Slow but sure...

Weigh in day today - and I've lost 1.5 pounds. Think it may have been a bit more if I hadn't succumbed to some of the pizza the kids ordered in last night! But I've been good for the rest of the week - resisted the lures of a Chinese takeaway, and when I made a strategic error having something to eat in Starbucks (15 points for two items!!), I made up for it and finished the day within my points.

Also, not done very much exercise this week - so a pound and a half seems OK. Happy with that.

Talking of exercise, I stumbled across this yesterday - http://www.directlife.philips.com/. This really appeals to me - depending on the cost. I remember coming across something very similar a couple of years ago when I was looking into kits for a sports specialism school in a BSF bid. Obviously, it appeals to the geek in me - but it looks like a good way of getting exercise levels up on a daily basis. I've registered to get some info when they release in this country anyway...

So that should help as well.

Better than nothing

I lost just under 1lb this week.

Pleased I actually lost - though I do feel a bit cheated given the amount of exercise I've done.

For the record, I now weigh 16st 9.25lb. According to WW, my goal weight is 11st 11lb. To be honest, not too fussed about hitting the target (seems low to me!), but it's good to have that line on the graph. Something I can aim for.

So, onwards and upwards :)

How'd that happen??

So, I cycled over 15 miles this week and have religiously been counting my WW points. As of now I have 26.5 points saved on the back of 11.5 activity points. Not too shabby.

So how in the world have I put on 1.5lb?

I had a sneaky pre-Sunday weigh-in this morning as I was certain I'd have lost weight And we're going out tonight with Jim & Sal, so it was also really to see what I'd allow myself to eat tonight - after all I've got 26.5 point saved!!

It's looking like an undressed salad.

Hi hum. Don't feel as down about it as I thought I would seeing as I've really made a proper effort this week. I'll go for a bike ride at some point today, and another early doors tomorrow before my 'official' weigh in.

Still. Bloody diets.

In other news, I felt more proud that perhaps I should have for making up a filthy joke based on a song title this week. I follow a few celebrities on twitter. Not that many, really, just the ones I find interesting or entertaining. One of them is David Quantick. I've a lot of time for him - from his days writing for the NME, through to him writing for Harry Hill's TV burp, he's a comeidian/writer that's popped up quite a lot and I've always enjoyed what he does. Every so often he'll pop up a hashtag on his twitter account and invite people to make up puns based on it. This week he posted #toiletpop. So you got things like 'The Poo Fighters', or 'Portaloo Sunset'. I chucked a couple up. One of which resulted in the following:

I managed to gross out David Quantick. *grin*

Not only am I worringly proud of that - but also isn't technology brilliant! The fact that, with no hassle at all, I could join in in a silly game arranged by a comedian I rate - and then for him to 'talk' to me, is pretty cool.

On a more serious side, this was demonstrated by the #welovetheNHS hashtag that Graham Linehan (glinner on twitter) instigated to try to counteract the downright untruths being told about the NHS through the right wing American media.

This social networking thing is pretty good, all in all.

Detention was never like that at my school...

...but then that was really the point. :)

Just heard that John Hughes died yesterday. This makes me sadder that I thought it would, really. But looking back, this chap created some things that were a big part of my teenage (80s) years. Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck - and the glorious Breakfast Club. I adore the Breakfast Club.

So it's nice to find out it sounds like he was a pretty nice guy as well as this story implies.

I've decided that my new facebook picture is a fitting tribute from a geeky teenage kid from Lincolnshire, to the king of American teenage angst.

Cheers, John.

You don't miss it 'til it's gone...

First day of our holiday. Yay :)

Had a good run up to the lakes. No bad traffic at all, and of course all the snow has gone - well, from the roads at least...

Hopping cross country on the A66 was spectacular, though. Snow covered mountains looking majestic. There's still something about bloody big hills that impresses me. Guess that's what coming from pretty much flat Lincolnshire does for you...

First impressions of Whitbarrow are good. The lodge is really nice and the welcome warm with a personal visit from Anna from Guest Services. Had a good wander round Keswick before we got some shopping in - and picked up some cracking curry paste from the market. We tried it out tonight and it was good. When we came back to the lodge from popping to the pub, it smelt just like a proper indian :)

Anyway, sat down to get some Frog work out of the way so I can forget about it all until a week on Monday, and I'm only getting a 56k connection through the Vodafone dongle. Shouldn't be surprised really - but it makes working on the remote servers pretty painful. In fact it just packed in altogether - hence me deciding to kill a few minutes with this blog before I try again.

Plans for tomorrow - gentle ease in with a walk to a nearby Stone Circle...

Saudi Summary

Been a bit rubbish at keeping a blog while I've been out here this time, but it's pretty much been work work work. Because of the +3 hour time difference here, I've been getting in from working here and in my head thinking it's 2 o'clock back in the UK - then checking emails and catching up on work until 5pm GMT (8pm KSA), then eating, then bed. Silly really, but that's sort of where my head was! Did have a couple of nights off, but I've been doing the silly tired/awake thing much more than last time I was over...

I've found Saudi as interesting as last time, however. I've been delivering the training at a new place - much nicer, but a longer drive out. That was pretty good, though, because it got me out of the centre of Riyadh and out into the equivalent of their suburbs (I guess). So different buildings, different things to see. As you turn off the main road leading out of Riyadh (King Fahad Road) and you look down it seems to just disappear into a haze and the desert. If (when?) I come again, I must try to arrange a trip out...

The training has gone really well. We've done good simplifying the way that the articles are posted to the site - many more smiling faces at the end of the days training this time than last. And we finished early most days as well. From a business point of view, it's been a very good visit.

Steve Shaw was kind enough to take us out for lunch today on the 77th floor of the Kingdom Centre. Amazing views over Riyadh - makes you realise how big this place is - and flat. THere are very few really tall buildings, but the city sprawls. Went up to the skybridge (99th floor) as well. Pictures to follow on my facebook account :) The food was great (Lentil and cumin cream soup, Red Snapper with marinaded peppers and a goregeous carrot cake). Good conversation over lunch - getting a Saudi view on Iran and the Israel/Palestine issue. Very interesting - and different from what we're fed by our media. Cautious optimism about Obama as well...

As we were chatting, what has struck me again is that there is so much to learn about this country and it's people. Then you pause, and think that this is probably true of so many cultures. We're missing so much.

Anyway, just finished packing. Plane is at 1:50 tomorrow morning. Thanks to the time diffrerence, that means I arrive at Heathrow at 5:45am. And then I have a 3 hour or so drive home. I can see lots of stops and lots of coffee. By the time I get home I will have been up and on the go for about 30 hours... Must try to grab a couple of hours kip on the plane, but I've always struggled sleeping on planes.

A bit sad to be leaving, but keen to get home...

A missive from the desert...

Sarah asked me last night if I was going to blog this trip like I did the last.

Don't see why not, really - although I don't think this one will be as interesting somehow...

The flight over yesterday was fine. Unlike last time, it was a direct flight - so no rushing through airports to make sure I get a connecting flight. Movies were poor - watched Death Race as I hadn't seen it. Hadn't missed much. What was of passing interest was the blurring out of any visible cleavage/midriff.... Was also amused at the dubbing - though that's not directly down to the Saudi influence. Good to hear that 'monkey lovin' is still being used instead of good old 'mf'...

And the food was actually quite nice. Lamb curry type thing. And salad that was still crunchy. Win.

Had a nice thing happen when I landed as well. I had been told I was going to be met. All well and good. But what I didn't realise was that it was to be met as I got off the plane. I was whisked ahead of *huge* lines at immigration, visa stamped and waiting for my bags all within 5 minutes of getting of the plane. I liked that :)

Was met by Tariq, the chap who drove me about last time, and got to the hotel at a decent time. Didn't go to bed until quite late, though, thanks to KSA being 3 hours ahead, and just not being tired...

Got up well after 9am (read 6am GMT), so by the time I'd staggered about, showered and dressed I'd missed breakfast. So I decided to get on with some work (even though Friday is the Saudi Sunday), then wander down to the Atrium for something to eat & drink.

Last time I was here, I didn't really venture outside my hotel room (I know, I know) - but I spent a really pleasant hour or so reading, watching the world go by and eating a rather nice minced lamb in lebanese flatbread thing. With a big glass of iced tea.

I'll probably end up doing a bit more work tonight, 'cos I'm like that. But it's been a fairly chilled day.

The obligatory 'shot from my hotel room window' photo...

Oops, I did it again

Left it another 6 months since I last posted :)

Thinking about taking a leaf out of Matt's book and starting to blog again. Partly as a motivater to keep me on the straight and narrow regarding losing weight.

Anyway, we'll keep this one short. I only really wanted to test twitterfeed :)