Tag: charity

It has a back light

Andy YoungLeave a comment

So the laptop that I’m borrowing has a proper full size keyboard on it which makes typing so much easier. The keyboard is backlit which is beyond awesome (still working on using that word less) for me as I can sit in the dark and type a blog post. Because sitting in the dark with the curtains closed is normal at 5pm in the summer 0.o

I went to the office today in the end. I was stood in the room, all my stuff ready. Car keys, room keys, phone and pipe. Then after 5 minutes of shoes on shoes off I managed to make it to the car. There I sat thinking. The apprentice wont be in so any point of me going in? will they want to see me? do they even know me? lots of illogical random questions. Then I thought. “Fuck it”, slammed the car into gear and off I fled. I survived 4 hours which is a personal best for being in one place that isnt where I sleep. It was nice to talk to everyone at the charity as always. Plus one of them has a dog and omg hes awesome. Hes a bull mastif I think. Head twice the size of the body and wiggling pile of muscle. Who kept jumping on Judy which was sweet. Sorted out a few more laptops, tablets and phones ready for going out into the world.

I was going to walk around town but my back is really sore, I’ve avoided pain killers because we all know what Andy does when he’s around drugs. He eats them all. Managed to get back to the motel in one piece and nipped to the garage next door and grabbed some bits for dinner & breakfast. Then proceeded to sort out my meds from paper bags to the storage bag so its neat and tidy.

Christ almighty its karaoke night. Headphones on. If its not drunken bumwars in the corridor and car park its singing. I wouldn’t mind if they had talent but are they deaf?! leave it to the pros.

I’m with the kids tomorrow 9-4 which I’m looking forward to. I saw them yesterday as Ben was ill so I popped over. I say popped over but this place is on the outskirts on Bolton. Egh. Its worth it. He got the new Forza yesterday and hooked his steering wheel to my computer and sent me a few video clips. I’ll try and upload them after this.

I need the hotel door wedge lock thing. Hopefully they’ll find a place for me somewhere. I keep bidding on properties but never get close to anything. I know they’ve formally declared me homeless so they have a duty to find a place or keep me here till they do. Which is great, its made a massive difference to my mental health. Had a wobble to begin with but I handled it. They extended it till Tuesday next week but the Monday is a bank holiday so not sure if they are extending it again before Monday. Hopefully they will.

I’m using Microsoft Edge. Trialling it, see if it competes with Firefox which I’ve used since they were around. Netscape. Anyone remember that one?

3 things…

Andy Young1 Comment

…you would do for no pay?

  1. Teach – If having an apprentice has taught me anything is that passing on knowledge, when you can, for free is the best way. I’ll always have time to show someone how to program or use a computer. The same goes for English. Happy to do all that for free so long as the person receiving it wants to and isn’t being forced to. That’s when they gotta pay!
  2. Sofa Bed – If anyone is in crisis, needs to escape domestic violence, or is depressed then there is always a sofa bed, clean clothes, and shower to help you to get back to being you. For free.
  3. Cafe meet-up – Got something on your chest that you want to talk about? any problems? then let’s meet up anywhere in Greater Manchester and talk about it over coffee. The first round is on me!

What would you do for free?

Digging Deeper #5

Andy YoungLeave a comment

Do you love your current job? Why or why not?

Yes. Although it’s volunteering so not a paid job. But that said I love what I do and when I do it. I work with a company called the MDC, and we provide digital resources to those who cannot afford them. We work closely with the homeless by providing burner phones with credit for them to use, I train large groups of people on how to use digital devices, and I collect and refurbish laptops, tablets, and phones and get them ready to hand out. The team at the office deals with the handing out, I’m just officially the tech lead. So anything with a cable is me. I have an apprentice whom I train on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Either in person or remotely depending on several factors. Right now I can’t get to the office. Well. Can’t leave the house. But as soon as I am able the office will be the first place to go as I’m drowning in tech which needs dropping off. Also, there are a few conferences we have a free stand at, so I would love to be able to attend at least one (when it’s not busy).

I love my job because I can pick the hours I work, and I can work from home or in person, anything is always appreciated. I like that I can work on devices from home and pass over knowing that they will help Manchester’s poorest. I don’t do it for that reason alone. The tinkering with devices, the sourcing, donations- I love it all.

The only downside is that sometimes I need to leave the house when I really don’t want to but know I have to make a delivery. That’s the only bad point. Pay would be good too.

What is your ideal career?

What I’m doing. But on a larger scale where I can get paid for carrying out the work. It doesn’t have to be the charity sector, I’m quite happy working private & public sectors. I’d want to be my own boss of the business and the aim would be to become an all-in-one solution for the sourcing and provision of tech devices, along with 121 or group training.

I do have a website setup but I really need people to look at it and give feedback. The link is here [busy bee tech]

Rambling

Andy Young4 Comments

I will be 40 in a few months and it feels like I should be thinking about the future. About what I want out of life, what I want to do with life, and how to exist. Should I retrain into a new profession, or should I stop the charity work for paid work? What lessons can I teach my son, what experiences have they had? They are growing up now too. B is going to be 12 and R is 13! The things they like are so different now and I think I miss them being small. I never thought that, I always wished they would be teenagers and sleep all the time but now I miss them. What is life like, post-kids? we want to buy a house but struggling with the deposit. The price here in Manchester is crazy so we are looking at Scotland near Saltcoats. Cheaper and bigger houses just be a shame to move the kids while they are in school still.

Trying to figure out if this is a midlife crisis where I miss everything, want to change and try new things and explore the world more. I was very lucky when I was young as my parents took us on trips around the world, going to different places. I thought I would have found my place in the world by now.

D is taking the kids on holiday. B first to Germany for a few days and then probably Spain with S. I will be at home for both trips, staying with the dogs, and because I trigger B. Dont know what to say about that really.

Rambling blog post today

  • What are your values? What is important to you? What do you want to achieve in life?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing?
  • What are your dreams and goals? What do you want to accomplish in the next 5, 10, or 20 years?

QOTD

Andy Young2 Comments

Am I doing what I love for a living?

Yes. Right now at this time in my life, I like to do community and charity work. I’m currently working with a charity to provide tech to those who are digitally excluded. These people or clients, they have no means of getting online and therefore miss the benefits that being connected brings. You might take for granted the fact you can order food, order a taxi or play candy crush. The people have access to none of that. They may be homeless, they might be escaping domestic violence, and have nothing to their name. Giving them a free phone, laptop, desktop or tablet means the world to them.

I also love the hardware aspect of things. I’ve been heavily involved with IT for over 24 years. My role in the charity work is to collect and refurbish old tech into new tech, keeping things out of the landfills and providing support for said items. Once the device is ready it is then allocated to someone and we either drop it off or post it out to them. We cover Greater Manchester but have dreams of replicating in other areas.

So yes. It’s a rewarding job.