Updates 3

My old team won an award for SIMD16, our statistical publication last year (*click*). The award is a fairly big deal for statisticians, and as my friend G said, obscure awards are the best kind. Here is a curated selection of Tweets about our big moment when we picked up our trophy in London:

Awards and all

Updates 2

So much has happened!

• I went on a few lovely walks, walk descriptions will follow. One of them in the Harz mountains in Germany, would you believe it? I didn't take many notes though, I was having too much fun with my two highschool friends who walked with me.
• I finished my Open University course on statistics - took a lot of time! I didn't realise it was going to go for a whole year when I signed up... Exam results will be out soon, I think I got 75-80% - we shall see. (Update on this update: it's 85% !)
• We're moving! My flatmate bought a new flat, one mile closer to town, with a tiny strip of grass (the garden) and a fox. We'll have a guest room...

Updates 1

To keep those of my lovely friends, who I talk to in real life way too rarely, updated on my life, here's a list - who doesn't love a list?

• Top 1 news: I was promoted and now have the best job ever. At the interface of research and policy, I support local and national government in using evidence to fix child poverty in Scotland. I basically find out and explain what needs to be done to address the things that cause child poverty, and how this can be monitored. As a side benefit, this job might send me to the Shetland Islands.
• Related to this, I found going through the promotion board very stressful and was extremely relieved once that was done. Once the first paycheck arrives I'll be even happier. Also, no need  to try and impress anyone at work anymore, I can let my work speak for itself. Liberating.
• I bought a bivvy bag - this is a waterproof sac in which you stick your mat, your sleeping bag, and yourself and sleep in the hills. To be tested soon.

Sweden adventures #1

Here comes the first part of my travel notes from my recent holiday in Sweden.

I'm embarking on a very similar - if more compressed - trip as I did four years ago. Then, I travelled from Glasgow to Stockholm, spending a few nights there (*click*) before I went to the famous Herräng dance camp (*click*), and then on to Grötö, Porridge Island, a tiny island off the coast near Gothenburg. My friend Leo's family has a summer house there, where I visited him and my other friend and former flatmate Sally, who had been on holiday there. And this is where the two of them are getting married in a few days.

Then, I was on an eight months long trip around the world. I had a lot of time on my hands. Now, I feel like I'm abandoning my boss at work during the busiest time of the year. So I'm only taking nine days off, two and a half of which I'm going to spend on crossing Sweden to get to my multiple destinations quickly - using public transport.

What else has changed since 2012?

• I have a new boyfriend
• I have no acne anymore
• I have some grey hair and lines
• I have a home and a job
• I'm much happier with my dancing skills, but less keen to use them

Probation passed

I am now a proper Civil Servant, unfireable, invincible, ready to change the world, undermine the system, tell certain people in my organisation what I think of them, and planning my next career break.

My end-of-probation review was a nice chat, very flattering, full of praise etc. Listening in to my boss and me during a very heated discussion only one hour later, you wouldn't believe a word from his favourable review report to HR.

In my job, it's normal to rotate posts every two or three years. In between posts I now see space for travel and projects. What should I do? Bolivia and Chile? Programming boot camp? A road trip in a Tesla car on autopilot across Canada? India??? Walk the Pacific Crest Trail?

Edinburgh of the South

Work sent me to Athens a few weeks ago. I was accompanied by my boss, and we had a few meetings with members of the Greek government, the European Commission and academia. These meetings were slightly bizarre and much more political than I am used to in my day job, but I won't go into details here.

That week, Athens had unseasonally hot weather. But while I generally prefer my summers Scottish, I do enjoy going out at night in a hot country. I spent a few lovely evenings eating out with my boss with various views of the Acropolis by night.

Athens is also known as the Edinburgh of the South. The main feature of its skyline, the Parthenon on the Acropolis, looks just like the Scottish National Monument on Calton Hill.

We got a flavour of the social unrest troubling Greece these days. Demonstrations happen on a daily basis, and no one seems to know much about the different groupings demonstrating, who they are and what exactly they want. The military presence on Syntagma Square was quite disconcerting. I can't help but wonder if this is what awaits the UK if they don't get their shit together very soon.

Here are a few pictures, but really it was too hot to take photos.

Plato in the Academy of Athens

The guards in front of the parliament.

Imagine holding this pose at 40 degrees!

Loved the shoes.

Military getting ready for the nightly demonstrations at the parliament on Syntagma Square

Too hot to climb the Acropolis, so I explored Athens' "Traditional Plottery"

Dinner on Friday night, boss and I shared a litre of wine.

View at dinner

Subversive Act #fail

My attempt at subverting the organisation was put a damper on. I was caught breaching security protocols and now have to lie low until I've passed my probation.


But my paper crusade is gaining traction - the issue was discussed at the senior leaders' meeting and  a consultation on preferred paper use is getting launched "in due course" (which is civil service speak for "whenever").

Subversive Act #2

I introduced unbleached paper at my work. Many areas have used it for a long time, and that's not just my old work place, the Natural Resources division, who you would expect to use environmentally friendly resources, but also the transport and education areas. But when I suggested to make the move I was met with resistance by the admin team who predicted an outcry. So I replaced the paper in one of the trays in one of the office printers with the unbleached 'Classic White' and gave people instructions on how to access this tray when printing. I can feel my power growing. The sky is the limit.

Subversive Act #1

I introduced a regular huddle in my unit - an informal 15 min catch-up, where everyone gets a say, no matter their seniority. I mainly suggested it because I was new and didn't know what everyone else was working on.

People seem to like it. It might even flatten the perceived hierarchy. And it's spreading: The division head is now holding a biweekly huddle as well. What will be next? Will I take over? Can I be stopped?

Boss Trouble

My boss keeps breaking bones! After almost having recovered from a cracked rib (*click*) he now broke his ankle. I'm again on my own, continuing my power trip, building my empire, and infiltrating the government.

Random bits and pieces

Here comes an update of the things I have been up to.

Weekend review
I spend most weekends either dancing, walking or doing nothing much apart from catching up with friends, chilling, and being domestic. Last weekend was different though - a weekend filled with cultural highlights.

The National Museum opened its doors on Friday night for a theme party, the Victorian Sensation, which is also the title of their current exhibition on the invention of photography. Fittingly, the dress code was black and white. I dug out my little black dress from a corner of my wardrobe. I had bought it years ago for a sweet date with a French guy in Montreal. I couldn't find anything white though that didn't look very silly, including my flatmate's white underskirt/slip.

The unofficial theme of the party seemed to be Queues, as you had to queue for the bar, for the Gin tasting, for the Silent Disco, for the photography exhibition, for the photo booth, for the place where you get a temporary finger tattoo of a moustache... Was the moustache-thing for Robert Louis Stevenson day I wonder? A propos, I'm sure my non-German readers will be pleased to learn that the German word for moustache translates to "purr-beard".

Anyway, it was good fun, but mainly because of my fun company and the silly photographs we took.

I also went to see George Bizet's opera Carmen which was excellent. To this I went on my own which might seem sad but was actually quite nice. And I was able to get a decent seat on short notice. Also, there is little overlap of friends who are interested in opera and friends who can afford it...

On Sunday I went bowling - not quite as cultured as opera and museums, but I did learn about bumpers. They can put up bumpers along the lane so the balls don't roll into the gutter! Well, to me that's cheating and misses the point of the game, but when we had them removed for the second game, my balls ended up in the gutter half of the time. Oops.

And finally, my bowling date walked me to the last cultural highlight of the weekend, the always so classy jam session at Whigham's weekly jazz club. Last time I went with my friend Leila, and a stranger bought us wine and had it delivered to us anonymously! This time I just enjoyed the opening set of the Glasgow band Rose Room, which were excellent and danceable. And sure enough, the room was packed, and lots of swing dancers showed up, some of them good friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Job news
In other news, my boss cracked a rib playing football. Drugged with strong pain killers he put me in charge, lets me take all the decisions, and said he'd back me up. I think that was a big mistake. My first executive decision was to cancel a big meeting next week. My next decisions will be to drastically overhaul our website, change my working hours and location, and introduce free coffee and scones for my team (which is only me now). All this new power is intoxicating! In his absence I'm now also getting involved in some more political stuff. I'll report on the damage I've done.

Spaced-out Susan, Nat with creepy baby, me: bored

Nat about to drop creepy baby, Susan watching, me: party

Happy World Statistics Day!

It's World Statistics Day.


And since I'm now officially a statistician, here comes a not-so-inspirational but still true quote by another statistician, W. Edwards Deming:

“Without data you’re just another person with an opinion”

Result!

I don't think I've mentioned it here before, but I got a life sentence with the Scottish Government: they offered me a permanent post! Yay, well done me! This means I can stop writing about assessment centres and the likes and talk about more interesting things: Online dating!

I have alluded to giving this a try a while ago. Nearing my late thirties and watching all my friends get married, while not the marrying kind, I wouldn't mind some romance in my life. So off I went, signed up for the online dating, created a witty profile, and waited for the invitations to come.
The idea to blog about the experiences crossed my mind of course, but I had such a slow start with the online dating that I didn't expect it to lead to much material. However, while still not reaching two-digit numbers, I have now had my share of interesting encounters of the romantic and not so romantic kind and would like to share.

Talking

Do you ever have this nightmare where you are asked to give a talk together with your boss and your boss agrees to do the main part and you're doing only a little bit at the end, and then on the day he doesn't show up and it's just you and you haven't prepared his bit and all you have is his cryptic slides without any notes or idea what he meant to say?

This is how I was introduced today at a seminar talk my boss and I were supposed to give.

We care, honest!

My boss and I are moving divisions next week. We are currently working in the centre of the Scottish Government, the Office of the Chief Statistician. This will change as we are getting moved away from the centre to a policy area, Communities Analytical Services, the poverty statisticians. This makes sense, since what my boss and I do is identify areas in Scotland that have concentrations of deprivation. It will be good to work near the people who know all about the different facets of poverty. This also means that we have to leave our nice office in the city centre and commute to Leith instead, 3 miles north.

Assessment Centre

Today, I attended the first of two assessment centres in May. This one was for the Scottish Government (SG) Graduate Development Programme, a 4-year programme with placements in different SG divisions, to build new leaders.

April News

So, what else is new?

• I'm now on Twitter: @mwldm

Nerdland

I don't believe I have mentioned my new job yet. From mid-March on I will be entering Nerdland. Nerdland is where people love their spread sheets, laugh about Dilbert (*click*) and XKCD (*click*),  and get excited about a good graph. I think I will be very happy there.

Travel for Work

For a number of reasons I am reluctant to write a lot about work, but my job does come with a few perks. I must have mentioned Flexitime at some point, which allowed me to take thirteen additional days off last year.  Another one is the trips to the north I do for work. These pictures were taken on the Glenlivet Estate around Tomintoul in the north of the Cairngorms National Park last week where I went on a site visit with the team.

Argyll

Quick update. Work has been busy, interesting, challenging. The best part is that people around me are actively looking for a new job for me with the government for when my contract ends in March.

Also, I spent a lovely weekend on the west coast with the best Scotland has to offer: Views of the calm sea and islands, sea lochs, sunny November days, sunsets and sunrises, and a Scotsman with a campervan who takes me to these places. It was stupidly beautiful. And I forgot to bring my camera.
Anyway, the Scotsman took a few pictures with his phone: