Since my last life update, lots has changed...

Over the last six months I've been really involved in lots of stuff:

• I got a new Desktop Computer (four core AMD @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB RAM)
• I organised DFEY to visit and stay overnight in London for Young Rewired State
• My time as contracted systems administrator for the BBC was extended until early February.
• I videoed a lot of sailing and windsurfing at Glossop Sailing Club
• I moved out, I now live in the Peter's Fields area of central Manchester, Close to Gmex & Deansgate Locks.
• I went to a multitude of awesome Barcamps - Brighton, Bath, Blackpool.
• Working with Samantha Bail, I helped put in a bid to Becta to build an informal learning platform with free software.
• I went and saw geek-rock legend "Jonathan Coulton" and Gypsy-Folk-Ska-Dance crew "3 Daft Monkeys" live at Manchester Academy
• I attended and filmed the legendary WLYC Southport 24 Hour sailing race, but did not participate.
• I helped organise Barcamp Manchester 2, with Ian Forrester & Andrew Disley.
• I gave a talk at WYLUG and Oggcamp on "Engaging young people in technology"
• I started my own Creative Commons and independent music podcast, (Dobbo's) "Mashup".
• I started work on super secret project one
• I launched Pokebook, a webapp guaranteed to become more popular than Facebook or be bought by Google by Q1 2010.
• I got a new phone for my birthday - a Nokia N900
• I spent time in Glossop with friends and family over Christmas & New Year
• I attended Northern Digitals and CING for the first time.

What's on the cards?

BUPA 10KM Run

Somehow, my colleagues at DMC managed to talk me into doing the Manchester Great Run. I'm not quite sure how they managed to get me to think it's a good idea; it's a 10km street race round Manchester.
I've never been someone who was good at running, I've never enjoyed it; I've never wanted to enjoy it. I have, however, been one of those who perceivers.

I remember back in the old days at High School, being told by the PE teacher that my aim, was to finish the 1800m run without dropping to a walk. I was undoubtedly one of the slowest runners and least fit people in the group. I remember as I jogged round the grass track, in the blazing sunlight, passing people who could surely do it as well, but simply weren't going to try as hard as I was. I finished the run in a painfully long space of time, but was congratulated for trying, not giving up and making it to the finish.

This is my aim for the BUPA 10km. Finish the race, without dropping to a walk, ideally as fast as I can.

I'll be training 2-3 times a week from January until May, and that, hopefully, should bring me up to an adequate level

I think I'll be running for charity, specifically for the digital rights experts - The Open Rights Group - I really support what they are doing, I can see with my own eyes the difference they make and so they have a personal connection for me. I hope you'll consider sponsoring me on their behalf.

FOSDEM

I really enjoyed visiting FOSDEM (Free and Opensource Software Developers Europe Meetings in Brussels, Belgium, last February, even despite losing a borrowed laptop I'd taken there.

Last year, I had a cracking time.

At the Friday night beer event, I sampled the famous (and rather tasty) Belgian beers, happened to meet Russel Bryant from Digium and OEJ, another famous Asterisk developer. I also managed lose my bag containing my (brother in law's) laptop and the subsequent morning developed an enviable hangover!

That however didn't stop me enjoying the insightful and enjoying talks, and chatting with interesting people doing cool stuff.

On Saturday evening, a group of Italian Debian developers took me under their wing and later that evening, Steve MacIntyre and the #Debian-uk IRC channel introduced me to the game of Mao - much fun and many "rules" were broken.

I intend to go again, this year, it's on the 6th and 7th of February, again in Brussels as it is every year. I'm slightly panicky now because I have no valid passport or anything booked. eeeek!

A Real Holiday

I desperately need a "real" holiday. I guess I should carefully define what I mean by "real" because it's not quite so clear...

I need to go on holiday to somewhere but not because there is a tech event there so this does not count Barcamps/Conferences/etc.

I'm not that fussed about how relaxing per se it is by the traditional definition of the word. I don't think I'm like to go to the Canaries and lie on a beach for 7 days and do absolutely nothing. I think I'd get exceedingly bored bring my laptop onto the beach, which defeats the point and isn't what I want.

Tim being bored = Bad

One of the things I've been thinking about is going to one of the Sunsail Beach Clubs on the Mediterranean right at the beginning of the season (no need to ramp the price up more than necessary!). The idea of spending all day every day high performance sailing dinghies on a warm, tideless sea appeals to me, though perhaps it does also still feel a bit boring and unremarkable.

Another idea I've been thinking of is spending a week crewing on one of the tallships - old fashioned sailing vessels with squarecut rigs. I'm not sure about that, but it's still a possibility.

I've been scouring wikitravel for unique things to do, places to go but am yet to find something that really totally catches my eye.

Again, I'm looking for something enjoyable, exciting & different, not necessarily sunny, "relaxing" or easy going.

Anyone got any ideas?

Please leave a comment.

Fabian Scherschel after the LRL2009 preparty explaining why he loves britain, the bbc and other stuff...