Sep 06

2015 Week Notes 32

10 Aug – 16 Aug

Hacklands

Doing

  • I had a catch up with former colleagues, as we gatecrashed the leaving drinks of another former colleague from my previous agency. Fun was had, lots of chat and gossip, lots of drink.
  • I decided that going camping for the weekend was a great idea! Well, not just camping, but to a hacking event called ‘Hacklands‘, organised by Helen Keegan and friends. A wonderful weekend, with data talks, photography lessons and lots of music.

    Hacklands

    Hacklands

Reading

  • Worked my way through 4 books.
  • How Uber is changing life for Women in Saudi Arabia. I can’t even begin to explain my issues with how the religious rules mean women are treated in somewhere like Saudi, and I have dislike for Uber in that it most definitely is not ‘sharing economy’ but is an excellent example of how companies can make money out of ‘zero hours contracts’ (I know they’re not really that, but they’re definitely not employees with benefits), but what is happening here is where things can come together and improve things.
Sep 06

2015 Week Notes 31

3 Aug – 9 Aug

Doing

  • Dinner at Marcus at Wine Club. Another Michelin restaurant, although one I’d eaten at before. They were having a dinner offer, the lunch menu at lunch prices, so we got together for some chat and food and wine.

    Lunch at Marcus

  • More vaccinations on saturday, final round of them, before I headed into town for the Shell V-Power Hunt, which I’ve written about. I was very happy to win this 🙂

    Shell The Hunt London

Reading

  • Two book read this week. still just the fiction. Sometime soon, i may read a none fiction!
Sep 06

2015 Week Notes 30

27 July – 2 Aug

Harbour

Doing

  • some weeks I get really busy, most weeks I do little. This is another of the latter, must be because of summer! I did travel down to Southampton way on Tuesday for an away day of working, with a gorgeous view of Hamble harbour.
  • The weather turned stormy this week. Not only down on the south coast, but in London. But stormy skies and sun peaking through make great pictures

    Evening Skies

  • Had a weekend lunch at Michael Nadra, an excellent local restaurant that does not get enough credit.

    Michael Nadra

  • On Sunday, I wandered down the road to see the Prudential Road race rush past. As Chiswick Bridge is pretty close to the start of the race, everyone was still bunched together.

    Prudential Classic Bike Ride

Reading

  • Had a massive reading binge, got through 5 books. Weekends, commuting and up to late in the evening! Yes, I read too much…
Sep 06

2015 Week Notes 29

20 July – 26 July

Even when nothing happened…I’m going to FINISH these for the year 🙂

Doing

  • The pitch meeting I was working on was on the Tuesday of this week, so another night in the hotel just over the road from work, ready to be in the office at 7 for last minute prep.
  • Once that was over, Thursday was the Office Summer Party, which was held just over the road in Piano Works. This appeared to e a hit, mainly because there was no travel, no theme, no need to dress up in fancy dress, it was just go over the road, have lots of food and drink and have a singalong and dance to the house band, who took your requests and played them on the pianos. Sometimes, agency office parties get too complicated! But there were no photos taken by me (which is probably good…)
  • Finished the week watching the F1 in a bar with a friend. Slightly too much wine was drunk

Reading

  • Two books, again some more sci-fi award winners. Started on the Bujold Vorkosigan book series, so that’s about 16 to read.
Sep 06

2015 Week Notes 28

13 July – 19 July

Doing

  • bah. nothing. absolutely nothing. Working hard on a pitch, staying over at work. On occasion, it’s just easier to get a bed in short walking distance from office rather than traveling to and from home, if you finish after 10 and back in for 7ish! Work at the weekend.
  • Getting some travel vaccinations. I had tetanus, typhoid, diptheria, polio, with hep A and Hep b later in the month. The first 4 make your arm hurt for the next day. the Hep A/B is really painful for abut 30mins and then is fine. Have decided not to do malaria after a discussion of the risks of my travel vs risks of the prophylactics.

Reading

  • despite all the work, I appeared to have made my way through 3 books. Well, I bought 3 this week,
Sep 06

2015 Week Notes 27

Doing

  • A relatively quiet week, with 2 running club events. First of all was the AGM, which wasintereting to listen to all the things that happens in the club. Secondly was Sports Day – a group of us got together to do some sports – egg and spoon race, long jump, shot put and the dressing up 400m. (ie run round the track putting on clothes evey 100m). A lot of good fun!

    W4 Harriers Sports Day

    W4 Harriers Sports Day

  • Just 3 books read, carrying on with my scifi award winners list.

Reading

Sep 06

2015 Week Notes 26

28 June – 5 July

Doing

  • Had a second day at the Formula E at Battersea Park. Overall, this was a great event, helped by reasonable weather (even if there were some showers). But I ended up watching the races from a deckchair in front of a big screen instead of watching the track as in general, views were pretty bad and there were no track screens. Battersea is not necessarily a spectator track – although the off track space and events were excellent. I’m not sure I’d go watch it again next year if at Battersea, even though I like watching the aces on TV.

    Formula E at Battersea

    Formula E at Battersea

  • I had dinner at Lima, a great Peruvian restaurant. Braised Octopus was a superb dish.

    Lima Restaurant

  • On Saturday, I headed up to the British GP. I’d managed to pick up a last minute ticket for qualyfying day when the circuit had a sale, so got a good deal for some hospitality at Stowe Corner Drivers’ Lounge. Very nice, but not as good as Silverstone Six he year before, which had both a better view and a better experience. Last year, you were sitting on a table, with serving set up as a buffet. This year, high stools, no where near as comfortable and a lot of the food was taken around on trays, so you were lucky to get some things. The main difference was that the Drivers Lounge did have a host and did interviews with various drivers, so you did get some inside information.

    Silverstone Qualifying 2015

    Silverstone Qualifying 2015

  • I only attended the circuit for qualifying. On the Sunday I headed down towards Southampton to watch the race with friends and a BBQ. A nice small gathering, with great food 🙂

    BBQ

Reading

  • It seems to be award season, so I’ve been downloading a few winners/books of winners, including Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. This story, primarily about an AI, is unusual in that the AI itself cannot/does not bother to recognise gender. So everyone is a she, regardless. You could assume that everyone encountered is female, but they’re not and there is definitely some cognitive dissonance produced when you realise some are male.