I’ve been back at work for 10 days and today should have been my 100th (working) day in this role. I actually think I’ve managed 65 – so I’ve been off sick a third of the time I have had this job. Which, I have to be honest, is making reintegration a little bumpy. In some ways it feels like starting afresh…except I know just enough for people to expect me to know stuff! 

That said it was an okay week (with a week now equally four days). Some things that frustrated me before my enforced lay-off continue to blow my mind and there was certainly some of that again but it was balanced out – perhaps outweighed – with some positive conversations and meetings that made me feel like we are on the right path.

The re-org/re-shuffle continues to loom though so there is some mental gymnastics involved in planning for a future that might look quite different (and might not include me) but really that is just life in the modern management era I guess – you are only ever X days from a re-organisation! A friend who works in a massive financial institution seems to be permanently experiencing them and the Civil Service is much the same (though to be fair so was consultancy life). Anyway I’m reasonably relaxed – there is lots of interesting work happening so if I get redeployed it will just be another adventure!

I was in London Monday and Tuesday (though I couldn’t remember why and nor could anybody else…I have a feeling I had intended to be in London for Interesting and just booked the wrong days! There was also a 3am fire alarm at my hotel with a full, hour long, evac in the pouring rain. Sub optimal!). Anyway I did get to see Jennifer Pahlka do a turn in the office – the second time I’ve seen her speak – the first being at the Code for America Summit in Oakland seven years ago.

Which made me remember my North American #jukesiesjaunt escapade when I went to Ottawa, Toronto, Victoria, Vancouver, San Francisco and Oakland to attend various Gov/civic-tech meet-ups…these included meeting the Canadian, Ontario and California Digital Services, a couple of OneTeamGov events, a couple of Civic Tech events, various ‘coffees’ with friendly folk and then getting drunk and sun burned in Oakland for the CfA Summit.

I’m knackered just remembering it.

https://digitalbydefault.com/2019/05/17/8-5-oh-canada/
https://digitalbydefault.com/2019/05/24/8-6-oh-canada-week-two/
https://digitalbydefault.com/2019/05/31/8-7-running-on-empty/
https://diginomica.com/solving-civic-tech-challenges-code-america-summit
https://web.archive.org/web/20200927060840/notbinary.co.uk/coast-to-coast-a-canadian-civic-tech-odyssey/

---

I wrote a bit about whether I could/should pass on my jobs newsletter to someone else when I stop at the end of the year. I have to be honest I am currently not inclined to do that – or to really endorse anyone else who might decide to step into the space. That might change though I guess – depending on the person/persons.

That Guardian list of the best 100 novels irked me enough that I spent hours trawling through my emails, Amazon history and shelves to pick a random 100 novels I have loved in the last 20ish years. It was fun but it really did take ages.

Overnighting in Whitechapel meant I could do a wander around looking for street art and graffiti and it really was a bumper crop. Loads of really 🔥art at all the usual spots. That and some fantastic Vietnamese food balanced out the fire alarm really.

Next week I am in Sheffield on the afternoon/evening of the 27th and then Barnsley for the morning of the 28th – currently undecided when I’ll head home. Might depend on whether the promised heatwave hits!