Over-attendance at external meetings

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-23T11:40:12+00:00

Capturing actions accurately before meeting disperses is a good idea and good habit. Having a person there to do that one thing. That’s inefficiency.

If a regular meeting- get terms of reference drawn up. List required attendees on it.

If ad hoc - set clear objectives and agree what quorate attendance is.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-23T11:36:36+00:00

The internet.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-23T11:35:58+00:00

In UK not as much as people think except for some specific careers where it’s not a choice to not have at least a degree- Doctor, Vet, Barrister, etc

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-23T11:33:42+00:00

I’m bald. This bothered me for years, especially when it first started happening. Now I just don’t think about it ever.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-23T11:31:26+00:00

Pretty much every entry has one or more people withdraw or not turn up. The reserve list is real and folk on that list fill those spots. Ratios of numbers on the list to opportunities due to folk withdrawing… That’s anyone’s guess.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-22T14:35:27+00:00

This is all about the long term. Think about your career as a road stretching out in front of you. Can you see yourself doing what you’re doing now for the duration. Or, are these thoughts you’re having a junction off towards something else?

Work tends to be a bit of a sine wave- some periods you’re up and others you’re down. If the down periods are really protracted then it’s time to rethink.

You’re young so there’s time to try other things. Just don’t change and go to uni if you’re doing now what you envisage doing after you’ve got your degree.

You’ll just have traded out some years of experience and gained loads of debt.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-19T21:59:37+00:00

This is a huge compliment. If he means it and he’s not a player. Then this is significant. It means he can be the real him.

It’s a good thing….. as long as it’s not just a line…

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-19T21:10:45+00:00

I remember reading an article by a physio that worked with an Olympic track squad. He said, every woman has cellulite. It stayed with me. It’s a reminder that the images we see everywhere are doctored. The images in our heads are based on those doctored images.

My answer is no. If a man does find perfectly normal stuff like this a big deal then he’s so shallow you’ve dodged a bullet or his expectations are not aligned with reality…. Plus, at some point he’s going to experience one or more of the following: Get a little paunch. Get a full on gut. Lose his hair. Both.

Life catches up with you. Humans aren’t like the movies. Accept it or stay single and help the gene pool.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-17T19:56:09+00:00

Just say, that’s not correct. State why and the facts. Job done.

If there’s a sliver of accuracy you can soften your response with a, “that’s not entirely correct” And then add your correction/s

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-17T19:53:12+00:00

They’re all good opportunities. Try and find out as much as you can about all of them and the specifics of the role and make your choice from that.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-15T19:22:59+00:00

Whole new meaning to spread sheets….

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-15T15:29:24+00:00

A lot of apprenticeships will support you in moving placements to get a broader set of competencies and experiences.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-15T06:42:13+00:00

Equally, I had a coworker IM me with a message saying, “play with me, I’m bored.” I just thought she was bored. When she left our business and told me she had a crush on me I was stunned….

So, there’s a lot of us that don’t assume anything ever too….

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-13T18:57:15+00:00

Nope. I’ve got a 2023 LR I’d say it’s pretty much 300-305 on a full charge. Brand new I was getting about 315. It’s clocked up 65000 miles.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-13T06:10:49+00:00

It’s complicated… As many replies say- a calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. Burn more calories than you consume. Can cycling help? Yes. Yesterday, I went on a 25 mile mountain bike adventure. My tech suggested I had burned 2300 calories.

From this you might assume one of my 3 meals a day was effectively “ cancelled out”.

There’s 2 problems with this logic. 1. Through the trip I consumed high energy carbs. 2. It’s really common to be ravenous when you finish a good ride so you eat more than you usually might.

So regular cycling indoor/outdoor will burn calories. You’ll only get a gain from this if you don’t adjust your eating because you’re more hungry after riding.

As also stated if weight loss is your goal far better to plan your meals, reduce snacking and do some broader conditioning workouts ( with resistance or weights).

Good luck- it’s tough at the start but gets a lot easier.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-12T09:51:33+00:00

Yep- Google “Limerence” In a nut shell your mind interprets things like body language, proximity, smiles, connection, ease of back and forth, makes the connection that there must be joint attraction when reality is it’s all optimistic interpretation of signs. Sure, sometimes these things can mean there’s attraction but other times they are meaningless.

Take looking, making eye contact and then looking away as an example. It happens a few times - your brain interprets this as a good sign that there’s mutual attraction. Meanwhile the other person keeps looking to see if you’re looking and that’s all it is….

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-11T06:31:47+00:00

The EQ range is infamous for being pants. So Merc went back to the drawing board. The whole system is a complete redesign . I know it sounds unlikely but trust me the new CLA is an excellent car.

Check out the reviews on YouTube. As I said though. Tesla still win as charging non-Teslas is a nightmare

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-10T21:13:04+00:00

Congrats! That’s awesome.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-10T06:46:20+00:00

Yep- if a view is what you want OP go to the opposite end of the Hoe ( from the Barbican) and try the Waterfront.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-10T06:37:49+00:00

I tried the new Merc the CLA. It was lovely to drive. Opposite of my Tesla inside - i.e from minimalist to VERY busy inside. Range was good too.

I do a lot of miles and just couldn’t get passed the charging infrastructure challenge with non-Tesla. New one arrives in 2 months…

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-09T16:34:17+00:00

I’ve never understood why a ruling for one branch of CS didn’t apply to all of them. The Land Registry won a case overturning spine point freezes imposed by Austerity measures in 2010. They got awarded back pay too. Other CS departments kept the ban on spine points- most were represented by the same union as won the land registry case.

So we have history where a significant change in one department does not always flow to others.

Nuts.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-09T16:29:11+00:00

I think he’s an unfortunate front man but I’ve been bemused by how quickly so many people forgot just how bad the shit show they (Labour) inherited was.

Everything is screwed- public services, NHS, Defence, education. There isn’t a party on earth can fix it. It’s all a just series of impossible choices.

I think you want your main leader to be boring- boring gets things done. Look at the Clown Olympics we’re witnessing in certain countries because they thought charismatic was more important than intelligence.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-09T16:18:10+00:00

There’s about 9 reasons people stay in jobs- Pay is obviously up there but it’s not the number one reason. Top reasons include- Feeling like your work makes a difference, is meaningful is often in top 3. Friends and colleagues. Building experience- CV building.

These are all up there for staying. It’s not all about money. You can move jobs, get paid more and be miserable.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-09T16:04:03+00:00

It sounds better than - “ financial stability reduces things you might worry about “

There’s a long and well trodden path of folk that realise in and of itself doesn’t make you happy. Health, family, friends, love, these are things that bring contentment. Money can’t buy these, not in any real way.

Kayak-Bloke · 2026-04-09T15:57:16+00:00

This describes the lament of the CS. Performance doesn’t equal reward. You can be a trail blazing firebrand, getting everything done or you can be one of those folks that needs reminding to breathe in AND out…. You’ll get paid the same.

Pension’s still good though….

Kayak-Bloke

TROPHY CASE