A bed of roses

So, EPC has been pushing ahead with learning how to get Project and Power Apps to do what we want them to do. I've had a poke around in the guts of it but not had the confidence to create/change anything. Today, we pooled our knowledge/thought processes and got some stuff done. We created some fields for reporting - then realised they already existed :D And we created a risk so that the PowerBI out of the box report could report it. But I do want to make some changes, there - we do regular updates on our RAPID items and there's currently no box for that, although we could repurpose one.

Another colleague quipped that by the time we'd learned how to set the thing up, it would be coming to end of life. I gave a sarcastic response that may have been OTT - but it hit a bit of a nerve. There's a company that could help us set everything up the way we want it WITHOUT us having to learn how it all works. As EPC said, you don't learn to build a house, you just buy one - because unless building houses is your business, you're never going to need to do it again. Once we have everything up and running, we aren't going to need to edit and configure and build. But there's no appetite for spending the £2/3k it would cost. At least we're learning about how it actually works, I suppose, rather than passively using it.

Otherwise, it was a pretty slow day.

Ash ran her farewell stream on Playstation Access. I haven't watched it but I did send her a good luck message in the chat.

And I played a bit more FFXVI. Were there always so many camera angles showing people's crotches? O_o The little bursts of FFVIII's battle music make me :) Cid is still a great character, as is Gav. And Charon. I do get definite DAI vibes from some of the environments, too. The combat is sort of coming back to me.

My 'phone also seems to be back to normal. After losing battery quite quickly last night, it seems to be back to normal today. Maybe it was just having an off day. We all have those.

Tomorrow is a WFH day. I know it's not as good for my back, but I might just stay sitting on the bed rather than putting up my little table. I'll see how I feel.

Oh, and LFC won against Sparta Prague, although the boys don't exactly seem overjoyed. I think they're glad of the win - still on track for 4 trophies! - but it's a game they expected to win.

So, unusually, I had an afternoon with absolutely nothing booked in - no meetings, no action from a meeting, no documents to work on. So, I put YouTube on the telly and watched some 'how to' videos about MSProject for the Web. And I actually learned something! One thing I learned is that we don't have Roadmap and that looks like the thing we need to do the portfolio view. I shall have a word with EPC tomorrow.

Otherwise, it was a VERY quiet day.

Oh, except for doing three loads of washing and changing the bed...

It has rained every day this week except for Wednesday - which was the day I went to get my first jab!  My appointment was at 2.30pm but I arrived early, was sent straight in, and left at about the time I was supposed to go in.  Anfield was in a state of organised chaos - it's a long time since I was in company with so many people but it didn't really hit me until afterwards because I was just being herded along with everyone else.  Most of the time was spent with the chap taking my details asking questions, me replying 'pardon?', him repeating, me answering, him asking 'pardon?', me repeating :D :D :D  Anyway, we got through the questions, I got my jab and sat in the observation area for 10 minutes, and came home.  The bus got really snarled up in traffic coming home.  The roads are all really narrow round there and it was home time for all the school kids.  But I got to walk down the revamped Prince's Boulevard, so that was nice.

I had some trouble with deadlines this week - as in setting reasonable ones.  Definitely a learning opportunity, there!

I'm not keen on the way The Rookie is going.  Just feels like a hammer to crack a nut.  Of course, it's an important issue, and as a police show they should deal with it.  I just think real life is subtler than that.  But, I suppose, if it makes one person rethink their attitudes, it's a good thing.

I'm watching Intergalactic - still not sure what I make of it, although I like the 'your clean, shiny world comes at a price' set up.  A colleague keeps trying to get me to watch The Expanse but it's on Amazon Prime and I don't do Amazon.  I am looking at buying the books, though - the books are always better, right?

And that's all I remember about last week.  On to the shopping!

So, I had two evenings out this week - nothing exciting, though!  Both were church related meetings - the first was the church council, the second was an audit of a course on mission.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the open attitude of the tutor.  I can tend to get reverse-judgmental and believe we're the only church in the world that's open and accepting of everyone - you know, like Jesus was!  And, in fact, nobody in the room challenged the tutor, so hopefully they're all open and loving.  They are all there because they're training for ordination or readership; I'm there to support my LML work.

Speaking of which, we had a bit of an incident on Tuesday.  I gave my set of keys to my right-hand person so that they can open up early for our member who is wheelchair-bound, and lock up when we've finished.  I had already left because a) I had to get back to work and b) I don't have keys anymore.  They had a meeting with the Rector after the session, who hurried them off whilst said wheelchair bound person was waiting for a taxi, in the rain.  It was quite a while after the session had finished, what with tidying up and chat and I don't know when the taxi was ordered.  Anyway, we got the inevitable email from the person who wanted to make sure the same thing didn't happen to someone else.

I don't know how I feel about it.  I'm actually a bit shocked that they were bundled out and left to wait in the rain (even with an umbrella) - but they could have booked the taxi for a specific time, rather than calling the company and waiting on the vagaries of taxi drivers.  And they are a regular member; it could have been someone new to the group, and it could have been their first impression.  But if it had been a nice day, it wouldn't have been a problem!

Anyway, it happened.

Tuesday evening, I got a bit of a scratchy throat which, by Wednesday morning, had turned into a low level cold.  I've soldiered on through work supported by Lemsips, again.  I had a similar one towards the end of last year.  Over the last few years, I've had one big illness that has kept me off work.  Not sure which I prefer...  But we have a new sickness policy that monitors how many times you've been off work.  It's just...  If you're ill, you're ill!  Ongoing conditions are accounted for, though.

Also had a review of my PDPR with my new line manager.  They seemed surprised when I said I wanted to leave - but they changed jobs from the 'other' University after about 20 years there and at about the same age (my deadline is my 50th birthday next May), so they understood my need for a move.  The review went well, and I made it clear I still want to see the role developed, even if it's only so it's a nice package to hand on to the next person!

Had a final coffee with my work mentor, who has a job at the 'other' University.  At the start of the relationship they said, 'mentoring is a two-way process', but I think, in the end, they got more out of it than I did (and I did get a lot) because it reignited their faith and they've been coming to 'A Taste of God' on Tuesdays!  Who knew I could be an evangelist?!  (ROFL)

And tomorrow, I'm leading and speaking at St Bride's.  I think someone is trying to make me a vicar by stealth... *peers vaguely Heaven-wards'

The son was 29 the other day and we had the traditional chocolate orange marble cake (not very marbled but VERY tasty - best cake I've made in years).  He has an interview on Monday at a place he isn't sure how to get to, so he and I are on a magical mystery tour today to find it!

And that's life at the moment.