tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95001492024-03-07T22:44:49.731+00:00A Letter HomeDear Mom...Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.comBlogger820125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-87050681899541757932017-08-23T09:54:00.001+01:002017-08-23T09:54:27.791+01:00For Cryin' Out Loud!This is just a random post in case Charlie Foxtrot ever drops by.
I'd enjoy engaging in a bit more debate with you, but I'm not sure you're checking your comment moderation email address. I've left several comments on your recent posts but none of them have appeared yet...Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-23732961755321384222012-03-28T17:35:00.000+01:002012-03-28T17:35:59.070+01:00Looking to The FutureI am feeling jaded.
Brett and I had a great two-week winter-sun break in the Canaries at the start of the month but, as soon as I was back at my desk, I was feeling like I needed another holiday. Going through another round of business planning – even when the Board approved my draft budget, pretty much without amendment – just isn’t stimulating me this year.
For a while now, I’ve been Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-77232350336857911842010-02-20T23:19:00.001+00:002010-02-20T23:19:07.307+00:00Soire En PassantHad a lovely night last night at the London Oratory School Theatre; Cygnet Players were doing Thoroughly Modern Millie.  Stuart B was the choreographer and Johnny C (his partner) was directing.  It turned out to be a bit of a Chorus night too; there were about twenty of us in the audience. The show was excellent; fantastic costumes, great dancing and Olly and Mark A in the cast too.&#Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-43256666396756077072010-02-18T23:39:00.000+00:002010-02-18T23:40:01.245+00:00Rod’s Forty-FirstHad a lovely dinner tonight at The Spread Eagle in Greenwich.  It is Rod’s forty-first birthday today so the four of us went out for dinner.  Excellent cuisine which we all agreed we should indulge in more often. I also managed to get through the whole evening without thinking about the Velma Kelly quote from Chicago! Before dinner I’d been at Karen L’s leaving drinks at work and got Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-23251678775586306242010-02-12T23:59:00.000+00:002010-02-18T23:45:16.000+00:00The Ronson TrackSo Wednesday we got an email, Thursday we had the rehearsal and Friday evening forty of us were in a recording studio.  Mark Ronson had asked us (the Chorus) to do some backing vocals for the title track of his new album, ‘The Business’. Hard work both Thursday and Friday nights, but I think in the end we gave a good performance.  Am curious to see how it sounds when it’s all properly Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-114126764199426262010-02-10T23:30:00.001+00:002010-02-10T23:30:06.829+00:00Feebleness and FemtocellsMonday happened but I wasn’t much chirpier.  Chorus perked me up a bit with the good music. Tuesday I spent the morning at a Vodafone event in the City.  It turned out to be a plug for their latest brainwave; a cheap SoHo femtocell.  It’s a good idea but not much use to us at the moment; we don’t need one anywhere in the UK and they can’t be used abroad.  The event did give Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-16092108393507060162010-02-07T23:09:00.001+00:002010-02-07T23:09:16.492+00:00Cocktails When I Shouldn’tTook Friday off work.  Whatever I’ve got is really sapping my energy.  Napped through half of the day.  Friday evening we had tickets for Macbeth at the Broadway Theatre.  I’d been quite looking forward to it, but it was a rather average production;  too many people reciting Shakespeare rather than acting it. Saturday evening we had dinner with Rod and Jess and friends Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-91217458089465176452010-02-04T23:30:00.001+00:002010-02-04T23:30:32.844+00:00Feeble-BodiedTuesday was tedious at work.  Also I’d cycled in for the first time in over a week and was feeling a little the worse for it.  Having another workout session with Lee S didn’t help.  Need to plan me fuel intake more carefully I think. Had a positive piano lesson in the evening though; I still need to practice, practice, practice but I am making progress – albeit slowly. WednesdayLiamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-7590962932099631472010-02-02T22:54:00.000+00:002010-02-03T08:21:40.781+00:00The Days, They Fly On And On What a week it’s been!  I’ve had very little time off since last Tuesday.  After a busy Monday and Tuesday and a long day at work on Wednesday,  I skipped the Gay Photographers Network event and just came home and vegetated in front of the TV.  Rowan had come back from Beverley suffering from the ‘flu and so was in a bad way on the other sofa. Thursday was quite a busy day Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-11382168327132108732010-01-26T23:09:00.000+00:002010-01-27T00:03:08.753+00:00From Therapy to the ChorusStarted the day in Brick Lane today.  I was doing a market research interview about what would make me (as an business IT purchaser) feel inclined to choose one of the Linux brands over Microsoft.  These sessions are often interesting not because of the product they’re having me look at but because of what the questioning reveals about the way I think – or rather don’t think, but react.Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-493541750826441762010-01-25T23:01:00.001+00:002010-01-25T23:01:52.345+00:00Brief MondayProductive day at work today; got lots of stuff done on the Windows 7 Roll-out Project. Had Sectionals tonight for Chorus so it was a pretty intense rehearsal.  Still loving Dies Irae, but finding Carousel a bit repetitive now.  Didn’t get to sing the Money Song though. Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-16340954578993105792010-01-24T23:59:00.000+00:002010-01-25T08:19:44.871+00:00Linda Lovechunks’ Round-UpNot many notable points in the remainder of the week.  It turns out that RADA’s production of Company is already sold out and I’ve had to put my name down on the waiting list for us to have a hope of getting tickets.  Since when do student shows sell-out a month in advance?  Since the Sondheim Society got wind of it I suspect! Met with Lee S, my new personal trainer, on Wednesday Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-4290665983995706242010-01-19T23:57:00.000+00:002010-01-20T00:00:22.345+00:00Seven Deadly Sins – First ImpressionsLast night was our first look at the new repertoire.  This season’s Chorus show is themed around the Seven Deadly Sins and it is promising to be quite exciting.  It will certainly be an interesting sing as the music is both varied and challenging; ranging from The Drinking Song from La Traviata and Verdi’s epic, apocalyptic Dies Irae, through Kander and Ebb (Money Makes The World Go Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-71126334640278520932010-01-18T23:59:00.000+00:002010-01-19T23:56:58.607+00:00The WeekendSaturday was a mostly domestic day, with shopping bought, dishes washed and laundry done.  I also picked up a copy of Attitude as I’d been tipped off that the BBC Weatherman, Tomasz Schafernaker, looked better than the average meteorologist in a pair of AussieBums on the cover.  And indeed he did. Coincidently on the front cover was Gareth Thomas whom, if I hadn’t seen him on the coverLiamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-48885023607029662822010-01-15T22:30:00.001+00:002010-01-15T22:30:57.489+00:00New FacesWednesday was another snow day; it came down suddenly over Tuesday night and by the morning, trains were few and far-between – and not even the station staff knew if or when.  I worked from home. Got stuff done but was getting cabin fever by the end of the day. The piano lesson that evening was a bit of a pro-forma as I hadn’t done any practice since the last one.  It’s frustrating butLiamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-29379296088038357972010-01-12T23:36:00.001+00:002010-01-12T23:36:25.341+00:00Strangely Encoded SongsSo Monday was mostly about SharePoint and what we might do with it.  It was a freebie session with some consultants as the previous one hadn’t gone terribly well and we’d had words with the suppliers.  This one seemed more productive though. In the evening it was the first LGMC meet of the year; tonight was an intake evening though, so I was on camera duty alongside the voice tests.&#Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-9416562481654800632010-01-10T21:38:00.001+00:002010-01-10T21:38:48.740+00:00Week OneThe first week of the year was all about bad weather.  Work started quietly but picked up as the week went on.  Midweek there was more snow and a cold snap.  The trains were trashed.  On Thursday they weren’t even keeping to the reduced timetable and I gave up and worked from home.  Friday, I cycled in and it was a dream; the roads were all clear. Tuesday night we had a Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-31238571554882549362010-01-01T01:30:00.000+00:002010-01-03T19:41:40.523+00:00New Year’s EveNew Year’s Eve was a bit of a damp squib.  Brett was at work again and Rosie had managed to damage one of her teeth and had to go find an emergency dentist.   I watched the BBC’s retrospective on Not The Nine O’Clock News on iPlayer (great memories!) then headed into London. Spent a while wandering aimlessly around the South Bank before retiring to the foyer of the National Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-7805226678088824262009-12-30T23:59:00.000+00:002009-12-31T01:24:02.601+00:00The Next Few DaysThe drive south could have been a nightmare; the traffic was heavy and very slow moving all the way down to Birmingham but Brett had volunteered for the first shift of driving, so I napped through it and took over as the traffic cleared.  There was plenty of fog along the way but London was fairly empty of traffic as we came through.  It took us seven hours in the end. Tuesday, we wereLiamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-40631515860900307382009-12-28T13:11:00.001+00:002009-12-28T13:11:26.788+00:00Christmas 2009Had dinner with Rod & Jess at the Wimbledon Wagamamas before we went to see Avatar.  Rod’s finally doing the job that he wanted and that they wanted him to do, but which they kept on not appointing him to because of HR cock-ups.  Jess has also got another inter-parliamentary job which sounds like it’s going to get her a pile more travel.  The flip-side however is that it’s Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-2875103145147914892009-12-23T15:12:00.001+00:002009-12-23T15:12:24.691+00:00The Day After ThatTuesday was my last day in the office before the new year and it went perfectly. I got some useful stuff done, finished off a couple off issues that have been dragging for a while and had enough time left over to give my desk a proper tidy and clean. The only downside was an increasing feeling of malaise accompanied by a chesty cough. By the end of the day I was sure I’d picked up another cold. Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-43576313943680441312009-12-21T22:57:00.001+00:002009-12-21T22:57:29.909+00:00Coasting Towards ChristmasFairly quiet day today; the office is definitely winding-down for Christmas.  Did a bit of informal business planning ready for when the budget process kicks off in January, met up with our new Head of Finance to discuss our budget/spending and how the two teams (technology and finance) interact, which was all very productive. Did various home chores as well… the car has a slow puncture in Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-86966653209946757422009-12-20T23:52:00.001+00:002009-12-20T23:52:12.179+00:00Snow and ShowsThe lovely weekend actually started on Friday. Snow had been predicted and Mikey had suggested I take my camera up onto Hampstead Heath to get some Christmassy pictures. I arranged the morning off work (well, I told Rob that I wasn’t going to be in and he should call if anything came up!) and hopped on an early train into town. Both the train and the tubes were uncommonly empty – probably lots ofLiamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-50338706415785815842009-09-19T23:14:00.001+01:002009-09-19T23:14:23.085+01:00Squeezing UpSo the end of the week felt a bit hectic as there were lots of things waiting to be done when I got back from the seminars.  Most of it is mundane management but there is one issue that is an old problem coming back to haunt me.  It’s simmering at the moment; just remains to be seen whether it boils over or fades away.  Not sure how soon I’ll know either. Had rather hoped to spendLiamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500149.post-47312342608293617702009-09-16T22:50:00.001+01:002009-09-16T22:50:02.883+01:00Interesting TimesIt’s been a bit of a rollercoaster over the last twenty-four hours.  Yesterday evening Brett came home from a Chorus Membership meeting with the news that his new boss had messaged him to say “it wasn’t working out” and that he’d effectively been fired little more than a week after starting.  It seemed to be part of a pattern as he’d been employed with a two-week probationary period andLiamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17992032099109290541noreply@blogger.com0