Damnation Alley

Well we survived Christmas, it was quiet with only the three of us. Kat was working a shift on Xmas Eve and Boxing Day so we couldn't travel anywhere. I had a week off before the big day itself. I needed it I was still recovering from two back to back trips abroad (one to the Congo and one to the Balkans) and then the end of term dash to mark and return the coursework to the students; which of course should have been done when I was away!
Moira did a classic, finally telling us what she wanted for Christmas the day before Christmas eve when we had no chance to get it. So at some point we are off to get a Wii, belatedly, but even Santa was given no notice.

Of course we over ate, had some nice wine and vegged on in front of the gogglebox. New year again will be quiet due to Kat working. Moira and I are planning on going up to York for a day or so and Kat will join us. I'll need to travel back before the pair of them due to a meeting on Monday.

Just one thing, though we received quiet a few cards but in the move we have misplaced our address book, so sorry if you sent one and didn't get one in return....mind you the number of people who don't put there addresses on Xmas cards....lol

anyway hope everybody has a good Hogmanay

Start work again on Monday, after 4 weeks off....bleaugh....!
been in a couple of times this week in order to clear out the in-tray and pick up mail etc before the round of meetings we have on Monday.
Wednesday will see me at St Paul's for the Operation Banner memorial, then a reception at the Guildhall before another reception with the NI Veteran's Association. Had to sort out a new blazer and find my medal etc. Not sure I'm looking forward to it exactly but...
Found a new place to stay in sandhurst, but still waiting for the solicitors to sort the contracts out on our place before we can sort out the paperwork on the new place (if that makes sense). Plans are to be moved out by late September if not earlier.
Housewarming details will be forthcoming.

Well discovered that you have to be relieved that your bike has broken down by spitting the chain of at *cough* miles an hour on the motorway in the pouring rain! basically because it came of to the rear of the bike and not out through the crankcase or my leg! And, secondly that that it didn't hit any vehicle behind me.

So cold and wet recover to glasgow where Cuddles and Ralph put me up and I discovered that I'd the wrong dates for the event I was meant to be at....words will be had with the relevant people!!!!

Anyway Bike at Glasgow probably not worth the cost of repair since i promised kat I'd be getting rid of it soon anyway....this may just hasten the end. I've been promised a new one in the new year and I also promised kat I'd get a car for the winter. I'll sort out the logistics this week.

Good news is Kat qualified as a midwife so she can start her job in Guilford as soon as she gets her registration though. We also accepted an offer on the house but we need to move within about 3 weeks so hectic house hunting and packing to come

being particularly busy the last couple of weeks this is a bit last minute.

I'll be in Glasgow this weekend. Hopefully i will make it up for Trout non Thursday, but if I do'll need an offer of crash space. If anybody is willing to put up with me....lol.

Also, I've been asked at the last minute to help find a band for a paying gig on Saturday night. any recommendations or ideas greatfully accepted.

Hope to see the Glasgow contingent soon.

eight years, loads of blood sweat and tears and you get a silly hat and a bit of paper......Oh and a new prenomynm....:-D

and a very nice expensive fountain pen from the in-laws...which has its own owners club (I kid not!)

Ok been at the new job for a coupole of weeks now; my first lecture is tomorrow. Not that worried about it but it is to a whole cohort so a big lecture in a big hall!

been commuting back and forth to York atthe weekends, which is more tiring than I realised. Been a bit worn out really but finally getting into to swing of things and acclimatising to the commute etc.

new e-mail which I obviously can't give out here. My leedstrinity one ios now closed but my gmail and lspace addresses are still valid.

Final couple of days before I emigrate south to start the new job on Tuesday. Had to go and buy a suit on saturday and spent today looking for shirts. Apparently. I'm thick necked (who could tell)which means getting the biggest neck size available. Normally this isn't a problem but since I have to wear a tie I need to do the top button up. hey ho! the joys of being a civil servant...of sorts.....lol

well the bike failed its MOT this afternoon....rear brakes, which I suspected were a bit worn at the start of the weekend and most expensively the rear shock absorber. £450 to get fixed, luckily we got a letter from the solicitors this morning telling us we were owed a largish chunk of money. so what is given in one hand is taken, in part, with the other.

Came into work today in a "better be seen to be around" kind of way. I gave in my resignation letter on Monday and considering RMAS want me to start early May and I have a 2 month Notice clause in my current contract, I thought I'd better behave and be seen to be working. (rather than work form home, which generally is much more productive). I thought I may have had to negotiate my holidays in leue (sp?) of notice but I got a letter from HR this morning in my internal mail saying that I can have a months notice in order to start the new job. Not only that but they want me to take my holidays before I go. This is a bit of a problem because I thyink I still have a fair bit of holidays outstanding which means I can basically take quiet a bit of this month off. Pity really since I have quiete a bit to do before I go. What would have been better was for them to purchase my leave back from me, but, since i really need to go by the 5th of May I don't want to haggle too much.

So today i signed my new contract and sent it away. I also sorted out all the documentation for my application for chartered status and membership of the BPS. I've also started the forms for associate member of the HEA (I think I could apply for fellowship but the forms are just too much hassle!)

anyway loads of paper work and marking still to be done!

Well went to Eastercon last weekend. Had a fairly good time considering it was the first con I'd been to in 2 years. A couple of annoying niggles that I have feedback to relevant people but in general it went well and I had fun. Didn't make it to hardly any programme though. Some discussion about bidding in Glasgow in the near future. Obviously some work needs to be done before any announcements can be made but watch this space....

A bit miffed I can't make this years worldcon in Denver, due to the new job and moving house etc but I did buy a membership for Anticipation next year and I'm looking forward to visiting Montreal.

Got back to York on tuesday and discovered a message from the bookbinders that my thesis had been bound. Went to hand in the two required copies and that was it; bit of an anti-climax really! My foster-parents are visiting and we went out for a meal to celebrate but yesterday was feeling a bit down....probably the andrenaline of the last week or so finally running out.

this morning I went from saying...." I'm doing a PhD" to being able to say "I have a PhD"


:-D

Another signing show, another sore throat and a day of work recovering...:-(

Things are doing well though, I had a good relatively relaxed weekend working in Manchester running the talks for the show. Even if the tattoo show next door had there music so loud it drowned out Tony Head's Q&A session :-(

came back on Sunday night in an attempt to miss the bad weather on the bike, to have one of the nicest days for a while in York weather wise!

Violin lessons are doing relatively well, even though being away cuts into my practice time. I'm starting to vaguely remember some of the music notation I learnt years ago, although the fingering keeps catching me out since a violin neck is much smaller than the neck of abass guitar!

Moira has decided she wants a baby brother! Kat and I have always said we would consider aother child when Kat graduates. Moira has decided since Kat graduates in a couple of months then mummy and daddy should start doing the "special cuddle" that makes us "fit together in the right way" to make babies. (personally I think we need to practice a bit more but....) After all as Moira pointed out some mummies and daddies do it more than once!

Still a Schroedinger's doctor, waiting for the letter from York University. I do wish that when they are sending me other mail they wouldn't use the title. Every time I see the logo and Dr Rennie in the address.....

Also still waiting for the checks to be done for the new job. Bsically at the moment I'm spending more time watching for the postman than anything else :-(

Well back at work here in Leeds after a weekend away at Coventry working at a Signing show
Loads of work but fun running the tech at the talks. ended up doing the intorductions as well, which meant I got to meet everybody :-) got another one this weekend in Manchester then a week of before Orbital

The trip own and back was "exciting" due to the high winds but the bike did well despite discovering I'd a bust rear light on arriving at the Hotel! his was despite checking before setting of.

Got back to work On Tuesday still still and tired to find that I have had my abstract accepted for the STAR conference in July. Chuffed but a little nervous considering some of the people attending! Now I have to write the bloody thing!

Got back from the Job interview quiet late yesterday evening. It went well and this morning the phoned me to "unofficially" offer me the job. Apparently I was the outstanding candidate, in fact i was told that I was highly in the running by the chief interviewer as he escorted me from the interview.

I'll be a Senior Lecturer although my salary hasn't been agreed yet I was told that I would definitely be somewhere up the spinal points for that grade :-)

We'll need to negotiate my notice with Trinity and obviously it will be awkward until Kat graduates. I'll need to look for somewhere to stay until we sort out a house and sell the one in York; so long commutes at the weekend for a few months. Looks like I'll be starting after Easter.

Now all I need to get used to is Sergeant Majors calling ME Sir! (It was really disconcerting)

Starting to get really nervous about the job interview next week. decided to do some preperatory reading in stress management and group process loss in the military setting.

In amongst this I've been writing a new short series of lectures on personailty theory.this week. I start at hippocrates and the 4 humours and end up discussing the psycho-analytical approach (yes I know Frued and Jung, but in my defense we also look at Adler!, the Behaviourist Approach and the Humanistic approach to personality. this leads next week to discussing the difference Trait Theories. Part of the fun of this weeks lecture is that I get to introduce one of my heros to the students Sir Francis Galton (Ok if we can ignore the eugenics....although it is a logical next step considering the work he was doing with animal breeding)

So after the lecture tomorrow it's straight on the bike and down to Oxford. The weather looks a bit grim but it is going to be very awkward and expensive to change the travel arrangements now. I've checked my suit fits selected my tie (not my regimental tie I thought that would be over the top a bit, although I will e wearing the rather nice and discrete veteran's lapel badge I've got to double check my paperwork and think of a couple of intelligent questions to ask at the end of the interview.

not really mentioned this to many people, but just before Christmas I applied for a Job at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. They want a lecturer to teach officer cadets such diverse and interesting topics as; group dynamics, leadership, stress managment, communication skills and so forth. Many of these things being currently included in my course on social psychology. The job although still being academic and allowing room for reserach interests is more applied that most academic jobs. As you might imagine the ost seems to attract some interesting consultancies. Anyway, I hadn't heard anything from them and had given up hope until late last week when a letter arrived inviting me for an interview. I'll be in Oxford this weekend then staying in Sandhurst on Monday and Tuesday. So if anybody is in the rough area (I'll be taking the bike) and wants to meet up then let me know and we can arrange.

???????

What Sparks Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

Finally got the cheque through from the insurance company almost 2 years after the bike accident. put it in the bank and it cleared the next day. Recently my credit card company have been hassling me I fairly much maxed the card after the accident replacing stuff and due to a screw up with the bank got a bit behind on the repayments. Unfortunately this meant that we had constant phone calls from the hassling us for money (we always payed them but it was a bit of a pain) this weekend when they called it was great I payed off half the balance in one swoop. I'll probably pay more in a week or so but there are some things that need to be bought first. The bike is off to get a service and new brakes on the front. I'm after a new helmet. After that we need to replace the gas fire (which we don't use and is disconnected due to it being so old) which will be more efficient and cheaper than the electric heater we use at the moment. There is also some bits and bobs that we needed dealt with around the house. A while ago we had a couple of phones that you could wander around with...wireless things. Unfortunately the keypads wore out. I had one in my study and there was one in the kitchen with the base unit; the phone in the bedroom is a normal wired one. I'd been going loopy not being able to wander around with the phone and more importantly not having a phone in the study. So we got some new ones. mind you they are a bit techno flash with answering machine and intercom and address book etc etc ect. while we were at it we also replaced the horrible light fitting in our living room. When we first moved into the house we said we would change it. it was a big horrible hanging thing that if you were slightly taller than me would end up hitting you everytime you walked underneath it. Lack of spare cash, time and any idea from Kat about what she wanted to replace it with meant that we never got round to doing it. So yesterday I finally changed it to one of those spot light jobbies. The living room looks bigger now the monstrosity has gone. The most fun thing though was that we bought some blackboard (chalkboard) paint and I painted the kitchen back door with it. Partly so Kat and I can leave messages for each other and partly so Moira had somewhere to draw. we haven't written any messages yet but we've had a lot of fun drawing!

it's a start....


new holiday


mind you I'd prefer if they hadn't broken the covenant.....

Honour the covenant

Sitting watching "Flame" on BBC 4. Earlier watched the first disc of the "Old Grey Whistle Test" 30 year celebratory DVD box set! One song in particular seemed rather relevant with Bush secondus traveling on a diplomatic mission.



Decided it was time that I learnt music properly. To this end I've decided to back to violin. I started learning violin in primary school and haven't picked one up from then. Hopefully it won't be too painful...