My Mate Has Been Charged with ABH

Last night I received a message on msn, but didn’t respond (and I was tired and about to shut the computer down). My mate J. (22-year-old London geezer/chav) said something like

Hi babe

this morning I got charged with ABH

The thing is, he’s always on msn with his mobile and it takes him ages to type. I should have just phoned him to find out more, but it’s too depressing! I mean I should go down to London and see him some time for a drink (and pick up my Xbox that is still at his mum’s house while I’m at it!), but not now, not yet, and I have no other reason to go down to London any time soon.

I’ve actually been looking for my mate’s pic to post up here (naturally with identity protected), but it’s probably inappropriate anyway. I like J., he’s a good guy and has a good heart, but I really can’t cope with that sort of ‘underworld’ thing of ABfuckingH and such. I mean what’s the point? But I like him! Jesus christ, what to do, what to do 

Holiday has Begun!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Today was officially my last day at work. Actually, I’ll have to do some bits and pieces tomorrow from home (hmpf), but then I’m getting a hair cut and starting to prepare for da journey. I’m going to an Amanda Palmer gig tomorrow night (at the Cabaret Voltaire) and then taking the sleeper train to London! Full activity plan there for lenina.

It might as well – I have big plans and am looking forward to being free from pollution (humans and otherwise) and to just spending time with ma brain

I shall write this blog as usual. Of particular interest will be the weather conditions – I’m very fearful of the cold evenings/night

How to Throw a Baby Shower

Image by rshannonsmith via Flickr

On Sat. evening, we went to see my friends D&J. I hadn’t seen them in ages, and J. is now significantly more pregnant-looking than last time (she’s now 6 months). It was great – we played Mensch Aergere Dich Nicht, and the boy won, and they had prepared food and everything (I had brought a cheese cake).

In the overall happy mood, I thought about how I can support J. with this pregnancy thing (I’m really not a fan of babies and such, and am slightly worried they will ask me to be godmother, though I’m not sure if people do this kind of thing over here, i.e. having godparents). What I suggested to everyone’s amusement is to throw her a baby shower!

What IS a baby shower? Well I need to find out myself the intricate details. When I said it, it was a spur of the moment- thing, and I didn’t know/still don’t quite know what it entails. Some cultural things here in the UK, especially related to important life events (marriage, death/funerals, births etc.) to this day I don’t have a clue about. They happen so rarely within my social circle that I haven’t had a chance yet to practise. I mean, I even got engaged at one point as I didn’t know what it entailed (i.e. I didn’t realise that you were meant to marry that person! I thought engagement just meant showing some commitment ).

So, apart from my not knowing what a baby shower really is but suggesting it anyway, the other ‘problem’ is who to invite. D&J don’t really have that many friends – in fact in the 4 years I’ve known them, I’ve never met any of their other friends and I actually think they don’t have anyone else like me (close personal friend). J. has some girl friends/work colleagues and such, but she said it wouldn’t be a good mix to have ‘our’ circle with them at the same time, which I perfectly understand.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do. We kind of agreed at the end that, instead of ‘throwing a baby shower’, I would just come around some time before Christmas bearing gifts for the wee one, and that maybe we should combine a Christmas do with a ‘baby shower’ type – do. I.e. no actual baby shower.

Still, I’ll do some more research into this custom, and see what I can do to make it special for her either way

David Hume’s Tomb

Below is David Hume’s (Scottish Philosopher) tomb (from the inside looking out). I went there as part of the Edinburgh Doors Open Day and we got a nice hour-long tour. Very interesting! I didn’t realise for instance that each of the ‘family tombs’ could hold up to 60 people! And that Greyfriars Kirkyard is basically as high as it is because of all the bodies that were buried there, with new layers of soil in between. I.e. all the bodies piling up underneath – originally, Greyfriars Kirkyard was as low as Candlemaker Row!

Weak Pound = I lose Money

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve got some money saved up in my account that was meant to be converted to Euros and then transferred into the Italian bank account. Only I’ve been putting it off for ages, due to the weak bl00dy pound!

Yesterday, I made some calculations to see how much I actually lose if I transfer the money now – compared to the old exchange rate of £1 ~ €1.44. I think it’s something like €1500 that I’ll no longer have (3000 Deutschmark!). Still, what choice do I have? None.

At least I get quite good rates (if you can call them that..) whenever I do it, and for larger amounts (i.e. more than just holiday money) you want to do it online anyway rather than through your rip-off bank. I use XE Trade and have so for a good few years.

I’ll just have to decide now how much I want to transfer, and when. Either way I’ll lose money – but there again, it’s not likely to change any time soon so better off doing it now before it gets even worse and £1 = €1!!

More Thoughts on a New Mobile/Tariff

Image via CrunchBase

Yesterday, I talked a bit more about my thoughts on getting a new mobile. I got a bit of grief from the Boy (well, not grief, but half decent reasoning) for wanting to get an iPhone as it is kinda overhyped and expensive. Fair enough, and some good points were made.

For starters, I don’t really need the iPhone as iPod. I’d rather get a new iPod at some point in the future (though my iPod mini is still fine!). I hate all-singing, all-dancing devices that do everything, and I would not want to use my phoen as mp3, camera, or anything like that. But I do need some kind of smartphone. If ever I get a new phone, it needs to be wifi-enabled, and let me check my email, do tweets, and a bit of surfing if I need to find out anything (e.g. Lothian buses bustracker and other useful things).

What I don’t need is for it to be compatible with any Microsoft products including Outlook etc. – my mobile is a leisure device and not of the sort that I need to use as a ‘mobile office’. On my N95 I only check my gmail for instance and not my work email!

In fact, my current phone is pretty decent. The problem is it’s pay as you go, and it’s with Orange, and I think I would like to be able to phone and text people more without worrying about the money :p  – even the Wifi on my phone serves me well enough. Certain pubs etc. have free Wifi anyway, so I can always send tweets from there. Realistically, I won’t need to have access to free Wifi all the time.

Finally, it might be too hasty to get an iPhone now that the ‘Googlephone’ with Android is out. It would be lovely to have a next-gen smartphone wtih Android. At least it won’t lock you in to proprietary software. So I might just go for a short-term contract (I think there are now contracts where you’re not locked in to 12 bloody months!) and wait till early next year, and then go for a decent Android-powered device

How to Deal with Conflict

Here are the three steps that I usually use to deal with conflict. Applicable to my workplace atm, but in the past I’ve applied this to relationships too.

Step 1: Communicate. Say what it is that you’re unhappy about in a rational, objective, manner. ‘Make a case’ for your position and where you’re coming from.

If they ignore it/things don’t change within a certain time frame (whatever you give yourself. E.g. 3 months, 6 months – depending on how unbearable the conflict/issue is) proceed to the steps below.

Step 2: Plan your escape.

There’s no point in sticking around when people ignore your needs and continue to do so, despite your best efforts of talking to them. Planning the escape is actually good fun, especially, when like me you are confident that you’ve tried step 1. and that you still don’t get what is due to you. When you are sure of your value, and a company or person disregard this value, it’s all the more fun to take revenge by escaping. Escaping isn’t really ‘revenge’ as such, but a way of having the last laugh and making them realise what they have lost (as they will realise your value once you are gone).

Planning your escape just means to continue on the outside as if everything is the same, and on the inside working out a strategy and start working towards this goal (e.g. a new job). You do this secretly as they have no right to know, since they have failed you in Step 1.

Step 3: Escape. Drop the bombshell. Let them deal with the aftermath. Let them realise what they have lost as you leave them behind.

iPhone or mobile with Android?

Image by tychay via Flickr

Google’s Android software for mobile phones has been revealed. This comes at the right time as I’m currently considering buying the new iPhone, for various reasons. Regarding the iPhone, naturally this has been out for ages now (over a year?), but I’ve never been tempted, *despite* being a lady with a soft spot for gadgets.

I never get ‘the latest’ gadgets when they first come out, just like I never download ‘the latest’ Firefox or whatever the second it’s released (still haven’t tried out Chrome for that matter). It’s as if I need to get used to the idea first, or maybe I want to wait till the hype has dropped off a bit so that there’s a more realistic view of said gadget (the new iPhone for instance – apparently Apple had to recall faulty chargers tut tut).

Any decisions about phones will be postponed till after my holiday. I’m going next week Wednesday btw, though the journey starts on Tuesday night (overnight sleeper train EDI-LDN). When I get back, I’ll have made up my mind. It depends on some factors that I’m not going to talk about here

So this blog post was all about the iPhone and not about Android at all – but that’s because realistically, the iPhone (the 16GB one) is the one I’ll go for – as it can simultaneously replace my old iPod mini

Related articles by Zemanta

• Apple’s restrictions mean more jailbreaking & Android adoption
• A Sneak Peak At The Android App Market

Edinburgh Doors Open Day Sat 27th

This coming Saturday is Edinburgh Doors Open Day. It means that various buildings that aren’t normally accessible to the public ‘open their doors’ and let us all have a look around!

Not just buildings though – the Doors Open Day programme PDF (for download) also has things like guided walks of the Old Calton Burial Ground. In fact, I think that’s where I’m going to go. Have always wanted to see it .

After that the Scottish Storytelling Centre might be a good idea – I listened to a storyteller when I was on Shetland, and it was brilliant!

New Job I’ve got my Eyes On

I’ve got my eyes on potentially a new job within the same company. I found out last week (Friday in fact) that someone will be leaving their position in the next ‘few months’, whatever that may be (no fixed date yet – they’re moving abroad). They’ve already talked to HR etc. and their job is up for grabs, i.e. it will be advertised internally soon.

Now, why would I want a different job to the one I’m doing right now? The main reason is I don’t have enough say on things. I’m a ‘born leader’, i.e. I thrive on responsibility and status, and being tasked with actually moving things forward. In my current position I’m trying my best to move things forward etc., but ultimately I come up against people that have the power to decide, irrespective how informed that decision is or how much they know. And there’s nothing I can do about it!

The other thing that bothers me is that they overload me with stuff left, right, and centre, and everything needs to be recorded/justified. Basically you’re being treated a little bit like a child and not taken too seriously – though that might just be the style of my particular ‘line manager’.

The bottom line is, I’m too advanced to do the job that I’m currently in. I need more responsibility, more say, more power, more money. I need my own team to manage!