Friday Five!

KFDancer, want to come work for me?  We've been recruiting this week for an engineering administrator and we've given very basic (sorting data sets, bar graphs and pivot tables) tests to our 5 different candidates and only 1 could do it.   


On another note, I just read this article, which was so timely for those of you suffering the loss of a beloved pet
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/aug/16/my-dog-was-looking-into-my-eyes-as-she-died-the-grief-of-losing-a-pet-is-real

Oh gosh that's bad. I could do that before I knew much about data. I still prefer actual databases and reporting languages to excel for reproducibility, but you can do a lot in excel!

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Friday Five a day late because I never know what day it is:


EDIT:  All this Brexit uncertainty is certainly playing with my mind. In today's post I received: 1) the bank draft; 2) my provisional driver's license; and, 3) my returned Eire passport card. So, everything that was inbound is now here. (Except my hydroponic supplies, but they'll be next week.)

And the rest is water under the bridge, so to speak.

Sorry to hear about all the pet losses. Pets are family, not "just pets". Nobody who has ever bonded with an animal would ever call them "just" anything.

1.  I'm probably going to jinx everything to hell by even *thinking* this, let alone writing it down for all to see... but we *might* be buying a new-build flat and be moving BACK TO GLASGOW!!! 

2.  OH is home!  He was away all week at Peterborough beer festival, and as a guest at Oakham Brewery's anniversary celebrations. 

3.  Been a rough week at work.   Thankfully, my boss is back from holiday next week and things will get better.

4.  YAY-- bank holiday weekend, so no work on Monday!  I actually forgot about this until just now, so my mood has lifted instantly!

5.  Chinese takeaway tonight...  Our local Chinese does these wide, thick and chewy Thai noodles that I love.

1.  I'm probably going to jinx everything to hell by even *thinking* this, let alone writing it down for all to see... but we *might* be buying a new-build flat and be moving BACK TO GLASGOW!!! 

That sounds exciting! Hope it works out!! 

Happy Friday!!

1.) Been a stressful week at work, supporting a regulatory audit this week.

2.)  Going out with my team tonight for a few beers

3.)  My chickens were squawking and squawking and squawking this morning and I could not for the life of me figure out what they needed.  They were obviously just wanting some serious attention.   

4.)  Wish I had a bank holiday, but we already had ours in early August 

5.) Need to practise lots and lots this weekend, learning new music 

1.  Leaving shortly for the airport!!!  Holiday! 

2.  I woke with a sore throat.   

3.  I successfully passed my probation period at work.  Received some excellent feedback as well.  The company owner also asked what the website that I like to have look at throughout the day is. 

4.  Hoping for a healthy family on holiday after the last couple of weeks.     Go away sore throat!

5.  I’ve lost 25 pounds of baby weight...  I wonder how many I’ll find on holiday?   

Have a great trip KFD! Take some of those sore throat lozenges with you.

The very best of luck, Albatross!  I hope things work out in a way that makes you happy!

PB, it sounds like your team need to go out for drinks after the audit! 

Oh, KF... sore throat...?  *worried*  Isn't that how Alice started?  But maybe it's just postnasal drip.  Anyway, I really really hope you feel great and enjoy your holiday!

My five!

1.  After that six-week-long summer we all enjoyed, the weather has definitely turned more autumnal around here.  But I finally feel acclimated.  Like, I don't feel like "Ugh, it's always miserable out!"  I had my summer, and now this is what the weather is and I just get on with it.  It only took me six years.    Oh, nevermind.  The sun has come out.  Yay!

2. A certain parcel is on its way to me.  I am told I can expect it Monday.  I'm excited to see my options!

It's cloudy again.

3. I tried pork loin medallions last night, hoping it would save me the effort of trimming my own pork loin and slicing it into medallions, but my skepticism was well-founded.  They don't trim the pork loin as well as I do.  My husband knew about the experimental purchase, and he said, "It's not as good as when you do it yourself."  I am disappointed, but food quality really is more important than saving a bit of effort.  Besides, the whole loin is cheaper by mass than buying the medallions, so I'll be saving money, I guess.

4. I like mushrooms.  I don't like their texture, but I like their flavour.  This is significant because I thought I didn't like mushrooms for most of my life.

5. My birthday is next month, and I told my husband I wanted steak and chips for my birthday dinner (I mean, we have steak and baked potatoes every Friday lately, so I had to say something different to our regular Friday night dinner, right?).  And a deep fryer came on offer at the same time that he got a 15% off voucher... I suggested it could be my birthday present.  So now we have a deep fat fryer.  We went with a worktop one, rather than inset, because it's basically the same thing, but the worktop one is about £1000 cheaper than inset.  We're not made of money!  Anyway, my husband made chips the night it arrived.  I'm not sure this is really my birthday present.  But the chips were tasty!  And it's payback for me giving him an espresso machine for his birthday (nom!).

So many happy things in this thread today! I hope your sore throat goes away quickly KFDancer and you can enjoy the holiday. The change in weather has mine a bit scratchy, but I'm enjoying the cooler days and nights! f

And PB - I definitely agree, there should be drinks after work tonight & when that audit is done!


1. The parcel is on its way, sorry for the delay!

2. I think one of the harder parts of this move has been trying to get pain management again. I lived with chronic pain for years, finally had relief so I could start "living" again, only to have it ripped away by the NHS. The pain management specialist was nice, referred me to their CBT based pain management program which definitely has its place as part of a comprehensive plan ... but that doesn't stop my joints from dislocating. And any doctor who thinks that isn't painful can really go do one. I guess I'll just have to start going to urgent care following them because suffering is not getting me anywhere. Related: This was a really wonderful article by my friend about the patient point of view in the opioid crisis and really voices how transforming pain management can be, and I wish people with lifelong illnesses that aren't cancer had better care. https://thewalrus.ca/the-other-side-of-fentanyl/

3. Asthma is a pain. I haven't struggled with getting it under control so much in 15 years. The meds here are different and have way more side effects. I'm hoping they go away soon. I try to give new meds 2 weeks unless it's a life threatening kind of side effect, but I don't know if I'll make it that long - tremors and muscle spasms are really not awesome. My peak flow reading is improving (it'd been hovering at 300 which is why they did the med change) but the rest of me is suffering. The joys of chronic illness.

4. I am enjoying the online classes I signed up for. I learned most of what I know on the job and through meetups, so some more "formal" education makes me feel more confident and well rounded. I joined this one yesterday since I know I've only been exposed to a tiny fraction of analysis techniques and it's pretty good so far. I remember the excel discussions in a thread last week, so this might be of interest to some. I think you can audit the classes too, but I signed up for the certificate just to boost my linkedin profile/resume.  https://www.coursera.org/specializations/excel-mysql 

5. I'm taking DH to the garden store this weekend. I hope he likes it as much as I do. I'm loving having fresh herbs in the house and Elly has done a good job not eating them (which was always a concern). Microgreens are going to be my next goal since they're nutrient packed and hopefully easy to grow.

Microgreens are going to be my next goal since they're nutrient packed and hopefully easy to grow.

... and adorable!

... and adorable!

And another fun thing is growing spouts in a jar!   

And another fun thing is growing spouts in a jar!   

I used to love sprouts on my salad when I was a kid.  I should grow some.

I used to love sprouts on my salad when I was a kid.  I should grow some.

And mustard and cress! 

Friday Five!!

Today is a big one...

1. Today is my last day at my favorite job in the entire world. I'm very close to my boss and co-workers, and this job is exactly what I got my degree in History to do. It's terrifying to give it up and start all over...Especially with my recent post in the "Jobs" tab, so that's fun.
2. It's still early but I've already had 2 cups of coffee so the day is starting off right.
3. I stayed out late last night, so I ended up sleeping in town. (I live an hour away from my work) Since I slept in town (where I work) I got to SLEEP IN by like an HOUR!!
4. Today is Friday, so we're going get our Greek food for lunch. However, since it's my last day of work, about 6 people are tagging along. I'm very emotional. I might actually cry today.
5. For the first time in about a week I have absolutely no plans tonight so I am going to spend the entire evening playing video games. TRY AND STOP ME!!

-sigh- I can't believe this is really happening. My last day at this job....Nearly 4 years of wonderful experience coming to an end.

Friday Five!!

Today is a big one...

1. Today is my last day at my favorite job in the entire world. I'm very close to my boss and co-workers, and this job is exactly what I got my degree in History to do. It's terrifying to give it up and start all over...Especially with my recent post in the "Jobs" tab, so that's fun.
2. It's still early but I've already had 2 cups of coffee so the day is starting off right.
3. I stayed out late last night, so I ended up sleeping in town. (I live an hour away from my work) Since I slept in town (where I work) I got to SLEEP IN by like an HOUR!!
4. Today is Friday, so we're going get our Greek food for lunch. However, since it's my last day of work, about 6 people are tagging along. I'm very emotional. I might actually cry today.
5. For the first time in about a week I have absolutely no plans tonight so I am going to spend the entire evening playing video games. TRY AND STOP ME!!

-sigh- I can't believe this is really happening. My last day at this job....Nearly 4 years of wonderful experience coming to an end.

Remember what I said about taking pictures!  Fill up your phone!  Just the view from sitting at your desk.  The view walking into your workspace.  The view walking out of your workspace.  All kinds of mundane shots.  Photos of the Greek retaurant you're going to.  The people... ALLL the people.  Document document document.  (You're a historian... I trust you'll do this right.)