Category: Life

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AI & IT

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I don’t have the soul of a programmer and I don’t have the patience to be one either.  I want to say last week but I think it was the week before, we had a hack-athon / prompt-athon where we had to come up with ways of automation that would help us in our day to day work using AI and the likes.

(and yes it is the slippery slope of turkeys voting for christmas but that’s another rant altogether.)

Anyway – our team decided an email notification for records older than 90 days would be very handy – work is always moving forward that we tend to forget to look back especially after 90 days – or we could just organise ourselves better – but this email nudge would actually be handy.  Now I like to play with computers – figure things out.  I should point out that does not mean I’m good with computers – please see my opening sentence.  However when I get a new computer, phone, tablet, gadget – I like to press buttons, find out where everything is and mould it into what I feel comfortable with and makes sense to me.  So after our 2 hours were up in the hackathon we were to go away and actually do our “whatever your team decided on”.  Now this was really just showing me the shiny.  I could happily (with swearing) spend hours trying to figure it out.  The downside to this is that there is also the normal day to day work that needs to be done along with playing with the puzzle.

So yesterday (yes it was a Saturday) I decided that I was going to make it work – mainly because on Friday, I couldn’t even get the damnable programmes to see the excel file – talk about falling at the first hurdle.  – Anyway – I decided that armed with copilot and power automate I was going to make this work.  I liked that I didn’t have other calls on my time when I was breaking my brains, I could swear if I wanted (and I did) and the frustration went unwitnessed.

I had to start the conversation with Copilot a few times because it was just getting too bogged down and the more questions I asked the more lost I became in “where was I?” The first time Copilot mentioned that it had completely missed out a step was annoying – particularly when it tells me Great Question (like, Stop Patronising Me Please!).  I restarted the prompt and it omitted it a second time so when i did the restart for a third time I had to tell it to include the step if it was going to be needed for a later part of the instructions!  I mean by the end of the day I really was just annoyed with it.

Ultimately the computer won the battle but I did have a small victory.  I managed to get the computer to finally see the excel spreadsheet – yay!  and I managed to work thought all of the flows to get the thingy to send me an email.  However the email just contains gibberish and not the actual information that I want it to tell me.  In the end I opened the wine so that we could both be spouting gibberish.  I think ultimately the use of AI and all that it brings really should be left to the IT magicians, and let it help them with their wizardry.  Like I said I managed to get it to work(ish) but I didn’t understand the code that I had to enter and I think that’s ultimately why I don’t know why it failed.  At least a programmer would have an idea at what point it fell over and looking at it can see what went wrong – but I’m just taking screen shots and asking “is this correct?” of an AI programme that didn’t tell me all of the things I had to do.  So chances are when it’s say yes that’s correct – there’s a possibility that it’s not.

My task for today is to ignore the niggle in the back of my head that is asking why it didn’t work properly and I must not go back and try to figure it out – leave it ’til tomorrow when i can reach out to the real experts and get them to sort it.

Bloggage · Home · Life

Tidy Your Room!

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I know!  When we were younger that was the last thing we wanted to hear from our parents.  Well I’m saying it to you now – tidy your bedroom.

Last night was one of those little moments where I realised I couldn’t have somebody come in here ’cause the place is just cluttered with clothes that need to be put away.

What ’caused that little moment you might ask?  A Spider!  I don’t like spiders.  I have a vague agreement with them – do what you want just don’t be seen.  This agreement is for all rooms with one exception – the bedroom – just stay out please.  Last night there was a spider on the wall above the bed and I was tempted to call the neighbour to rescue me or spider but couldn’t ’cause the room was a mess and also they’ve moved so there wasn’t anybody to call on.  However had the room been tidied, there was more of a possibility that another neighbour would be called on instead.

So please tidy your bedroom – you just don’t know what emergency is around the corner (spiders do count) and you don’t want be embarrassed – and the reward is that you have a tidy room!

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Starting the Summer

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It’s the May Bank Holiday Weekend – although I will admit that I woke this morning wondering if it really was a bank holiday or should I be getting up to go to work, but I think that’s a normal reaction.  Anyway – May, Summer – I had a productive day on Saturday – I had my car’s NCT at 9am – What was I thinking of??  9am!  on a Saturday!  A few years ago, I got caught in traffic and ever since then I’ve arrived early – so I was done and dusted at the time the appointment was due – how cool was that!  Anyway – I didn’t pass but didn’t exactly fail it either – a light wasn’t working so I’d to get it fixed and I could go back for a visual inspection.  I went to Ikea and spent like it was going out of fashion on knick knacks – I only went for cake and a charger cable but why stop there??  Anyway – went to the garage to see when they could fit me in to get the light sorted – as luck would have it they took a quick look and it seems nothing needed to be done – it was simply that something had popped out of place and once it was put back, all was well – so straight back to the NCT centre, had the visual, got my certificate.  I’m really pleased as the car is 21 yrs old and she’s still going grand!

I came home had cake and decided that the weather had been fine long enough to cut the grass or in my case, dandelion patch – and that’s what I did – it makes such a difference it really does – and I took it as my cue to move the garden bench – in the colder months it’s kept on the path by the wall of the house, but during the summer I move it so that it’s back is to the shed and it’s sheltered by the honeysuckle.  Yesterday (Sunday) there were noises in the garden – I was terrified it was a rodent having some sort of shouting match but it was a load of starlings feeding on whatever was coming through on the garden – it was fascinating to see.  Also when I say starlings – that’s me having a guess…

I actually spent all of yesterday (Sunday) indoors because I’d finally gotten time to read and this was a book I couldn’t put down, so that was me ignoring the outside world for a few hours.  I am actually really happy about that – it’s not that it doesn’t happen that often but I’m a bad reader and it takes me an age to get through books but this was one of the few where I simply had to keep reading until it was finished – the disappointment in it, was that it finished and as it was alluded to the book – that there is always an aftermath and we don’t get to see it.  Anyway – the book was The Wilding by Ian McDonald – it’s categorised as horror but I’m not a horror reader so I’m not sure how deep into the genre it is – I can’t say it was fantasy although it did contain the fantastical – it had the catastrophe and the survival flight or fight – funnily it reminds me of John Wyndham.  Sorry that’s just my thoughts running away with me – but now that the book is finished I’ll have to bring it back to the library.

Keeping me company while I read was the neighbours cat – she came in and curled up on the desk chair and was most reluctant to leave when I eventually evicted her at 8pm.  She’s also the reason I thought rodent in the garden rather than birds – I’ve seen her on occasion passing by with a mouth full of mouse!

This morning I had notions about this post – there was even thoughts of a photo but that didn’t happen ’cause I tend to eat the food and rarely remember to photograph it even if I had intended to do so.  So starting the summer – breakfast outside on the bench listening to the birds and as I was a bit late it also involved a child having great fun playing in their garden somewhere down the road.  The sunshine and the not warm but not cold morning – a lovely air that refreshes but doesn’t invigorate too much.  It’s the one thing that I love – to sit out on the bench having breakfast listening for the sounds and the silence.  If the weather holds over the next while, it will be a mix of the mornings and evenings after work, listening to all of the voices enjoying the outside – looking around and seeing how the flowers are growing and changing (flowers = raspberries, black currants, agapanthus, lavender, holly and of course dandelions).  There is something so peaceful about just sitting out when the weather allows.  So now that the bench is in Summer position it’s time to start getting outside.

Bloggage · Celebration · Life · Music

I’ve been out of the apartment

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I’ve gone from an almost hermit like existence to being less of a hermit.  I can’t really say social butterfly because that would really give the wrong impression.  On the other hand compared to normal it could be used…

Anyway – this year I decided to go to things and do things.  The last few weeks have been busy – busy for me that is (I don’t know why i always feel the need to put in qualifier🤷‍♀️). One event a week is busy for me.  It started when I went to see Jenny Eclair on a Friday night – I did agree with her sentiment that an 8pm start really was late but that’s ’cause we ain’t the spring chickens we like to think we are.  On the whole she really was funny – now on occasion one or two of her references didn’t exactly hit the mark (possibly just for me) – referencing a shop in the UK, yes I recognise the name and have a vague notion of the point you’re making but as we’re not in the uk it didn’t have quite the impact it should have – that kind of thing.  To be honest, that didn’t really matter because it was a great night.  This was slightly overshadowed by looking at the phone afterwards to read of a shouting match in the White House between Trump&Co and President Zelenskyy – like WTAF?!?!

The following week on a Thursday, I went to see James Blunt in concert – this time it was indoors and my word there is such a big sound difference and on this occasion I wasn’t dancing in the rain – so that alone was a big thumbs up.   While we were waiting for the concert to start there was a video on the screens to advertise merchandise – completely brilliant – There was King Charles – unnoticed, Trump – booed, Musk – less booed, Putin – tittering, Starmer – unnoticed, a random woman in the house of commons – confusion for me (I now think it might have been Kemi Badenoch but I’m not 100% confident…) then Zelenskyy – massive cheering.  So whoever came up with this really hit the nail on the head – especially after last weeks fiasco/”art of the deal”

Jump another week and it’s a Friday – myself and my Mam went to see Michael Harding.  It was brilliant!  Mams generation in the audience thought it was hilarious as well – I just thought it was funny in places.  On the other hand I could listen to that man read a shopping list and I’d think it was brilliant.  I have to admit that I haven’t read his books but I do read his pieces in the newspapaer  The lesson of the talk was that you don’t have to understand people – you don’t have to work them out, know what makes the tick – you just have to love them.  Accept them as they are and love them.

This week, I flew solo.  I went to a matinee in the theatre – it always astounds me how they remember the words.  It’s an absolute pure feat!  It’s magic!  Anyway – yesterday’s excursion was to see Shakespeare!  King Lear to be precise.  Now it seems that most people I know of varying generations have all done it for their Leaving Cert. – myself included, when I repeated mine.  When you think of the play you did in school, the general feeling (or possibly personal feeling) is that it’s dry – it was lines and quotes remembered for an exam, the story line was only a thin surface.  The novel you study is all about the story – dialogue, descriptions, narration – it’s all wrapped up to convey the story.  The play however is pure dialogue and to read it on a page for an exam – this can be very barren.  Yesterday however, to see it played out – to see facial expressions, to hear intonation and delivery – this made it – this changed it – this was outstanding.  I think that whatever the play that’s being studied for exams – go and see it being performed – whether it’s via the big screen, the little screen, on youtube or live on stage  – see it performed – see what becomes of a script – because essentially that’s what it is – it’s a script for a visual production.   And yesterday’s production delivered on the visuals too!  Gloucesters ordeal took place on stage with the makeup (?) for each infliction being put into place – I don’t go to the theatre much – so this is possibly something many of you were acquainted with, for me it was better than any CGI in the cinema – it was real – it was credible.  The cast was a cast full of luminaries – 4 of whom I recognised immediately and the rest I’ll be watching out for.

I have 2 weeks of nothing ahead of me – I’m looking forward to them!  However after that it gets busy again with another concert and a trip or two.  I’m going to need a long lie down after all of this is done!

 

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Decisions

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This is just a small follow up from the post on the 25th of Jan – It’s time to nuke my X/Twitter accounts – I’ve two – one where I’m me and one where I’m not me and therefore a little bit more me. Yes I know that makes no sense whatsoever!  So a quick explanation – on my This Is Deirdre accounts all over the internet – there is a social circle of people I know and they know me (they think). but the thing is I have very thin skin and find ribaldry difficult.  So if I say that I like something and somebody takes the mick and makes fun of that – I’ll just never mention it again because I just don’t want to have to put up with that.  So in order for me to like what I like without have to put MY head above the parapet, I found another name and that profiles likes the things that i like without the fear of ridicule from my friends and acquaintances.  Funnily the ridicule of strangers doesn’t bother me – I just think who the hell are you – and Blocked.  So I have ME and a me in a few places. For now it’s X that’s getting targeted.  I know lots of people have deleted their accounts – well we’re all on Bluesky so a sidestep and keep moving forward – actually Bluesky (https://bsky.app) is waaay better!  I’ve kept both X accounts for different reasons – the ME account – I’m not sure why I just haven’t – I suppose it’s ’cause there are people on there that I like to follow – so yeah I’ve been reluctant – I’ve had the account for YEARS – just checked – I joined in 2009 – now in fairness I’m not a prolific user so my absence won’t make an overall difference.  I’ve had the me account since 2013 – and that was even less of a user – but this one was kept because of one single tweet I made and didn’t want to lose.   Sentimental isn’t even in it!! For the past few weeks I’ve been watching the absolute CarCrash that is America and I just can’t be part of X.  I just can’t.  Everything I’ve read has just given me anxiety – I really think that there will be boots on the ground before his 4 years are up – and the 22nd amendment will have been shredded – I hope I’m wrong – I hope I’m very very wrong.  Last night I decided it’s time – X has to go and so this morning I’ve requested my data and while I’m waiting for that to come in – I’ll go through my follow lists and see if I can find folk elsewhere.  Once my data is secured, the accounts and the apps are all going to be deleted. Like I said in the overall scheme of things it makes no difference – however it does mean that I can look myself in the eye and know that I’m taking a small stand. I’ve also downloaded all of my books from Amazon so that they are mine and not under the control of somebody else’s decisions as to what is and isn’t appropriate, what cover should be on it etc.  I think the only time I’ll be using Amazon for shopping will be to source something and go directly to the shop or the author etc to purchase.  Jeff Bezos doesn’t need my few quid (again not exactly a prolific user) but it soothes my soul.  Mind you the ebooks might be a bit of an issue – I’ll work on it. I’m also contemplating jettisoning my gmail accounts – the me & ME – so I’m investigating alternatives – for my I’m looking to go a bit more Eurocentric ’cause I’m not liking the way the Tech bros are all queuing up.  It’s making me feel a bit queasy and uneasy – so right now I’m looking at what https://european-alternatives.eu/  has to offer.  I think I don’t mind paying a minimum fee and having secured rights.  Again like I said – it’s all being looked at. Is this all a knee jerk reaction – possibly. Is it an exaggerated reaction – no I’ve long wanted to make my internet a little bit more Europe based/Europe Sponsored so it’s time – it’s the push I’ve needed.
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Encounters

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Why did I let my neighbour erode my joy? Ok – scene – my apartment faces out to a carpark – that’s a spot of exaggeration – my apartment is built behind a row of houses and all the houses have their parking spaces at the back – so the view from one side of the apartment is all cars.  So headlights going on can blind you if you look the wrong way at the wrong time.  By now I’m used to it. Anyway – last year I said to a neighbour, if she sees me taking a photo of her car, I’m not really – I just like the way the headlights catch the light on the road after the rain.  If she thinks I’m being weird, don’t worry.  Now between the light changing and the weather not being what I’d like, curtains being pulled and not having a camera at the ready, I simply haven’t taken the photo – despite looking out the window several times and thinking oh that would have been nice. YESTERDAY! Yesterday I spotted that she had come back and then went out – which meant that she’d be coming back and it had been raining.  So I ran to get my camera – couldn’t get it to do what I wanted so decided the phone was probably the handiest, and all I had to do was wait for her to come back!  She came back and I grabbed my chance. As I finished she beeped, and I went out to her.  She asked what was I doing?  Of course me taking the photo means something to me – me telling her, I’ll take a photo of something, it’s not going to stay in her memory because it’s of no consequence.  So she insisted on me showing her the photo and looked at me as if I was making problems and told me I was crazy and repeated that as she walked away with an annoyed demeanour. I felt at a loss, to be told you’re crazy as in wacky fun etc is ok but to be told you’re crazy like it’s a bad thing, is not nice- it bothered me for the entire evening.  To make matters worse – it was also a rubbish photo – even by my standards.  It’s encounters like this that tend to make me go into myself, to hide away, to hide my interests, to hide who I am, to hide what I like.  So my next challenge to try and not let it upset me too much (- I won’t kid myself and say at all) I don’t take many photos for various reasons but I do love it, I wish I was better at it, in so many different ways – so the trick will be to continue to try to do the thing that I love. I know it’s just a misunderstanding – her of me and most likely me of her. This is the best I could do, out of sorts and just not feeling the love –
Coffee in a mug with a spoon, on a counter top with a light shining on the surface Slow Sunday Morning
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Slow Sunday Morning

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It’s been a relaxing morning I woke up had a look at the weather forecast and decided that comfort was going to be the order of the day. I eventually got out of the bed and went to the kitchen and blended stuff to make a smoothie type thing.  I’d previously bought a smoothie thing from Lidl and had a fight with it every time I tried it – so I went back and bought the nutribullet thing.  This morning was my first time giving it a go and it worked without any fuss or persuasion. While I was drinking my yogurt, blueberry & banana, I put a coffee on to brew and a pain au chocolat into the airfryer.  I love the treat of it all. I took the coffee and pastry back to bed, put on some jazz to plink away in the background and decided to read the Good Housekeeping on the iPad – it’s pure decadence! Outside I can hear a bit of wind (it’s actually the trees rustling) and the rain is hitting the window, so I have a feeling that the rest of the day is going to continue in this vein
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Moving Over

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The past evening or two I’ve been going through the list of folk I follow on X and looking to see if they have made the jump to BlueSky. Some have and some haven’t, some even got skipped, and that it possibly the part that made me happy.
Looking at the list and the batches of people – I can tell what I was watching or what was popular at the time – it’s like strata. However I’m a polite hoarder – and while I was interested in some folk at a specific time they have moved on, as have I, and the interests diverged.  My problem is that I find it difficult to unfollow after that – not impossible though – but it just feels like I’m being mean.  I know – totally weird!
Anyway – I could say that after the latest exploits of Mr Musk, I’ve decided to jump ship, but given that I was a poor user of the app in the first place, I can only say that it’s given me a bit more impetuous to move house to BlueSky.

What I like about BlueSky is the different feeds – and the different manipulations you can have.  I have friends that repost a lot of things and some of it is outside of my interest base, so I can jump to an only posts feed that shows only the posts that they have written something in – yes it can have repost in it –  but it gives a context as to why it was reposted.  Or there’s the Mutuals feed where you see the posts of the people you follow, that follow you back.  There’s also feeds for interests that doesn’t only contain the people you follow – it is open to all in sundry, introducing you to new people, ways of thinking, opinions – helps reduce the echo chamber.

My next mission is to see who, from my FB F-list, is on BlueSky, because as with twitter I’m less and less on FB too.  I’m not mad about Meta and it kills me because I loved Instagram.  I’m a photos girl (girl – ha!  ok – photos lady) and the massive push on videos & reels is just putting me off – Why they just couldn’t develope a new app to rival TikTok – they could have used what they had as a foundation but instead they mashed out the photo aspect and it’s now all videos or selling stuff.  I’m still there ’cause I love the feed that I’ve collected.
I can’t help but feel that FB destroyed the internet (ok that might be a bit strong) While it made is accessible to all, it homogenised it – gone are the various websites – the individuality. People no longer site hop, it’s all there in their feed. I know on Livejournal we had our friends page but each journal was created to the users taste – the different templates – (the same as here on WordPress)  – your profile where you could list things you were interested in etc. Some of that is on FB but it’s not for people to find you or you to find them -it’s for companies to sell you things, to use the information – it’s not about friends it’s about profits, Metas profits. It just gives me dystopian jitters.

They know that people find it hard to step away from the familiar, to strike out on their own. It’s funny but moving to another app (no matter which or why) it really does feel akin to emigrating – you’re leaving all of your friends and family behind and you can just hope that some of them will find you again.

Bloggage · general · Life · Mental health · Notions

What do you do, when you don’t do anything?

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I want to blog or write or whatever this is – but I don’t do anything – I’m not joking – I really don’t do anything at all!  It’s like I’m still living in lockdown.

I occasionally have an opinion on things but it’s never fully formed enough to even try to coax into words – I have been known to answer the questions “what do you think?” or “Did you like it?” with a simple yes or no.  I’m not great on expanding my thoughts internally or externally.

I do journal – but it’s very stream of consciousness – planning what i might do in the day, what will I eat etc – or trying to figure out what is causing a particular bout of emotions that are being inconvenient.  I rarely go back and do a what i did today – I write forward rather than backward.  And you wouldn’t want to be looking for world events ’cause in the journal they don’t happen.

Previously I said this was going to be a bit of a mirror for my social media – that didn’t happen but I think I might have to pull up my socks and start filling this with little bits and pieces – just snippets.

So my big news is – I bought a skipping rope, gave it a try and now my left leg feels like it’s been tortured.  I’m going to try and persist with it, as it was recommended when I went for a Lymphatic Drainage massage.

However if we know anything about me – it’s persistent and consistent aren’t always within my nature…

Must Try Harder

Bloggage · Celebration · Christmas · Family · general · Holidays · Home · Life · purchases

The Confusion of Dreams

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Firstly a slight back story – When I was in London earlier this year, I picked up a gift for my Dad for his Birthday/Christmas. They are both in December and the second gift would dictate whether this was going to be for his birthday or for Christmas. Anyway – I came home and dutifully put it away (Can you see where this might be going??)

Fast forward 5 months and I was in the local shopping centre, spotted a shop that reminded me I had already made a purchase, but where did I put it? No, not a clue! it’s not in the places I thought it was – and I’m not going to lie, I am panicking! The up-side is that I still have slightly over 2 months to find it – so that’s ok.

Last night I had a dream that I’d found the gift and it was exactly where I thought it was – how lucky is that??? I’ve gone through most of the day with a sense of relief knowing that I’ve found the item in question. Until now that is, when I’ve just realised it was only a dream and I still have to pull the place apart to find out where it is.

I was going to make a Bobby Ewing/Patrick Duffy reference but after a conversation last week in work, I’ve realised that it’s waaaay out of date. But if you get the reference than I thank you!