Day 1

So just done day one on my own, i have the feeling of “What i have i let myself in for”, generally a bad day, well not bad but not to the level i would have liked.

I have to remember a few things,
1- Canada was a high, a low always comes after a high.
2- I was very good at what i did before, i wont be that good walking in to a new job.
3- New people make mistakes.

I think another thing that added to the evening was after 33 days i got back home and have 36 hours before going back on the road, it was amazing to be back and now have the blues about being away, i think its the whole being away for a large amount of time then back on the read so soon.

Well i have a week of this so i need to get my brain turned on and get in the grove (as the kids say)

The end and start of something amazing

I sit here on the last few hours of my 32 days in Canada training for my new job, my flight is in a few hours so perfect time to put my experiences down in a few words.

Amazing would be one word to sum it up, to think I accepted a job that would leave me in canada for a month training on some of the most advanced projection equipment was a scary thought as I got on the flight over here, also who would I be working with during this time, am I going to be good at the job, just so much to think about and its easy to say I was scared.

There are 2 types of people you remember, friends tat you have worked with or known and with out knowing it you grow apart for what ever reason, there are also the friends that no matter how far away or how often you see them they will always be friends, the group of people I have meet here are all the friends you never loss contact with. Its been a true pleasure to have worked with these people and have made this whole experience in to something I will never forget.

It has been odd, I have lived in a hotel for 32 days without a break, eating out every night and as there is not much else to do in the area drinking most nights but its a easy thing to do when you have great people to go out with. I did manage to get some touristy stuff done and thats down to my girl friend who came over for a week, I think without her I would not have done have the stuff I did and it would have been a crime to have not gone to Niagara Falls or up the CN tower (that I have now got over).

its an odd feeling at the moment, like anyone in my shoes you want to be at home, being away for this long has been a hard thing to do but in the same breath its hard to leave, i’m sure if I had been training with a different group of people I would not be having these feelings and I would be at the airport 8 hours before my flight but I got an amazing group, I also think our new employers where amazed how well we bonded, its just odd and very difficult to put in to words so i’m going to stop here.

Now I have the job of getting home with twice the luggage I came with, 14 hours of travel but on the up side its all business class that I have to say is quite amazing, the other person who i’m flying with asked “why didn’t you check in online” to which I replied “I love walking down the business class line with ripped jeans and a scruff look, make me feel like a rock star” and I have to say it does, Express lane this and that, lounges and free stuff. Coming over one of the flights got delayed, as they announced it would be boarding soon everyone rushed for the gate, the bloke I was flying with said maybe we should get in line, I said just hang on and as expected a call came over the PA “Now boarding Business class passengers” and with my northern voice I slowly made my way through all the “suits” saying excuse me, again warring the jeans with wholes in, a hoodie and unshaven, the little man can win sometimes.

Before I go I just want to say how amazing my girl friend is, when this job came up she could see how much I would enjoy it, being away has been hard but with all the new things I have had my mind taken off it this would not be the same for her, she is my hart and soul and with out her I would not be the man and person I am today.

A week in to life

so I have just about done a week in my new job, I say a week but so far its just training. It is very very good, just enjoying loads of time to get to learn this stuff and there is no big rush to get it done, the weather in Canada has been just amazing, sunny and hot until today, today it started to rain. Its odd as I have done well with the whole being away from home but with the rain its started to make me think of rain, its odd and it shows the weather in Manchester is not as good as it could be but now its raining its just like being at home, just without being at home.

The people I am working with are just great, very nice people with great humour and ability, the working is going well and its just amazing getting this level of training vs my old job where I had to pick this stuff up on my own.

But for right now I find myself in my hotel room with most of the work I could do done, with the time difference its not like I can call all the people I wanted to speak to as they are 5 hours in front and i’m stick with a very limited canadian TV, but this is only for a short time and i’m now a third in to just over a months training. The thing that will save my mind and heart will be Friday, my girl friend is going to be landing 16:40 local time and i’m looking forward to it more and more, they say you don’t appreciate what you have until you don’t have it and I have to say I am with that. before I came over here for the training I have to say I was stressed and was not the best present to live with, I wasn’t being a shit but I was not the usual me. But now I am not stressed and I have the chance to make up for that little grumpiness I had before I came over.

So work is going well, very light atmosphere that is helping, I would like more hands on work as it the moment its all class room thinking with a little hands on work, we are on site in a week giving us a little time to do this work and i’m looking at staying on a little after work to put this learning in action.

Day 1 in the new job

So its 7 am and i’m in canada, its the first day of my new job. the last time I had a first day was 10 years ago so its a old but not forgotten feeling.

Landed in Toronto airport after an ok journey, my new company spent the cash and splashed out on business class for all the flights, its very good and not only with the amazing food, seating and service you get on the plane but all the lounges and express lanes and free this and that. One thing that I did really enjoy was the seats, being 6’1 planes have always been something of an uncomfortable squeeze but this time I could almost lie horizontal.

The hotel is nice, free wifi, 2 TVs, paper every morning, I have yet to see it in the light of day, saying that I have yet to see anything over here in the light of day so lets see how the first days goes.

The end of one book and the start of another

So I have 4 days left to work before I leave my current job after 10 years 3 months and 2 days, its the loges I have ever been working for one company and I don’t leave at the drop of a hat, I leave with an amazing opportunity and what is sure to be a very exciting time.

With only a short time to work I find doing the usual things, getting ongoing work finished and making sure all the relevant information has been passed along, I was ready for this but was not ready for the good byes I would have to say, I have already had one member of my team who I will not see for some time, I had not really thought about this with all the other work I have been trying to get done. I work with a small team, with a team of this size you become a family, leaving this family had not been something I had thought off with all the excitement of a new job.

Speaking about a new job I have a week before I fly, just over a month in Canada with all my expenses paid and I have just found out that the long flight to and from Canada is going to be business class, boom!

The only thing I have to worry about at the moment is pay, not the size of pay (all I have to say about this is ZING) but when I get paid, I may have to cover all my bills for 2 months on one months pay. Going to have a chat with my bank that assure me its possible by adding up all the bills, Ye thanks Natwest, most months I wonder how can I spend all the extra money I have coming in when I don’t have to pay for things like food, drinks, transport and the usual odds and sods of life, dicks.

So I have started to get things sorted for the long trip, I may have 6 days or so before I got but I have 4 days of work and something planned every evening next week (look Natwest, life costs money) so I do feel like time is slipping out of my fingers a little.

New Job

Recently you may have read a post I made about applying for a job and not getting it, I didn’t get it based on not having the correct skills but because it would be difficult to replace me in the job I would be leaving.

A few months ago I was made aware of a job doing the same type of thing but for a very large, world wide company. To be honest I felt I would be punching above my weight a little by applying but I thought it was worth ago.

The company is based in Canada, the 1st part of the application was a telephone interview, due to the time difference I had it around 12pm BST, I can tell you its the first time I have ever had an interview in my PJs but it went ok and I managed to make to through to the 2nd round.

Now this job looks to be very amazing, its based where I live but I would be covering western Europe so I would get to do some traveling. The money is very very good, all of my expenses are covered, company credit card, I can stay over the countries i’m working in for breaks, generally great all round. Its not all great as i’m sure the traveling would be hard some times, out of the 40 hours of work a week 30 hours would be getting to and from the site.

So getting through to the 2nd round I was invited down the London for an interview, I felt it went very well and even had a great day in the big city. It turns out the interview went well as I found out a few days ago that I got the job!

Its just such a huge step and a bit of a life changing job and its all happening very quickly. They want me to start in 3 weeks from now where they want me to fly to Canada for a all expenses trip to train, its 4 weeks away and I know I will be a little home sick but things like this are a once in a lift time experience.

But with most things in life there are downsides, a very good friend also applied for the job and didn’t get it this time round, after recently not getting a job I had applied for a know the feeling very well and its not a good one. I feel its a little of a double hit, as we work together in a management capacity his work load will change as I am leaving, it would be a long lasting change but still its getting new you don’t want to get and then seeing the work place you still work at change for the more challenging is not great new. The upside is there will be a 2nd job going in to next year so I know it will only be a short lived thing.

So I have 3 weeks to make sure my operation is ok when I leave and get ready to spend 4 weeks away from home training in a new and exciting job, its amazing how quick things can change.

I Love Manchester

As most will know the whole “I Love Manchester” thing has taken off, just walking round the city centre you will see many with the T-shirts on. Well being a computer person I wanted a wallpaper of the same logo, there rant any so next set make your own.

Please feel free to download and share your love of the big city.

2 weeks to relax

So I have got a little time off from work, 2 weeks of no work, I can’t remember the last time I managed to get a full 2 weeks off.

I came at the right time, very busy with work and training up new managers to run other sites, part of the training was pointless. It was like training a pilot on expert frizzbee throwing, yes they both fly but in very different ways.

So back to having 2 weeks off, I have to say I don’t really have anything substantial planned but i’m sure that could only be a good thing, 1st thing on the book was a re visit to the dentist again. Odd but as i’m half way through the grand old age of 31 I have this feeling of looking after myself and it had been some time since going to the dentist, found a great one and managed to get on the NHS list as soon as I walked in, all in it cost me 1/3 of the normal price, bargain apart from the 2 days of a numb face.

Another thing I have on the back burner is a job application, A very large company has an engineer job going and it looks very interesting, the money is great and its covers eastern Europe so a little traveling, one area I need to find out more info is how much traveling, i’m happy to do it but don’t want to spend too much time away from home, its the reason we all have jobs to have a good home life, not very good if i’m never there. On the upside is the money like I said, all expenses, 5 weeks of training in a very nice country, just generally interesting.

But on the topic of jobs I got my 10 year award last week, got £100 for it, it may be my age but of all the things I could think of buying I wanted some nice pans and a set of knives, I know it may sound odd but I can’t tell you how good they are. I have been cooking a little more and its been great, downside is it turns out cooking nice meals most nights costs loads for some nice food. Oh and also got a new chopping board, its like 3″ think.

Speaking of food i’m going to cool bangers and mash, something easy for the new teeth to get bedded in, and when I say bangers and mash I mean the nicest food you have ever tasted.

Asus RT-56U

I like computers and i love my mac, im online in the first 10 mins after getting out of bed and i would say i dont go for an hour without a email, tweet or some other connection to the internet.

Im happy with my home network but the other day my macbook pro set off on a time machine back up and it had 621GB, this took 23 hours to do a back up over wifi, now i use the standard Thomson router i got with my ISP and this got me thinking. Wireless G is good and 100% of all the routers i connect to have been G, N has been out for some time and even if you look at “real world” speeds its still very quick. All of the wired connection have GB Lan connections and the Thomson was the only slow link in the chain.

So after looking around i decided on the Asus RT-56U due to a few reasons,
1 – amazing reviews on nearly every web site a looked at.
2 – It can run both 2.4GHz and 5GHz at the some time as 2 different networks, this would let me have one network for the faster equipment i have and one for the slower.
3 – It looks awesome.
It has the usual GB Lan, QOS so you can set a priority services, USB connection for FTP of media store.

The only down side are,
1 – cost, its more at the expencive end of router.
2 – its just a router, no modem.

For set up i connected to my Thomson router and set it to bridge mode so its just acts as a modem and nothing else, i did test a DrayTek 2820 to act as the modem but the Thomson is much faster.

Once this was done i hooked up the Asus and going through the set up menus i had it connected and working with in 5 mins. The GUI is simple and easy to use but if you are more comfortable with the inner workings you can access the advanced section and it offers you more control. This works very well for me as some aspects i want to edit and fine tune but there are areas that i dont know too much about so want to have the idiots interface.

Asus offers you a Dyndns style account, it lets you access your USB drive via FTP all through a web address which is great if you dont have a static IP, this also works very well for VNC/Screen sharing or any other services you could use.

Overall i thought i would have to put more work in to get this up and running, its very fast and now with the bigger backups i run im getting around the 4 hour mark, plugged in to GB Lan its about 50mins.

2 packed weekends

So last weekend was a stag trip to Looe in Cornwall, managed to drink an unhealthy amount of booze. Vomited on a 6 hours fishing trip, for the full 6 hours but eating the fish we caught was just amazing.

This weekend was a 50th that i was offering some of my technical support, to be honest it could have gone so very wrong but it went ok.

Im glad of the bank holiday today, its like the only day off i have had in the past few weeks.