Tag Archives: life

Onwards and Upwards

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For the past 4 years (near enough) I’ve had the privilege to work with a boutique web design and development firm here in Jersey.

And after 4 years it’s time to move on. Friday the 9th March is my last day at BlueBox Creative.

When I joined, back in March 2009, I was coming from a very different environment – I’d been working as a developer for a managed services provider and had done very little classic web dev during that time. I also knew nothing about ColdFusion (above and beyond the fact of its existence) and hadn’t worked in a local client facing environment for 5 years.

The BlueBox team were making already waves in Jersey! By the time I arrived they’d  netted two CIM awards and had a range of impressive local clients. I had the honour of working with them to take the company through the next phase of its life!

During my time I had the opportunity to work on a range of projects and to work with the cutting edge in web technology. My job didn’t just mean a new set of work mates & clients but introduced me to a whole new community of very cool people by way of ColdFusion, CFML, and Railo.

My new role is just as exciting! I’ll be joining the Quidsin team to head up their systems development which will mean new challenges, different technologies and a new platform to take forward.

Yes, I’ll be heading back to PHP development for a while but the instant I can make a business case for CFML I will. And I hope my fellow CF devs won’t shun me just because of an outbreak of semicolons & braces.

It will be with sadness that I shut down my PC for the last time on the 9th  but with a hint of pride in knowing that I’ve been a part of some of the best web projects undertaken in the island over the last few years.

And now it’s time to move – onwards and upwards.

The joys of the Jersey Taxation System

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Warning – <rant> ahead

Despite the fact that the Jersey tax year runs January - January I just got my annual tax return through and, true to form, the States of Jersey have fucked up my tax rate … again.

Allow me a moment to fill you in on the backwards, shambolic chaos that is the Jersey Taxation system. A few years ago, in order to address the massive numbers of people “slipping through the tax net” the States introduced a monthly payment regime known as ITIS.

But, rather than  starting over with a Pay As You Earn system* they decided to settle for assessing last years tax liability and trying to “guess” the rate of your current salary needed to offset this on a month by month basis. In other words Pay As You Earned!

So to switch back to the current day, I’m not going to post details of my salary (I’m pissed off, not stupid!) but suffice to say I’ve been paying 15% tax for the past 6 months and have just been given a new rate of 14% by the tax office based on my 2010 salary / 2011 income … which will take effect from my July pay packet… and would leave me with a 3 figure shortfall at the end of the year.

A quick spreadsheet later and I’ve worked out that I need to continue to pay 15% for the next 4 months and then increase my rate to 16% for 2 months to almost break even. In fact it leaves me 77 pence in credit.

Given that my salary hasn’t changed this year (and even if it had they could base the calculation on my salary as declared quarterly) how the hell did they manage to get things this wrong?

Fortunately I’ve been burned by their incompetence in the past and so have managed to avoid having to find a few extra hundred pounds for the tax man at Christmas time.

My only remaining question is who do I bill at the States of Jersey for my time spent doing their jobs for them?

</rant>

* The reason they gave for not switching to PAYEarn  was the risk that they would lose a year of taxation if people left the island despite the fact that it would initially lead to an increase in tax revenue (due to cost of living increases in salaries year to year) and the loss would actually be staggered as people left the island or retired at different times.

As things currently stand they face the same staggering effect as, when I were to leave Jersey, I would be left with last year’s tax still to pay … as I said – Chaos!

Time to Quit – The Initial Referal

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This morning I had my first meeting with the Help2Quit programme member – a very nice bloke by the name of Richard.

With his help I’ve set a timescale for quitting which starts first thing tomorrow. It was an interesting session and raised some points I didn’t know about the process. For example I was not aware that, chemically, a craving for nicotine only lasts for 6 minutes. Richard recommended that I look at setting up a series of “Six Minute Strategies”  to handle these cravings in a positive manner. I’ve got a couple of days to come up with activities that can be used at home, at work and whilst I’m out and about.

I’ll be using Nicotine Replacement for the first few weeks (mostly for the benefit of those around me) but am already looking forward to the point where I can wean myself off these and go completely nicotine free.

I’ll also be using the tried and tested chewing gum (normal sugar free stuff not nicotine gum) technique to handle the first weeks worth of associated anxiety and to act as an apetite suppressant.

All in all I’m feeling positive and am almost looking forward to the challenge. I’ll be documenting my progress here (so apologies of you find it all rather dull) and am grateful for any messages of support you may wish to send my way.

So here’s to the beginning of the end of my life as a smoker!

One evening of total indulgence

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Tonight is an evening that Dottie and I have been looking forward to with slavering anticipation. A few months ago, two of our good friends offered us the opportunity to dine with them in celebration of their birthday at one of the best restaurants in Jersey. Two make things even more special, they were proposing we partake of the tasting menu served at the Chef’s table which means a large number of courses served in the kitchen of the place.

This doesn’t come cheap and, with everything else we’re planning this year, we umm’d and ahh’d for a while. Eventually the decision was left to fate. As Dottie was interviewing for a new job (one that would mean working normal hours for more money) I said that, when she got the job, we’d accept the invitation and have the dinner of a lifetime.

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Lest we forget

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Poppies on a memorial

Lest we forget

A post on the delightfully named blog of a Muddling Along Mummy caused me to pause this afternoon.

As is my own tradition, I picked up my poppy pin from the Legion stand in St. Helier yesterday and spent a pleasant couple of minutes catching up with the volunteers, one of whom actively served in Iraq first time around and departed with my symbol of support pinned firmly to my jacket.

Along with Muddling Mummy, I’ve noticed that this year there seems to be a distinct lack of poppies on display on the lapels of the nation (well the small portion that I get to see in my lunch break) and really can’t fathom why this would be.

Sure, we’re all busier now and yes the great wars of yesteryear are even further behind us (sadly the last of those to remember the Second World War are likely to be dying out within the next 10 years) but the media is filled with reports of our forces facing very real and very current peril overseas. Stories of the solemn marches though Wooton Bassett adorn the inner pages and covers of our newspapers and TV adverts do their best to penetrate the layers of cynicism and disinterest that surround post war welfare for soldiers.

As a child and a Boy Scout (probably just Scout now … thanks PC madness) Remembrance Sunday meant an actual parade, being part of the day alongside representatives from all the armed forces as well as the various cadet groups, turned out in our smartest in the freezing cold November weather to pay our respects to those who had fought, and died for our country.

As a man my respect became less overt, a paper poppy or pin worn with quiet thanks.

I don’t wear my poppy with pride per se. I don’t support a lot of the things the armed forces do or those who make the decisions to deploy them but I am thankful for those men and women who are willing to sacrifice their everything for my freedom.

The recent wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, Iraq again) have not had the direct levels of influence on life at home that the great wars wielded and perhaps the memories of what the armed forces can be called to protect are fading. Oil, opium and terrorism are much less tangible threats than lack of food or liberty but at the core of remembrance day is not what is currently being fought for. Rather its is focussed on knowing that our armed forces are there to do whatever is necessary to preserve our way of life and that those that went before held these values just as highly.

For me a poppy is not about pride in the army and it’s certainly not about encouraging conflict or massive ‘defence’ budgets. It’s about remembering that, until mankind evolves to a level where war is no longer needed, there will always be those who lay down their lives for the rest of us. Ordinary people like my grandfather who worked as an aircraft engineer in WWII, like my great-uncle who fought in the European theatre and was evacuated from Dunkirk, like my friends who’ve thankfully returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and for all those who are never going to make it home.

For them I wear my poppy and would encourage all of us to do the same. Their sacrifice was made without condition and we all benefit from it – £1 and a small paper flower is the least we can do to show our thanks and respect.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them

I’m getting married in the …

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Portelet Bay in Jersey

… next couple of years or so.

For those of you who aren’t members of the illustrious inner circle that is defined by my FaceBook friends list and haven’t already been advised by other means the following constitutes a Rob Dudley BIG announcement.

1 week ago, at 20:15 at Portlet Bay in Jersey, I finally managed to find the courage to man up and ask my girlfriend* of the past 3 years to marry me.

Oh and she said yes!

This officially makes me the happiest and luckiest guy in the world (really – there’s no contest on that front at the moment).

We have yet to set a formal date but we’re likely looking at approx 14 months from now. Since neither of us are loaded and neither of our families are in a position to help out by paying for the whole thing the next few months are going to be spent making sure we can get the day we want without bankrupting ourselves. Fortunately, both she and I are fairly down to Earth in terms of our requirements.

Watch this space for more information over the coming months and thanks to all those who’ve already been informed and offered their best wishes – we truly appreciate it.

* Of course the primary benefit of this whole engagement shebang is that I now have a definite name for the lucky lady. After 3 years girlfriend starts to sound a bit childish whilst “Partner” just sounds pretentious. Having a Fiancée  simplifies the whole taxonomy of our relationship in a very pleasing manner.