S and I spent the weekend on the outskirts of Annalong (Co. Down, NI) at the Crosslinks Holiday Club training weekend. It was the first time S got to meet all the volunteers she's been writing to and calling over the past months. It was co run with the guys from the north who were training their volunteers for the summer camps. We went into the weekend without knowing what to expect, having found out we couldn't share a room after we'd packed everything in one bag which I'd taken to work. While S had prepared her sessions and I was meant to be in charge of organising music, we really weren't sure what it would be like.

The weekend was brilliant. We met some fantastic people, some of whom I'll be working with on the club I'm helping with, some I hope I'll meet again another time. We worked hard but had a good laugh. The setting was beautiful, right on the cost. The only (fairly major!) downside was the blokes showers. While the girlies lived in luxury with cubicled showers with hot water, the boys hat communal shows with no hot water! I got up before most on the sat and attempted to have a shower, but couldn't make myself stay under it for long!

Am still quite nackered after not getting that much sleep (although I did get considerably more than some....) so will go away now and try and watch some telly before going to bed. At least I've got work to chill out and relax in! Also want to finish my book - John Grishm, Street Lawyer. It took a while to get into it enough to care to finish it and not just want to put it down to start the new Brookmyre, but I have managed to get into it now so want to finish it before I start the Brookmyre. And I really want to start the Brookmyre!!

I managed to do something really talented the other day, turned up at work with odd shoes on! I was there over an hour before I noticed and was very confused as to why the shoes looked different to each other. Luckily they were close enough in colour not to be obvious.

It's Friday afternoon and I have the choice of writing up my yearly objectives, or playing this!

How rude! The TV just crashed. Well, the NTL box did at least. It's not like the old days where you had to get off the sofa to clunk between the channels, now you have to get off the sofa, scattering remotes all over the floor to reboot the bugger.

Very strange times at work. Not only are two of my colleagues leaving but the manager announced he is too! He's moving internally, but still out of our team. So with the possible move of technical jobs over the next 5-7 years, is he jumping ship? Should I follow? I supidly looked at some Irish recruitment sites and found a contracting job I could do, so now I have no idea what to do! Given the market is quite good and getting better and that I have just started to work on an interesting project, maybe I'll give it 6 months and then see how it pans out.

I should point out to readers who have commented what a "reward" having an underground parking space is, that I only get one if I turn up before 8:30am else it's in the overflow, which is almost as far away as the fore mentioned rugby club (well, not quite!).

Regarding yesterdays scenario, we prompted for a new options: remember that you once had a technical brain which was excited by a challenge so sit down and work out a cunning solution so that the project will work! I actually really enjoyed thrashing out a technical solution with a colleague. The advantage being that he's leaving so if it goes horribly wrong I can blame him for a pants design. However if it works I'll claim all credit and look like a total hero! Well that's the theory anyway...

Interesting times at work. 2 colleagues have handed their notice in the same week and are off to the green green world of contracting (lucky buggers!). (Note: if anyone from work ever reads this I don't actually know what one of them is doing but have my suspicions). Meanwhile I had to set my forthcoming years objectives with my manager, which included looking at my career plan. I was happy to point out that I am not dumb enough to fall for corporate lovey dovey shit twice in my career (by being promoted to manager as there are no technical promotion paths, being Mr Corporate then getting made redundant the moment it's cost effective for them to do so) and that my employer has already made it clear that they will consolidate teams at some point in the future. So with uncertainties there and with a much improved market, I refused to comment where I'd be in 4 years time. How can I when they wont commit to my job even existing here in 4 years time... Surprisingly he agreed with the attractions to contracting except I should always remember that my current benefits include a parking space. Mind you compared with days parking in rugby clubs and walking the rest of the way, a space in the basement is very nice! The only thing remaining is to work out how to get that all illusive first reasonably long well paid contract! Having said all that, I did at least really enjoy getting stuck into some technical design this afternoon.

Here's a scenario:

You are assigned to one of the highest profile, strategically critical IT projects that various people have been working for months on. Within 10 minutes of your first project meeting it becomes abundantly clear to you that "it'll never work". Do you:
a) point out and show why "it'll never work" to all those who have spent hours getting the project as far as it has, while being seen by marketing as the one who has caused the project to fail thus the massive strategic short fall
b) sit back, relax, put your feet up and do nothing for 2 years in the knowledge that the project will be canned before anyone realises what you have or haven't done
c) quit and become a contractor where you're not expected to make moral judgments on the usefulness of the work being asked of you
d) quit and become a sheep farmer, postman, who cares! Anything that doesn't involve IT!

It's as good as Monday morning after a long weekend and having found out more about collegues "rewards" and forth coming intentions than perhaps I should know, I really cant be arsed. (Ireland had a bank holiday yesterday which included amazing weather!). So B has come to my rescue with the following!:

http://hatethatfrog.desktopcreatures.com/index.asp?q=crazy+frog - although like the penguines, is very satisfying to splat the little bastard.

http://drawapig.desktopcreatures.com/draw.asp - I am really shit at this!