I've just taken a straw poll around the office and apparently it's not OK to tell my seven year old son that Santa doesn't exist. I've made a bit of a rod for my own back here by putting carrots out for the reindeer and a glass of whiskey out for the Red Man and even dirtying a bowl of water left out for washing soot off!

My boy R made a Christmas list with loads of electramatronic-stereocompuphonic-robodinomathingies costing hundreds of pounds. "It's OK Dad," he replied in answer to my strangled noises when I saw the prices, "Father Christmas can get these." Bless!

I tried to suggest that even Santa had a budget, but it all seemed to be blissfully unimportant detail to R. * Sigh * Perhaps I'll try making a list that includes a sports car, new windsurfing kit, a mountain bike, PS3, XBox360, new stereo system, replacement computer, iPod and all the other stuff I want. It should be fine though, since apparently Father Christmas is loaded.

What ever happened to common courtesty? It's definately dying a death. I'm no fan of religions, but I can't help thinking that the decline of Christian principles and the rise of celebrity culture (me-me syndrome) is making everyone too arrogant, too self-important.

Surely you've noticed how many people answer their mobile phones in meetings? Surely you've had to put up with other people's crap music on public transport?

It's not often that I resport to a rant here, but this one is definately worthwhile!

Yesterday I was fuming because Scat booked me for a meeting at 4pm, along with an employee at the client site. As he usually does, he turned up 10 minutes late, but then proceeded to find and chat to three other people one after the other on our floor and then, without coming to apologise to Sat and I, disappeared into another impromptu meeting! >-( No indication of how long it would take or anything. So 50 minutes after the meeting was due to start, I gave up waiting and left. I was SO cross, I went straight to a pub and had a pint while I waited for my train.

One of the things I have been guilty of in my life is drifting. I have not been very good at taking control of situations I'm involved in. It's always easier to go with the flow.

I'm a slow learner, so it's taken me until the age of 40 for this to sink in! Every day your future may be dramatically determined by small chance occurrences, some of these are way outside your control, but some require you to react in a particular way to change the outcome. Others, more subtly could take place if you only knew how to look for them and reach out. This last is the hardest bit to remember. Usually, we're so busy just forging ahead with the usual day-to-day flow of decisions that there just isn't time to look up, see the bigger picture and look for a way to pull some threads and influence the outcome of events.

Of course, taking an active part in controlling your own destiny doesn't automatically guarantee a good outcome. It must be possible to take many decisions and inadvertantly make things worse. Nevertheless, it does improve your self-confidence.

So on Tuesday, I took the cues and hints around me, and set out to shape my short-term future. The role I'm placed in at work has narrowed to a point where it's not big enough or interesting enough to keep me engaged. I set up meetings with my own line-manager, and the line-manager I report to at the client site. At the end of these, I'd carved out a new position for myself at the client site. I don't think it's going to be easy and at times it won't be fun, but it's by far and away the best role for me, my company and the client. Hurray! Let's hope it sticks.

The trouble is, knowing what I'm like, not that I've achieved that, I'll probably revert to tunnel vision, not looking around at all the possibilities. Grrr, why am I such a slow learner?

Whatever I try to do, that pernicious theif Entropy steals it away!

I'm trying to amass knowledge, because as we all know, knowledge is power. The trouble is, while I'm focused on one thing, trying to absorb the necessary facts, Entropy is busy stealing other facts away.

Money? Well I don't need to say much here do I? It doesn't seem to matter how good I get at gathering it in, the universal leveller Entropy seems to step in and ensure that I never collect very much of it in one place.

Friends? Happily this one seems to be less aflicted by ol' Mr. Entropy, but perhaps that's because there are (usually) two people working against him.

I wonder if the personification of Entropy would be Loki, the Norse god of mischief? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki

Brighton is great! There's such a range of diversity in the people you meet there. The town I live in is so boring and conservative.

I had a great night last night. I wore my little red dress, had a lovely meal at the Tin Drum and then danced in the Candy Bar until my feet hurt - which wasn't all that long as the shoes Miss.T gave me had quite high heels! Folk were all friendly and full of compliments in a totally cool and unassuming way. It was a good chance to cacth up with a few friends I haven't seen for many months. Compared to some of these girls I am VERY part-time.

What with giving two people lifts home, I didn't fall into bed until 3:15am, so the 6:10 alarm call was not welcome! Still...3 hours sleep is plenty to get me thru the day and I'll just have to catch up on the shuteye tonight.

Jeez, I've been away so long I can hardly remember how to do this stuff at all! Just reminded myself how by checking out Phinebooty who has a great, running commentary, breathless style.

Well consultancy is a great big rollercoaster of a ride isn't it. Currently I'm cast adrift on the maelstrom of political whim. Everyone at the client org love me and say I'm indispensible except that the one person taking decisions has decided I'm surplus to requirements! The truth is that I ought to be surplus to requirements, just that they're so bloody short staffed already that there's no-one to take on the jobs I was doing. Oh well...it's not something I'm prepared to lose any sleep over.

In other developments, I finished a PRINCE 2 Project Management certification course last week which will stand out rather nicely on my CV when (if) I pass the grade. Hmmm...that gives me ideas.

Tonight should be a good one. I'm going out as my alter-ego Penny again. Dressing up, meal out and clubbing. Much too fun to let the girls have it all! If there's any interesting news to come from that I'll let you know. September was the last time I did this and that was certainly interesting! At one point in the evening, there I was, true blooded male, standing in my little red dress next to the Mayor of Brighton!

Well, that was a prolonged break from blogging! Here I am again, but it's just experimental for now. Work situation has reduced from unsustainable madness down to sustainable chaos, but I can't imagine I'll have much time to post news here. Sorry.

Summary of recent news:
1) I did eventually sell the TVR which means the family can go skiing next March, hurrah!
2) I celebrated my 40th birthday. Phew...One third of the way through my life.
3) All three children can now ice-skate without help.

Item 3 above is TOP news! The two older kids love ice-skating, even though they've only been half a dozen times or so. This was the 4 year old's third visit. The first two visits with any child always result in one or both parent's backs in traction. This time, youngest held my hand for 5 minuutes and then refused all assistance for the remaining 90 minutes. PRICELESS.