Skype

Man do I like Skype.

I have just had two long calls with my cousins in Prague, and all for free.

Now I know this doesn't sound like a big deal, but for someone who can remember exactly where I was when the Berlin Wall fell and the Velvet Revolution occured - for the record I was glued to the TV screen - being able to talk to my cousins when I want and about what we want is the real sign of freedom of speech.

I clearly remember the week I spent in Prague on a family holiday in 1987 and being followed by the local KGB goons. Daddy had booked two hotel rooms and asked that they be interconnected. They were next to each other, but had a large broom cupboard inbetween from in which cigarette smells came out. You guessed right - it was the local listening post to keep an eye on us.

If only they had known Mum was a socialist whilst at university and had protested against the Vietnam war. Or more likely it was just because of that that they kept an eye on us.

So back to the present - freedom of speech is great, and I intend to exercise mine by continuing this blog.

Skype - for those not familiar - can be found at www.skype.com and the history of it can be found at the following URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype

Will be off to Prague all being well for a long weekend in December, but in the mean time the pictures below are ones I took when I was in Prague in November 2001:



This is the National Museum at the top of Wenceslas Square. My sister and I had gone to Mozart concert there, and when we left and walked around the corner to the tram stop we walked past an APC and heavily armed police. It was only later that I learnt that Radio Free Europe is head quartered behind the museum and is now considered a potential target for AQ. According to my cousins the APC and armed police are still there, and the good people of Prague just ignore them. Kafka would have been proud.



A strange statue in the grounds of Prague Castle. Given that this was taken only a few months after 9/11 there is something strangely relavant about it.

Faststream Familiarisation Session

I had the fast stream familiarisation session today, and it was most helpful.

It set my mind at ease on a couple of things I had been a little concerned about, and confirmed some of my thinking on other options.

So now I just have to do some prep work for the competency interview.

One day to go, and then it is done. I really do want this, so will just have to give it my best shot.

I realise that this post has been written like a Blair speech - short almost verb free sentences - but that was not the intention. Just wanted to get the post done to keep you all informed.

More soon.

York plus three days

I got back to London from York on Tuesday evening.

The two day training course was useful, and the group of people gelled well so the training went by quickly.

Now I just have to put the training in to practice, but that will be happening soon enough.

Monday evening saw me do a big walk around York and below are three photos that I took - the Minster:



the Ouse



and finally Cliffords Tower



York is a nice and compact city, but I would go nuts if I had to live there. Thankfully for all concerned that is not going to happen :)

Not much has happened since I got back from York as I have been very tired and I don't know why as I am sleeping and eating well - although not at the same time as this is a skill I have yet to master.

The continued political infighting within the government is amusing to watch from the outside, as it is something that afflicts all long serving governments and in particular those MPs who were only elected once the party was in power. The impact on work will come next year once the leadership election / corronation within the Labour party occurs. At the moment we are waiting on decisions to allow us to do certain things, and they are already under the umpteen review just to make sure that all the players are content. I think this will continue for at least another 8 months and interfere with the ability of the government to govern for the best interests of the country. Yet to be seen whether the civil service is dragged into this, but we should be able to remain neutral and watch the political fighting from the ring side.

My faststream application is continuing. I have a half day familiarisation session next week in advance of the full day assessment centre later in the fall. Really want it, so will work hard and see what happens.

Over and out for now.

York

So I am back sitting in my hotel room in York having been out for a 30 minute walk before dinner and then dinner.

What you may ask am I doing in York. Well I am here for a two day training course, and before you all complain about a waste of taxpayers money this is for an item of work that needs to be done in September and October and the first available training course in London that did not clash with Yom Kippur is December.

I was last in York when I was 12 and it is of course the city of Cliffords Castle and Jorvik.

More information on Cliffors Tower can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffords_Tower

Whilst Jorvik hangs out at the following URL http://jorvik.co.uk/

I am uploading a couple of photos with this post. The first one is the night sky as seen from my hotel room:



and the second one is the aforementioned hotel room:



As I left the station earlier I saw the top of the Minster, and it is a shame that I probably won't have time to wonder in to the centre of York and see anything. Having said that if the first day of the course finishes at a sensible time I might grab a cab into town and wonder around and then find somewhere to eat. Hmmm food.

The one thing I am not so pleased about is that the TV in the room doesn't seem to have any 24/7 news channels. Now I know that this is not the biggest problem in the world and that York is not a major centre of commerce but I think all hotels should provide 24/7 news channels. Instead there are umpteen pay per view movie and porn channels. I guess the reason is easy to figure out. The hotel makes no money from news channels, but a porn pay per view makes them money.

Spoke too soon - they do have 24/7 news channels, but the TV remote control doesn't really work so I had to work out the buttons on the TV. Hmmm. The final channel on the TV is one that rotates through the CCTV cameras around the hotel. Not sure why they offer that, but it is porbably more exciting than the dross on some of the TV channels.

Well I say we should strike a blow for high brow news!

I think I will end the post on that note as I am tired and want to go to bed.

Good night.

The Past Week pt1

So it is a week since I moved in, and things are good.

I have unpacked almost all my belongings and in the process realised how lucky I am.

The apartment really does look like a home now, and I am only waiting for two things still to be delivered - a new sofa bed and a white hard wood rocking chair. There are, of course, small projects that I will want to do over the next six months or so, but they will be done as and when and will certainly wait until the January sales!

I have some work to do for the fast stream assessment centre, but I am quietly confident. I know what I need to work on, and where I need to improve so all being well by the end of November I will find out that all of us at the Agency have been successful and are fast streamers!!!

In many ways the hard work only then begins as the Agency has goofed somewhat in planning ahead in case we are successful and it is not clear whether they would let us leave on our notice period. Well if they don't I will demand that I get my pay rise - which is derisory - and my fast stream pay rise on top of that whilst I stay. Hopefully it won't be necessary to get bolshy over it, but it is my career.

Outside of work and the apartment I have been pootling along. Lots of friends have dropped by over the last week and so the flat has been put to good use entertaining :) S love's the flat which is great, and things are continuing to go very well there. We are going to Paris together in December, which I am very excited about as I have never been and S knows it well so will be able to show me around to all the cool places - whether they let me in is another matter.

Right - I need some breakfast so will post more later.

Moved in

I have moved in to the apartment !!!!!

Am currently surrounded by boxes, but the number is going down by the hour.

The main thing is that I am in, my hi-fi is up and running as is my wireless network. The rest will be done by Sunday evening in time for going back to work after a month off.

More soon.