Been a while since I've done one of these.
Forty-three days!
I'm well aware of at least five big fans of Project 9626 so it is only right that I get back in the saddle and provide an update for my adoring public.
Ahem.
Right, last time I said I wasn't that busy and wanted to do more.
I'm now so busy those early days feel like a different life. I'm looking after four main projects which invariably are riddled with things going wrong each and every day. But I'm doing my best and learning a lot, gradually being able to answer questions more convincingly and getting stuff done. Which is important. I spent a good while becoming very frustrated that things just weren't getting done. But as the weeks have ticked by and I've grown more used to working in such a huge company, I've come to accept that's just how it is.
But that's not to say it's been easy, I've found it to be a real challenge. I've never been a stressful person but man alive, I've felt stressed. So much so that a few weeks ago I was diagnosed with shingles. Shingles! Ridiculous body. I got away with it in all honesty, a week or two of feeling sunburnt on the left side of my back a small rash on my ribcage. Some good anti-virals from the doctor saved the day.
I've made a conscious effort to not let the work get to me as much as it did leading up to that week and it's working. I'm getting more done and staying in control. Old fashioned to-do lists help. Who knew!?
At the end of the day, it's cardboard and paper... It ain't going to kill anyone. #Perspective
So, the running.
I think my target of 600 miles in the year was a little on the low side (despite being 25% more than 2014!). Considering the 26.2 miles of half marathons in September and all it's associated training leading up to that, I think I will be going past the 600 mile target sometime early October.
Mental.
I'm continuing to run a longggg way on Friday's, up to 11 miles last week, probably 11 more tomorrow. I've spent a lot of time running in torrential rain recently, which is actually quite good fun whilst temperatures remain around 20'c. Give it a month and it'll be far less fun. But good progress and good preparation all the same.
With only 17 days to go until round one of the half marathon fun I'm ramping up the SPONSOR ME (please!) message. I've reached £100 which is good, but is it great? No siree! We have £200 to go! So as ever, anything you can spare is massive to me and, of course, Balls to Cancer.
Here is my page, make my day. Thank you!
I finally decided to part with 70 quid to order my new passport so that I'm actually allowed to fly to South Africa in December (124 days!) which is all well and good. However, getting my picture taken in a photo booth was a traumatic experience. It appears my head is not symmetrical. I used all three of my allotted tries and each one was not cool.
Not cool at all.
I'd upload a picture of the photo booth print out but I don't think I'm ready for the ribbing.
I'm not having it. The machine must be broken.
Me and my bizarrely shaped head are up to book #18 now - closing in on the magic #25. Book #16 was the quite frankly amazing 'The Bone Tree' which follows on from Book #10 'Natchez Burning' and features Penn Cage again. It's a huge 850 pages, taking the total of the first two books of this trilogy past 1700 pages - all to tell a story of six or seven days. It's fantastic. If you want a crime thriller to compel you as intensely as these books do, I couldn't recommend any other.
Book #17 'The Power of the Dog' is absolutely nothing to do with animals. Rather, it's a blend of Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and The Wire in book form focusing on drug cartels in Mexico, and the men charged with bringing them down. It's awesome. And easily the most gruesome book I've read. Lesson for all - don't piss of Mexican drug kingpins. I'm reading the sequel now.
So there we are. Things are good.
Full steam ahead to the hills of Gateshead.
Full steam ahead to the hills of Gateshead.
