots of specific ones. i know sharepoint developers, and i know people who do java and c, and i know people that do vb and asp and .net, and i know people that used to do flash and javascript and cold fusion. their specialties dictate the development tools they use. people who do .net tend not to use eclipse. guys who do java dont use visual studio. be specific and stop bullshitting in broad generalizations covering everything. hey, maybe he does know everything, but i am pretty confident he does not. in fact i suspect he might know not much at all.
how do people fall for this shit?. if i saw a profile like that i would not give it a second look, or i might but only to mock it. its no wonder some people need to get friends to hire them, but you would not get an interview in any good company where you would have to do some real work.
i have been critical of a lot of the people that work in tech departments in finance, but there are also some staggeringly talented people you come across and i very much doubt he is in their class. they are very good, they deliver projects and they know their shit and they are specific about what they know and do.
its 2 more examples of playing to a crowd of people that dont know you and embelishing your internet presence to make you look better than you are.
they play this at my gym. its not that good but its good for background music to train to.
Sunday 22 September 2013
Lorde
i was supposed to work today but it was only an hours work and 2 of the permie guys were in and i asked them if they could do what needed to be done and they both showed no sign of wanting to do it. i am a contractor so i give less of a fuck than you guys, so i said i could not do it today and i will do it another time. i already had to go to work the last 2 saturdays and i have to go in next saturday as well, so fuck it. i want and need a weekend off for myself.
went out last night with a couple of friends including a friend of mine from school who is in the army and had been in afghanistan ( or as they call it, 'the ghan') a few months ago. he has also been to iraq. fortunately he returned home with his limbs in tact. it was interesting to read that tony blairs son got married last weekend at his fathers country estate. i was a bit surprised to see pictures of him wearing a suit. usually people in the military wear their full ceremonial uniform when they get married. turns out he is not in the military and he has chosen not to fight his fathers wars. its left to people like my friend to go out there and risk his life.
on the subject of going out, i checked my facebook when i got home and a couple of friends of mine had posted where they were out and put up pics of themselves having drinks with their friends. they each posted a few times over the course of the evening giving a running commentary of where they were. what is that makes people want to advertise every tiny detail of their lives?. i dont and a lot of my friends dont, but some do.
i think to some extent it shows a lack of confidence and wanting to present an impression and side to yourself in the belief that you think people are interested and that they might think you are cool or a more interesting person. its the commodification of personality, where its something that has value associated with it depending on how much you post, where you post from, who you are seen with and witty quips that they post. one of they guys checks in every time he goes to the gym, every time he goes out for drinks or dinner with his girlfriend and its a barrage of pics everytime he goes on holiday. the only problem there is its constant pics of him and his girlfriend. er, i know what you you look like and what your bird looks like, but i dont know what cannes, or dubai or prague looks like, so i would like to see those places instead of 40 selfies.
in a post NSA/GCHQ/Ed Snowdon world, individual privacy is a privelege and i am surprised that people have been convinced to voluntarily give it up. i dont share every detail of my life of where i am all the time. i dont want to and i dont think its interesting information for anyone. i like to see pics if a friend of mine goes on holiday to tokyo, but i dont give a fuck about pics if he is drinking in a bar in soho.
we dont need to share every detail of our lives on the internet. its not necessary. save something for yourself and your close friends or your wives, husbands, girlfriends etc. dont let William Hague read it all and know everything about you. its none of his fucking business.
here is a song about the commodification of personality. a very good song.
went out last night with a couple of friends including a friend of mine from school who is in the army and had been in afghanistan ( or as they call it, 'the ghan') a few months ago. he has also been to iraq. fortunately he returned home with his limbs in tact. it was interesting to read that tony blairs son got married last weekend at his fathers country estate. i was a bit surprised to see pictures of him wearing a suit. usually people in the military wear their full ceremonial uniform when they get married. turns out he is not in the military and he has chosen not to fight his fathers wars. its left to people like my friend to go out there and risk his life.
on the subject of going out, i checked my facebook when i got home and a couple of friends of mine had posted where they were out and put up pics of themselves having drinks with their friends. they each posted a few times over the course of the evening giving a running commentary of where they were. what is that makes people want to advertise every tiny detail of their lives?. i dont and a lot of my friends dont, but some do.
i think to some extent it shows a lack of confidence and wanting to present an impression and side to yourself in the belief that you think people are interested and that they might think you are cool or a more interesting person. its the commodification of personality, where its something that has value associated with it depending on how much you post, where you post from, who you are seen with and witty quips that they post. one of they guys checks in every time he goes to the gym, every time he goes out for drinks or dinner with his girlfriend and its a barrage of pics everytime he goes on holiday. the only problem there is its constant pics of him and his girlfriend. er, i know what you you look like and what your bird looks like, but i dont know what cannes, or dubai or prague looks like, so i would like to see those places instead of 40 selfies.
in a post NSA/GCHQ/Ed Snowdon world, individual privacy is a privelege and i am surprised that people have been convinced to voluntarily give it up. i dont share every detail of my life of where i am all the time. i dont want to and i dont think its interesting information for anyone. i like to see pics if a friend of mine goes on holiday to tokyo, but i dont give a fuck about pics if he is drinking in a bar in soho.
we dont need to share every detail of our lives on the internet. its not necessary. save something for yourself and your close friends or your wives, husbands, girlfriends etc. dont let William Hague read it all and know everything about you. its none of his fucking business.
here is a song about the commodification of personality. a very good song.
Sunday 8 September 2013
obedience
i went out for lunch with the other 3 guys in the team, including the guy that is a volunteer police office. i previously posted about what i thought about it.
anyways, its 12:30 in the city of london on a sunny lunchtime. there is traffic in tight roads and the pavements are full of people. we get to where we need to cross a road and everyone stops waiting for cars to pass before they find a break in the traffic and all cross the street. everyone was stopped at the kerb, except the guy who is a copper. there was a minivan turning into the street and he deliberately steps out right in front of it and stops in the middle of the road in front of it and stares down the driver. i was thinking, what the fuck is he doing just standing in the middle of the road and why did he just walk out into traffic, but did not say anything.
him and the driver end up staring at each other for about 5 seconds and to be fair, the driver would have been well within his rights to say what are you doing just walking out into the road and whats your problem and why are you standing in front of my car staring at me like i did something wrong?. anyways, the driver said nothing and the copper walked carried on walking. i waited for the minivan to drive off and crossed the street behind him as there was no other traffic. at the place where we were having lunch, one of the guys mentioned what happened and the copper said something along the lines of "yeah, i was waiting for him to say something and if he did i was going to get my police ID out and nick him". i did not say anything but was thinking to myself, "man, you are such a cunt".
what is the point of deliberately being reckless by stepping out into the road in moving traffic, stopping a car, standing in front of it and then staring down the driver and then almost hoping for a confrontation just so that you can get your police id out and call for back up or whatever the fuck is you were going to do. what a fucking waste of time. do some real police work and patrol rough council estates were the local residents are so intimidated by gangs that they are afraid to leave their houses after dark. do that if you think you are such a hard bastard. dont be waking out in front of mini cabs on fleet street on a thursday lunch time in the sunshine and then trying to provoke them into saying or doing something, knowing full well you are not going to get chinned with 200 witnesses around.
there is also a test for what he did. would he do the same thing in front of a police car?. would he deliberately walk out into the street in front of a police car, make it stop and then stand in front of it and stare down the driver. no he fucking would not.
we get nuggets of his exploits and his law advice the days after he has done one of his police weekends. yes, thats section 47 of the road traffic act, that is section 23 of some other fucking law, blah blah blah. fuck me, you must have serious self esteem issues or you must be under the thumb or something for you to A: want to give up your weekends to ticket people for minor traffic infringements B:to spend time away from your family to do so, and C:to feel so proud about it and boast about it in the office.
here is a clip thats relevant not just to education but afterwards and the principle of intimidating people over little things and then 'nicking' them.
anyways, its 12:30 in the city of london on a sunny lunchtime. there is traffic in tight roads and the pavements are full of people. we get to where we need to cross a road and everyone stops waiting for cars to pass before they find a break in the traffic and all cross the street. everyone was stopped at the kerb, except the guy who is a copper. there was a minivan turning into the street and he deliberately steps out right in front of it and stops in the middle of the road in front of it and stares down the driver. i was thinking, what the fuck is he doing just standing in the middle of the road and why did he just walk out into traffic, but did not say anything.
him and the driver end up staring at each other for about 5 seconds and to be fair, the driver would have been well within his rights to say what are you doing just walking out into the road and whats your problem and why are you standing in front of my car staring at me like i did something wrong?. anyways, the driver said nothing and the copper walked carried on walking. i waited for the minivan to drive off and crossed the street behind him as there was no other traffic. at the place where we were having lunch, one of the guys mentioned what happened and the copper said something along the lines of "yeah, i was waiting for him to say something and if he did i was going to get my police ID out and nick him". i did not say anything but was thinking to myself, "man, you are such a cunt".
what is the point of deliberately being reckless by stepping out into the road in moving traffic, stopping a car, standing in front of it and then staring down the driver and then almost hoping for a confrontation just so that you can get your police id out and call for back up or whatever the fuck is you were going to do. what a fucking waste of time. do some real police work and patrol rough council estates were the local residents are so intimidated by gangs that they are afraid to leave their houses after dark. do that if you think you are such a hard bastard. dont be waking out in front of mini cabs on fleet street on a thursday lunch time in the sunshine and then trying to provoke them into saying or doing something, knowing full well you are not going to get chinned with 200 witnesses around.
there is also a test for what he did. would he do the same thing in front of a police car?. would he deliberately walk out into the street in front of a police car, make it stop and then stand in front of it and stare down the driver. no he fucking would not.
we get nuggets of his exploits and his law advice the days after he has done one of his police weekends. yes, thats section 47 of the road traffic act, that is section 23 of some other fucking law, blah blah blah. fuck me, you must have serious self esteem issues or you must be under the thumb or something for you to A: want to give up your weekends to ticket people for minor traffic infringements B:to spend time away from your family to do so, and C:to feel so proud about it and boast about it in the office.
here is a clip thats relevant not just to education but afterwards and the principle of intimidating people over little things and then 'nicking' them.
Thursday 5 September 2013
no cali
having been at the new place for about 6 weeks now and i am getting a sense of the politics there. they clearly do not get on with one of the guys who looks after asia/pacific region offices and they clearly do not like the director in charge of IT. i have tried to be a little more social and have gone to lunch with the other guys but i still do not say much. i can't. i am a contractor and its not my place to say if someone is being a prick. i can think someone is being a prick and i can write on my blog someone is being a prick, but i will not say it at work to people who are there. they can bitch and whine about it and its all justified because both of them do seem like pricks, but you will not hear me say it.
i am a contractor. i am here to do a job and get paid. thats it and i like it that way. when i listen to them legitimately complaining about shit, i do feel glad that i am not a permie. i have been asked by a couple of guys there about contracting and what its like and if they should do it. i always try to be truthful and tell them it has its good parts and bad parts, but when there is work out there and you dont have too big a gap between jobs and the market is bouyant, then its great and it suits me down to the ground. i have gotten used to be the newbie and not knowing anyone in a new job. i dont mind asking questions and it does not hurt my ego to do so. i dont need to show off or be seen to be important and i am not chasing a bonus or a promotion.
we are in september and this is usually the time i would be going to california, but i cant this year. i cant really justify it even if i could take the time off work, which i cant. there are projects and stuff going on and i cant leave it for a week. i would not want to even ask, because i know it would not look good. anyways, i have been lucky because we have had the best summer since 2006 and its been beautiful most days for the last couple of months solid. the gods smiled on me and knew that if could not go to california sunshine, then they would bring california sunshine to me. am provisionally trying to put together a week in france or spain or portugal sometime at the end of the year or at the beginning of 2014. will see how it goes.
i can be a bit of a snob when it comes to music and i do look down on bubble gum, chart, pop music as being shit, which most of it is. this is ok though. they play it at my gym and it sounds ok.
i am a contractor. i am here to do a job and get paid. thats it and i like it that way. when i listen to them legitimately complaining about shit, i do feel glad that i am not a permie. i have been asked by a couple of guys there about contracting and what its like and if they should do it. i always try to be truthful and tell them it has its good parts and bad parts, but when there is work out there and you dont have too big a gap between jobs and the market is bouyant, then its great and it suits me down to the ground. i have gotten used to be the newbie and not knowing anyone in a new job. i dont mind asking questions and it does not hurt my ego to do so. i dont need to show off or be seen to be important and i am not chasing a bonus or a promotion.
we are in september and this is usually the time i would be going to california, but i cant this year. i cant really justify it even if i could take the time off work, which i cant. there are projects and stuff going on and i cant leave it for a week. i would not want to even ask, because i know it would not look good. anyways, i have been lucky because we have had the best summer since 2006 and its been beautiful most days for the last couple of months solid. the gods smiled on me and knew that if could not go to california sunshine, then they would bring california sunshine to me. am provisionally trying to put together a week in france or spain or portugal sometime at the end of the year or at the beginning of 2014. will see how it goes.
i can be a bit of a snob when it comes to music and i do look down on bubble gum, chart, pop music as being shit, which most of it is. this is ok though. they play it at my gym and it sounds ok.
Sunday 18 August 2013
book of james
one of the reasons i dont really like to go to the pub with people i am working with is because i always have to hold my tongue and cant say what i think. its sad but true. i dont think people like me are supposed to be working in investment banks and hedge funds because i just look at the people i work with and my brain works in a completely different way to most of the people there.
i dont love shopping, i dont drive a flashy car, i dont post on facebook every detail of my life, i dont think i am better than other people, i have completely different priorities for the money i earn and what i spend it on.
here is an example of why i dont get into conversations with these people. one of the guys has started seeing a new girl. his divorce only came through a couple of weeks ago but already he is smitten with this new girl. he bought himself a new car for 37,000 about a year ago. 5 months ago he bought her a new car for 17,000 and last week he bought another car for 22,000 for her because she did not like the first car her bought her and she wanted something better. he borrowed the money for all these cars, as he has little savings and despite being very well paid, he lives hand to mouth. he is also thinking of moving in with the girl. he asked me what i thought of the the situation. i did not really say anything but just said, yes, you need to think about it and hopefully it goes well. nothing basically.
what i really would have said was, you bought a girl you have been going out with for a few months, 2 cars for £39,000 and she was previously declared bankrupt so could not get finance or the money to borrow it herself. are you mental??!!!. you are thinking now of moving in with her and your divorce only came through a couple of weeks ago. she has been married twice before. are you fucking mental??!!!. its been months. stop and think rationally about this. there is no need to commit to this so soon and in such a big way....but rationality and thinking of the future is not something you really think about, because if you did, you would not have pissed up the wall the thick end of a million pounds over the last 10 years, and you are left ringing around banks to borrow the money for these cars because you have little money saved up. where did all the money go?. well it went on £4,000 TV, £76,000 on 3 cars just this year, £1,600/month rent for a waterfront apartment in canary wharf, £4,000 on 2 laptops this year, £2,000 on 2 pairs of headphones and god only knows what else.
maybe its because my dad worked for the post office for 37 years and we did not have luxuries and lots of money to throw around when i was growing up, but i just find profligate spending the habits of people a bit strange. maybe thats how they were raised or maybe they need to buy lots of things to make themselves feel better. also, you are going out with a girl for a few months and you bought her 2 cars?. i dont know her and i dont want to call her a gold digger or say anything against her, but firstly she should not even be asking for that shit, and secondly, alarm bells should be ringing in his head when it even comes up in a conversation. the sex must be phenomenal because he appears either distracted or unable to think rationally.
i could be wrong but i dont think there is going to be a happy ending. even if she can give up the spending and cars, he is just as spend happy and he needs to earn a lot more than 100,000 a year to make ends meet. in a time of high unemployment and millions of people struggling it does demonstrate what a bubble the world of high finance is. its not connected to the real world, and i have met hundred of people in this industry and i can count on my fingers how many 'normal' and sensible and humble people i have met.
this is why i tend not to go the pub with them, because it means i have to listen to talk about the price of audi's, or whats the best new TV out, or golf or holidays in tuscany or skiiing in st moritz. i listen quietly and have nothing to say and just thank the stars i am not worried about getting finance on my 3rd car this year, or paying off my wedding loan after my divorce (the finance on your marriage ceremony was longer than your marriage), or buying a girl an audi a3 and she drives it for 5 months and then tells me she wants an A5 now.
most of western society is based on rampant consumerism and money. people have no worth in themselves. its how much money they earn and what car they have and how big their house is, that we are taught to aspire to. that is the measure of success and happiness. in the world of finance this is magnified even more and these are the driving forces by nearly everyone in the industry, and i might be a hypocrite for working in it, but the thing is, i am only faking it. it is a place where an average joe who is nothing special (me) can earn an inflated salary. the deal is you are then supposed to worship the industry and people in it and the values it promotes. i don't. i see it for the illusion that it is. if i had more conviction i would refuse to work in hedge funds and banks but i saw my dad spend 37 years working as a postman and i saw how hard it was. i dont think i can do what he did. he was twice the man i am and will ever be, but i also saw he earned his money to take care of his family and not trivial trinkets that were to be worn to show off to others. i will carry on with his philosophy and i have no interest in it, even though i am supposed to, as they have let me in to their circle.
everyone has problems and things that are important to them. mine are not cars or tv's or begging money from banks despite earning a six figure salary. mine are more important that that and actually thats something to be thankful for.
i dont love shopping, i dont drive a flashy car, i dont post on facebook every detail of my life, i dont think i am better than other people, i have completely different priorities for the money i earn and what i spend it on.
here is an example of why i dont get into conversations with these people. one of the guys has started seeing a new girl. his divorce only came through a couple of weeks ago but already he is smitten with this new girl. he bought himself a new car for 37,000 about a year ago. 5 months ago he bought her a new car for 17,000 and last week he bought another car for 22,000 for her because she did not like the first car her bought her and she wanted something better. he borrowed the money for all these cars, as he has little savings and despite being very well paid, he lives hand to mouth. he is also thinking of moving in with the girl. he asked me what i thought of the the situation. i did not really say anything but just said, yes, you need to think about it and hopefully it goes well. nothing basically.
what i really would have said was, you bought a girl you have been going out with for a few months, 2 cars for £39,000 and she was previously declared bankrupt so could not get finance or the money to borrow it herself. are you mental??!!!. you are thinking now of moving in with her and your divorce only came through a couple of weeks ago. she has been married twice before. are you fucking mental??!!!. its been months. stop and think rationally about this. there is no need to commit to this so soon and in such a big way....but rationality and thinking of the future is not something you really think about, because if you did, you would not have pissed up the wall the thick end of a million pounds over the last 10 years, and you are left ringing around banks to borrow the money for these cars because you have little money saved up. where did all the money go?. well it went on £4,000 TV, £76,000 on 3 cars just this year, £1,600/month rent for a waterfront apartment in canary wharf, £4,000 on 2 laptops this year, £2,000 on 2 pairs of headphones and god only knows what else.
maybe its because my dad worked for the post office for 37 years and we did not have luxuries and lots of money to throw around when i was growing up, but i just find profligate spending the habits of people a bit strange. maybe thats how they were raised or maybe they need to buy lots of things to make themselves feel better. also, you are going out with a girl for a few months and you bought her 2 cars?. i dont know her and i dont want to call her a gold digger or say anything against her, but firstly she should not even be asking for that shit, and secondly, alarm bells should be ringing in his head when it even comes up in a conversation. the sex must be phenomenal because he appears either distracted or unable to think rationally.
i could be wrong but i dont think there is going to be a happy ending. even if she can give up the spending and cars, he is just as spend happy and he needs to earn a lot more than 100,000 a year to make ends meet. in a time of high unemployment and millions of people struggling it does demonstrate what a bubble the world of high finance is. its not connected to the real world, and i have met hundred of people in this industry and i can count on my fingers how many 'normal' and sensible and humble people i have met.
this is why i tend not to go the pub with them, because it means i have to listen to talk about the price of audi's, or whats the best new TV out, or golf or holidays in tuscany or skiiing in st moritz. i listen quietly and have nothing to say and just thank the stars i am not worried about getting finance on my 3rd car this year, or paying off my wedding loan after my divorce (the finance on your marriage ceremony was longer than your marriage), or buying a girl an audi a3 and she drives it for 5 months and then tells me she wants an A5 now.
most of western society is based on rampant consumerism and money. people have no worth in themselves. its how much money they earn and what car they have and how big their house is, that we are taught to aspire to. that is the measure of success and happiness. in the world of finance this is magnified even more and these are the driving forces by nearly everyone in the industry, and i might be a hypocrite for working in it, but the thing is, i am only faking it. it is a place where an average joe who is nothing special (me) can earn an inflated salary. the deal is you are then supposed to worship the industry and people in it and the values it promotes. i don't. i see it for the illusion that it is. if i had more conviction i would refuse to work in hedge funds and banks but i saw my dad spend 37 years working as a postman and i saw how hard it was. i dont think i can do what he did. he was twice the man i am and will ever be, but i also saw he earned his money to take care of his family and not trivial trinkets that were to be worn to show off to others. i will carry on with his philosophy and i have no interest in it, even though i am supposed to, as they have let me in to their circle.
everyone has problems and things that are important to them. mine are not cars or tv's or begging money from banks despite earning a six figure salary. mine are more important that that and actually thats something to be thankful for.
Saturday 10 August 2013
Five-O
got pulled over by five-O today whilst cycling to the gym. they were in a car and even gave a blast of their siren to tell me to stop. there had been a few people walking across a zebra crossing and as the last person crossing had walked halfway across i just rode behind them and across the crossing and down the road. i was not going ridiculously fast, i did not even get close to hitting anyone, and i passed behind them. the policeman who pulled me over said i should have waited for them to completely cross the road before i cycled across. yeah!, bollocks!. i just nodded my head and said yes, ok and carried on.
due to a random twist of fate i find myself not being black and so i tend not to get stopped by the police or have much interaction with them, but from the few times i have had to deal with them or seen them in action, they have been useless and on one occasion, possibly criminal. they refused to come round one time an old guy had been stopped for money around the corner from my house. he had gone to the nearest house, ours, and was shaken up and wanted me to call the police for him. i did and they refused to come out. 20 minute phone call later, the both of us managed to persuade them to come and see this old man and also to check the area for the guys that had tried to get money off him.
a few years ago i was walking home from a night out with some work friends and was walking to the tube station along a dark street. in front of me was a police van and 3 or 4 officers. they had hold of a guy, who appeared drunk and was handcuffed. as they led him to the back of the van which had its doors open they clearly and deliberately pushed him hard, so that his knees hit the rear bumper of the van, and because his hands were behind his back, he fell face first into the van. i heard his face slam into the floor of the van. i dont know what happened before, but he was not resisting and being aggressive as they led him to the van and they deliberately took a run up and pushed him face first. i remember being shocked at what they did, and clearly remember thinking to myself, who would i report that to, if the guy was hurt. i cant call the police on the police. maybe i should have done or said something but i just walked passed them and got my train. its their word against mine and we know how that goes. just ask jean charles de menezes
one of the guys i work with is a volunteer police officer on weekends. he has a wife and 3 kids and spends his whole week working at the firm and then in his free time he is a copper. jeez, you must not really like your wife and kids if you want to spend your weekends away from your family when you dont have to. he also talks about who he 'nicked' and what is legal and what is not. stupid shit that i really do not give a fuck about but i think, he thinks it makes him look impressive or cool, but it does not. he is a nice guy but he can occasionally fall into that slightly patronising tone that policemen can sometime have.
being in the force must be similar to working in an investment bank. dont think, just follow these rules and make sure everyone else does. dont ever question the rules and even if you think one of the rules is stupid, remember that it was created by someone probably cleverer and better paid than you and they know best.
due to a random twist of fate i find myself not being black and so i tend not to get stopped by the police or have much interaction with them, but from the few times i have had to deal with them or seen them in action, they have been useless and on one occasion, possibly criminal. they refused to come round one time an old guy had been stopped for money around the corner from my house. he had gone to the nearest house, ours, and was shaken up and wanted me to call the police for him. i did and they refused to come out. 20 minute phone call later, the both of us managed to persuade them to come and see this old man and also to check the area for the guys that had tried to get money off him.
a few years ago i was walking home from a night out with some work friends and was walking to the tube station along a dark street. in front of me was a police van and 3 or 4 officers. they had hold of a guy, who appeared drunk and was handcuffed. as they led him to the back of the van which had its doors open they clearly and deliberately pushed him hard, so that his knees hit the rear bumper of the van, and because his hands were behind his back, he fell face first into the van. i heard his face slam into the floor of the van. i dont know what happened before, but he was not resisting and being aggressive as they led him to the van and they deliberately took a run up and pushed him face first. i remember being shocked at what they did, and clearly remember thinking to myself, who would i report that to, if the guy was hurt. i cant call the police on the police. maybe i should have done or said something but i just walked passed them and got my train. its their word against mine and we know how that goes. just ask jean charles de menezes
one of the guys i work with is a volunteer police officer on weekends. he has a wife and 3 kids and spends his whole week working at the firm and then in his free time he is a copper. jeez, you must not really like your wife and kids if you want to spend your weekends away from your family when you dont have to. he also talks about who he 'nicked' and what is legal and what is not. stupid shit that i really do not give a fuck about but i think, he thinks it makes him look impressive or cool, but it does not. he is a nice guy but he can occasionally fall into that slightly patronising tone that policemen can sometime have.
being in the force must be similar to working in an investment bank. dont think, just follow these rules and make sure everyone else does. dont ever question the rules and even if you think one of the rules is stupid, remember that it was created by someone probably cleverer and better paid than you and they know best.
Friday 9 August 2013
bite the hand
new job is going ok. the first few weeks are always a little difficult just getting your head around everything and i am sure it will be difficult for a while longer. the firm seem to be at that point where they are transitioning from being a small self run IT team to one that actually has grown and needs to be managed properly.
they have got shitloads of money for a relatively small firm and have 3par SAN and lots of virtualisation but they also had an outage the other day because someone forgot to pay the bill on one of their leased lines and their monthly backups failed as well. they have clearly grown a lot recently but they missed some fundamental things. by the look of it, all of the gaps will be addressed over the next 6 months as they put in a new backup system and get a new DR site. it should be interesting.
they are also very friendly which is a bit strange for me being the contractor. part of the reason i like being a contractor is so that i can just got to work, do my job and then try and forget about it. these guys are always inviting me to drinks and lunches which is nice of them, but for the most part, i cant be arsed. as a contractor i always have to watch what i say and i cant really relax around them, like i can with my friends who dont work there. i will slowly get used to it because i can not keep saying i am busy and not go out with them to the pub.
seeing as their is no california for me this year, i thought i would try and put together a road trip around europe for around 8 or 9 days. paris, madrid, barcelona, milan, paris might be a good one. lots of football games to potentially see, but also a lot of driving. will see how it evolves and what the fixtures are.
they have got shitloads of money for a relatively small firm and have 3par SAN and lots of virtualisation but they also had an outage the other day because someone forgot to pay the bill on one of their leased lines and their monthly backups failed as well. they have clearly grown a lot recently but they missed some fundamental things. by the look of it, all of the gaps will be addressed over the next 6 months as they put in a new backup system and get a new DR site. it should be interesting.
they are also very friendly which is a bit strange for me being the contractor. part of the reason i like being a contractor is so that i can just got to work, do my job and then try and forget about it. these guys are always inviting me to drinks and lunches which is nice of them, but for the most part, i cant be arsed. as a contractor i always have to watch what i say and i cant really relax around them, like i can with my friends who dont work there. i will slowly get used to it because i can not keep saying i am busy and not go out with them to the pub.
seeing as their is no california for me this year, i thought i would try and put together a road trip around europe for around 8 or 9 days. paris, madrid, barcelona, milan, paris might be a good one. lots of football games to potentially see, but also a lot of driving. will see how it evolves and what the fixtures are.
Saturday 27 July 2013
climbing up the walls
started my job and i have been there a week. its been fine. first weeks are always a bit slow and there is a settling in process but it seems ok. i am not counting the days till i leave and i have nothing to complain about.
weather has been amazing as it has been for the last 3 or 4 weeks. beautiful sunny days and today we had persistent rain for the first time in ages, but seeing as we had hardly any for a month, it was fine and almost welcome. i just get annoyed when it rains for months on end.
seeing as the job is going ok, it means i am almost certainly not going to go to cali this year. i really can not justify spending that much on a holiday in a year where i have had 6 months off. i have the money but it just does not feel like the right thing to do. sometimes you wonder if you are doing the right thing, and i try and when i am not sure, i try to imagine what my dad would have done, and that usually decides it for me and makes me see sense and grounded.
today i have been listening to radiohead - climbing up the walls. there is a new single from one of my favourite bands, editors, but to be brutally honest, its a bit dull......and shit. they have just moved into the middle of the road along with a bunch of other popular british bands and its a bit dissapointing . i really tried hard to convince myself that it was a good song, but it just is not. self delusion is tied to irrationality and ignorance and closed thinking.
another example of self delusion and irrationality was when i recently heard someone on the radio arguing about the iraq war, and they finished the debate with the same question every time, "so you would rather still have saddam hussein ruling iraq?". aside from the obvious argument that its not up to us to decide who rules iraq and that other countries can not simply invade other countries whenever they feel like it, the other side of that question is "so you would kill 2 million people, displace 2.5 million refugees and spend a trillion dollars to get rid of saddam?" you have to be a bit self delusional to ignore millions of deaths.
self delusion is a dangerous thing. here is a clip of secretary of state albright in 1995 responding to a question about half a million children being killed.
weather has been amazing as it has been for the last 3 or 4 weeks. beautiful sunny days and today we had persistent rain for the first time in ages, but seeing as we had hardly any for a month, it was fine and almost welcome. i just get annoyed when it rains for months on end.
seeing as the job is going ok, it means i am almost certainly not going to go to cali this year. i really can not justify spending that much on a holiday in a year where i have had 6 months off. i have the money but it just does not feel like the right thing to do. sometimes you wonder if you are doing the right thing, and i try and when i am not sure, i try to imagine what my dad would have done, and that usually decides it for me and makes me see sense and grounded.
today i have been listening to radiohead - climbing up the walls. there is a new single from one of my favourite bands, editors, but to be brutally honest, its a bit dull......and shit. they have just moved into the middle of the road along with a bunch of other popular british bands and its a bit dissapointing . i really tried hard to convince myself that it was a good song, but it just is not. self delusion is tied to irrationality and ignorance and closed thinking.
another example of self delusion and irrationality was when i recently heard someone on the radio arguing about the iraq war, and they finished the debate with the same question every time, "so you would rather still have saddam hussein ruling iraq?". aside from the obvious argument that its not up to us to decide who rules iraq and that other countries can not simply invade other countries whenever they feel like it, the other side of that question is "so you would kill 2 million people, displace 2.5 million refugees and spend a trillion dollars to get rid of saddam?" you have to be a bit self delusional to ignore millions of deaths.
self delusion is a dangerous thing. here is a clip of secretary of state albright in 1995 responding to a question about half a million children being killed.
Friday 19 July 2013
swim deep
went for my interview at the investment firm yesterday and in the afternoon they called me up and made me an offer which i accepted immediately. its a lovely office in a nice part of town and there are a couple of guys there that i already know from previous contracts. the work sounds like it will be challenging but interesting and it means i will not be spending the next 6 months decommissioning old NT4 servers which was one of the tasks they said i would be doing at the other contract i accepted. i am well pleased with how its worked out.
as is always the way, after having nothing come up for 8 months, i then got 2 offers in the space of 2 weeks and yesterday after i had accepted the contract, i got a call to arrange an interview at another large financial insititution. but i had already screwed one big bank yesterday and whilst i might be contracting scum, i could not being myself to potentially fuck over 2 places in quick succession, so i turned down the interview and told them i was off the market.
as is always the way, after having nothing come up for 8 months, i then got 2 offers in the space of 2 weeks and yesterday after i had accepted the contract, i got a call to arrange an interview at another large financial insititution. but i had already screwed one big bank yesterday and whilst i might be contracting scum, i could not being myself to potentially fuck over 2 places in quick succession, so i turned down the interview and told them i was off the market.
Wednesday 17 July 2013
please let me get what i want
sent off my contract accepting a job that i am really not looking forward to be doing for the next 6 months, and i have an interview tomorrow at a place to do a job i really want to do. i hope things pan out well and go as i hope they will.
Monday 15 July 2013
obscurity through bureaucracy
managed to stall the start date of my new job to next monday instead of what it was originally, which was today. they still have not finished all my security checks and for once all the bureaucracy has been a benefit in disguise as it buys me time to go on my interview on thursday and also to possibly not even have to start at the bank next monday, if i get an offer on friday. if i dont get an offer and they dont want me, then the bank will be none the wiser and we will start on monday and just grit our teeth and get through it.
had a plan in my head to maybe head out to LA in october to see Nine Inch Nails play but i dont think i will get to do my annual trip to cali this year. i might try and go see Neymar and Messi play one weekend in barcelona instead. i have had nearly a year off work and its a bit extravagant to be heading to cali. i know my dad would not have been too impressed. just because you can does not mean you should or its the right thing to do.
had a plan in my head to maybe head out to LA in october to see Nine Inch Nails play but i dont think i will get to do my annual trip to cali this year. i might try and go see Neymar and Messi play one weekend in barcelona instead. i have had nearly a year off work and its a bit extravagant to be heading to cali. i know my dad would not have been too impressed. just because you can does not mean you should or its the right thing to do.
the weather has been unbelievably good the last 10 days or so. lovely sunny days, girls wearing skimpy outfits and getting tans. london is good in the sunshine. its just the 11 other months of darkness and cold that are shit.
i was going to post the new white lies single but actually i prefer this song from a couple of years ago.
Wednesday 10 July 2013
next week
got an interview next week. perfect fucking timing. i am free this week and but they want to see me next week which is going to be my first week at a new contract.
i will have to duck out for a couple of hours or take a half day. if i get it, then great because i will resign immediately but if i dont i will have made myself look a little unprofessional by taking a half day off work in the first week of a new contract. thats a not a good look. please please let me land it.
this is the 4th great single from the latest stereophonics album. this is fucking good.
i will have to duck out for a couple of hours or take a half day. if i get it, then great because i will resign immediately but if i dont i will have made myself look a little unprofessional by taking a half day off work in the first week of a new contract. thats a not a good look. please please let me land it.
this is the 4th great single from the latest stereophonics album. this is fucking good.
nobody knows
am not going to give a running commentary on it as it could all go to shit, but its touch and go as to whether i have managed to extricate myself from the boring contract at the bank i am supposed to be starting next monday. hopefully something happens this week. in the meantime i am still going through the mother of all security checks which is still in process. its like i am getting a job where i will be getting nuclear codes or access to david camerons personal emails to rupert murdoch, but they seem to be being very fastidious.
i always complain about the shitty weather, but its been stunning for the last week. this town looks so much nicer in the sun. am training like a beast, been riding my bike and lingerie model was at the gym last week. i really cant complain.
this is paul brady - nobody knows. awesome song.
i always complain about the shitty weather, but its been stunning for the last week. this town looks so much nicer in the sun. am training like a beast, been riding my bike and lingerie model was at the gym last week. i really cant complain.
this is paul brady - nobody knows. awesome song.
Thursday 4 July 2013
the cross
got a couple of calls about contracts that might give me an escape from the shit boring contract i am due to start in less than 2 weeks. also got another email and they want even more information for the security checks. i would not be surprised if they asked me for a bottle of piss, fingerprints and some dna soon. it really is quite ridiculous. hopefully one of the 2 possible opportunities comes through. please please please.
this is phenomenal.
this is phenomenal.
Tuesday 2 July 2013
victories at sea
no news from anywhere else regarding getting another contract but i am working on the assumption that if i get another contract elsewhere it will be a bonus and that its likely that i will have to start at the bank that has given me the offer i currently have. i am still going through security checks which are a bit of a mission. if only they had been so careful in monitoring the size of the risk on their books and their capital ratios and the quality of some of the mortgage backed securities on their balance sheets, then maybe governments around the world might have saved themselves a trillion or two.
it was the glastonbury festival last weekend and i watched a bit of it on tv in the hope i might be surprised or discover something new and interesting. er.....i did not. arctic monkeys were bland as the headline act on the friday night. i have posted at least one of their singles on this blog but a lot of their stuff is a bit boring which they demonstrated on friday evening. i watched the rolling stones and despite all the reviews in the press saying how amazing they were, i thought they were boring as well. songs ended with 4 minutes jam sessions which were so dull. not being ageist but 70 year old men dancing and swaggering on stage is not a good look. it can be done with dignity like john lee hooker and bb king, but those fellas dont jump around and strike poses in a vain parody of their youths. editors were there and i watched a bit of them. they were ok but i have seen them play live twice and both times they were better in their own shows. last night it was mumford and sons and i posted their debut single on this blog, but a bit like the arctic monkeys, a good single or two, does not make a great band, and i could not even bring myself to watch them. they have become sooooooo dull.
here is some new fresh music by a band called victories at sea. i quite like this.
it was the glastonbury festival last weekend and i watched a bit of it on tv in the hope i might be surprised or discover something new and interesting. er.....i did not. arctic monkeys were bland as the headline act on the friday night. i have posted at least one of their singles on this blog but a lot of their stuff is a bit boring which they demonstrated on friday evening. i watched the rolling stones and despite all the reviews in the press saying how amazing they were, i thought they were boring as well. songs ended with 4 minutes jam sessions which were so dull. not being ageist but 70 year old men dancing and swaggering on stage is not a good look. it can be done with dignity like john lee hooker and bb king, but those fellas dont jump around and strike poses in a vain parody of their youths. editors were there and i watched a bit of them. they were ok but i have seen them play live twice and both times they were better in their own shows. last night it was mumford and sons and i posted their debut single on this blog, but a bit like the arctic monkeys, a good single or two, does not make a great band, and i could not even bring myself to watch them. they have become sooooooo dull.
here is some new fresh music by a band called victories at sea. i quite like this.
Monday 24 June 2013
shine
there was a point last week after i accepted the contract at the bank that i wanted to change my mind and tell them i was not going to do it after all. i know exactly what is ahead of me and i know its going to be shit. i then went to the gym and had a think about it a bit more. its good to clear your mind and exercise and its condusive to clear thinking. anyways, after my work out i decided that actually i would not back out and just do it but that i would put on a full court press to find something else in the next 3 weeks before i start. sometimes you just need to step back and think clearly about things without any distractions and the gym is a really good place for that. its no coincidence that i study more when i train harder.
actually there is one distraction at the gym. lingerie model was working out on sunday as well. i got talking to her a couple of weeks ago and it was hard to hold a conversation because she has had a boob job and its spectacular. anyways, she was there again this weekend but i just waved and nodded. its hard to concentrate on what she is saying when i talk to her. will catch up with her next time i see her there.
also as is usually the case, my phone has started ringing off the hook all of a sudden. there are a few other contracts going at other places and i will take any of them if they come through. will see how it goes. even if something comes up after i start at the bank, its no bother. i also had to fill in the forms for all the security checks that i have to go through and it took about 3 hours to fill all the forms in. welcome back to the world of mind numbing bureaucracy. something is going to come up soon. i can feel it.
today its depeche mode - shine. this is an album track from the exciter album. glastonbury festival is on next weekend and will be populated by middle class cunts who are into middle of the road shite that gets played on radio 1. the headliners are the rolling stones, mumford and sons and arctic monkeys. i rest my case. depeche mode should have been headlining. they have 3 decades of material and are an important british band, but i guess they probably fall into that middle ground where they are not elder statesman of music nor bright young things that 18 years olds are into. i am glad they are not there. i feel cooler for liking them and they are cooler for not being there. they are still producing new material and not just living off 'everything counts' or 'enjoy the silence'.
turn the lights down and the music up and enjoy the beautiful sounds and lyrics of one the best bands in the history of british music.
actually there is one distraction at the gym. lingerie model was working out on sunday as well. i got talking to her a couple of weeks ago and it was hard to hold a conversation because she has had a boob job and its spectacular. anyways, she was there again this weekend but i just waved and nodded. its hard to concentrate on what she is saying when i talk to her. will catch up with her next time i see her there.
also as is usually the case, my phone has started ringing off the hook all of a sudden. there are a few other contracts going at other places and i will take any of them if they come through. will see how it goes. even if something comes up after i start at the bank, its no bother. i also had to fill in the forms for all the security checks that i have to go through and it took about 3 hours to fill all the forms in. welcome back to the world of mind numbing bureaucracy. something is going to come up soon. i can feel it.
today its depeche mode - shine. this is an album track from the exciter album. glastonbury festival is on next weekend and will be populated by middle class cunts who are into middle of the road shite that gets played on radio 1. the headliners are the rolling stones, mumford and sons and arctic monkeys. i rest my case. depeche mode should have been headlining. they have 3 decades of material and are an important british band, but i guess they probably fall into that middle ground where they are not elder statesman of music nor bright young things that 18 years olds are into. i am glad they are not there. i feel cooler for liking them and they are cooler for not being there. they are still producing new material and not just living off 'everything counts' or 'enjoy the silence'.
turn the lights down and the music up and enjoy the beautiful sounds and lyrics of one the best bands in the history of british music.
Saturday 22 June 2013
editors
fuck me, you would have thought i was going for a job at the NSA. i have to go through a shit load of security checks. i have been through it for every contract and i had forgotten how much of it there is. its fucking shitloads. i have also been applying for other contracts. when the guys that are interviewing you are telling you that its a shit boring job, you know its bad. i still hold out hope of doing an interesting job one day although i do not think that will happen at any of the large banks in london. oh well. we live in hope.
i downloaded the new editors album and like the first single, it sounds ok, but just a bit conventional. it does not sound strange or dark or interesting or original. it sounds well produced and well performed but just a bit 'middle of the road'. i have not heard the whole album yet, so i might change my mind on more listens.
this was the first single from their last album. this is strange and dark and interesting.
i downloaded the new editors album and like the first single, it sounds ok, but just a bit conventional. it does not sound strange or dark or interesting or original. it sounds well produced and well performed but just a bit 'middle of the road'. i have not heard the whole album yet, so i might change my mind on more listens.
this was the first single from their last album. this is strange and dark and interesting.
Friday 21 June 2013
lux aeterna
a couple of things. first up i got offered a new contract today. its at another large bank, which readers of this blog will know i hate working at. strangely enough, the 3 people that interviewed me for the job all told me it was going to be a boring contract and pretty shit. never had an interview where the people actually say its a shit boring job, so it really must be. on the flip side, the pay is ok, and although i dont need the money, i do need to work, if that makes any sense. i can not be just bumming around decorating the house and fixing stuff. i would actually like to go out and do a job. the money is secondary, though relevant, but not the primary reason.
secondly, my friend who told me he had go the job at the hedge fund, (and which his friend torpedo'd me for ), actually may have jumped the gun a bit. turns out that 2 weeks after he expected to get an offer, one still has not been officially put to him. to add insult to injury, his current contract which was going to be renewed will now not be. one minute it looks like you have 2 jobs and the next you have none. oh, well, i hope he did what any sensible contractor would do and saved his money and created a buffer. actually, i know what he did and he did not do that. that fella spends money like crazy.
anyways, the new job wants me to start on july 15th. as usual i have to go through a shit load of security checks. i will spend the next 3 weeks still on the market and if anything better comes up i will take it, but if not i will go with this place. i am not going to turn anything down and whilst it might be boring and dull, i will concentrate on the positives. lots of people get paid miles less to be stuck in jobs they hate. perspective on how lucky i am is something i need to keep reminding myself. also, its about 35 minutes on the train and i have a ton of books piling up that i want to read so will get to do that on the train for an hour every day, and maybe lunchtimes as well. i might not learn much about computers but i will learn more about angola, the taliban, and latin america.
this is a phenomenal piece for music from the film, requiem for a dream.
Friday 14 June 2013
Tuesday 11 June 2013
swimming with sharks
its like swimming with sharks out there in the cut throat world of IT contractors. a few weeks ago i wrote this post, fuckers, where a friend of mine tried to fuck me over for a job that he was going for. in it i said that "if he ends up getting the job in a few weeks time it will confirm that he was behind all the shit"
well, i got a mail from him yesterday saying it looked like he had landed that contract. i asked him how he fared in the technical test and he said it was ok but he missed out all the exchange and citrix sections, which is similar to me, although i did answer 2 out of the 5 questions on the exchange section correctly, whereas he missed them altogether because he has never done any messaging.
i am pretty sure i did better than him overall on the test so it would be appear that the pissing in the ear of the manager there has worked and i have been fucked.
he once mentioned in a conversation about another interview that they had asked him obscure cisco routing and switching questions and when i asked what kind, he mentioned that he had been asked to explain what a class A,B,C address was, why they were organised like that, subnetting, and what the broadcast and network addresses were of various network subnets. jesus wept, that is basic TCP/IP. fuck me backwards that is IT 101. christ , i thought they were going to ask you how you would enable spanning tree on some switches or configure EIGRP on a router. thats cisco shit. what you were asked is basic IP.
i might not be able to list off the top of my head what the difference is between Exchange 2007 and 2010 (because i have never used 2007) or the difference between Win2008 and 2008R2 (because i always used to patch and update win2008 to the latest level and when r2 came out, the latest iteration would always be used whether it was specified or not by anyone, but TCP/IP and subnetting is the basis of all connected computers in every network.
who cares really that its iis7 in 2008 and 7.5 in r2 or that its hyper v1 in 2008 and v2 in r2. you use the latest one. i never get asked to install windows 2003 anywhere. always use the latest. its got the latest patches and the latest updates and is most secure. no one would choose an older OS.
its also a little galling seeing as i helped him get into his current contract when he was out of work and i briefed him on what the interview would be like, after going through it myself, and turning down the offer from that bank because i had already accepted another contract elsewhere at the time.
a lesson has been learned. dont trust contractors. they would sell their mothers for money and would fuck over anyone, even people that help them get jobs. one of the very few exceptions is Edward Snowdon.
at some point in recent history popular music became bland and safe. there are very few bands doing anything original that are getting exposure on tv or mainstream radio. the airwaves are full of middle of the road generic bands like mumford and sons, foo fighters, kings of leon, beady eye, miles kane, jake bugg, etc, but it was not always like this. there was a time when there were songs getting into the charts that had lyrics that were a social commentary on slumlords profiteering by exploiting vulnerable people and even name dropping nazi war criminals. this is carter the unstoppable sex machine - sherrif fatman.
well, i got a mail from him yesterday saying it looked like he had landed that contract. i asked him how he fared in the technical test and he said it was ok but he missed out all the exchange and citrix sections, which is similar to me, although i did answer 2 out of the 5 questions on the exchange section correctly, whereas he missed them altogether because he has never done any messaging.
i am pretty sure i did better than him overall on the test so it would be appear that the pissing in the ear of the manager there has worked and i have been fucked.
he once mentioned in a conversation about another interview that they had asked him obscure cisco routing and switching questions and when i asked what kind, he mentioned that he had been asked to explain what a class A,B,C address was, why they were organised like that, subnetting, and what the broadcast and network addresses were of various network subnets. jesus wept, that is basic TCP/IP. fuck me backwards that is IT 101. christ , i thought they were going to ask you how you would enable spanning tree on some switches or configure EIGRP on a router. thats cisco shit. what you were asked is basic IP.
i might not be able to list off the top of my head what the difference is between Exchange 2007 and 2010 (because i have never used 2007) or the difference between Win2008 and 2008R2 (because i always used to patch and update win2008 to the latest level and when r2 came out, the latest iteration would always be used whether it was specified or not by anyone, but TCP/IP and subnetting is the basis of all connected computers in every network.
who cares really that its iis7 in 2008 and 7.5 in r2 or that its hyper v1 in 2008 and v2 in r2. you use the latest one. i never get asked to install windows 2003 anywhere. always use the latest. its got the latest patches and the latest updates and is most secure. no one would choose an older OS.
its also a little galling seeing as i helped him get into his current contract when he was out of work and i briefed him on what the interview would be like, after going through it myself, and turning down the offer from that bank because i had already accepted another contract elsewhere at the time.
a lesson has been learned. dont trust contractors. they would sell their mothers for money and would fuck over anyone, even people that help them get jobs. one of the very few exceptions is Edward Snowdon.
at some point in recent history popular music became bland and safe. there are very few bands doing anything original that are getting exposure on tv or mainstream radio. the airwaves are full of middle of the road generic bands like mumford and sons, foo fighters, kings of leon, beady eye, miles kane, jake bugg, etc, but it was not always like this. there was a time when there were songs getting into the charts that had lyrics that were a social commentary on slumlords profiteering by exploiting vulnerable people and even name dropping nazi war criminals. this is carter the unstoppable sex machine - sherrif fatman.
Sunday 9 June 2013
Sunday 2 June 2013
Tuesday 21 May 2013
cunts everywhere
still no word from the hedge fund i interviewed at over a month ago. they clearly dont want me, but you would think that if you went to the effort of calling someone in and interviewing them face to face, you would have the manners to tell them if you did not want them, as opposed to just forgetting about them and not even bothering to inform them they have not got the job. its just professional manners. fuck 'em!.
anyways, had a few more calls this week about other jobs, but fuck me!, its tiring having to speak to recruitment agents. without wanting to make a sweeping broad generalisations about them, i would say that 99% of them are thick as pig shit, bullshitting cunts.
one guy said he had a role at an asset management firm and told me it was paying £400/day. i said that was fine. about 2 hours later another agent called me about the same role and said it was paying £480/day. the first agent called me again this morning and i mentioned that another agent told me they were paying 480/day. he agreed they were but said that he did not want to go in at the top rate because he always tried to do the best for his client (the asset mgmt firm). the relationship was important to him and if he took care of them it could mean lots more business for him in the future. he told me that. you do your best for the client, but not me!!???. who the fuck am i?. oh yes, thats right, i am the fuckwit that actually does the work and has the skills and who earns the money for you.
anyways, i told him that was interesting justification and left it at that. i could have told him that i did not give a fuck about his client, and this is my job and how i earn my money and this is not a fucking hobby for me and that without contractors he would earn nothing, but i did not. its not necessary to say what you are actually thinking all the time. actually, most of the time when you are dealing with idiots. its something i have gotten a lot of practice at whilst working in some of the brain vacuum organisations full of people who cant/wont/refuse to think.
speaking of walking away from a confrontation, i had some cock sucker in a post office van tail gate me into the supermarket this afternoon as i was driving there to do some shopping. he then made a gesture (wanker) as he drove past me. i then noticed he parked his van and i got out my car and started running towards where he had pulled in. i was about to words to the effect of "who are you calling a wanker you fat bald cunt!" but i supposed the 15 seconds it took me to get to his van made me think about what i was doing. what was really going to happen?.
a: we swear and curse at each other in the middle of a sainsbury's car park at 5pm in the afternoon.
b: we start swinging at each other, though seeing as he was an old fat cunt who drove a van for a living, there was no fucking way i would lose.
c: he apologises profusely - very unlikely.
anyways, as i got to his van, by which time he was walking into the store, with me walking fast behind him and with mouth full of expletives, i let it go. if i am going to have a fight its not going to be in a supermarket down the road from where i live, against a fat bald cunt who drives a post office van, all because he called me a wanker.
one of my favourite films is 25th hour which stars ed norton as someone about to go to jail and its his final day of freedom. in one scene a guy gives him some advice about going to prison and tells him "dont lose your temper till its time to lose your temper". wise words indeed.
i am off to the gym now. have been doing double sessions the last few weeks and am as strong as i have ever been. that dickhead in the post office van does not know how lucky he was.....oh, and as i was walking out the store i noticed that he had parked his van in a disabled bay. dickhead!.
anyways, had a few more calls this week about other jobs, but fuck me!, its tiring having to speak to recruitment agents. without wanting to make a sweeping broad generalisations about them, i would say that 99% of them are thick as pig shit, bullshitting cunts.
one guy said he had a role at an asset management firm and told me it was paying £400/day. i said that was fine. about 2 hours later another agent called me about the same role and said it was paying £480/day. the first agent called me again this morning and i mentioned that another agent told me they were paying 480/day. he agreed they were but said that he did not want to go in at the top rate because he always tried to do the best for his client (the asset mgmt firm). the relationship was important to him and if he took care of them it could mean lots more business for him in the future. he told me that. you do your best for the client, but not me!!???. who the fuck am i?. oh yes, thats right, i am the fuckwit that actually does the work and has the skills and who earns the money for you.
anyways, i told him that was interesting justification and left it at that. i could have told him that i did not give a fuck about his client, and this is my job and how i earn my money and this is not a fucking hobby for me and that without contractors he would earn nothing, but i did not. its not necessary to say what you are actually thinking all the time. actually, most of the time when you are dealing with idiots. its something i have gotten a lot of practice at whilst working in some of the brain vacuum organisations full of people who cant/wont/refuse to think.
speaking of walking away from a confrontation, i had some cock sucker in a post office van tail gate me into the supermarket this afternoon as i was driving there to do some shopping. he then made a gesture (wanker) as he drove past me. i then noticed he parked his van and i got out my car and started running towards where he had pulled in. i was about to words to the effect of "who are you calling a wanker you fat bald cunt!" but i supposed the 15 seconds it took me to get to his van made me think about what i was doing. what was really going to happen?.
a: we swear and curse at each other in the middle of a sainsbury's car park at 5pm in the afternoon.
b: we start swinging at each other, though seeing as he was an old fat cunt who drove a van for a living, there was no fucking way i would lose.
c: he apologises profusely - very unlikely.
anyways, as i got to his van, by which time he was walking into the store, with me walking fast behind him and with mouth full of expletives, i let it go. if i am going to have a fight its not going to be in a supermarket down the road from where i live, against a fat bald cunt who drives a post office van, all because he called me a wanker.
one of my favourite films is 25th hour which stars ed norton as someone about to go to jail and its his final day of freedom. in one scene a guy gives him some advice about going to prison and tells him "dont lose your temper till its time to lose your temper". wise words indeed.
i am off to the gym now. have been doing double sessions the last few weeks and am as strong as i have ever been. that dickhead in the post office van does not know how lucky he was.....oh, and as i was walking out the store i noticed that he had parked his van in a disabled bay. dickhead!.
Tuesday 7 May 2013
innapproriate
the guy that got his buddy to try and torpedo me for a job at the hedge fund we used to work at texted me today. he knew i had gone in there for an interview and asked me if i had any tips of what my come up in the technical test and interview. dude, we are both going for the same job and you already have a contract elsewhere. dont take the piss and dont ask me shit like that. why would i give you the answers to the technical test and give you an advantage over me?.
i dont want a reference and i dont want to be torpedoed. lets just both go to the interview and get judged on what we know. if i give you the answers and information about the tricky questions then you will look good and i will look shit. i thought it was an inappropriate question to ask me. i know you keep going on about your money troubles but you have been making 8 grand a month for about a year and if you choose to piss it up against the wall, that aint nothing to do with me. dont live like a 'baller. you are not.
if there are any jobs i hear about that i am not going for i always pass them on to him. thats how he got his current contract. i had interviewed at a bank but they took 4 weeks to make me an offer and in the meantime i had accepted another contract and so i suggested they call this guy as i knew he could do the job and he ended up starting there a week later. i am not shitting on anyone and will always pass on good leads about roles going anywhere. i am happy to go up against all the competition and if i am good enough, thats fine and if i am not, then thats fine too. i do wonder what might have happened if he had gone for the interview first at the hedge fund and then i asked him for 'some tips'.
in other news i made another 4 grand today, on top of the 12 grand i made on friday, on some shares that i thought were undervalued, and it turns out they were. at this rate i might start my own hedge fund. :-)
have been listening to the editors single a bit more and it is growing on me. its sounding a little less like u2 than it initially did, which is a good thing because i fucking hate u2. i have their albums upto achtung baby and then everything after that is horseshit.
here is some more good pop music. ian carey & rosette feat timbaland. they played this at the gym this evening. lingerie model was leaving just as i was going in. bad timing. i do like the view when training.
i dont want a reference and i dont want to be torpedoed. lets just both go to the interview and get judged on what we know. if i give you the answers and information about the tricky questions then you will look good and i will look shit. i thought it was an inappropriate question to ask me. i know you keep going on about your money troubles but you have been making 8 grand a month for about a year and if you choose to piss it up against the wall, that aint nothing to do with me. dont live like a 'baller. you are not.
if there are any jobs i hear about that i am not going for i always pass them on to him. thats how he got his current contract. i had interviewed at a bank but they took 4 weeks to make me an offer and in the meantime i had accepted another contract and so i suggested they call this guy as i knew he could do the job and he ended up starting there a week later. i am not shitting on anyone and will always pass on good leads about roles going anywhere. i am happy to go up against all the competition and if i am good enough, thats fine and if i am not, then thats fine too. i do wonder what might have happened if he had gone for the interview first at the hedge fund and then i asked him for 'some tips'.
in other news i made another 4 grand today, on top of the 12 grand i made on friday, on some shares that i thought were undervalued, and it turns out they were. at this rate i might start my own hedge fund. :-)
have been listening to the editors single a bit more and it is growing on me. its sounding a little less like u2 than it initially did, which is a good thing because i fucking hate u2. i have their albums upto achtung baby and then everything after that is horseshit.
here is some more good pop music. ian carey & rosette feat timbaland. they played this at the gym this evening. lingerie model was leaving just as i was going in. bad timing. i do like the view when training.
Monday 6 May 2013
a ton of love
first time this year that i was able to wear a t-shirt to cycle to the gym. actually its only the 3rd time i have not worn a jacket whilst cycling this year. its been shit weather so far and today was an exception. i was definitely faster as well as its easier to get heat into your legs and get your muscles up to operating temperature when its warm.
the new editors single got released today. am not too sure if i like it. it seems ok but not weird or particularly special. i hope they dont start moving into coldplay/u2 territory just knocking out generic tunes. maybe it will grow on me.
make your own minds up.
the new editors single got released today. am not too sure if i like it. it seems ok but not weird or particularly special. i hope they dont start moving into coldplay/u2 territory just knocking out generic tunes. maybe it will grow on me.
make your own minds up.
and here they are from their last album when they were a bit weird, interesting and dark.
lingerie model was also training at the gym this afternoon. life was good to me today. :-)
Sunday 5 May 2013
soothe my soul
no word on a contract anywhere yet and its a long weekend so i doubt anything will happen next week. also, i emailed the lawyer who is supposed to be dealing with my dads estate and will and he is not getting back to me. this has been going on now for 11 months!!!. fuck me, i hate lawyers almost as much as i hate recruitment agents. below is a list of things to look out for and if they cover one or more of them, then chances are high they could be a cunt.
- are they a lawyer/solicitor
- are they a recruitment agent
- do they drive a 2 door convertible bmw
- do they drive an audi
thats about it for the list. if anyone fulfills one of the categories above, then chances are high they could be a complete cunt and is nothing more than an oxygen thief. if anyone fulfills 2 of the categories above then they definitely are a cunt.
its supposed to be the hottest day of the year tomorrow. its a bank holiday and i am going to cycle to the gym and soak up the sun on the way. have given up on trying to set record times on the way to the gym on my bike. it was all getting too risky and dangerous using central london as a time trial course and it was only going to end in tears, or blood and broken bones at some point. i go quite quick where i can but i no longer take as many risks. self preservation.
today i have been listening to depeche mode - soothe my soul. new song and its wicked. it should be them that headline glastonbury festival not those old codgers the rolling stones. christ, they are all pushing 70. they are probably quite close to death but they still feel the need to humiliate themselves by playing rock music and charging exhorbitant ticket prices. how much money does anyone need?. mick is worth over a hundred million. someone should tell him that he cant take all the money with him when he dies. its just bits of paper with pictures on it. it dont mean shit in the afterlife.
had a good day trading on the markets on the friday just gone. i made 12 grand in a day. that made me feel better about not having a contract yet. could really do with a trip to california but i dont think it will happen this year. shit, do i miss LA.
- are they a lawyer/solicitor
- are they a recruitment agent
- do they drive a 2 door convertible bmw
- do they drive an audi
thats about it for the list. if anyone fulfills one of the categories above, then chances are high they could be a complete cunt and is nothing more than an oxygen thief. if anyone fulfills 2 of the categories above then they definitely are a cunt.
its supposed to be the hottest day of the year tomorrow. its a bank holiday and i am going to cycle to the gym and soak up the sun on the way. have given up on trying to set record times on the way to the gym on my bike. it was all getting too risky and dangerous using central london as a time trial course and it was only going to end in tears, or blood and broken bones at some point. i go quite quick where i can but i no longer take as many risks. self preservation.
today i have been listening to depeche mode - soothe my soul. new song and its wicked. it should be them that headline glastonbury festival not those old codgers the rolling stones. christ, they are all pushing 70. they are probably quite close to death but they still feel the need to humiliate themselves by playing rock music and charging exhorbitant ticket prices. how much money does anyone need?. mick is worth over a hundred million. someone should tell him that he cant take all the money with him when he dies. its just bits of paper with pictures on it. it dont mean shit in the afterlife.
had a good day trading on the markets on the friday just gone. i made 12 grand in a day. that made me feel better about not having a contract yet. could really do with a trip to california but i dont think it will happen this year. shit, do i miss LA.
Friday 26 April 2013
Fuck off Rupert
still no word from the hedge fund but the longer it goes the smaller the chances become. i also got a call about another contract and the agent went through the job spec and i said it sounded good. at the end he told me it was for news international at which point i told him i would not do it. there is no fucking way i am working for rupert murdoch. i would rather be looking through bins for food before i took any of his grubby notes.
strangely enough on the job spec it did not specifically say i would have to violate the privacy of murdered children, dead servicemen, victims of terrorist attacks and the parents of children murdered by sex offenders, bribe police and politicians, blackmail children but then it did not say i would NOT be doing that either and there is no telling what i might get asked to do whilst working for news international. i decided not take any chances and declined, like anyone with an ounce of morality would do, and thats saying something because i work for hedge funds and investment banks and they are hardly pillars of virtue.
i think we had the hottest day of the year today. it was so beautiful sometimes its hard to take it all in. i did a bit of work in the garden and finished off painting the kitchen. getting shit done.
in my last post i went off on the new daft punk single which is absolute shite. i understand a lot of people will not want to listen to the cure and editors all the time and that there is a place for some good catchy pop music. shit, if everyone liked what i like it would be a dull world. anyways, here is an example of good pop music that they play at my gym. good voice, good chorus and good tune.
strangely enough on the job spec it did not specifically say i would have to violate the privacy of murdered children, dead servicemen, victims of terrorist attacks and the parents of children murdered by sex offenders, bribe police and politicians, blackmail children but then it did not say i would NOT be doing that either and there is no telling what i might get asked to do whilst working for news international. i decided not take any chances and declined, like anyone with an ounce of morality would do, and thats saying something because i work for hedge funds and investment banks and they are hardly pillars of virtue.
i think we had the hottest day of the year today. it was so beautiful sometimes its hard to take it all in. i did a bit of work in the garden and finished off painting the kitchen. getting shit done.
in my last post i went off on the new daft punk single which is absolute shite. i understand a lot of people will not want to listen to the cure and editors all the time and that there is a place for some good catchy pop music. shit, if everyone liked what i like it would be a dull world. anyways, here is an example of good pop music that they play at my gym. good voice, good chorus and good tune.
Sunday 21 April 2013
matador
still no word from the hedge fund as the guy who is managing the department and who interviewed me put his back out and his been off work since then. also heard there might be something going at a commodities trading firm so maybe some news from that place this week. either way, shit is dragging on and on.
still, no bother as i have been doing a lot of work in the garden and also i repainted the kitchen and living room. need to use the down time i have to get shit done because there is no chance once i start working.
weather has improved a lot and we have lost the bitter cold. we have had a few nice sunny days, but really, its what should be expected in a normal spring time as opposed to snow and freezing weather which we had all the way into april. decent weather has motivated me as i have been training like a beast at the gym.
no other news. am really missing NY, LA and san francisco recently, but i am not sure if i will get to go this year. i have had enough time off already and i dont think i can justify taking holiday this year.
here is alt-j - something good. some of their stuff sounds like pretentious wank but this is very good. speaking of shite, i heard the new daft punk/pharrell williams track and its fucking awful. i have the first NERD cd and i also like daft punk but the single just sounds like generic rubbish. it will probably sell a lot because its dull and has a catchy chorus like most of the shit that gets into the charts. there is a place for good pop music but that new song is not it.
still, no bother as i have been doing a lot of work in the garden and also i repainted the kitchen and living room. need to use the down time i have to get shit done because there is no chance once i start working.
weather has improved a lot and we have lost the bitter cold. we have had a few nice sunny days, but really, its what should be expected in a normal spring time as opposed to snow and freezing weather which we had all the way into april. decent weather has motivated me as i have been training like a beast at the gym.
no other news. am really missing NY, LA and san francisco recently, but i am not sure if i will get to go this year. i have had enough time off already and i dont think i can justify taking holiday this year.
here is alt-j - something good. some of their stuff sounds like pretentious wank but this is very good. speaking of shite, i heard the new daft punk/pharrell williams track and its fucking awful. i have the first NERD cd and i also like daft punk but the single just sounds like generic rubbish. it will probably sell a lot because its dull and has a catchy chorus like most of the shit that gets into the charts. there is a place for good pop music but that new song is not it.
Wednesday 10 April 2013
holy esque
had my interview at the hedge fund i worked at over a year ago and it went ok but not as well as i would have liked. they gave me a technical test and i aced all the windows server, active directory and vmware questions but i was shit on citrix and SCCM. it was only after leaving the test as i was walking to the station that a lot of the answers came into my head of what i should have written. no fucking good for me whilst walking to the train. i needed them 10 minutes earlier in the conference room. they said they would let me know. i am pretty sure they will have someone else lined up that can do better than what i did. shit, i could do better than what i did.
today i have mostly been listening to holy esque - st. its quite hard to hear all the lyrics, but it sounds interesting.
today i have mostly been listening to holy esque - st. its quite hard to hear all the lyrics, but it sounds interesting.
Sunday 7 April 2013
detachment
i didnt get the job at the internet place. it was an online glambling site and i am glad it did not work out as my mum would not have been happy about that. in a strange twist, i got a call again about a permanent job and a contract at the hedge fund i worked at last year so i will see what happens with that. have been told they would be keen to see me so we will see if thats the case this week.
am also having to deal with recruitment agents and once again its reminded me how shitty and unscrupulous some of them can be. i shall not go into details but lets just say they are big pain.
having been training well the last few weeks since getting back from my trip and i have made it back to where i was before i left. its taken a while but we are almost there and now when i go to the gym its nice to be able to push myself to my maximum capacity as opposed to not being able to lift weights i know i was lifting 2 months ago and having to build up that conditioning again.
weather has been bloody awful. we had snow last week and today was the first day in a very long time that the sun actually came out and the temperature got nearly to double figures. its april and people are still wearing scarves and hats and gloves. i am when i cycle to the gym. i cycled last week and it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. you know its cold when aside from your hands and nose getting cold, your feet are so cold that they go numb. it was april and i couldnt feel my feet they were that cold. i just know its going to be a shit summer. its been a shit winter and a shit spring so i doubt its going to turn into a southern california summer in a month.
i watched the film detachment today. it was very very good indeed. if you want to watch something with a little bit of substance and emotion as opposed to child wizards, comic superheroes or fantasy epics, i suggest you get hold of it.
today i have mostly been listening to deadprez - no way as the way. good tune.
am also having to deal with recruitment agents and once again its reminded me how shitty and unscrupulous some of them can be. i shall not go into details but lets just say they are big pain.
having been training well the last few weeks since getting back from my trip and i have made it back to where i was before i left. its taken a while but we are almost there and now when i go to the gym its nice to be able to push myself to my maximum capacity as opposed to not being able to lift weights i know i was lifting 2 months ago and having to build up that conditioning again.
weather has been bloody awful. we had snow last week and today was the first day in a very long time that the sun actually came out and the temperature got nearly to double figures. its april and people are still wearing scarves and hats and gloves. i am when i cycle to the gym. i cycled last week and it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. you know its cold when aside from your hands and nose getting cold, your feet are so cold that they go numb. it was april and i couldnt feel my feet they were that cold. i just know its going to be a shit summer. its been a shit winter and a shit spring so i doubt its going to turn into a southern california summer in a month.
i watched the film detachment today. it was very very good indeed. if you want to watch something with a little bit of substance and emotion as opposed to child wizards, comic superheroes or fantasy epics, i suggest you get hold of it.
today i have mostly been listening to deadprez - no way as the way. good tune.
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