A post of life updatey-ness!
Sep. 29th, 2018 05:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenayEr, I can't quite believe my last post was in late July. Where did the last two months go?
Well, into work and house-hunting, probably.
The job is going well. I like the people I'm working with, I'm getting some fun and interesting challenges, and I'm remembering how much I enjoy being busy at work (without being ridiculous and doing masses of overtime, obviously). So far, my role is a lot more data analysis than data engineering, but that's mainly because there is so much on the reporting and analysis side that they need me to do. Honestly, my title might be data engineer, but it appears I'm viewed as more of a data magician.
I'm blowing people away with my ability to automate Google Sheets so that people can get their reports with the click of a button. I'm blowing myself away slightly, because Google App Scripts are written in Javascript, which I haven't programmed in before. New skill! The syntax is very similar to all the other C-based languages, though, so it's not hard to pick up. A lot of the current ETL is written in Go, so that's something I new need to learn in ordering to get into the data engineering side of things. There is a plan to get some of the data streaming into BigQuery, instead of being batched, and it's possible to do that using Go, so that's an added incentive.
Our needs are fairly simple, so learning and using Apache Beam for streaming would be overkill, but it's something I'd like to look into at some point because requirements inevitably become more complex as time goes by, and it would be good to know how to do that if we need to. Apache Beam doesn't have a Go SDK yet, so I'll either need to resurrect my Java skills or do it in Python. With Python being my preference :-D
Even my first weeks in this job were good, which is unusual for me. I was miserable at Big Supermarket from day one and I was pretty unhappy at Old Job for the first couple of months, even though I settled in eventually. I don't want to do another 10 year stint in the same job, but at least I'm not looking for an exit out of this job yet. I'd like to do 2-3 years and then find the next step. Recruiters are already contacting me about my next role, so it shouldn't be hard to find the next one when it's time. In face, I'll be able to take my time and make sure the role and benefit package are perfect, which feels like a luxury right now.
And then there's...
I'm moving into my own place on Monday! Or at least, I get the keys. My shipping and a new bed are being delivered on Tuesday. Virgin are hooking up my internet that day, too. An Ikea order (sofa, tv stand, dining set) are being delivered on Wednesday. I'll be staying over on Tuesday night because the Ikea order could arrive as early as 7am and I'd rather not get up at 5.30am to be there in time. I'd like to think I won't be back at my parents' place after that, but Mum seems less confident about that.
I've got Monday to Wednesday off work and it would be nice to do my new (much shorter, because I can walk to the station instead of bussing) commute on Thursday and Friday. Particularly as I've got an after work drinks thing on Friday, and the taxi back to my flat from the station at 10pm will be much cheaper than the taxi back to my parents' place! Cross your fingers?
During my house hunt, I looked at several tiny and grotty places. A couple of larger grotty cottages. I've concluded that while Victorian terraced cottages can be really pretty, they're also very dark inside and the doorways are too narrow for modern furniture. I'd been thinking about buying one in a couple of years, but not any more. Give me a modern house with decent doorways and lots of light any day.
The flat I'll be renting is a purpose-built first floor maisonette with a little garden (mostly laid to gravel, so I can install lots of pots of flowers and shrubs with minimal maintenance required) and a parking space. I've got a lovely big shed in the garden, which gives me extra storage space. My flat has two bedrooms, a really good-sized lounge, and plenty of storage space for a place of its size.
Mostly importantly, after seeing all the other places available, it's bright and light with loads of windows, and the kitchen is fantastic.
There was one place I looked at that was awful on many levels, but the kitchen was dire. After that one, "good kitchen" became one of the features I mentioned to every estate agent!
The rent is very reasonable and will allow me to save plenty towards my next move and the landlord is fine with my cats, so overall, it should be a decent place for the next couple of years. It's smaller than I'd want to buy, but not tiny, so I'm quite happy with it.
I'm also really excited about moving out of my parents' spare room. It's not terrible here, but I really miss having my own space and it's a pain using the buses to get to the train station.
Overall, I'm doing well. I've had my ups and downs. I was really depressed the last couple of days, but it's possible that was the pre-drome for the migraine I had this morning. I've also been stressing myself out about the amount of money I'm spending on the flat. I know that I'm still within budget, I have the money, but I'm still managing to feel guilty about spending on "frivolous" things like the new sofa.
It's an Ektorp sofa. So it's a really inexpensive sofa. But I still had to talk myself into it, because why would I need something silly like a sofa? *slaps self*
I have finally managed to allow myself to order a nice telly (it will arrive on Friday, in plenty of time for Doctor Who) and I'm feeling a lot more positive today, which makes me suspect this week's blip was the migraine talking.
Getting into my own place will also make getting out to socialise much easier, which always helps. There's a community choir in the town I'm moving to, which I plan to join.
I got to Nine Worlds for a day in August, which was great, and I have plans for several conventions next year.paranoidangel and I went board gaming in Oxford a few weeks ago and plan to return soon. All my weekends in October are now filled with activities (Hamilton! Scotland! Tolkien exhibition!) but hopefully we'll manage it in November.
I'm excited about having so many fun things lined up in October.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
femslashex is due next Saturday and Yuletide sign-ups will open soon, so I'm actually writing a bit for the first time in ages. Go me!
It's not always been easy, but it still feels like moving back is the right call for me. I miss my friends in Canada, but my support network here is bigger and feels more available. I'm less worried about my future here, which is ironic when Brexit is looming and the world is a trashfire.
Hopefully my next post will be written from the sofa in my own little flat. Wish me luck on the move!
Well, into work and house-hunting, probably.
The job is going well. I like the people I'm working with, I'm getting some fun and interesting challenges, and I'm remembering how much I enjoy being busy at work (without being ridiculous and doing masses of overtime, obviously). So far, my role is a lot more data analysis than data engineering, but that's mainly because there is so much on the reporting and analysis side that they need me to do. Honestly, my title might be data engineer, but it appears I'm viewed as more of a data magician.
I'm blowing people away with my ability to automate Google Sheets so that people can get their reports with the click of a button. I'm blowing myself away slightly, because Google App Scripts are written in Javascript, which I haven't programmed in before. New skill! The syntax is very similar to all the other C-based languages, though, so it's not hard to pick up. A lot of the current ETL is written in Go, so that's something I new need to learn in ordering to get into the data engineering side of things. There is a plan to get some of the data streaming into BigQuery, instead of being batched, and it's possible to do that using Go, so that's an added incentive.
Our needs are fairly simple, so learning and using Apache Beam for streaming would be overkill, but it's something I'd like to look into at some point because requirements inevitably become more complex as time goes by, and it would be good to know how to do that if we need to. Apache Beam doesn't have a Go SDK yet, so I'll either need to resurrect my Java skills or do it in Python. With Python being my preference :-D
Even my first weeks in this job were good, which is unusual for me. I was miserable at Big Supermarket from day one and I was pretty unhappy at Old Job for the first couple of months, even though I settled in eventually. I don't want to do another 10 year stint in the same job, but at least I'm not looking for an exit out of this job yet. I'd like to do 2-3 years and then find the next step. Recruiters are already contacting me about my next role, so it shouldn't be hard to find the next one when it's time. In face, I'll be able to take my time and make sure the role and benefit package are perfect, which feels like a luxury right now.
And then there's...
I'm moving into my own place on Monday! Or at least, I get the keys. My shipping and a new bed are being delivered on Tuesday. Virgin are hooking up my internet that day, too. An Ikea order (sofa, tv stand, dining set) are being delivered on Wednesday. I'll be staying over on Tuesday night because the Ikea order could arrive as early as 7am and I'd rather not get up at 5.30am to be there in time. I'd like to think I won't be back at my parents' place after that, but Mum seems less confident about that.
I've got Monday to Wednesday off work and it would be nice to do my new (much shorter, because I can walk to the station instead of bussing) commute on Thursday and Friday. Particularly as I've got an after work drinks thing on Friday, and the taxi back to my flat from the station at 10pm will be much cheaper than the taxi back to my parents' place! Cross your fingers?
During my house hunt, I looked at several tiny and grotty places. A couple of larger grotty cottages. I've concluded that while Victorian terraced cottages can be really pretty, they're also very dark inside and the doorways are too narrow for modern furniture. I'd been thinking about buying one in a couple of years, but not any more. Give me a modern house with decent doorways and lots of light any day.
The flat I'll be renting is a purpose-built first floor maisonette with a little garden (mostly laid to gravel, so I can install lots of pots of flowers and shrubs with minimal maintenance required) and a parking space. I've got a lovely big shed in the garden, which gives me extra storage space. My flat has two bedrooms, a really good-sized lounge, and plenty of storage space for a place of its size.
Mostly importantly, after seeing all the other places available, it's bright and light with loads of windows, and the kitchen is fantastic.
There was one place I looked at that was awful on many levels, but the kitchen was dire. After that one, "good kitchen" became one of the features I mentioned to every estate agent!
The rent is very reasonable and will allow me to save plenty towards my next move and the landlord is fine with my cats, so overall, it should be a decent place for the next couple of years. It's smaller than I'd want to buy, but not tiny, so I'm quite happy with it.
I'm also really excited about moving out of my parents' spare room. It's not terrible here, but I really miss having my own space and it's a pain using the buses to get to the train station.
Overall, I'm doing well. I've had my ups and downs. I was really depressed the last couple of days, but it's possible that was the pre-drome for the migraine I had this morning. I've also been stressing myself out about the amount of money I'm spending on the flat. I know that I'm still within budget, I have the money, but I'm still managing to feel guilty about spending on "frivolous" things like the new sofa.
It's an Ektorp sofa. So it's a really inexpensive sofa. But I still had to talk myself into it, because why would I need something silly like a sofa? *slaps self*
I have finally managed to allow myself to order a nice telly (it will arrive on Friday, in plenty of time for Doctor Who) and I'm feeling a lot more positive today, which makes me suspect this week's blip was the migraine talking.
Getting into my own place will also make getting out to socialise much easier, which always helps. There's a community choir in the town I'm moving to, which I plan to join.
I got to Nine Worlds for a day in August, which was great, and I have plans for several conventions next year.
paranoidangel and I went board gaming in Oxford a few weeks ago and plan to return soon. All my weekends in October are now filled with activities (Hamilton! Scotland! Tolkien exhibition!) but hopefully we'll manage it in November.I'm excited about having so many fun things lined up in October.
femslashex is due next Saturday and Yuletide sign-ups will open soon, so I'm actually writing a bit for the first time in ages. Go me!It's not always been easy, but it still feels like moving back is the right call for me. I miss my friends in Canada, but my support network here is bigger and feels more available. I'm less worried about my future here, which is ironic when Brexit is looming and the world is a trashfire.
Hopefully my next post will be written from the sofa in my own little flat. Wish me luck on the move!
