All entries for March 2006

One day to go!

Follow-up to Brain Dump from 1129 - Ali's () blog

I've only got one day left here and my 'brain dumps' have been completed and put onto 7 pages of A4, It's quite worrying how I've worked here for nearly two years and my entire job, including a project plan for Warwick Shootout can be condensed into 150kb Word document!

I got my first (and possibly only) leaving card today. It amused me muchly as the front of it said "I used to be an atheist, until I realised I was God" the giver of the card (who will remain nameless as I'm sure they will read this) seemed a bit worried about the irreverency of the card (I'm guessing they knew I was a Christian!), but made me think about cards in general…

so, how do you go about choosing a card for someone? Do you…

• Think about the qualities of the person and choose a card suitable?
• Buy a charity card, to make a good impression?
• Pick the cheapest card possible, as you're a student and don't believe in giving cards?
• Forget to buy a card until the last minute and buy the first one that comes to hand?
• Send an e-card?
• Just send a text?
• Make one?
• Send a card that you bought for someone else, but forgot to send?

: 22 Mar 2006 17:10 |  Tags: Life Warwick Skills |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Brain Dump

Writing about web page http://go.warwick.ac.uk/skills

I've just spent most of the day trying to write down everything that I do in my job so that when I leave on Friday, no one will miss me (in a work sense)

Planning

I've come to the conclusion that I'm only a project planner in my head, as I could write down everything that is sorted and needed to be sorted out by Rich and Kay for Warwick Shootout, but until now there was no written form of it!

My Competitive Streak

I think I'm designed to hold mental lists in my head…guess that's the computer scientist in me, or maybe it was the vast amount of card/strategy games I played when I was little which made me do calculations and remember things to win. Who knows…

Light at the end of the tunnel

Anyway – the "Warwick Shootout Guide" is now sitting happily on our shared drive and I've only got to write the "What I do for "Warwick Skills" Guide" now…

The hidden student

Over lunch Kay sent Rich, Graham and I out to the Suppliers' fair to see who we could find with useful services what free stuff we could obtain for Warwick Skills, or Warwick Shootout . With a combination of flirting, explaining to a lot of stands that we weren't students and were genuinely interesting in what they had to offer, waving of staff badges and corporate speak we managed to find:

• A possible jazz band for Warwick Shootout – although we all agreed that Rich was a better sax. player!
• A chocolate fountain – which we just had to test…
• Good Fairtrade wine – tested by Rich and Graham as alcohol doesn't like me
• Free paper – always useful
• A company to make us a posh display – Kay likes these as they 'pops up like an umbrella'
• A diary / notepad making company

and also,

• A cuddly dog – a great pillow for those of us who had a cheese and chocolate overdose
• A cuddly frog – to make our kissing frog couple* a threesome
• 5 bananaleaf boats, which we filled with the free sweets from Unitemps
• An exciting looking tin box, disappointingly hiding only a keyring

*Come to visit our office space and you can see what I mean

: 20 Mar 2006 16:29 |  Tags: Life Warwick Skills |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Student Mortgages

Writing about web page http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/housing/story/0,,1730644,00.html

Students are being encouraged to become landlords by taking out a mortgage under a new scheme launched this week. Undergraduates can take out 100% mortgages on properties worth up to £250,000 then rent out spare rooms to cover the repayments.

How much sense does that make?!

When I was a student I lived in some pretty horrible houses, which landlords obviously didn't care about (mouldy walls, plug sockets hanging off the walls, door locks that couldn't keep a cat out…)

It would also remove the pantomine problem of the "My boiler doesn't work", "Oh, yes it does", "oh, no it doesn't" with the landlord.

: 14 Mar 2006 12:18 |  Tags: Life |  Comments (6) |  Close comments |  Report a problem