I killed my computer. It's dead as a dead doornail. Apart from little green light that blinks relentlessly. It's my own fault - I was tinkering again - but it's still annoying.
I asked for help in a computer forum on the net (I'm at work) and someone suggested taking out the CMOS battery for 15 seconds before putting it back in and switching back on. Personally I think a better solution is to buy a snazzy new laptop.
28 December 2004
:: the local angle
This is running on the wires at the moment:
Given that the death toll so far is 65,000 and is likely to be double that, it would seem mildly surprising if a six-year-old boy wasn't among those killed.
The puzzle is solved in the next paragraph:
Oh right, he's English. The story is probably the result of Devon and Cornwall Police putting out a press release, and agency journalists mindlessly typing it up. I know we're always looking for a local angle, but when the scale of the tragedy is so overwhelming it starts to look ludicrous.
SIX-YEAR-OLD BOY DIED IN TSUNAMI DISASTER – POLICE
By Lesley Richardson, PA
A six-year-old boy was amongst those killed by the Asian tidal waves, police said today.
Given that the death toll so far is 65,000 and is likely to be double that, it would seem mildly surprising if a six-year-old boy wasn't among those killed.
The puzzle is solved in the next paragraph:
The youngster from St Ives in Cornwall was on holiday in Thailand with his 37-year-old mother, her 44-year-old boyfriend and his eight-year-old brother when disaster struck.
Oh right, he's English. The story is probably the result of Devon and Cornwall Police putting out a press release, and agency journalists mindlessly typing it up. I know we're always looking for a local angle, but when the scale of the tragedy is so overwhelming it starts to look ludicrous.
:: flickr
I'm using this whizzy new thing now called Flickr, which I recommend to anyone who wants to share their photos over the internet. You can open an account for free, and it's fairly easy to use. It's a fun and interesting place to visit even if you don't want to use it for your own photos. Have a look at the tags page and you'll see what I mean.
27 December 2004
:: Funfair fun
Went into town with Andrew today - very slow trip in, every person and his pet was out there. We had lunch at Lucanos on George IV Bridge, one of my old favourites from when I lived near there - pasta, mmmm. Then we headed down to the funfair. There are a few hair-raising rides in Market Street that I wouldn't even consider so soon after eating: this one looked like a "wall of death" ride where they drop the floor away, but in fact it tipped on to its side, while whizzing round:
And this one just whipped people round in crazeee style:
We went to the carousel, much more my style. It was just lovely. The horses had real tails, and it played proper old-style organ music, Strauss waltzes and so on.
Then we went straight over to the big wheel - the wind was picking up and we didn't want to miss out.
I was amazed at how scared I was going up! I honestly hadn't expected to be nervous at all; I've been on it before (though I was drunk) and in general I like things like that - I've been on the Pepsi Max at Blackpool! But there I was, clinging to the pole in the middle of our wee pod, screeching like a girly girl. It was bloody windy up the top, and the whole thing was groaning and squealing and pitching around. It was much better, however, once we got going - it was the hanging suspended over Princes Street that was scary.
After that we had afternoon tea in the Palm Court at the Balmoral Hotel - teddibly civilised. It was quite a hoot - we'd waited to be seated, like the sign said, and the waitress said they were fully booked. We were swithering around in reception trying to work out where the NB Bar was when a bloke in a bow tie asked if he could help. "We were just wondering if there's somewhere we can get a cup of tea," I said. A flunky was immediately summoned and whisked us back through to the Palm Court, where he snapped a "reserved" sign off a table and sat us down. The waitress who'd turned us away didn't seem to mind at all.
After scones and jam we hoofed it up North Bridge back to the car and drove back here. Andrew phoned his mum and I had a chat to her - she's off to Germany tomorrow with her pal Mabel (?), they're going on a Rhine cruise for New Year. Then he headed home, much to Bertie's grief. He was soooo thrilled to see Andrew - often it means a trip to the farm. Not this time, sadly.
And this one just whipped people round in crazeee style:
We went to the carousel, much more my style. It was just lovely. The horses had real tails, and it played proper old-style organ music, Strauss waltzes and so on.
Then we went straight over to the big wheel - the wind was picking up and we didn't want to miss out.
I was amazed at how scared I was going up! I honestly hadn't expected to be nervous at all; I've been on it before (though I was drunk) and in general I like things like that - I've been on the Pepsi Max at Blackpool! But there I was, clinging to the pole in the middle of our wee pod, screeching like a girly girl. It was bloody windy up the top, and the whole thing was groaning and squealing and pitching around. It was much better, however, once we got going - it was the hanging suspended over Princes Street that was scary.
After that we had afternoon tea in the Palm Court at the Balmoral Hotel - teddibly civilised. It was quite a hoot - we'd waited to be seated, like the sign said, and the waitress said they were fully booked. We were swithering around in reception trying to work out where the NB Bar was when a bloke in a bow tie asked if he could help. "We were just wondering if there's somewhere we can get a cup of tea," I said. A flunky was immediately summoned and whisked us back through to the Palm Court, where he snapped a "reserved" sign off a table and sat us down. The waitress who'd turned us away didn't seem to mind at all.
After scones and jam we hoofed it up North Bridge back to the car and drove back here. Andrew phoned his mum and I had a chat to her - she's off to Germany tomorrow with her pal Mabel (?), they're going on a Rhine cruise for New Year. Then he headed home, much to Bertie's grief. He was soooo thrilled to see Andrew - often it means a trip to the farm. Not this time, sadly.
:: some pics
Shiny happy bathroom!
Don't look too closely, please.
The waiter took this photo at our Christmas lunch. I'm right at the other end of the table.
I caught the bus into town so I could indulge myself. And I did!
Gareth, who organised the do, said to bring along festive headgear. I was the only one who did, so everyone had a go at wearing the stars. (Those of you who had Christmas cards will recognise them!) They had quite an effect on Charlie, who immediately burst into song.
Don't look too closely, please.
The waiter took this photo at our Christmas lunch. I'm right at the other end of the table.
I caught the bus into town so I could indulge myself. And I did!
Gareth, who organised the do, said to bring along festive headgear. I was the only one who did, so everyone had a go at wearing the stars. (Those of you who had Christmas cards will recognise them!) They had quite an effect on Charlie, who immediately burst into song.
26 December 2004
:: momentous event
Well, you know, what passes for momentous at my place .... I had a shower today. Yes, the bathtub retiling project is finally finished. Happily the glare off the brilliant white SooperCheep tiles is such that you can't easily see how wonky the silicone seal is, or how much grout/filler/sealant is spackled about all over the show. I even managed to tidy up the paintwork: there was a tiny scraping of Spearmint matt vinyl left in the tin last used in 2000, miraculously still moist enough to stir. The tiles themselves do a kind of Mexican wave across the wall. But hey! There was no puddle in the kitchen after my shower, so I'm a very happy bunny.
Happy Christmas!
Happy Christmas!
20 December 2004
:: bangers
I took my car into the garage this morning because I noticed last week that it was making puddles. One puddle was black and the other one was blue. So I just phoned to see how they were getting on with it and it turns out to be a diesel leak. The car won't be ready until 5pm because they're busy, but apparently John the mechanic says they have to do it today because it's so dangerous. Wow. The other one is anti-freeze, so it's either the coolant or the screenwash.
We had our work do on Saturday - lunch at Giulianos. The food was good and the company better. I very determinedly refused to talk shop, so it was fun. Afterwards I had been going to a film, a documentary about surfing called Riding Giants, but when I phoned the cinema it turned out there wasn't a screening until 9pm, so I went to the pub with the chaps instead. Which was great, because otherwise I wouldn't have heard Charlie singing The Portree Kid (to the tune of Ghost Riders in the Skye).
I've done the grouting on the bathroom tiles, and the waterproof Polyfilla round the edge; just the silicone seal to go on now. I'll be able to have a shower on Boxing Day, hoorah.
We had our work do on Saturday - lunch at Giulianos. The food was good and the company better. I very determinedly refused to talk shop, so it was fun. Afterwards I had been going to a film, a documentary about surfing called Riding Giants, but when I phoned the cinema it turned out there wasn't a screening until 9pm, so I went to the pub with the chaps instead. Which was great, because otherwise I wouldn't have heard Charlie singing The Portree Kid (to the tune of Ghost Riders in the Skye).
I've done the grouting on the bathroom tiles, and the waterproof Polyfilla round the edge; just the silicone seal to go on now. I'll be able to have a shower on Boxing Day, hoorah.
17 December 2004
:: windy wonderland
Faye headed off back to England this morning after what seemed a very brief visit. I had one day off, Tuesday. Faye had said one day how she'd always wanted to ride on one of those beautiful old-fashioned carousels, and it just so happens that at the moment, in Princes Street Gardens, there are not only two of these, there is also a Christmas market, a "Bungydome", an ice rink and a giant Ferris wheel. It's the annual Winter Wonderland, a real festive overload.
So on Tuesday afternoon we took ourselves off to town on the bus. We had a quick shop in Jenners - which has scandalised the city last year by having a fake Christmas tree instead of a proper one - before heading out into Princes St.
The Ferris wheel wasn't lit up. "It's probably shut because of the wind," I said.
Too true. It was windy, indeed. But it wasn't just the wheel. The Christmas market was shut too. And so was the Bungydome. And the ice rink. And both carousels.
Wah!
We stiffened our quivering lips and shuffled off to look for sustenance. We were too late for lunch, too early for dinner. We tried shopping, but the shop shut five minutes after we arrived. We went to a pizzeria I knew in Leith Walk. It hadn't opened yet. Finally we staggered into Valvona & Crolla, a lovely deli, and ate what was left of their lunch menu. After that we had a drink in the Slug and Lettuce (once Faye had overcome her squeamishness! slugs are to her what spiders are to an arachnaphobe) and then we went to see The Incredibles. A great little movie.
We had a bit of a struggle finding where the bus left from - they keep changing the stop and no-one seems to know which is the right one - we decided to go by train. Very pleasant, and a nice walk home.
I was really disappointed not to get a ride on the carousel, but we've vowed to try again next year.
So on Tuesday afternoon we took ourselves off to town on the bus. We had a quick shop in Jenners - which has scandalised the city last year by having a fake Christmas tree instead of a proper one - before heading out into Princes St.
The Ferris wheel wasn't lit up. "It's probably shut because of the wind," I said.
Too true. It was windy, indeed. But it wasn't just the wheel. The Christmas market was shut too. And so was the Bungydome. And the ice rink. And both carousels.
Wah!
We stiffened our quivering lips and shuffled off to look for sustenance. We were too late for lunch, too early for dinner. We tried shopping, but the shop shut five minutes after we arrived. We went to a pizzeria I knew in Leith Walk. It hadn't opened yet. Finally we staggered into Valvona & Crolla, a lovely deli, and ate what was left of their lunch menu. After that we had a drink in the Slug and Lettuce (once Faye had overcome her squeamishness! slugs are to her what spiders are to an arachnaphobe) and then we went to see The Incredibles. A great little movie.
We had a bit of a struggle finding where the bus left from - they keep changing the stop and no-one seems to know which is the right one - we decided to go by train. Very pleasant, and a nice walk home.
I was really disappointed not to get a ride on the carousel, but we've vowed to try again next year.
13 December 2004
:: deadlines
In the news:
They don't say what the risk is of having high-pressure deadlines at work every day for 15 years. I'm lucky to be alive!
In other news, Faye arrived at about 4am today, much to Bertie's astonishment. I did tell him she was coming, but you know - in one ear, out the other.
We had a Christmas-pressie fiesta this morning. Due to Faye's excellent taste I came out best, I think! Perfume, a fantastic book on cocktails and a stunning travel alarm clock in a pale blue leather case. She got a photo guide to British wildlife, a copy of Lark Rise to Candleford and a George Foreman health grill.
The cocktails book makes me want to rush out and buy stuff like tequila, curacao, grenadine and a shaker, and then throw a huge party. It not only has recipes (including non-alcoholic) but loads of information about all the different drinks. And lush photos. Yum.
"High-pressure deadlines at work can cause a six-fold increase in the risk of a heart attack in the next 24 hours, scientists in Sweden have claimed, saying that such short-term stress seems to have more impact than that built up over a year."
They don't say what the risk is of having high-pressure deadlines at work every day for 15 years. I'm lucky to be alive!
In other news, Faye arrived at about 4am today, much to Bertie's astonishment. I did tell him she was coming, but you know - in one ear, out the other.
We had a Christmas-pressie fiesta this morning. Due to Faye's excellent taste I came out best, I think! Perfume, a fantastic book on cocktails and a stunning travel alarm clock in a pale blue leather case. She got a photo guide to British wildlife, a copy of Lark Rise to Candleford and a George Foreman health grill.
The cocktails book makes me want to rush out and buy stuff like tequila, curacao, grenadine and a shaker, and then throw a huge party. It not only has recipes (including non-alcoholic) but loads of information about all the different drinks. And lush photos. Yum.
6 December 2004
:: what lies beneath
Today I finally bit the bullet and stripped the tiles off from around the bath. No wonder it had been leaking! The tiles were held on by grout and mould. Here's what it looked like:
And here's a sample of what I scraped off:
I sprayed the lot with mould-remover and scrubbed away, got it reasonably clean:
I'm not going to retile straight away because the wall was pretty damp under the tiles. Also, I've filled some great gaping holes in the walls, so that needs to dry. There was a bit of bad news in the small print on the grout packet: "Leave at least seven days before wetting." I have to leave the tiles for at least 24 hours before grouting, so that's no showers for well over a week, depending on when I get the tiling done.
Bertie is still suffering torments of boredom and pain, though he was limping less today.
He's developed a weird obsession, which might be injury-related. When he goes out into the garden he heads for the corner where he cut himself digging a hole, and tries to dig again, despite having painful, bandaged feet. After I shout at him for that, he moves on to attacking the blameless shrub next to the spot, biting its branches and tearing them off. Weird. Maybe he thinks the shrub bit him.
This is what bit him: a piece of glass and a chunk of solid wire:
Here are some pics of the wedding I went to the other weekend:
Colin in his kilt. "I'm a married man!" he kept shouting.
Colin and Jillian in the first dance. My camera's terrible for taking pictures like this, the flash isn't strong enough I think.
I got my payrise, by the way. But not the backpay. That's the one bit I never ever got in writing. I'll have to approach my old boss and see if he's willing to confirm that he promised me backpay.
And the coffee maker! That arrived this morning. It works and everything.
And here's a sample of what I scraped off:
I sprayed the lot with mould-remover and scrubbed away, got it reasonably clean:
I'm not going to retile straight away because the wall was pretty damp under the tiles. Also, I've filled some great gaping holes in the walls, so that needs to dry. There was a bit of bad news in the small print on the grout packet: "Leave at least seven days before wetting." I have to leave the tiles for at least 24 hours before grouting, so that's no showers for well over a week, depending on when I get the tiling done.
Bertie is still suffering torments of boredom and pain, though he was limping less today.
He's developed a weird obsession, which might be injury-related. When he goes out into the garden he heads for the corner where he cut himself digging a hole, and tries to dig again, despite having painful, bandaged feet. After I shout at him for that, he moves on to attacking the blameless shrub next to the spot, biting its branches and tearing them off. Weird. Maybe he thinks the shrub bit him.
This is what bit him: a piece of glass and a chunk of solid wire:
Here are some pics of the wedding I went to the other weekend:
Colin in his kilt. "I'm a married man!" he kept shouting.
Colin and Jillian in the first dance. My camera's terrible for taking pictures like this, the flash isn't strong enough I think.
I got my payrise, by the way. But not the backpay. That's the one bit I never ever got in writing. I'll have to approach my old boss and see if he's willing to confirm that he promised me backpay.
And the coffee maker! That arrived this morning. It works and everything.
2 December 2004
:: ow!
Bertie's second "op" wasn't as bad as the first - though I was alarmed when the vet said "did anyone mention we might have to amputate a toe?" just as I was leaving the surgery. Apparently when a foreign body is lodged in the pad it can go septic and leave a terrible mess - and it's easier just to whack the whole toe off. But happily in this case the arrow-tip of glass stuck in Bertie's pad came out cleanly and the wound didn't even need stitching.
At first he was hardly limping on that foot. But now, a few days later, it's apparently very painful and he's limping heavily. The bandages are both changed tomorrow morning, and I hope there are no complications. One positive thing is that he's been very good about not gnawing the bandages off, and patient about waiting to have his "boots" put on before he goes outside.
No sign of my new coffee-maker (a replacement for the broken one that was eventually collected at 4:30pm on Monday). I phoned up about it and got a dithery young woman who couldn't tell me much but wittered on at great length about how the coffee-maker that was collected went to the courier's warehouse first, then to the John Lewis warehouse, and only then was a replacement sent out. By next-day delivery, so that meant it mustn't have arrived until, let's see ... "Are you still there?" she'd ask occasionally. If doesn't arrive tomorrow I should phone again, "because that means something will definitely have gone wrong". I think if it doesn't arrive tomorrow I will cancel, because that means I'm definitely not meant to have a coffee-maker.
There's another deadline tomorrow: the HR director has promised to sort out the pay rise I asked for politely six months ago and was promised by a boss who's since been demoted. The union rep and I went to see the HR man today to find out what's going on. He's leaving before the end of the month (the HR man this is), so I'm keen not to have to start the whole business again. He said he'd give me a definite answer by the end of the week. "This is Thursday," I pointed out. So, tomorrow it is. Definitely maybe is my guess.
The bath/shower is still leaking. The problem isn't just the seal, it's the tiles themselves. I've put up strips of masking tape as a totally temporary bodge, but will have to take all the tiles off and replace them soonest, I think. Hey ho. I wasn't planning to do anything on Sunday.
The weather's been weird - very very cold and very foggy. There is a set of temporary traffic lights on the intersection at the end of the street - we're not sure why, perhaps something to do with all the street lights having been out the week before - and today our one was showing red and green at the same time. That looked very strange in the fog.
At first he was hardly limping on that foot. But now, a few days later, it's apparently very painful and he's limping heavily. The bandages are both changed tomorrow morning, and I hope there are no complications. One positive thing is that he's been very good about not gnawing the bandages off, and patient about waiting to have his "boots" put on before he goes outside.
No sign of my new coffee-maker (a replacement for the broken one that was eventually collected at 4:30pm on Monday). I phoned up about it and got a dithery young woman who couldn't tell me much but wittered on at great length about how the coffee-maker that was collected went to the courier's warehouse first, then to the John Lewis warehouse, and only then was a replacement sent out. By next-day delivery, so that meant it mustn't have arrived until, let's see ... "Are you still there?" she'd ask occasionally. If doesn't arrive tomorrow I should phone again, "because that means something will definitely have gone wrong". I think if it doesn't arrive tomorrow I will cancel, because that means I'm definitely not meant to have a coffee-maker.
There's another deadline tomorrow: the HR director has promised to sort out the pay rise I asked for politely six months ago and was promised by a boss who's since been demoted. The union rep and I went to see the HR man today to find out what's going on. He's leaving before the end of the month (the HR man this is), so I'm keen not to have to start the whole business again. He said he'd give me a definite answer by the end of the week. "This is Thursday," I pointed out. So, tomorrow it is. Definitely maybe is my guess.
The bath/shower is still leaking. The problem isn't just the seal, it's the tiles themselves. I've put up strips of masking tape as a totally temporary bodge, but will have to take all the tiles off and replace them soonest, I think. Hey ho. I wasn't planning to do anything on Sunday.
The weather's been weird - very very cold and very foggy. There is a set of temporary traffic lights on the intersection at the end of the street - we're not sure why, perhaps something to do with all the street lights having been out the week before - and today our one was showing red and green at the same time. That looked very strange in the fog.
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