Juggling ...... at Christmas

Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, with time spent with loved ones, presents, food, alcohol and a good few days off work. However, before all that can start there is the juggling ...... where will you go, who will you invite, for when exactly?

The last two years I have not had my kids overnight on Xmas Eve, in fact last year I spent Xmas Eve and Xmas morning on my own until I picked the kids up from there mum's at lunchtime and we went across to my brothers. So, this year I was realy looking forward to havnig the three little scallywags here for Xmas night. However, it seems No 1 son will be going to his girlfriends, which came as a nasty shock. I emailed him back and suggested he might spread himself around a bit so me and his mum might get to see at least a little of him but no, he does n't want to split his day 3 ways. So, after much grinding of teeth and then some wise words from the very clever (as well as very beautiful) Kate, I texted him to tell him to do what he wanted and it would be fine. I did n't mean it of course, I did invite him and his gf but it seems her offer is better than ours :-(

I'm still waiting to hear if my brother, sister-in-law and nephew might be coming over on Friday 23rd / Saturday 24th. If they do Mum might be around, and as said gf has not meet them there might be more chance of Tom and her coming over. Xmas Eve and morning the kids are with me and then when I drop them off I'll be driving to Lowestoft as I've had a very kind invite from Kate's parents to join all of them for dinner. I'll be just about ready for a glass of something alcoholic by then :-)

Five Ways to Kill A Man by Alex Gray

Kate pushed this in my direction and I quite enjoyed it.

Set around Glasgow the double murder of a popular and successful couple seems completely separate to the serial killings of random old ladies. But as DCI Lorrimor gets closer to the truth and assailant gets closer to his own family it becomes clear that everything is linked together. Without a rollercoaster story but engaging characters, good descriptions of an area of the country that I used to live in and more than enough content I found this became difficult to put down towards the end. I'll go back to Alex Gray to read some more.

Building for a future......

It's an interesting time, for me and in fact for the whole world, in terms of financial change. With the current issues facing the Euro and the impact that could have, indeed is having, on the UK economy then lots of things seem a bit uncertain.

I feel quite lucky (although I suspect that the people around me would remind me that we make our own beds!) in that my income significantly exceeds my outgoings even after I have contributed generously towards the up-bringing of my children. On the downside, the resolution of the divorce settlement may have left me without having to contribute to a very large mortgage but it has also left me without equity. Clearly, there is a need to build up funds, which should happen relatively quickly, even without that lottery win which I know is just round the corner ;-)

BUT as everything changes and I head towards my mid-forties (or at least that is where I will be the time I've saved up a significant deposit) what does the future hold??? Is buying a place of my own really the best idea? I'm not completely sure. I do like the fact that as a tennent in my rented house if ever I find the boiler is n't working or the rain is coming for example I can just ring up the agents and it get's fixed, at no cost or fuss to me.

If I want to buy a similar place to that which I'm renting now (on a 20 year mortgage without a significant chunk of equity) then the monthly mortgage repayments would be a lot bigger than my rent, and most of that would be gifted to the bank in interest. There's much to ponder, even if I were to buy alone, and that might not be the case as my relationship with the gorgeous Kate seems to go from strength to strength, and in time we might like to bring our lives closer together.

I think there is time to think whilst I'm saving. Time to watch the economies of the world and see what happens in the uk with the buying market, and time to see how things develop with Kate. At some point, I think some money spent on an hour with my Independent Financial Advisor might be a sound investment.

The Well by Peter Labrow

Wonderful book this one (but then for over £7 new from Amazon, it had to be!). Great flowing and imaginative story littered with well-though out characters and good sub-plots. Based on an old curse from a witch who now haunts the well and ruined buildings, two children fall in. A lady in the village, a direct descendent from a line involved in the original incident can see things and knows what is going one. Her young daughter has a great er gift. Throw into that a wanna-be pedophile stalking kids trying to help the victims and there is enough suspense to make a 12 hour flight Japan speed by. It's Labrow's first novel and I look forward to future contributions, even if they are expensive!

Yokohama

At the start of the month I had the opportunity to go to Yokohama. The Japanesepharamceutical company that I work for has this year moved from Osaka to a wonderful purpose-built facility in Shonan, not far from the city of Yokohama (and indeed Tokyo). It was my first visit there and was requested because the project I am leading is going well at an advanced stage. I flew out overnight on the saturday, arriving at my hotel late afternoon sunday and stayed until Thursday. Ob Monday i presented the project to a large auditorium of managers and young researchers. I'd had a bout 10 hours sleep in the last 72 and so scheduled to present at 3:30 in the afternoon, my performance was good, if not sparkling. Then I had two days of samller breakout meetings regarding various projects and initives between the departments in Cambridge, Japan and California. It was really great up to meet up with old friends from both sites and the Japanese guys were so hospitable as usual. A few weeks before leaving I received an email from a guy I met at a conference at the start of the year (we are friends on fb too) and he invited me out with a group of chemists to the local craft beer restaurant. Nice. The following evening I was out with a different gropu including one of the funniest Japanese guys I've ever meet. Derek, from California, had a flight to catch straight after dinner and after "a few" could not be convinced that more sake was the right thing to do. Enter Kawamoto-san ..... "But Derek, it's a-w-e-s-o-m-e dude"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pictures were mostly taken from my hotel window, on the 57th floor. The square building contains the hotel (from floors 52 to 70, I think). Not my favourite place to be in an earth-quake torn area. I'd wake up in the mornings (actually, I'd been awake for hours more like!) when I'd wander over to the wall of my room that was all glass, carelessly through open the curtains and see that I was a mile up in the sky. Back away from the window David, back away from the window!!!!!

Beach Road by James Patterson

I was lent this and I'm glad I did n't pay for it even secondhand prices. I'm amazed I finished it at all but once I've started something I find it difficult to turn away. I did n't guess the ending, I think, because I was completely uninspired to think about it. My first and last Patterson??

............ and sleep!

We need it, we love it and when we are not getting good sleep then we really know about it in how we feel all day long. I think it is a bit like drinking lots of water in that way.

When we were kids we never appreciated it did we? We would hate to go to bed and do everything in our powers to draw out the day. As teenagers we would stay up late and lie in late to make sure we had enough. As people get older it often seems harder and harder to get a good night.

My own sleep pattern is pretty regular, and I'm a pretty good sleeper. When the light goes out, so do I, virtually every night. I tend to sleep deeply for about 5 or 6 hours and then seem to toss and turn a little as my mind resurfaces and thoughts begin to dance around. Depending on the season, the early mornnig sun coming into my room can exacerbate that. However, I'm lucky, as I said, because I know a lot of people have trouble getting good sustained sleeps and they have my sympathy.

Why this, why now? Well, I'm currently suffering from jet-lag. I'm out in Japan as I write, on a business trip and it has really screwed with my sleep routine. This was not unexpected as it has played out pretty similar to my previous visits to the Land of the Rising Sun, of which there have been about half a dozen. Flying over on Saturday night (12 hours flight) I managed about 5 hours, but then I am lucky to work for a bloody good company who pay for a business class seat. Sunday night I also managed about 5 hours but Monday night was 3 hours and last night 4 hours. I make that 17 hours sleep in the last 105 hours, about half of my norm.

On Monday afternoon I had to give a big presentation to a rather large audience made up of both senior maangers and young researchers. I'd prepared thoroughly so no surprise that it went well and I handled the questions well too. But I was shattered before I even got up to stand. I had to think really hard and be completely focussed. I seem to loose time and was surprised to find myself on the last slide. Whilst it was perfectly fine it was some distance away from the dress rehersal I did in front of my co-workers on Friday - just flat, I guess.

This afternoon in one of my meetings I turned into the proverbial nodding dog, and walking back from lunch and checking the old iphone, something I mastered a long time ago, I came within inches of loosing all my street cred by walking into a wall!!!

The jet-lag is a minor issue within loads of great things about being here. The food is always wonderful and gerenally to my tastes, I enjoy spending time with colleagues out of the office thereby getting to know them better, the science is always good and I learn loads but most of all the people are just so hospitable I find it quite humbling. Tonight I'll be taken out for dinner again and my offer to pay or contribute will certainly be turned down. One guy popped by and left me quite a few bottles of beer in a bag in my temporary office as well. I'm not sure how I'll manage to get them on the plane, but it might be best if they are within me ;-)

So, here's to good sleep, distance friends and sake!