Monday, May 21, 2007

Innovations in learning conference

I recently asked my boss if I could go to the Brandon Hall Innovations in Learning conference. It costs no more than any other conference I might attend - half the price of some. The problem is that it takes place in Santa Clara, California. The cost of travel and accommodation add up to a lot more than the conference.

So my bosses said no.

I was bummed, but not astonished. I had an idea that the conference organisers could have made a plan to include those of us outside of the US with things like simulcast and I posted on my professional blog to say so.

Imagine my astonishment when one of the leading lights in the world of informal learning (in fact, the inventor of the term) offers to try and get me a complimentary ticket! It seems he is doing the closing keynote for the conference and expects to be able to pull some strings. Why me? No idea. It seems I am making some pretty influential friends in my field.

So John is trying to make the numbers work on the airfare and the hotels. I don't know what I did to deserve the man, but I'm glad I did it. I'm almost completely certain that (with already two other conferences, and a quarter of my MA to pay for this year), there is no way we can do it, but I'm flattered beyond reckoning at the offer of the comp from Jay, and touched to the bottom of my heart at John's attitude. I was and still am keen as mustard to go, but you know, even if I don't make it, the conference has already impacted my life!

Friday, May 18, 2007

Gutted! No conference for Karyn

I have just learned from my boss that my request to attend the Innovations in Learning conference in California in September has been turned down. I was almost ready to sell a body part to go, but sadly my zeal was not matched by that of the higher ups in my organisation. :-(

John is urging me to tot up the total cost and see if we can't make it happen without their help, but I can't see it, myself. In corporate terms it's a small amount of money, but for an inividual, the seminar costs, plus the travel, plus the airfare... well it all adds up.

Whenever I broach the subject of a conference or seminar, I am always reminded how my company already pays for my MA. Well, just to get it off my chest, I would like to mention that they only pay half. So far, the cost to them has been about £50/month, which they probably write off against tax anyway. Plus they aren't doing this as a gift to me out of the goodness of their hearts. They fully expect to benefit from every scrap of learning that I undertake, whether they have paid for it or not. And, of course, they will. I can't exactly keep newly learned ideas and approaches in a separate compartment from my daily practice. They benefit from all the learning and experience I had before I joined the company. They will benefit from all the learning and experience I have while I am with the company. They will only stop benefitting from all of this the day I leave, and, in fact, if that happens to be before or less than 12 months after the completion of my MA, I have to reimburse them anyway, so they're in a win-win situation.

Aargh!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Just because...


Having published a recent picture that showcases Torvy's hair, I thought I should do the same for Björn. I'm quite proud of this - I did it for him! Sadly, the (permanent) black washed out in sections quite quickly. Fortunately, the resultant 3-tone look is just as good as the two-tone, but I don't have a picture... sorry.

Poor Torvy!


I thought I'd publish a cheerful photo to prove he isn't always downhearted! This was taking while clowning around on holiday recently in Mallorca.

Torvy has been taking a great deal of strain lately. He has been the victim of a sustained campaign of bullying unlrelated to the many that have gone before.

It started on his paper round. A kid who lived along his route started threatening to do him harm if he showed his face in that area again. We phoned the police, but they told us that they could only intervene if the child actually did him physical harm. Well excuse me for not wanting to hold out for an actionable offence! Torvy switched rounds and the kid who took over from him got punched in the face by the kid on his first time out.

Then the kid identified Torvy at school and started making his life a misery there. Threatening him with beatings and shoving him around. The new paper round is still within sight of the old one, and Torvy reached the point of being in stark terror of going out to do his round in case the child saw him and decided to follow him home. He was too afraid to report it through the appropriate channels at school for fear of reprisals.

Today he finally went and reported it, and I backed it up with a call from home. He was able to identify the child from the school's photo database. Let's hope there is some success as a consequence.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Two stories about cars

Recently I had to travel through to London for meeting with my boss. The meeting didn't go as well as I had hoped, so when I got back to my car at the station and found that it had been "keyed" all along the rear door and fender on the passenger side, I felt sick and hollow. I have reported the matter to the police, but I didn't see any CCTV cameras in the parking lot, so I don't expect much. Whoever did it had obviously had a field day, because several other cars in the parking lot had been done as well. Charming.

On the flip side, later that day, the car hire company delivered the car I was to use for a business trip down to Reading the next day. I always use a hire car for these trips (a) because it's the cheapest option for the company - we have such a good deal with the car hire company that it's cheaper than paying me 40p per mile for the use of my car, and (b) because I don't like racking up that kind of mileage on my car - you see, I take good care of it, which is why the vandalism bothered me so much. But I digress...

Usually, the hire car is a Nissan Micra, or a Ford Ka, Vauxhall Corsa or some other roller skate. The previous time, I had been given a Vauxhall Astra, and had been pretty pleased with that. This time, they only rolled in in a Renault Megane convertible! I kid you not. I had to be shown how to use the roof and the weird credit-card-instead-of-a-key thing.

The next day the weather didn't look too great to start with, and I thought, "Great, the one time in my life I get to drive a convertible and I can't put the top down." But half way to Reading, the sun was out. The route I take includes a tree-lined lane, where the branches meet overhead. As it is, I usually wind up with an idiotic grin on my face as I drive along that section of the route, but picture this: There I was swanning along like a poser, with the top down, the music up and the smell of the trees everywhere. Too cool. Too cool.

I spent 6 hours in Reading, waiting for a meeting that didn't happen, and left the office in a foul mood. But then I got into that car and hit the buttons for the roof and the radio, and all was suddenly right with my world. I made the two hour trip back home in the sunshine, singing at the top of my voice, much to the amusement of several other motorists.

Sometimes it doesn't take much. I certainly recommend that everyone, at least once in their life, should drive a convertible in the sun with the top down. If the wind bothers you, close the windows - it works.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Let me tell you something about John

I gather that it has become something of a standing joke that every general update we send, via email or this blog, includes the news that nothing has changed for John on the job-front, but that he continues his search.

No offence, but I wish it was funny from where we sit.

John has held his current job for nearly 8 years, at a time when the average length of time for an IT post is 18 months-3 years. If you don't follow this trend, it is very easy to get stuck in a catch-22 situation from which it becomes ever more difficult to break free.

John is enormously talented as both a business and a systems analyst. He also has better corporate awareness than is usual with IT people. His current and his previous job both started as rescues because the organisations had got themselves into a real IT pickle. In both cases, he brought together this skillset and singlehandedly transformed their systems, streamlining, cutting the dross, redefining all the SLAs, fixing what has been broken. He understands the big picture better than most, and he works hard. Very hard. Often thanklessly. With offices in Europe and the US, he is often fielding calls at ridiculous hours.

Unavoidably, the passage of time has meant that he has grown older. In a time when age-ism is alive and well in the world of IT, he cannot change the fact that he is middle aged. Unfortunately for him, he looks even older than he is, something he could only change by being a more self-absorbed, vain man. And every time you you have an application rejected, no matter who you are, it becomes that little bit more difficult to send in the next one.

Recently, he was contacted by a company in trouble. Once again, it was a case of an implementation gone bad. The (private) company had been left in the lurch by key staff members who walked away from the mess. John would be perfect for the role, but the owner is understandably cautious. He doesn't want to make a long term decision in this crisis time. He wants someone who will come in temporarily and fix the problem. Then he will reconsider the position with a more level head when things are less fraught. John can't afford to walk away from what he has on this basis. Consider the evidence: what are the chances that he would find something else after a year, once he has fixed the problem and worked himself out of a job?

So he stays where he is, being faithful in the little. Giving more than his employer deserves. Never losing faith that the God has His reasons.

So let me tell you something. Last night I was in a discussion group. I was facing the door, but the other discussion leader had his back to it. The moment John walked into the room, Craig said, "Has John just arrived?" How did he know? Apparently my face lit up like a beacon. I have been married to that man for 19 years this month, and he still makes my world a better place just by being there. He is my rock.

I wish I could go to those interviews on John's behalf. I could tell them a thing or two about his commitment, his loyalty, his dedication, his pride in his work, the care he takes of his staff. If people can't see the true value of that man, then they need to have their eyes tested!