The Comeback

I have a great deal of respect for a number of people. Some immediately close to me, my family, friends and even some work colleagues. However, I perhaps have the greatest deal of respect for people out there in the media and living their lives under the microscopic gaze of the public eye.

If that alone is not easy, you can find yourself on the receiving end of some negative press and your career stall. What do you do? Do you lie down and take the public beating and just crawl away into a hole? Or do you go all out to prove your doubters wrong. I have always striven for the later, more so in recent years as I have both the desire and the pure motivation to come back all guns blazing. Even if that is perhaps not quite my personality and takes me way outside of my comfort zone.

There were two people that I wanted to mention in this blog post, mainly because both have been in the news in the past few weeks. Let me start with David Beckham, someone I am sure you will know, even if only by name.

Out of favour at his club Real Madrid (ironically by now England coach Capello) dropped symbolically by Steve McClaren in something of a gesture of grandeur. The ex-Manchester United player was for sure in a dark place. Particularly after confirming his move to the MLS, for his club manager to say publicly that he played his last game for the club. It was here that I gained the ultimate respect for the footballer. He continued to train alone at the Madrid training camp. His dedication to his sport can never be questioned. Indeed he turned it around, he was recalled to the squad, took the team kicking and screaming within grasp of the title. The fact that ex Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes scored the winning goals in the final league match against Mallorca is not lost on me. However it was Beckham whom inspired the squad to get to that point.

It was for England, I feel that he made his greatest impact. McClaren had always said that the door was open on the midfielder but I thought he would never return to use him. I was wrong, he made the comeback in the friendly against Brazil (I was there!) and created the goal and continued to make a substantial contribution in the following qualifiers. Even the final match against Croatia, his appearance turned England's fortunes as he crossed the ball for Crouch to score and equalise. England were through to Austria & Switzerland for a few short minutes.

The feeling was that he would, re-create the magic from 2001, in the final qualifier against Greece at Old Trafford. It was not to be on this wet November evening in North London. However it was in Milan on loan from LA Galaxy that Beckham would prove that he still has something to offer England. The Italians, not an easy crowd to win over, fell in love with him. Just when you thought David was a washed up footballer, living the high life in a below par league in the California sunshine he comes back with a bang and some incredible performances and amazing goals and wins his spot back in the England squad as a starter (not just an impact sub from the bench).

The second person I would like to focus on is Jennifer Hudson. She came back from very difficult personal tragedy in her home life to take centre stage at the Super Bowl to perform the national anthem. A song, which I feel includes all the ingredients that should be in a patriotic song for a nation. Deep stirring lyrics, story telling at it's best and a melody that is instantly memorable regardless of the arrangement and playable on almost any instrument.

We all lose people close to use during the course of our lives, but the circumstances of Jennifer's loss is almost impossible to comprehend. To lose so many of your loved ones in such a single moment is difficult to even bear thinking about. What made it worse for Miss Hudson, was that it was her mentor, her rock, the person she looked up to the most and was the keystone inspiration to her career.

I wonder how she felt, talking to the pitch at the Super Bowl XLIII at The Raymond James Stadium. It does not really matter because she pulled it off, with an audience of hundred thousand plus in the ground and many millions if not billions around the globe. I have the utmost respect for her as a performer, but now even more so as a human being. You have to keep moving on but never forget the people that got you where you are today. The public might doubt you, but your true friends and family always remain positive, behind you, supportive and caring. Making sure that the next decision you make, the next step you take is for the better and good.

The Penny Drops...

For me, the penny did not drop until Tuesday 27th January. Sometime mid-morning I came under the realisation that I have so much to do but nothing immediate to look forward to. I then glanced at my countdown timer. Five hundred days to go. Could my dreams of South Africa be any further from me right now, on a gloomy, dull grey winter morning in West Berkshire?

The trigger for this was actually an e-mail I received from my line manager. The list of key priorities for the coming fortnight. I knew the majority on the list, that was not that shock. The surprise was I would have to also put on a new hat, while my colleague is off skiing. I thrive on pressure but sometimes there can be too much and yesterday I felt a sense of coming close to the edge, being shown the drop but still hanging on (or being held) for a short while before being thrown over the cliff!

The past few months has been extremely hectic and my feet have hardly touched the ground. I have had major milestones in my own calendar if you will, mainly personal outside of work. They were moving into my flat in mid October, my weekend in Wrexham in early November, my birthday in late November, Christmas and finally my ski holiday. It was only after my holiday could I truly focus on 2009 and the year ahead.

Looks like that moment has finally arrived. I know that the year ahead will be full of challenges but I am keen to meet them head on. I see no obsticles in my path, just opportunities. Plus, it is always great to have something to look forward to. Whatever happens, I will try my best to report it here, so you too can follow my truimphs and defeats.

They Wanted Callum Monks

They Got Bradley Branning

All copyrights of the BBC and their respective copyright holders

L-o-S

A colleague whom sits opposite me, received a long time service award today. Ten years, yes, a decade with the company. The date she started with the company, I had left school and was in my third month at college. In the decade that has followed, I completed my A Levels, went to University and also got the first two years of my career (somewhat questionable description) kick started.

During the mini celebration at midday, the discussion soon moved to the other 'long termers' on our floor. GH confirmed he had been with the company twenty eight years. My colleague, J, came in with a quick insightful comment. "You do realise that you have been with this company longer than some people have been born?" There was laughter all around. I had realised that with my twenty seventh birthday literally around the corner, I was one of the handful to have been alive less time than GH had been an employee.

When I was younger, I dreamt of these moments. Well maybe dreamt is the wrong word, looked forward to. I remember my Dad's boss got a gold engraved cigarette lighter for five years service and then a gold pen for a few more, eight perhaps. I have always wanted to work for the same company for a considerable amount of time. However, the modern working life has little place for loyalty and we as people do tend to get restless. Who really wants to stay in the same company for a considerable amount of time, let alone the same actual job. The benefit of larger corporations is there are opportunities that present themselves on a regular basis. I suppose, it is also very important to be good at what you do. Large corporation do eventually get rid of the deadwood (even if it takes a little longer). What am I trying to say?

I would love to be able to blog here in ten years time (in some kind of description) and celebrate ten years with my employer but I am not naive. I am realistic and know that I may be lucky to last half that? Why? Well I think that the reality is I will want a new challenge and who knows my personal circumstances may have well changed. (I live in hope).

Final Day Frenzy

It was crazy as I expected, but I did eventually get out the door. As with all these things it is a rush to get everything done before the end of the day plus there is the extended lunch to say goodbye and wish me well in my new job. Although I was quite disappointed that by a twist of fate there were no members of the development team in (off sick or on holiday). Just the way it goes I suppose.

It was also all rather sudden when you consider I had two weeks off work before my final week and my colleagues were not informed until a few days into my holiday. Thankfully there was only a one month notice period in my contract, I am not sure how I would have filled out three months.

How do I feel after nearly four years service? Happy with the overall experience and how much I learned about a completely unknown industry. Thankful to the role lady luck played in dropping a fantastic manager and colleagues on the helpdesk which became the Dream Team. Not only this but the fact that I made some long term friendships, even with those on the "other side" of the sister company. However, I do feel a sense of emptiness. A sense of what could have been, what could have been achieved. If circumstances had been different, if the ship had sailed a different course. Never mind now, there is no point crying over spilt milk. I must concentrate on the future and my new role, new company, new colleagues and ultimately new lifestyle.

A close friend once remarked to me that the biggest regret of his career was staying in the same job (but more significantly same employer) for too long and the detrimental affect it had on his future aspirations. I did not want to make the same mistake, I had to move on, not just for career development but for my own personal development. It is time for the duckling to leave the nest.

On To The Next Rung

I knew the day would eventually come along; when I would leave my current job but I never thought it would be in such circumstances. I suppose these things never pan out as planned. The official communication was sent out today but things have been moving very fast since the verbal offer was made to me on Tuesday 5th August via the telephone.

At times I have woken up and had to pinch myself, am I really leaving and going to this new company. It will take some time to sink in but with a start date around the corner (8th September) and my new boss already sending me work during my week off to my personal e-mail address, I feel myself hitting the ground running.

How do I feel? Apprehensive but in equal measure very excited, a new challenge, a change of scenery and a fresh routine. But am I ready? No, of course not! What I'm looking forward to most is a clean state. Being able to start "all over" as the Americans would say is such a great feeling or rather release. Although on the other hand having to 'prove' myself once again is going to be interesting to say the least.

It is really difficult to describe but when you wait so long for something to happen and then finally when the wheels are in motion, you feel a little taken back. There are plenty of things I need to get around to sorting out, one of which is the future of this blog. I will no longer be able to write so candidly about life in the workplace as I have before. Perhaps this could become a weblog for up-and-coming analysts. Ultimately I want it to become a useful generic resource, rather than the pointless waffling it has tended to be in the past. Stay tuned.

The Measure Of A Man

What is the true measure of a man? Some say it is the level of shine in his shoes. Others say it is the quality of the suit he wears and I tended to agree until quite recently. Being out and about and meeting various customers and other business people in general I have discovered a new item. The watch.

Sure, it may just be another piece of jewellery with the main role of telling you the time of day but I feel it has ultimately a bigger purpose. It is there to make a statement.

It may be there to scream out, "I'm successful" or "I'm important" or even "I'm an extrovert!". There is a message there but it is not always easy to read. I wonder what my gold, rather simple Sekonda watch says about me? It was a gift from my friend Dave in November 2004. It is all about style rather than making a fashion statement.

The real question is though, which brand should I aspire to own? Omega, Swatch or the classic Rolex?

End Of An Era

The problem with eras drawing to a close is that you never truly appreciation their departure until long after the event. However, when you look at it in the cold light of day, eras are based on people and not on anything else. People come and people go but it is always a shame and surprise to see some people leave. Particularly when you get to the stage when you think you are on the verge of building something good. Or rather building upon on the most successful years for my business unit.

Nothing lasts forever, as difficult it is for me to comprehend and with change comes inevitably new opportunities. Something you would think I would relish? If I had been more involved in the process, perhaps I would be but I feel myself to a certain extent relegated and sidelined.

We have been here before? History does repeat itself! Within two months of joining the help desk, both the 2nd line analyst and my manager had resigned and moved on. The Operations Director had the burden to replace the manager and then build a new team. Not an easy task - particularly when the first preferential candidate turned it down at the eleventh hour after initially accepting. However, in a stroke of genius, the second choice (sloppy seconds?) turned out to be one of the best managers I have ever worked for. Three years later, I find the parallels starling but very different decisions being made for very different reasons.

The opportunity came around for me to say my piece and give my twenty pence worth and I duly obliged however I feel that the majority of what I said fell on deaf ears. To be honest, that does not bother me too much, the main part of the process was for me to vent my spleen and get the 'issues' out the in the open. I have to for once in my life be selfish and consider my own future and not that of my employer.

My Dad once said to me that the CEO of the multinational I worked for lost little sleep over the fact I was working extra hours on his forecourt in leafy Buckinghamshire. He was more concerned with the price of a barrel of oil and dealing with the next shareholders AGM. I was under this foolish notion that the man at the top would from to time to action think about the little people on the shop floor. It was a very interesting life lesson. It was perhaps the moment I started taking less pride in my job and it became just that a job and not a career move. I solemnly pray that in that case it will not be a case of history repeating itself.

Running On Empty

More and more I feel my life (well work which makes up a big chunk) resembles Groundhog Day. It is the constant cycle I find myself in, of getting up and dragging myself out of bed to getting ready, to getting into the office. Days are more similar than indifferent. Of course there is the odd venture out into the real world to see clients, attend courses and conferences but generally I find myself in the same place. Sat on my chair, tapping away on my laptop.

I find the gym a good release at the end of the day but that is only three out of five evenings. Plus there is only so much motivation and self estem the workout can provide. It is difficult to find any true motivation when you are ultimately just clock watching and waiting for 5.15pm to come around. Only to know that tomorrow it is the same cycle all over again.

This blog post is perhaps an early cry for help. I need a new challenge, I need to meet new and exciting people and more than anything else I need new direction and purpose. The main issue that needs to be resolved is will I find it here or elsewhere?

Narrowband

You would expect a worldwide brand such as Hilton to provide broadband internet access in all their room as a bare minimum. You would be wrong to make such an assumption. Even though in their literature it clearly states that you can find a broadband cable in the bedside desk drawer on in the wardrobe. I looked around but even with a cable, I could not see a socket it for it anywhere. My television came with a small remote keyboard but it did not seem to work (even though it had batteries inside). I really needed to check my work e-mail and also have a little web time to give in to my cravings. To begin with I connected up my work N73 and used good old fashioned dial up. I remember the number for our ISP at work and entered it in. It connected! Fantastic! However, it was only at 9.6KBps! Painfully slow and not ideal for web surfing, although I did sign into MSN for a few minutes. VPN connected but I was not able to connect the exchange server. OWA was a little better but it took forever to load up all the images for all the menu buttons. I opted to disconnect. There must be a beter way. There was. I loaded up the Nokia software and clicked on the Connect To The Internet button. A wizard took me through a process of selecting my mobile network. Once I clicked on Connect, I was instantly zapped onto the 3G network and had a transfer rate of 460.8KBps! This was great, I was finally able to check my work e-mail, log into Facebook and give the obligatory status update and also check a few other personal e-mail accounts.

In this modern world we live in, there has grown a certain expectation. When we book into a hotel, we expect certain things. A broadband internet connection (wireless or otherwise) is a neccessity, just like warm running water.

The Bravery Of Idiots Is Bravery None The Less

There was a sense of inevitablity when I was told. Even so, it still came as a bit of a shock. I bet if you had been there with a video camera, you would have picked up the surprised expression across my face. I knew it was serious, the moment I was taken outside for a "word".

Ultimately we all have to have sense of selfworth and act quite selfishly on some occassions and this was one of those moments. Not for me or you, but for the individual concerned. I do not blame them, golden opportunities are rare particularly in this industry. However, I only feel a sense of what could have been. There was so much yet to be achieved, so much to get done.

The saying goes that as one door closes, another opens and if this does hold true here, then I am wondering who will walk in. A friend's comment was this is a great opportunity for you Andrew, to not just consolidate my position but prove my worth (and not for the first time). The circumstances this time around are very different and although my influence may be greater, the holes in my experience are clear for everyone to see.

Only The One Requirement

Professionally I am in a really strange juncture in my career. I have some experience but not near enough to move onto the next opportunity but by the same token I am perhaps too old to be slogging it out on a help desk. It is interesting to see the journey I have already taken in the past few years and staggering to think I am just four years into my career and there are sixty two (perhaps more) to go. [This would normally be the point I would link to my personal blog to cover work experiences prior to November 2004, but that is not entirely necessary!]

Instead I find myself wondering what the future holds. It would be extremely foolish and ungrateful not to appreciate the mountains being moved for my benefit. Maybe that comes across far too selfish, not for my benefit then, for my "personal development". Obviously I am not really in a position to divulge the details but changes are afoot. I would never been receiving this kind of special treatment at another establishment. Proof, that good solid service, loyalty and integrity are hard currency, particularly in smaller firms which tend to always have a large employee turnover (or is that just the perception from the outside). Throughout the past year, there have been moments when I have doubted myself, felt uncomfortable and even way out in the deep end but I have met most (but not all) challenges with a smile and determined outlook.

Having said all of that, I know I could have done better, much better. I have not just let myself down but my colleagues too. Some would say I am being quite harsh, considering the circumstances and the leap from support to the business intelligence arena. There is a saying that in life, there are no second chances. Maybe, just maybe I have got my second bite at the cherry.

What will I do? What will I change and more importantly how will I be judged? These for the time being remain somewhat ambiguous questions. Whose answers will be answered (I hope) over time on this blog. For the time being, I need nothing but willpower. Nothing more left to say but ladies and gentlemen, wish me luck!

Commit or Die Trying

The title for this post sounds like the title of some gangsta rap, hip hop album. It is in fact the observation a member of the developement team made to me today. I was explaining my fear of running DTS (Data Transformation Services) particularly on live servers. (Maybe fear is not the right word, maybe relunctance would be more appropriate) He gave the typical gun ho response. If all else fails, wrap that code in a transact statement and rollback! "Andrew", he started, "you got to commit or die...commit or die trying...". I wanted to laugh but he was dead serious.

In a way I am glad I am quite far removed from the crazy world of development. Over in the commericial arm of the business there are just a few things that matter. Client meetings, chasing po numbers and raising invoices. Oh, we do fit in a little bit of work in between all of that but generally if you can organise the above three or at least two you are on the right track. I am glad I do not have any sales targets but then again I'm not a salesman (or person) so why should I? Does mean I miss out on the sales incentive scheme though!

It always has been a battle between the commericial pressures and the technical reality of what can be delivered. I do not think that is anything new for my workplace, I think it is the same story for organisations big and small across the globe.

The Dream Team: One Night Only

When people leave your work place, you make a half hearted promise to keep in touch, to meet up and go out. It rarely pans out that way. The sudden realisation of going from seeing the person every weekday to merely picking up the odd status update on FaceBook is quite a bittersweet pill to swallow. They leave your local social radar and fall onto the fringes. However, I try and make an effort to keep in touch with some people. Some people you e-mail on and off, for a few months (or up to perhaps a year) after they leave but usually this pitters out as well. It is the rare few you keep in contact with and develop a friendship outside of work (which is usually better for both parties).

You can imagine my surprise this afternoon to get a call from Chris. Not sure why he was calling me (on my work mobile). I was due to see him on Saturday night for his birthday and once again next Wednesday for another colleague's leaving do. It was coming up to 4pm, I was in Newbury at a client site but leaving shortly. Concindently, Peter, my other ex-colleague from the helpdesk days was in Newbury as well. I explained I would give Chris a call back once I was in my car to arrange things. It was not exactly fair to be taking a personal call at a client site in the presence of said client.

While I do not miss the helpdesk, I miss working with these guys. It was a great team, everything just clicked and we worked like a well oiled machine. I might be overplaying it (just slightly) but it was a fun atmosphere. Subway on Fridays and silly games like trying to get as many songs by a particular artist into a support call. Classic moments. Now nothing but mere memories.

When everything is said and done, I look back and feel I am in someway responsible for the team disbanding in February last year. Perhaps I am, but nothing lasts forever, not even the Dream Team!

A Minor Milestone?

Today is my third anniversary. Yes, believe it or not, it has been exactly three years since I started work with my current employer. Three years is a significant milestone, particularly as being so young in my career, this is the longest period of time I have ever worked for the same employer. I better qualify that statement, I did also work for a well known multi-national with a red and yellow symbol (no, not that one.) for two and a half years but part time employment, doesn't count does it?

So much has happened in that time, that this weblog along with my personal blog have only been able to touch the surface on events. Particularly in the last few months when I have just not had the time to dedicate to long rambling entries as I perhaps could in the past. I have always tried to make this log as spontaneous as possible so it grows to become a natural history of my work history rather than a story written with heavy rose tinted spectacles.

I had an objective when I started this blog. It was to cover life at work. Or rather how I fill my time between 8am to 5.15pm most weekdays. With hindsight, I have spent more time discussing the highs and lows of the workplace life rather than the work itself. I suppose I am kidding myself really. I wish I worked at the BBC, so I could write amazing posts about technology, internal developments and life under the umbrella department called, "New Media". The truth is that the only publicity I do really well is my own. :)

Comic Book Heroes

Dilbert plays an important aspect of life at work. My manager would collect the comic on the back of Computing Magazine (and Computer Weekly) and occasionally find strips which related to all members of the one and only dream help desk support team. I need to dig them out and put them online for the world to see!

I was sent an e-mail to describe the 2nd Line Support guy, who left several months ago. He had created a dual monitor setup, thanks to a quad card and reusing an old support desktop machine (purely as a gateway to use remote desktop). We thought the following strip represented him perfectly, so I dropped him an e-mail. Particularly as he had done this all without the prior knowledge of our manager.

In return a few days later, my ex-colleague sent me an e-mail. However, instead of using the Dilbert mail facility, like I did, he sent me an e-mail directly to my work address. You might not know but I hate receiving personal e-mail on my work account. Particularly as I am sitting on MSN and can see any e-mails sent to Hotmail flash up, instantly! But before I head off into a rant, I will save that for a future post.

Yes, I agree that Dilbert describes my relationship with the internet very well. I would not say I am addicted, I just need to be online every single day. There have only been a handful of days this year when I have been unable to go online (when broadband was actually up and running). Twenty one days up to 6th June as I migrated from Orange to Sky (without the use of a MAC code!). I find it hard to recall the last time I went several days continuously without internet access. I struggle to even recall a day when I have not been online on my home computer.

For sentimental reasons, I kept hold of the magazines, now with the dream team, nothing more than a distant memory I thought it the ideal time to bring you all in on the joke. I scanned the strips in and have uploaded them over onto my FlickR account. However, there is a catch. Out of the three strips only two relate to members of the help desk. The wild card, relates to a individual featured in a post on this blog towards the latter half of last year. In fact, each strip itself relates to an entry on this blog. Shall I leave you to guess which each of them describes? In chronological order based on publication date.

Up All Night

It is 02:59am on Friday 12th October. I am still awake, working on a project with a deadline of tomorrow morning (or rather more accurately speaking, this morning). Is it not just wonderful how everything was required yesterday!

Back To The Day Job

I made a somewhat muted return to the helpdesk this morning. With Chris' departure last week, a colleague on holiday and a new system rollout, there was a shortage of numbers, so I offered to help out. It was strange being back on the phones, it was not as busy as I had been used to, plus was safe in the knowledge that an 8am start meant a 4.30pm finish.

My knowledge was limited on the new systems but I was quite happy to action, if not close all six calls I took in the morning. Would I be making a bold statement if I said I enjoyed it? I think because it was a change from my daily routine, I was back in a comfortable sofa chair and happy to do as I was told.

One of the tasks I used to hate, was having to contact all members of a team. Our manager would say, "Please contact everyone from the X team and ask them to do A,B and C!". While there were only about fifteen representatives to contact, it was not the ideal time of day, about 2pm. Most would be on their way home or already heading to the hotel, so my message would be meaningless. I raced through the list and contacted everyone, most I had to leave voicemails for. Those I did get hold of, were more than happy to comply with my request. The rest got back in touch over the course of the afternoon.

So much for a easy ride on my one day back. Apart from the mini crisis, there was not much I could not handle. However, I will be glad to be return to my normal job tomorrow.

End of the Dream Team

What is the difference between good managers and great managers? Great managers, such as Sir Alex and Arséne, build great teams and a host of silverware. They then dismantle and build new ones. Even José Mourinho, doesn't have the luxury of having that achievement on his CV.

As soon as you start working, you realise the importance of team work. I think however (with all things) you need to experience the bad to appreciate the good. The first team I worked in and made a success was at my local petrol station, at the tender age of sixteen. My first job, many weekends spent serving fuel and stacking shelves. Oh the memories of good times, fun and laughter. (I worked with a mixed bag of staff, including a Scotsman with an extremely dry sense of humour!) What made that team? Well there was three of us, Lynsey, Daniel and myself. There was just a balance, everyone knew what was expected and got on with it. There was zero conflict, we pulled for each other. Funny, it would take me five years before I would experience anything similar again.

In February 2005, I became the longest serving member of the helpdesk, my new manager had been there a matter of weeks. He began the rebuilding process, in a similar vain to the knighted Scotsman and studious Frenchmen. But obviously on a much smaller scale. First came the return of a temp. Then came the arrival of the big man.

In a strange twist, I was given the MSN address of the Everton fan by a colleague and began speaking to him on 16th May 2005. (Had to dig out my work backup DVD with all my MSN chat logs). It broke the ice well as he did not start for another 3 weeks exactly, on 6th June. His personal message was "Dion has a full time job!".

The final member of the team arrived just over a month later, in July. To begin with he cycled to the office as he was yet to pass his driving test. I remember going to collect him from reception, he had just cycled in the rain and had disappeared to to the toilet to dry down.

So there we are, the members of the dream team. Our greatest achievement? Taking the call queue from the dizzy heights of 400 plus down to 36 within a year or so. However, it was not just the blitz on calls in the Track-It, it was overall raising the bar of expectation of the helpdesk. We went through several changes, taking over the provision of IT support for our own members of staff. Building the Virtual Server, creating Ghost images of laptops, writing up procedures, getting involved in a rigorous testing process. I could go on, but I will finish here.

Easily the best team I worked with and will even go as far to say, it will be be a scenario never to be repeated again in my working life. We just clicked over the course of the first few weeks. We knew what was expected and we got on with it, even when times were tough, customers were annoyed and we had our adorable manager on our cases. I cannot paint a completely rosy picture, we made mistakes, we did stupid things but they were few and far between. The lasting memory, for me at least will forever be having fun.

I will find myself the last remaining member of above described team, come 9am, Monday 10th September. Chris handed in his notice last week and in doing so, brought an end to an era. I can quite confidently say that the helpdesk will never be the same again. However, Chris also knows that he will never work for an organisation like this ever again.

Hardware

I received my brand spanking new Dell Inspiron 640m laptop this afternoon. I had been waiting a while for the delivery but the actual upgrade itself came as a bit of a surprise. My previous laptop, a Dell Lattitude D610, was more than adequate for my needs but a new member of staff joining the company prompted the exchange. I am not complaining, anything but. I actually built and imaged the new laptop myself, while also getting the D610 ready for my colleague. There are few companies where I would be taking on such a technical task. It should (and in most cases would) have been done by the helpdesk. The most ironic thing was I was imaging the laptop, with an image I created, just over a year ago.

Blogging on this log has become very difficult recently. The reasons are two fold, firstly my job is not ideal blogging material and secondly I just do not have the same time to dedicate to a secondary blog. I am in two minds as to whether to continue or put this blog finally to sleep. Over the past few years, it has been a great place to dump my thoughts on work and chart my progress. However, now my personal blog over at T3G:2 takes up the majority of my time. I am sure there is space for a work log in my online portfolio but I think I need to careful consider it's purpose, the mission statement if you will. For the time being, the blog remains, while I consider the options.