Pain in the neck!

No, not me, just everything. I have slipped a disc (T2 for the technical) which has give me a major pain in the neck!, well shoulder and arm actually. Having had a visit to out of hours doctor at 12:30am, thought it was muscle spasm (which it mainly was at that point) got pain killers etc.. Then had to phone again the following night at 2am, to be able to increase dosage. Saw my own GP on the Monday who had a med student, they thought it was a trapped nerve/slipped disc so referred me to a specialist (one time I am glad I have medical insurance through work). Had an MRI scan and saw him on the Thursday. This confirmed slipped disc. 80% normally right themselves with rest, so now on pain killers. muscle relaxants etc. So pain now not a problem, just very doppy! If that doesn't work then it will be an operation.
But everything is a pain in the neck so to speak. I have a numb right thumb, so using the computer is difficult. I had a DIY job on the go to get the downstairs toilet ready for christmas. (Big thanks to PJ and Mark for making it now usuable). I can't drive, in fact can't do much at all which is very frustrating.
I forced Val to still let me lead the carol service. This went brilliantly except for me falling off the stage - not good for the neck, it wasn't as bad as it sounds I just forgot that I was on the highest staging and it was a long way down 600mm, good job Karen was behind the screen and didn't see it. I made one change to the service, which was I did not hold baby Phoebe, both from not supposed to be lifing things and also in my state I didn't think it would be the most sensible thing to do. I had decided to use a real baby to bring home the impact of God with Us, and that a baby wants our full attention, and for some reason we want to give it, and that's how it should be with God.
My main problem now is Christmas day as I normally do the cooking. PJ says he will do it, but I know what I am like, so prayers that we won't fall out and we will find a balance between him doing it and me advising and helping with the little I can do.
I don't know how Karen is coping with not only having to look after me, but aslo do all the extra running around at Christmas I normally do. She seems to have everything under control, or is she just not letting on to me? Sarah and PJ are being great in helping out when they can, amongst their busy work and social lives.

Quiet and relaxing days

The last couple of days have been really great as I managed to fit in a couple of days annual leave. On Thursday I had a quiet day away which was really refeshing and Friday I spent with Karen. We popped to see mum who was really quite bright for once and then went wandering around Bath. There was a Christmas market which was really good.

I went on the quiet day because lots of things have been on my mind recently and not surprisingly I didn't get any real answers!! What I did get though was a great time with God. The person leading the day did a couple small talks which were really useful for focusing me on God. The first one include the following poem by Ann Lewin

Be Still
You do not have to look for anything
Just look.
You do not have to listen for
Specific sounds
Just listen
You do not have to accomplish anything
Just be.
And in the looking
And the listening
And the being.
Find
Me.

I then spent the next hour just basking in God's presence :)

I also love out God's sense of humour. Towards the end of the day I popped into the church over the road and on the way out saw a poster with a poem on called "Just talk to me". It is too long to put here but here is a link to it (http://www.leeabbey.org.uk/rapport/article.php?id=1)

My problem now is, when can I fit in another couple of days like this!

Snow Please!!

I have finished wiring the children's carol service. I know it is a long way off but it needs to be done now so all the groups can get thier bits prepared. But having had some rain over the last few days I have been thinking what I would really like is some snow!

What's Up!

I realised I haven't blogged for a month. Not surprising since for the first part I was on holiday in Mauritius (absolutely brilliant). Since being back I have been busy at work, had our Men's day at church and been clearing my parents house.

So life continues to be a roller coaster. The highs of a holiday, the full on work and lows of having to clear the house. I have apologised to Sarah and Peter already for the amount of stuff they would have to go through. My dad like me kept everything! I really need to go in my loft and get rid of things. Having said that it was good to remember many things I remember from childhood.

Mum is still a cause for concern. Although "healthy" she is not totally with it and it is very difficult to have a conversation.

I feel quiet flat at the moment. Summer is over and I have not much planned for the autumn. I am leading our carol service, so I am hoping that planning that will give me boost.

25 Year

After Kal's post what can I say!! I don't know how she has put up with me for so long!.
She has summend upo how important both marriage and family is to the both of us, through the good times and the not so good. God has always been with us, for which we are eternally grateful.

For me one of the highlights of the day was renewing our vows with Sarah and Peter (and Hannah) there. Having them pray for us was really special, and thanks to Ron for doing the official bit, but much more than that, how special he made us feel.

I pray that our children will also find happiness in marriage. I remember Ron's word to us today "Bedrock", and pray that God will also be a bedrock to them.

God is Good

I know it is some time since my last post, but what with Dad's funeral and thanksgiving service (which went really well) and New Wine, I haven't had much time.

New Wine was was up and down because if mum not being well. I was going to blog about stuff from New Wine, but I have decided not to. Instead I want to say what a great God we have. Having just had a BBQ for our 25th Wedding Anniversary (and also Kal's parent's 50th) I realise how blessed I am that God gave me Karen. I know I've always known it, but when you celebrate 25 years it really brings it home.

I know it is actual 10 days to go to that actual day, but we celebrated today to co-incide with Kal's parents. Also a couple of days after ours we are off to Mauritius for 10 days of luxury, we just can't wait :-)

It was really good today having some of our friends around (sorry to those we didn't invite, we only had so much space in the back garden!) and chat to extended family. It make me realise how good God is to us, and how important family and marriage is.

Great day when your dad dies?!

It may seem a strange title and possibly disrespectful for some but....
Dad has been ill for some time and died late last night but I/we had a great day.

Dad had been moved to from hospital to a hospice at the start the week, and Karen and I visited him on Tuesday. Although breathing was hard he was able to communicate with the aid of a laptop and keyboard I rigged up. His first question being "where is the red wine". No change from normal.

We got a phone call Wednesday morning to say he had taken a turn for the worse so all four of us went over. We arrived just as my mum arrived to visit him. This in itself being a big job as she is house bound. My brother Graham had arranged a disabled taxi and got her there in a wheel chair. Although by this time dad could not communicate, he opened his eyes and recognised us there, especially mum, wanting to hold her hand. He even waved to her when she had to leave. Soon after that he went into a sleep.

We (me, karen, sarah and peter, my sister val, ivor, phil and ruth) spent the next 8 hours or so switching between sitting by his bed, spending time in the glorious chapel, or walking the grounds. Graham stayed with mum until she went to bed and joined us again about 8pm. Many of the hours were spent talking about things we remembered about dad.

No one wanted to leave, thinking we were in for a long night we settled into the relatives room, with an ajoining room with a couple of beds. Just as karen and sarah were settling down to get a short sleep Ruth ran down the corridor to tell us his breathing had stopped. We all ran back to his room and were gathered round his bed as he took his last couple of breaths.

Yes there were tears, both than and earlier in the day, but he got time with mum, mum had a chance to say good-bye. We all had a great time laughing about things we remembered. The place was glorious, not just the building but the wonderful grounds and views (top of a hill looking in a direction without towns/factories etc.). He was peacefull throughout, not in any discomfort or stress. We could not have asked for a better way for him to go. We have a loving God who understands exactly what we all need.

That's what I mean when I say great day. We used to say it wasn't a good party unless he went to sleep, and that is what he did at the end.

New Year Resolutions?!?!

I know it is July, but on Sunday I was talking at Godzone about God's Plan and Journeys, and in the afternoon we had a tea for New Wine, where we get together those who are going and give the first timers some useful hints etc. and now I am really excited about going to New Wine and wondering what God has in store for me this year.

All this got me thinking about things I have learnt in the past few years, at New Wine, our Men's Weekends etc. and promises I have made on what I will do, and I realise that so often we come away from these things with good intentions and so often we fall short, much like new year resolutions.

Well for the record, I have succeeded in some areas, my daily bible reading and quite times with God are better than they have been in 35 years!! I'm not saying they are perfect, but I rarely miss my bible reading (jet lag and ill fathers don't help) and actually really look forward to them. Prayer time does vary depending on how much is on my mind, and how far I have to drive! I find times in the car to work great for talking and listening to God.

I have been losing weight (although 3 weeks in the US has set me back a bit), and I have been exercising to get fit.

What is not so good, is God spoke to me about the poor a couple of years ago and I still have a yearning for this, but still can't quite work out what I should be doing. Also Karen and I have tried to have a regular prayer time together, but this is sposmatic and something we both need to work on - watch out Karen!

So what does New Wine have in store for me? I don't know, but on past experience it will be something I am not expecting. I pray that other who are going to New Wine or other conventions will also experience God in a new way and will also take it back into their daily lives to make a difference. I want it to be real, and not just another new year resolution that falls by the wayside.

Friends and Family

I wasn't sure how I was going to continue this blog post my US trip. Would I have anything to say that was worthwhile? Should it be topical? Should it just be what I have been doing (which it mainly was)? Should it be things on my mind? or what?

Well, I am hoping it may be some or all of those things, depending on what is going on in my head. I don't intend it to be a micro blog with just short snippets on what I have been doing just to keep it going though.

So why the title Friends and Family, well that is what last weekend was all about. On Saturday we went over for my great niece's birthday. I can't beleive she is 2 already. We popped in to see mum and dad first, and although dad appeared better than he had on Tuesday in that he was talking more whereas talking had been difficult on Tuesday, he is still very much in decline and hanging on in there.

Lunch and the afternoon though was spent at Shelby's birthday which was a BBQ at their house. It was great just to relax and be with family, seeing my sister Val, her children and now her grandchild (opps, I forgot to call her granny while I was there!). At one point I popped into the Kitchen and saw Dean (Shelby's dad) sat alone in the lounge. I thought about going and talking to him, but realised that actually he had taken himself out as he struggles with crowds, and I thought it was really nice he felt he was able to do that, and actually me intruding would be the last thing he wanted. So often in today's society we see breakdown in family life it was good to see a family enjoy being together.

Sunday we had a BBQ at our house for all the GodZone leaders (well those that could make it). Having been away for so long it was great for me to catch up with my friends. Also with the talk turning to New Wine and the fun we will have there, although having been talking to Clive on Sunday, I know I am going to miss him at New Wine this year. I really look forward to us chatting about the seminars and what we have learned etc.

After everyone had gone on Sunday, PJ and Hannah ended up in the garden playing bat and ball (for want of an expression). It was really nice to see them enjoying just playing in the garden and having fun together.

This weekend has reminded me how lucky I am to have such a great family and lots of good friends.

Brain Dead!!

I don't know what it is this time but the jet lag has really hit me today. So much that even I am noticing how much I am not with it. I know Kal will say this is usual, but I don't remember me being as bad as I have been feeling today.

Still it is good to be back with everyone, even if I don't seem to be with it much

Home at last

I am now home and very tired. I am really glad to be back and have had lots of hugs and kisses which I have been missing loads.

Although I started this blog to keep in touch with my family, I am going to try and keep it going, although I most probably won't post every day as I have been doing.

Surreal

It was really odd finishing, when I completed to qualification lab and had to leave the room I was quite moved and didn’t really want to leave!! A room with no windows, 15 other consultants, all learning together. We each had 2 laptops, plus our own work laptop, 2 phones, lots of network cables and given the amount of time we had spent there it had become home.

I passed, but I kept wanting to pinch myself to see if it was real, not quite sure I had really managed it.

Last night I when I was awake during the night, dozing, I kept thinking about the questions on the exam and the qualification lab, thinking up new answers etc. I couldn’t seem to switch off and realise it is finished.

Well it is finished, but I won’t be forgetting it. I have learnt a lot over the last 3 weeks which I know will make a big difference to my work. It was hard work, but I knew that before I came. I hadn’t realised how hard it would be not being there for Kal and the kids with them dealing with mum and dad. My thanks to them for allowing me to come and I think given all I have learned it was worth it.

(I have written this whilst waiting at the airport, so won't be able to post it until I get home)

Diet blown in one night!!

Having finished exam etc. and got the result that I passed :-) I am now a Microsoft Certified Master. Only 5 of us out of 16 passed the qualification lab, which is how tough it was.

We have all been out for a meal to celebrate/commiserate which has meant lots of eating and drinking, none of which was on the diet, but at the end of three exhausting weeks we needed it.

I Survived!

It has been an interesting but exhausting 3 weeks. The exams are now all over, just results to come. The exam this morning was not too bad, so I am praying that I have passed. The qualification lab was long, hard and exhausting, but I did manage to complete it all so have passed (subject to verification).

I am now looking forward to coming home. I can’t wait to see everyone. Tonight we are all going for a meal out and a few (or a lot) of beers. :-)

Our God is a Wonderful God

We had our wrap up session this morning, and now it is just revision. I met with Tanya for lunch to discover she is leaving Microsoft, long story which I will tell when I get home.

I then walked back to the apartment, not realising quite how far it was. I read my revision cards while walking, making sure I kept half an eye on where I was going. I got to the bottom of the hill having got to the end of my cards, and thought I had a short walk along a road by the park, so I put on some worship music to have a break from revision and found the road was actually through this beautiful park and longer than I thought. The sun was shining, God is a wonderful God, it was a most uplifting experience to see the glory of his creation, and the long walk was well worth it.

If it wasn’t for the fact my sunglasses, sun cream etc were back at the apartment and I really needed to do more revision I would have just stayed there!! It is actually down a short path opposite the apartment, I am glad I didn’t find it before as I think I would not have done any work!

I am now back at the apartment, about to do more revision, but I think I will be taking a walk over the road later for more of God’s glory.

Michael Jackson....

For my daughter, don’t feel you have to apologise, your opinion is perfectly valid. For anyone else reading this blog, I apologise if you don’t agree, everyone is allowed their own opinion, put yours on your own blog, not as comments to others who disagree with you.

MJ is dead, which is sad for his fans, but for people like my daughter and myself I could say so what? The world will go on. I accept he was a great musician and performer, but I was not into his music. Beyond that I am not aware of loads of charitable work he may have done. I am sure there is some, but I am not aware of it, and posting comments to this blog about it is unnecessary as the point being if they were on the level of Bob Geldof, Princess Diana etc. then I would have been. Also his reputation was tarnished by allegations of child abuse. Now I know nothing was proven and you have to take everything you read in the news with a pinch of salt, but any 30/40 year old who allows a 12 year old (I know the ages may be wrong but you get the point) even if nothing happens just does not seem right. There have been several other great performers who have died in the last year, but without the same level of news coverage, and that’s my point and why I agree with my daughter. The outpouring is disproportionate, he was not Princess Diana, and there are several other people who I will miss more.

So to re-iterate to my daughter, don’t feel you have to apologise I agree with you.

End of classes :-)

We have had our last teaching session :-) The only problem now is that I need to revise everything for the exam on Saturday :-( Tommorrow we have a short feedback session with Adrian and then the rest of the day to revise.

I am really looking forward to coming home, I am missing everyone. I know I shouldn't complain but I would have liked to see "My Sister's Keeper" with you all, but given that you are going to see mum and dad on Saturday, you deserve a night out.

Glad to here the trip to Loughborough went ok, I am sure I will more about it when I get home.

I am still resisting the chocolate, unlike some others here. Craig is now into "virgin belt" territory, having passed the 2 additional notches!!! I am just hoping to have stayed the same. I am wondering though how much Kal might have lost through worry, or has she been comfort eating? No indication in her blog. I did also resist the deep fried ice-cream from the mexican restaurant we went to tonight, and no Sarah I can't bring some home :-P

Not a lot to say

Today has been a relatively quite day, hence not a lot to say. We had a session on building applications (programming) which was fun, we then had a big "case study" which was not very serious so again fun, and ended with a troubleshooting lab which was also fun. It did also mean that I didn't have much to go over tonight to prep for the exam on Satuday so I was quite happy going out to eat.

We did also have a session with Per who is Ardians manager to feedback on the Masters program. Apart from the general feedback around content we did some up with some "other" suggestions! these included windows in the room so we could actually see if the sun was shining, I also suggested that we had something to give our wives when we got home (bad news there is no budget for that!!).

I am still resisting the chocolate, and have also managed to keep up the running.

Finally a question to ask Clive, why does my toothbrush not hold it's charge as well over here? I have noticed this before on rechargable electrical items that they don't appear to last as long even though they are 100% charged. I have had to charge up my toothbrush 3 times already.

Ups and downs

I was good to here that you are all having a better day. Sunshine does help. It has been sunnier here also, but not as hot as you.

Sarah's blog brought a tear to my eye knowing she is missing me as much as I am missing her (and the rest of you). But as she says I will be home in less than a week :-)

Having to do revision every night is making the days even longer. I opted out of going back to the pub tonight so I could get some revision done. 463 slides already this week!! 1.7mins per slide. I need more time.......................................

Having just worked that out, I am glad I took tonight to do some revision. I must admit though that the topics this week I know more about.

O'Hara's

Following today's session we went to eat at an Irish bar and as they were serving O'Hara's stout I just had to have a glass. While there we got the results of today's exam and as I passed I had another glass :) Marc unfortunately did not pass, so he had another glass of Guiness to drown his sorrows.

The session following the exam was hard as we all came out of the exam feeling exhausted. I'm not sure how we will cope on Saturday with an exam followed by the qualification lab. Also with no Sunday to prep, I am having to start revision early. We do though get most of Friday free to prep for the exam.

I am though looking forward to the weekend and coming home. I am sure the time will pass very quickly.

Too much everything!

Too much food - I had a BIG American breakfast. It was good but very filling. I am still full now at 7pm!!. We had forgotten that being Father's day the place would be packed, so after a 45min wait we actually say down about mid-day. But is was worth the wait. Problem was that we were meant to do revision this afternoon, and everyone felt too full.

Too much revision - yes I have done loads, both today and the last couple of days. I went for a walk after breakfast/lunch to keep me awake. I took my cue cards and read them as I walked. We have also gone over them several times since and I feel I know most of it now, although will still be going over them again later.

Too much slides - (I know that is not good English, but it fits with the "too much" theme). In the first week we did 845 slides in 34 hours of class time, which is 2.41 minutes per slide. This week we did 486 slides in 19.5 hours of class time, which is 2.4 minutes per slide. The reason for less hours is more labs, and also I excluded the session we had with Microsoft IT as it is not in the exams.

Too much cloud - it is a bit cloudy and trying to rain/thunderstorm, where has all the sunny weather gone?

Too much time away - I am missing you all and can't wait to come home. A week from now I will be on the plane home :)

Too much walking - well done Hannah, I hope you are not too exhausted and that you had time to enjoy it.

Beers....

Well its taken 2 weeks, and as such deserves a second blog post. I have managed to break the 2 beers in one night barrier at last. Hit the third beer tonight.

Being away with everything going on with my parents at home caught up with me today. I think a combination of that and the drop in adrenalin at the end of the second week. Had a chinese for tea and started on the beers. Marc even commented on the way home how tired and out of it I was.

Just to let you know I am feeling much better now, I am sure the 3 beers helped. It has meant no revision tonight, but I needed to relax. Mean a long day tomorrow, but what's one more in a week (or 2 or 3) of long days.

End of week 2 :-)

It is the end of the second week, well almost. I have finished the labs for today, only revision to do tonight and tomorrow ready for the 2nd exam on Monday. I feel a bit behind on my revision, but I have finished today at a reasonable time (3pm) so should be able to catch up.

The sessions are all very good, but it is very tiring, I think I will need to sleep for a week when I get back.

Tomorrow is Sunday, and although I would like to go to church again I think I may well end up have a good American breakfast. Not having any real free time is hard as it is impossible to fit in almost anything else.

Still resisting the chocolate although again being Saturday with less options it is difficult. My run this morning was better although it is a little cold, but at least the rain had stopped.

It's raining :(

It has been raining today here in Seattle, not that I see the outside much.

The sessions though have been good. This morning we had the people that run the Microsoft implementation. Very very interesting. Also nothing to revise for the exams :)

Lunchtime we all went to the company store (sorry PJ, I relised that the XBox games won't run on your console due to NTSC/PAL issues, but I got you something else as I got mice for Mum and Sarah).

This afternoon has been a lab all afternoon working out very complicated dialplan. This is stuff I know, but it still took me ages. I am writing this as I wait for the others to finish. Tomorrow we also have a lab all day (the second half of the one from last week), which is good from the point of view of things to revise, but I do need to find time to do some revision.

Hope the interview with the head went ok for PJ, and I saw the emails about him leaving, but at least he will be there next year for PJ's last year.

Still resisting the chocolate, and yes Sarah I will try and find time to buy you some. Fruit again today, this is working well.

Missing you all, and best to Hannah for the 3 peaks.

Too much junk food???

I think I may have been eating too much junk food, well perhaps not that much. When I went for my run this morning it was sluggish, but that may just have been the Indian I had last night. It has made me think a bit more though about what I am eating. Although I am not snacking I must admit I am not always having the best lunches and dinners as the canteen has limited choice at lunchtime and we don't get a lot of free time in the evening, also Marc and I are dependent on John for transport.

Sessions today have been fairly good, and today's schedule has been relatively light (notice the word relatively).

I am now waiting for tea to cook (notice not eating out so I can be a bit healthier) and then down to some revision. I can't believe we are almost at the end of the second week.

Half Way!!

Today we reached half way, but only in days! I have only done 1 exam and still have 2 more and a qualification lab to do. I must say though I am already looking forward to the end and coming home.

Today I have not been so tired, but that may be because I didn't go for a run this morning. I woke about 5am and then went back to sleep and by the time I woke I didn't have time for a run.

The sessions today have seemed lighter, although in many ways they have more in depth than the last couple of days.

Craig is back in class, and trying to catch up, in fact he is currently doing the exam he missed on Monday (no let up for being sick!!).

Scott, one of the lecturers who I did Voice Ignite with in London in December summed it up, when he said you can't really explain the experience unless you have been through it. It is not like any other training. Very intense, but very good. No time for anything else, by the time you get to your room all you want to do is sleep.

Still resisting the chocolate, chopped pineapple is working, but Adrian (the organiser) does have some XXXXL (yes I mean 4XL) t-shrits just in case.

Too tired....

It is going to be a short blog today. I am feeling very tired. I think the long days are catching up on me. I plan to get an early night, although I still have the ironing to do.

I am missing you all, and wish I was there to take some of the load off Kal.

Still resisting the chocolate, but the diet at meal times has not been that good today, although I did remember to take chopped up pineapple in for between meals.

First exam result

I have passed the first of the exams :-)

What a relief, and also what a spur to do well on the next one. Marc also passed so we are happy. Of the class only 2/3rds passed (10 out of 15). We are now going to have a glass of wine to celebrate.

Only 2 more exams and the qualification lab to go.

Too tired to drink :-(

Given that I have been here a week I have had relatively little alcohol! Last night I was too tired for a drink. We went out for a meal and I drank water, and even when I had finished studying I didn't want a drink. Over this first week, between Marc and myself we have had 6 bottles of beer and 1 1/2 bottles of wine, plus one drink with a meal out. Now for me on these sort of trips that is very little. With the long days, evenings studying I have just been too tired other than 1 drink. I did make up for it tonight and have 2 beers.

The exam this morning went as well as I could expect. Yes there were questions I had to guess, but I didn't think oh that was somthing I should have definitely known. Hopefully we will get the results tomorrow. The exams are still paper based so it takes time to mark and calibrate them.

We were meant to be meeting some of the Program Managers this evening (hence the 2 beers), but due to a meeting they had we only met one of them. It did give me the chance though to pop in and see Tanya. I hope to find time to fit in an evening drink with here at some point later, if I ever get any free time.

We are now on week 2, today was a bit lighter, but the drop in adrenalin following the exam made it hard to concentrate. They set up a web cam so Craig could listen in without infecting us all, and also recorded it for him.

Swine flu........but not....

Had a great start to the day, slept in to 7:30, which is late for me, and especially late for this week. Had a lazy start to the day and then Marc and I went to church. The service was not bad, there were a couple of highlights. Seeing a child (8-9 yrs old) baptised by her father, her choice, very moving. Also there was a song and slide show (PJ style but sung live) which was very good.

Craig though has been ill today, and we have all been taking the micky out of him. He has had a high temp etc. We do have a guy from Mexico on the course who's wife is home ill with the flu. So we spent time texting/IMing Craig with lots of references to pigs, we even sent him a picture of some bacon. He has now, at last, been to see the doctor, and it is not swine flu, but a strep throat.

I have been studying all day, athough Marc did manage to get a photo of me nodding off mid studying. It is 5:30 and I am going to take a break for an hour or so, eat etc. and then back to revision. We are using cards to test ourselves, I now know why Sarah found it so useful in her exams. Trouble is I need to buy more cards for next week as I have used the 100 I got on Friday.

End of the first week....well almost...

Today has been a much better day. We have been doing a lab all day which although tough, is a lot easier on the brain than having to listen to lecturers talk about things you don't understand and need to learn!

Marc and I decided at 5pm we had had enough of the labs so headed back to the apartment (We finish the lab next Saturday). The only problem is that we now have all this week's work to revise ready for our exam Monday morning 8am. So that idea I had about possibly having Sunday off, who was I kidding. I am taking an hour or so now, to do things like write this blog, cook a decent meal, and then down to revision this evening. I hope to keep tomorrow morning free and have a bit of relaxing time before some more revision with Marc, John and Craig tomorrow afternoon.

It was good to chat to Karen today and see her blog http://kalbrombley.blogspot.com/2009/06/relaxing-day.html and see that she also has had a better day. Long may it continue.

Still resisting the chocolate, but as the canteen was not open on campus today ended up having a burger for lunch as it was the only place close by.

Bright lights.....but no one’s home!

It has been one of those days. The training has been really good, deep dive stuff and I have had several of those light bulb moments where everything has suddenly become clear. Things I have always wondered about fall into place. The problem is that I am already brain dead from the long hours and amount of information and we are only just getting towards the end of the first week.

It was good to chat to Karen as she had been to see mum and dad with Sarah and Peter, but I wished I was at home to give her and them a big hug. That is the hardest things about being away at a time like this.

Still resisting the chocolate but I do need to find time to buy some more fruit. Did a little shopping tonight, but the place we went to didn’t have fresh stuff, but at least we have some easy food for when we do eventually get back to our apartment at night.

I was hoping to get some time off on Sunday, as I don’t really like working on a Sunday, but the work load at the moment is making that difficult. It is not only me, but the small group I am hanging out with needing to bounce things off each other to help us remember it all.

It never rains......

I had a reasonable nights sleep. I was half awake and had to decide whether to go for a run or not. I made the decision and got up and went for a run. It was a really good start to the day. It cleared my head, and I had a great chat to God.

Got back to the apartment and saw a text from Kal, so gave her a call to find Mum is now in hospital (although she may be out by the time you read this). She has had what they think is seizure, rather than a TIA. What was worst about it was Kal took the call from my sister as Peter was about to walk out the door to go to school for an exam. It hit him quite hard. For me what hit me was not being there for Peter. It is hard being this far away when my family needs me. Much as I am coping with the problems with Mum and Dad, it is difficult not being there for Kal, Sarah and Peter.

Lectures today have been a bit better. Same lecturer, but topics I know reasonably well already. Having a lab of 30 virtual machines all to myself can be great fun. We are though several hours behind on our schedule of topics.

I am still resisting the chocolate. I bought strawberries and blueberries in to eat. That being said I did succumbed to comfort food this lunchtime, which is no surprise given the problems with Mum and Dad. Also we are karting tonight :-) and given how the lecturers have gone I am going. I had debated spending the time going over my notes (that is how hard they are working us). Bad news for the diet as it means having to eat Pizza, but I think I could do with that.

What a difference a day makes

It is not 11:40pm and I am still up and working. Today has been much harder. A different lecturer who I have struggled to understand what he is trying to get over and this meant I have had to do loads of revision this evening. So although we finished at about 8, we have spent the last few hours in our apartment going over all that we did today. I think I understand more of it now, and more seems to have gone in than I thought. If only I could remember all the RFC numbers (like all your law references Sarah).

We have internet access now in the apartment, but it is not very reliable. Not sure why, but I have found a way around it by connecting through work.

I am still resisting the chocolate, took pineapple in today to keep me going. If only I could find something other than coffee or sugary drinks, there is a lack of good low cal drinks that I like.

Been on IM to Karen which was nice and unexpected given that it was 6:30am in the UK. Also I had an email from PJ late yesterday which made me laugh very loudly, great way to cheer my up. I am also looking forward to seeing Sarah's signing and the decorating she has been doing when I eventually get back.

Meeting cool people

Although I finished my lab at 8:45, I didn't get to leave campus until 10:30 as John who is giving me a lift was still completing his. That did mean though I got time to talk to one of our lecturers and it turned out that Alan not only wrote the bandwidth calculation spreadsheet I have been using the last few weeks on the work I had to get done before I came out here, but was also responsible for the edge server (I know you won't understand what that is but never mind) when he use to work for Microsoft and we ending up whiteboarding a problem a few of us had been looking at with our customers and had been getting conflicting views on how it would work.
On the subject of people, who am I with out here. Well there are 16 (I think) of us on the course and a bunch of lecturers over the next 3 weeks, some of whom I know. I am staying in an appartment over the road from a park and lake. My flatmate is Marc who is from North Carolina. Craig is from Microsoft UK (ish, he is based in the UK, but actually works for our global team so his boss is in the US) and he only joined MS a few months ago, John is from the UK and works for one of Microsoft's partners (Craig use to be his boss) and was on the plane out with me. John has a hire car (one of the advantages of working for a partner) and is kindly ferrying us aournd, even though the apartment he and Craig are in is not near ours.

When do I get to eat?

First lab today and it is now 8:45pm and I have yet to eat :-( which may be good for the diet but not for energy. I am still resisting the chocolate though.

I know it is late but it has been a good day. Although there is lots to take in, it is all very good. My only worry is revising it all for the exams each Monday morning and the last Saturday, and I thought I would get Sunday's off :-(

Spoke to Karen earlier in the 5 mins I had at the end of lunch before next session started, which is why I have started this blog as I think it is the only way she will know what I am doing. Update on dad was good to have.

A Start!!

Well after many years, I have decided to start a blog. How long it will last I don't know. The reason is that I am in the US for the next 3 weeks and communicating with family at home is difficult due to long days and not much free time.

As some of you will know things at home are far from ideal, and I know Karen, Sarah and Peter are finding it hard (read their blogs for more http://kalbrombley.blogspot.com/ http://space-kitten.blogspot.com/) I even felt on the plane coming over if I was really doing the right thing by still coming.

Well having arrived to find no internet access in my apartment (should arrive Wednesday) and can you imagine me complaining about lack of TV channels in the US. Well we have about 2 that are working. Working being optimisitc word in that they are fuzzy due to poor reception, a bit likt the early days of channel 5. This is not helping in my communications.

The course started yesterday and given that I thought I knew a lot, and then discovered how little I know (only about 20% of yesterday's content), I can see I am in for a tough few weeks. 8am starts, 7pm finish is you are lucky. Sunday is a day off, but with exams Monday morning, there will be plenty of revision.

As for my diet, I think I will be struggling by the end. I am trying to resist all the chocolate etc. that is provided to keep us going. I have though managed to go running twice already!!. Jetlag = Running.... or is this just more pain!. I was running at 6:30 this morning as I was awake early due to jetlag. The apartment is next to a park and lake. There is an old railway track, now a dirt track, which is a really pleasent run. Although a 6:30am it was a bit nippy (53deg). But a great view, PJ would have liked the two eights out rowing.

My only thoughts at the moment are that with this tuff start, it can only get better.