Hey, the Levellers single was absolute top notch. I have high hopes for the album now after the slightly disappointing last one (Hello Pig). Roll on the end of the month and payday and it being released (the same day as the new WiLDHEARTS single). Mind you, there is still no news as to whether we will actually get our pay rise this month or not.
Joan has now been signed off work for at least 10 days by the doctor. I think she is doing a bit better in terms of pain now, but still not good. Hopefully the nice sunshine flooding down at the moment will be helping.
Watched Groundhog Day last night. One of my all time favourite films of all time that one. Bill Murray is just superb in conveying the different emotions as the day repeats again and again. Also got me thinking about things I'd do if I were in that situation, but nothing they don't mention in the film comes to mind. OK, so it would be useful to catch up on the backlog of books and films I want to go through - but only if they had them in the town.
I think of all thew fictional devices like that (including things like mind reading, time cameras, being able to change shape etc) the most useful would be that from The Fermata by Nicholson Baker. In that the lead character has the ability to stop time. He mainly uses it to take women's clothes off and gawp at them, but I think I can find some more constructive uses for it. Just to be able to stop everything to get my head straight or to take a nap at times would be quite nice. And again the chance to do stuff for myself would be welcome. Oh well, reality is all we've got so I'll just have to stick with it.
This morning has been fairly average. Had Maria from Pindar pay us a visit and I am now a bit clearer on what went on during my absence. No happier about how it was handled but still glad it wasn't me who had to make the fatal decision.
The last two mornings have also made me realise just how long I've been in this job - the longest I've done in any one location now. Part of the routine has been checking where other people are when I travel in as a test on whether I'm on time or running late. And since the schools went back while I was off it has been odd seeing another new load of small brats waiting for buses. But more freaky was the realisation that some I've been seeing since I started here weren't there because they've left school. Well, I thought it was odd anyway.
Not sure how the weekend will work out. All depends upon how Joan is feeling I guess. Hopefully we will at least be able to get out in the sun if it shines. But I don't feel we'll be travelling far from home.
Friday, September 13, 2002
Thursday, September 12, 2002
Oh my goodness, could this be the longest gap between posts since I started this? Many humble apologies if anyone as actually been tuning in in hope of news from Felixstowe.
Feeling kind of dazed and confused today now I'm back at work again. I thought things must be running smoothly here as (a) when we used Park & Ride on Saturday (see below!) someone had managed to do some posters for them and (b) for the first time in 4 years I hadn't had a single phone call from the office while I was off asking how to do things or where certain files were. Coming in today it seems that all the hard work I put in to the area books has been sort of thrown out as the production has been cancelled (at a cost to us of something in the region of £25,000) and we are now doing them at the end of October. Loads of changes came in and Gary and Charles have been working their socks off to get it all covered. Glad I was out of it all really, and if I can get away with it I plan to stay away from this revised schedule. What would probably have been best was to have stayed at home until next week totally, but I can't afford the holiday days!
Where was I then? Oh yes, Thursday last week......
The big posh Chinese meal was indeed very tasty. Lots of things on the menu unlike any offerings from the takeaway places we usually eat food from, so there was a lot of hard choosing to be done. In the end though it all went very well with several new flavours discovered and a commitment to re-visit the Golden Panda with Joan alone sometime.
What else have we been up to since?
Friday we pretty much hung about the house doing ironing and tidying up and stuff like that. I think Joan overdid it a bit though as since then her recurring dodgy neck pain thing has been excrutiatingly painful requiring visits back to the osteopath and also the doctor and some serious pain killers. This naturally put the brakes on many of the plans we had and left others flapping idly in the breeze.
On Saturday we went in to Ipswich and got a great Chagall print to hang on the stairs instead of the signed (by Radio Suffolk) t-shirt we had there. It took ages to find somewhere selling stuff big enough to do the frame justice, and then when we did had loads to choose from. Isn't that always the way?! We also had a wander about, some food and stuff and managed not to buy any DVDs from the assorted offers available. On Sunday however...
...we popped in to the re-opened Blockbusters and bought 2. Armageddon and Gone In 60 Seconds. We also hired Gosford Park - which was the reason we went in in the first place. Quite a good little film, with about a zillion people we recognised popping up left right and centre. I think I worked out the majority of the surprises and clues before the answers were revealed, but it's always easy to say that with hindsight.
Monday we were supposed to go to London. Had tickets booked for the eye and a river cruise and were going to travel most of the way with Mum as she was visiting Grandma. Unfortunately Joan's agony put a stop to that so we settled for staying at home instead. The weather was foul anyway, and we managed to get a postponment on the tickets so that wasn't bad. To keep ourselves amused we watched Armageddon and despite the America rules gung-ho ness of it all we still had stirred up emotions. In fact for me more than the first time I saw it a couple of years ago. Also started playing Tomb Raider two. Gorgeous graphic enhancements over the first one (and yes, I know there are much prettier games available now but my OC ain't butch enough to handle them) and a good sense of being there.
Tuesday was the trip to France. Dad came instead of Joan and in the end we had a good time. There were one or two hiccups along the way (such as the gearbox on the coach failing when we hit the M25 forcing an unexpected break to wait for a spare) but we got through the Tunnel OK and in to Cite Europe. There we had a nice lunch (at a place called Flunch - recommended) and hit the shops. Neither of us bought very much (but then that was never my intention) - just some little treats and suchlike you can't get over here plus a few bottles of cheap wine. Good stuff, but cheap!
Wednesday was another lazy one before I returned to work today. We took a stroll out in the morning and sat on the beach for a while in the sun - it was lovely. Then when we came home the sun went in so timing was perfect again.
Yesterday was of course the anniversary of last year's terrorist attacks in America. Feels a bit odd still to think about it and am also still a bit guilty about feeling glad it wasn't here and that it was about time America took some crap like that. I still can't comprehend how anyone could want to do such a thing but I guess that just makes me a normal person. I heard today that something like 46% of NYC residents knew someone who was killed or injured which is kind of staggering in itself. Given the numbers in the towers that must mean the theory that people in cities are increasingly isolated and have no social contact with each other is kind of wrong.
There was of course loads about it on the tv (as indeed there has been for a week or so now) and it all got a bit overloadish. The reading of the names was a nice touch, but some of the documentaries were just so much spectacle and speculation that we gave up and watched Gone In 60 Seconds instead. OK, so that's mainly spectacle too but at least it wasn't all too real. Not quite sure if I approve of blonde hair on Angelina Jolie but otherwise a fun diversion. Even if technically its about the bad guys getting away with it (although not as bad as the really bad guys...).
All the time away from here also left me able to get some pages turned. As well as getting totally up to date with all the magazines I have also been through:
Stephen Poole - Trigger Happy. An exploration of what makes a good computer/video game and why we play them. Very interesting in many ways (and glad to find myself agreeing with him too, or should that be him agreeing with me as I had the opinions before reading the book?) and better than a straight history of the games - although I'd like a decent one of those too.
Terry Pratchett - The Last Hero. Cohen the Barbarian attempts to take fire back to the Gods and Rincewind gets sent to stop him. Another good Discworld read in my opinion and nicely illustrated by Paul Kidby too. I still prefer the pics as done by the late Josh Kirby but I'm getting used to Mr K the second's style now. Annoyingly this is one of those books I picked up on special offer in Hardback and now wish I hadn't as the paperback has been enhanced with another 16 pages of pics. This is now the third TP book I have where expanded versions are now on offer. I refuse to buy them twice though. Been down that route with CDs more than once.
Donald S. Johnson - Phantom Islands Of The Atlantic. This one was an impulse buy after I saw it in the window of a Charity Bookshop a couple of months back. Basically details a whole bunch of Islands that appeared on early maps but never actually existed such as Frisland, Buss Island and the Isle of Demons. Johnson makes a pretty good case about explaining how so many people were misled by the poor navigation techniques available at the time into thinking they were in places other than the reality. There is also quite a lot in there about how Islands from legend such as Hy-Brasil and those visited by St. Brendan came to be mapped even though there were no records of people reaching them. Absolutely fascinating for someone like me who likes nothing better than to look at old maps.
And now I have progressed to Arthur C. Clarke & Stephen Baxter's - The Light Of Other Days which is also proving to be a gripping read. The idea (science enabling virtual cameras that can see any place or time) has been done more than once before, but they have managed to add a new twist to it. Well, I say they, it reads a lot more like Baxter solo than as a collaborative effort (other than some of the explanatory speeches made by the characters).
So that's pretty much everything since last time covered. I am now going to do a bit more work whilst listening to the new Levellers single (Come On) that I got whilst out at lunchtime. See ya.
Feeling kind of dazed and confused today now I'm back at work again. I thought things must be running smoothly here as (a) when we used Park & Ride on Saturday (see below!) someone had managed to do some posters for them and (b) for the first time in 4 years I hadn't had a single phone call from the office while I was off asking how to do things or where certain files were. Coming in today it seems that all the hard work I put in to the area books has been sort of thrown out as the production has been cancelled (at a cost to us of something in the region of £25,000) and we are now doing them at the end of October. Loads of changes came in and Gary and Charles have been working their socks off to get it all covered. Glad I was out of it all really, and if I can get away with it I plan to stay away from this revised schedule. What would probably have been best was to have stayed at home until next week totally, but I can't afford the holiday days!
Where was I then? Oh yes, Thursday last week......
The big posh Chinese meal was indeed very tasty. Lots of things on the menu unlike any offerings from the takeaway places we usually eat food from, so there was a lot of hard choosing to be done. In the end though it all went very well with several new flavours discovered and a commitment to re-visit the Golden Panda with Joan alone sometime.
What else have we been up to since?
Friday we pretty much hung about the house doing ironing and tidying up and stuff like that. I think Joan overdid it a bit though as since then her recurring dodgy neck pain thing has been excrutiatingly painful requiring visits back to the osteopath and also the doctor and some serious pain killers. This naturally put the brakes on many of the plans we had and left others flapping idly in the breeze.
On Saturday we went in to Ipswich and got a great Chagall print to hang on the stairs instead of the signed (by Radio Suffolk) t-shirt we had there. It took ages to find somewhere selling stuff big enough to do the frame justice, and then when we did had loads to choose from. Isn't that always the way?! We also had a wander about, some food and stuff and managed not to buy any DVDs from the assorted offers available. On Sunday however...
...we popped in to the re-opened Blockbusters and bought 2. Armageddon and Gone In 60 Seconds. We also hired Gosford Park - which was the reason we went in in the first place. Quite a good little film, with about a zillion people we recognised popping up left right and centre. I think I worked out the majority of the surprises and clues before the answers were revealed, but it's always easy to say that with hindsight.
Monday we were supposed to go to London. Had tickets booked for the eye and a river cruise and were going to travel most of the way with Mum as she was visiting Grandma. Unfortunately Joan's agony put a stop to that so we settled for staying at home instead. The weather was foul anyway, and we managed to get a postponment on the tickets so that wasn't bad. To keep ourselves amused we watched Armageddon and despite the America rules gung-ho ness of it all we still had stirred up emotions. In fact for me more than the first time I saw it a couple of years ago. Also started playing Tomb Raider two. Gorgeous graphic enhancements over the first one (and yes, I know there are much prettier games available now but my OC ain't butch enough to handle them) and a good sense of being there.
Tuesday was the trip to France. Dad came instead of Joan and in the end we had a good time. There were one or two hiccups along the way (such as the gearbox on the coach failing when we hit the M25 forcing an unexpected break to wait for a spare) but we got through the Tunnel OK and in to Cite Europe. There we had a nice lunch (at a place called Flunch - recommended) and hit the shops. Neither of us bought very much (but then that was never my intention) - just some little treats and suchlike you can't get over here plus a few bottles of cheap wine. Good stuff, but cheap!
Wednesday was another lazy one before I returned to work today. We took a stroll out in the morning and sat on the beach for a while in the sun - it was lovely. Then when we came home the sun went in so timing was perfect again.
Yesterday was of course the anniversary of last year's terrorist attacks in America. Feels a bit odd still to think about it and am also still a bit guilty about feeling glad it wasn't here and that it was about time America took some crap like that. I still can't comprehend how anyone could want to do such a thing but I guess that just makes me a normal person. I heard today that something like 46% of NYC residents knew someone who was killed or injured which is kind of staggering in itself. Given the numbers in the towers that must mean the theory that people in cities are increasingly isolated and have no social contact with each other is kind of wrong.
There was of course loads about it on the tv (as indeed there has been for a week or so now) and it all got a bit overloadish. The reading of the names was a nice touch, but some of the documentaries were just so much spectacle and speculation that we gave up and watched Gone In 60 Seconds instead. OK, so that's mainly spectacle too but at least it wasn't all too real. Not quite sure if I approve of blonde hair on Angelina Jolie but otherwise a fun diversion. Even if technically its about the bad guys getting away with it (although not as bad as the really bad guys...).
All the time away from here also left me able to get some pages turned. As well as getting totally up to date with all the magazines I have also been through:
Stephen Poole - Trigger Happy. An exploration of what makes a good computer/video game and why we play them. Very interesting in many ways (and glad to find myself agreeing with him too, or should that be him agreeing with me as I had the opinions before reading the book?) and better than a straight history of the games - although I'd like a decent one of those too.
Terry Pratchett - The Last Hero. Cohen the Barbarian attempts to take fire back to the Gods and Rincewind gets sent to stop him. Another good Discworld read in my opinion and nicely illustrated by Paul Kidby too. I still prefer the pics as done by the late Josh Kirby but I'm getting used to Mr K the second's style now. Annoyingly this is one of those books I picked up on special offer in Hardback and now wish I hadn't as the paperback has been enhanced with another 16 pages of pics. This is now the third TP book I have where expanded versions are now on offer. I refuse to buy them twice though. Been down that route with CDs more than once.
Donald S. Johnson - Phantom Islands Of The Atlantic. This one was an impulse buy after I saw it in the window of a Charity Bookshop a couple of months back. Basically details a whole bunch of Islands that appeared on early maps but never actually existed such as Frisland, Buss Island and the Isle of Demons. Johnson makes a pretty good case about explaining how so many people were misled by the poor navigation techniques available at the time into thinking they were in places other than the reality. There is also quite a lot in there about how Islands from legend such as Hy-Brasil and those visited by St. Brendan came to be mapped even though there were no records of people reaching them. Absolutely fascinating for someone like me who likes nothing better than to look at old maps.
And now I have progressed to Arthur C. Clarke & Stephen Baxter's - The Light Of Other Days which is also proving to be a gripping read. The idea (science enabling virtual cameras that can see any place or time) has been done more than once before, but they have managed to add a new twist to it. Well, I say they, it reads a lot more like Baxter solo than as a collaborative effort (other than some of the explanatory speeches made by the characters).
So that's pretty much everything since last time covered. I am now going to do a bit more work whilst listening to the new Levellers single (Come On) that I got whilst out at lunchtime. See ya.
Thursday, September 05, 2002
Joan came back all clear from her appointment, and I have also had a similar response from my blood tests, so I guess we are just tired and in need of a break. Which we are now having, so that should do the trick.
Anyway, yesterday was more notable for the non-work than the work stuff. In the morning I had a meeting with my former colleague Richard at Ipswich Borough to sort out joint publicity for car parks/park & ride from now to Christmas which went OK. My main aim from it though was to be at his end of town come lunch time for a change. I wanted to check out a couple of second hand cd/dvd/game shops that are just too far to walk in normal circumstances. One of them proved to be a total waste of time, but the other did have 1 Lynx game so I snapped up Hydra for £3. Still in the original shrink-wrap. I also picked up Tomb Raider 2 and got number 3 thrown in free to boot.
After lunch was another town centre gyratory meeting where we finally managed to get the facts right on the leaflets and adverts. Which was good as they go to press tomorrow.
Then it was home early to start being off!
Joan went to Bingo in Ipswich (and won nothing) so I had a fiddle around on here and played some games on the N64.
Today we have been taking things easy to a degree. Done some ironing. Taken the car in for a service and am now annoyed with them as they phoned to say the front brake pads needed replacing. Now it was only pre-sales checked and MOTd 2 weeks ago so I find it a bit hard to believe that they passed it with brake pads that were only good for another 300 miles or so. Can't decide whether to make a fuss when I pick it up or write a stroppy letter and try to get money refunded.
Joan is getting her back cracked at the moment and I ought to be doing some more ironing.
Tonight we are taking Ma & Pa out for a Chinese meal in town as it was their wedding anniversary at the weekend. Will report on that next time. We are also making a few plans for things to do while we are off. On Tuesday we are going to France for the day. A horribly early start (got to be in Ipswich for 6) but it will be a laugh all the same. Only shopping rather than seeing any sights but at least it is abroad. We also plan to go to London either on Saturday or Monday depending on other circumstances.
Anyway, yesterday was more notable for the non-work than the work stuff. In the morning I had a meeting with my former colleague Richard at Ipswich Borough to sort out joint publicity for car parks/park & ride from now to Christmas which went OK. My main aim from it though was to be at his end of town come lunch time for a change. I wanted to check out a couple of second hand cd/dvd/game shops that are just too far to walk in normal circumstances. One of them proved to be a total waste of time, but the other did have 1 Lynx game so I snapped up Hydra for £3. Still in the original shrink-wrap. I also picked up Tomb Raider 2 and got number 3 thrown in free to boot.
After lunch was another town centre gyratory meeting where we finally managed to get the facts right on the leaflets and adverts. Which was good as they go to press tomorrow.
Then it was home early to start being off!
Joan went to Bingo in Ipswich (and won nothing) so I had a fiddle around on here and played some games on the N64.
Today we have been taking things easy to a degree. Done some ironing. Taken the car in for a service and am now annoyed with them as they phoned to say the front brake pads needed replacing. Now it was only pre-sales checked and MOTd 2 weeks ago so I find it a bit hard to believe that they passed it with brake pads that were only good for another 300 miles or so. Can't decide whether to make a fuss when I pick it up or write a stroppy letter and try to get money refunded.
Joan is getting her back cracked at the moment and I ought to be doing some more ironing.
Tonight we are taking Ma & Pa out for a Chinese meal in town as it was their wedding anniversary at the weekend. Will report on that next time. We are also making a few plans for things to do while we are off. On Tuesday we are going to France for the day. A horribly early start (got to be in Ipswich for 6) but it will be a laugh all the same. Only shopping rather than seeing any sights but at least it is abroad. We also plan to go to London either on Saturday or Monday depending on other circumstances.
Tuesday, September 03, 2002
Aaah, that's better.
Got the day off today to be with Joan and also take her to an appointment later. Then back at work tomorrow followed by more holiday until Thursday next week. We plan on a few days out - London, Norwich, Cambridge - that sort of thing.
Updates as we do them/when I get the chance!
Got the day off today to be with Joan and also take her to an appointment later. Then back at work tomorrow followed by more holiday until Thursday next week. We plan on a few days out - London, Norwich, Cambridge - that sort of thing.
Updates as we do them/when I get the chance!
Hmm, tried to post this last night, but Blogger didn't want to play:
Oops, knew I hadn't been doing something over the weekend. And updating here was that something. Anyway, Friday was the usual boredom-fest at work. All I really did was fart about with graphics for the new Park & Ride buses and surf the internet. Not very productive but I really don't feel that way inclined at the moment with all the change and stuff happening.
Anyway, Saturday was better. Joan was at work (but for the last time for a fortnight) so I did a bit of internetting, played a bunch of Gridrunner and went in to town to tax the car. Another £88 gone, and that only lasts 6 months, but I thought I'd rather do it that way than have to pay out for the tax at the same time as the MOT in future years. Not that I expect any work to have to be done to get through the MOT for the next couple of years anyway, but better to keep the bank manager happy!
Richard came round in the afternoon and we watched half the Iron Maiden Rock In Rio DVD (as a break from my in-car cd run - now on Live After Death by the way) and played some more games. I have now picked up a Commodore 64 emulator plus a cd with 3,000 or so games on so we are looking for some decent ones there.
In the evening we had the fairly usual for a Saturday Chinese and watched The Shawshank Redemption. What a brilliant film. Why has it taken me this long to get round to watching it? Another DVD that will get multiple plays over the years I think, unless repeated viewings aren't as good due to the surprise being lost.
Sunday we had a relaxed day. In the morning I washed & waxed the car (and found out that that scratch was old as it now shows evidence of being inexpertly touched up) while Joan cut the grass, then we had a nice lunch in the garden. After lunch we walked in to town, had an ice cream and walked home again. I then indulged in more Gridrunner before dinner when we watched Tomb Raider again. Which inspired me to finish playing it tonight in readiness for starting number 2 sometime soon. OK, so I'll have to buy it first...
Today was also fairly tedious at work. It was determined to be the official start of the new structure, so we had a meeting for the first hour to discuss that. I said almost nothing as I couldn't give a monkeys about it all. They are also trying to organise a team building exercise again (we tried a year or so ago but it all got lost in the Geof-zone when he went off sick and never re-surfaced). I think the consensus is for something involving driving tanks or 4x4s or something. If it looks interesting I shall go along, but if we end up with something where we all have to dress up stupid, carry each other around or make bridges and stuff I shall give it a miss. Either through throwing a sickie or just blatantly not going. I can't see how one day out in the woods or something is likely to change the habits of everybody that I've seen over the last 5 years. No amount of "fun" or life saving will make Ian and Mike give me timetables early enough to get the publicity out on the buses in time. That will need major re-training and cultural changes. So I'm not pinning my hopes on anything useful under the new structure.
Oh well, Joan is out getting aromatherapy right now so I shall post this then go to see how Richard survived his first day of unemployment.
Oops, knew I hadn't been doing something over the weekend. And updating here was that something. Anyway, Friday was the usual boredom-fest at work. All I really did was fart about with graphics for the new Park & Ride buses and surf the internet. Not very productive but I really don't feel that way inclined at the moment with all the change and stuff happening.
Anyway, Saturday was better. Joan was at work (but for the last time for a fortnight) so I did a bit of internetting, played a bunch of Gridrunner and went in to town to tax the car. Another £88 gone, and that only lasts 6 months, but I thought I'd rather do it that way than have to pay out for the tax at the same time as the MOT in future years. Not that I expect any work to have to be done to get through the MOT for the next couple of years anyway, but better to keep the bank manager happy!
Richard came round in the afternoon and we watched half the Iron Maiden Rock In Rio DVD (as a break from my in-car cd run - now on Live After Death by the way) and played some more games. I have now picked up a Commodore 64 emulator plus a cd with 3,000 or so games on so we are looking for some decent ones there.
In the evening we had the fairly usual for a Saturday Chinese and watched The Shawshank Redemption. What a brilliant film. Why has it taken me this long to get round to watching it? Another DVD that will get multiple plays over the years I think, unless repeated viewings aren't as good due to the surprise being lost.
Sunday we had a relaxed day. In the morning I washed & waxed the car (and found out that that scratch was old as it now shows evidence of being inexpertly touched up) while Joan cut the grass, then we had a nice lunch in the garden. After lunch we walked in to town, had an ice cream and walked home again. I then indulged in more Gridrunner before dinner when we watched Tomb Raider again. Which inspired me to finish playing it tonight in readiness for starting number 2 sometime soon. OK, so I'll have to buy it first...
Today was also fairly tedious at work. It was determined to be the official start of the new structure, so we had a meeting for the first hour to discuss that. I said almost nothing as I couldn't give a monkeys about it all. They are also trying to organise a team building exercise again (we tried a year or so ago but it all got lost in the Geof-zone when he went off sick and never re-surfaced). I think the consensus is for something involving driving tanks or 4x4s or something. If it looks interesting I shall go along, but if we end up with something where we all have to dress up stupid, carry each other around or make bridges and stuff I shall give it a miss. Either through throwing a sickie or just blatantly not going. I can't see how one day out in the woods or something is likely to change the habits of everybody that I've seen over the last 5 years. No amount of "fun" or life saving will make Ian and Mike give me timetables early enough to get the publicity out on the buses in time. That will need major re-training and cultural changes. So I'm not pinning my hopes on anything useful under the new structure.
Oh well, Joan is out getting aromatherapy right now so I shall post this then go to see how Richard survived his first day of unemployment.
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Feeling a bit apathetic today. Not sure why, probably the continued talk in the office about who will be doing what in the new order and me feeling disgruntled by it again. Plus neither of us thought to buy a paper yesterday so no jobs to look through. Oh, and feeling tired too which never helps. Perhaps I should sneak over to our store room for a snooze later on. If it wasn't so dirty and smelly over there I would give that serious consideration.
Am also feeling very annoyed as some bugger has scratched the car already. From the size and position it has to be deliberate vandalism too rather than from an accidental nudge. Will have to get some paint filling stuff as they've gone pretty deep and it looks to be more than a polish job.
Have decided not to go and see Chris bloke again as I just don't feel fully comfortable with him. Now all I need to do is phone him and tell him that, which I don't feel all that comfortable with either. I just think I'd rather find my own way around things at the moment and maybe get someone again on a more physical relaxy basis in the future. Plus while I thought that I'd be fine with it, I didn't feel OK with having a bloke rubbing me.
I got the driving role this morning so the Maiden campaign has been put on hold for a day. We had the Springsteen instead. Really is a top album that grows on me every listen. As Joan was late home from work yesterday due to staff training I took the opportunity for a spin of the Gorillaz album to go with my dinner. Only listened to it once before and had forgotten how dang good it is. And not really like anything else I play on a regular basis.
Not been out in the fresh air today. Just can't be bothered to go outside really even though the sun is shining. I would probably end up spending money as well so should hold off until tomorrow when pay day comes around. Only another month until we get our pay rise now too. Unless the union cops another strop of course. I hope they don't as I have plans for the back pay!
Oh well, back to work for now.
Am also feeling very annoyed as some bugger has scratched the car already. From the size and position it has to be deliberate vandalism too rather than from an accidental nudge. Will have to get some paint filling stuff as they've gone pretty deep and it looks to be more than a polish job.
Have decided not to go and see Chris bloke again as I just don't feel fully comfortable with him. Now all I need to do is phone him and tell him that, which I don't feel all that comfortable with either. I just think I'd rather find my own way around things at the moment and maybe get someone again on a more physical relaxy basis in the future. Plus while I thought that I'd be fine with it, I didn't feel OK with having a bloke rubbing me.
I got the driving role this morning so the Maiden campaign has been put on hold for a day. We had the Springsteen instead. Really is a top album that grows on me every listen. As Joan was late home from work yesterday due to staff training I took the opportunity for a spin of the Gorillaz album to go with my dinner. Only listened to it once before and had forgotten how dang good it is. And not really like anything else I play on a regular basis.
Not been out in the fresh air today. Just can't be bothered to go outside really even though the sun is shining. I would probably end up spending money as well so should hold off until tomorrow when pay day comes around. Only another month until we get our pay rise now too. Unless the union cops another strop of course. I hope they don't as I have plans for the back pay!
Oh well, back to work for now.
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Excitement has worn off a bit today. Still fairly happy, but also a teensy bit bored again. Am back to waiting for stuff to come in from Pindar rather than having anything specific to do. Or at least anything I fancy doing. Anyway, at least the sun is shining and I was able to get out for a walk at lunch time. Have also booked some days off while Joan is off so we can do some relaxing and fun things and stuff. And the kidlets will be back at school.
Maiden-watch: With waiting outside Argos I got to the end of the Paul Di'Anno era (Iron Maiden, Killers) last night and am now in to Bruce Dickinson territory. Have started The Number Of The Beast and will no doubt get on to Piece Of Mind on the way home. Might not get much further before Friday though as not picking Joan up tonight (she has to work late and will get a lift home) and she is on a course in Ipswich tomorrow along with a colleague of hers, so if I give them lifts the music will not be playing. Of course if she goes in with him it will be a further guitar frenzy.
Maiden-watch: With waiting outside Argos I got to the end of the Paul Di'Anno era (Iron Maiden, Killers) last night and am now in to Bruce Dickinson territory. Have started The Number Of The Beast and will no doubt get on to Piece Of Mind on the way home. Might not get much further before Friday though as not picking Joan up tonight (she has to work late and will get a lift home) and she is on a course in Ipswich tomorrow along with a colleague of hers, so if I give them lifts the music will not be playing. Of course if she goes in with him it will be a further guitar frenzy.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
Wow, what a great weekend that was. Started in top form when I left here on Friday to pick the car up and never looked back. Mmm, nice shiny car now they've cleaned it and it smells lovely inside - all fruity. It drives very well, all the toys seem to work and even better than all of that, it doesn't seem to have the invisibility option switched on - unlike so many other cars I have driven. Yup, no-one has seen fit to drive out in front of me or anything as if I wasn't there yet. I'm sure it won't last though. Obviously we had to show it off to everyone on Friday night so we didn't actually get home until nearly 8, but it was worth the effort to save the rest of the weekend for more fun stuff.
Saturday Joan was at work (boo, hiss, but it was the only day she had to go) so I pottered about the house during the morning doing general tidying up and stuff like that. Then in the afternoon it was round to Ma & Pa followed by a sit on the beach as my Cousin Anna and family were up for a visit. Very pleasant, especially as the sun had deigned to shine upon us. Three great (if mad) kids who were thrilled to get on the beach and in the sea. The only down point of the day followed that when I went to pick Joan up from work and ended up sitting outside the shop for nearly an hour. Not fun, but it has made sure I will now always carry something to read with me whenever I have to collect her. Not Joan's fault - incompetent staff messing up the tills mainly.
In the evening we had Alexander over to stay and have a big fat Chinese meal. We watched Unbreakable which is one of the top 10 DVDs we have bought - combining a top film and a good transfer with superb packaging as well. I really must get around to watching the feature about comics on disc 2 sometime as it should be interesting. Poor chap was nodding off by the end though as it was also his first day at work for Tesco, and they put him on the 0630-1530 shift. Wouldn't have been my idea of fun either.
On Sunday we took him out with us to break in the new car. First stop was the Anglo Saxon burial ground at Sutton Hoo (just over the river from us really). They have opened a proper visitor centre there this year so we were treated to a short film along with lots of exhibits (including some of the actual treasures found there on loan from the British museum), reconstructions etc. Then a good walk out to and around the mounds themselves. They were doing proper guided tours as well as the look for yourself option we took, but wanted and extra £2 a head (on top of the £3.50 entrance fee) so we thought we'd save that for a possible future visit should we ever join the National Trust as you do actually get to walk on the mounds themselves.
Despite the inevitable crowds of people I really got a good feeling of the history and significance of the place when we were looking around. Plus being able to walk around places knowing people were doing the same hundreds or thousands of years ago always sends a chill down my spine. The views down to the river and across to Woodbridge were also tremendous, and make it even more alive when you can see the route they must have taken to drag the ships up for burial. Plus they have sheep grazing all over the site to preserve the landscape by natural means, which is always a bonus. I do like a nice sheepie.
As the coffee shop on site had nothing Alexander fancied for lunch (which was a bit of a pity in my view as I really fancied the local free range sausages, but don't plan on paying a second entry fee for those either) we went off to the Three Horseshoes at Charsfield instead. Of all the places we have tried for food when out doing Roadside this has to be the best, and I have taken Joan there before as it is just so damn good. Sunday was no exception and I stuffed myself silly. We were also joined by Basil, one of their cats who sat on the bench seat with us and generally made himself available for any spare morsels we may have had to pass his way. A real friendly moggy even after the plates had been cleared away, so it wasn't all begging!
Then we came back via Ipswich to shop at Sainsburys, took Alexander home and generally collapsed for the evening. Watched American Pie 2 again (still funny) and mellowed out nicely.
Yesterday was also good. After a lazy start we did a bit of tidying up in the front garden then went in to town. There we obtained a big "dinosaur egg" thingy and some gravel for the front garden - when we had it paved last year we left a gap for a feature plant, but as two have now died in the space we decied to give up and get something permanent instead. I cemented it in when we got back and it seems to have set nicely.
We also finally managed to get lunch at Puccino's. My second attempt and Joan's third! This time we were given a menu within 3 minutes of sitting down, our order was taken very promptly after that and arrived pretty quickly too. And they held off bringing the drinks until the food was ready, unlike many places where you can finish the drink before you get to eat. Very nice Ciabattas too.
Then a relaxed afternoon (oh and some ironing) before dinner and What Women Want on DVD. Another brilliant film, and very funny. Not what you would normally expect from either Mel Gibson or Helen Hunt, but all the better for that I think. Can't decide if I'd want that "gift" or not really. I get distracted enough at the best of times.
Today has been back to work, but not too onerous to ease in to. Plus I managed to get out at Lunchtime and came back with the new Queens Of The Stone Age cd - Songs For The Deaf. Listened to it this afternoon while processing concessionary fare payments and most excellent it was too. It also comes with a free DVD but no indication of what is on it, so I'm looking forward to taking that home and plugging it in.
In the car this week will be Iron Maiden. All the albums in order, with the exception of Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son as we listened to that on Sunday. Right time to go home now I think.
Saturday Joan was at work (boo, hiss, but it was the only day she had to go) so I pottered about the house during the morning doing general tidying up and stuff like that. Then in the afternoon it was round to Ma & Pa followed by a sit on the beach as my Cousin Anna and family were up for a visit. Very pleasant, especially as the sun had deigned to shine upon us. Three great (if mad) kids who were thrilled to get on the beach and in the sea. The only down point of the day followed that when I went to pick Joan up from work and ended up sitting outside the shop for nearly an hour. Not fun, but it has made sure I will now always carry something to read with me whenever I have to collect her. Not Joan's fault - incompetent staff messing up the tills mainly.
In the evening we had Alexander over to stay and have a big fat Chinese meal. We watched Unbreakable which is one of the top 10 DVDs we have bought - combining a top film and a good transfer with superb packaging as well. I really must get around to watching the feature about comics on disc 2 sometime as it should be interesting. Poor chap was nodding off by the end though as it was also his first day at work for Tesco, and they put him on the 0630-1530 shift. Wouldn't have been my idea of fun either.
On Sunday we took him out with us to break in the new car. First stop was the Anglo Saxon burial ground at Sutton Hoo (just over the river from us really). They have opened a proper visitor centre there this year so we were treated to a short film along with lots of exhibits (including some of the actual treasures found there on loan from the British museum), reconstructions etc. Then a good walk out to and around the mounds themselves. They were doing proper guided tours as well as the look for yourself option we took, but wanted and extra £2 a head (on top of the £3.50 entrance fee) so we thought we'd save that for a possible future visit should we ever join the National Trust as you do actually get to walk on the mounds themselves.
Despite the inevitable crowds of people I really got a good feeling of the history and significance of the place when we were looking around. Plus being able to walk around places knowing people were doing the same hundreds or thousands of years ago always sends a chill down my spine. The views down to the river and across to Woodbridge were also tremendous, and make it even more alive when you can see the route they must have taken to drag the ships up for burial. Plus they have sheep grazing all over the site to preserve the landscape by natural means, which is always a bonus. I do like a nice sheepie.
As the coffee shop on site had nothing Alexander fancied for lunch (which was a bit of a pity in my view as I really fancied the local free range sausages, but don't plan on paying a second entry fee for those either) we went off to the Three Horseshoes at Charsfield instead. Of all the places we have tried for food when out doing Roadside this has to be the best, and I have taken Joan there before as it is just so damn good. Sunday was no exception and I stuffed myself silly. We were also joined by Basil, one of their cats who sat on the bench seat with us and generally made himself available for any spare morsels we may have had to pass his way. A real friendly moggy even after the plates had been cleared away, so it wasn't all begging!
Then we came back via Ipswich to shop at Sainsburys, took Alexander home and generally collapsed for the evening. Watched American Pie 2 again (still funny) and mellowed out nicely.
Yesterday was also good. After a lazy start we did a bit of tidying up in the front garden then went in to town. There we obtained a big "dinosaur egg" thingy and some gravel for the front garden - when we had it paved last year we left a gap for a feature plant, but as two have now died in the space we decied to give up and get something permanent instead. I cemented it in when we got back and it seems to have set nicely.
We also finally managed to get lunch at Puccino's. My second attempt and Joan's third! This time we were given a menu within 3 minutes of sitting down, our order was taken very promptly after that and arrived pretty quickly too. And they held off bringing the drinks until the food was ready, unlike many places where you can finish the drink before you get to eat. Very nice Ciabattas too.
Then a relaxed afternoon (oh and some ironing) before dinner and What Women Want on DVD. Another brilliant film, and very funny. Not what you would normally expect from either Mel Gibson or Helen Hunt, but all the better for that I think. Can't decide if I'd want that "gift" or not really. I get distracted enough at the best of times.
Today has been back to work, but not too onerous to ease in to. Plus I managed to get out at Lunchtime and came back with the new Queens Of The Stone Age cd - Songs For The Deaf. Listened to it this afternoon while processing concessionary fare payments and most excellent it was too. It also comes with a free DVD but no indication of what is on it, so I'm looking forward to taking that home and plugging it in.
In the car this week will be Iron Maiden. All the albums in order, with the exception of Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son as we listened to that on Sunday. Right time to go home now I think.
Friday, August 23, 2002
Up and down kind of a day so far. Stayed at home finishing off a few bits and bobs first thing which was good as I was able to listen to the Springsteen again and play a bit of Gridrunner. Then off to the doctors for a nurse to suck some blood out of me. Only ever had blood tests once before and that was at hospital. I was having chest pains and the doc decided I needed an Xray. That proved nothing so they did some tests then - couldn't get any blood out of either elbow and eventually took it from one wrist after failing at the other. V. painful and also proved nothing. It was probably the beginings of all the Argos related stress coming out in a hurty way as all the tests proved was that I was in pretty good shape. Today they took 4 phials of blood so I hope they get some sort of conclusion from them. I lived up to expectations by feeling a bit wobbly afterwards and having to lie down for 5 mins. I guess I'm not likely to become a regular blood donor just yet!
Finally made it in to the office at 1130 and was out again almost straight afterwards. Had to take a disc up to Ipswich Buses, which was nice to get back in the sun. Trouble was, after I'd been in to Boots for a sandwich the rain decided to fall. To say I got wet on the way back to the office would be a pretty accurate description. Drip, drip, drip goes the Simon (to paraphrase Chumbawamba).
Now I am stuck on the TraveLine for the afternoon (well, until 430 anyway) as the agency person hasn't shown up and there is no-one else free. Not my favourite job in the office, but probably the last time I'll have to do it as the line closes soon. We could really have got away without me here as well given the number of calls I've taken but never mind. I've been able to catch up with some web stuff I wanted to look at instead!
Finally got round to watching The Big Blue last night. Quite a slow moving film and concentration needed to make sense of some of it, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Some fantastic underwater photography and loads of Dolphins. My only real issue with it is one that occurs with a lot of DVDs - the chapter titles listed on the inlay. I know they have to call them something, but I wish they'd choose names that don't give the plot away. Same with Soundtracks - when they come out before the film and a casual glance reveals a funeral march or wedding song that does kind of spoil things.
Oh well, only an hour to go and then I get the car. Wahay!
Finally made it in to the office at 1130 and was out again almost straight afterwards. Had to take a disc up to Ipswich Buses, which was nice to get back in the sun. Trouble was, after I'd been in to Boots for a sandwich the rain decided to fall. To say I got wet on the way back to the office would be a pretty accurate description. Drip, drip, drip goes the Simon (to paraphrase Chumbawamba).
Now I am stuck on the TraveLine for the afternoon (well, until 430 anyway) as the agency person hasn't shown up and there is no-one else free. Not my favourite job in the office, but probably the last time I'll have to do it as the line closes soon. We could really have got away without me here as well given the number of calls I've taken but never mind. I've been able to catch up with some web stuff I wanted to look at instead!
Finally got round to watching The Big Blue last night. Quite a slow moving film and concentration needed to make sense of some of it, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Some fantastic underwater photography and loads of Dolphins. My only real issue with it is one that occurs with a lot of DVDs - the chapter titles listed on the inlay. I know they have to call them something, but I wish they'd choose names that don't give the plot away. Same with Soundtracks - when they come out before the film and a casual glance reveals a funeral march or wedding song that does kind of spoil things.
Oh well, only an hour to go and then I get the car. Wahay!
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Am feeling pretty good and happy with things today, and am trying not to let stuff get to me. Of course it does help that I got some good news in the post before coming to work - an insurance policy thing I thought had another two years to run actually expires in November. The letter was of course trying to get me to re-invest the profits with them, but it was nice to know there is some more money coming this side of Christmas. Even just the amount I've put in coming back will be nice, so the profits too could be really nice!
Gary is back at work today, but has spent the whole time talking about looking for other jobs elsewhere so even his presence has not been a downer.
Got through all the area books now so waiting for the corrections to come back. In fact, even having to re-punch in a load of details I've already given people isn't bringing me down too much. Mainly cos I've got some top tunes to keep me going. The MD player had now been relegated to lunchtime and at-desk entertainment as I have let Dad have his car stereo back before getting rid of the car. This week's choice of discs has been: Orbital - The Altogether, The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole and Fuzz Townsend - Far In. All on a dance/techno trip to keep me happy. And right now some downloaded stuff from Yak's Tempest 3000 Nuon game are doing the same. Of course from tomorrow at 5 there will be in-car CDs to mention. Oooh, the anticipation.
Still no firm decisions made on getting away from it all. Joan spent another hour or so on the internet last night looking for stuff but with little joy. We were quite tickled by one page though - it had a load of cruise offers from around £600 to £2,000 a head. Then halfway down was one for £8,500. That made us look twice, thinking it must be a mistake but no. Seems you join the ship in January and after going round the world get home in April. Somehow I don't think we'll be doing that - even if we could afford it we'd never get the time off work. I have now picked up some brochures for UK hotels just so we do get away somewhere for a couple of nights.
Not having made my own lunch today, I was going to pick something up at Subway as they have just opened a branch in Ipswich. Saw them all over the place in Canada last year but never got around to trying them as there were so many other things to scoff. Looks quite good but was absolutely heaving so I resorted to good old Alberts instead. OK, back to work.
Gary is back at work today, but has spent the whole time talking about looking for other jobs elsewhere so even his presence has not been a downer.
Got through all the area books now so waiting for the corrections to come back. In fact, even having to re-punch in a load of details I've already given people isn't bringing me down too much. Mainly cos I've got some top tunes to keep me going. The MD player had now been relegated to lunchtime and at-desk entertainment as I have let Dad have his car stereo back before getting rid of the car. This week's choice of discs has been: Orbital - The Altogether, The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole and Fuzz Townsend - Far In. All on a dance/techno trip to keep me happy. And right now some downloaded stuff from Yak's Tempest 3000 Nuon game are doing the same. Of course from tomorrow at 5 there will be in-car CDs to mention. Oooh, the anticipation.
Still no firm decisions made on getting away from it all. Joan spent another hour or so on the internet last night looking for stuff but with little joy. We were quite tickled by one page though - it had a load of cruise offers from around £600 to £2,000 a head. Then halfway down was one for £8,500. That made us look twice, thinking it must be a mistake but no. Seems you join the ship in January and after going round the world get home in April. Somehow I don't think we'll be doing that - even if we could afford it we'd never get the time off work. I have now picked up some brochures for UK hotels just so we do get away somewhere for a couple of nights.
Not having made my own lunch today, I was going to pick something up at Subway as they have just opened a branch in Ipswich. Saw them all over the place in Canada last year but never got around to trying them as there were so many other things to scoff. Looks quite good but was absolutely heaving so I resorted to good old Alberts instead. OK, back to work.
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
Went back up to Aldeburgh after that lot to retrieve the temporary bus stops. Both still there but one of them had been stripped of all the information stuck on it. In Aldeburgh of all places. Vandalism in Haverhill I can understand, but there! Very obscure. On the way back (sad confession alert) I called in at Jewel. I can kind of justify it by wanting to check the finance had gone through OK and wondering when they would want the first payment but I could have done that over the phone. Yup, I just wanted to look at my car again. Backfired though as they had it off site getting serviced and MOTd. Foiled!
In the evening we had a bit of a relaxed vegging out with the TV session. Great new series started with a bunch of historians etc trying to recreate part of Cook's voyage around Australia in a replica of Endeavour. called The Ship and recommended.
Today has been pretty frustrating as this damn PC keeps locking up and dying for no apparant reason. If I wasn't trying to build up the hours I'd just go home early. Didn't even go out at lunch as I was trying to get the thing sorted out. OK so that helps the hours as I only take 30 mins off rather than what I would have been out for but that ain't the point.
Have started on the proof checking of the next load of area books and really wish I wasn't. One of the most tedious things I have to do in this job but also pretty damn essential. Still, although there have been lots of changes since the last edition they have all been in the areas I haven't looked at yet so it hasn't been too arduous. That comes tomorrow! I have also whipped off a couple of Park & Ride posters and if they have been printed am off to deliver them now.
In the evening we had a bit of a relaxed vegging out with the TV session. Great new series started with a bunch of historians etc trying to recreate part of Cook's voyage around Australia in a replica of Endeavour. called The Ship and recommended.
Today has been pretty frustrating as this damn PC keeps locking up and dying for no apparant reason. If I wasn't trying to build up the hours I'd just go home early. Didn't even go out at lunch as I was trying to get the thing sorted out. OK so that helps the hours as I only take 30 mins off rather than what I would have been out for but that ain't the point.
Have started on the proof checking of the next load of area books and really wish I wasn't. One of the most tedious things I have to do in this job but also pretty damn essential. Still, although there have been lots of changes since the last edition they have all been in the areas I haven't looked at yet so it hasn't been too arduous. That comes tomorrow! I have also whipped off a couple of Park & Ride posters and if they have been printed am off to deliver them now.
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Tuesday, 1105 as I start writing this. I've been in the office since 0831 and managed to do about 20 minutes worth of real work in all that time. I knew I did the right thing by being at home yesterday. Anyway, an update on the time since Sunday morning:
Surprisingly enough, I managed to fall asleep a few laps in to the GP. To say that I was a bit fed-up with myself for it happening when I did come round would be something of an understatement. So naturally that was top of the agenda with the doctor yesterday. He thinks it could just be that with all the disturbances of late I've just got into a strange sleep pattern that has taken over and could possibly use a teensy bit more exercise. However, I am also going back in on Friday for some blood tests so we will know a bit more when the results of those come back.
Sunday night was quite pleasant at Ma & Pa's. No problems about the car (other than perhaps a spot of jealousy as it will be the newest in the family). Their extension is coming along nicely and they also had a present for us. A big (1m+) thermometer for the garden. It looks really good sat in the lawn and we can read it from the kitchen to decide whether to go out or not!
Yesterday, as mentioned was a working at home day due to the doctor's appointment. I could have come straight in afterwards but would have struggled to park so thought I'd be better off at home - and a load more productive too. As well as the sleep thing I let him have alook at my hurty foot. Couldn't find anything major so probably just a strained ligament that will sort itself out over time. Doesn't do much for the pain though!
Joan came with me so after we emerged we went for a drink and ended up having poached eggs on toast as well. I knew I wouldn't miss the Alberts run! Then had a bit more of a look at holidays before heading home to work.
I did loads of map updating, timetable sorting out, index compiling, scanning and stuff while Joan blitzed the house. I think we both did what we wanted to get done as I have a list of things ticked off and the house looks lovely. I also found the time to sort out the insurance for the car and knock off another level of Gridrunner.
Then it was off to Chris for another head rub thingy. Not sure how I'm feeling about it all at the moment. Might not go again - will see how I feel over the next couple of days. Not what I'm really after, a bit expensive plus he thinks I should try some diet supplements which I'm a bit dubious about. Especially as they are also likely to be expensive.
Ohm and have now started Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as I couldn't hold off any longer. Good so far, even if it will mean a longer wait for the next one.
Surprisingly enough, I managed to fall asleep a few laps in to the GP. To say that I was a bit fed-up with myself for it happening when I did come round would be something of an understatement. So naturally that was top of the agenda with the doctor yesterday. He thinks it could just be that with all the disturbances of late I've just got into a strange sleep pattern that has taken over and could possibly use a teensy bit more exercise. However, I am also going back in on Friday for some blood tests so we will know a bit more when the results of those come back.
Sunday night was quite pleasant at Ma & Pa's. No problems about the car (other than perhaps a spot of jealousy as it will be the newest in the family). Their extension is coming along nicely and they also had a present for us. A big (1m+) thermometer for the garden. It looks really good sat in the lawn and we can read it from the kitchen to decide whether to go out or not!
Yesterday, as mentioned was a working at home day due to the doctor's appointment. I could have come straight in afterwards but would have struggled to park so thought I'd be better off at home - and a load more productive too. As well as the sleep thing I let him have alook at my hurty foot. Couldn't find anything major so probably just a strained ligament that will sort itself out over time. Doesn't do much for the pain though!
Joan came with me so after we emerged we went for a drink and ended up having poached eggs on toast as well. I knew I wouldn't miss the Alberts run! Then had a bit more of a look at holidays before heading home to work.
I did loads of map updating, timetable sorting out, index compiling, scanning and stuff while Joan blitzed the house. I think we both did what we wanted to get done as I have a list of things ticked off and the house looks lovely. I also found the time to sort out the insurance for the car and knock off another level of Gridrunner.
Then it was off to Chris for another head rub thingy. Not sure how I'm feeling about it all at the moment. Might not go again - will see how I feel over the next couple of days. Not what I'm really after, a bit expensive plus he thinks I should try some diet supplements which I'm a bit dubious about. Especially as they are also likely to be expensive.
Ohm and have now started Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as I couldn't hold off any longer. Good so far, even if it will mean a longer wait for the next one.
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Oh man is it hot today. Even just sitting here with the window open and nothing else going on is hot. How I am going to get any ironing done later is a definite mystery to me.
Yesterday was in many ways a lazy day. Joan got up fairly early, but I had a good lie in to catch up on some of that missing sleep. Then after a fiddle about on here and working out of finances we went shopping.
Tesco at Martlesham - where we also had lunch and then spent less than expected which was good.
Especially as on the way home we bought a new car. Yup, we finally did the deed. OK, so not a brand new one but only 5 years old. And we have stayed with the Escort rather than going smaller, but that's OK as at least I know where it will fit and stuff. A slightly larger engine so we will have to pay a bit more road tax and insurance but hey, we're worth it!
It also comes with all the gizmos - electric everything (including seat adjustment), airbag, cd player and Air Conditioning. Never thought that would be essential for a car in this country but hey, I'm not about to complain. Could have used it yesterday on the way to the shops.
So I pick it up on Friday after work when they will have serviced and MOT'd it and scrubbed it top to toe. Now all I need to do is work out how to tell people (especially Ma & Pa who have been involved in all my car dealings up to now) and dig out all the paperwork for the old one.
When we got home we had a nose about at holidays once again. Glad we didn't pick Prague as it appears to be underwater at the moment. Depending upon availability and what the weather over there is doing we might have a week in Austria or we might just stay at home and chill out.
I was felling tired again despite the late uprising (and also very hot and shaky - probably just the thrill of the car catching up with me) and ended up going to bed straight after we had eaten at 8ish - and then sleeping through until this morning. I think I will have to insist the Doctor does something for me about this tomorrow. I also want him to look at my right foot which has been hurting (and getting worse) since Tuesday. Totally jarred off with my body at the moment - it seems to be conspiring against me.
Today Joan is at work once again and I have a mound of ironing to attack as soon as I post this. There is the Hungarian Grand Prix this afternoon which I shall probably watch as I press even if Schumi has got the championship sewn up. Currently listening to Eat Static - In The Nude!. Very good stuff. And yes that is the name of the album, not my condition clotheswise - it's hot here but not that hot.
Yesterday was in many ways a lazy day. Joan got up fairly early, but I had a good lie in to catch up on some of that missing sleep. Then after a fiddle about on here and working out of finances we went shopping.
Tesco at Martlesham - where we also had lunch and then spent less than expected which was good.
Especially as on the way home we bought a new car. Yup, we finally did the deed. OK, so not a brand new one but only 5 years old. And we have stayed with the Escort rather than going smaller, but that's OK as at least I know where it will fit and stuff. A slightly larger engine so we will have to pay a bit more road tax and insurance but hey, we're worth it!
It also comes with all the gizmos - electric everything (including seat adjustment), airbag, cd player and Air Conditioning. Never thought that would be essential for a car in this country but hey, I'm not about to complain. Could have used it yesterday on the way to the shops.
So I pick it up on Friday after work when they will have serviced and MOT'd it and scrubbed it top to toe. Now all I need to do is work out how to tell people (especially Ma & Pa who have been involved in all my car dealings up to now) and dig out all the paperwork for the old one.
When we got home we had a nose about at holidays once again. Glad we didn't pick Prague as it appears to be underwater at the moment. Depending upon availability and what the weather over there is doing we might have a week in Austria or we might just stay at home and chill out.
I was felling tired again despite the late uprising (and also very hot and shaky - probably just the thrill of the car catching up with me) and ended up going to bed straight after we had eaten at 8ish - and then sleeping through until this morning. I think I will have to insist the Doctor does something for me about this tomorrow. I also want him to look at my right foot which has been hurting (and getting worse) since Tuesday. Totally jarred off with my body at the moment - it seems to be conspiring against me.
Today Joan is at work once again and I have a mound of ironing to attack as soon as I post this. There is the Hungarian Grand Prix this afternoon which I shall probably watch as I press even if Schumi has got the championship sewn up. Currently listening to Eat Static - In The Nude!. Very good stuff. And yes that is the name of the album, not my condition clotheswise - it's hot here but not that hot.
Friday, August 16, 2002
It sure was dashed hot out in Aldeburgh. And spending 45 minutes getting out of Ipswich didn't help keep me cool either. I don't think I've ever seen so many sets of roadworks so close to each other before. Got the temporary stops in place, notices on the three that won't be used and a bag of chips on the beach for my lunch. Not very healthy but nice.
Now another timetable has arrived so I will wop that in and off to Pindar.
Now another timetable has arrived so I will wop that in and off to Pindar.
Watched Robocop last night - supposedly the directors cut but I can't recall seeing anything different. Oh well, a couple of fun deleted scenes anyway. Also mashed off another level of Gridrunner, only to get toasted on the next. Grrrr.
Just finishing off an offering from Alberts then I'm off to Aldeburgh.
Just finishing off an offering from Alberts then I'm off to Aldeburgh.
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Calmed down a bit now but still feel very down and pissed off by the whole affair. I think it helps a bit that Gary has gone off on his holiday and that I had a couple of visitors yesterday to distract me, but it was still a pretty hard day to get through. Especially when the email announcing our results came through saying I was "successful" in getting the PTO post. Oh, great, so staying in my current job while everyone else goes up is a success now is it! I also made sure I left early with the excuse of delivering my newsletters to Park & Ride just to get away from it all.
Back to some sort of normality today, but still glad of excuses to get out for a breather from everyone else. Only trouble with that is where these trips take me. This morning's was to the bus station to deliver some temporary timetables to get around the problems due in Aldeburgh on Monday because of the carnival (And tomorrow I will be out of the office putting up the bus stops for this variation, and Tuesday to take them down again). Trouble was on the way back I got sucked in to Cash Convertors and ended up buying the three Robocop films on dvd. A nice box set, but I wish they'd do these things properly. As is the case with the Superman 1/2 set film 1 has full Dolby 5.1 surround, loads of extras and commentary while the sequels merely get Dolby 2.1 surround and no goodies. I like my loud explosions and dvd extras...
Joan and Helen went bingoing again last night (no winnings, don't know why they bother) so I was left to mope about. Tried a spot of ironing (well, I needed some shirts) but it was just so hot I gave up when I had enough to last the week out. And I only managed to squeeze in enough time on the PC to check for emails too. Did finish the Game On book though.
Although I've not mentioned it, I have still been getting through a reasonable amount of music this week. Both in car and at home, comprising:
Dire Straits - Communique and Making Movies (both on 1 minidisc)
Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
OPM - Menace To Sobriety (a very rude bunch of boys)
The eponymous first Orbital and Elvis Presley albums
Lothlorien - Ghostwood
This afternoon we have a site meeting at London Road Park & Ride to see if we can beef up the security a bit after an incident a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if there is much else we can do (and afford) but it will keep everyone happy if we at least take a look.
Think I'll have some lunch now as I need to go out again before the meeting to take some stuff back to the library.
Back to some sort of normality today, but still glad of excuses to get out for a breather from everyone else. Only trouble with that is where these trips take me. This morning's was to the bus station to deliver some temporary timetables to get around the problems due in Aldeburgh on Monday because of the carnival (And tomorrow I will be out of the office putting up the bus stops for this variation, and Tuesday to take them down again). Trouble was on the way back I got sucked in to Cash Convertors and ended up buying the three Robocop films on dvd. A nice box set, but I wish they'd do these things properly. As is the case with the Superman 1/2 set film 1 has full Dolby 5.1 surround, loads of extras and commentary while the sequels merely get Dolby 2.1 surround and no goodies. I like my loud explosions and dvd extras...
Joan and Helen went bingoing again last night (no winnings, don't know why they bother) so I was left to mope about. Tried a spot of ironing (well, I needed some shirts) but it was just so hot I gave up when I had enough to last the week out. And I only managed to squeeze in enough time on the PC to check for emails too. Did finish the Game On book though.
Although I've not mentioned it, I have still been getting through a reasonable amount of music this week. Both in car and at home, comprising:
Dire Straits - Communique and Making Movies (both on 1 minidisc)
Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
OPM - Menace To Sobriety (a very rude bunch of boys)
The eponymous first Orbital and Elvis Presley albums
Lothlorien - Ghostwood
This afternoon we have a site meeting at London Road Park & Ride to see if we can beef up the security a bit after an incident a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if there is much else we can do (and afford) but it will keep everyone happy if we at least take a look.
Think I'll have some lunch now as I need to go out again before the meeting to take some stuff back to the library.
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Arse.
Seems I need to develop personally a bit more. Whatever that means. Communications and media training and dealing with people and stuff. Seems like a lot of it has come from what got shoved on us a couple of years ago though. I got P&R, Gaz got infrastructure and they had differing effects on how we've worked since. Which then influenced the choice made now.
Oh well.
Got to remember I haven't lost anything, just not gained.
Definitely going to fill in that application form for St Eds now though.
Too down to fill in anything else today. See you tomorrow.
Seems I need to develop personally a bit more. Whatever that means. Communications and media training and dealing with people and stuff. Seems like a lot of it has come from what got shoved on us a couple of years ago though. I got P&R, Gaz got infrastructure and they had differing effects on how we've worked since. Which then influenced the choice made now.
Oh well.
Got to remember I haven't lost anything, just not gained.
Definitely going to fill in that application form for St Eds now though.
Too down to fill in anything else today. See you tomorrow.
Done it.
It was a proper interview too, not just a chat between colleagues.
Been in and said a lot of my piece, including the bit about feeling let down and betrayed by my speciality being put in the "lesser" post.
Was in nearly twice as long as Gazza too if that will count for anything in the decision. Probably not.
Feel I made my points and stated my case and hyped myself up but will have to wait and see.
They are going to make the choice now and tell us before Gary goes home/off to Edinburgh for a week. Unless of course they can't choose then it all starts again when he gets back.
Back to the waiting.
It was a proper interview too, not just a chat between colleagues.
Been in and said a lot of my piece, including the bit about feeling let down and betrayed by my speciality being put in the "lesser" post.
Was in nearly twice as long as Gazza too if that will count for anything in the decision. Probably not.
Feel I made my points and stated my case and hyped myself up but will have to wait and see.
They are going to make the choice now and tell us before Gary goes home/off to Edinburgh for a week. Unless of course they can't choose then it all starts again when he gets back.
Back to the waiting.
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