Before I begin the free-for-all, I want to pay tribute to a family member who passed away recently. Thor was full of life, but sudden ill health saw him rapidly deteriorate recently and he was humanely euthanised just short of his 14th birthday. He was the best dog a family (my in-laws) could ever have. OK, so Lassie was probably the best dog a family could ever have, but Thor came a very very close second. We'll miss you wagging your tail so hard it hit the side of chairs in the dining room, opening a flesh wound under the fur and leaving a bloody smear on everyone and everything you came to investigate for hours after. See you on the other side, big guy.
OK, serious stuff over. Time for the fun. Hey kids, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I mean it. The last two weeks it has snowed. A lot. I'm a poor English lad and all this American weather is still new to me. I'm still adjusting to the whole Fahrenheit-Celcius thing (18 degrees... convert it and it's either in the mid-sixties or eight degrees below zero). Don't get me on the subject of conversions... it's bad enough that my genius of a wife (and I mean that most sincerely, her IQ is over 130) sometimes doesn't know how many fluid ounces in a cup (8 fl.oz = 1 cup). How many rods are in a furlong, how many gills in a hogshead and how many grains in a pound? I have trouble remembering...
You'll go far in life if you said 40 rods, 2016 gills and 5760 grains.
You'd get further in life if you knew there were 1,000 grams to a kilogram, 10 centilitres to a litre and 100 centimetres to a metre and just adapted, America. Go on! 96% of the world's population manage just fine without knowing that there are 16 ounces in a pound and 14 pounds in a stone, and most of us can count in tens, hundreds and thousands right now! You already know what 2 litres looks like, after all... judging from the number of Vanilla Coke bottles I see in those shopping carts every weekend! Ho ho ho!
Seroius point on the subject, Americans: imagine if there were 12 cents to something called a 'shilling' and 20 shillings to a dollar. That's right kids, 240 cents to your dollar. There would be a new quarter-cent, half-cent, two-cent, three-cent and six-cent (half a shilling) coin. The nickel would become obsolete, the dime would be worth 24 cents, an old quarter would be called the five-shilling piece (60 cents) and the half-dollar would now be the ten-shilling (worth 120 cents).
If you had $2-1s-3c (two dollars, one shilling and three cents) and split it equally three ways, what would you all have? That's right, kids. A headache! The currency I have just explained isn't some far-fetched mental head-screw either... the pound-shilling-pence was the official currency system of Britain until 1971. The Beatles counted out their pound notes this way. No wonder John Lennon moved to the States.
Back to my life, now I've tried to convert you to the metric system. The Xmas shopping has been done, the house-hunting is on hold for now and tomorrow we go to see "The Return Of The King". I waited the length of "The Two Towers" before it dawned on me that Shelob's Lair would have to wait for another year. Have no idea who Shelob is? Read the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, your brain will thank you for it. I tried reading them after enjoying "The Hobbit" as a thirteen year-old and couldn't get into them at all. Beth got me to look at them anew a few years ago and I tore through them (and even finished "The Silmarillion" to boot). She has me reading the Harry Potter books now. I know that someone dies at the end of "The Order Of The Phoenix"... I don't know who it is yet, but I'm near the end of Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts so don't spoil it for me.
I would reveal what I got everyone for Christmas but they'd read this and have nothing to look forward to. So I'll save that for after the holidays.
Listen : The Bionic Jam - The Baldwin Brothers ... The Christmas Waltz - Frank Sinatra.
Friday, November 21, 2003
I must say a heart-wrenching "sorry" to the nice folks at the US Postal Service. Sorry, USPS.
It wasn't you that delayed the arrival of my CD burner. It was THE SELLER. Yes, I paid for something on eBay, and after it had failed to arrive after ten days I emailed the person doing the selling. I asked him when it was sent so I could guess when it would be arriving. He asked for my mailing address to confirm who I said I was (sensible I guess... except for the fact that I paid with PayPal and so he would HAVE my address already and the email came from the SAME PERSON...). Oh, he said in his email, I'm sorry but I forgot to ship it but I'll send it by Priority Mail. He had my f#�&ing money for two weeks at this stage and NOW decides to ship it?
He promised to ship it the next morning, on Friday the 14th. So I should have it now, right? When it didn't arrive on Wednesday the 19th I asked him if he had the validation number so I could check on the USPS Website. He gave me the number, and guess when he sent it? Yep. That's right. Wednesday the 19th. I paid for this thing by electronic transfer (that's what PayPal is) on Monday the 3rd and he sends it more than two weeks later. I don't even know if the validation number he gave me is for my purchase, either. It could be going ANYWHERE for all I know.
Ggggrrrrrrr. Oh, and sorry USPS.
Listen : Blowout - The Crystal Method.
It wasn't you that delayed the arrival of my CD burner. It was THE SELLER. Yes, I paid for something on eBay, and after it had failed to arrive after ten days I emailed the person doing the selling. I asked him when it was sent so I could guess when it would be arriving. He asked for my mailing address to confirm who I said I was (sensible I guess... except for the fact that I paid with PayPal and so he would HAVE my address already and the email came from the SAME PERSON...). Oh, he said in his email, I'm sorry but I forgot to ship it but I'll send it by Priority Mail. He had my f#�&ing money for two weeks at this stage and NOW decides to ship it?
He promised to ship it the next morning, on Friday the 14th. So I should have it now, right? When it didn't arrive on Wednesday the 19th I asked him if he had the validation number so I could check on the USPS Website. He gave me the number, and guess when he sent it? Yep. That's right. Wednesday the 19th. I paid for this thing by electronic transfer (that's what PayPal is) on Monday the 3rd and he sends it more than two weeks later. I don't even know if the validation number he gave me is for my purchase, either. It could be going ANYWHERE for all I know.
Ggggrrrrrrr. Oh, and sorry USPS.
Listen : Blowout - The Crystal Method.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
So, did we get the house? Erm... no. We were outbid (and the realtor wasn't at liberty to tell us by how much, but he did let slip that it was by a matter of a few hundred dollars).
Yes. A few hundred. Less than we pay for rent, and we could be in our own house. C'est la vie, I suppose.
We did look around another one recently. Just a quarter of a mile from the house we lost out on. It seemed perfect. Then came the sob story. The woman was selling because she and her kids were moving to South Carolina (quite a way away) but she wasn't moving just yet. She has a daughter in a local hospital and the buyer of the house would have to agree to have her, her biker boyfriend and her other two kids lodge in the house until "around May, possibly June next year". We don't know what's wrong with the daughter, but half a year in hospital? What if it takes longer than six months? What if she's in there for a year or two?
We also discovered (thanks to our insistence on looking at the declaration of sale) that there was a fire in the house a couple of years back. Her son was "playing with matches that were lying around" and caused enough damage that $47,000 worth of work was done on the house. This could be seen as a plus... the house is now certifiably stable and has electrics that are up-to-code... however, who wants to buy a house knowing that tbe little firestarter is still in the house and may decide to "play with matches" again once the house is in someone else's name? Obviously, we're not buying that house.
Beth's brother got married to his long time girlfriend on the 17th of October. It happened in Las Vegas and a bunch of us flew out there for a long weekend (Thursday to Sunday) to be there for the ceremony. I took the cheap digital camera (cheap, and it shows!) and used the pictures to make a little photo gallery for the happy couple. It also records the fun we had. Here are the photos (if you want to take a peek). There are around 50 pictures in there, so it could take you half an hour just to whistle through them and read the comments at the bottom of the pages. Making little web-sites like this is a lot of fun... well, it is for me.
Oh, and my latest eBay purchase should be here soon... a CD burner. Yay!!!
Listen : Absurd - Fluke.
Yes. A few hundred. Less than we pay for rent, and we could be in our own house. C'est la vie, I suppose.
We did look around another one recently. Just a quarter of a mile from the house we lost out on. It seemed perfect. Then came the sob story. The woman was selling because she and her kids were moving to South Carolina (quite a way away) but she wasn't moving just yet. She has a daughter in a local hospital and the buyer of the house would have to agree to have her, her biker boyfriend and her other two kids lodge in the house until "around May, possibly June next year". We don't know what's wrong with the daughter, but half a year in hospital? What if it takes longer than six months? What if she's in there for a year or two?
We also discovered (thanks to our insistence on looking at the declaration of sale) that there was a fire in the house a couple of years back. Her son was "playing with matches that were lying around" and caused enough damage that $47,000 worth of work was done on the house. This could be seen as a plus... the house is now certifiably stable and has electrics that are up-to-code... however, who wants to buy a house knowing that tbe little firestarter is still in the house and may decide to "play with matches" again once the house is in someone else's name? Obviously, we're not buying that house.
Beth's brother got married to his long time girlfriend on the 17th of October. It happened in Las Vegas and a bunch of us flew out there for a long weekend (Thursday to Sunday) to be there for the ceremony. I took the cheap digital camera (cheap, and it shows!) and used the pictures to make a little photo gallery for the happy couple. It also records the fun we had. Here are the photos (if you want to take a peek). There are around 50 pictures in there, so it could take you half an hour just to whistle through them and read the comments at the bottom of the pages. Making little web-sites like this is a lot of fun... well, it is for me.
Oh, and my latest eBay purchase should be here soon... a CD burner. Yay!!!
Listen : Absurd - Fluke.
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Hyperlife: when a lot of life's experiences are crammed in a very short period of time.
Welcome to our Hyperlife. Here's what has happened in the last few weeks, crammed into one very muddled paragraph. Hold on tight, here we go...
Coming back from Chincoteague after a week on the Virginia coast. Stopped at a rest-stop for leaflets for one of Beth's work collegues and =POP!=. Entire right leg locked up as I was getting back to the car. Ambulance came, suggested one of two hospitals that were on our way. One in Maryland catered for all the Ocean City accidents and we'd be there for five hours minimum. The one in Delaware is smaller and we'd be in and out in two hours. So we drove to the one in Delaware. Doctor in the ER was THE SPITTING IMAGE of Richard Dreyfuss. He popped the knee back into place for me. That face you just made... Beth made that face too when she heard it POP! back. Now I have a knee brace on and attend light physical therapy three times a week because the MRI (which took three hours) came up inconclusive. I had a really bad cold too, which was nice for a change.
Oh, and we've just put an offer in for a very nice three-bedroom ranch house in one of the nicest areas in town. When I say 'just', I mean just now. The realtor left to beat the 7pm deadline because a few people are bidding and the place has only been on the market since last week. We offered more than the asking price, so I really hope they accept our offer. So; we're waiting for a 'phonecall, probably tomorrow, and hopefully ours was the winning bid. Who knows, maybe Hurricane Isabel won't blow the house away when it hits the State in a day or two...
Listen : Rocking The Suburbs - Ben Folds.
Welcome to our Hyperlife. Here's what has happened in the last few weeks, crammed into one very muddled paragraph. Hold on tight, here we go...
Coming back from Chincoteague after a week on the Virginia coast. Stopped at a rest-stop for leaflets for one of Beth's work collegues and =POP!=. Entire right leg locked up as I was getting back to the car. Ambulance came, suggested one of two hospitals that were on our way. One in Maryland catered for all the Ocean City accidents and we'd be there for five hours minimum. The one in Delaware is smaller and we'd be in and out in two hours. So we drove to the one in Delaware. Doctor in the ER was THE SPITTING IMAGE of Richard Dreyfuss. He popped the knee back into place for me. That face you just made... Beth made that face too when she heard it POP! back. Now I have a knee brace on and attend light physical therapy three times a week because the MRI (which took three hours) came up inconclusive. I had a really bad cold too, which was nice for a change.
Oh, and we've just put an offer in for a very nice three-bedroom ranch house in one of the nicest areas in town. When I say 'just', I mean just now. The realtor left to beat the 7pm deadline because a few people are bidding and the place has only been on the market since last week. We offered more than the asking price, so I really hope they accept our offer. So; we're waiting for a 'phonecall, probably tomorrow, and hopefully ours was the winning bid. Who knows, maybe Hurricane Isabel won't blow the house away when it hits the State in a day or two...
Listen : Rocking The Suburbs - Ben Folds.
Saturday, August 09, 2003
Thursday wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. That is to say: it was better than going for a poo and having green Gatorade shoot out like I was a human Super-Soaker or something, which pretty-well sums up Wednesday afternoon and evening.
I turned up at the CMC with Geraldine (my mother-in-law) at 9am on Thursday and was told to go straight to the Gastro-intestinal Ward (I had given all my insurance details over the 'phone so there was no paperwork). The staff there were most helpful, telling me what the procedure would be. So I got undressed and put on a green observation smock (leaving on my watch, socks and a silver bracelet my dad gave me for my 21st birthday, as instructed). I had a saline IV put into my left hand and was then wheeled into the examination room.
The doctor explained the procedure again, I signed a waiver, and we were ready to roll. I was lying on my side, looking at my readouts (they had now hooked me up to an O2 sensor for molecular oxygen, ECG stickies were placed on my arm and chest for my pulse, and a blood pressure strap periodically squeezed my right arm). A syringe full of relaxant was introduced into the IV and I was told that I would feel a little detatched and relaxed. I took another look at that readout. Blood pressure at 125/80 (nice), pulse around 62 (nice too), oxygen reading at the tip of my finger at 100% (perfect)...
...a-a-and then the relaxant hit my brain. I raised my head slightly and said "whoo, I feel a little woozy now"...
...then ninety minutes passed and I woke up in different surroundings. "A little detatched and relaxed" my foot!
The doorway I came through was replaced by a curtain. I could see other beds. OK, I was in a recovery ward. I broke wind... they use compressed air in a colonoscopy and I was told to expect this. That's when I looked at my watch. A nurse approached me and asked if I'd like anything so I asked for a cup of tea with milk and sugar. My first taste of sugar in two days. I felt fine so I was allowed to dress and Geraldine took me to Wendy's for my first food in nearly 48 hours. I was woozy for the rest of the day. That part was GREAT!
So now I'll tell you what the doctor discovered. I have an internal hemerrhoid. Nothing serious or life-threatening, thankfully, and now I have to take these little Hydrocortisone Acetate things. Prescription name: Anusol. They feel waxy when you unwrap them and they melt at just below body temperature. They're bullet-shaped and I have to put them where the sun don't shine, in case you hadn't figured that out yet. It's a ...novel experience, it has to be said, and one I thought would be much worse. But then again, I was never the sort of person that put anything up their bottom as a kid so I didn't know what to expect. Once one is placed far enough inside, my body's natural systems takes over and they are drawn straight in like a dust-bunny into a vacuum cleaner. It makes sense if you think about it: your insides maintain less of an outward push than outside air pressure, otherwise your insides would fall out every time you went to the toilet!
So there we are. One more of life's experiences over and done with. There's a moral to this story too. If you have blood on your crap or on your toilet paper, see a doctor. It may be nothing to worry about. Then again, it may save your life. If this rather embarrasing day's post saves just one person's life then it has done its job.
Listen: Jerry Was A Race Car Driver - Primus.
I turned up at the CMC with Geraldine (my mother-in-law) at 9am on Thursday and was told to go straight to the Gastro-intestinal Ward (I had given all my insurance details over the 'phone so there was no paperwork). The staff there were most helpful, telling me what the procedure would be. So I got undressed and put on a green observation smock (leaving on my watch, socks and a silver bracelet my dad gave me for my 21st birthday, as instructed). I had a saline IV put into my left hand and was then wheeled into the examination room.
The doctor explained the procedure again, I signed a waiver, and we were ready to roll. I was lying on my side, looking at my readouts (they had now hooked me up to an O2 sensor for molecular oxygen, ECG stickies were placed on my arm and chest for my pulse, and a blood pressure strap periodically squeezed my right arm). A syringe full of relaxant was introduced into the IV and I was told that I would feel a little detatched and relaxed. I took another look at that readout. Blood pressure at 125/80 (nice), pulse around 62 (nice too), oxygen reading at the tip of my finger at 100% (perfect)...
...a-a-and then the relaxant hit my brain. I raised my head slightly and said "whoo, I feel a little woozy now"...
...then ninety minutes passed and I woke up in different surroundings. "A little detatched and relaxed" my foot!
The doorway I came through was replaced by a curtain. I could see other beds. OK, I was in a recovery ward. I broke wind... they use compressed air in a colonoscopy and I was told to expect this. That's when I looked at my watch. A nurse approached me and asked if I'd like anything so I asked for a cup of tea with milk and sugar. My first taste of sugar in two days. I felt fine so I was allowed to dress and Geraldine took me to Wendy's for my first food in nearly 48 hours. I was woozy for the rest of the day. That part was GREAT!
So now I'll tell you what the doctor discovered. I have an internal hemerrhoid. Nothing serious or life-threatening, thankfully, and now I have to take these little Hydrocortisone Acetate things. Prescription name: Anusol. They feel waxy when you unwrap them and they melt at just below body temperature. They're bullet-shaped and I have to put them where the sun don't shine, in case you hadn't figured that out yet. It's a ...novel experience, it has to be said, and one I thought would be much worse. But then again, I was never the sort of person that put anything up their bottom as a kid so I didn't know what to expect. Once one is placed far enough inside, my body's natural systems takes over and they are drawn straight in like a dust-bunny into a vacuum cleaner. It makes sense if you think about it: your insides maintain less of an outward push than outside air pressure, otherwise your insides would fall out every time you went to the toilet!
So there we are. One more of life's experiences over and done with. There's a moral to this story too. If you have blood on your crap or on your toilet paper, see a doctor. It may be nothing to worry about. Then again, it may save your life. If this rather embarrasing day's post saves just one person's life then it has done its job.
Listen: Jerry Was A Race Car Driver - Primus.
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
I really should keep this bloody thing updated. In the time I've been otherwise occupied I've missed commenting on a war in Iraq, Kobe Bryant's penchance for the "tradesman's entrance" and the lousiest summer North Americans can remember. Meanwhile, they're dying of heatstroke all over Europe. And I thought I had escaped dreary summers by moving from England.
What I do have to talk about is football (translation: soccer) and arses (translation: asses). Some might voice the opinion that they're one and the same. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, even if it's wrong.
To borrow some words from the band Gomez... "once upon a time, not so long ago, we took a day out in Manchester". Not exactly. We took a day out to see Manchester. Manchester United toured the States and we saw them beat Barcelona 3-1 in Philadelphia's new Lincoln Financial Field. A name they'll hope won't get dragged down the same alley-way as Enron Field. Then our car was almost rammed by some snob in a Lexus SUV and we thought we were going to get lost in the wilderness that is New Jersey (motto: you lookin' at me?) during our detour. As it turns out, we missed a lot of traffic by driving on the other side of the Delaware River.
I just re-read my last post (in MARCH!) and I forgot to mention the Yankees game. David Wells was pitching against the Toronto Blue Jays, and we lost. And the weather was awful. Again. But it was a good day out for all concerned so it all worked out in the end.
Speaking of the end: arses. Tomorrow is a rather interesting day for me because I'm going to get a colon exam. Yes, as my American friends and work collegues would say, I'm "gonna get my ass reamed". The reason: blood on my toilet paper that has me worried sick about colorectal cancer. I haven't eaten anything since 7pm last night (21 hours ago or so) and now I'm drinking a mixture of Gatorade and laxative powder. One 8-fluid-ounce (200ml) glass every fifteen minutes until this two litre bottle of Lime-flavoured stuff is gone. I took two Dulcolax tablets already this morning and my BM has the consistency/smell/appearence of a herd of camels. I had chicken broth for lunch and a bowl of jelly (translation: Jello) for later.
Things can only get better after I wake up from the anaesthesia tomorrow. Then I get to eat chewable food for the first time in 42 hours. Joy! Maybe we'll find a house, 'cos we're STILL LOOKING!
Why don't I tell you what happens tomorrow when I'm up to it?
Listen: 2+2=5 - Radiohead ... Crazy Beat - Blur ... Whippin' Piccadilly - Gomez
What I do have to talk about is football (translation: soccer) and arses (translation: asses). Some might voice the opinion that they're one and the same. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, even if it's wrong.
To borrow some words from the band Gomez... "once upon a time, not so long ago, we took a day out in Manchester". Not exactly. We took a day out to see Manchester. Manchester United toured the States and we saw them beat Barcelona 3-1 in Philadelphia's new Lincoln Financial Field. A name they'll hope won't get dragged down the same alley-way as Enron Field. Then our car was almost rammed by some snob in a Lexus SUV and we thought we were going to get lost in the wilderness that is New Jersey (motto: you lookin' at me?) during our detour. As it turns out, we missed a lot of traffic by driving on the other side of the Delaware River.
I just re-read my last post (in MARCH!) and I forgot to mention the Yankees game. David Wells was pitching against the Toronto Blue Jays, and we lost. And the weather was awful. Again. But it was a good day out for all concerned so it all worked out in the end.
Speaking of the end: arses. Tomorrow is a rather interesting day for me because I'm going to get a colon exam. Yes, as my American friends and work collegues would say, I'm "gonna get my ass reamed". The reason: blood on my toilet paper that has me worried sick about colorectal cancer. I haven't eaten anything since 7pm last night (21 hours ago or so) and now I'm drinking a mixture of Gatorade and laxative powder. One 8-fluid-ounce (200ml) glass every fifteen minutes until this two litre bottle of Lime-flavoured stuff is gone. I took two Dulcolax tablets already this morning and my BM has the consistency/smell/appearence of a herd of camels. I had chicken broth for lunch and a bowl of jelly (translation: Jello) for later.
Things can only get better after I wake up from the anaesthesia tomorrow. Then I get to eat chewable food for the first time in 42 hours. Joy! Maybe we'll find a house, 'cos we're STILL LOOKING!
Why don't I tell you what happens tomorrow when I'm up to it?
Listen: 2+2=5 - Radiohead ... Crazy Beat - Blur ... Whippin' Piccadilly - Gomez
Sunday, March 23, 2003
Once again, I've neglected keeping up with keeping in touch with the world.
First of all, there was the snow. Since Christmas Day, we've had snow at least once every three days until the beginning of March. There was even a heavy storm a few days before the St. Patrick's Day drinking but thankfully the weather warmed up a bit.
I mentioned going back to night-school to take classes in web design. I've been messing with HTML for a few years now so I've already been on top of what we've covered so far. Standard site layout, nesting content in tables, working with different image types and so on. This Tuesday we'll be doing something called CSS (which I already use up to a point in my pages) but I am learning loads of shortcuts and explanations as to what makes a seemingly good website not fit into the design you gave it (and how to correct it). I've also signed up for a Flash animation class so I can make those outstanding graphics.
Speaking of which, the marketing manager at work asked if I could do a template for a new look for our business site. I'm working on it now. This may be a career switch for me... I won't complain if it is because it's something I enjoy doing.
Big shout out to Matt and Helen back in the UK, who got married and are both now somewhere exotic on their honeymoon. Sorry again that I couldn't make it to the wedding. Hope you spend the £50-worth of vouchers irresponsibly! I met Matt in a place called Pages' Bar in London, and I could be wrong but I think that the two of us were dressed in Star Trek costumes at the time.
Yes, we really were that sad.
Still househunting. It's a pain to see what you think's an ideal house from the outside, only to find the seller moved a few walls around and now the front room is 8 foot wide and 30 foot long as a result. I dare say it's only a matter of time before we get a decent house in a decent neighbourhood for a decent price. We spent the better part of Saturday going around the Home Depot, pricing up everything from fencing to kitchen cupboard layouts. Just in case our dream home has a nightmare garden or kitchen.
This year is going to be good for sporting events. We have tickets for the Manchester United -v- FC Barcelona exhibition game in Philadelphia and we're before that we're going to see the New York Yankees at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. Footie and baseball. Nnnnice.
I will try to update sooner. Promise!
Listen : Ready Steady Go - Oakenfold.
First of all, there was the snow. Since Christmas Day, we've had snow at least once every three days until the beginning of March. There was even a heavy storm a few days before the St. Patrick's Day drinking but thankfully the weather warmed up a bit.
I mentioned going back to night-school to take classes in web design. I've been messing with HTML for a few years now so I've already been on top of what we've covered so far. Standard site layout, nesting content in tables, working with different image types and so on. This Tuesday we'll be doing something called CSS (which I already use up to a point in my pages) but I am learning loads of shortcuts and explanations as to what makes a seemingly good website not fit into the design you gave it (and how to correct it). I've also signed up for a Flash animation class so I can make those outstanding graphics.
Speaking of which, the marketing manager at work asked if I could do a template for a new look for our business site. I'm working on it now. This may be a career switch for me... I won't complain if it is because it's something I enjoy doing.
Big shout out to Matt and Helen back in the UK, who got married and are both now somewhere exotic on their honeymoon. Sorry again that I couldn't make it to the wedding. Hope you spend the £50-worth of vouchers irresponsibly! I met Matt in a place called Pages' Bar in London, and I could be wrong but I think that the two of us were dressed in Star Trek costumes at the time.
Yes, we really were that sad.
Still househunting. It's a pain to see what you think's an ideal house from the outside, only to find the seller moved a few walls around and now the front room is 8 foot wide and 30 foot long as a result. I dare say it's only a matter of time before we get a decent house in a decent neighbourhood for a decent price. We spent the better part of Saturday going around the Home Depot, pricing up everything from fencing to kitchen cupboard layouts. Just in case our dream home has a nightmare garden or kitchen.
This year is going to be good for sporting events. We have tickets for the Manchester United -v- FC Barcelona exhibition game in Philadelphia and we're before that we're going to see the New York Yankees at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. Footie and baseball. Nnnnice.
I will try to update sooner. Promise!
Listen : Ready Steady Go - Oakenfold.
Friday, January 31, 2003
I've spent the last week on one website. It's exciting, interactive and time-consuming.
eBay.
No, I didn't just hit a few keys in the wrong order. That was it. eBay.
For those of you who have never been on the site, let me sum it up for you. It is, with no sense of hyperbole intended, The Mother of all jumble sales, yard sales, garage sales, car-boot sales, house clearances and charity free-for-alls.
I've heard a few stories about eBayers, the people that frequent the site as sellers or buyers... one person collected novelty lunch boxes for years. This person had invested the better part of a decade searching for an A-Team lunchbox that had the black van on it. A decade. Ten minutes on eBay and he decided to give up the collecting, simply because there were half a dozen people at that moment selling their A-Team lunchbox to the highest bidder. Seeing as most auctions on the site last for a week, so there'd probably be a few hundred of them up for sale a year, he decided his unattainable goal was too easy to acquire after all.
I have a similar story, in the form of a pristine 1978 Star Wars annual book (issue #1) that I bought from a jumble sale stall at Huntingdon racecourse. I thought maybe the thing was rare because... well; it was two decades old, designed specifically as a young child's Christmas present, and was begging to be scrawled in. I went on eBay and there they were. Dozens of them. All pristine. So much for uniqueness. At least I only paid 50 pence (80 US cents) for mine.
It's not just for 1970's kitsch either. I was recently looking to buy a PCI video card for our old G3 Mac computer (made before AGP video cards were thought of). The buying frenzy every time one comes up for sale would astound you. There are brand new ones for sale for $99, yet people will buy ones that are four years old for nearly that price. The older cards have a quarter the computing power of the newer cards, but that doesn't matter. Once you get two people that have their hearts set on something, a bidding war can start. In a matter of hours, a $20 object has bids for $50. People must take note, TO THE SECOND, when the auction is going to end because they'll hyper-bid with twenty seconds to go. I've seen the 'Bid History' on things go haywire. Just this week, a USB/FireWire add-on card for home PCs price went up 50% in the final minute as lounge lizard buyers pounced on what they thought was a low price.
Seriously, take a look at the site. Even if you don't buy anything, it's nice to see what folks are in the market for.
Listen: Edge Of No Control (Part One) - Meat Beat Manifesto.
eBay.
No, I didn't just hit a few keys in the wrong order. That was it. eBay.
For those of you who have never been on the site, let me sum it up for you. It is, with no sense of hyperbole intended, The Mother of all jumble sales, yard sales, garage sales, car-boot sales, house clearances and charity free-for-alls.
I've heard a few stories about eBayers, the people that frequent the site as sellers or buyers... one person collected novelty lunch boxes for years. This person had invested the better part of a decade searching for an A-Team lunchbox that had the black van on it. A decade. Ten minutes on eBay and he decided to give up the collecting, simply because there were half a dozen people at that moment selling their A-Team lunchbox to the highest bidder. Seeing as most auctions on the site last for a week, so there'd probably be a few hundred of them up for sale a year, he decided his unattainable goal was too easy to acquire after all.
I have a similar story, in the form of a pristine 1978 Star Wars annual book (issue #1) that I bought from a jumble sale stall at Huntingdon racecourse. I thought maybe the thing was rare because... well; it was two decades old, designed specifically as a young child's Christmas present, and was begging to be scrawled in. I went on eBay and there they were. Dozens of them. All pristine. So much for uniqueness. At least I only paid 50 pence (80 US cents) for mine.
It's not just for 1970's kitsch either. I was recently looking to buy a PCI video card for our old G3 Mac computer (made before AGP video cards were thought of). The buying frenzy every time one comes up for sale would astound you. There are brand new ones for sale for $99, yet people will buy ones that are four years old for nearly that price. The older cards have a quarter the computing power of the newer cards, but that doesn't matter. Once you get two people that have their hearts set on something, a bidding war can start. In a matter of hours, a $20 object has bids for $50. People must take note, TO THE SECOND, when the auction is going to end because they'll hyper-bid with twenty seconds to go. I've seen the 'Bid History' on things go haywire. Just this week, a USB/FireWire add-on card for home PCs price went up 50% in the final minute as lounge lizard buyers pounced on what they thought was a low price.
Seriously, take a look at the site. Even if you don't buy anything, it's nice to see what folks are in the market for.
Listen: Edge Of No Control (Part One) - Meat Beat Manifesto.
Monday, January 20, 2003
This weblog is becoming more of an irregular thing than a regular thing. I have so much to cover.
This is a mild winter, so we were told before it began. El Ni?o, and all that. Christmas began with a foot of snow, which blew that theory clean out of the water. I was hoping for a DVD player and got one, but not on Christmas morning. I did get a load of Yankees clothes (can't wait for summer, and baseball, and daylight until bedtime). A CD-player which can play mp3 encoded stuff (handy for when we get a CD-RW) and a cordless drill, amongst other things. Which included four DVDs from work. That settled it; we went out and bought a $90 player. If you don't have one, here's a piece of advice. Get one. The quality over VHS, even on an older TV with only one spare set of AV inputs, is staggering.
New Year's Eve saw us wrapped up nice and warm. This mild winter gave us another foot of snow then too. My 33rd birthday came and went (I'm really 33... I don't feel as old as I imagined when I was much younger) and now it's almost a month since the whole holiday shebang started for us and there's no sign of this mild winter yet. We have two months of it to go, so it's early days I suppose.
Went to see Bent Blue again during the cold snap. They were a lot better than they were at their 'Red Room' set, even belting out songs like "Just" by Radiohead and "Lucky Man" by The Verve. Nice mid-to-late-90s British songs. Made me feel right at home. They're currently doing a West Coast tour, so maybe they'll hit the big time.
Work evaluation's coming up. After nearly fifteen years in a union job in England, I have no idea what to expect from an American work-talk. I did recently put in a bucketload of overtime and impressed people with my handling of a recent system crash. I hope that gives me a nice pay increase. I'll find out in the next few weeks.
Been working on the website again. The link is to the left. Completely overhauled the look, using a template design I downloaded (then altered beyond recognition). Added some CSS code to make text light up when you go to click on links. Looks quite snazzy. Give it a visit, sign the guestbook, thankyewverymuch!
The whole web design thing got me thinking that my talents are wasted. So I've signed up for courses at the local University. Macromedia web design. Hopefully, it'll lead to something with better pay and a more relaxed work environment. It starts in March, so I'll keep the 'blog posted.
Listen: New Dress - Depeche Mode.
This is a mild winter, so we were told before it began. El Ni?o, and all that. Christmas began with a foot of snow, which blew that theory clean out of the water. I was hoping for a DVD player and got one, but not on Christmas morning. I did get a load of Yankees clothes (can't wait for summer, and baseball, and daylight until bedtime). A CD-player which can play mp3 encoded stuff (handy for when we get a CD-RW) and a cordless drill, amongst other things. Which included four DVDs from work. That settled it; we went out and bought a $90 player. If you don't have one, here's a piece of advice. Get one. The quality over VHS, even on an older TV with only one spare set of AV inputs, is staggering.
New Year's Eve saw us wrapped up nice and warm. This mild winter gave us another foot of snow then too. My 33rd birthday came and went (I'm really 33... I don't feel as old as I imagined when I was much younger) and now it's almost a month since the whole holiday shebang started for us and there's no sign of this mild winter yet. We have two months of it to go, so it's early days I suppose.
Went to see Bent Blue again during the cold snap. They were a lot better than they were at their 'Red Room' set, even belting out songs like "Just" by Radiohead and "Lucky Man" by The Verve. Nice mid-to-late-90s British songs. Made me feel right at home. They're currently doing a West Coast tour, so maybe they'll hit the big time.
Work evaluation's coming up. After nearly fifteen years in a union job in England, I have no idea what to expect from an American work-talk. I did recently put in a bucketload of overtime and impressed people with my handling of a recent system crash. I hope that gives me a nice pay increase. I'll find out in the next few weeks.
Been working on the website again. The link is to the left. Completely overhauled the look, using a template design I downloaded (then altered beyond recognition). Added some CSS code to make text light up when you go to click on links. Looks quite snazzy. Give it a visit, sign the guestbook, thankyewverymuch!
The whole web design thing got me thinking that my talents are wasted. So I've signed up for courses at the local University. Macromedia web design. Hopefully, it'll lead to something with better pay and a more relaxed work environment. It starts in March, so I'll keep the 'blog posted.
Listen: New Dress - Depeche Mode.
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