Open Day and Handbook Photoshoot

A busy day yesterday!

Firstly, Cardiff University Open Day. A good crowd of prospective students, with plenty of questions! A steady influx of people in to the Information Services little cubby-hole meant for a busy but fun morning. The fact that it was gorgeous weather probably helped.

And the aforementioned gorgeous weather was also rather useful considering we needed some outdoor shots for the new Handbook. This was great fun! A bunch of us, posing(!) in a group in Bute Park, while getting photographed. A really enjoyable time and a bit of a giggle.

Then, finally, a well earned trip to the Pen and Wig for a drink after work.

A great day which hopefully everyone enjoyed.

A very belated New Year Resolution......

...is to keep this blog up to date!

So what's been happening to me. Well, job is still going really well. Had a bit of a health issue for a few months which pretty much meant I fell off the surface of the Earth, but am now back in the land of the living - as I'm sure people will testify to!

Started getting into photography. Not gone as far as buying a digital SLR yet, but have gone for a "bridge" camera - a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8. Took this picture with it which I'm happy with apart from the leaf in the foreground.

Still smiling from a Welsh Grand Slam - just hoping that it's not another false dawn.

Another series of Doctor Who. Still reserving judgment on Catherine Tate as the new assistant, but think David Tennant as the Doctor is fantastic. Hoping that Steven Moffat has written some episodes too (since he has written my two favourites - The Girl In The Fireplace and Blink).

Finally got round to buying an iPod Classic and am now spending far too much money on iTunes.

Went to a friend's wedding in Llandaff Cathedral last weekend. A lovely occasion and I wish Ju and Gareth a long and happy life together.

I think I'll leave it on that uplifting note. 'Til next time - which will hopefully be sooner rather than later!

Must try harder to keep this more up to date!

Yes, MUST try harder! Been ages! Anyway, quick(ish) update.......

Had short-term jobs in School of Dentistry and School of European Studies within Cardiff Uni. Both really enjoyable places to work, with some great people there. Luckily, as these posts came to an end, a consultancy liaison post came up within Information Services within Cardiff Uni. Applied for it and, after a pretty long interview, got offered it. So I am now a consultant with responsibility for 8 academic schools and 3 libraries, I sit on a variety of projects (some of which I propose and manage), I organise regular presentations of updates to the schools and divisions, I attend the school IT and library committees, and I also present at a number of different talks and meetings. I have been in post for 5 months and am thoroughly enjoying it!

I have just finished re-reading "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It's a very funny, tongue-in-cheek book about the end of the world. So many things parodied in so many great ways. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone. I have now, after many people have said I should, started reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

My Australian cousin recently flew back home after spending 2 years here. She had a bit of a shock leaving here in the snow and arriving back home in 35+ degree heat! She hopes to be back here in 3 years, so we'll wait and see.

Valentine's Day came and went. Not a big fan of it, but probably only because I am sad and single!

Just installed Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise. Looks good. Very different to Office 2003. Need to play with it a lot more before I can make any sort of informed decision.

Til next time!

Long time.....

....since last post - over a month!

Well, since my last post I have left my job as a computer systems administrator in Cardiff University School of Physics and Astronomy. I currently have 2 short-term posts, both in systems administration and both in Cardiff University. I now work 2 days per week for the School of European Studies, and 2 days per week for the School of Dentistry. So 4 days per week meaning I get mondays off! I have recently bought a bonsai tree (a Chinese Elm) which I haven't managed to kill yet. I am also looking after a friend's hamster (trying not to have him die on me either!).

And, of course, the World Cup is on........

Doctor Who - The Girl In The Fireplace

The Doctor Who episode entitled The Girl In The Fireplace was the best episode of the series so far. A very imaginative story, well-worked, complete with humour but also with a very emotional side too. Nice little twist at the end too!

Doctor Who and K-9

Doctor Who once again proves to be compulsive viewing. The interaction between Sarah Jane Smith and Rose Tyler was pretty good, and seeing K-9 again brought back memories. The ever-helpful K-9's answer to Mickey's problem of how to open the school's locked doors with "We are in a car" was priceless! For me the series is improving though, given that the Doctor can travel in space and time, I think they need to visit other worlds occasionally.

Digital Fortress and the new series of Doctor Who

I finished the remaining book of Dan Brown's that I had left, Digital Fortress. I was rather disappointed by this book. It seemed to have a lot of potential at the start but it just got weaker as it went on. And how the "most brilliant cryptographic minds" couldn't work out the simple problem at the end when it was blatantly obvious I have no idea (note to self - remember it's fiction!). Not a patch on the other three books by him.

Saturday saw the eagerly awaited return of Doctor Who to our screens. Ok, so it wasn't the strongest episode, but it did have some fantastic lines (Oh no, I'm a chav!). Still, I think David Tennant has managed to step into Christopher Eccleston's shoes rather well, and I hope that the future episodes will have more strength to them just as they did in the last series. Having said that, it wasn't a bad episode. Well I enjoyed it anyway!