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I enter the temple of holy love...

10/29/2004

..and shout your name to God above!

Thank Crunchie its Friday!

I got a new toy, that lets me do Picture Messaging and survives my butter fingers. Read a review of it on dooyoo or ciao. Hopefully it'll last as long as the previous toy|toy.

Interesting mechanisations going on at the office this week. Lots of bum-lapping, and yes-manning.. Its very amusing, even more so when morning cakes are bought for the Senior Management but not me!! Am I feeling left out? Well, not entirely, but it does help ground me back to reality. It is worth remembering, that we are nearing 'mid-year-review' period, and a lot of these people work on that basis. Very interesting indeed.

As for me? I'm seeing a man about a dog. Am going to see lots of dogs...

Now where's that Crunchie....
--
dp


i canna beleeve it capn

10/27/2004

My work email inbox is empty!!!
Thats how busy I am.
..
dp
[mobile]


Because a vision softly creeping...

10/26/2004

...left its seeds while I was sleeping.

Today was a mixed day. I found out that my potential projects have wound back to nothingness, and I'm going to be left twiddling thumbs agian. I also found out, that Sickly Sweet is finally leaving. This is good news for us both. He'll move on to bigger and better things, and I'll be rid of him. I love these win-win situations.

Got my books (ordered as below). Am going to start on the Templar one tonight...just coz I can.

Right now I can hear Rod Stewart's "Do you think I'm Sexy". Very catchy tune indeed.

My Maroon5 CD also arrived. Lovely.

Have started using Mozilla Thunderbird. Its fantastic, highly recommended. It has the best Junk Mail Filters I've ever seen.

--
dp


Make the best of whats given you...

10/24/2004

...everything will come in time.

The weekend has been busy, and its been filled with moments of happiness and despair. I had a great time watching Man On Fire a middle of the road movie with Denzel Washington. It was involving, and a pleasant departure from the usual American droll pushed down our throats by the Mega-Billion pound Movie Studios. Don't read too much into the reviews, they seem to enjoy odd patriotic films of late - wonder why!

Saw yet another episode of Columbo, though this one was just good, and not great. No Midsomer Murders tonight, so will most likely try to get an early night.

Have a busy week ahead of me. There is much to be done, and no doubt I will have to battle a lot of office politics in order to complete the work in hand. I really do wish things were easier sometimes, or possibly if I had a repetitive job that didn't demand any thinking now and then, so that I can let the mechanical aspects of the body take over, leaving the mind to chill and relax.

I have ordered some books from Amazon, hopefully they are as good as I think they will be:
And now, I think I will have a nice nap.
--
dp


That aint workin, thats the way u do it...

10/22/2004

...yo money for nothing...

Had a wonderful two days on a Management Course. Wonderful? Yes. Why? Well firstly I was lucky enough to meet a few fun people (please note they were not institutionalised-androids, rather new imports), and the content was very lively and informative. I am now well versed in the art of making obscene amounts of money from clients, who require some work done by Management Consultants. It really is amazing just how much money is out there to be made! Almost verging on unethical. Still, tis only my personal opinion.

Mr Swiss Toni
has put up a link to a Star Wars Personality Test. My result, see it coming why didn't I?


--
dp


Capricorn, yeah he was born...

10/20/2004

...like Omega Supreme he can Transform.

Random Posting - Today's Hororscopes:
Daily Forecast

Quickie:
Raise more questions than you answer. People are intrigued by mystery.

Overview:
You may need to mend fences after something that happens today, and it might not be easy. That doesn't mean you should turn your back on someone you care for. Forget pride. Extend your hand.

Work
You're going to get what's coming to you, though maybe not in the form you expect. It'll still be a nice reward for all your recent hard work.

General
Don't run, don't hide and fight the urge to throw the attention on someone else's accomplishments. Bathe in all the attention you are getting and accept compliments with grace and style. You have worked extra hard these last few months and you deserve a pat on the back. Don't shine it on and deny your friends the right to sing your praises. They're just as happy as you are to see all this success.

Fantastic.
--
dp


Then thought, "Oh, I get it, I must be dreamin"...

10/19/2004

...I strolled back home with a grin on my grill, I figured since this is a dream I might as well get ill.

Had such a weird dream last night. I was in a cinema or on a plane, and near me was a pick pocket, and i couldn't gather the nerve to confront him. Then it definitely turned into a cinema and we all got a warning that someone was going to get chopped up. I was convinced it was me. A bunch of chinese people ran into the cinema sat down, only to run away again when they realised it wasn't a chinese film. Then i saw a huge pair of eyes watching me with malcontent. Scarey huh?

On top of that, my diagnosis of the dream is as follows:
- The chinese people popped up due to me watching Father Ted just before nodding off. Its the one where he does a Chinaman impression and gets labelled as a racist.
- Geting chopped up is due to the news that Sainsbury's is cutting 700 jobs. Its all that was talked about yesterday.
- The eyes probably belong to the general fear of 'being watched' at work.

Another day...
--
dp


But there's just one thing...

10/17/2004

..and I really wanna know.

I am a bit of a fan of murder mysteries. I'm not encyclopedic about them, nor am I an absolute sleuth myself. I just really adore them. Today I witnessed Lieutenant Columbo unravel a great murder whilst on a Cruise with his never-seen-wife. The King of "Just One Thing..." had me enraptured. In the scheme of things I do rate him highly, but my beloved remains that ever so astute Mr Sherlock Holmes and his aides Dr John Watson and Mr Mycroft Holmes. Holmes will forever be the coolest in my books. He leads the pack which includes Lt. Columbo, Charlie Chan, Murder She Wrote, Midsomer Murders, Riptide, Jonathan Creek, The Three Investigators, The Hardy Boys, Poirot (no i do not look like him so stop it), The Black Hand Gang, and sooo many more of equal and sometimes lesser merit.

Here's a mystery, which of the above do I credit with the initial sparking of my Sleuthing Addiction???

Tonight I'll watch another new episode with Chief Inspector Barnaby, and then wake up the next morning and walk off to work in an office where the most mysterious thing to happen is how the Client is able to sit and pay up for things knowing we whack a 25% margin on everything we resell them???
--
dp


Yes I heard you found a new plaything...

10/15/2004

...right now it seems you need a friend.

In the days of my Windows XP Laptop (yes I'm afraid I was one of them) I used and supported (via payment) a most wonderful Multi-Protocol Chat Client called Trillian Pro. When I moved to the most wonderful iBook, I missed Trillian so. I have accounts on Yahoo! | MSN | AIM | ICQ and now mac.com, and I really needed a consolidating client for Mac OSX.

I was very glad that I found something called FIRE. It seemed to be the ideal client. And it is, trust me, its great. But today, I stumbled upon Adium X. Woohoo! Its wonderful. Rather like it to be truthful. Seems fancy, configurable, and its GNU (to its credit FIRE is Sourceforge too). I've now got both on my iBook - will use Adium and resort to Fire should circumstances dictate.

For you mac addicts, I recommend them wholeheartedly. And now, as Tina says, I need a friend to chat to using them! hahaha.

--
dp


Thursday's on my mind...

10/14/2004

...Friday'd give me time, Saturday could wait, but Sunday'd be too late.

Timely advice for those who seek pastures new:
Here is stuff that is cool:
...Et voila - Bon Voyage amigos! See you on the road!
--
dp


Its so cold up north...

10/13/2004

...that a bird can hardly fly.

Brrr, its cold outside when I open the door - minneapolis!

Today I have been told I have Peroneal Tendonitis. This is not good news, as its bloody goddamn painful. I mean, its almost as painful as when my ligaments went bezerk (in each foot I hasten to add!) I was given yet another lecture in proper warm ups, and the need to warm up before a run - especially when I mentioned the last time I ran was the half-marathon itself many moons ago! Anyways, I'm to rest it and to avoid straining it again. Its linked to calf-muscle tightness apparently, which now begins to make sense since mine are damn tight. Here's a great picture of the culprit tendons.

Also, got told my Dad is bordering on insulin Diabetes, and that his Cholestorol levels are a tad imbalanced (not enough goody two shoes type). So I went and got a tub of Benecol for him. My family insists on eating biscuits and crisps and ice-cream. Guess it was staring them in the face really wasn't it?

I've had a look at a thing called Skype, and am intrigued by it. Feel free to look at it, and if you download and decide to partake, you can add me to your contacts and we can chit chat and hark-even-talk! I will let you work out what my username is, but its closely related to the blog name and my chosen internet nome-de-keyboard - a la The Party! ;-)

Well, despite this I'm trying to avoid getting angry at what goes on at work. Heck, I've even got love for Canada!

--
dp


oh its torture...

10/12/2004

...and i'm almost there.

how much longer i can stand the voice and attitude of sickly-sweet is unknown.
i think i might have to jump ship to get away from him.
his arrogace, ego, patronising, and holier than thou behaviour irk me.
but at least i'm more senior to him...ha ha ha! and he HATES that. :-)
..
dp
[mobile]


monday, i could wait till...

10/11/2004

tuesday, wednesday would be fine...

Its blooming cold this morning. Guess winter is approaching. Doi, it is! That explains it then.

Went for a run yesterday. Didnt manage as well as i had hoped. The run log is kept up to date with my attempts at achieving 7 minute miles. Watched midsummer murders last night. Rather odd this time.

The guardian has an interesting article on Global Warming.
Tis all.
..
dp


They print my message in the Saturday Sun...

10/10/2004

..I had to tell them I ain't second to none.

I have written a review of Good To Great by Jim Collins - the management book that had me entranced a while back. You can read the review here.

No idea if it will be published anywhere, so this is the right place for you to read it. Will have a look at whether Amazon.com lets me upload it, otherwise the blog will do.

Its Sunday evening, nearly time for Midsommer Murders. Top Notch Telly! heh.
--
dp


I keep the dream in my pocket...

10/08/2004

...never let it fade away.

Today was a most annoying day. I am getting increasingly frustrated by the antics of a few people around me at work. No doubt whatsoever I must frustrate people around me at work too. So this is nothing new or abnormal in the grand scheme of things is it?

So after reading the book, Good To Great, my desire to work alongside like minded persons has increased. I just don't know how to go about looking for this collection of hard working, tenacious, fun loving, decent, honest, non-egotistical persons.

There is an argument that such persons would never be winners, and that winners must be of a certain mindset - egotistical, proud, determined, ruthless etc. But I do not believe this one bit. Those particular traits in no way exclusively define a winner or great team in my humble opinion. No, I do believe that the persons I seek exist, and if I am lucky and they are lucky enough to congregate together in the first place, I will meet this congregation and we shall get on like a wonderful dream.

--
dp


Just when all seems fine, and all pain free...

10/07/2004

...you jab another pin, another pin in me!!!

Today, whilst at work, I made a mental note. I'll act upon it soon.

That's all.
--
dp


Well we all Shine On...

10/06/2004

...Like the Moon and the Stars and the Sun.

Went to a Linux Expo today. What a waste of time. Sat through a HP presentation on Clustering. Then they had a Q&A with prizes. Now, I'm rather shy, but I knew every answer, and the presenter saw that. So I personally won the Baseball Hat (quite nice), and then I answered the other questions and proeceded to give away the prizes to the other members of the audience. One chap got a shite book, another got a shite pen, and the girl who sat next to me, well I gave her the fluffy Linux Penguin toy. I did consider getting it for my sister's kids, but its got "Linux HP" on it ffs - now what kind of personality will they grow up to have if they have fluffy penguins with geek speak logos on them? So I did the gent thing and gave her the penguin - needless to say the others there were shocked and she was highly suspicious of my motives (but the fact that I walked away at the end without a word or gesture to anyone kinda made it clear I didn't want anything). Guess people really want dodgy free things from events. Speaking of which, I got this neat little D-clip with a led bulb in it from Intel....

Off to watch a film with the lady tonight. Not sure what, but I am kinda thinking SAW would be OK - though last time I took her to see Gothika I ended up having the skin ripped off my arm. Baffled me completely, but I guess horror tolerances run low in her veins.
Alternatively could go see Cellular which seems like a duff film, but it could be OK, and at least I'll have my arm in one piece.

Other events : sent some emails to work last night. One giving my thoughts on how a problem should be approached, Another giving my profuse apologies for my questioning behaviour and bowing to everyone's superiority, and A last one suggesting we go for a quick win and solve one problem with a 'latch-pin' solution for now. I wonder which one of those will have the greatest impact on my colleagues? Intriguing.

That'a all folks. Exits are located towards the rear and at the sides. Take care on your journey home.
--
dp


I Drove All Night...

10/05/2004

..to get to you, is that all right?

I realised this evening that driving at 90mph down the M40 without any overhead lights, is a skill. Its a skill that I once had and am now very rusty at. With only the car lights around me, it was very disorientating - white headlamps coming at me on the right side at around 180mph, me whizzing past red tail lights on my left at around 30mph, and yellow cats eyes whizzing past me at 90mph as my only guide - very disorientating.

However, I made it from Barnwood to Southall in a record 90mins, despite being held back behind some awful single country lane drivers (i.e. those who just don't have the whim to overtake, nor leave room ahead of them between cars to let others overtake them!)



I am also entirely convinced after todays antics at work, that I am in the wrong job. I seem to live on another planet compared to my colleagues. I quite like mine, its called earth, and its where humans who make mistakes, and work together in equality (sometimes) live.

Tomorrow I head off to LinuxExpo04 - will see what life is like on the Dark Side - sorry thats Micro$oft init.

--
dp


Birdy Run Run - Part 2

10/04/2004

Oh yes, Oh yes indeed.

This morning's Metro showed me that the new 10k run of London, is taking place on Nov 28th, at 7pm - yes a Night Run!!!!

Am gonna sign up for it here.: RunLondon.com
--
dp


yawn

A new week. I cant get that harmar song, brand new day, out of my head. The flu feeling is still here, but am going in regardless. Will i ever learn?

I spent most of yesterday in bed reading. I guess the outcome of this will be another one of those life evaluation moments for me. Its happened each time I've dived deep into management theory. Wonder where I'll want to go this time. Far away from sickly sweet i guess.

The lady had her first car bump last night, it was only a matter of time. At least no one was hurt.

This train is very busy this morning, the rain seems to ensure a timely congregation of people at the stations, and the lack of heating really screws things up.

The odd thing is for the past four trips in the morning I've sat in the same seat and have had the same woman come sit next to me at west Ealing. She's a slow reader i can tell you that, same book four days, not that heavyweight. Well not much more for the roving reporter to share. Enjoy your respective week ahead.

Oh, one more thing, said lt columbo, put on black hawk down this weekend. I admire that film a lot, its put together really well. This time all i could think of was just how stupid war can be. Strategy and tactics fail to protect innocent lives. I stopped it in total disgust of all war. Never done that before. Guess i must be getting soft.
..
dp
[mobile]


Sunday Recovery

10/03/2004

I'm slowly recovering from my flu relapse, with an ample dose of good hot food, and a hot bed to lounge around in.

My mind is reeling with activity and thought instigated by the book I'm currently reading.

Astonishingly referred to me by TOC, its eerily like most of my personal thoughts collected together in a statistically proven manual. It is great to see that my flyaway strands of thought and interest in Organisational Behaviour, Personal Psychology, Business Organisation and Strategy, and Team Dynamics, are actually brought together in a book aptly titled "Good To Great".

I'm gonna write a review of it (for reasons best left unsaid) and will post it here anyway, for those who want to get an insight into things that interest me.

For those who like Jazz - get yourself a copy of Bittersweet & Blue - luvin it.

Again - a word of caution - stay away from this year's flu. Its yucky.

PS Hope the new Blog Layout is readable, just felt like a simple change.
--
dp


Sick As A Parrot - Part 2

10/02/2004

Relapse. That's what I have.
After rushing back to work (whatever on earth for??) and having two late nights this week - so soon after a flu that knocked me out for 6, and that has dessimated the team entirely - I am suffering once again.
My body has ache, and its Round 2. This time, I'm resting totally. Sleep and Lucozade.
My advice - stay away from anyone who has this year's flu - it sux.
--
dp


Thank Shiva Its Friday

10/01/2004

Here i am waiting for a train, and i feel exhausted. The flu is getting shaken off, but is giving a good fight on the last run.
We went to the institute of directors for a meal last night. It was and still is a dull place. At least today is dress down day. Or at least i think it is and have put on my togs. Wouldn't it be funny if it wasn't?
Oh i continue to baffle my colleagues with my continuous challenge of authority and wild streak of non conformism. Just like my psychological profile suggests. All i need now is an idea of what i should be doing and where. Cool.
..
dp
[mobile]


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Weekly musings from a confused mind. This blog, and all posts within it, are just ramblings. They are in no way affiliated with any past, current or future employers. Neither do they represent my deep felt views, or those of my friends or family. Really, its just a blog, which is a new thing, and has new dimensions. So please, dont take anything seriously. If you do, contact me via a comment, and I will get back to you to resolve the situation. Seriously, enjoy life, ignore this blog, and views within it.

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