And in the pictures below, rocks the wavy, short haircut I love on women.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Oh, hello!
I was reading through a forum of which I am a member, trying to summon the energy to tidy the house and jump in the shower, when I stumbled across a mention of Nina Nesbitt. I've never heard of her nor have I heard her songs before, but she is stunning!
And in the pictures below, rocks the wavy, short haircut I love on women.
And in the pictures below, rocks the wavy, short haircut I love on women.
Touchdown.
D was in contact on Friday morning with news.
His team and my team are due to play in the NFL in the UK later this year. My interest in the NFL has waned over the years, though I still nominally support the team from my youth. D's interest is more active.
This year, the annual Superbowl party is probably going to be cancelled for the first time in nearly 25 years because D is starting a new job and will be in the middle of training.
If we can get the tickets for the UK game, then that's something I definitely want to aim for.
His team and my team are due to play in the NFL in the UK later this year. My interest in the NFL has waned over the years, though I still nominally support the team from my youth. D's interest is more active.
This year, the annual Superbowl party is probably going to be cancelled for the first time in nearly 25 years because D is starting a new job and will be in the middle of training.
If we can get the tickets for the UK game, then that's something I definitely want to aim for.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Oh la la!
As I sat down earlier, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. Someone new was going to sit near me.
It's a girl. A brunette. Slim... Oh! Nice bum!
Hang on, I recognise that haircut.
Quiet Girl!
She spent the past few hours presumably packing up her old desk and moving to her new desk which is about 3 metres away from me.
In a team meeting, we were told that she'd kinda be joining our team, but we never found out if I'd have direct interaction with her.
Regardless, she sits three metres away. I daresay that I can strike up a conversation with her. She's married, I think, but why not get to know her?
It's a girl. A brunette. Slim... Oh! Nice bum!
Hang on, I recognise that haircut.
Quiet Girl!
She spent the past few hours presumably packing up her old desk and moving to her new desk which is about 3 metres away from me.
In a team meeting, we were told that she'd kinda be joining our team, but we never found out if I'd have direct interaction with her.
Regardless, she sits three metres away. I daresay that I can strike up a conversation with her. She's married, I think, but why not get to know her?
Monday, January 08, 2018
Sigh (part 3).
In a meeting about Friday's issue, someone piped up to say that the issue found was "untestable". That alone should be enough to get my manager off my back... if he's even going to get on my back. After all, if it can't be tested, it must be awkward to program, right?
Well, wrong. Kinda. The error is still mine, but it should have been caught by the testing department. Their assertion that the issue was untestable is nonsense. Had they done their job properly, then my mistake would (probably) have been found and everyone would be much happier.
My manager, while well aware of what's going on, has yet to say anything. I expect some kind of chat to happen sooner rather than later, and for the Finger of Blame to be pointed firmly at me before I need to put him in his place. Again.
I shouldn't have to. Nor do I want to. I work better with a manager who has my back, with whom I have a good relationship, who I feel listens to me and empathises with me. This is not the case currently.
Well, wrong. Kinda. The error is still mine, but it should have been caught by the testing department. Their assertion that the issue was untestable is nonsense. Had they done their job properly, then my mistake would (probably) have been found and everyone would be much happier.
My manager, while well aware of what's going on, has yet to say anything. I expect some kind of chat to happen sooner rather than later, and for the Finger of Blame to be pointed firmly at me before I need to put him in his place. Again.
I shouldn't have to. Nor do I want to. I work better with a manager who has my back, with whom I have a good relationship, who I feel listens to me and empathises with me. This is not the case currently.
Sunday, January 07, 2018
Sigh (cont'd)
While the associated insomnia from the events detailed in Friday's post hasn't kicked in yet, they've been on my mind pretty much all weekend.
I was able to put them aside briefly on Friday night because I did decide to meet GM, S etc. And a couple of hours yesterday as I concentrated on a video game, but other than that, I've been thinking about how to fix the problem and my bosses' reaction almost constantly.
I went to bed at 1 AM last night and awoke at 6 AM this morning. This was after a heavy night of booze on Friday, which always leaves me tired the next day. I'm expecting a serious night of insomnia despite being already sleep deprived.
That's a problem I've always had. I can't turn it off if it bothers* me. I'm bothered that this error was made and not found during the testing. I'm bothered that my manager is a very blame-y type of guy (and I have the impression that, despite having never met me, he doesn't like me).
As I said in the other post, there were a few errors that he tried to pin on me last year that had no right being attributed to me. But he did try. And when I refuted his claims with facts, he went silent. Does he still think they're my fault? I don't know. We're meant to have a monthly feedback session where he's meant to keep me appraised of my performance, but he's not done that at all this year, even when I've given him status updates.
I need a change of scenery. Whether that's time to move into a new role or take up something different, I've yet to figure out. Either way is not going to be a quick solution and will be hard work for several months. This current thought is purely down to my manager - the rest of my working life is mostly great.
*I say "bothers" because it does. I take pride in my work and I want to avoid as many mistakes as I possibly can, but any reasonable manager will know you can't expect perfection all of the time, especially with humans being involved. I am concerned about my manager's reaction given his tendency to over-react, but it's hardly job threatening.
I was able to put them aside briefly on Friday night because I did decide to meet GM, S etc. And a couple of hours yesterday as I concentrated on a video game, but other than that, I've been thinking about how to fix the problem and my bosses' reaction almost constantly.
I went to bed at 1 AM last night and awoke at 6 AM this morning. This was after a heavy night of booze on Friday, which always leaves me tired the next day. I'm expecting a serious night of insomnia despite being already sleep deprived.
That's a problem I've always had. I can't turn it off if it bothers* me. I'm bothered that this error was made and not found during the testing. I'm bothered that my manager is a very blame-y type of guy (and I have the impression that, despite having never met me, he doesn't like me).
As I said in the other post, there were a few errors that he tried to pin on me last year that had no right being attributed to me. But he did try. And when I refuted his claims with facts, he went silent. Does he still think they're my fault? I don't know. We're meant to have a monthly feedback session where he's meant to keep me appraised of my performance, but he's not done that at all this year, even when I've given him status updates.
I need a change of scenery. Whether that's time to move into a new role or take up something different, I've yet to figure out. Either way is not going to be a quick solution and will be hard work for several months. This current thought is purely down to my manager - the rest of my working life is mostly great.
*I say "bothers" because it does. I take pride in my work and I want to avoid as many mistakes as I possibly can, but any reasonable manager will know you can't expect perfection all of the time, especially with humans being involved. I am concerned about my manager's reaction given his tendency to over-react, but it's hardly job threatening.
Friday, January 05, 2018
Sigh.
While the timing of these things is never great, over the past twelve months, the amount of work "mistakes" that are reported to me as I'm leaving the office for the weekend or a few days' holiday is annoying.
It's not like I have lot of work mistakes - five over the past year, of which none are attributable solely to me - but my manager always makes a big deal of these, and his manager does likewise. This is the first, not just of 2017, but probably in the past five years, that can be reasonably attributed to me.
They're not a big deal - the nature of being a software developer these days means that you're likely to break something, but if you fix it quickly, then great. It's low impact (doesn't stop anything from working fully), can be worked around and doesn't happen often.
My manager will still act like I've burned down his house and I'll have to deal with this on Monday.
This week wasn't great, work-wise, but this is a terrible end to it.
It's not like I have lot of work mistakes - five over the past year, of which none are attributable solely to me - but my manager always makes a big deal of these, and his manager does likewise. This is the first, not just of 2017, but probably in the past five years, that can be reasonably attributed to me.
They're not a big deal - the nature of being a software developer these days means that you're likely to break something, but if you fix it quickly, then great. It's low impact (doesn't stop anything from working fully), can be worked around and doesn't happen often.
My manager will still act like I've burned down his house and I'll have to deal with this on Monday.
This week wasn't great, work-wise, but this is a terrible end to it.
Building momentum
It's been a slow week back at work and starting the year.
I've been busy in work without being productive due to fire-fighting a lot of ad-hoc issues. I'm still very sluggish at trying to shift this cold, and the cupboards are still full of Christmas treats that need to be eaten errr... disposed of before I can look into a more healthy eating plan. I'll have eaten, errr... disposed of the last of them by the weekend though.
So. Deep breath. Next week I'm hoping to at least take the first steps in losing weight and eating slightly better.
Socially, I was out for dinner last night with CC who's convinced that the soup, dumplings and sushi we had is "healthy". I mean, it's certainly probably better for you than my suggestion which was a chicken wing restaurant, but healthy per se? Plus chicken wings are great comfort food.
There was chat about heading out tonight for pints with GM, SG, FC and S. I don't know if I can be bothered - there's some sport on the telly I want to watch and I'm trying to shift this cold as well - but at the same time, I'd like to catch up with the guys. I'll undoubtedly feel better after I get home and have a shower. I'll decide then.
KfW2 is still ill. I've not seen her in over three weeks which, pregnancy aside, is probably the longest we've gone since we became friends. We've spoken on the phone and swapped text messages, but it's not the same and I kinda miss her a little.
I've been busy in work without being productive due to fire-fighting a lot of ad-hoc issues. I'm still very sluggish at trying to shift this cold, and the cupboards are still full of Christmas treats that need to be eaten errr... disposed of before I can look into a more healthy eating plan. I'll have eaten, errr... disposed of the last of them by the weekend though.
So. Deep breath. Next week I'm hoping to at least take the first steps in losing weight and eating slightly better.
Socially, I was out for dinner last night with CC who's convinced that the soup, dumplings and sushi we had is "healthy". I mean, it's certainly probably better for you than my suggestion which was a chicken wing restaurant, but healthy per se? Plus chicken wings are great comfort food.
There was chat about heading out tonight for pints with GM, SG, FC and S. I don't know if I can be bothered - there's some sport on the telly I want to watch and I'm trying to shift this cold as well - but at the same time, I'd like to catch up with the guys. I'll undoubtedly feel better after I get home and have a shower. I'll decide then.
KfW2 is still ill. I've not seen her in over three weeks which, pregnancy aside, is probably the longest we've gone since we became friends. We've spoken on the phone and swapped text messages, but it's not the same and I kinda miss her a little.
Monday, January 01, 2018
Last night.
OK, so by the time midnight rolled round, I was kinda regretting turning down SG and GM. Not hugely so, mind you, far less than I was expecting.
But I guess it would have been nice to have been more social over the Christmas period, but my own illness, as well as KfW2's meant that we didn't get to see each other. There was only one night out with FP.
In Whatsapp messages earlier, either GM or SG admitted that they were tucked up in bed at 10 PM. So I wonder if I dodged a SG flaky bullet there?
Still New Year and all that, time to make new plans. I'm meeting CC later this week for dinner. She offered last week, but I was still feeling sorry for myself with the cold and was hibernating to try and get rid of it ASAP.
I'm overdue a night out with KfW2. We've not had one in nearly nine months though she's managed to find time to be out with CC, amongst others, for dinner, spa days etc. Sometimes I feel that because her kids love me and we get along, she keeps me aside for kiddy play dates. CC, for example, "does not do kids".
That's something to arrange, starting within the next few days.
But I guess it would have been nice to have been more social over the Christmas period, but my own illness, as well as KfW2's meant that we didn't get to see each other. There was only one night out with FP.
In Whatsapp messages earlier, either GM or SG admitted that they were tucked up in bed at 10 PM. So I wonder if I dodged a SG flaky bullet there?
Still New Year and all that, time to make new plans. I'm meeting CC later this week for dinner. She offered last week, but I was still feeling sorry for myself with the cold and was hibernating to try and get rid of it ASAP.
I'm overdue a night out with KfW2. We've not had one in nearly nine months though she's managed to find time to be out with CC, amongst others, for dinner, spa days etc. Sometimes I feel that because her kids love me and we get along, she keeps me aside for kiddy play dates. CC, for example, "does not do kids".
That's something to arrange, starting within the next few days.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Analysis
This year has seen somewhat of a posting frenzy on BNANPOF. My second all-time number of posts in a single year in thirteen years of blogging.
It seems that some of the core issues that started me blogging in 2005 are still present now. Being single and a desire to be healthier are certainly still forefront in my mind. I still find it therapeutic to rant/analyse/get stuff off my chest, even if interaction with my readers is almost nothing.
Some other issues - my living circumstances and professional circumstances have evolved. I'm in a better place on both counts, but they're not without their own issues.
To be honest, I never thought I would have still been posting after thirteen months, never mind thirteen years.
Getting back to post counts - interestingly, the two biggest years so far have corresponded to women - RB and CB. Well, I don't know if they're responsible per se for the high post counts, but in both years 2008 and 2013, the respective women would have been the focus of a good number of posts as they were on my mind a lot, even only briefly.
That hasn't been the case this year. No significant new females have appeared on my radar.
This month has been my all-time top month for posting - averaging over a post a day. The closest I've come to this was July 2008 (and RB).
Ah well... let's hope that 2018 brings an upgrade to the romantic and health aspects, eh?
It seems that some of the core issues that started me blogging in 2005 are still present now. Being single and a desire to be healthier are certainly still forefront in my mind. I still find it therapeutic to rant/analyse/get stuff off my chest, even if interaction with my readers is almost nothing.
Some other issues - my living circumstances and professional circumstances have evolved. I'm in a better place on both counts, but they're not without their own issues.
To be honest, I never thought I would have still been posting after thirteen months, never mind thirteen years.
Getting back to post counts - interestingly, the two biggest years so far have corresponded to women - RB and CB. Well, I don't know if they're responsible per se for the high post counts, but in both years 2008 and 2013, the respective women would have been the focus of a good number of posts as they were on my mind a lot, even only briefly.
That hasn't been the case this year. No significant new females have appeared on my radar.
This month has been my all-time top month for posting - averaging over a post a day. The closest I've come to this was July 2008 (and RB).
Ah well... let's hope that 2018 brings an upgrade to the romantic and health aspects, eh?
FFS
And now SG has just sent a message asking where we're going tonight.
Two days ago, no-one was coming out as they'd all made arrangements or had commitments. GM especially had specifically said he wasn't going to come out. I'd assumed that he and SG would spend the evening together. I'd not expect my girlfriend to go out on NYE if I were in the house.
I've replied, saying that I thought no-one was out and that I'd already made arrangements to go to my sis's (a lie). I could change my mind, but I'm going to treat myself to a Chinese takeaway tonight and I doubt I'll feel any more energetic with a belly food of tasty food.
Part of me does want to go out. I've complained often enough about NYE to not consider it and I could probably talk GM and SG into coming to my side of the town, to my favourite (local) bar.
But I hit the sauce fairly hard last night under the assumption that tonight, I'd be sitting in the house, watching TV and playing video games. While I'm not hungover, I am tired and lazy and lethargic and I often find it difficult to break that mindset once I'm in it.
Will I regret this decision near midnight when I could have been out with SG and GM? Maybe.
Hmmm...
Two days ago, no-one was coming out as they'd all made arrangements or had commitments. GM especially had specifically said he wasn't going to come out. I'd assumed that he and SG would spend the evening together. I'd not expect my girlfriend to go out on NYE if I were in the house.
I've replied, saying that I thought no-one was out and that I'd already made arrangements to go to my sis's (a lie). I could change my mind, but I'm going to treat myself to a Chinese takeaway tonight and I doubt I'll feel any more energetic with a belly food of tasty food.
But I hit the sauce fairly hard last night under the assumption that tonight, I'd be sitting in the house, watching TV and playing video games. While I'm not hungover, I am tired and lazy and lethargic and I often find it difficult to break that mindset once I'm in it.
Will I regret this decision near midnight when I could have been out with SG and GM? Maybe.
Hmmm...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)