I’m full of a mandatory fried breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, toast and tea) and now I need to walk it all off somewhere.
So we’re going to the very lovely Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline to enjoy these blue skies while they last.
I’m full of a mandatory fried breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, toast and tea) and now I need to walk it all off somewhere.
So we’re going to the very lovely Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline to enjoy these blue skies while they last.
Made it safely to Edinburgh. βοΈ
Some nasty weather delayed the flight for an hour, but I got here in the end. Now waiting for my train to take me to Dunfermline. π
I also got an appointment for my COVID booster today, so that’s also going in the gratitude journal.
Smiling to myself as my podcast got recommended in an HR blog post about the top business-focused podcasts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it mentioned in ‘print’ before.
That’s definitely making my gratitude list for tonight’s journal.
I’m in Dublin for a very brief business trip.
And despite my high hopes, I haven’t been able to escape the noise of construction. Back in London, my neighbourhood seems to be one big building site, and has been that way for over a year. The noise is truly exhausting and I live for the respite of Sundays, when even the builders take a break.
I arrived to my hotel in Dublin this morning to discover it’s being refurbished right now. And even though there’s no construction noise on my floor, it seems I’m two floors directly above the bar that’s being demolished-or-bombed.
It’s hard to tell what they’re doing, but they’re doing it with enthusiasm.
In addition to the hammering, there’s a high pitched whine of a drill. Which is just lovely. It’s made working from my room less than ideal this afternoon. But I could eventually get used to that noise.
Then a family arrived in the hotel room opposite, and proceeded to have the mother of all arguments. While their door was propped open with a shoe. It just didn’t end, so I eventually had to open my door and gently ask them to close their door. They shouted even more. So I had to raise my voice and ask again.
A lady came to the door and said “Sorry, I no speak English”, so I mimed closing the door. Which she did, and then I heard her say “Sorry, I no speak English” in what I can only describe as a sarcastic tone, and the whole family laughed. So at least someone’s having fun this afternoon.
I’d pay quite a lot of money for some peace and quiet this evening. But I’ve just remembered that I packed my earplugs, so maybe I’ll get some sleep after all.
Really looking forward to my Japanese class this evening.
Like a good boy, I’ve done all my homework and have been practicing daily. Though it’s just my luck that I seem to have one of the more difficult to pronounce nationalities (Irish) and occupations (psychologist) that we’re learning right now.
Went for another 5km run this morning and managed a faster pace than yesterday.
It felt good throughout and I’m once again pain-free. Hoping that I’ve finally put my achilles tendons issues behind me.
I had to shame a dog walker into putting his dogβs shit into the bin. He threw it at the bin and missed and was walking away from it when I roared at him. He sheepishly went back and picked it up to put it where it belonged.
Iβm sick of the volume of dog shit on our streets, thanks to thoughtless dog owners.
I snapped this sunset from our balcony yesterday evening.
And yes, while the days are getting noticeably shorter at this time of year, the sunsets are still something to enjoy from our vantage point here on the 35th floor.
Trying this for the first time time this evening - and Iβm pleased to report itβs delicious!
Iβll have to get some more tomorrow. The perfect evening drink after a warm day. Very refreshing.
Got (another) new plant for the apartment.
Fully expect to wake up one morning to find thereβs been a plant-based coup and Iβm ejected onto the streets.
Just bought a slightly ginormous but beautiful plant for the apartment. Will cart it home after something suitably refreshing at Starbucks.
Good morning from an unseasonably mild London.
Apparently it’s going to hit 25C later today, which is incredible for October. I’m going to head out for a run shortly, before it gets too warm. And then attack my ‘life admin’ task list.
Almost at the end of another working week.
I’m feeling productive and accomplished - just got another YouTube video out the door, and prepped the edits for two more episodes of the podcast. Did my accounts admin and even did some client admin.
Definitely going to enjoy this evening…
Another tough day down the psychology mines… π€£
But, I managed to record two episodes of the podcast, have a lovely catch-up with a colleague in Seville, write next week’s professional blog post and set up the next three months of online community meet-ups.
And now it’s time to pack up and go home.
A small landmark
My little YouTube channel gained it’s 300th subscriber yesterday and I couldn’t be happier.
It’s been nothing like a full-time job, but something I fit around other aspects of work. Getting a tiny bit better with each video, still enjoying the process, and learning loads.
I had my second Japanese language class of the current course last night.
I say ‘current course’, as I’ve attempted to start learning Japanese several times, and despite my frequent visits to the country, I’m hardly making progress. Or at least, as fast as I’d like.
So, I registered for the first two modules of a beginner’s course and I’m attending face to face. I noticed that my last Zoom-based experience was far from ideal - mostly because of the teacher’s unfamiliarity with the tech.
This course is really excellent. It meets my need for a face to face experience, features a fantastically enthusiastic teacher, and has a reasonably small cohort size. And while Monday’s aren’t often the best day of the week, my Monday evening class always gives me something to look forward to.
Combined with daily sessions in Duolingo, my confidence has soared and I’m really looking forward to practicing the next time I’m in Tokyo.
I went to see The Creator this afternoon and really enjoyed it.
A lovely story, stunning visuals and a walloping score. This sci-fi geek loved every minute.
I might even have shed a tear or two.
Gah! Yet another GP screw-up with my meds.
Despite getting my repeat prescription signed off on Monday, the pharmacy never received it. And so I couldn’t get my meds. Thankfully, the pharmacist was happy to give me a week’s supply while the GP practice gets their act together.
Every interaction with my local practice is so stressful and hard work. And it’s not like I’m taking my epilepsy meds for laughs. If I run out, there are real consequences. Serious consequences. If I have a seizure, even a small ‘absence seizure’, it’s difficult and stressful and impairs my ability to work.
But it really feels like they couldn’t care less at times.
Tomorrow first thing, I’ll have to go down in person to basically beg them for help. And it’ll be 100% dependent on the mood of the receptionist. Because there’s no way I’ll get access to a doctor.
Some initial thoughts after 48 hours with the new iPhone 15 Pro:
“After about 48 hours of use, I thought I’d note my initial impressions and spoiler: they’re all positive. Really.”
One of the first photos I took outdoors with my new iPhone 15 Pro.
We were blessed with unseasonal blue skies and sunshine here in London, so I made sure to look up for some good angles.
I took this just down the street from my apartment, here in Canary Wharf, where’s there no shortage of interesting buildings reaching for the sky.
So far, I’m loving the new phone and the camera is just one of the outstanding upgrades from my iPhone 13 Pro. I’m prepping a ‘48 hours with the iPhone 15 Pro’ post over on my Apple Fanboy blog. Hoping to get it out later today.
It just so happens I’m working from home on the day my new iPhone 15 Pro is set to be delivered. What a coincidence!
Though I may have to temper my excitement if it arrives later in the afternoon. I have a friend coming over for dinner and a film later on, and it would be quite anti-social to sit in the corner and set up my new phone with him here.
Plus, he’s an Android user (I know!) so he’ll have zero interest in any kind of new iPhone.
I was thinking the waiting would be quite annoying, but I just opened Things 3 and caught sight of the ton of tasks I need to get through today. I’m not sure I’ll have time to even think about phones until much later in the day!
If you’re expecting a delivery today, I hope it goes smoothly and you have your new iPhone in your hands before too long.
The second highlight of my day so far:
Figuring our how to use the Dataview plug-in in Obsidian to search for client projects across disparates notes and provide me with a nicely-formatted list.
I then created a ‘client’ template for pages, to bring together lists of client-specific projects and the people involved. So each client organisation gets a note, and each note lists what projects I’ve done for them and who I’ve worked with there.
It’s also like I know what I’m doing. Almost.
The highlight of my day (so far):
Getting my dispatch notification email from Apple. My iPhone 15 Pro is on the way, in all its blue titanium glory. And now the waiting game ramps up a notch.
The next 24hrs is going to feel so long.
It definitely feels like Autumn arrived in London today.
I woke up to darkness and had to wear a sweatshirt and jacket to work, for the first time in… well, as long as I can remember. I’m looking out my office window to some very dark grey skies and some really quite strong wind. There’s an umbrella in my backpack. I’m thinking of soup.
I’m planning to hold off on getting my winter clothes out of storage for a couple of weeks. But as I’m going to be in Scotland for a few days next month, I’ll definitely have to unpack my coats before I leave. I’m just not hardy enough to brave a Fife October without my Winter layers.
Seasons are a naturally occurring event and it’s madness to struggle against it. But more than the cold and wet and wind, the thing I’m most dreading is the darkness. Dark mornings, dark evenings. And very little light in between.
My hibernation mode is on the way…
I’m watching endless iPhone 15 Pro review videos on YouTube, as if it will somehow speed up delivery of my new handset.
I’m still very happy I upgraded. No buyer’s remorse here. I just want to get my hands on it!
Roll on Friday.