The end is in sight
So, thanks to more logistics-furtling with removal people, they're now coming down to pack things on the 15th, then they start heading north on the 16th and we get the keys and unload on the 17th. This means, realistically, we've really only got 2 full weeks left to pack things and say our goodbyes.
AAARGHHHHHH.
The Cambridge bucket list goes well. Having previously ticked off the Archaeology and Anthropology Museum, and the Centre for Computing History on a rainy day, we went to the Scott Polar Research Institute yesterday. Really good exhibition, particularly on Inuit artefacts, and a very moving collection of letters from those who didn't come home.
We also ticked off some foody goals by visiting North China Dumplings which was a random recommendation. £6 for 12 generous dumplings, and service was speedy and cheerful. And you can roll next door to Ooshi for bubble tea, which made me right happy in the face.
It was nice to be out in town on a sunny spring day today with Sarah for lunch and cocktails, and following it up with some fun card games was inspired. (I now want to get hold of Love Letter, Coup and Jungle Speed...) I've also squeezed in recording a podcast with my old coworker James, talking about our favourite Eurovision songs. We're doing part 2 this week discussing this year's offerings. Ahh, I love Eurovision season. I'll have to Skype James on Eurovisionmas just to do live commentary.
It's Pete's last week of work this week. As he's said, it's weird leaving a perfectly fine job, but the change will be good I'm sure. Meanwhile, life at Pi Towers is AWESOME. I wish I'd started working for them sooner! Everyone is friendly, the world is *this* small (the office manager, Emma, knows kimbleshi), and I get to do all sorts of cool stuff for testing purposes. So far I've dabbled in Python, Ruby, C, ARM assembler and Bash; I've made a text-to-speech say rude things; I've created a synth masterpiece in Sonic Pi; I've tested the winning entry in the 'run Quake 3 on a Pi' contest; I drove a robot around with an Arduino IDE thingy, and flailed in front of a PIR sensor and webcam to test a parent detector. This week I'm testing the new website and translating the documentation from developerese into Something With Enough Semicolons In It.
And I get *paid* to do all that. Larks! I'm doing a few more days there this week, then anything they need after that I can do in Edinburgh once interwebs are sorted out. Freelancing is the best thing. Although the money is basically going on moving, with any left over going on book-related stuff.
Oh yes, the second edit is FINISHED THANK GOD. 68,200 words, 28 footnotes, one hissy fit thrown by Word at trying to spellcheck its way through 178 pages and at least one stiff drink just for getting through it all by myself. You'd think I'd just rest for a bit while I think of useful things like a title, cover art and getting an agent, but nooooo. I have these 15k or so words that I've flung into Scrivener- the writing software all the cool successful kids use- and they might be some Other Thing. Turns out you can't just turn off the characters and have a break. Now I need to see how much energy and cash I can feasibly spend in August going to conventions and doing that 'networking' thing. Shamrokon is booked so we're definitely in Dublin at the end of the month; we *might* be able to do one of Worldcon and Nine Worlds, we shall see. Or I could just start wandering round the publishing houses of Edinburgh with a hopeful look on my face...
Also available at cryptogirl.dreamwidth.org :D
AAARGHHHHHH.
The Cambridge bucket list goes well. Having previously ticked off the Archaeology and Anthropology Museum, and the Centre for Computing History on a rainy day, we went to the Scott Polar Research Institute yesterday. Really good exhibition, particularly on Inuit artefacts, and a very moving collection of letters from those who didn't come home.
We also ticked off some foody goals by visiting North China Dumplings which was a random recommendation. £6 for 12 generous dumplings, and service was speedy and cheerful. And you can roll next door to Ooshi for bubble tea, which made me right happy in the face.
It was nice to be out in town on a sunny spring day today with Sarah for lunch and cocktails, and following it up with some fun card games was inspired. (I now want to get hold of Love Letter, Coup and Jungle Speed...) I've also squeezed in recording a podcast with my old coworker James, talking about our favourite Eurovision songs. We're doing part 2 this week discussing this year's offerings. Ahh, I love Eurovision season. I'll have to Skype James on Eurovisionmas just to do live commentary.
It's Pete's last week of work this week. As he's said, it's weird leaving a perfectly fine job, but the change will be good I'm sure. Meanwhile, life at Pi Towers is AWESOME. I wish I'd started working for them sooner! Everyone is friendly, the world is *this* small (the office manager, Emma, knows kimbleshi), and I get to do all sorts of cool stuff for testing purposes. So far I've dabbled in Python, Ruby, C, ARM assembler and Bash; I've made a text-to-speech say rude things; I've created a synth masterpiece in Sonic Pi; I've tested the winning entry in the 'run Quake 3 on a Pi' contest; I drove a robot around with an Arduino IDE thingy, and flailed in front of a PIR sensor and webcam to test a parent detector. This week I'm testing the new website and translating the documentation from developerese into Something With Enough Semicolons In It.
And I get *paid* to do all that. Larks! I'm doing a few more days there this week, then anything they need after that I can do in Edinburgh once interwebs are sorted out. Freelancing is the best thing. Although the money is basically going on moving, with any left over going on book-related stuff.
Oh yes, the second edit is FINISHED THANK GOD. 68,200 words, 28 footnotes, one hissy fit thrown by Word at trying to spellcheck its way through 178 pages and at least one stiff drink just for getting through it all by myself. You'd think I'd just rest for a bit while I think of useful things like a title, cover art and getting an agent, but nooooo. I have these 15k or so words that I've flung into Scrivener- the writing software all the cool successful kids use- and they might be some Other Thing. Turns out you can't just turn off the characters and have a break. Now I need to see how much energy and cash I can feasibly spend in August going to conventions and doing that 'networking' thing. Shamrokon is booked so we're definitely in Dublin at the end of the month; we *might* be able to do one of Worldcon and Nine Worlds, we shall see. Or I could just start wandering round the publishing houses of Edinburgh with a hopeful look on my face...
Also available at cryptogirl.dreamwidth.org :D