Well, today's plan has played out in my mind somewhat in the last 2 days - tomorrow I need to see if my planned solution works on a customer's site.

I guess I'm a bit weary because I don't have a definitive testing environment right now to ensure it works exactly like it should. It's tomorrow and it's with a French company via teleconference and screen sharing. I kinda think the French are a bit funny when it comes to business - very proper, so I'd like to impress without spinning out of control....

Today us basically going to be spent constructing the closest testing environment to the customer's estate so that I can be relatively sure I get what I'm expecting - and if so, I can give them the solution right there and then, without the need to go back and 'analyse' what I've seen - in order to come up with a solution - I *think* I have a good idea what the issue is without seeing it.


but in other news - watched Alice In Wonderland last night, which I thought was pretty good, even though the people I've talked to about it weren't that impressed - it amazes me how I can't trust people's opinions until I get to experience my own - its not like a mistrust everyone, I don't, but when it comes to entertainment - I like to be one making my opinions.

That said, I spent a good afternoon planning an idea I have - lots of pen and papering. I enjoyed it - it's almost like trying to solve a puzzle - will this plan work? Will it work in most scenarios? where is it weak?...that sort of thing. I think planning an idea a week is a good exercise in creativity and problem solving.

So, sitting on the train with faces looking down at me and the lady on the microphone seeming pretty agitated. Should be an OK kind of day - I've prepared my Solution already I just need to see if it works. Pretty thirdty I've just figured out and if last week is anything to go by, it's going to be a scorcher - need to hydrate when i get out of this sardine tin...

Let's see how it turns out :-)

Oh yeah. it's Friday! Now that's great because this week has been a bit of a strained one, generally - and I need a break I think. But having said that, it's probably been the best week weather wise.

iPad 2 syndrome is kicking in again as I resist it. Some interesting highlights of this week, apart from the beautiful weather is updating my laptop with an astounding 1.1 GB worth of updates, including new versions of ITunes and my iPhone OS - which gets me a personal hotspot which is great for getting my laptop online at anytime. Can you spot the geek? me neither.

Pulled a copy of twitter for mac which looks really good. The more I see the kinds if styles, effects and transitions the more you wonder If I can do that?!

Had an interesting discussion with our network guru and he clarified how networking routing works, which clears a few things in my head - slight benefit of leaving the office late(to download those updates I mentioned earlier)

Still keen to look into PHP a little deeper but I seem to persuade myself that their are better things to do with my time - a bad habit that I've picked. Currently that is JavaEE/Glassfish.

Had work drinks(argh!) again to celebrate our product launch in Las Vagas - which is cool for us developers in London but eh whatever. The conversation was stupid as usual(well for me, at least). I realise that I don't like to be forced to enjoy myself.

I've been not going this week and it's getting to me. Played my XBox (I won't grow up, OK) for the first time in while on a Sunday afternoon(they were invented for this) and enjoyed it tremendously, finishing a game I have. Last night I switched to another but I became tired and flopped into bed, watching stuff on TV.


So I've enjoyed the week :-)

Today, just a simple observation: I've seen two teachers marking papers in the last day. Them with their red pens, ticks, circles and underlines.

It's strange to see how so many people focused almost mesmerised at her going through and marking. Maybe we all remember what our teachers were like and all rewind to those days when those papers where ours.

But perhaps it's the fact that we know they are thankless heroes, abs we stop to remember how difficult their lives are and for z moment how grateful we are to their supervision, guidance and teachings, and most all their patience.

There must be s special place in Heaven - I remember my parents saying this when I was a kid and perhaps on a subconscious level - I tend to inherit that feeling.