May 21, 2011 | Uncategorized
I’ll probably get no sympathy for this but I have been struck by a bout of homesickness this evening. Once work is over for the day and not there to fill up the time then there is not a lot for a singleton, married middle-aged man to do in a hotel out in the sticks of Massachusetts. I did go for a walk to the nearby mall and bought a couple of shirts from an LL Bean outlet but that does not an exciting evening make.
As I write I have enjoyed a couple of glasses of Sam Adams’ seasonal beer at the hotel to wash down a steak wrap and I am certainly enjoying watching the Red Sox stuffing the Chicago Cubs and especially enjoyed the 4th innings.
But… I miss being at home tonight with the family and Skype, although a great thing, isn’t really a substitute. And it is remarkable how easy it is to feel isolated in a crowded room.
May 17, 2011 | Uncategorized
Greetings from Dedham MA where I am based for the next few days, arriving safely on Sunday afternoon after a bouncy flight over the Atlantic.
I was quite tired on the flight and tried to sleep but I never managed more than 15 consecutive minutes I think. I spent part of that time pondering on Blog posts as yet unwritten and particularly on reflections on where my life is going following my change of jobs.
I said a while ago that at some point I would post some reflections on twenty seven years in the public sector and the time is not yet ripe for that, but the process of personal reinvention and bringing things back into balance continues apace. And it is a bit of a culture shock – especially the transition from going into an office 5 days a week to spending most days at home with a week or so in every month (so far) being spent overseas. Pondering this and general work life balance things is part of the process of periodic self-reinvention which I have mentioned before and it is leading me to some interesting conclusions which are focused on trying, in the future, to make the most of family and to cut away some things which are no longer as enjoyable or meaningful for me as they once were.
I’ll write more on this soon once I’ve focused my thoughts (this is typed in the early hours as I grapple with a five hour time difference) but for now it is time to head to the office where I can ponder my sudden rediscovery of myself as a Red Sox fan…
May 12, 2011 | Uncategorized
The divine Ms. D
I recently saw the first episode of Gerry Anderson’s UFO. It was filmed in 1969. What had escaped my memory was that it was set in 1980!
In 1980 Radio Caroline sank; Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest; The SAS stormed the Iranian Embassy in London (thus diverting BBC2 away from Alex Higgins on fantastic form in the snooker); Lech Walesa led the first strikes in the shipyards of Gdansk; Margaret Thatcher said “The lady’s not for turning” and Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter in the US elections; millions anxiously awaited the revelation of whom it was who shot JR; Steven Gerard was born; and Ian Curtis anticipated being torn apart again by love; Pink Floyd topped the charts with Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2 and Sting sang “Da do do do, da da da da is all I’ve got to say to you”. And John Lennon was murdered on the streets of New York. Pierre Trudeau is prime minister of Canada and Robert Mugabe takes office in Zimbabwe. Iron Maiden released their first album.
Mount St. Helens blew its top and the Empire struck back. Christina Ricci, Christina Aguilera and Eliza Dushku were born.
1980 was a year before the first Brixton riot and the Toxteth riots, four years before the miner’s strike and six years before the Challenger disaster.
And somehow through all of that we never noticed Shadow defending us from UFOs while wearing peculiar nylon jumpsuits and purple wigs.
Who covered it up? I think we should be told.
May 10, 2011 | Uncategorized
blogging at the pub
My notebook is full of fragments of proto-blog posts which have never made it to the harsh light of day since the last entry, and most of them are past their sell-by date now.
The picture to the left, taken in late April, is outside the Jolly Judge while waiting for a friend to arrive. As you can see my notebook is out and I had been thinking about belief and musing on a posting here about my personal beliefs. As I mused I realised that, although I have beliefs, I am not willing to be particularly specific about what they are in case, in defining them, they evaporate and their meaning is lost to me. The consequence would be that all I could note would seem to be wishy-washy vagueness and I’d rather not do that.
We had a run of nice weather and this afforded me a great deal of freedom to sit outside with a laptop and notebooks because I work at home. This was particularly nice as I have been doing quite a bit out the back to try and make the decking area a fifth room. This has meant in particular quite a lot of plants being potted out there to make it a less minimalist space.
Heathrow airport
Most of the planting was done during the day of the royal wedding which came and went with nary a ripple in my consciousness although it was not wholly inescapable. The plantings also include three different varieties of clematis which I’m hoping to train over the pergola. As I write the clematis shows every sign of establishing itself in the containers and is beginning to grow nicely.
Work is also, I think, progressing satisfactorily although I still feel very much the new guy trying to find my feet. A trip to London in the spring weather was unexpectedly pleasurable (as I don’t usually enjoy trips to London much). I stayed in a hotel on Kilburn High Road which does not sound particularly enticing but actually brought back memories of Ian Dury. The pleasure, though, came from meeting colleagues and talking through a number of my early perceptions of the company and sorting out some areas of responsibility for myself.
No doubt this will sort itself out in time.
cupola
Through all of this I was also getting to grips with my new camera. I bought it in Boston at a price substantially lower than it is available for in the UK and am enjoying both it and the Lightroom software which came with it . I’m particularly enjoying the feeling of getting back to “real” photography again both in using the features of the camera and in the software. I am trying to capture the feeling of something which, at least in theory, I could have done in a real darkroom had I only had the talent or skill.
It is without any question the most enjoyable camera to use that I’ve had since my Canon A1 several years ago (a camera that, like my other SLRs, I still have but haven’t used for ages) and, like the A1, it feels natural and easy to use.
Beer goggles
In other news, I have picked up my running again and am making slow progress back to some form of fitness although I have a way to go on weight loss. My BP, which was fine, is fluctuating again and I’m not sure why. C’est la vie.
And finally, I spent last weekend In Holmfirth dancing with Mons Meg. This was mostly fun although I could have done without the heavy rain overnight on Saturday. Having said that my tent was fine and dry so it was more the damp inconvenience of it which was the nuisance.
It was nice to be in Holmfirth again and the dancing was on the whole pretty good. We’re dancing out this coming Friday in Edinburgh and it will be good to keep some momentum going. We’re going to have a crack at Stockbridge where we haven’t danced before and I’m looking forward to it.
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