You know I knew exactly what was going to go into this blog yesterday, now poof it's gone...
Oh well, if I remember I'll have something to post tomorrow...
Something that did happen yesterday... I was at a leadership meeting, all team leads getting together to discuss how implementation of new core values is going (within IT it's not we're fairly autonomous as it is...)
The meeting went well, much better than I was expecting actually, when we had our group exercise the CEO stayed in our room to check his mails. We got the most important part of the exercise completed and started a different discussion. At this point the CEO finished his mails and came over and joined in. This is something that I love about the company - you can say what you want to the management and they will listen to you. Doesn't always change anything, but they listen to your concerns at least and where possible do something.
The question of what we need to change in the way we work came up. I was with someone from the banking business unit, from the car insurance business unit and the life insurance business unit. What I need for IT is different to what they need. So I stole the conversation a little and said what need purely from an IT point of view. I need more freedom from upper management, more trust from upper management and less interference from them. When I give a finger in the air estimation that is exactly what is - don't press me for a detailed breakdown when I have nothing more than a cigarette packet pre spec. This was we can work with the business in making our site better, and not just spend weeks getting solid estimates for the details sorted.
He took it well, and this is something that is going to change I think - I was backed up by the people from the business in the same group that they find it very useful when we do this, we can come up with solutions that that don't think off as we have a little more distance.
Anyway that was good, but what happened after was much better.
I don't do well in groups; I shrink into the background and keep quiet. I was starting to do that a little yesterday when two of the women I was working with started to talk about books, that is a conversation I can get into easily (though didn't have the guts to join in the chick-lit conversation as emphatically, damn my self confidence :p ) and we got chatting. It was great, and I have to say I let go a little (seeing as the assumption in the office is that I am closet gay I don't see the point in trying hard to hide any more, *if* I am enjoying myself...). Then suddenly everyone noticed that I was doing the conversation in Dutch and another conversation got going about a) me speaking too much English in the office when my Dutch is good enough, and b) the issues facing the call centre trying to decipher English being spoken by both sides of the conversation when neither side speaks it natively. I found that strange - the site is completely Dutch, if you can close an insurance policy on it then you must have some idea of the language...
To finish the day off I decided to be a little assertive. I was tired, and my IBS has been giving me grief for a couple of days so didn't want to stay late. When I leave I normally wait until someone else has already gone (hate being the first to leave) and try to sneak out without being noticed. Yesterday I made myself say goodbye to everyone before leaving, when I was ready - meaning I was the first. It was hard - but it felt good to actually have people see me for a change...
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Too much of a petrol head...
I'm a petrol head (though the Top Gear wouldn't agree - never owned an Alpha and not likely to...). I am not ashamed at this. But this morning I am finding out that you can go too far, and am still paying the price...
Filling the bike up with feul the rubber hose spring suddenly sprang having the effect of both ripping the nozzle out of the tank, and forcing the lever into my hand spraying fuel all over my bike.
Ten minutes of rinsing the bike down I noticed that my nice, new, expensive, red and white Dianese gloves were also damp. So much for keeping them looking good as long as posible :(
So now I am sitting at my desk stinking of petrol. Feel sorry for those I work with - it's an open office :)
Stace
Filling the bike up with feul the rubber hose spring suddenly sprang having the effect of both ripping the nozzle out of the tank, and forcing the lever into my hand spraying fuel all over my bike.
Ten minutes of rinsing the bike down I noticed that my nice, new, expensive, red and white Dianese gloves were also damp. So much for keeping them looking good as long as posible :(
So now I am sitting at my desk stinking of petrol. Feel sorry for those I work with - it's an open office :)
Stace
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Adventures in Epilating, and other stuff
I've been using my epilator for about a month now - so far so good. I need to spend serious time doing it every three weeks or so, and a bit of maintenance (5 / 10 mins) once a week. I'm really happy with my arms - the hair their is growing back much softer than before (it seems to take a while to get thick, black and noticable) so I don't have to do those as often.
The pain has recinded somewhat after that first, painful time - on my shins I hardly feel it anymore and it's no worse than shaving. Thighs still hurt, though not as eye watering as before.
Things that I have done wrong though:
Still soo much better than shaving though - lasts longer, is smother and my arms are not so much as hair free now as looking more natural (as Mrs Stace said when I shaved my arms - women have hair on their arms - it's nice to have, just not the thick black hair...)
Other stuff? Two things spring to mind.
I have my yearly review this week and got the info last night. I'm impressed. Better than average. Personally I would break my last year down as July-Dec good, Dec-April terrible, May to now slightly down on good. But it seems that I did enough to keep the business, and my boss, impressed. I guess what I am doing is good - I just feel I should be doing more of it.
The other is bike related. I was by bike to my sister in laws yesterday, and was changing into my leather before leaving. She commented that the leathers are very manly, and would I be changing them if I transitioned.
I said not. I have two reasons for this. One is that a good set of leathers is well into 4 figures and I am not going to throw them out until they are no longer keeing me safe. The other, possibly more important, reason is that you can't get good quality leathers for women. I have top of the line 2 piece Dainese leathers, with titanium sliders on the shoulder and elbows. For women they have some nice looking leathers, but nothing with the level of protection that mine have. I couldn't think about changing for something that offers less protection than I have now so I have little choice in the matter.
See what is available should the time come I suppose.
Right, time to do more of that work that I mentioned :)
The pain has recinded somewhat after that first, painful time - on my shins I hardly feel it anymore and it's no worse than shaving. Thighs still hurt, though not as eye watering as before.
Things that I have done wrong though:
- I didn't exfoliate enough and had lots of ingrowing hair. That was painful to sort out, but seems to be fine now.
- You can cause injury with an epilator if you get it wrong - the scab on my wrist shows that :)
Still soo much better than shaving though - lasts longer, is smother and my arms are not so much as hair free now as looking more natural (as Mrs Stace said when I shaved my arms - women have hair on their arms - it's nice to have, just not the thick black hair...)
Other stuff? Two things spring to mind.
I have my yearly review this week and got the info last night. I'm impressed. Better than average. Personally I would break my last year down as July-Dec good, Dec-April terrible, May to now slightly down on good. But it seems that I did enough to keep the business, and my boss, impressed. I guess what I am doing is good - I just feel I should be doing more of it.
The other is bike related. I was by bike to my sister in laws yesterday, and was changing into my leather before leaving. She commented that the leathers are very manly, and would I be changing them if I transitioned.
I said not. I have two reasons for this. One is that a good set of leathers is well into 4 figures and I am not going to throw them out until they are no longer keeing me safe. The other, possibly more important, reason is that you can't get good quality leathers for women. I have top of the line 2 piece Dainese leathers, with titanium sliders on the shoulder and elbows. For women they have some nice looking leathers, but nothing with the level of protection that mine have. I couldn't think about changing for something that offers less protection than I have now so I have little choice in the matter.
See what is available should the time come I suppose.
Right, time to do more of that work that I mentioned :)
Monday, 14 June 2010
World Cup Fever
Well the world cup is here, and insanity rules.
England managed to scew up royally in the first match, and I have watched more football over the last few days than I managed in the last few years.
And that is only down to the fact that Mrs Stace likes to watch the world cup.
It was estimated that 25% of the Dutch workforce will throw a sicky today in order to watch Hollands first match this afternoon. There have been articles in the papers complaining that companies refuse to let them watch the world cup on company time. It's insane. Are you there to work or not?
At the company I work for they are very flexible - a lot of rooms have televisions in them in case people want to watch (people brought spare TV's from home). The only things they ask are that you make the time up should you watch the match and that you don't interefere with the work of those who don't want to watch.
The canteen has also been turned into the WK Kamer for whenever there is a Dutch match on - and is suitably orange at the moment. Many rooms are also blaze with orane bunting and flags (the ones with the tele's mainly). Most people are walking around with Orange clothes on (including senior management). It's a great sight to see, even for a non supporter like myself - and I think it's one of the things that make it such a nice company to work for...
Woe betide anyone who mentions football the day after the Ducth squad go out of the competition though - the Dutch have no time for a team that does not win and all the bunting in the street will be gone within 30 mins of the final whistle of the final game (and from the offices within 10 mins of people arriving the day after!)
England managed to scew up royally in the first match, and I have watched more football over the last few days than I managed in the last few years.
And that is only down to the fact that Mrs Stace likes to watch the world cup.
It was estimated that 25% of the Dutch workforce will throw a sicky today in order to watch Hollands first match this afternoon. There have been articles in the papers complaining that companies refuse to let them watch the world cup on company time. It's insane. Are you there to work or not?
At the company I work for they are very flexible - a lot of rooms have televisions in them in case people want to watch (people brought spare TV's from home). The only things they ask are that you make the time up should you watch the match and that you don't interefere with the work of those who don't want to watch.
The canteen has also been turned into the WK Kamer for whenever there is a Dutch match on - and is suitably orange at the moment. Many rooms are also blaze with orane bunting and flags (the ones with the tele's mainly). Most people are walking around with Orange clothes on (including senior management). It's a great sight to see, even for a non supporter like myself - and I think it's one of the things that make it such a nice company to work for...
Woe betide anyone who mentions football the day after the Ducth squad go out of the competition though - the Dutch have no time for a team that does not win and all the bunting in the street will be gone within 30 mins of the final whistle of the final game (and from the offices within 10 mins of people arriving the day after!)
Friday, 11 June 2010
One Hundred
Almost one year ago I started a blog with the idea of it being a bit of an outlet with no idea if it would keep updating it past the 2 or three 3 week mark. Over the year the blog has morphed into something of a diary, and my life has morphed into something beyond recognition! Some of it good, some of it bad - and with no clear direction at this time.
Who knows what the future will bring, or where I'll be in another 100 posts time? Let's just hope there are good times along the way...
For now though I think this picture that I managed to grab at the 2009 Assen TT says it well :)
And of course - gell well soon Doctor; we miss you!
Thursday, 10 June 2010
That was good...
I had my first therapy session today, and I have to say it went fantastically.
There was an iffy start with the traffic (travelling into Amsterdam, by car, in rush hour is just not fun). At one point I had managed 3 mins of the journey, a distance of 2 miles in 15 minutes of traffic. At that point I started to worry that I would not make it on time.
Then there was parking once I was in Amsterdam. I found a space on a side street, and then searched for the machine to buy a parking ticket. Once found (why do they hide these!) I had to buy a ticket - no mean feat on mondern machines. If you had a voluntary user interface nobody would ever use it.
Anyway I digress. I got to the building, was let in had a coffee and we sat down and we started. He went though what I can expect from the VU when I eventually start there, and why I can expect it (all the psychology tests etc).
From there we started to speak about me. I think the most important thing is that we clicked. In almost no time the hour was up and we were making the next appointment. And even stranger, and to show how relaxed I was, the whole session was in Dutch - with the exception of one sentence that I didn't know
The next appointment is going to be a little more difficult as it's going to get more personal. But I am not too nervous.
Yet :)
I've been flying high all afternoon though and am just trying to stay there at the moment.
There was an iffy start with the traffic (travelling into Amsterdam, by car, in rush hour is just not fun). At one point I had managed 3 mins of the journey, a distance of 2 miles in 15 minutes of traffic. At that point I started to worry that I would not make it on time.
Then there was parking once I was in Amsterdam. I found a space on a side street, and then searched for the machine to buy a parking ticket. Once found (why do they hide these!) I had to buy a ticket - no mean feat on mondern machines. If you had a voluntary user interface nobody would ever use it.
Anyway I digress. I got to the building, was let in had a coffee and we sat down and we started. He went though what I can expect from the VU when I eventually start there, and why I can expect it (all the psychology tests etc).
From there we started to speak about me. I think the most important thing is that we clicked. In almost no time the hour was up and we were making the next appointment. And even stranger, and to show how relaxed I was, the whole session was in Dutch - with the exception of one sentence that I didn't know
The next appointment is going to be a little more difficult as it's going to get more personal. But I am not too nervous.
Yet :)
I've been flying high all afternoon though and am just trying to stay there at the moment.
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Progress?
In 12 short hours I'll be driving to Amsterdam, trying to avoid (hah) the rush hour traffic and searching valiently for somewhere to park (bigger hah).
Then in just under 13 hours I'll have my first session with the psychologist (not counting the screening at the VU). As yet I am stil not scared, starting to get a little nervous maybe, but not scared.
I think coupled to actually making some decisions at the weekend this can be called something approaching to progress.
Or I could just be kidding myself and spend most of the night awake... You never know.
Well back to watching the outcome of the Dutch elections (which I can legitimately complain about as I don't get to vote as a buitenlander).
Stace
Then in just under 13 hours I'll have my first session with the psychologist (not counting the screening at the VU). As yet I am stil not scared, starting to get a little nervous maybe, but not scared.
I think coupled to actually making some decisions at the weekend this can be called something approaching to progress.
Or I could just be kidding myself and spend most of the night awake... You never know.
Well back to watching the outcome of the Dutch elections (which I can legitimately complain about as I don't get to vote as a buitenlander).
Stace
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