Couple of interesting weblogs:

Doc Searles and Christopher Locke. These two were part of the team that wrote The Cluetrain Manifesto

I gave the website address to John at work just now ... I wonder if that was a mistake.

While trying to find out why you should never leave your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice in Japan, I stumbled on this collection of Afghani recipes. I'm going to try the yoghurt chicken one this weekend.

Terrible shock this weekend: Tui Slade has died.

I worked with Tui in my first job in journalism, on Radio 4ZA in Invercargill, at the end of 1984. I couldn't wait to get out of the place and managed after a seemingly interminable 18 months. But I always kept in touch with Tui -- she came and visited me in Edinburgh after I moved here, and while I never went back to Invercargill I did compromise on one visit to NZ by meeting her in Te Anau. We went sailing on the lake in her brother's yacht, a terrifying jaunt once a squall blew up and we realised that each of us was expecting the other to a more experienced sailor than ourself!

I got Tui's Christmas card last week, as I mentioned, and in it she told about her most recent tramping exploits, round part of Stewart Island and the new Hump Ridge Track near Tuatapere. And yes, she asked me to write. But by the time I got the card it was already too late, she was unconscious and close to death. I didn't know that of course -- I got an email from my brother yesterday breaking the news, and another one today from another ex-Invercargill friend (kia ora Bill). I feel bereft.

I did almost all of my Christmas shopping in one big push on Monday, phew. Only one more major present to get, plus little giftettes for my colleagues, and that's it.

Oh, and Christmas cards. I always think I'm going to pass on Christmas cards this year, only to get the guilts when the cards and gifts start pouring in. A lovely calendar from Uncle Jock, how could I not send a card (I sent a lovely calendar and a letter instead); an unexpected card from Cousin Margaret, recently widowed; a lovely one from Tui begging for a letter. Sigh. It's tough being a Grinch.

Today I did Christmas shopping for someone else: Andrew had me buy a book, Earth from the Air 365 Days, for his brother that he couldn't get in Inverness. I got it in one of my favourite bookshops, Beyond Words, so it was an enjoyable task.

OK I am going to buy a digital camera very soon. So here I'm listing the outlets. And I'm going to decide, once and for all and get one.

Jungle
Jessops Online
Sherwoods
buyacamera
UK Digital
Camera Direct
Fotosense
The Digital Camera Company
Cameras At Lowest Prices (apparently aka Alan Chase Ltd, est 1946...)
Dixons
Currys
John Lewis

That'll do to be going on with...

Happy ending: I got my new Visa card in the mail yesterday and the bank fraud dept had called on Friday & left a message. When I phoned yesterday they just wanted confirmation of the fraudulent transactions.

It was fascinating, actually, a little travelogue. First, three rapid-succession purchases in Sainsbury just after 6pm, while I was still pushing my trolley around the aisles. "They were probably passing the card from one to another, at the same checkout," the man said.

Then a brief stop at Woolworths before hitting the Gap and a sportswear shop. After that, on to buy petrol at Asda, via another supermarket in Portobello Road. It's all been "frauded", and in fact none of the transactions even made it as far as my account, so in that way it's nothing to do with me.

I wanted more detail! I wanted the time of every single transaction so I could track them through the city! But the answers I did get took much computer-work from the patient fellow at the bank, and in the end I gave up.

I was weirdly tired yesterday, so I didn't go to town, didn't do any shopping whatsoever. I did design a Christmas card but it's horribly naff, so forget that. I walked the dog, ate and sat around doing nothing. Oh, and I worked on the Exile game. Very absorbing. Hours slip by like minutes.

Some of those hours were very early am, so I slept late this morning. Another good walk -- it was mild yesterday but very frosty today, and sunny. Bertie had a good run with Kira, a bouncy bitser, and I chatted with the owner, who turns out to be very interesting. He's from Shetland originally, and in his youth did an 18-month stint on a Norwegian whaler at South Georgia. His captain was a woman, and she was also the harpoonist. "No-one argued with her." This was in 1956. He said his granddaughter interviewed him for a school project recently and was so horrified by his whaling exploits she didn't talk to him for a week.

While we were walking we heard a yoohoo and there on the road bridge, high above us, was Sandy with his two dogs, peering down.

No word from the bank, and then I had a little shockette while doing some internet banking -- my Visa account was missing. Yikes, the thieves have stolen my whole account! But of course the bank has to give me a whole new account, not just a new card. I don't know how long the account will be blocked though.

While I had the woman on the blower I interrogated her about the robbers' transactions. Gap and a sportswear shop. That sounds more like teenagers than professionals -- I'd expected the purchases to be electrical goods that can be sold; but I guess you can sell clothes too. I asked her if there were times for the transactions but there weren't. I'd really like to know, so I know where the security lapse is.

I'm doing very well on Myst III Exile, which means I'm not getting a lot of sleep. Bertie came into the study and barked at me last night. "Get to bed! That tinkly music is keeping me awake and creeping me out!" It's creeping me out too. There aren't enough other people in it. One of the "worlds" is so creepy I probably won't be able to stay long enough to solve the puzzles -- it's all decaying metal walkways and dead machinery you have to get working again by pushing levers and turning wheels in the right order.

I've been robbed! It's the weirdest thing: I went to the supermarket this evening and when I got to the checkout I discovered my credit card and a debit card were missing from my purse. The card for my main account was still there, thank goodness, so I was able to pay for my groceries. On reflection I think that card may have been left to give the thieves more time to use the credit card. Because I didn't phone the bank until I'd gotten home and checked my other handbag. Just in case I'd had a blackout, you know.

I hadn't of course, and the robbers had been busy having a little spree. This is the craziest thing: while the bank woman was busy "frauding" the bad transactions, she managed to block two new transactions! While I was on the phone! This freaked me out completely. Up until that point I'd been quite calm and mature about the whole thing, but when she said that I started gibbering and shrieking.

"I can't believe it! They're using it now?"

"Yes, I stopped the transaction from going through and the shop assistant's been advised to call the police."

"Oh that's so horrible! That's awful! How creepy! My card!" and so on. She laughed, bless her.

So it's all fixed up and the bank's fraud department will investigate. I've been obsessively going over my movements in the supermarket but can't think of anything. It was busy, crowded, but not insanely so. I didn't notice anyone doing anything suspicious. I didn't think I'd left my trolley unattended but I must have, for just long enough. I was in there for a long time for me, an hour. It must have been in there because the rest of the day my bag was under lock and key -- in the house or in the boot of the car (while I was walking Bertie before going to the supermarket). I even locked the car while I was recycling my bottles.

Days off pass in a blur, sigh. I've mostly been very very lazy, which has been embarrassingly enjoyable.

Some odd things: I ran over a fox on the motorway on the way home from work on Wednesday night. I can only hope I killed it; there was nowhere to stop at that point, and stopping on the road was out of the question. Then on the way to the movies on Thursday night I nearly ran over some teenagers, stood on the brakes and skidded all over the place. (It was terrifying, particularly coming so soon after hitting the fox; unlike the fox, the kids were invisible until they ran into the road right in front of me.Thankfully, also unlike the fox they just ran faster rather than stopping in their tracks.)

The result of all this heavy braking was that I had to take my car into the garage on Saturday morning for repairs -- new brake pad and adjustment to calipers, £54 kaching! Also needing attention are the suspension bushes in the front and a tyre that has a big cut in it.

I spent some time scanning in pictures for the website but haven't done any work on the new design, so I'll link to the photos here.

Here are a couple of Bertie with his bucket on:




And here are some ritual humiliation pictures -- yes, the honeymoon is over! "Cute" antlers and angel wings are only a heartbeat away. Definitely time to call the SPCA.


I'll stand here looking silly just because it's you, Aunty Faye.

No, stop now please, this is stupid.

One more: Bertie shows off his bandage, poor wee fellow. This is his "I hate you" pose -- ears flat back, accusing stare.


And another: something I found in the woods. Out walking Bertie I heard hammering coming from somewhere odd. A couple of days later I went to investigate and found this:

Some of the local kids, I think. It's tucked away, you'd never know it was there. It's mainly made of pallets, looks very cosy.

Days off coming up, not a moment too soon. Off to a French film tomorrow night, there's a festival of them at the Filmhouse. We're going to see Loin. The alternative was De L'Amour. I looked it up on the Internet Movie Database, where one of the reviews said: "Great movie about four youngs living in the suburbs. This is not an apology of rabbles like a few movies based on the same subject are."

Loin is set in Tangier, where truck driver Serge is in love with Sarah, but is in some trouble of his own. "Film generally concerns Moroccans with various relationships with the country: visiting staying, leaving & contemplating." Sounds a bit more interesting than a film about four Paris youngs, even if they aren't an apology of rabbles.

Other than the movies I'm going to try and do some gardening, some DIY and some computing. Try. What I really want to do is go to sleep and wake up refreshed on Monday morning.

A seasonal complaint: Christmas starts earlier every year, I know that, but this is crazy. Edinburgh's Christmas lights are up. Fine. But part of the show is weaving fairy lights through all the trees along Princes Street. And most of the trees haven't lost their leaves yet.

It's still autumn, people! It's not Christmas yet!

This parking business is really getting up my nose. Yesterday I brought my car in because I slept late and walked the dog late and generally did everything late, including leaving for work. No change for a parking meter, no time to get change for a parking meter, so I parked where I've parked unmolested before: on the verge (paved, not blocking the footpath) outside the work garage. I could/should have gone back and shifted it into the garage at 6pm but I was busy so I didn't.

At about 10.30 I was in the canteen when a woman I swear I've never seen before said to me: "Is that your car that was out by the garage door?" Was? "It's just that the security guard came in earlier and asked whose car it was, he said the police were going to lift it." Aieeeee! "I thought it was yours, so when I saw you there I thought I'd mention it..."

I sprinted out on to the balcony and phew, the car was still there. So I asked the security guard about it and he said yes, the police have been coming down hard on cars illegally parked outside buildings like ours, in the interests of security. Fair enough. I raced upstairs, grabbed my keys, raced back down, moved the car and breathed a sigh of relief.

Then this morning on my doormat I found a little yellow calling card from the police. I didn't notice it last night, not sure when they left it. Apparently my car was found abandoned last night! And they'd like me to contact them urgently about it! As if.

So today my car has been abandoned in South Queensferry and I'm getting a taxi home. It's so, so, so annoying!

In other news, I got Pinky's birthday present in the mail this morning -- Thunderpants! And a bottle of sparkly lilac nail varnish called Angelic. Perfect.

This morning the weather was ... weatherful. I don't know what the word is for this; say if it's fine and sunny all day, or rains steadily or whatever, that's not weatherful. This morning it was sunny, but there were big purple-bellied clouds hanging ominously in the west and north. Their tops were gleaming white castles, towers of foam. After 20 minutes or so a few spots of rain fell and bingo, a brilliant rainbow formed over the river, a double rainbow in fact, vivid against the darkening cloud. We turned tail and headed for home. Sure enough, in minutes heavy rain was pelting down. Later in the afternoon we ventured back out and had a wonderful walk in bright sunshine. The clouds were still threatening and it was bitterly cold, but it's great weather if you're wrapped up warm.

Only half an hour of my birthday to go.

"Born today, you come under strong influences of Mars, Uranus and Neptune, and this combination will instigate you to travel abroad and even have a desire to migrate. This birthday, the Moon is in Scorpio, and this is a good sign showing that for the remainder of the year, you will be able to bring to reality all that you attempt, especially if you are the ages of 22, 26 or 27; 31, 35 or 36; 40, 44 or 45; 49, 53 or 54; and also 58, 62 or 63, as you will enjoy the benefit of your positive planets and be able to do well in all areas of your life."

Apparently next year won't be too good though. "Try to finish or complete your ventures or plans before you enter the year 2002, because then, the situation turns erratic and volatile bringing about a weakness in contracts and agreements."

I got some lovely presents: a beautiful mohair rug from Faye, and a Shrek video from Andrew. Plus I've been treated to two slap-up meals, a movie and a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia. Bertie got a packet of chocolate drops. Not from me, I might add. Birthday presents for dogs! Bah, humbug.

Tuesday: Drove up to Cawdor, stopping en route at Dunkeld for lunch, in a cosy little cafe featuring home-made everything. We had stovies, Scottish comfort food. It's sometimes made with mince, but this one had sausages. Arrived safely at the farm to a lovely warm welcome and a cup of tea.
After letting Bertie out for a sprint around a field and freshening up, we headed off to the Cawdor Tavern, where Jenny and John treated us all to a birthday dinner (Andrew's birthday is the same day as mine). It was a wonderful meal -- I had pork on a bed of leeks in a creamy blue cheese sauce. Mmmmm.

Wednesday: After breakfast, Faye, Bertie and I went on a family pilgrimage to Urquhart, the village where Mum's granny was born. It was raining heavily, so we stopped in Elgin on the way and bought umbrellas. It stopped raining immediately. It was still cold though. We had a brisk walk around Urquhart and visited the cemetary before heading back to Elgin for a late lunch. Then we visited Jenny at the Nairn Museum, where she's manager. It's closed at the moment so they can treat dry rot in the roof. Back at the farm I had a lie down for a couple of hours -- I was fighting off a cold -- so I'd be fresh for the evening's activities. Which were: a delicious meal cooked by Andrew and his special birthday treat, tickets to Harry Potter! We went to an evening session so as not to stand out too much. Heh.

Thursday: On Wednesday I somehow thought I had another couple of days left. But no, it was already time to head home. We had a walk round the garden and the farm, and Bertie had a last romp in a field -- so many smells, so little time. Then we had lunch with the whole family and finally packed up the car and left. We drove straight back, no stopping, because I was feeling pretty bad by then. Faye and I made a nice simple meal and ate it. Had a bath, took Bertie for a ramble, watched The Sopranos and fell into bed.

So I had a great time, Faye had a great time and Bertie had ... not such a great time. He enjoyed the walks, but apparently barked and cried all night. I say apparently because he was in a faraway part of the house, next to Andrew, who didn't get much sleep. Bertie doesn't eat when he's upset, so by the time we got home he was famished. He threw himself on his food and ate and drank hugely, then flung himself down and slept like a dead dog.

I'm pleased to be home too!

New phone, hurrah. It's a Trium Mars, nice and tiny and cheap too. I'm waiting for it to charge up so I can play with it. I've still got the same number, they just swap the chip over.

Faye arrived safely and on time, but I just had time to shove her on the bus and dash off to work, so we haven't had a proper yap yet. I phoned her a little while ago -- she says Bertie was thrilled to bits to see her. He looooooves having visitors.

Ahahaha!! I've just been subbing an article about the World Toilet Summit in Singapore.

Talk about po-faced!

"As such, toilets are no longer viewed as just a 'common-place' for waste discharge, but evolving as resting spots for mind-relexation and energy-recharge, taking into consideration the psychological and environmental aspects. Interestingly, one things remains a big challenge to be reckoned-etiquette.

"So would it thus be effective to propose a semi-exposed toilet towards the making of a more gracious society?"

Ah, no, I don't think so. Keep Oor Cludgies Closed!

Maybe I'm generating excess static electricity or something; whatever, all my electronic equipment seems to be fritzing out. Latest victim is my mobile phone. OK it's old, 18 months old at least, and clunky as all get-out, but hey! I've still got credit to use up.

Today it completely blew a fuse -- I was en route to Anthea's and there was a huge traffic jam (road works), and I was phoning to tell her I'd be late. I had trouble accessing the phonebook, then it all sloooooowwwwed right down, and finally it said: "empty list". I switched it off and on again, dialled the number manually and finally got through. (By then the traffic was moving and I had to cut the call off short as I was being cut up by a huge bus.)

Then tonight when I was talking to Andrew up north, it cut off the call with the message: "Insert card". There's nowhere to insert a card!

I guess it's Vodaphone's way of saying "This phone is terminally uncool. Buy a WAP-enabled Nokia with 254 annoying ringtones immediately."

I've just been to the bar of the hotel across the road (during my break, I'd like to emphasise!), hoping to catch a glimpse of an All Black -- they're staying there. No such luck; though the bar was full of men who look like they were once rugby players -- thick necks and broken noses. Today Argentina pasted Scotland, and they're playing NZ next. My boss is an Argentine, so that should be interesting ...

The amazon stushie has escalated somewhat. They still haven't refunded my money; the last email from them says they will once they receive the USB hub back from me. The email I sent back in reply had flames coming off it. No rude words, but lots of capital letters. I'm so annoyed with them! They made a mistake, why can't they just give me my money back?

I went in to PC World and bought a USB hub there. Pure torture -- they have Christmas muzak playing already! Argh! I had a browse around of course, and came away with Myst III: Exile, the sequel to the Riven computer game. Like I needed another reason to stay up all night getting RSI. I've had one play with it and it's pretty good, though it's as creepily empty as the other Myst games. You end up shuffling around these beautiful landscapes, all alone apart from an occasional animal, trying to solve puzzles. It's absorbing, addictive even, but somehow oppressive.

Anyway yesterday I installed the new hub, with great results. Everything works fine, whew.

I also took Bertie to Blackness for the first time since he cut his leg. He was ecstatic, ran around like a crazy dog. Just before we left he did exactly what he did on the last visit: ran out over the mud chasing seagulls and came back plastered in it. Mud that is. Blech. I'm going to have to check the tide tables next time we go out there. Back home I dragged him out into the garden to cool his jets while I filled buckets with warm water. I shampooed & rinsed him thoroughly then dried him off, after which he raced around hysterically, tearing up the lawn.

Yesterday I also finally fixed the drawer of the Ikea cupboard I broke while constructing it (I hammered in a dowel too enthusiastically, driving it through the front and knocking off a chunk of veneer), did several loads of laundry and all the ironing, hung a mirror, washed and/or vaccuumed all the floors, washed a week's worth of dishes and went to the supermarket. This last was complicated by my discovering at the checkout that I didn't have my purse with me. They were very good about it, apparently it happens all the time.

So all in all it was a busy day. I bought some salmon for my tea but couldn't be bothered to cook it and had takeaway Chinese instead. Today I'm at work again, next days off are Tues/Weds/Thurs. Faye arrives tomorrow and we head off up north on Tuesday.

Today's totally annoying incident: the USB hub arrived from amazon.co.uk, I tore open the parcel eagerly only to find ... a portable keyboard. If I had a Palm Pilot I'd be ecstatic, those things cost about £80. But I haven't and I wasn't.

I want a hub! I need a hub!

I did this test and this was the result.

You scored 70
Not only do you think, eat, breathe, sleep and eat Science Fiction, you have no idea where fantasy ends and reality begins. You honestly believe that aliens make corn circles, bad weather is caused by Ming The Merciless and that dressing up as a Sontaran will get you dates. You have broken your mind with space nonsense, and, if you ever left your bedroom you would be gunned down in the street by the Freak Police. You are building a teleporter in your shed and will probably

Probably what? We'll never know. Jeez, you watch a few episodes of Star Trek and next thing everyone's harshing your mellow.