I hit the 2 month mark at my new job and I’m really getting into it now. I’m now at the stage where I know exactly what I have to do, no longer relying on the notes I was furiously taking down in the first few weeks of my job. I’m quite heartened to hear my workmates say how well i’ve been doing, how fast I work and how easy it is to get on with me. Everybody likes compliments (or an oppurtunity to enlarge my ego…), i’m no different!!
I’ve steadily got to know most people at work too. The ground floor staff, i all know. If not to talk to, i at least know their names. Upstairs, however, is like a whole other world! It’s larger and there is no great urgency to go upstairs throughout the day, so I tend not to mix with the people up there so much. Well, that was until last week when I tagged along on a work night out to celebrate my sister (and others) end of training for their new positions. The majority of people on this night out were from upstairs, but thanks to my old friend alcohol, a few drinks down the line and I’m anybody’s. Drink has always been a fabulous way to unwind and get to know people, even people who you’ve previously only nodded a hello to them in the corridor. Now i’m laughing and joking with them while drinking down double jack daniels!
An actual proper work night out is scheduled for next friday night, or at least I hope it is, i had such fun that I’m itching to go out with them again. I even went out and brought some new clothes – partly because of my diet, my clothes are all too baggy, and partly because of my criminal lack of smart ‘going out’ clothes. Whenever I go out normally now, it always seems to be a pub, so I have no ‘town’ clothes. Clothing that means I wont get turned away at Lloyds…
Sticking with the ILF, we had an annual conference a few weeks back. It was actually the first annual conference they had, but it is good for what it was. Basically an event to get everyone involved with the ILF together in one building. I stuck around only for the first part of the day, not sticking around for the dinner or drinks, but i could see the merits of meeting these people. We even got a show from Natasha Wood (she is one of the ILF users), who has a one woman show visiting various towns, cities and countries, all about her life and how her disability (she has Spinal Muscular Atrophy) has both helped and hindered her throughout her life. It’s well worth seeing, both funny and touching, and worth the day off work to see!
Work is great, my weight loss (6 stone and counting) is great and even Nottingham Forest are playing great. Finally we’re seeing the real deal from Forest. While we’re still a way from being champions, we seem to be finally competing at this level, this is what all of us fans have craved since we got relegated from the Premier League 10 years ago. Okay, one season in 2003 might have been brilliant, but aside from that we’ve never really convinced as challengers at this level. After a run of matches this year where we’ve played so well but come away with nothing, it’s good that we are now reaping the rewards of our efforts. On an unbeaten streak, we’ve been camping out in 7th and 8th these last few weeks, keeping within touching distance of the top due to the fickle nature of this league. One week Newcastle are top, then it’s Cardiff, then Middlesborough. We’re three points behind current leaders Newcastle, but equal or better than them in terms of quality. We could beat any team in this league on our day, but despite all this we do still have our inconsistencies, not least our ‘one half good, one half bad’ syndrome which we can’t shake! (take the Newcastle game as a prime example)
I’m just chuffed that it’s nearly November and we’re 8th. We’re competing in this stupendously competitive league. While a promotion this year is beyond us, a playoff place chase certainly isn’t, and it’ll put us in good stead for the next few years where hopefully we can step up and be genuine promotion contenders. It’s been 10 years since we were at the top, finally we seem to be headed back towards there.
I’ve been enjoying my Xbox 360, it’s good to have this console again. I bought Saints Row 2 and Fifa 10 recently. Saints Row 2 is a great game, this is how I’d have preferred GTA 4 to be like, a bit more tongue-in-cheek and silly. That’s not to say that I didn’t like GTA, but having played San Andreas, playing Saints Row 2 seemed like a ‘sequel’. And Fifa 10, it’s a great game. Really good. I’m happy that Fifa have finally stepped up, after years of shit football games. The football is natural, controls are easy and the graphics are excellent. I wholeheartedly recommend this game!
And before I go, I got an invite to Google Wave the other day. I was intrigued as anyone to see what the fuss was all about. Google Wave is like a glorified Google Mail with a tacked on ability of real-time instant messaging. This means you actually see the words appear on the screen as the other person is writing them, there is also the chance to upload a ton of media as well as the ability to group edit anything that has been added/uploaded. It’s much easier to explain when you’ve used it, but something to remember before using it, is that it needs a fast (FAST) machine to run smoothly. My Mac seems to run it okay, but my work PC struggles big time. It’s worth a look, but I can’t say it’s changed my life. Google have plenty of work to do on this, so until then it’s little more than an interesting oddity.
