We all live in bubbles. My main bubble has always been IBM. Everyone there, and therefore most of the people I know are all of a type. The plain truth is that all IBMers of my age are middle class, well educated, and have, or had good incomes. All have comfortable lives, most like and understand technology, and are worldly wise. This is reflected in my personal life too, where, because of the things I do, I tend to meet and have friends that are also of the very same type. One thing that is common to just about everyone I know is that they are what they are and are very happy with their lot. Nobody is trying to prove anything to anyone. Some more or less so, but still within limits.
This all leads me to have a tendency to think that everyone even outside the bubble is also the same and of course nothing could be further from the truth. I now know that my bubble is probably not at all reflective of the typical person, or even of a typical middle-class person. This week I had an encounter with a person who projected an image of needing to prove a great deal. His whole demeanour was completely different; impressions were everything to him, he wore a different style of clothes and acted and spoke on a very different level. Everything seemed calculated to impress, but the odd thing was that he seemed totally unaware of how those around them perceived these things or their receptiveness to his stance. Basically, this person was missing the target altogether and was coming across as annoying and patronising through no fault of his own. I can imagine that all his friends and colleagues were just like him, but the problem was that his bubble worked differently to mine and we were incompatible.
Similarly, through what I do a couple of day each week, I come into contact with people in lots of other bubbles where their lives are dominated by confusion, uncertainty, violence, or acceptance, or not, that they have very little control over.
If you like the bubble you find yourself in, just make the most of it while you can.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
iPad Vs Android tablet
I've had my iPad now for almost 2 1/2 years and I can't say I like it any more than I did when I first got it for all the same reasons. Trouble is that if I want to use guitar processing apps then I have to use an iPad because the Android spec has too much latency for music processing and is therefore not up to the job of real time signal processing without noticeable lag. As a result nobody bothers to port the guitar apps to Android.
So, I'm left with two choices. Get rid of the iPad and lose my guitar apps, or just get an additional Android tablet and be able to do all the things the iPad can't do, or do very well. The second option is clearly the way to go, especially as I've just got an 8 inch tablet for Sheila and its terrific. It's a much better size than the Apple device for carrying around, and lighter too, plus expandable storage, and a more flexible operating system. It also compliments my Gopro well because after I've filmed something I can watch the footage immediately on the Android tablet. I feel a purchase coming on!
Update: I got an Asus Memo 7. It is an amazing little thing. It does everything the iPad does and hell of a lot more too, and for only £99. Well worth having as it's much more usable on the move than the iPad is. Now I need to get rid of the iPad and get a Sony Xperia tablet.
So, I'm left with two choices. Get rid of the iPad and lose my guitar apps, or just get an additional Android tablet and be able to do all the things the iPad can't do, or do very well. The second option is clearly the way to go, especially as I've just got an 8 inch tablet for Sheila and its terrific. It's a much better size than the Apple device for carrying around, and lighter too, plus expandable storage, and a more flexible operating system. It also compliments my Gopro well because after I've filmed something I can watch the footage immediately on the Android tablet. I feel a purchase coming on!
Update: I got an Asus Memo 7. It is an amazing little thing. It does everything the iPad does and hell of a lot more too, and for only £99. Well worth having as it's much more usable on the move than the iPad is. Now I need to get rid of the iPad and get a Sony Xperia tablet.
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Two years!
Blimey, I've just realised that it's been two years since I last added anything to my blog. Lots of things have been going on, in fact lots of mostly really good things, so I guess I've just been a bit too preoccupied to stick bits of it all in here from time to time. We've been on lots of brilliant trips, done lots of interesting new things, and I'm now into a whole new set of new ways to spend my time so I really must start adding the gist of it all in here.
Looking back at what I've added in the past acts as a really good memory jogger so I'm going to aim to do at least one new post a week starting right NOW!
Looking back at what I've added in the past acts as a really good memory jogger so I'm going to aim to do at least one new post a week starting right NOW!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
2012 - An expensive year
Now that we're into the first few weeks of 2013 I guess everyone's wondering how it will all pan out. I'd be happy if it was as good as 2012 but please, just let it be a lot less expensive.
Since we moved into this house we've hated all the bathrooms and have been planning their inevitable restoration. It's not that there was anything wrong with them as such, after all the house is only 13 years old, but they were typical of what you get in a new house. No imagination, no thought, and poor quality fittings.
So back to expense... The first major expense of the year was deciding to get Sheila a new car - covered elsewhere in this blog. One chunk of money spent. And so to the sticky subject of what to spend on the bathrooms. After the previous two years of procrastination leading up to this point we decided against our original plan of me doing the work because A. I don't really have the spare time, B. I don't really have the skills, and C. I didn't really want to do it.
Biting the bullet on the expenses we decided that as the most used room our en-suite would become a no expense spared wetroom and we would get the fittings we wanted regardless of cost (within limits of course). The Cloakroom would be done in the same style as the wetroom but would obviously be massively cheaper anyway. The family bathroom would be done on a budget and we would search out bargain components for fitting.
The work seemed to go on forever although in reality it was probably only for a combined total of about 9 weeks, but it was 9 weeks of total upheaval. Neither of us had anticipated how much dust and just general inconvenience having this work done, split into 3 separate jobs, would be.
Anyway with all the work now done we love the results and judging by the reactions of friends and family that have seen the work so do they. The final cost wasn't as bad as it could have been and we weren't too much over budget. But hopefully our next major expense is a long way off...
Wetroom
Family bathroom
Cloakroom
Since we moved into this house we've hated all the bathrooms and have been planning their inevitable restoration. It's not that there was anything wrong with them as such, after all the house is only 13 years old, but they were typical of what you get in a new house. No imagination, no thought, and poor quality fittings.
So back to expense... The first major expense of the year was deciding to get Sheila a new car - covered elsewhere in this blog. One chunk of money spent. And so to the sticky subject of what to spend on the bathrooms. After the previous two years of procrastination leading up to this point we decided against our original plan of me doing the work because A. I don't really have the spare time, B. I don't really have the skills, and C. I didn't really want to do it.
Biting the bullet on the expenses we decided that as the most used room our en-suite would become a no expense spared wetroom and we would get the fittings we wanted regardless of cost (within limits of course). The Cloakroom would be done in the same style as the wetroom but would obviously be massively cheaper anyway. The family bathroom would be done on a budget and we would search out bargain components for fitting.
The work seemed to go on forever although in reality it was probably only for a combined total of about 9 weeks, but it was 9 weeks of total upheaval. Neither of us had anticipated how much dust and just general inconvenience having this work done, split into 3 separate jobs, would be.
Anyway with all the work now done we love the results and judging by the reactions of friends and family that have seen the work so do they. The final cost wasn't as bad as it could have been and we weren't too much over budget. But hopefully our next major expense is a long way off...
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Children's welfare
As of today I take over as the chairman of the South and South East Hampshire Family Panel, which means I represent all the magistrates in this area making legal decisions concerning the welfare of children passing through the family courts. All a bit ironic really given that I find it impossible to relate to children on any level, but luckily I do care passionately for their rights and well being, so I'm really looking forward to the challenges of this post.
Sunday, September 09, 2012
iPad vs just about any decent Android tablet
Having got myself an iPad almost two weeks ago, now seems like a good time to say what I think about it especially as I agonised for weeks over whether I should get one of these or an Android tablet. The bottom line to my decision to buy the iPad was that if I decided in a years time to upgrade then this peice of kit would invariably have a much higher resale value. Having said that, it cost a lot more in the first place so it should have a much higher value!
The initial setup experience was nothing like as simple as it is with Android, so Apple's 'it just works' slogan seemed pretty hollow on day one. It doesn't just work. Depending on what you want to do with the iPad you may need to do quite a lot of setup and annoyingly are faced with a lot of questions about using more of Apple's paid for services. Anyway, that aside, I now have it doing almost everything I want. Unfortunately the lack of Flash is a nuisance, and the lack of book mark sync could be another, but there are some apps I can buy that will hopefully more than make up for that.
Garage Band is probably the one app that's the saving grace for the iPad to me. It's an absolute bargain and is immensely powerful.
So, this thing is nice to use and the display is stunningly clear, typing is very easy despite the lack of any feel, and everything always feels very fluid. But... There really isn't anything that makes me want to say this is a must have gadget and it's biggest failing is its lack of expandability in the memory department. All Android devices have memory slots but not this thing! How the heck are you supposed to know when you buy it how much memory you're going to need in a few weeks or months time?
If I had to replace this tablet, or a friend asked for a recommendation, as nice as it is, I'd really find it quite difficult to justify an iPad over an Android tablet unless you were a total Apple fan.
Update: Just installed the iOS 6 update and am now seriously pissed off at the backward step this device has taken by dropping Google maps in favour of Apple's own useless mapping software. If I was in the market for a tablet right now, no question, I'd get an Android one.
The initial setup experience was nothing like as simple as it is with Android, so Apple's 'it just works' slogan seemed pretty hollow on day one. It doesn't just work. Depending on what you want to do with the iPad you may need to do quite a lot of setup and annoyingly are faced with a lot of questions about using more of Apple's paid for services. Anyway, that aside, I now have it doing almost everything I want. Unfortunately the lack of Flash is a nuisance, and the lack of book mark sync could be another, but there are some apps I can buy that will hopefully more than make up for that.
Garage Band is probably the one app that's the saving grace for the iPad to me. It's an absolute bargain and is immensely powerful.
So, this thing is nice to use and the display is stunningly clear, typing is very easy despite the lack of any feel, and everything always feels very fluid. But... There really isn't anything that makes me want to say this is a must have gadget and it's biggest failing is its lack of expandability in the memory department. All Android devices have memory slots but not this thing! How the heck are you supposed to know when you buy it how much memory you're going to need in a few weeks or months time?
If I had to replace this tablet, or a friend asked for a recommendation, as nice as it is, I'd really find it quite difficult to justify an iPad over an Android tablet unless you were a total Apple fan.
Update: Just installed the iOS 6 update and am now seriously pissed off at the backward step this device has taken by dropping Google maps in favour of Apple's own useless mapping software. If I was in the market for a tablet right now, no question, I'd get an Android one.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Dealing with a timeshare salesman - easy!
Last year we entered into a deal at the hotel we stayed at whereby if we paid for one week in advance we would get a free week (65,000 stayer points) in return for attending a 90 minute timeshare presentation sometime during the week we'd paid for. It was a good deal and we could use the free week at any Sheraton hotel worldwide and as they also own a lot of other brands it seemed like we couldn't lose. However, the major obstacle was of course that we knew we would get the hard sell, after all they're not going to give you a free week or so for nothing.
The hotel (and timeshare) in question is the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa, in Beaver Creek, Colorado, and it has been voted the best ski hotel in the US for the last couple of years so they know that they are selling something pretty special and very nice.
To be honest I was dreading the timeshare presentation, because I know what they can be like, so I spent the evening before scouring the web for any hints and tips. I decided pretty soon that all I really needed was a strategy because everything I read told me that that's how the salesmen work - they have a strategy.
Their strategy is to disarm you by trying to be your friend and making you feel like they care for you. They will act all happy and address you by your first name, tell you they have family connections in the country you live, or are planning to visit sometime soon etc. They want to try to and make you think that they like the things you like so they will ask lots of leading questions that help them build a picture of what you like. All this means that when they try to sell you the time-share you feel that everything they say is true and you can take it all on face value.
So I decided my strategy would be the exact opposite. The first thing we decided was thatSheila would say nothing - if she was asked any questions directly then I would answer. I would appear to be in an abrasive and argumentative mood. I would reveal nothing about myself other than the bare minimum. And I would be totally honest rather than polite.
And so it began... We had arranged the presentation to be at 4:00pm and they were late, so when the sales guy arrived all beaming smiles and friendly chat, I immediately complained about the lack of punctuality and told him that we had another appointment at 5:30 so he had already lost some of his time. He appeared agitated but tried to laugh it off. He tried to ask me some questions about personal things but I asked him to stick to the business in hand. He then launched into a presentation about all the hotels operated by Sheraton around the world, how wonderful they all were, and the potential for staying wherever we wanted to if we joined the SPG family (bought a timeshare). We both intentionally appeared uninterested, told him that we'd already seen the presentation before, and didn't like staying in big hotels anyway. He tried to regain ground by explaining that the hotels were in some amazing locations, but again we said they either in places we had already been or places we wouldn't want to go anyway.
He persevered, he really did, and every time I would knock him back with negative comments about the location or simply the size of the hotel, reminding him that we don't like staying in hotels. This is actually true. We don't like staying in hotels unless there is no alternative, and we would almost always rent an apartment or house for anything more than a couple of nights. Skiing is the only exception. This went on and on with me being negative to his every word and Sheila saying nothing. So we wound up in his office and he started telling us what all this would cost us. I told him that I didn't care what it cost as I had no intention of buying something I didn't want, so unless he could sell me a timeshare in a house in France nothing was going to change. After approaching the problem from a couple of different angles he said he's need to go and speak with his manager and we were left alone in his office.
We had already anticipated this would happen and had agreed that in this situation we would sit in silence as I can't help thinking that these offices are mic'ed up so they can know what your next move might be. After about 15 minutes he arrived with his manager. A miserable looking man who sat down and tried to make light conversation. Again I gave him the cold shoulder. Eventually he gave up, wrote some numbers on a piece of paper and basically threw it at us across the desk saying that was their best offer. I didn't even look at it and told him that whatever was written on it it was irrelevant because I still wasn't interested. He left. The first salesman said that he was beaten and was giving up, saying that it was clear he wasn't going to be able to sell us anything. He threw our certificate with our 65,000 points across the desk and walked out with the bare minimum of farewells. Job done and were out of there in just over 30 minutes!
We checked the certificate with SPG and it is kosher, in fact depending on the hotel we use it at it could be worth as many as 21 nights. So it looks like we will be spending a few nights in a hotel somewhere after all.
The hotel (and timeshare) in question is the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa, in Beaver Creek, Colorado, and it has been voted the best ski hotel in the US for the last couple of years so they know that they are selling something pretty special and very nice.
To be honest I was dreading the timeshare presentation, because I know what they can be like, so I spent the evening before scouring the web for any hints and tips. I decided pretty soon that all I really needed was a strategy because everything I read told me that that's how the salesmen work - they have a strategy.
Their strategy is to disarm you by trying to be your friend and making you feel like they care for you. They will act all happy and address you by your first name, tell you they have family connections in the country you live, or are planning to visit sometime soon etc. They want to try to and make you think that they like the things you like so they will ask lots of leading questions that help them build a picture of what you like. All this means that when they try to sell you the time-share you feel that everything they say is true and you can take it all on face value.
So I decided my strategy would be the exact opposite. The first thing we decided was thatSheila would say nothing - if she was asked any questions directly then I would answer. I would appear to be in an abrasive and argumentative mood. I would reveal nothing about myself other than the bare minimum. And I would be totally honest rather than polite.
And so it began... We had arranged the presentation to be at 4:00pm and they were late, so when the sales guy arrived all beaming smiles and friendly chat, I immediately complained about the lack of punctuality and told him that we had another appointment at 5:30 so he had already lost some of his time. He appeared agitated but tried to laugh it off. He tried to ask me some questions about personal things but I asked him to stick to the business in hand. He then launched into a presentation about all the hotels operated by Sheraton around the world, how wonderful they all were, and the potential for staying wherever we wanted to if we joined the SPG family (bought a timeshare). We both intentionally appeared uninterested, told him that we'd already seen the presentation before, and didn't like staying in big hotels anyway. He tried to regain ground by explaining that the hotels were in some amazing locations, but again we said they either in places we had already been or places we wouldn't want to go anyway.
He persevered, he really did, and every time I would knock him back with negative comments about the location or simply the size of the hotel, reminding him that we don't like staying in hotels. This is actually true. We don't like staying in hotels unless there is no alternative, and we would almost always rent an apartment or house for anything more than a couple of nights. Skiing is the only exception. This went on and on with me being negative to his every word and Sheila saying nothing. So we wound up in his office and he started telling us what all this would cost us. I told him that I didn't care what it cost as I had no intention of buying something I didn't want, so unless he could sell me a timeshare in a house in France nothing was going to change. After approaching the problem from a couple of different angles he said he's need to go and speak with his manager and we were left alone in his office.
We had already anticipated this would happen and had agreed that in this situation we would sit in silence as I can't help thinking that these offices are mic'ed up so they can know what your next move might be. After about 15 minutes he arrived with his manager. A miserable looking man who sat down and tried to make light conversation. Again I gave him the cold shoulder. Eventually he gave up, wrote some numbers on a piece of paper and basically threw it at us across the desk saying that was their best offer. I didn't even look at it and told him that whatever was written on it it was irrelevant because I still wasn't interested. He left. The first salesman said that he was beaten and was giving up, saying that it was clear he wasn't going to be able to sell us anything. He threw our certificate with our 65,000 points across the desk and walked out with the bare minimum of farewells. Job done and were out of there in just over 30 minutes!
We checked the certificate with SPG and it is kosher, in fact depending on the hotel we use it at it could be worth as many as 21 nights. So it looks like we will be spending a few nights in a hotel somewhere after all.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
A year without (paid) work
So a whole year has now gone by since I retired from IBM and I can't believe how it's flown by. Before I left I was worried about how I was going to fill the time, after all, my weekdays had pretty much been defined for me for the last 30 odd years and now I had to do it all myself.
I needn't have been worried. First off Sheila gave me the challenge of doing 33 things (one for every year I worked at IBM) that I'd never done before, all to be completed within that first year. I did all of them - the last one on the last day as it happened.
I've spent a lot more time in court this year as I'm now able to do all the last minute sittings that crop up most weeks. That's both interesting and fun and I'm happy to step in pretty much whenever I'm needed.
I became a trustee of two very different charities. One that is constantly struggling to get enough money to survive, and another that has a huge revenue stream and is constantly looking for ways to invest its money for the future. Both are very interesting, a lot of fun, and give me lots to think about and do.
I go into IBM one day most weeks where I'm a curator in the museum. We spend a lot of time getting old kit up and running which is both challenging and rewarding - and of course I get to see all my old buddies while I'm there.
Finally I'm playing guitar a lot more now than I did before. In a way I'm currently in three different bands. One is a four piece that does acoustic stuff with vocals, one a five piece band where I'm the lead guitarist, and a finally a guitar duo that could soon become a proper four piece band.
Oddly we haven't been away on any more vacations than we normally would. When we have been away we've been for longer but we had assumed we'd be off somewhere or the other all the time. Actually I think we've got the balance about right as we're both pretty busy most of the time doing all the different things we enjoy.
I needn't have been worried. First off Sheila gave me the challenge of doing 33 things (one for every year I worked at IBM) that I'd never done before, all to be completed within that first year. I did all of them - the last one on the last day as it happened.
I've spent a lot more time in court this year as I'm now able to do all the last minute sittings that crop up most weeks. That's both interesting and fun and I'm happy to step in pretty much whenever I'm needed.
I became a trustee of two very different charities. One that is constantly struggling to get enough money to survive, and another that has a huge revenue stream and is constantly looking for ways to invest its money for the future. Both are very interesting, a lot of fun, and give me lots to think about and do.
I go into IBM one day most weeks where I'm a curator in the museum. We spend a lot of time getting old kit up and running which is both challenging and rewarding - and of course I get to see all my old buddies while I'm there.
Finally I'm playing guitar a lot more now than I did before. In a way I'm currently in three different bands. One is a four piece that does acoustic stuff with vocals, one a five piece band where I'm the lead guitarist, and a finally a guitar duo that could soon become a proper four piece band.
Oddly we haven't been away on any more vacations than we normally would. When we have been away we've been for longer but we had assumed we'd be off somewhere or the other all the time. Actually I think we've got the balance about right as we're both pretty busy most of the time doing all the different things we enjoy.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Skiing stats
We've just got back from a little over three weeks in Colorado on a skiing trip, and some of the things I've never got to the bottom of are far I've skied and how fast I've skied. Now however I've got a neat little app that runs on my phone that can tell me everything that's going on when I'm on the move. Using GPS it will tell me all I need to know about how fast I've traveled, where I've traveled, and how far I've traveled.
I know this is all a bit nurdy but as a result of my handy little app I now know that in the nine days we skied we were actually slid a little over 300 miles downhill. We took the lift just over 100 times, we did a little over 180,000 vertical feet, and my maximum ski speed was 75kph. And as if all that wasn't enough the cost per lift ride was $8.40, the cost per mile skied = $2.80, and the average ski per day was 33.3 miles.
I know this is all a bit nurdy but as a result of my handy little app I now know that in the nine days we skied we were actually slid a little over 300 miles downhill. We took the lift just over 100 times, we did a little over 180,000 vertical feet, and my maximum ski speed was 75kph. And as if all that wasn't enough the cost per lift ride was $8.40, the cost per mile skied = $2.80, and the average ski per day was 33.3 miles.
September trip to France 2012
Just
an update of where we are with the trip. I'm really excited about this trip and I
know we have a great group of people who will have a lot of fun
together. If there is anything extra you need to know please just ask
me. The booking is confirmed for the week September 15-22.
This is who's coming along:
- Mark and Deborah
- Larry and Christine
- Mary and John
- Pete
- Jane
- Danny and Jane
- Mark and Sheila
- John and Sandra
- Rob and Andrea
The owner of Le Presbytere did give us a 10% discount from the published rate and will arrange anything we need while we're there - see his web pages (link below) for details on what he can do for us.
Here are the details about the house which is located here.
The grid ref: N44 48 30.7 E000 11 09.7
You can use Streetview to get a really good idea of the surrounding countryside, and here are pictures of the house we've taken.
Link to Train timetable
Link to video of Le Presbytere
Link to details about Le Presbytere
Other useful links:
http://www.tourisme-dordogne-paysfoyen.com/default.aspx?lg=5
http://www.tourisme-dordogne-paysfoyen.com/FR/randonnees_/les_sentiers_de_randonnee_en_pays_foyen.aspx?mode=listingWithOutSearch
http://www.pays-de-bergerac.com/pages/randonnees/index.asp
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Jazz
After 11 years of trouble free motoring Sheila's Honda HR-V has gone. It's been almost perfect since we got it as an ex demo car in 2001. Apart from wear and tear items hardly anything had gone wrong with it in 82K miles. One and a half new sets of tyres and a few wiper blades, and apart from service items it only had three things go wrong with it, and one of those was paid for by Honda. The other two were very minor and inexpensive.
To replace the HR-V we surprised ourselves by buying a three month old ex demo Honda Jazz. Surprised because it was always a given that we'd get a CR-V but in the end it seemed just too big and impractical. Amazingly despite its seemingly small size the Jazz is actually bigger on the inside than the HR-V was, and not actually any smaller than the CR-V is. Looks can obviously be very deceiving!
The Jazz is actually great fun to drive and not at all like you might expect given it's less than stellar image. It's got good nippy performance, is extremely quiet and smooth, handles well, and is loaded with many things that are options on most other cars. Two bikes will easily fit inside and the seats fold in ways I've never seen in other cars like it. And, on top of all that, it can easily do over 50mpg.
Fingers crossed that it will live up to its reputation and be another superbly reliable Honda.
To replace the HR-V we surprised ourselves by buying a three month old ex demo Honda Jazz. Surprised because it was always a given that we'd get a CR-V but in the end it seemed just too big and impractical. Amazingly despite its seemingly small size the Jazz is actually bigger on the inside than the HR-V was, and not actually any smaller than the CR-V is. Looks can obviously be very deceiving!
Fingers crossed that it will live up to its reputation and be another superbly reliable Honda.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Playing again
For the first time in about 15 years I'm about to go out and play guitar in a band. I used to do this on a regular basis for years and years, playing about 2 or 3 times a week, but stopped regular playing in the mid 80's doing only the odd gig after that.
The background to this is that the charity Sheila volunteers for is having a fund raiser in a local restaurant and needs to provide some live music as an added attraction to get people along. The husband of another volunteer, Danny, plays guitar and we have spoken about all the ins and outs of playing on all the occasions we've ever met previously. He has two daughters who are both good singers and so getting together to form a band seemed like an obvious thing to do.
We've decided that as we're playing in a restaurant we'll do an acoustic set with him playing a 6 string and me a 12 string in order to produce a really full sound. This also means we'll have good control over the sounds and the girls won't have to compete with us forcing the sound levels up. After all, people will be trying to eat while we'll be playing.
The rehearsals have been working out fantastically but I'd forgotten just how much hard work it can be with all those arrangements and chords to learn, let alone the fact that I didn't even know a lot of the songs so have had to learn many of them first. With only two weeks to go we need to cram in three more rehearsals and we should be ready to go. If it works out on the night, as well as it has so far, then everyone should have a great time.
The background to this is that the charity Sheila volunteers for is having a fund raiser in a local restaurant and needs to provide some live music as an added attraction to get people along. The husband of another volunteer, Danny, plays guitar and we have spoken about all the ins and outs of playing on all the occasions we've ever met previously. He has two daughters who are both good singers and so getting together to form a band seemed like an obvious thing to do.
We've decided that as we're playing in a restaurant we'll do an acoustic set with him playing a 6 string and me a 12 string in order to produce a really full sound. This also means we'll have good control over the sounds and the girls won't have to compete with us forcing the sound levels up. After all, people will be trying to eat while we'll be playing.
The rehearsals have been working out fantastically but I'd forgotten just how much hard work it can be with all those arrangements and chords to learn, let alone the fact that I didn't even know a lot of the songs so have had to learn many of them first. With only two weeks to go we need to cram in three more rehearsals and we should be ready to go. If it works out on the night, as well as it has so far, then everyone should have a great time.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Not retired - just working for free
It's just over six months now since I stopped working for IBM, or retired as they unfortunately like to call it. It's unfortunate because I'm not actually retired at all, I still do lots of different work things but I just don't get paid for it.
Actually, since leaving IBM, I've rarely had a week day to myself for one reason or another which has come as quite a surprise to me. I spend one day a week, at least, in court and one day a week helping out in the IBM museum. Then I have days when I have quite a bit of Trustee work to do which is usually reading or researching. Finally a day out with Sheila, that happens most but not all weeks, to a restaurant we haven't visited before.
One of the unforeseen benefits of the things I now do is that I get to meet so many really nice and interesting people. Nobody has any hidden agendas, egos, or burning ambitions to stab you in the back at any opportunity. Everyone is doing what they're doing for the same reason as me: because they want to have fun doing it. And because of all those things there is absolutely no pressure - if something crops up that I don't want to do then I don't do it - it's that easy.
Finally, I can say that I haven't been bored once in the last six months, but if I'd still been working at IBM I'm sure I would have been bored at least once almost every single day.
Actually, since leaving IBM, I've rarely had a week day to myself for one reason or another which has come as quite a surprise to me. I spend one day a week, at least, in court and one day a week helping out in the IBM museum. Then I have days when I have quite a bit of Trustee work to do which is usually reading or researching. Finally a day out with Sheila, that happens most but not all weeks, to a restaurant we haven't visited before.
One of the unforeseen benefits of the things I now do is that I get to meet so many really nice and interesting people. Nobody has any hidden agendas, egos, or burning ambitions to stab you in the back at any opportunity. Everyone is doing what they're doing for the same reason as me: because they want to have fun doing it. And because of all those things there is absolutely no pressure - if something crops up that I don't want to do then I don't do it - it's that easy.
Finally, I can say that I haven't been bored once in the last six months, but if I'd still been working at IBM I'm sure I would have been bored at least once almost every single day.
First time since 1975
For the first time since before we were married we have had a weeks vacation in the UK. We didn't really mean to as the original plan was to just have a long weekend in Cornwall but the hotels were so expensive that for only another £50 we could rent a cottage for whole week. So, a complete no brainer, we figured that we might as well go for the entire week.
We hadn't been to Cornwall since the year before we got married so we'd both pretty much forgotten what the place was like which was good because it was mostly one nice surprise after another the whole time we were there. The traditional stone cottage we'd rented was fantastic having only opened in February this year. It was big, clean and very modern.
It's incredibly hilly to the point that Hampshire seems almost flat by comparison, and the place is littered with something I absolutely hate, single track roads. But roads apart the place is just amazing and all the little "Port this" and "Port that" places we stopped off at were all fantastic. Even the towns are all very manageable as they're not that big and everyone there seems to be very happy and friendly, prices were good compared to home, and the quality of everything was excellent.
We had a lunch in Rick Stein's place one day which provided us with great food but the price was really too high - we were definitely having to pay for his "celebrity" status. The Eden project was bit of a disappointment, even Sheila agreed, and the £50 it cost for two of us to get in was a joke. On the other hand, the Lost Gardens of Heligan were great, and we spent a really nice day there.
On our last day the cottage owners told us it was free for the coming week, if only we hadn't had a lot of commitments at home because we'd have definitely stayed for longer.
We hadn't been to Cornwall since the year before we got married so we'd both pretty much forgotten what the place was like which was good because it was mostly one nice surprise after another the whole time we were there. The traditional stone cottage we'd rented was fantastic having only opened in February this year. It was big, clean and very modern.
It's incredibly hilly to the point that Hampshire seems almost flat by comparison, and the place is littered with something I absolutely hate, single track roads. But roads apart the place is just amazing and all the little "Port this" and "Port that" places we stopped off at were all fantastic. Even the towns are all very manageable as they're not that big and everyone there seems to be very happy and friendly, prices were good compared to home, and the quality of everything was excellent.
We had a lunch in Rick Stein's place one day which provided us with great food but the price was really too high - we were definitely having to pay for his "celebrity" status. The Eden project was bit of a disappointment, even Sheila agreed, and the £50 it cost for two of us to get in was a joke. On the other hand, the Lost Gardens of Heligan were great, and we spent a really nice day there.
On our last day the cottage owners told us it was free for the coming week, if only we hadn't had a lot of commitments at home because we'd have definitely stayed for longer.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Driving a hover car through France
Just as I expected, the whole experience of driving the SL through France in September was like being on a Mercedes-Benz magic carpet. Those roads really are super smooth at their best and just smooth for the most part. Only the very worst roads there seem to equate to our average roads so I took full advantage to hop in and go for a drive, and to always take the long way rather than the short way.
One really weird thing about having this car was the amount of attention we got whilst driving around. It's always been my understanding that the French aren't particularly interested in cars which is why they invariably like zipping around in their little hatchbacks. But everywhere we went we got embarrassingly high levels of attention. One day we were driving around the edge of one of the harbours in Ile de Re where there were a lot of people sitting in the cafes and generally milling around in between the slow moving traffic. When we drove through people were stopping, pointing, and staring at us and the car to such an extent that we couldn't have attracted more attention if we had been driving a hover car covered in flashing neon lights. It was all very odd especially from people who are usually so indifferent about cars.
On the return drive back to Le Havre we spent a bit too long having lunch in Le Mans without being aware of how much further we still had to drive given that we needed to be at the ferry by 16:40. So when we got back to the car and keyed in the destination we were mortified when it told us that we wouldn't get there until 16:55 and had a two and a half hour drive ahead of us. Against the odds we went for it, as I really did need to get home that evening, but the other overlooked problem was that we only just had enough fuel to make it, and stopping for more would mean that we would definitely not make it. So I could go a bit faster than the speed limit and try to make up time but if I went too fast I'd use too much fuel and we'd have to stop to get more. A major dilemma! So it was a nerve racking balancing act for two and a half hours along the autoroutes and we also needed to be lucky with the traffic lights as we drove through Le Havre. I think I went through every one just as it turned amber, my nerves were so frazzled at this point I wasn't sure what was going on, but we made it to the gate at 16:45.
The lady said OK you're on but you're the last. No sooner we were on the boat than it was off - my hover car had done it.
One really weird thing about having this car was the amount of attention we got whilst driving around. It's always been my understanding that the French aren't particularly interested in cars which is why they invariably like zipping around in their little hatchbacks. But everywhere we went we got embarrassingly high levels of attention. One day we were driving around the edge of one of the harbours in Ile de Re where there were a lot of people sitting in the cafes and generally milling around in between the slow moving traffic. When we drove through people were stopping, pointing, and staring at us and the car to such an extent that we couldn't have attracted more attention if we had been driving a hover car covered in flashing neon lights. It was all very odd especially from people who are usually so indifferent about cars.
On the return drive back to Le Havre we spent a bit too long having lunch in Le Mans without being aware of how much further we still had to drive given that we needed to be at the ferry by 16:40. So when we got back to the car and keyed in the destination we were mortified when it told us that we wouldn't get there until 16:55 and had a two and a half hour drive ahead of us. Against the odds we went for it, as I really did need to get home that evening, but the other overlooked problem was that we only just had enough fuel to make it, and stopping for more would mean that we would definitely not make it. So I could go a bit faster than the speed limit and try to make up time but if I went too fast I'd use too much fuel and we'd have to stop to get more. A major dilemma! So it was a nerve racking balancing act for two and a half hours along the autoroutes and we also needed to be lucky with the traffic lights as we drove through Le Havre. I think I went through every one just as it turned amber, my nerves were so frazzled at this point I wasn't sure what was going on, but we made it to the gate at 16:45.
The lady said OK you're on but you're the last. No sooner we were on the boat than it was off - my hover car had done it.
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