Saturday 10
The third Annual Piss-up. Would have been the fourth, but last year’s was obviously cancelled. This is the get-together with me, Rachel from SYPTE and Sophie (now formerly of SYPTE). The first two were in Leeds; I thought I’d make the trip south this time to make it easier for them.
Even with all of the mask-wearing (including on the train) it was well worth it to have a day out and a catch up with a couple of former colleagues. Heck, it was just nice to feel wanted for once! Possibly not at The Forum, where we were booked in for a one-hour slot and then ignored by the waiting staff even though we were at the top of the stairs where they came up from the bar area and would have had to look at us just to see where they were going.
Stayed over overnight, and got ignored by the hotel’s bar staff as well. Or rather, forgotten about as they forgot to bring me the food I’d ordered and paid for. Got a free drink out of it but that wasn’t the point. I’m 54 now… perhaps I’m just invisible?
Monday 12
Funny thing. As soon as the final penalty was missed and I realised the ethnic composition of the three players who had missed I knew what was coming. Sako said much the same thing. My friends with whom I was WhatsApping during the game weren’t expecting it. Perception-reality gap.
Wednesday 14
I have a new (second-hand, Grade A) iPhone SE. This is to replace my iPod, which I sold earlier in the year. It has 128Gb and a larger battery so I can pile lots of music on there and even a few videos. This was one of the last models with a headphone socket too, which is always a bonus.
The only problem it is the same size as the 32Gb iPhone SE that I use as my phone. I keep picking up the wrong one to check emails or move to the next track. I knew I should have bought the Rose Gold option… Guess I’ll just have to buy a new phone then.
Thursday 15
Today, meanwhile, brings an Apple TV. Off eBay, just the HD version but with the 2021 remote. It’s a nice, small and functional piece of kit but it’s not for me. For one thing, I can’t fool the BT Sport app into accepting my EE BT Sport subscription, and I can’t stream from the iPad app to the box. So that’s that.
It also has one or two quirks (or at least the apps do). When I downloaded the BBC app I couldn’t work out how to turn on subtitles; with the Channel 4 app I couldn’t work out how to turn them off. Instructions are at a premium. The Freeview recorder I bought last years also has a bad habit of cutting out or just not recording things, which is a nuisance. I don’t watch much but what I want to watch is stuff I want to watch, if you follow.
On balance I should have stuck with cable, although that is rather pricey. And the Apple TV box is going back onto eBay.
Wednesday 21
Among the many things that annoy me are recruiters who call me up or drop me a line, entice me to apply for a role and then don’t follow up. I mean, it’s just rude.
One of the other things than annoys me is when I read a really good job description and person specification, send in my application and then remember days later something good that I could have added in to help sell my case better against the criteria. I sent in an application for a great role yesterday and have no doubt that by the end of the month I will be kicking myself over the things I could have added, with a bit of creativity.
Sunday 25
How much do I hate “magnet fishers”? These are the people who fling large magnets attached to ropes into rivers and canals and see what sticks. In general a pleasant pastime; around here however they turn up mob-handed at 9am on a Sunday and stay until 3pm. They drive vehicles onto the footpaths so they can clear stuff away. They obstruct footpaths. Today was more like a fun day jamboree… unless you lived overlooking them and had to close your windows to keep the noise out (which also stopped cool air getting in).
A longer rant will follow, I’m sure.
Saturday 31
I’ve not seen much of the fencing these Olympics (who has?) but I did stay up for the three Triathlon events. Well worth the late nights as we came away with one gold and two silvers. The Leeds/Yorkshire contingent did well, as you’d expect. Just in time for Yorkshire Day tomorrow!