I didn't fix those links, sorry. It's been one of those weeks. I did some ironing today, that was about it, apart from dog-walking of course, and obsessive picture-taking.
I couldn't sleep last night due to severe work-related stress. My mind was just fizzing too much. So at 5:30pm I got up and had a hot chocolate, read for a while and eventually got off to sleep.
When I came in to work today, the first thing my boss said was: "I'm really tired, I was so stressed out I didn't sleep well last night."
"Nor did I, in fact I got up at 5:30 and had a hot chocolate."
"You should have phoned me," piped up another colleague, "I was awake at 5:30 as well, and I got up and had a hot drink."
"I couldn't sleep either," said someone else.
"Me too!"
It was all stress-related. It is not a happy ship.
I got up reasonably early though, because it's not fair on poor Bertie to have to wait around endlessly before his morning constitutional. He's adjusted pretty well to my slovenly ways, but he does like me to get up by 10:30. He wakes me if I'm still asleep, then goes back to sleep himself while I tutu around having breakfast and reading the paper.
11 January 2002
9 January 2002
PA News
The old adage that money cannot buy happiness is wrong – but you need a windfall of at least £1 million to be euphoric, according to research published today.
A study by the University of Warwick found that receiving an inheritance or win of as little as £1,000 can improve people’s outlook on life, though less than £1 million is unlikely to have a lasting effect on their happiness.
The research found a strong marriage and good health were more likely to make people feel content than money.
Professor Andrew Oswald and Dr Jonathan Gardner based their research on the responses of 9,000 families in Britain throughout the 1990s.
They measured individuals’ psychological health using standard strain indicators to gauge their levels of happiness.
During the decade a number of the people had windfalls of hundreds of thousands of pounds, enabling the researchers to observe the impact.
Professor Oswald said: “There is a strong link between money and happiness, but it is a serious mistake to believe that the main influence on happiness is money.”
He said after people had received windfalls through lottery wins or inheritance their happiness and psychological health improved.
“We calculated that to turn an average person into a very happy one using money alone took £1 million.”
Professor Oswald said the factors which had the biggest impact on people’s happiness were a stable marriage and good health, while losing a job or getting divorced had the most negative effect on someone’s outlook.
The research found that women tended to be happier than men, and people in their 30s were least likely to be content.
Professor Oswald said happiness followed a U-shaped pattern, with people beginning life happy but becoming discontent in their early 30s, before their happiness recovered and continued increasing into their 60s.
end
Hah! At last, what everyone knew turns out to be true after all. It's interesting that a cool million quid is what it takes. I guess that's because you could invest it and live comfortably off the income. Or start a business, if that's what spins your wheels.
But even though the pointy-headed perfessers' research proved money can make you happy, they're careful to pour a little ice-water on the idea. "It is a serious mistake to believe that the main influence on happiness is money.” How serious a mistake? So serious it would keep you awake at night, crying and chewing the sheets? (Real linen, lavender-scented sheets, embroidered with your initials and hand-laundered every day by your live-in maid. Unless you're off travelling of course, in which case the hotel staff will organise the laundry.) Oh, professor, I'm worried I'm already making that mistake! How dreadful.
The old adage that money cannot buy happiness is wrong – but you need a windfall of at least £1 million to be euphoric, according to research published today.
A study by the University of Warwick found that receiving an inheritance or win of as little as £1,000 can improve people’s outlook on life, though less than £1 million is unlikely to have a lasting effect on their happiness.
The research found a strong marriage and good health were more likely to make people feel content than money.
Professor Andrew Oswald and Dr Jonathan Gardner based their research on the responses of 9,000 families in Britain throughout the 1990s.
They measured individuals’ psychological health using standard strain indicators to gauge their levels of happiness.
During the decade a number of the people had windfalls of hundreds of thousands of pounds, enabling the researchers to observe the impact.
Professor Oswald said: “There is a strong link between money and happiness, but it is a serious mistake to believe that the main influence on happiness is money.”
He said after people had received windfalls through lottery wins or inheritance their happiness and psychological health improved.
“We calculated that to turn an average person into a very happy one using money alone took £1 million.”
Professor Oswald said the factors which had the biggest impact on people’s happiness were a stable marriage and good health, while losing a job or getting divorced had the most negative effect on someone’s outlook.
The research found that women tended to be happier than men, and people in their 30s were least likely to be content.
Professor Oswald said happiness followed a U-shaped pattern, with people beginning life happy but becoming discontent in their early 30s, before their happiness recovered and continued increasing into their 60s.
end
Hah! At last, what everyone knew turns out to be true after all. It's interesting that a cool million quid is what it takes. I guess that's because you could invest it and live comfortably off the income. Or start a business, if that's what spins your wheels.
But even though the pointy-headed perfessers' research proved money can make you happy, they're careful to pour a little ice-water on the idea. "It is a serious mistake to believe that the main influence on happiness is money.” How serious a mistake? So serious it would keep you awake at night, crying and chewing the sheets? (Real linen, lavender-scented sheets, embroidered with your initials and hand-laundered every day by your live-in maid. Unless you're off travelling of course, in which case the hotel staff will organise the laundry.) Oh, professor, I'm worried I'm already making that mistake! How dreadful.
8 January 2002
I spent last night hunched over the computer fixing up my website. What happened was a Very Popular writer linked to it from his budgies' page (warning: the budgies swear a lot) to Bertie's page and suddenly I had a rush of visitors. It was just like when I have visitors to my house -- I look around and realise what a slattern I am, and spend an evening rushing around vaccuuming and dusting (actually no, I never dust) and washing dishes. So I've taken away all the sad, grubby old pictures of my house before I moved in and the action shots of workmen demolishing bits of it, and I've added pictures elsewhere, of the garden in summer and trips to Wester Ross and Morocco.
Also I tidied up the design a bit -- if anyone has problem viewing any of the pages, let me know. Expect more tinkering around once I start on the web design course next week.
Also I tidied up the design a bit -- if anyone has problem viewing any of the pages, let me know. Expect more tinkering around once I start on the web design course next week.
7 January 2002
The new camera is wonderful, I'm so glad I finally bought it. I take it everywhere, fire off endless pictures. Often I delete them right away, but I'm learning all the time about what settings work in what situation. It has its limitations of course, but often I can work out what settings I could use on my SLR camera to get the shot. So I'll have to go out with both cameras one day and make those pictures!
The other night I went down to the marina when it was foggy and took a few snaps. First off I used the flash; big mistake.
Weird! But how great to be able to tell right away that it didn't work. The fog wasn't that thick, I was amazed when the flash made it look like scrambled egg.
So I turned the flash off and got these pictures:
This one's my favourite.
There was one picture I would love to have been able to take, but I doubt it was possible even with the best camera, because the light levels were so low. Tied up at the end of a pier was the little Maid of the Forth ferry, lit with a strong spot. Near the shore were two swans, reflected perfectly in the still water. The fog was thicker out where the boat was, so it was unearthly, like an apparition.
The other night I went down to the marina when it was foggy and took a few snaps. First off I used the flash; big mistake.
Weird! But how great to be able to tell right away that it didn't work. The fog wasn't that thick, I was amazed when the flash made it look like scrambled egg.
So I turned the flash off and got these pictures:
This one's my favourite.
There was one picture I would love to have been able to take, but I doubt it was possible even with the best camera, because the light levels were so low. Tied up at the end of a pier was the little Maid of the Forth ferry, lit with a strong spot. Near the shore were two swans, reflected perfectly in the still water. The fog was thicker out where the boat was, so it was unearthly, like an apparition.
5 January 2002
More than 30,000 people are already booked to sail on Rosyth’s new ferry service to Belgium, four months before it is due to start.
Blimey. I might have to wait a few years before I try it out. The article doesn't say if it's one of the ports you can take pets through. There has to be a registered vet there to inspect your pet before it's allowed back in.
Blimey. I might have to wait a few years before I try it out. The article doesn't say if it's one of the ports you can take pets through. There has to be a registered vet there to inspect your pet before it's allowed back in.
The new CF memory card for my camera arrived this morning, by recorded delivery no less -- and there was no charge for postage. It's a 128Mb card, only £47, a real bargain. With everything set to minimum I can squeeze more than 1,400 photos on it. Stunning or what. I immediately became a clicking fool, and the battery ran out. Must. Get. Spare. Battery...
Mother and John, if you're reading this, thanks so much for the gardening gloves, which also arrived this morning. I've given one pair to Chad, the chap I work with who has an allotment, I hope that's ok. They're great gloves because the fabric is so thin. I've got a pair of clunky leather ones for pruning blackberries and so on, but they're too thick for weeding. The ones you sent are perfect.
The gloves I'm mainly wearing these days are the slink-skin and possum fur ones Jenny and Trevor gave me last year; it's sooooo cold! But a thaw is on its way. They've been having mountains of snow up north, with blizzards too. Some of the main roads were closed. Not a skerrick of snow here though.
Mother and John, if you're reading this, thanks so much for the gardening gloves, which also arrived this morning. I've given one pair to Chad, the chap I work with who has an allotment, I hope that's ok. They're great gloves because the fabric is so thin. I've got a pair of clunky leather ones for pruning blackberries and so on, but they're too thick for weeding. The ones you sent are perfect.
The gloves I'm mainly wearing these days are the slink-skin and possum fur ones Jenny and Trevor gave me last year; it's sooooo cold! But a thaw is on its way. They've been having mountains of snow up north, with blizzards too. Some of the main roads were closed. Not a skerrick of snow here though.
4 January 2002
booknotes
This one is really interesting. He's away skiing at the moment, but there's lots to read. Lots.
This one is really interesting. He's away skiing at the moment, but there's lots to read. Lots.
3 January 2002
2 January 2002
Apparently the Loony Dook was amazingly popular; everyone I talked to said there were hundreds of people there watching.
There was a very slight air of resentment to some of the comments: a lot of the onlookers were visitors to Edinburgh from elsewhere, who'd come up for the Hogmanay Street Party. Locals are certainly sniffy about that, because in the olden days people gathered at the Tron Kirk in the High Street for the bells. Now you can't get into the city centre unless you have a pass. And now it seems the Loony Dook is turning from a local thing into a tourist draw. Still, they did raise thousands of pounds for charity in the space of half an hour ...
Tomorrow's photographic treat (I didn't get round to uploading it this afternoon) is Bertie in his retro 70s coat. He's wearing it because it's cold. Really, really cold. The frost is so thick on the ground it squeaks when you tread on it, like snow. I saw children sledding on it today. I put water out for the birds and it had frozen over half hour later. It takes ten minutes to de-ice the car windows (if I've forgotten to cover them in newspaper). It's coooooold.
If it weren't for taking Bertie out for walks, I wouldn't stir out except to go to work. But once you get out there it's great, in fact. It's dry and sunny, and there are wonderful things to look at -- frosted leaves, ice flowers on the puddles, amazing sunsets. Fab. What I really want, though, is snow. I love snow.
If it weren't for taking Bertie out for walks, I wouldn't stir out except to go to work. But once you get out there it's great, in fact. It's dry and sunny, and there are wonderful things to look at -- frosted leaves, ice flowers on the puddles, amazing sunsets. Fab. What I really want, though, is snow. I love snow.
1 January 2002
Happy New Year!!
I stayed home last night. I was going to go into town to join the street party and see the fireworks, but at about 6pm a volley of rockets went off and so did Bertie. So I stayed home to hold his paw and reassure him that no, we were not under attack.
He wasn't reassured, poor thing, he was panic-stricken, barking, crying, panting with terror. I took him into the study (along with a bottle of champagne) and shut the door, but it didn't help. He tried to crush in under the desk. I thought about putting him in a cupboard, perhaps the one under the stairs, but then it might have made things worse. We went out for a walk at 3am, a quiet one thankfully, though Bertie was still very nervous. The champagne was delicious. I had caviar as well. Yum.
This morning I got up too late for the Loony Dook, but eventually got out for a long lovely walk, during which we met most of Bertie's very best doggie pals. At one point there were nine dogs on the field under the bridge. It was fiercely cold, but sunny and clear. We walked out on to the bridge as well, along with dozens of other people.
Europe is going euro-crazy. I wish Britain had joined as well; if you're going to be part of Europe then be part of it. Also, I think a lot of the anti-euro feeling comes from a particularly British nostalgia, a longing for the olden days of Empire. Well the empire's gone, get over it. Brits want to have all the benefits of Europe, that's why they joined the Common Market. But they're scared they'll lose their identity if they merge too much with Europe. I think that a) any merging that's going to happen is already well under way (caffe latte anyone? croissant?) and b) I don't see the French and Italians losing any of their identity.
When I say "Brits", it's mostly the English, of course. In general Scots are much more pro-Europe. Me too!
I stayed home last night. I was going to go into town to join the street party and see the fireworks, but at about 6pm a volley of rockets went off and so did Bertie. So I stayed home to hold his paw and reassure him that no, we were not under attack.
He wasn't reassured, poor thing, he was panic-stricken, barking, crying, panting with terror. I took him into the study (along with a bottle of champagne) and shut the door, but it didn't help. He tried to crush in under the desk. I thought about putting him in a cupboard, perhaps the one under the stairs, but then it might have made things worse. We went out for a walk at 3am, a quiet one thankfully, though Bertie was still very nervous. The champagne was delicious. I had caviar as well. Yum.
This morning I got up too late for the Loony Dook, but eventually got out for a long lovely walk, during which we met most of Bertie's very best doggie pals. At one point there were nine dogs on the field under the bridge. It was fiercely cold, but sunny and clear. We walked out on to the bridge as well, along with dozens of other people.
Europe is going euro-crazy. I wish Britain had joined as well; if you're going to be part of Europe then be part of it. Also, I think a lot of the anti-euro feeling comes from a particularly British nostalgia, a longing for the olden days of Empire. Well the empire's gone, get over it. Brits want to have all the benefits of Europe, that's why they joined the Common Market. But they're scared they'll lose their identity if they merge too much with Europe. I think that a) any merging that's going to happen is already well under way (caffe latte anyone? croissant?) and b) I don't see the French and Italians losing any of their identity.
When I say "Brits", it's mostly the English, of course. In general Scots are much more pro-Europe. Me too!
28 December 2001
I may not have mentioned that I didn't need a power cable after all. I don't know what the problem was, but I'm not having any trouble now. The (not very) nice man at PC World told me I didn't need one (they don't sell them) and that they only said in the manual that you do so that you'd buy one. Uh, ok.
I had intended to do loads of things today but ... I don't know. It was raining and cold and blah, so I took Bertie to Blackness for a seaside ramble and baked some bread and that was about it. I haven't baked bread for a while but was driven to it by the dire lack of choice once I finally made it to the shop. It came out ok, though the crust is always very thick on my loaves. I might try covering the tops with tinfoil next time.
There's a strong wind tonight, severe gale to storm force out at sea, so Bertie's a bit freaked. I took him down to the marina for the late-night pee run. Usually he bombs off chasing rabbits but tonight he tiptoed around boggle-eyed at all the clanging and whining rigging and flogging sails, and came rushing back to lean against my legs. In case I was scared, you know.
I had intended to do loads of things today but ... I don't know. It was raining and cold and blah, so I took Bertie to Blackness for a seaside ramble and baked some bread and that was about it. I haven't baked bread for a while but was driven to it by the dire lack of choice once I finally made it to the shop. It came out ok, though the crust is always very thick on my loaves. I might try covering the tops with tinfoil next time.
There's a strong wind tonight, severe gale to storm force out at sea, so Bertie's a bit freaked. I took him down to the marina for the late-night pee run. Usually he bombs off chasing rabbits but tonight he tiptoed around boggle-eyed at all the clanging and whining rigging and flogging sails, and came rushing back to lean against my legs. In case I was scared, you know.
26 December 2001
24 December 2001
23 December 2001
I blew all my lottery winnings on an instant gratification machine, ie a digital camera, only to find it's not as instantly gratifying as all that. It's a great camera, with all the bells and whistles, and I was loving it right up until the moment I tried to download the photos I'd taken on to my computer.
In small print deep in the manual I discovered that you need to plug the camera into the mains before you can attach it to a computer. And of course a power adaptor doesn't come with the camera.
Sigh.
So I raced round town this morning before work (early start due to being Foreign Ed) and everywhere was either closed or didn't have the adaptor in stock. HOW annoying! I'm hoping to get one tomorrow without having to trail all over the city -- it's my day off and I wasn't planning on doing any shopping -- so I'll be able to post a festive photo.
In small print deep in the manual I discovered that you need to plug the camera into the mains before you can attach it to a computer. And of course a power adaptor doesn't come with the camera.
Sigh.
So I raced round town this morning before work (early start due to being Foreign Ed) and everywhere was either closed or didn't have the adaptor in stock. HOW annoying! I'm hoping to get one tomorrow without having to trail all over the city -- it's my day off and I wasn't planning on doing any shopping -- so I'll be able to post a festive photo.
21 December 2001
Hurrah! I won the Lottery on Wednesday!
Only £10, but still --- wow! I won the Lottery!
In equally cheerful news, Wednesday was also the day the editor got the sack, to general rejoicing. The new editor will be the seventh I've worked under for this paper. Or is it eighth? Hard to keep track. Oh yes! It is the eighth -- I forgot one.
Another milestone on the road to Zimmer City: I'm old enough to be the new editor's mother. He's only 30.
Only £10, but still --- wow! I won the Lottery!
In equally cheerful news, Wednesday was also the day the editor got the sack, to general rejoicing. The new editor will be the seventh I've worked under for this paper. Or is it eighth? Hard to keep track. Oh yes! It is the eighth -- I forgot one.
Another milestone on the road to Zimmer City: I'm old enough to be the new editor's mother. He's only 30.
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