My beloved and I were motoring along the M62 today and saw two uncommon cars in the same uncommon colour. A beautiful blue. The cars didn’t seem to be travelling together – it was just a happy coincidence. I was thinking of how to describe the colour as we talked. Iridescent? Vivid? Jaunty? My beloved said it was like a kingfisher or peacock. Instantly that … Continue reading Peacockian blue
Well, sure, of course things change over time. Caught in the moment though, it often doesn’t feel like it. A friend and I talked about birthdays today, which got me thinking about what I was doing when I was twenty-one. Around that time I was in the Balkans on a peace-keeping mission. I remember flying into Split, Croatia, diving toward the ground to land quickly … Continue reading Wow, that’s change
Nudged by some great photos taken by @steelcitysnapper on Instagram, I went to the Weston Park Museum today with my beloved. Really pleased to have visited – I learned a lot about Sheffield that I didn’t know, which gave me perspective on how the city is today. This underlines two things. One, I have a terrible memory and I didn’t know a lot to begin … Continue reading Lasting memories
I’m looking for a job at the moment and bringing some of my knowledge up to date. Any IT Service Management fans out there? Anyone? What I’m struck by in the description of the processes, is how many of them have roots going back a long way, to what seems like mere common sense. Once you layer business need and IT complexity on top of … Continue reading Plan Do Check Act
Reading on from the First Round Review newsletter today (thanks for that tip, Dan), I clicked on a link about imposter syndrome. Dr Emily Anhalt notes: “Most people with competence have some Imposter Syndrome, because they know how much they don’t know. It’s the opposite of the Dunning-Kruger effect.” Competent people know how much they don’t know. If you’re feeling inadequate, remember you’re merely conscious … Continue reading You don’t know, you know
I’m reading ‘Lost Connection’ by Johann Hari again. It tells a powerful story about the impact of pharmaceutical company profiteering on how depression is treated. Regardless of whether or not he’s right about that, there’s a clear acknowledgment of the placebo effect in the medical profession. Placebos work because of the stories (which may be implicit) we absorb about them. For good or bad, humans … Continue reading Clutching at stories
When your memory is terrible, you walk to the shops, and you gotta wear a mask, you can find yourself walking a lot of extra miles. Five days get out of seven now I’ve gotten half-way to somewhere and had a doh’oh moment! I mean, it’s not like I have a mask that’s easy to overlook or I don’t want to wear it. As I’ve … Continue reading Unexpected fitness boost
I’m delighted to have read that the University of Bristol Medical School are making changes to their medical training, to better prepare students to diagnose and treat the multi-ethnic population in UK. Progress is being made. It’s important to recognise that, even as there remains so much to be done. Progress is being made. Keep going. . (Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash) Continue reading Bringing medicine up to date
Nearly 14 hours in and half the distance done, or thereabouts. It was properly dark at 2am, and the weather is turning a little earlier than expected. On with the show! Trotting along the River Thames by the moonlight was peaceful for a while, until the clouds rolled in and it started drizzling. Although no longer peaceful, the drizzle was quite nice and refreshing actually, … Continue reading Ridgeway Ramble Write Up – part three: into extra time
It’ll still be an old white guy in charge if Trump is rightfully ejected from office. But with Kamala Harris on the ticket, there is progress. Couldn’t find a royalty free image of Kamala to share, which is unfortunate. I’m hoping things change. . (Photo by Heather Mount on Unsplash) Continue reading Imperfect progress
Sometimes You Learn 