Old Habbits

So... Saturday morning and I am up and awake far too early again...

Nothing like the past, it was at least 6:30 before I was up - but that was still before the little man (who is sitting next to me as I type this now).

It's not too bad, I wanted to be up in time to watch the qualification for Formula 1. Not that I particularly enjoy it anymore. Not for a few years, there is just not enough action anymore - and what action there is is quite often faked by using DRS etc. But still I've watched since I was a small child, not much older than my little man now, and so you there is always the hope that the glory days will return.

So, what's been happening this week? Well, I've killed my feet running. In the last 7 days I managed 25km in two stints. Today I want to do another 10, at least. I haven't decided where yet, after I've finished writing this I am going to look for a nice route on Google maps and see if I can get to the beach and back without being gone for too long. Watch this space!

One good thing about going for the run is the peace it can, note can, bring to my head. And I am starting to need it. The coming week is  starting to loom in my head.

Monday is not going to be fun in the office, there is a colleague who is deliberately making life difficult for the whole team. His way or he works without thinking and is just making life a bit of a misery. I'm planning to give him a last chance to talk on Monday and then I'm just escalating it.

Then on Tuesday I have my 12 month checkup for my hand. Seeing as the pain it has caused me since we moved (which I am pleased to say is starting to die down now) I am not looking forward to seeing what they find when they x-ray the hand again. And we need to talk about the future in this appointment I think, after all with the disorder that I have they need to make sure that the growths do no come back, either in the hand or elsewhere. I don't know what the plan is for that and think that it's time to ask.

And I think that I have a buyer for the R6. Not the price I wanted for it - but the guy found a lot more wrong than I had seen, and not far off of what I think i can get. I am going to call him today accept his offer. Then my ownership of a motorbike, which I have had since 28th July 2000, will end. They've been fun, but I can't really argue with Mrs Stace about having a toy car and a toy bike is excessive. And the money that I'll get for the bike will go into the car to try and get it as finished as possible without hitting our savings again. And I can't wait to drive it again!

And of course Wednesday is the day to talk to the doctor. I am so not looking forward to that. I'm not sure what else to write about it. My head is spinning a little just thinking about it, so I'm not going to...

What I am going to try and do is concentrate on the fun things of next week.

On Wednesday the last components of the kitchen are being delivered. And on Friday the builders come back to fit them and finish it up. Then the downstairs is done! Except for the curtains and pictures that we want to hang on the wall.

And tonight I am going to a musical that is being put on by the theater group of our product owner: Big Fish. That is something, that being in a large group of people aside, I am so looking forward to!

Concentrate on the good stuff!

Appointment made

First of all I'd like to thank people for the support, either via comments, mail or other mediums. It's means the world to me to have such support.

It's been a major feature I'd my week, and I'm not sorry that I have a weekend of nothing much planned coming up.

I've had a chat with my close team, and one other colleague who has helped me in the past.

And...

I've made the appointment with the doctors.

Actually, i tried yesterday, but the first time the assistant was busy for 7 minutes with someone and I gave up waiting, and then they were closed for the afternoon. So I had to work up the courage the next day as well...

The call was fine, the assistant giving me a double appointment without asking why I wanted one. Now I'm stressing about what I'm going to say, how to word my feelings and where to go next. It feels good making this step. I know it's a step in the right direction, but it's not helped me yet.

Once I got off of the phone I updated our "out" board to say I wouldn't be in that morning. Then I told the team, they are really supportive and congratulated me on taking the step. Then I had to leave before I burst into tears...

Reversal

Happy weekend folks! The first week back on the office after three weeks at home is behind me now, and I am more than happy about that!

By Thursday I could barely keep my eyes open, my fuse was about .25 seconds long and I needed it done. 3 hours of commute due to bad traffic did not help that day!

Friday I was interviewing for a new Scrum Master. Not a day that I am normally in the office, but as it was during the little mans school day I could get there and back in time to pick him up. I hoped.

In the end I was really pleased I made the trip, it was very relaxed being in the office for 30 minutes without major deadlines to meet. It was also one of the most pleasant interviews I have ever had. But not something I can talk about...

The only fly in the ointment? I had to be home for 12, in good traffic it's 50 minutes to get home. I left the office with 52 minutes to spare! I may have got a ticket trying to make up some time. Which I didn't need to do. I got home with time to park, get the car, and cycle to his school to get him (trying to use the bike to get him to school as much as possible!).

Today? Well, here the reversal takes place. Not from the mood, I'm tired but happy, but the weather.

Last week I was skating in natural ice as a local pond. As most of Holland is low (that is North Holland where we used to live, and South Holland where we live now - not the normal replacing Nederland for Holland incorrectly ;p ) there are lots of ponds around the houses, with canals and brooks connecting them to allow for good drainage. This pond is 1/2 mile away from us and would be a park surrounded by houses if the drainage wasn't needed, leading to a second one. There is public access (good for canoeing next year as well), but is mainly just behind houses. As we had feels like temperatures of -18 during the week (that bad that running was cancelled by the instructor as the temperature meant the chance of injury was just too high) there was the upside that after just a couple of days there was enough ice to stand on, and by the weekend there were lots of people skating together on the canals and ponds. Even lakes and rivers in more inland parts of the country!

I'd had my skates sharpened a couple of weeks earlier, and had practiced in a skating hall, so it was time to try difficult natural ice! I still have the bruises! Coming in to stop after one session I must have hit a crack that had refrozen and went full flat on my face. Knees and arms hitting to the ice hard. I didn't realise how hard until I saw my knees later in the week and they were the colour of aubergines!

Today, well the ice has gone (from inches of ice to water in 4 days), the temperature was 15 degrees and I was skating with colleagues at an artificial ice rink. An inside rink where they skated (both are new to skating). I stayed with them for 30 minutes or so, trying to help, and when they wanted a rest I went to the 400m outside long-track rink and tried to clock up some mileage. I think that in all I managed 5 or 6 miles between the two rinks and loved it! But 15 degrees and an outdoor rink means that it was almost a swimming pool in places. When the Zamboni came around the clean the ice it didn't refreeze behind it! I can see why they close the rink at the end of March, which is a shame because I have really got into skating in the last week or so!

Aching now, but happy. I think that when the new season starts I am going to try and go more often. Sometimes in the figure skates that I inherited from Mrs Stace because I want to learn some tricks, and I am going to rent / buy some Noren skates to try and get my times down for the long distances.