One week in

I have now been back at work for a week.

Various things seem to be going on, not necessarily a bad thing, that is just how things are, it simply makes writing a reasonably complete blog entry more tricky!

1 reflections on what I have done and not done since I got back from holiday

One of my thoughts on returning from my holiday, was that I need to shift over the pattern of my spending. Like everyone, my income is finite, and I want my money to work for me, rather than end up working simply to pay the bills. To that end, I would like to focus my spending on capital items, such as my house, and IT equipment, and a corresponding drop in my spending on more frivolous stuff, in particular, books, magazines, newspapers, and iTunes stuff. Too early to say, but making an explicit decision to do this, and seeing it as a choice that I have made, for positive reasons, sits comfortably with me. One big thing, like the advice to recovering alcoholics, stay out of the pub, if you don't want to drink; is that I need to find stuff to do, that is not just going round shops, seeing stuff that I want to buy.

If we can also do this as a family, it will help.

This is not just a counsel of hair shirts, and lentil porridge, I am keen to buy some new computers, and stuff that really will make a difference to us, while a lot of the impulse purchasing is just nice at the time, but quick forgotten.

Truth be told, I have at least a dozen books, that I have bought, that I have not started, and I can easily enough find more podcasts, than I have time to listen to, so I am not short of reading or listening matter. In terms of entertainment, there is always outdoors stuff like walking the dog, or even bramble picking now that the season is upon us.

In terms of big spending, I think that I have probably broken the back of spending on the garden for a while, what it needs is time to grow now, and some good attention, the house will swallow up some money, but mainly maintenance style attention in due course. Internally I should finish off a wardrobe for my wife, and I would like to put in a wood burning stove, and a revamp of the kitchen would be welcome, even if it is just putting in spot lights.

Top of my thoughts at the moment though, is getting a new computer, more detail at 4 below.

2 considering my share portfolio

Another element of making my money work better for me, is to actually build up some substantial savings behind me. I have a very modest share portfolio, which I derive considerable pleasure from. I think that we all need to be part of the wider society, this takes many forms. For example we should participate in the decisions that affect us, both in the local community and more widely. Investing substantially in shares seems perfectly consistent with this. The factors of production are after all, land labour and capital, and we would be wise to participate in all of these if we can. The idea that we all need to derive all our income purely from paid employment is after all a relatively new one, and might not be one that persists. In the times of Jane Austin, many people lived of un-earned income.

Clearly I will not build up a Warren Buffet style share portfolio in the near future, but I would like to build up what I can, on the basis, that it earns me money, I enjoy it, and it provides a cushion and flexibility for me.

Accordingly I have set up a monthly direct debit for purchasing shares, and I will try and follow my judgement on this a bit more, rather than just letting things happen.

3 being sociable

Another little change in emphasis that I was keen to introduce after my holidays, was to put more emphasis into family and friends, being more proactive in keeping in touch. Actually this is one of those things that really is not a chore, it is more a case of saying to yourself, stop working so hard and enjoy yourself! As with money, my time and attention are finite, and I should consciously decide how to use them.

Accordingly had a lunch at a local restaurant with an old colleague, seeing as I am shifting office. Life has been so manic for the last year that there has been little scope for these little diversions, but they are so enjoyable, and worthwhile on all sorts of levels, that I fully intend to have more lunching !

4 considering a new computer

I had pencilled in to buy a new computer after the holiday, so it is now falling due. I have actually decided that it will be a Mac, but still to fully evolve a decision beyond that.
By process of elimination,
it will need to come in at under £1k,
the girls will get my current computer for their room, the new one will go where the current one is now
I don't have a monitor sitting around, so the mac mini is pretty pricey
I really like having a good screen size, tempted to go up to 20" from my current 17"

so that was all pointing at a new 20" imac possibly spending on some ram, and/or external hard drive for backing up

but of course the new imacs have come out, and now Leopard is due out in October.

So do I go for a new imac, with a shiny 20" screen - some folk don't like the glossy screen, and the design has not just blown me away
or do I wait till Leopard comes out

on balance tending towards waiting till Leopard comes out, but still open to alternative thoughts. I could for example be tempted by a cheap laptop which might well be the machine that I would end up using, if my wife is labouring through a mountain of college work at the main computer.

Decisions decisions.

5 work around the house

I was keen to do all sorts of things, mainly they have not been done, as between work, commuting and sundry necessaries, there is very little time left over.

Not done -
anything in the garden
sending off holiday photos to relatives

To do today -
put up new high riser bed for daughter #1

She is going to high school when school resumes, so needs somewhere to do homework, hence her bed goes up, and voila she has a desk underneath, or viola she has a string instrument underneath. Anyway I'll need to do that today.

Yesterday was largely community council stuff, meeting in the morning, and minutes and displacement activity in the afternoon.

6 changes at work

Hopefully my change in office will help, it should free up an hour of travel time per day, and as I am the worst traveller I know, this has to be good news in terms of my health and energy levels. Not only will my office be more central, handy for the galleries etc, but I no longer need to take an additional bus journey which adds to and complicates my daily commute.

Despite this I have some mixed feelings, I really like my old office, and the people I have been working with feel like friends rather than colleagues.

My stuff is all in crates, and I unpack at my new desk on Monday, but we will pop down to the old office on Friday with some bottles of wine for a celebration, I hope that our paths continue to cross, as they have all been such a pleasure and inspiration.

It is always good to work with people that believe in what they are doing, though it does make me feel the dry impatient technocrat, just wanting to get things done.

The new office looks good, and new colleagues likewise. At the moment I am looking back, thinking of old friends, and wishing they could see how well things are going now.