I'm not exactly what you'd call the poster boy for Green issues. I drive, which is something the environmentalists will succeed in banning sooner or later, plus I've managed to avoid the craze of energy saving stuff. I leave my PC on all day, taking care not to leave Messenger running on it seeing as MSN seems to be developing a habit of signing in all on its own. At least my PC's running the BOINC program on it, which means at any one time it's helping medical research, looking for aliens or running climate models.
The anti-green is changing a little though - I'm down to my last spare lightbulb in my living room, which means energy saving lightbulb ! Comes to something when you have to go green cos you don't know if you're going to be able to buy normal stuff.
The next step might be to get a bike ... Part of the environmentalist lobby's not very devious plan is to ban cars by not allowing them to park anywhere. In the next couple of years, I may have to start paying to drive near my work place. Well - after a month or six, the cash spent on a bike will start to be less than what parking would be clocking up.
Gotta run - the Wow people are calling me !
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Catching up
Trying to catch up at the moment. I watch a little too much telly, which gets a little easier now because NCIS has got to the end of its rerun on FX. The list is :
House - 5 a week
Torchwood - 1 a week
UFO - 2 a week, although this is another one that's finished its re-run
Space 1999 - 1 a week
Atlantis - 1 a week
Jericho - 1 a week
That's a little too much telly, so I'm starting to try and make a dent in it while not logging back into Wow. There was a chance to hit one of the instances today but people didn't seem to be going for it an hour ago, so I'm catching up on the telly instead. Telly's not too healthy but playing on the pooter is even less healthy. I need to get out more.
Last night's Warhammer was fun, although our GM Aginoth proved yet again that he can be truly eeeevil. There were a couple of "ok - everyone but him leave the room please" moments last night, which is how the GM passes on critical information that the other players can't know until later. It usually leads to sideways looks between the other players, associated with general "ok - how painfully is that one going to die ..." thoughts.
If this is followed by the player going through the phases of rolling up a new character, then you start wondering if there's any collateral damage happening to the dead-but-we-don't-actually-know-it-yet character. The character did actually survive - but the player had about an hour thinking that he'd be getting a new one.
Quite happy with the way my boy Leopold is doing, he's easy to play cos I can play him as a wide eyed kiddy which is precisely what he is. He's learning though. I getting to like the Warhammer system more too, the more exposure I get to it. It seems to make much more sense as a combat system than the DnD and Vampire systems. There's not much magic but that helps to keep it nicely rooted in something near to "reality".
House - 5 a week
Torchwood - 1 a week
UFO - 2 a week, although this is another one that's finished its re-run
Space 1999 - 1 a week
Atlantis - 1 a week
Jericho - 1 a week
That's a little too much telly, so I'm starting to try and make a dent in it while not logging back into Wow. There was a chance to hit one of the instances today but people didn't seem to be going for it an hour ago, so I'm catching up on the telly instead. Telly's not too healthy but playing on the pooter is even less healthy. I need to get out more.
Last night's Warhammer was fun, although our GM Aginoth proved yet again that he can be truly eeeevil. There were a couple of "ok - everyone but him leave the room please" moments last night, which is how the GM passes on critical information that the other players can't know until later. It usually leads to sideways looks between the other players, associated with general "ok - how painfully is that one going to die ..." thoughts.
If this is followed by the player going through the phases of rolling up a new character, then you start wondering if there's any collateral damage happening to the dead-but-we-don't-actually-know-it-yet character. The character did actually survive - but the player had about an hour thinking that he'd be getting a new one.
Quite happy with the way my boy Leopold is doing, he's easy to play cos I can play him as a wide eyed kiddy which is precisely what he is. He's learning though. I getting to like the Warhammer system more too, the more exposure I get to it. It seems to make much more sense as a combat system than the DnD and Vampire systems. There's not much magic but that helps to keep it nicely rooted in something near to "reality".
Monday, February 04, 2008
Force of Nature
Just had one of those "erm - Sleepy, you should probably look outside at the fence in your garden" emails ...
The wind wasn't too bad for driving in, didn't see many lorries having trouble but it's exposed even more of the cowboy antics of the builders I had in ages ago to turn my garden into something maintenance free. Looks like I be buying some bigga nailz soon ... Fence panel is fine but the nails weren't up to the job. Plus I'll have a few years worth of greenery to clear before putting the panel up again.
I think I need a Machete. And some Napalm would be useful too. Glad I have an understanding neighbour :-)
Will have to peek at the sky dish too - it's not receiving all the channels it should, plus recordings have a tendency to jump and skip a bit.
Warhammer gaming tonight - should be good fun. Just finishing up my dinner before heading over there.
The wind wasn't too bad for driving in, didn't see many lorries having trouble but it's exposed even more of the cowboy antics of the builders I had in ages ago to turn my garden into something maintenance free. Looks like I be buying some bigga nailz soon ... Fence panel is fine but the nails weren't up to the job. Plus I'll have a few years worth of greenery to clear before putting the panel up again.
I think I need a Machete. And some Napalm would be useful too. Glad I have an understanding neighbour :-)
Will have to peek at the sky dish too - it's not receiving all the channels it should, plus recordings have a tendency to jump and skip a bit.
Warhammer gaming tonight - should be good fun. Just finishing up my dinner before heading over there.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
It be damp in them thar hills ...
Weekend at mum's and dad's for me this one, I just got back and am settling in front of the telly for the superbowl. And I'm trying to reconcile having no clock under the telly. My "clock" has been pressed back into service as a video for my nan as she broke hers and the replacement my mum & dad had was too smart and wouldn't work. So my nan has mine, which is a nice and stupid £99 one that I've had for years. It got its redundancy notice when I got me a Sky Plus box.
Was surprised by the roads this weekend, apart from one or two road closures, the roads were nearly empty. I do tend to travel in the evening though, so all the nutters tend to be clear before I hit the road. And road closures don't affect you too much if you have a satnav to babysit you. Weather was clear over in Lincolnshire but went very damp down the M5. Nothing dangerous but damp.
Friday night - got mugged by the dog. My parents only have one dog now, we had to say farewell to Charlie last year because old age was making his life a misery. If a dog can't even get in and out of his chair because his legs don't work right and goes "do I have to?" when it's walk time, then it's time to think about letting them pass on. Charlie's hunting wabbits and cats now and has willing slaves throwing balls for him to run after and bring back, he's in a happier place. We definitely miss him though.
Ben's seeming to gather neuroses though. He didn't have a very good christmas due to being stressed out. We had Xmas at my sister's place this year, which is definitely out of Ben the Staffy's comfort zone. He's a lovely dog is Ben, he just stresses when he doesn't need to.
New toys this weekend - my sister got one of the FM transmitter things that let you connect an iPod or MP3 player up to a car radio. I've had one for around a year now, sister's had to catch up there because her car cd player is bust.
Had a case of deja vu last night, the head waitress at the pub we had dinner at was very much like our IT Girl. Just rather larger than our pixie. Same bounce and good humour though. (Must not stare at waitresses!)
PS 598 tracks, 1.6 days music listened to over past fortnight.
PS2 England let the Welsh win. Been a while since I've seen a worse case of a game being thrown.
Was surprised by the roads this weekend, apart from one or two road closures, the roads were nearly empty. I do tend to travel in the evening though, so all the nutters tend to be clear before I hit the road. And road closures don't affect you too much if you have a satnav to babysit you. Weather was clear over in Lincolnshire but went very damp down the M5. Nothing dangerous but damp.
Friday night - got mugged by the dog. My parents only have one dog now, we had to say farewell to Charlie last year because old age was making his life a misery. If a dog can't even get in and out of his chair because his legs don't work right and goes "do I have to?" when it's walk time, then it's time to think about letting them pass on. Charlie's hunting wabbits and cats now and has willing slaves throwing balls for him to run after and bring back, he's in a happier place. We definitely miss him though.
Ben's seeming to gather neuroses though. He didn't have a very good christmas due to being stressed out. We had Xmas at my sister's place this year, which is definitely out of Ben the Staffy's comfort zone. He's a lovely dog is Ben, he just stresses when he doesn't need to.
New toys this weekend - my sister got one of the FM transmitter things that let you connect an iPod or MP3 player up to a car radio. I've had one for around a year now, sister's had to catch up there because her car cd player is bust.
Had a case of deja vu last night, the head waitress at the pub we had dinner at was very much like our IT Girl. Just rather larger than our pixie. Same bounce and good humour though. (Must not stare at waitresses!)
PS 598 tracks, 1.6 days music listened to over past fortnight.
PS2 England let the Welsh win. Been a while since I've seen a worse case of a game being thrown.
Friday, February 01, 2008
If vegetarians eat veg, then what do humanitarians eat ?
Saw that on someone's MSN just now as their daily comment and it made me grin. So I stole it :-).
I'm doing something tonight which might not be that wise. I'll be driving up to my mum's and dad's place. It was my dad's 65th birthday a few days ago, so it'll be good to go see them. My sister's managed to get the weekend free too. That reminds me, I must remove my lounge clock from where it's plugged in, it'll be getting pressed back into service as a video recorder for my nan.
We waved goodbye to someone on the project today, charming bloke called Dick who retires today. He's worked at my place longer than me and well and truly earned all the tributes he got today. We're still keeping going a tradition of giving people who leave a certificate, which is a custom job tailored specifically for the person who is moving on. I have great fun grabbing ideas from the team for juicy bits of info to put in the certificate.
I'm currently listening to iTunes, with 91 songs lasting 6.1 hours in the playlist. I have a few hours before I start the 180 mile drive, so I'm having a listen to the best tracks that are due to fall off the Recently Played list over the weekend. My party shuffle list usually has 20 upcoming songs on, so there's lots to get through. There's a small matter of 2x Led Zep cds and possibly a Catatonia cd to go on there too.
More over the weekend. Itunes - 589 songs, 1.6 days over past fortnight.
I'm doing something tonight which might not be that wise. I'll be driving up to my mum's and dad's place. It was my dad's 65th birthday a few days ago, so it'll be good to go see them. My sister's managed to get the weekend free too. That reminds me, I must remove my lounge clock from where it's plugged in, it'll be getting pressed back into service as a video recorder for my nan.
We waved goodbye to someone on the project today, charming bloke called Dick who retires today. He's worked at my place longer than me and well and truly earned all the tributes he got today. We're still keeping going a tradition of giving people who leave a certificate, which is a custom job tailored specifically for the person who is moving on. I have great fun grabbing ideas from the team for juicy bits of info to put in the certificate.
I'm currently listening to iTunes, with 91 songs lasting 6.1 hours in the playlist. I have a few hours before I start the 180 mile drive, so I'm having a listen to the best tracks that are due to fall off the Recently Played list over the weekend. My party shuffle list usually has 20 upcoming songs on, so there's lots to get through. There's a small matter of 2x Led Zep cds and possibly a Catatonia cd to go on there too.
More over the weekend. Itunes - 589 songs, 1.6 days over past fortnight.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday Thirteen
First one of these for 18 months - let's see what I've been up to :
1 - I look after money in the project now. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Although people seem to think I'm doing ok with it.
2 - Still single. But I have the Crazies around to keep dragging me off to cinema and Crazieparties.
3 - Wow people sent me nuts. Left Wow. Went back to Wow. Left Wow. Upset various people in Wow (World of Warcraft) including a friend from a very long time.
4 - Sorted things out with people in Wow, came back. Had some fun times :-) And my friend lets me take the mickey out of him again.
5 - Still chasing the girls. I think one or two may still be chasing me for some reason. But I don't think the one I'd like to notice actually does notice.
6 - Not played cricket. Which I'm taking as kinda significant because I've always played at least one game in a summer. Even with the dislocated shoulder 10 years ago.
7 - Still experiencing the pain from the various injuries, even though I've not done much to break stuff. But I don't let it get the better of me, there's a heap of people around in a much worse state than me and they can handle it, so why should I buckle under when it's just aches n pains ?
8 - Discovered House and NCIS. NCIS is the better of the two because of the character interplay but House is still worth watching.
9 - Got bought an iPod. My iTunes library has grown to include over 100 cds, with 3 more to come in. Thinking of adding a "listened to xxx songs lasting xx hours" grabbed from iTunes's Recently Played as comments on each blog entry. My iPod has replaced the cd's in the car too.
10 - I've had 3 different line managers and managed to break one of them after just 6 weeks. I need stronger toys.
11 - Tried Eve online again, lasted a year before getting bored. Went back in again, got prevented from playing due to another corporation declaring war on us.
12 - Need to read more books. RSI doesn't tend to hurt a book reader, plus it keeps you away from popcorn cos the butter on the popcorn makes the pages go sticky.
13 - Over the past fortnight, I've listened to 603 different music tracks lasting 1.6 days.
1 - I look after money in the project now. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Although people seem to think I'm doing ok with it.
2 - Still single. But I have the Crazies around to keep dragging me off to cinema and Crazieparties.
3 - Wow people sent me nuts. Left Wow. Went back to Wow. Left Wow. Upset various people in Wow (World of Warcraft) including a friend from a very long time.
4 - Sorted things out with people in Wow, came back. Had some fun times :-) And my friend lets me take the mickey out of him again.
5 - Still chasing the girls. I think one or two may still be chasing me for some reason. But I don't think the one I'd like to notice actually does notice.
6 - Not played cricket. Which I'm taking as kinda significant because I've always played at least one game in a summer. Even with the dislocated shoulder 10 years ago.
7 - Still experiencing the pain from the various injuries, even though I've not done much to break stuff. But I don't let it get the better of me, there's a heap of people around in a much worse state than me and they can handle it, so why should I buckle under when it's just aches n pains ?
8 - Discovered House and NCIS. NCIS is the better of the two because of the character interplay but House is still worth watching.
9 - Got bought an iPod. My iTunes library has grown to include over 100 cds, with 3 more to come in. Thinking of adding a "listened to xxx songs lasting xx hours" grabbed from iTunes's Recently Played as comments on each blog entry. My iPod has replaced the cd's in the car too.
10 - I've had 3 different line managers and managed to break one of them after just 6 weeks. I need stronger toys.
11 - Tried Eve online again, lasted a year before getting bored. Went back in again, got prevented from playing due to another corporation declaring war on us.
12 - Need to read more books. RSI doesn't tend to hurt a book reader, plus it keeps you away from popcorn cos the butter on the popcorn makes the pages go sticky.
13 - Over the past fortnight, I've listened to 603 different music tracks lasting 1.6 days.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Reactivation
It's been a while ... About 18 months since I last posted anything here.
I've been putting stuff here : VR blog for a while but I've gotten a little uncomfortable about posting more stuff there as I've never actually been a part of that guild ... I had a chance to be but in the end, I couldn't leave the Mercs.
Why have I kicked off the blog again ? I guess my January itchy fingers have pushed me towards wanting to tap stuff into a diary again. I seem to get itchy fingers around January time every year, it'll often manifest as me getting new games, poking them for a week or so and then putting them down again, never to be picked up again. This time it's a Golden Oldie - Baldur's Gate 2. Had that for ages, never got as far into it as it deserves.
Will use a Thursday Thirteen tomorrow as a devious way of compressing 18 months into something that'll only take a minute to scan !
I've been putting stuff here : VR blog for a while but I've gotten a little uncomfortable about posting more stuff there as I've never actually been a part of that guild ... I had a chance to be but in the end, I couldn't leave the Mercs.
Why have I kicked off the blog again ? I guess my January itchy fingers have pushed me towards wanting to tap stuff into a diary again. I seem to get itchy fingers around January time every year, it'll often manifest as me getting new games, poking them for a week or so and then putting them down again, never to be picked up again. This time it's a Golden Oldie - Baldur's Gate 2. Had that for ages, never got as far into it as it deserves.
Will use a Thursday Thirteen tomorrow as a devious way of compressing 18 months into something that'll only take a minute to scan !
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Ok, not done one of these for quite a while so here goes :
Thirteen things about people ...
1. Some people you love, some you adore, some you trust, some you hate.
2. We're lucky to have the communication abilities that let us find friends.
3. Friends pick you up when you're down and share in your successes.
4. People can do horrible things, I'm so glad that the terror plot of today did not end up in deaths. World 1 : Terrorists 0. Sure there's been inconvenience but there's been no martyrs. And that's a sure sign that sanity has won.
5. People make you laugh or make you cry. Sometimes both, depending on the joke.
6. Friends let you talk things through. And we often need that.
7. A person can be very smart but crowds can be incredibly stupid. (Got that from Men In Black)
8. People can surprise you by doing wonderful things for you. Why should that be a surprise ?
9. Things are less fun when you're on your own. Maybe that's why I'm so addicted to an online game ...
10. People are the reason for celebrations. I had 3 donuts today ! (Someone's birthday)
11. People can be very cruel (pictures of the Middle East conflict just came over the telly).
12. People can cheat you, I think the garage where I took my car did stuff they didn't need to, plus there's a bit of money missing from the car. (I'll get my own back by letting the work's forums know)
13. Without a group of friends, there would be no place for love. And no love would mean this world would be a very empty and dull place.
[chuckle] This Thursday 13 partly inspired by the events on Guildlink earlier, where a couple of people have been thrown out because they complained very loudly over how our loot system works. Some unacceptable comments getting thrown around ... We don't need those people but they definitely need us.
However, it's more inspired by me reading Craziequeen's Thursday Thirteen and me thinking that she needs a hug. So if you read this (I know it's not too many from my hit counter), then go to Craziequeen's Blog (link on the right) and give her a BIGHUG! Because she deserves it and always will.
Thirteen things about people ...
1. Some people you love, some you adore, some you trust, some you hate.
2. We're lucky to have the communication abilities that let us find friends.
3. Friends pick you up when you're down and share in your successes.
4. People can do horrible things, I'm so glad that the terror plot of today did not end up in deaths. World 1 : Terrorists 0. Sure there's been inconvenience but there's been no martyrs. And that's a sure sign that sanity has won.
5. People make you laugh or make you cry. Sometimes both, depending on the joke.
6. Friends let you talk things through. And we often need that.
7. A person can be very smart but crowds can be incredibly stupid. (Got that from Men In Black)
8. People can surprise you by doing wonderful things for you. Why should that be a surprise ?
9. Things are less fun when you're on your own. Maybe that's why I'm so addicted to an online game ...
10. People are the reason for celebrations. I had 3 donuts today ! (Someone's birthday)
11. People can be very cruel (pictures of the Middle East conflict just came over the telly).
12. People can cheat you, I think the garage where I took my car did stuff they didn't need to, plus there's a bit of money missing from the car. (I'll get my own back by letting the work's forums know)
13. Without a group of friends, there would be no place for love. And no love would mean this world would be a very empty and dull place.
[chuckle] This Thursday 13 partly inspired by the events on Guildlink earlier, where a couple of people have been thrown out because they complained very loudly over how our loot system works. Some unacceptable comments getting thrown around ... We don't need those people but they definitely need us.
However, it's more inspired by me reading Craziequeen's Thursday Thirteen and me thinking that she needs a hug. So if you read this (I know it's not too many from my hit counter), then go to Craziequeen's Blog (link on the right) and give her a BIGHUG! Because she deserves it and always will.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Flags and emblems
They're important, they give people a sense of identity. I always know who I belong to when it comes to the England flag or the Union Flag and I also feel a bit of a lift when I see people running by on WoW videos with the guild tabard on. It's part of the identity we've got for the guild. Here's an example of what it looks like :
Mine's the character in the middle and you can just about make out the gold coins that make up the pattern of the Mercenaries' tabard. That's Iceangel, the frost mage who has recently expanded her repertoire into having a bit of fun with fire. We've had that design for well over a year now and we're getting a bit bored of it. We're needing a bit of inspiration though on what we're going to use, here are a couple of ideas so far :
That's my warrior in something close to her latest thumping things outfit. Maybe it needs a different colour for the symbol there, although one theme we're trying to bring out is "darkness".
One from the guild leader :
Not bad ... There's been a couple more ideas done but I think we're starting to lack inspiration. If you'd like to help out, there's a handy tabard designer ... However, to get the image on a character, you'd need to have World of Warcraft on your PC.
Oh, here's my final effort as a bit of fun that will never happen :
Mine's the character in the middle and you can just about make out the gold coins that make up the pattern of the Mercenaries' tabard. That's Iceangel, the frost mage who has recently expanded her repertoire into having a bit of fun with fire. We've had that design for well over a year now and we're getting a bit bored of it. We're needing a bit of inspiration though on what we're going to use, here are a couple of ideas so far :
That's my warrior in something close to her latest thumping things outfit. Maybe it needs a different colour for the symbol there, although one theme we're trying to bring out is "darkness".
One from the guild leader :
Not bad ... There's been a couple more ideas done but I think we're starting to lack inspiration. If you'd like to help out, there's a handy tabard designer ... However, to get the image on a character, you'd need to have World of Warcraft on your PC.
Oh, here's my final effort as a bit of fun that will never happen :
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Never take things for granted
Last week I had a week off to get a bit of sleep and relaxation in away from work ... I also saw it as a good chance to get an overdue service and MoT in for the car.
Lesson number 1 - get things done in plenty of time.
Phoned the garage on Monday to book it in, earliest possible date was Friday. Fair enough ... I'd be able to get it in on the morning and out and taxed on Friday afternoon.
Lesson number 2 - never take things for granted.
I'd made the fatal mistake of assuming because my Puma is pretty solidly reliable, there wouldn't be much needing to be done outside of the exhaust needing fixing. WRONG ! Here's the list :
70k service (expected)
Wiper blades (not expected - must have been sold rubbish ones 18 months ago)
Alternator belt - split (not expected, no funny red light signs)
Air con service (definitely not expected - was done 30 months ago)
Brakes replacement front (not expected but fair enough)
Exhaust (expected - it's been noisy lately)
Power Steering pump (definitely not expected, although hindsight tells me I should have)
Lesson number 3 - Keep a reserve cash supply handy ...
I was thinking about changing my car pretty soon but I think I'll put that on hold in order to a) Pay off the credit card I used to pay for the repairs ! and b) Pay off a couple of other loans I have. It's not quite that bad but it'll take a couple of months to pay the £1150 repair bill and I want to get some mileage out of it.
Lesson number 4 - Never assume ...
The most expensive my Puma has been before now was about £500 for an earlier service ... It's been far better and still is better than my last car, a Rover 420. That was terrible ... The sheen of the Puma's been dented now but it's still the best option for me at the moment. The bodyshell has the flexibility I need, I don't need the extra seats, it has the performance I like and it has excellent economy.
Lesson number 1 - get things done in plenty of time.
Phoned the garage on Monday to book it in, earliest possible date was Friday. Fair enough ... I'd be able to get it in on the morning and out and taxed on Friday afternoon.
Lesson number 2 - never take things for granted.
I'd made the fatal mistake of assuming because my Puma is pretty solidly reliable, there wouldn't be much needing to be done outside of the exhaust needing fixing. WRONG ! Here's the list :
70k service (expected)
Wiper blades (not expected - must have been sold rubbish ones 18 months ago)
Alternator belt - split (not expected, no funny red light signs)
Air con service (definitely not expected - was done 30 months ago)
Brakes replacement front (not expected but fair enough)
Exhaust (expected - it's been noisy lately)
Power Steering pump (definitely not expected, although hindsight tells me I should have)
Lesson number 3 - Keep a reserve cash supply handy ...
I was thinking about changing my car pretty soon but I think I'll put that on hold in order to a) Pay off the credit card I used to pay for the repairs ! and b) Pay off a couple of other loans I have. It's not quite that bad but it'll take a couple of months to pay the £1150 repair bill and I want to get some mileage out of it.
Lesson number 4 - Never assume ...
The most expensive my Puma has been before now was about £500 for an earlier service ... It's been far better and still is better than my last car, a Rover 420. That was terrible ... The sheen of the Puma's been dented now but it's still the best option for me at the moment. The bodyshell has the flexibility I need, I don't need the extra seats, it has the performance I like and it has excellent economy.
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