It's been a good long while since I've been able to blog anything of substance. Some of that is down to lack of time, I've been frantically busy the last few months, much as you'd expect. There also were some dull technological barriers that were making it awkward to update and maintain this site. <br><br> I've moved the hosting to a new location, it's currently residing on a xen virtual server instance provided by <a href="http://linode.com">linode</a>. While I was migrating things around, I've tried to package it up a little more portably, and in future I ought to be able to move it easily to anywhere I can run a linux host. I also took the opportunity to tidy up the page templates, and cobble together a new theme. I'm still poking that around a little bit, let me know if you find any rough edges.<br><br> <h4>New job!</h4><br><br> Aside from adjusting myself to my <a href="http://beatworm.co.uk/blog/ada/im-a-rapper-with-a-baby/">wonderful new daughter</a>, I've gone and got myself a new job. I wasn't really aware that I was looking for one, but life can surprise you like that sometimes. I'm now working as a Database Architect at <a href="http://last.fm/user/colins/">Last.fm</a> and I couldn't be happier about that. Not only is last.fm an awesome site, which has long been one of my favourite things on the web, but the intersection between high volume web services, big databases, and music nerdery is very definitely my kind of niche.<br><br><br><br> <h4>Move to London</h4><br><br> One small drawback with this full-time role was that it was based in London. We did weigh up the various commuting options, but after some deliberation, decided to take the plunge, and relocate, at least temporarily to London.<br><br> This meant finding somewhere to rent. Somewhere to rent that would take a baby and a dog. A location in the city with suitable dog exercise routes close at hand. Ideally a place from which I could daily commute to <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=last.fm&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=16.450021,44.428711&ie=UTF8&hq=last.fm&hnear=&ll=51.528457,-0.086882&spn=0.004052,0.010847&z=17&iwloc=A">Shoreditch</a> without too much trouble. Obviously we'd have to be able to afford it on one salary, whilst still maintaining a mortgage on the house in Bristol in the interim. Rather a tall order.<br><br> After balancing up the variables we settled on the Balham/Clapham area. After a few complicated expeditions up to view properties with little success, we managed to secure something with only days to spare, just down the road in Tooting Bec. A rather roomy <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Elmbourne+Road,+Wandsworth&sll=51.434735,-0.150461&sspn=0.008628,0.015535&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Elmbourne+Rd,+Wandsworth,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.434655,-0.150611&spn=0.008575,0.015535&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.434733,-0.15047&panoid=hH03gMlSJRXaMcWDe_cQ_w&cbp=12,273.93,,0,6.37">ground floor flat facing right onto Tooting Bec common</a>. It's just a short walk to the Northern line, which leaves me with a manageable half-hour or so trip to work, door to door.<br><br> So the last few months have seen quite a furious pace of changes. Mostly I've been finding it all invigorating, and exciting, rather than incapacitating, but things can seem to be wooshing by, and there <em>definitely</em> aren't as many hours in the day as there used to be. Five years ago I'd have been amazed at what the me of 2010 would be getting up to. Interesting times. 

posted by cms on 2010-05-19 19:38:04