This has been a strange week, or perhaps it is me who is strange! At work we have been affected by ongoing computer network problems. We can now see the files that disappeared from the system between Christmas and New Year, but we can’t actually save anything. We were told yesterday by the IT dept that they are “working vigorously to solve the problem”. Now that is almost more of a statement than any of us in our office can cope with, knowing some of the individuals involved! I actually don’t think I know many vigorous workers, I know some committed people, some people who run around following their tails and sadly some people who say they are far too busy to read part of a document and give comments until ’sometime next week’.

I have engaged with my fellow students, and had the bit of the essay I had done so far, praised, now that was very nice, trouble is until yesterday I hadn’t written any more and it needs to be in to the university by Tuesday afternoon. That will be the main part of my weekend then.

My main preoccupations however have been around my own family, because I have this week spent about 5 hours on the telephone to one of my sister in laws who is going through a tough time with my brother. It is really good to know that you are considered someone who can be contacted when times are difficult for someone, and I wouldn’t have done otherwise. But it is amazing how draining it can be talking, well pretty much mainly listening to someone else for over an hour at a time. What feels weird is, that although we get on pretty well, I think we have spoken more and for longer this week than last year when we spent 2 weeks on holiday together as a family.

To keep up the caring sharing theme, I have also visited the colleague with the broken toe so I could help her to decide what to do for her MSc dissertation. Not to mention been lost in the countryside around her house which is in deepest Buckinghamshire, so much so that I was wondering at one point if I should have brought a blanket and flask to go with my packed lunch which was in the car already.

Ah yes and last but by no means least I have met with my new manager, who was suitably impressed by the amount of work I do, I wonder if she went away thinking “now Julie, she is working vigorously!’