Dark cloud rises

These past couple of weeks have been a [Insert profanity here] nightmare.
Complete lack of management and staff as seen my workload jump by 300%.

Still means to an end... Hopefully this time next week I'll be in charge and making some changes!

On a lighter note, off to the cinema tonight to watch the Dark Knight Rises!!!

Utter Madness

Work has been completely insane recently.
Our team of 5 is now a team of 3, with a drop down to 2 in the coming weeks.
My own workload is very low, with no issues outstanding. The other location we cover has 150+ calls.
How it's managed to get so bad is beyond me, how management has allowed it to get so bad is even further out of my comprehension!
I spent yesterday in the second location helping get the call queues down. Not an easy feat, but managed to cut about 20% from the overall list.
Ridiculous that it's at a point that where I need to wander out of my own building and into another!
Still, their may be a promotion opportunity out of it all. So must stay positive.

Free time... What's that?

Today should be a day of lounging about, followed by a session in the Gym.

Instead, I'm giving up my early afternoon for scouting.
Time to put a teacher hat on and help these kids get their stage 1&2 IT badges, with a possible Stage 3 to finish.

Thank Crunchie!

Friday!!!
Working week done, just scouting to get out of the way and I can relax in front of the box for the day!
This Sunday should be a challenge. I'm helping some scouts pass their staged IT badges, 2 time slots to cover and I've got to try and fit in a gym visit... It's going to be tight!

Doctor is in

Got my first Qwertee shirt yesterday, arrived when I was in work so was a nice treat for when I got home.

An awesome design of Futurama heads in jars, all of famous doctors!

Hopefully this will be the first of many Qwertee's!!

Media meltdown

I seem to be having an issue with external storage lately. I'm now on my 3rd dead device in as many weeks. Not sure what I'm doing but I'm killing them outright, I've tried my hardest on all three drives to access the data and got nothing back! I think it's time i switched to solid-state devices, there's less chance of me killing them when they have no moving parts!

Managerial misconduct!

Apparently someone once said "it's better to be unmanaged, than mismanaged". I beg to differ I've been in my job for a year, and can count the amount of times I've met my manager on one hand and the amount of time spent with my team leader using an egg-timer. Most people wouldn't complain of this, in fact they would probably wish for that type of management interaction. i on the other hand am annoyed by it! Why do I need them I have been self-sufficient in my role for a year now, with no sign of that changing. In fact I am taking on more responsibility to add value to my role. I'm finding it very hard to find reasons why i need them. I could contract myself out separate from this company and earn more money surely? I begridge anyone who gets paid to do nothing, unless of course that person is me?!?

Tiredness can kill

Today seems to be one of those days.
From the second I walked in the building I've not stopped.Job after job pouring onto my queue with no end in site.
Mix a queue of irate users with the fact I've switched to decaf coffee and you have people dicing with death!
Demand that I fix your problem... I double-dare you!

Boys and their toys

What a week in work.
Having to load laptops with OS and software packages that are not supported by our service desk.
And all because the big-bosses want new toys.

So I have to learn how to use a MAC (have supported windows for a decade) and then learn parallels so that it can hold an image of Windows 7.

You try telling an SVP "No". It's not in their vocab!

A moment in history

I've been witness to a number of amazing things in my lifetime that will be read in history books in years to come. The death of lady Diana, attack on the world trade centre, first black president and the queens Jubilee to name just a few.
But today is a special day also, today will be known as the day I finally snapped and went on my killing spree!!! It's not even lunch time yet and people are rubbing me up the wrong way, seriously people... I'm one man doing the work of two. you have to be patient!!!

Midweek madness

Can't believe it's Wednesday already!!!
Monday snuck up pretty quick and promptly kicked me in the knackers, resulting in me missing work appointments and rescheduling some pretty important people.
I've never been good at scheduling my time... perhaps I need to ask my company to supply me with a PA? [Cue hysterical laughter].

Managed to wangle me some pretty easy overtime this weekend. Sunday morning babysitting gig whilst some engineers laying some fibre (Not an euphemism). Maybe I'll finally get a chance to 100% Lego Harry Potter on my iPad. Or maybe I'll use that time to update the scout websites i manage (It really should be used for this!).
I would use that time to finish watching Game of Thrones, but I've managed to see all but one episode since Saturday and plan on watching the season 2 finale tonight!

I'm quite late in the race to be watching this show, most people had given good reviews for it but I'd never really been bothered. But all my US shows have finished for the summer so needed something to occupy my eyeballs. I watched the first couple of episodes to see how it was, and promptly watched them all!
If you've not caught any of it, please do... you will not be disappointed.

NC

Not liking Fridays and other things that tick me off

Thanks to a 3-day week Friday as swiftly made an appearance. For most this is cue to get excited and promptly make plans to party. For me not so much.

For tonight I don my woggle and scarf and attend scouts!!
I've been a scout leader for about 2 years, and in doing so meet some fantastic kids that amaze me... and some right buggers that frustrate me. The latter becoming ever more frequent.
Friday nights used to be a time for me to get excited about the activities we were about to deliver to the kids, but lately it's a time to get downbeat about having to talk over kids that do not listen, that do not show respect and that are down-right rude.

Schedule failure

Back to 5-day weeks, and Monday morning stress.

I have the same routine every Monday morning.
Greet the new staff that are joining the company, issue them their laptop and then talk them through a 30 minute induction. A task I have performed for the 11 months I have worked here.

It seems more and more frequently this process wants to fail. My 30 minute induction today took me just under 2 hours!! 3 new members of staff, deciding to stagger their arrival over the course of an hour and half.
As I finished one induction I had to start the next.
My morning was blown to pieces and I missed breakfast, i wouldn't normally moan about this but I'm currently trying to put on weight. Up until today I've made sure I've had 3 meals a day for about 3 weeks!

Not only has this farce ruined my eating habits, it's also screwed me for the rest of my day, I am having to reschedule appointments and apologise profusely.
Here's hoping I can catch up and get finished on time... because i do not want this to ruined my afternoon too!


NC

Well Rested, and wanting more

So thanks to Liz celebrating her Diamond Jubilee we've had a double bank holiday.
A whole 4 day weekend!! You'd think I'd be well rested and grateful for the time off, but it seems 4-day weekends go a lot quicker than 2 day weekends.
Perhaps it's because I've not had some proper time off in a while, or the fact I'm back in work tomorrow with a stack of work to catch up on!

That said, I should be in bed instead of watching the MTV movie awards.

NC

Lego Jubilee

Popped into Legoland Resort Windsor today to renew our annual passes.
Whilst there I managed to get in to the new StarWars Miniland. My oldest boy was in awe at all my StarWars knowledge (Alright, not awe... Embarrassment). I must say I was very impressed. And next time I go I won't be holding hands with a 2 year old whilst showing off to a 13 year old.
My hand will be firmly wrapped around my camera!

One thing I did get to shoot was the resorts new additions marking the Queen's diamond jubilee.
They had the Queen's barge (the one used in the recent flotilla pageant), and HRH on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Her Royal Lego Highness was wearing a diamond encrusted crown worth £7,000.

The moment I leaned near the thing to take a photo the security started to twitch, here's my mace-dodging effort or her crown along with her barge:

Windows 8 preview

I've finally installed the Windows 8 consumer preview, and I'm not that impressed.
I have a Xbox360 and Lumia phone so have gotten used to the Metro design already. So this design-feature added to my Windows PC isn't that much of a learning curve.

One thing I am impressed with is the cross-functions. Zune links better with my xbox and my windows phone has the ability to control my PC better.

Although with Google Chrome's ability to have apps installed, the likes of Metro is already way behind in that stakes. I just hope MS are able to up their game a bit before the official release.

Feel the burn

A few days exercising and my body is really starting to ache.
The exercises are not strenuous at all, just calisthenics and a little cardio. But I'm 32 and the only exercise I've ever done is walking (Albeit greater distances compared to most).

I have a couple of exercises I actually enjoy, and they seem to be the ones that are causing me the most pain.
*Deep Knee Bends - The first time I did these I didn't see the point. They didn't seem like exercise at all, but after a while you really start to feel it.

*Press-ups (raised) - The good old-fashioned press-up. I didn't realise how unfit I was until I first started these. I really struggled to get to 10! Now I'm knocking 25 reps a set.

*Fixed leg raises - These really burn, but within the space of a week I've noticed my abs are tighter.

I've started eating a lot more. I'm 5'10" and weigh around 10 stone, so I'm pretty lean already. A good appetite is a must when exercising so I've up'd my calorie intake to balance the extra I'm burning off. In addition to this I've started to drink whey protein shakes.

I'm hoping that in the next 3 months I'll have at least a stone of extra weight, and that I'll be a little bit "ripped" ;)


NC

How to change a guy in 30 days..

Since having some photos done a couple of weeks ago I have started a new diet and exercise regime.

Sounds a bit pretentious but i'm quite enjoying it.

The photos confirmed what everyone else already knew. I am underweight.

So time to change that!
My job is very active and I probably burn of 3x the amount of calories I consume.
The past 10 days has seen a huge gear change to my eating habits. With me filling my face at every opportunity.

Combing this with muscle toning exercise and *protein shakes and I'll be a lean machine before I know it!

I get free Gym membership in work so once i've got a balance I'll be attending there too.

NC
*I used to mock people who drank protein shakes... I've changed!

I'll take those points to go

The weekend has shown it's bright and sunny face again. And what better way to start it that to have 2 toddlers fighting at 6:30am.

Old wifey works weekends, so being woken up 30 minutes before the alarm goes off is not the best way to get her in a good mood.

Enter "Super-Husband"!
I leap out of bed to sort out the ever-whinging children and calm them down.
Dish them their breakfast and make myself a cup of tea.
And just to go that extra mile, I fry a little bacon, toast some bread and deliver it just as the wife needs to get up. Breakfast in bed for no reason? Yes, I'll take those husband points to go! and I'll even take a set in a different colour!
Not only does she get breakfast in bed, but I also prepared her lunch to take to work!

This isn't a one-off, I have been known to treat wifey to breakfast in bed at least once a month (Not so much now that she works weekends). And this got me thinking....

If this points system actually worked,I would so far in front of the wife it would be embarrassing! Not that I'm counting, of course ;)

NC

Whistle while you work

Good days in work are few and far between lately. I'm currently running 3 roles in one between 2 separate buildings.
This has started to take it's toll on me, both mentally and physically.

But to help cheer me up, the nice people at the Criminal Justice System sent me a letter today.

Now at first, when I unfolded the letter and saw the letterhead I did start to sweat a little... I had no idea why they would be writing to me!

Then I read the subject....
About 6 months ago I caught my colleague stealing laptops from work.
This letter was to confirm the outcome of her court appearance.

GUILTY!
Well of course she was, the fact she was caught red-handed and had so much evidence to back up the case meant she was never going to talk her way out of it!

Seems a few hours community service, a fine and court fees is all it takes to pay society back for being a thief!

Still, Made me smile.

NC