On The Weekend of This Weekend

A slightly bitty weekend but non the worse for that.

On Friday I was out at the Leaving Do that Wasn't. A colleague was offered a job with another software company, handed in his notice, worked his notice, got a call at lunchtime on the Friday he was leaving to tell him that the venture capitalists who were funding his job and another 3 jobs had pulled their funding and he was redundant. He asked if he could stay, he could stay - so we went to the pub anyway.

On Saturday the Captain and I had football. Nice chat with the Football Dads, a lovely cup of coffee. Good football to watch. The game just in front of us was an 11-4 goal fest. The game on the far pitch, featuring the Captain, was a tactical 3-3 draw which matured from a cagey 1-0 at half-time with the lead changing hands a few times and a last minute penalty saved to earn the draw. The Captain, two goals and an assist and my, how the boy loves to run at defenders.

After that there were some errands.I went to a bead shop to see if I could find games pieces for Less and Tak. A definate win on the Less games pieces with some nice sets of blue and yellow beads. No joy on the Tak. Several sets of beads that were nearly right but not quite. Not quite stackable enough, or only available in one colour, or the wrong colours or too brittle etc, etc. So, call that a score draw. Particularly as I arrived at work this morning to find that my colleage has 3d printed a full set for me. He is a gentleman and a scholar.

MLW and the Captain watched a bit of the royal wedding. I did not (beyond having to answer the Captain's occassional questions). I made some progress with my wooden Tak set (yes, I am have three Tak sets on the go, wooden, bead and 3D printed). Sanding, varnishing, waxing. It's begining to look okay - a bit rustic - but nice enough. I've learned a lot about the making process. I am seriously considering a wood work shop or a 3d printer.

I then watched a little bit of the Scottish Cup final.

My Lovely Wife than went to the shops to buy things and after that we gathered ourselves to go and visit a friend's brand new baby. Bit a testy movement on the drive out there. We were picking up another, mutual friend, and neither MLW nor I could quite remember which roads were one-way, which had turning restrictions on them and so on. We rarely get cross with each other but there was some mutual enmiffment.

The baby is lovely. I am generally well disposed to babies as a class and to the baby's of my friends in particular but this example is one of nature's finest. It is a truism but non the less true for that that you forget how very, very small and delicate they are when they are first born. We all had a nice cuddle, the Captain in particular enjoys a nice cuddle with a small baby, and then toddled off. Attempted to drop our other friend off where she wanted to go but gave up once we got embroiled in the one way system again. Edinburgh is a fine city but it needs a fleet of autonomous cars or a series of subterranean ring-roads, possibly both. Mostly what it needs is more fine and excellent babies.

Sunday - MLW was singing so the Captain and I hung out. He had made a race track for his remote controlled cars out of all of his books and then tidied them away in to a wall across his bedroom. Then off to rugby where we had two other clubs visiting for a shared training and games session. That went well. We had enough kids for four teams made up of kids from each of the three clubs. Mostly the scratch teams played well together. I had tried to get them to mix themselves up during the warm up and it mostly worked. The Captain was on fire, and scored 7 (allowed) tries plus a bunch of tries that were not given for good reason but which were probably really tries if we were playing competatively along with about 7 assists. Lots of good rugby from the kids, quick passes, straight running, good support play. Very nice.

We hung out after the session for a drink and watched a bit of an American football game (Edinburgh Wolves vs Manchester Titans) and MLW came and picked us up. Home for a roast chicken dinner and then several episodes of the Bridge Season 2.

And here I am.

On Survey Memes

1. Have you ever driven an electric car?

Sort of - I have been the "driver" of an electric autonomous car in a hardware in the loop simulated environment. That was cool,

2. Do you live in an area that is prone to tornadoes?

No, we get haar, but I was born in Birmingham which gets perhaps the most tornados of any city in the world.

3. How many closets does your house have?

We have 3 presses, a utility room, a "shed" and two large wardrobes.

4. When was the last time you saw someone you went to high school with?

A few weeks ago, my oldest friend happened to be in Edinburgh so we went for a coffee.

5. Have you ever eaten moussaka?

I have. I like moussaka.

6. What breed was the last dog you saw?

It looked like some sort of brown labrador - it was taking an interest in some other dogs and a tennis ball.

7. How long have your parents been together (or how long were they together, if they no longer are)?

I think they were married for 15 years.

8. What has been your most epic cooking failure?

An attempt to make some sort of fritter / scotch egg effort out of cous cous when I was a uni. It tasted okay but structurally it was a complete failure.

9. Do you read other people's survey answers on here?

I read survey memes.

10. What's your bedtime routine?

I don't really have a bedtime routine.

11. Do you agree with the saying 'distance makes the heart grow fonder'?

Not really - my observation is that long distance relationships are difficult and can be brittle.

12. Have you ever been to Mexico?

I have not been to Mexico - I consider this to be a small career win.

13. Do you have a bad temper?

No - I am affability personified. People are often surprised when I get cross.

14. When was the last time it stormed where you live?

We had some heavy rain and strong winds a few weeks ago - an of course the snow.

15. Do you ever fact-check the things you read on the internet?

Yes - often.

16. How long would it take you to walk to the nearest store?

From the house about minutes, from the office about 8 minutes.

17. What five words best describe your mother's personality?

Driven, loving, expansive, brittle, curious.

18. Do you know any transgender people?

To my knowledge I know one, but not very well.

19. What's your dream job?

Dictator of the World, faililng that an economist or someone who works in wood..

20. How old were you when you got your first smartphone?

32 I think.

21. Have you ever had a parrot sit on your shoulder?

No - and I never ever want to.

22. In the morning, do you eat breakfast first or brush your teeth first?

Breakfast first.

23. What's something you had to learn the hard way?

How to study effectively.

24. What sort of window coverings do you have in your living room?

Large, thermally lined gold curtains.

25.Has anyone in your life ever treated you abusively?

Yes. In the past - I don't let them near me anymore.

26. What's the weather like right now?

Warm, bright but a little over cast and humid.

27. How long has it been since your last breakup?

19 years.

28. Can you concentrate well while listening to music, or do you find it distracting?

I prefer not to have it on whilst I'm doing anything that requires concentration.

29. What's the name of the amusement park closest to your house?

I've no idea - it might be Alton Towers..

30. Do you like The Rolling Stones?

No, I dislike them very much.

31. What was the last single item you spent over $100 on?

A jacket I think or perhaps a birthday present for my wife.

32. What's something you've been struggling with lately?

Finding beads that are stackable and cheap.

33. What was the last caffeinated drink you had?

I had a cup of weak tea - that is my current warm offfice drink of choice since I gave up drinking coffee at work.