The weather's turned. Turned to SHIT.
We had the sunniest weekend - possibly ever - this weekend just gone and how did I spend much of it? Why, lounging idly on the sofa with the curtains closed, drinking tea and watching my new DVD set of The Big Bang Theory. I have a wholly inappropriate, probably immoral, and certainly ill-advised, crush on Leonard.
One of the many things I love* about that programme is the fact that I feel as though I am learning about Science as I watch. All those years of sitting in double physics at school, praying for the fire alarm to go off, or a mysterious stranger to burst in through the door and carry me away, or a runaway horse to gallop into the corridor, or, well, anything that wasn't double physics, really, wasted.
Wasted.
I have learned more about mass, energy, time and space via an American comedy show than I did whilst studying for my failed physics O level.
Failed? Oh yes. Actually, not so much "failed" as "crashed, then exploded, then crumbled into dust." I'm not good at listening to stuff I don't find engaging, and lordy, I was even worse at it back then when I was 17. I used to read all the notes diligently, but in lessons my brain shut down and went skipping off o'er the hills and far away while poor Mr Andrews (I think) tried to get me to learn about Van der Graaf generators** or inertia or gravity or resistance, or whatever tedious nonsense was on that day's agenda.
It was the same in maths lessons, as I have mentioned a few times in here previously. I would TRY to listen, but my brain just refused. If I ever seemed likely to actually absorb any mathematical knowledge, I'd get an agonising cluster headache to distract me before I could consolidate the knowledge into something helpful.
I must be the only person who was actually employed by the Civil Service with no Maths O Level. Shocking. And they gave me a billion pound contract to manage for a bit. Fools.
Anyhoo. I've been thinking about my days at school a fair bit lately, probably because the gym I go to is next to the local secondary school and if I time my morning visit wrong I drive past all the kids making their way there, gloomily dragging their feet, scrapping with each other, or walking along with their eyes locked immovably to their mobile phones.
People tend to trot out that weary axiom about your schooldays being the happiest of your life when the subject comes up. Readers, I disagree.
I was much happier when I was at college, reading books all day, working in a pub in the evenings, spending hours and hours in the college library reading Victorian copies of Punch magazine for research purposes***. I was happier when I started working full-time too, earning money, feeling like a real grown-up, living on my own in my teeny little flat.
School always felt like something to be got through to allow you to progress to the good stuff.
So. The good stuff in my life at the moment:
We are planting a few more trees in the garden, inspired by the success of the crabapple. This morning we planted a Victoria plum and a cherry tree in the front garden. I hope they thrive, and that in a year or two I can start harvesting their fruit.
My guitar playing has stepped up a notch (Bam! ****) and I am learning to play what my guitar teacher kindly refers to as "solos" but which are really just scales with ideas above their station. It's all rather fab though, and I love it.
The new song I am focussing on learning this week is the embarrassingly cheesy duet between Tim McGraw and (I'm sorry, but it's true) Gwyneth Paltrow "Me and Tennessee." Yes, I know. I know.
I like it. There. I said it.
I'm making some funky fabric-y stuff, specifically cushion covers this week. I'm discovering that I am quite good at it, too. Bam!
Oh, and I am going to brave Salisbury and go to the posh scary hairdresser this week. I am off to a wedding in a few weeks and my hair has suddenly reverted to "woman living in the country with no mirrors in the house" so urgent remedial action is needed.
It's all good, dawg.
*apart from Leonard
**The experimental apparatus, not the band
***Honestly. I did my dissertation on fairy stories and their reflected influence on Victorian novels, and how it all related to society in the Victorian era. Utterly pointless, but I loved doing it. It was a very fashionable subject in the 1980s, darlings.
****copyright Elzar and his spice weasel.
Showing posts with label guitar improvements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guitar improvements. Show all posts
Monday, 17 October 2011
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Smash and grab
Saturday already, eh? How the days fly by when you are at work, rather than sitting at home whining about having a (probably) fractured ankle, unable to drive anywhere.
The new job is going alright so far, but it's early days, of course. Plenty of time for monumental fuck-ups and general chaos. It's still a bit of a shock to the system doing the commute. I'd forgotten how exhausting it is, and how little time and energy I have for anything else. On the days when I am in London I am up before 6am, and don't get home much before 8pm, so once the mechanics of showering, eating and sleeping are out of the way, there's not much space for anything else.
I've been trying to wean myself off the Conan books this week, and have reverted to trashy science fiction short stories, downloaded onto my iPhone from Stanza for free. Some of them are excellent, some are less great, and some are just plain weird.
I was taken with the one called "After London" by Richard Jefferies. Who, it turns out, was from Wiltshire! Who knew?
It's set in the future, but as it was written in 1885, it is actually probably set in the past*, and depicts Britain as a fallen power, rural and wild, run by feudal barons who obey the law only as it suits them. It tails off a bit at the end, just at the point where I thought "Aha, now the story really gets going," but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
I think one of the things I love about old science fiction is that I understand most of the science. It's all about valves and electrodes and copper wire, which I can just about get my head round. And in this case, longbows and canoes. Nice and simple.
While we were on holiday, I read "The Book of Dave" by Will Self. I like Will Self's stuff, although he can be a bit tiresome and pretentious, and once I got over my initial "Gah, this is hard to read!" reaction, I liked the book very much. Mr WithaY was less charitable, and although he finished the book as well, decided it was a bit too weird for his tastes.
I also read Bill Bryson's "At Home" which was excellent, I thought. It was less folksy and twee than some of his other stuff I've read, and as a lot of the historical facts he talked about were relevant to the part of the US where we were staying, it felt immediate and interesting.
Other news: Guitar lessons have begun again, and I am trying to get over my "I'll never be a lead guitarist" phobia. I'll let you know how that goes. This week I am mostly murdering Tom Petty and Thin Lizzy.
Also, filthy thieving bastards, probably from Bristol, they're like that up there, robbed the garage in the village. Again. Two grand's worth of cigarettes were stolen this time, and the shop door has been covered in hardboard till the glass gets fixed. It's like living in inner-city Chicago**.
*Keep up. Think of Back to the Future if you're confused. Or not.
**No, it really isn't.
The new job is going alright so far, but it's early days, of course. Plenty of time for monumental fuck-ups and general chaos. It's still a bit of a shock to the system doing the commute. I'd forgotten how exhausting it is, and how little time and energy I have for anything else. On the days when I am in London I am up before 6am, and don't get home much before 8pm, so once the mechanics of showering, eating and sleeping are out of the way, there's not much space for anything else.
I've been trying to wean myself off the Conan books this week, and have reverted to trashy science fiction short stories, downloaded onto my iPhone from Stanza for free. Some of them are excellent, some are less great, and some are just plain weird.
I was taken with the one called "After London" by Richard Jefferies. Who, it turns out, was from Wiltshire! Who knew?
It's set in the future, but as it was written in 1885, it is actually probably set in the past*, and depicts Britain as a fallen power, rural and wild, run by feudal barons who obey the law only as it suits them. It tails off a bit at the end, just at the point where I thought "Aha, now the story really gets going," but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
I think one of the things I love about old science fiction is that I understand most of the science. It's all about valves and electrodes and copper wire, which I can just about get my head round. And in this case, longbows and canoes. Nice and simple.
While we were on holiday, I read "The Book of Dave" by Will Self. I like Will Self's stuff, although he can be a bit tiresome and pretentious, and once I got over my initial "Gah, this is hard to read!" reaction, I liked the book very much. Mr WithaY was less charitable, and although he finished the book as well, decided it was a bit too weird for his tastes.
I also read Bill Bryson's "At Home" which was excellent, I thought. It was less folksy and twee than some of his other stuff I've read, and as a lot of the historical facts he talked about were relevant to the part of the US where we were staying, it felt immediate and interesting.
Other news: Guitar lessons have begun again, and I am trying to get over my "I'll never be a lead guitarist" phobia. I'll let you know how that goes. This week I am mostly murdering Tom Petty and Thin Lizzy.
Also, filthy thieving bastards, probably from Bristol, they're like that up there, robbed the garage in the village. Again. Two grand's worth of cigarettes were stolen this time, and the shop door has been covered in hardboard till the glass gets fixed. It's like living in inner-city Chicago**.
*Keep up. Think of Back to the Future if you're confused. Or not.
**No, it really isn't.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Spam spam spam
Quick note for those of you who comment. And for anyone else who might feel like leaving a comment at some point in the future, I suppose.
Due to the sudden proliferation of shite comments being submitted on very old posts, ranging from links to other "blogs" which in fact are no such thing, to adverts for all manner of dodgy crappy stuff, I have now made some changes to the comments regime on this blog.
If you want to comment on a post that is more than 14 days old, it will get moderated, as it does now. If you leave a comment on a post that I have made within the last 14 days, you'll get the word verification thingy to fill in, rather than the moderation that I used to do.
Ha. Take that, robot spammers. Like an old-style Dalek confronted with a steep flight of stairs, your reign of terror* is over. OVER.
And on the plus side, people can publish their comments whenever they like, no longer having to wait for me to get round to it. Life is good.
Other news: First week back at work in London was ok. I still can't walk very far, but I am trying to walk further each day, and to limp less. Worryingly, my ankle now hurts quite a lot on the other side of my foot - the bone on the inner side, rather than on the outer side. If it hurts as much by the middle of the week I am going back to the doctor. It's still swollen as well, and looks like more bruising is coming to the surface. Ugh.
Also, had my first guitar lesson last night, after a 3 month hiatus. It was great. GREAT. My gorgeous guitar teacher is also recovering from an ankle injury, although his was much more scary and dramatic. He told me all about it last night. Apparently the snap of his ankle breaking could be heard all the way across the cricket pitch. Gah. I tried to listen but it was so awful that my ears closed up at certain points, so what I actuall heard was:
"Blah blah lucky there was a paramedic in the cricket crowd blah blah blah intravenous morphine blah blah dislocated AND broken blah blah sedated while they put it back in place blah blah delayed the surgery blah blah a week in hospital blah blah blah."
Brrrrrrrrrrr.
*Well, ok. Your increasingly-irritating spam emails.
Due to the sudden proliferation of shite comments being submitted on very old posts, ranging from links to other "blogs" which in fact are no such thing, to adverts for all manner of dodgy crappy stuff, I have now made some changes to the comments regime on this blog.
If you want to comment on a post that is more than 14 days old, it will get moderated, as it does now. If you leave a comment on a post that I have made within the last 14 days, you'll get the word verification thingy to fill in, rather than the moderation that I used to do.
Ha. Take that, robot spammers. Like an old-style Dalek confronted with a steep flight of stairs, your reign of terror* is over. OVER.
And on the plus side, people can publish their comments whenever they like, no longer having to wait for me to get round to it. Life is good.
Other news: First week back at work in London was ok. I still can't walk very far, but I am trying to walk further each day, and to limp less. Worryingly, my ankle now hurts quite a lot on the other side of my foot - the bone on the inner side, rather than on the outer side. If it hurts as much by the middle of the week I am going back to the doctor. It's still swollen as well, and looks like more bruising is coming to the surface. Ugh.
Also, had my first guitar lesson last night, after a 3 month hiatus. It was great. GREAT. My gorgeous guitar teacher is also recovering from an ankle injury, although his was much more scary and dramatic. He told me all about it last night. Apparently the snap of his ankle breaking could be heard all the way across the cricket pitch. Gah. I tried to listen but it was so awful that my ears closed up at certain points, so what I actuall heard was:
"Blah blah lucky there was a paramedic in the cricket crowd blah blah blah intravenous morphine blah blah dislocated AND broken blah blah sedated while they put it back in place blah blah delayed the surgery blah blah a week in hospital blah blah blah."
Brrrrrrrrrrr.
*Well, ok. Your increasingly-irritating spam emails.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Hair! Again!
Sorry if you aren't remotely interested in hair. On the bright side, I only go to the hairdresser about 3 times a year, so it isn't very often you have to put up with this.
Ta-daa! Check out the new do:
I could have just posted the photo without the highly professional editing to conceal my secret identity, but it amuses me to look like a middle-aged ninja, so it stays like this. Mr WithaY suggested I add some huge bug eyes as well. He thinks he's funny.
The charming girl at the hairdresser has chopped off loads of the skanky bits at the ends, layered it so it is all bouncy and wavy again, and given me a bit of a fringe to stop me getting too bored with it. I am very pleased. Also, (and this is why she gets a tip) she said I have no need to colour it as it has barely any grey, and that it looks lovely. So hurrah.
I went to the music shop in Salisbury as I want to get the tab book for Alice in Chains "Black Gives Way To Blue" but no luck. To be fair, I don't even know if the book exists, I just assumed it did. I heard "Your Decision" on the TV a few nights ago, used my mighty iPhone to Shazam it so I knew what it was, and then downloaded the album on iTunes. All while sitting watching CSI. I love technology, I get to pretend I am on the USS Enterprise when I do stuff like that.
I found the chords online but am not convinced they are correct, as it sounds rather odd. Plus the timing is a bugger, as soon as I try to sing AND play it at the same time it all goes horribly wrong.
I still sound like I have a cold, even though I don't, so my singing is nowhere near the way it should be. I wonder if I have some sort of yukky low-grade sinus infection or something left over from the Black Lung outbreak.
If I am still sounding bunged-up by the end of the week I might ask the doctor what he suggests. He may well suggest that I go away and stop bothering him, of course.
Mr WithaY has had a cold for almost a week, but is on the mend now. He celebrated by cleaning out the fishtank this morning. The soundtrack for this diligent activity was very loud trance music. Apparently the fish like it. It just made me think of Father Fintan Stack from Father Ted.
"I've had my fun and that's all that matters." One of the best lines in comedy ever.
Ta-daa! Check out the new do:
I could have just posted the photo without the highly professional editing to conceal my secret identity, but it amuses me to look like a middle-aged ninja, so it stays like this. Mr WithaY suggested I add some huge bug eyes as well. He thinks he's funny.
The charming girl at the hairdresser has chopped off loads of the skanky bits at the ends, layered it so it is all bouncy and wavy again, and given me a bit of a fringe to stop me getting too bored with it. I am very pleased. Also, (and this is why she gets a tip) she said I have no need to colour it as it has barely any grey, and that it looks lovely. So hurrah.
I went to the music shop in Salisbury as I want to get the tab book for Alice in Chains "Black Gives Way To Blue" but no luck. To be fair, I don't even know if the book exists, I just assumed it did. I heard "Your Decision" on the TV a few nights ago, used my mighty iPhone to Shazam it so I knew what it was, and then downloaded the album on iTunes. All while sitting watching CSI. I love technology, I get to pretend I am on the USS Enterprise when I do stuff like that.
I found the chords online but am not convinced they are correct, as it sounds rather odd. Plus the timing is a bugger, as soon as I try to sing AND play it at the same time it all goes horribly wrong.
I still sound like I have a cold, even though I don't, so my singing is nowhere near the way it should be. I wonder if I have some sort of yukky low-grade sinus infection or something left over from the Black Lung outbreak.
If I am still sounding bunged-up by the end of the week I might ask the doctor what he suggests. He may well suggest that I go away and stop bothering him, of course.
Mr WithaY has had a cold for almost a week, but is on the mend now. He celebrated by cleaning out the fishtank this morning. The soundtrack for this diligent activity was very loud trance music. Apparently the fish like it. It just made me think of Father Fintan Stack from Father Ted.
"I've had my fun and that's all that matters." One of the best lines in comedy ever.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Shopping list
Mr WithaY is out, wandering the wide open spaces of West Wiltshire, somewhere in the rain. Where can he be, I wonder?
Possibly sat in his Landrover stuck in a huge hole that even his mighty entrenching tool can't remedy?
Possibly up a tree, clinging to a branch with a pack of snarling stoats after his blood, desperately trying to get a signal on his mobile to call for an airstrike*?
Possibly sneakily shopping in Salisbury, buying me a fabulous Christmas present?
Possibly sat in someone else's kitchen, drinking tea and eating cake?
I have no idea. He'll be back eventually. Given his track record, I am always slightly apprehensive if he's gone for more than a few hours, but fingers crossed, eh.
I decided to Get Stuff Done, so went into town** and ran errands like a woman possessed. I have ordered us a turkey for Christmas from the local butcher. A free-range bronze, which sounds like it will be mighty tasty. As the butcher was filling in the order form I asked him "It'll be dead, will it?" He looked up at me for a moment, not quite sure if I was joking, then said "No, madam, but it will be in a box. You'll just need to get it out and kill it." He then did an exceptionally good mime of a man taking a live turkey out of a box, upside down. If he gives up butchering the man has a career in alternative theatre just waiting for him.
I bought Christmas cards. We decided this year we are not sending out hundreds of cards, but instead will make a donation to charity. Most of the cards we get are just "To Name and Name love from Name and Name (and Name and Name and dog.)" I always try to write a message in every card, because otherwise it seems like a bit of a waste of time, to be honest. Anyway, we will send out some cards, but far fewer than we usually do. I will have to make more of an effort and actually ring people to talk to them.
I went to Lidl. Ahhhhhh Lidl. What a great shop. You can get anything in there, if you turn up on the right day. Today they were offering electronic keyboards, brioche pans (I bought one), slippers in a huge range of styles and sizes but only one colour*** and a drummer's stool. A seat, I mean. For sitting on. Oh, and a nice little wooden cabinet with a glass-inlaid door. Well, that's what I thought it was. Turns out it is a box to keep tea bags in, but I like my idea better. Anyway, I bought one. I can't resist their weird bargains.
I bought a couple of bottles of their Champagne which is usually not half bad, and some cheap brandy as the Christmas cake has finished all ours. Greedy bloody cake that it is. I swear it's started moving around the kitchen on its own, rummaging through the cupboards and mocking my crockery.
Where else...Ah yes.
I went to Argos, as we needed a new iron**** and I can't be arsed with looking at stuff in electrical shops for hours. All the Argos catalogues were open at the Wii pages, which I thought was funny. I left a few open at the Ironing Accoutrement Pages so that people will think "Some poor bastard is in for a miserable Christmas present." Heh.
Other news: I have been learning to play the acoustic version of "Hey Ya", the Obadiah Parker version. Look it up on YouTube if you've never heard it. Lovely.
Oh, and a mate put me onto Jeff Healey, who (shamefully) I had never heard of. Disgraceful, I know. What an astonishingly talented man.
Unfortunately, though, when I see people who can play guitar like that it doesn't inspre me to become as good as them. I just think "Why do I even bother?" and think about selling all my guitars. I won't, but it is interesting to see exactly how uncompetitive I am in some areas. Whilst still being dreadfully, inappropriately competitive in others, of course.
Right. Time for a cup of tea. I love Saturdays.
*This one's my favourite idea.
**Ha!
***Beige
****Rock and Roll, man! Rock and fucking roll.
Possibly sat in his Landrover stuck in a huge hole that even his mighty entrenching tool can't remedy?
Possibly up a tree, clinging to a branch with a pack of snarling stoats after his blood, desperately trying to get a signal on his mobile to call for an airstrike*?
Possibly sneakily shopping in Salisbury, buying me a fabulous Christmas present?
Possibly sat in someone else's kitchen, drinking tea and eating cake?
I have no idea. He'll be back eventually. Given his track record, I am always slightly apprehensive if he's gone for more than a few hours, but fingers crossed, eh.
I decided to Get Stuff Done, so went into town** and ran errands like a woman possessed. I have ordered us a turkey for Christmas from the local butcher. A free-range bronze, which sounds like it will be mighty tasty. As the butcher was filling in the order form I asked him "It'll be dead, will it?" He looked up at me for a moment, not quite sure if I was joking, then said "No, madam, but it will be in a box. You'll just need to get it out and kill it." He then did an exceptionally good mime of a man taking a live turkey out of a box, upside down. If he gives up butchering the man has a career in alternative theatre just waiting for him.
I bought Christmas cards. We decided this year we are not sending out hundreds of cards, but instead will make a donation to charity. Most of the cards we get are just "To Name and Name love from Name and Name (and Name and Name and dog.)" I always try to write a message in every card, because otherwise it seems like a bit of a waste of time, to be honest. Anyway, we will send out some cards, but far fewer than we usually do. I will have to make more of an effort and actually ring people to talk to them.
I went to Lidl. Ahhhhhh Lidl. What a great shop. You can get anything in there, if you turn up on the right day. Today they were offering electronic keyboards, brioche pans (I bought one), slippers in a huge range of styles and sizes but only one colour*** and a drummer's stool. A seat, I mean. For sitting on. Oh, and a nice little wooden cabinet with a glass-inlaid door. Well, that's what I thought it was. Turns out it is a box to keep tea bags in, but I like my idea better. Anyway, I bought one. I can't resist their weird bargains.
I bought a couple of bottles of their Champagne which is usually not half bad, and some cheap brandy as the Christmas cake has finished all ours. Greedy bloody cake that it is. I swear it's started moving around the kitchen on its own, rummaging through the cupboards and mocking my crockery.
Where else...Ah yes.
I went to Argos, as we needed a new iron**** and I can't be arsed with looking at stuff in electrical shops for hours. All the Argos catalogues were open at the Wii pages, which I thought was funny. I left a few open at the Ironing Accoutrement Pages so that people will think "Some poor bastard is in for a miserable Christmas present." Heh.
Other news: I have been learning to play the acoustic version of "Hey Ya", the Obadiah Parker version. Look it up on YouTube if you've never heard it. Lovely.
Oh, and a mate put me onto Jeff Healey, who (shamefully) I had never heard of. Disgraceful, I know. What an astonishingly talented man.
Unfortunately, though, when I see people who can play guitar like that it doesn't inspre me to become as good as them. I just think "Why do I even bother?" and think about selling all my guitars. I won't, but it is interesting to see exactly how uncompetitive I am in some areas. Whilst still being dreadfully, inappropriately competitive in others, of course.
Right. Time for a cup of tea. I love Saturdays.
*This one's my favourite idea.
**Ha!
***Beige
****Rock and Roll, man! Rock and fucking roll.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Accidents will happen
Been working at home today, it being Wednesday, and until about 2 minutes ago it was all going rather well. I had managed to resolve a few pressing issues that seemed insurmountable at the end of yesterday, and even made progress on some of the dull but necessary jobs that we all leave till the last minute.
Yes, you. I know you do it too.
I was on a roll, redrafting something for the scary lawyers (brrrrr brrrrrrrrr brrrrrrrrrr) when I got the message "unable to connect to shared drive...error saving file"
Fuck.
Yes, once I managed to close down Word, restart it and find my file I'd been working in, it had lost the last 15 minutes worth of changes, meaning a long a tiresome trawl back through all the associated documentation I'd been referring to, trying to remember what I'd said.
How I laughed.
Actually, what I did was swear under my breath and then shut down the laptop.
Yeah. That'll teach it, bloody thing. Hopefully by the time I get into the office tomorrow it'll all be magically fixed.
Busy day tomorrow. Got to finish all the stuff for Friday's Big Workshop, also have a meeting with my boss, incorporating a meeting with an external stakeholder who is usually very worth listening to.
Oh, and I'm meeting my mate Andy for lunch. Yay.
Other news: Popped out at lunchtime to get some groceries, drop into the doctor's for some admin, and get cash at a cashpoint that doesn't charge a bloody fortune for the privilege of getting to my own money. So much to do.
Whilst parking in town* I witnessed a nasty little accident. There was a girl parked in the space next to mine. I didn't realise she was actually in her car until she started reversing out of the space as I was pulling forward.
Unfortunately, I think she was so busy watching that she didn't scrape into my car as she went back, that she failed to notice a bloke in a van pulling into the space on the other side of her car.
She smashed into the front of his van pretty impressively, then leapt out of her car apologising. I went to get my parking ticket, and as I came back I asked if everyone was alright. The van driver nodded, the girl was in her car getting her documentation out.
"Want a witness?" I asked the van driver, who was standing in a heap of broken glass and plastic. The girl's car looked relatively undamaged but the van was a mess.
He looked at me sadly and said "Nah. No point."
It really wasn't his day.
Just had a most enjoyable lesson with my gorgeous guitar teacher, and we played the bejeebus out of The Eagles' "Outlaw Man", and Bryan Adam's "When You're Gone". I need a decent vocalist to sing that with me, so I can do all the complex harmonies though.
My fingers hurt now. Excellent.
*ha
Yes, you. I know you do it too.
I was on a roll, redrafting something for the scary lawyers (brrrrr brrrrrrrrr brrrrrrrrrr) when I got the message "unable to connect to shared drive...error saving file"
Fuck.
Yes, once I managed to close down Word, restart it and find my file I'd been working in, it had lost the last 15 minutes worth of changes, meaning a long a tiresome trawl back through all the associated documentation I'd been referring to, trying to remember what I'd said.
How I laughed.
Actually, what I did was swear under my breath and then shut down the laptop.
Yeah. That'll teach it, bloody thing. Hopefully by the time I get into the office tomorrow it'll all be magically fixed.
Busy day tomorrow. Got to finish all the stuff for Friday's Big Workshop, also have a meeting with my boss, incorporating a meeting with an external stakeholder who is usually very worth listening to.
Oh, and I'm meeting my mate Andy for lunch. Yay.
Other news: Popped out at lunchtime to get some groceries, drop into the doctor's for some admin, and get cash at a cashpoint that doesn't charge a bloody fortune for the privilege of getting to my own money. So much to do.
Whilst parking in town* I witnessed a nasty little accident. There was a girl parked in the space next to mine. I didn't realise she was actually in her car until she started reversing out of the space as I was pulling forward.
Unfortunately, I think she was so busy watching that she didn't scrape into my car as she went back, that she failed to notice a bloke in a van pulling into the space on the other side of her car.
She smashed into the front of his van pretty impressively, then leapt out of her car apologising. I went to get my parking ticket, and as I came back I asked if everyone was alright. The van driver nodded, the girl was in her car getting her documentation out.
"Want a witness?" I asked the van driver, who was standing in a heap of broken glass and plastic. The girl's car looked relatively undamaged but the van was a mess.
He looked at me sadly and said "Nah. No point."
It really wasn't his day.
Just had a most enjoyable lesson with my gorgeous guitar teacher, and we played the bejeebus out of The Eagles' "Outlaw Man", and Bryan Adam's "When You're Gone". I need a decent vocalist to sing that with me, so I can do all the complex harmonies though.
My fingers hurt now. Excellent.
*ha
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Repeat to fade
Bloody computer did it again. Was in the middle of looking for a parquet floor specialist to come and restore our downstairs floors to their former glory, and the internet fell over.
The Orange Internet service really seems to be a bit flaky. If I can't rely on it to stay up and running, I can't work at home, and thus would have to flog into London 5 days a week, which would kill me.
Other news: Made a fab lasagna for tomorrow, but am seriously tempted to go and eat it now.
Have made some cakes, which I might ice, or might not.
Am learning to play "Because the Night" on my guitar, which is hugely satisfying.
Found out my beautiful "leaving my job after 20 years in the Department" ring is made of 18ct white gold, and not silver, as I thought. Yay me. We went into Frome yesterday, during the only period when it rained all day, and I popped into a little jewellers.
Also popped into the guitar shop and talked about 12-string electric Rickenbackers with them. It's my birthday next week, so if anyone wants to get me a gift, one of those would be very welcome. Only £1500. Bargain.
The Orange Internet service really seems to be a bit flaky. If I can't rely on it to stay up and running, I can't work at home, and thus would have to flog into London 5 days a week, which would kill me.
Other news: Made a fab lasagna for tomorrow, but am seriously tempted to go and eat it now.
Have made some cakes, which I might ice, or might not.
Am learning to play "Because the Night" on my guitar, which is hugely satisfying.
Found out my beautiful "leaving my job after 20 years in the Department" ring is made of 18ct white gold, and not silver, as I thought. Yay me. We went into Frome yesterday, during the only period when it rained all day, and I popped into a little jewellers.
Also popped into the guitar shop and talked about 12-string electric Rickenbackers with them. It's my birthday next week, so if anyone wants to get me a gift, one of those would be very welcome. Only £1500. Bargain.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Can do
Among the many items we are gradually amassing as a result of father-in-law WithaY's recent move into the nursing home is a bread machine.
One that bakes loaves of bread I mean, not something that prints money. Which would be very welcome, to be honest, if anyone has one they want rid of.
Anyhoo, we tried it out last night, and made a slightly odd-shaped loaf of dark bread, a sort of German rye affair. As a key part of a bacon sandwich this morning it was very good. Tasty, nice texture, not too floppity. I currently have a sunflower seed loaf in there, to see how it manages bread with bits in.
Is it just me, or does "A German Rye Affair" sound like the sort of book you buy in the airport on your way to your holiday? With a gold embossed picture on the front, and a list of all the other books by the same author in big letters?
Anyhoo.
We have several huge boxes in the kitchen, full of jars, cans, packets and bags of foodstuffs, some still in date, even. We have more olive oil than anyone other than a Turkish wrestler needs, and about fifty different types of dried vine fruit. Mr WithaY has cleared space in the garage; we plan to store all the mouse-proof stuff out there till we get round to finding a more permanent home for it.
If anyone wants about a thousand cans of peach halves, please do drop me a line.
Other news: Our mates with the mad spaniels are coming over later for dinner and (we decided over a sustaining lunch of home-made soup) cocktails. Mmmmmmmmmm. In fact, I need to go and put some ice cubes in to freeze so we can have proper posh cocktails and not just huge glasses of sticky warm mixtures of mad alcohol.
Am learning to play the riff from "Every Mother's Son" by the fab Lynyrd Skynyrd, which feels like a real achievement. Yay me. Makes me feel like a proper guitarist, being able to do little riffy bits.
Still bloody freezing here. Everything was covered in the most beautiful hoar frost yesterday and today, making the place look like a Christmas card. We will light the fire when our mates get here and talk bollocks all evening.
Marvellous.
One that bakes loaves of bread I mean, not something that prints money. Which would be very welcome, to be honest, if anyone has one they want rid of.
Anyhoo, we tried it out last night, and made a slightly odd-shaped loaf of dark bread, a sort of German rye affair. As a key part of a bacon sandwich this morning it was very good. Tasty, nice texture, not too floppity. I currently have a sunflower seed loaf in there, to see how it manages bread with bits in.
Is it just me, or does "A German Rye Affair" sound like the sort of book you buy in the airport on your way to your holiday? With a gold embossed picture on the front, and a list of all the other books by the same author in big letters?
Anyhoo.
We have several huge boxes in the kitchen, full of jars, cans, packets and bags of foodstuffs, some still in date, even. We have more olive oil than anyone other than a Turkish wrestler needs, and about fifty different types of dried vine fruit. Mr WithaY has cleared space in the garage; we plan to store all the mouse-proof stuff out there till we get round to finding a more permanent home for it.
If anyone wants about a thousand cans of peach halves, please do drop me a line.
Other news: Our mates with the mad spaniels are coming over later for dinner and (we decided over a sustaining lunch of home-made soup) cocktails. Mmmmmmmmmm. In fact, I need to go and put some ice cubes in to freeze so we can have proper posh cocktails and not just huge glasses of sticky warm mixtures of mad alcohol.
Am learning to play the riff from "Every Mother's Son" by the fab Lynyrd Skynyrd, which feels like a real achievement. Yay me. Makes me feel like a proper guitarist, being able to do little riffy bits.
Still bloody freezing here. Everything was covered in the most beautiful hoar frost yesterday and today, making the place look like a Christmas card. We will light the fire when our mates get here and talk bollocks all evening.
Marvellous.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Discoveries
This week I have mostly been learning about transport around London. I found out how to check how much credit is on my Oyster card*, how to get a seat on the Tube**, and how to get to the front of the queue on the escalator***.
It's been a week of making learning fun.
I stayed at Middle Sis's house on Monday night, which was nice, although I was so knackered that I went to bed before the children did. How sad and old am I, eh?
Due to my stupid initial "being flexible" approach, I have to go into the office on Wednesday (ie tomorrow), making it 3 days in a row in town. Gah. Still, I have now blanked out Wednesdays and Fridays on my calendar and told people I am not in London on those days. I will probably end up having a reputation as an awkward old bag, but hey, I'll get to do my 2 days a week working at home, which was one of the provisos of me taking the job in the first place.
Other news: Went to see my gorgeous guitar teacher's band at the weekend, which was entertaining. On Saturday I went with Bestest Mate to Shaftesbury where we wandered about admiring the surreal shop window displays.
My favourite was the one which had two mannequins with hilariously poor Beatles wigs and guitars, and a series of round flat black plates (I think) with home-made labels on them saying things like "Penny Lane", (had a penny taped to the label), "Love Me Do" (had a load of glittery hearts scattered around) and various others, all in slightly different fonts and layouts. It was like an episode of Father Ted.
Somebody wants to win a prize.
Also, my mate Andy was here this evening for a flying visit, and brought his guitar, so we had a bit of a jam together. Was marvellous. He is really good, and can sing so we did a few songs together that sounded really nice. Unfortunately I am still coughing too much to sing decently, but it was nice to see him and have a go.
Had a message on the answerphone from Mr WithaY in Mexico. He sounds well, and it was lovely to hear his voice. I am pining a bit, it has to be said. What a sap I am.
Right. It's after 10...I need to go to bed or I won't be able to leap out of bed at 0600 with a song in my heart and a smile on my lips. Gah.
*the internet, obviously
**Cough and glare like a madwoman
***shove and barge, and cough as if you are dying of TB
It's been a week of making learning fun.
I stayed at Middle Sis's house on Monday night, which was nice, although I was so knackered that I went to bed before the children did. How sad and old am I, eh?
Due to my stupid initial "being flexible" approach, I have to go into the office on Wednesday (ie tomorrow), making it 3 days in a row in town. Gah. Still, I have now blanked out Wednesdays and Fridays on my calendar and told people I am not in London on those days. I will probably end up having a reputation as an awkward old bag, but hey, I'll get to do my 2 days a week working at home, which was one of the provisos of me taking the job in the first place.
Other news: Went to see my gorgeous guitar teacher's band at the weekend, which was entertaining. On Saturday I went with Bestest Mate to Shaftesbury where we wandered about admiring the surreal shop window displays.
My favourite was the one which had two mannequins with hilariously poor Beatles wigs and guitars, and a series of round flat black plates (I think) with home-made labels on them saying things like "Penny Lane", (had a penny taped to the label), "Love Me Do" (had a load of glittery hearts scattered around) and various others, all in slightly different fonts and layouts. It was like an episode of Father Ted.
Somebody wants to win a prize.
Also, my mate Andy was here this evening for a flying visit, and brought his guitar, so we had a bit of a jam together. Was marvellous. He is really good, and can sing so we did a few songs together that sounded really nice. Unfortunately I am still coughing too much to sing decently, but it was nice to see him and have a go.
Had a message on the answerphone from Mr WithaY in Mexico. He sounds well, and it was lovely to hear his voice. I am pining a bit, it has to be said. What a sap I am.
Right. It's after 10...I need to go to bed or I won't be able to leap out of bed at 0600 with a song in my heart and a smile on my lips. Gah.
*the internet, obviously
**Cough and glare like a madwoman
***shove and barge, and cough as if you are dying of TB
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Started so I'll finish
So, first week in the new job is over.
Of the three days I went to London, I was trapped for ages at Waterloo by train delays and cancellations on two of them. This does not bode well.
I hope it was just an unfortunate glitch, having two out of the three home-bound trains so comprehensively messed up. If not, commuting is going to be a lot more trying than I had originally planned for.
I have slightly amended my plans as to which days I will be in London, too. I will do Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the office, and Wednesdays and Fridays at home.
I am giving it a couple of weeks before I start to insist on having my 2 days a week at home, as I think it's important to get as many first meetings in as possible, and if I am hard to reach it will not create a good impression.
Once I have a better handle on what I am doing, I will be able to say "Sorry, that is one of the days I work at home" if people try to set up meetings. Otherwise I'll end up going into the office every day, and that will kill me.
London though. Blimey. Busy, isn't it? And people are so pushy! And I need to re-adjust my thinking to "London rates" for the cost of things like a lunchtime sandwich.
I have an Oyster card! I am so proud.
I decided to walk up the escalator at Waterloo on my way home on Thursday, as I was anxious not to miss my train again. Foolishly, I committed to walking before I looked up at see how long the escalator was.
It was a looooong way up, and I was too embarrassed to then sheepishly step sideways into the line of "Are you kidding, we're not climbing all that way" people on the right. I thought I would die when I stepped off at the top.
Didn't though, so a bonus there. Was a bit red and wheezy while I stood reading the Delayed notice for my bloody train though.
Other news: Had my first guitar lesson last night for about 5 weeks and it was bloody excellent. It's incredible how much muscle strength I have lost in my hands just in that short time. I didn't have the heart to play much while I had bronchitis as I felt so crap, and couldn't sing at all. My voice is still sounding flaky. Hopefully another week or so will sort it.
I need to spend a lot of time practicing my barre chords and stretches, as I really struggled with the progression on "Back in Black", which I used to do reasonably easily.
Did anyone manage to get AC/DC tickets? I didn't. Gah.
Off to see my gorgeous guitar teacher's band tonight with my bestest mate, so am looking forward to that very much. Yay. Live music.
Of the three days I went to London, I was trapped for ages at Waterloo by train delays and cancellations on two of them. This does not bode well.
I hope it was just an unfortunate glitch, having two out of the three home-bound trains so comprehensively messed up. If not, commuting is going to be a lot more trying than I had originally planned for.
I have slightly amended my plans as to which days I will be in London, too. I will do Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the office, and Wednesdays and Fridays at home.
I am giving it a couple of weeks before I start to insist on having my 2 days a week at home, as I think it's important to get as many first meetings in as possible, and if I am hard to reach it will not create a good impression.
Once I have a better handle on what I am doing, I will be able to say "Sorry, that is one of the days I work at home" if people try to set up meetings. Otherwise I'll end up going into the office every day, and that will kill me.
London though. Blimey. Busy, isn't it? And people are so pushy! And I need to re-adjust my thinking to "London rates" for the cost of things like a lunchtime sandwich.
I have an Oyster card! I am so proud.
I decided to walk up the escalator at Waterloo on my way home on Thursday, as I was anxious not to miss my train again. Foolishly, I committed to walking before I looked up at see how long the escalator was.
It was a looooong way up, and I was too embarrassed to then sheepishly step sideways into the line of "Are you kidding, we're not climbing all that way" people on the right. I thought I would die when I stepped off at the top.
Didn't though, so a bonus there. Was a bit red and wheezy while I stood reading the Delayed notice for my bloody train though.
Other news: Had my first guitar lesson last night for about 5 weeks and it was bloody excellent. It's incredible how much muscle strength I have lost in my hands just in that short time. I didn't have the heart to play much while I had bronchitis as I felt so crap, and couldn't sing at all. My voice is still sounding flaky. Hopefully another week or so will sort it.
I need to spend a lot of time practicing my barre chords and stretches, as I really struggled with the progression on "Back in Black", which I used to do reasonably easily.
Did anyone manage to get AC/DC tickets? I didn't. Gah.
Off to see my gorgeous guitar teacher's band tonight with my bestest mate, so am looking forward to that very much. Yay. Live music.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Cars...again
Aaah, just when you thought all my whinging and grumbling about cars was long gone, here's some fresh new complaining for you to enjoy.
Mr WithaY's Landrover is apparently making "weird, loud, bearing-type noises". He's just come back after rollocking all over Salisbury Plain in it, so it is possible he just has an angry badger* wedged in the rear axle.
Other news: I can now play both riffs** from Bryan Adams' "Run To You". Am I a rock goddess or what?
*Or maybe some unexploded ordnance, it's hard to tell in this light.
**The slow one at the start of the song, and then the little twinkly one in the middle. Go and listen to it again if you're confused.
Mr WithaY's Landrover is apparently making "weird, loud, bearing-type noises". He's just come back after rollocking all over Salisbury Plain in it, so it is possible he just has an angry badger* wedged in the rear axle.
Other news: I can now play both riffs** from Bryan Adams' "Run To You". Am I a rock goddess or what?
*Or maybe some unexploded ordnance, it's hard to tell in this light.
**The slow one at the start of the song, and then the little twinkly one in the middle. Go and listen to it again if you're confused.
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Time
Well, another week is winging by. Although it was enlivened by me throwing up for 2 days earlier on. I am assuming it's stress related as Mr WithaY is fine and I have no other unpleasant manifestations of food poisoning/stomach bug*.
Also did my party trick of waking up screaming in the wee small hours. How Mr WithaY loves that. Nothing like having a large bird jumping out of bed in a not-quite-awake panic in the middle of the night to help you relax.
I went into the office yesterday still feeling as though I had butterflies the whole time, which was freaky. Still, managed a decent night's sleep last night and feel more like my old self** today.
I realised that in the last month I have put in about 6 days extra worth of hours, so I need to keep track of that properly. I am not able to claim for overtime but if I have some decent records of times and so on I can at least negotiate for some time off instead. And I'm away to Belfast (just for the day) next week so that will be another stupidly long day.
Ah, my jetset lifestyle.
Other news: Am practicing The Police's "Can't Stand Losing You" on my geeeeeetar. Not only is it a great song to sing but it's almost all barre chords so fab practice for a lazy slacker like me. The big gig draws closer. I need to ask my lovely guitar teacher when I can come over to a band practice. Will do that tonight, as I think he's coming over.
I have decided to invest in a solar powered iPod/mobile phone charger. Anyone have any advice as to which are any good?
Come the revolution, total breakdown of society, 3 day a week power cuts etc I think it will be handy not relying on the National Grid to be able to listen to Iron Butterfly at my desk and text my mates.
*You know what I mean, don't make me spell it out.
**Tall, dark and grouchy.
Also did my party trick of waking up screaming in the wee small hours. How Mr WithaY loves that. Nothing like having a large bird jumping out of bed in a not-quite-awake panic in the middle of the night to help you relax.
I went into the office yesterday still feeling as though I had butterflies the whole time, which was freaky. Still, managed a decent night's sleep last night and feel more like my old self** today.
I realised that in the last month I have put in about 6 days extra worth of hours, so I need to keep track of that properly. I am not able to claim for overtime but if I have some decent records of times and so on I can at least negotiate for some time off instead. And I'm away to Belfast (just for the day) next week so that will be another stupidly long day.
Ah, my jetset lifestyle.
Other news: Am practicing The Police's "Can't Stand Losing You" on my geeeeeetar. Not only is it a great song to sing but it's almost all barre chords so fab practice for a lazy slacker like me. The big gig draws closer. I need to ask my lovely guitar teacher when I can come over to a band practice. Will do that tonight, as I think he's coming over.
I have decided to invest in a solar powered iPod/mobile phone charger. Anyone have any advice as to which are any good?
Come the revolution, total breakdown of society, 3 day a week power cuts etc I think it will be handy not relying on the National Grid to be able to listen to Iron Butterfly at my desk and text my mates.
*You know what I mean, don't make me spell it out.
**Tall, dark and grouchy.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Patience
Just taught myself to play the rather excellent Take That* song of the same name.
And boy am I pleased.
*I know, I know. But you just try singing it. It's brilliant.
And boy am I pleased.
*I know, I know. But you just try singing it. It's brilliant.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Lawks II
Well, I am on for my grand stage debut. The band have agreed, so I will have to go along to a rehearsal and see how it goes. How exciting.
Other news: Bro-in-law WithaY is turning up later today to stay the night, which will be nice. Haven't seen him for ages, so we can catch up on his news. I think Mr WithaY is planning to make Venison Surprise* for dinner.
I made a cake last night on a whim. I went to the gym after work (twice this week so far, no stopping me now) so was all full of energy** when I got home, and decided to find a nice cake recipe.
The one I went for is called Nigella's Clementine Cake, where you simmer some unpeeled clementines for 2 hours, then whizz them in the blender and add sugar, eggs, baking powder and ground almonds. Bake, then grate a ton of plain chocolate over the top while it's still hot.
Looks mighty fine, though I say so myself. And the whole house smells pleasantly of stewed clementines. Rather Christmassy.
I feel like I am getting a cold, which is annoying. Especially as a mate is coming over for the weekend and I have all sorts of fun day trips planned. And watching the rugby.
Sad news: Our lovely mates have had one of their cats run over. Not deliberately, I mean. By accident. He was a dear little thing, even though I am not really a cat person. Indeed, I even have photos of Mr WithaY (REALLY not a cat person) holding the little chap, which is unheard of. Poor little bugger.
Guitar development continues, am now playing 12 bar blues, albeit slowly and painfully. My gorgeous teacher and I did a passable version of Eric Clapton's "Crossroads" the other night. I did the rhythm stuff and he did all the clever bits, and it sounded pretty good.
*Venison Surprise: "Oh, I thought this was a bit of beef when I took it out of the freezer"
**Inner dolphins
Other news: Bro-in-law WithaY is turning up later today to stay the night, which will be nice. Haven't seen him for ages, so we can catch up on his news. I think Mr WithaY is planning to make Venison Surprise* for dinner.
I made a cake last night on a whim. I went to the gym after work (twice this week so far, no stopping me now) so was all full of energy** when I got home, and decided to find a nice cake recipe.
The one I went for is called Nigella's Clementine Cake, where you simmer some unpeeled clementines for 2 hours, then whizz them in the blender and add sugar, eggs, baking powder and ground almonds. Bake, then grate a ton of plain chocolate over the top while it's still hot.
Looks mighty fine, though I say so myself. And the whole house smells pleasantly of stewed clementines. Rather Christmassy.
I feel like I am getting a cold, which is annoying. Especially as a mate is coming over for the weekend and I have all sorts of fun day trips planned. And watching the rugby.
Sad news: Our lovely mates have had one of their cats run over. Not deliberately, I mean. By accident. He was a dear little thing, even though I am not really a cat person. Indeed, I even have photos of Mr WithaY (REALLY not a cat person) holding the little chap, which is unheard of. Poor little bugger.
Guitar development continues, am now playing 12 bar blues, albeit slowly and painfully. My gorgeous teacher and I did a passable version of Eric Clapton's "Crossroads" the other night. I did the rhythm stuff and he did all the clever bits, and it sounded pretty good.
*Venison Surprise: "Oh, I thought this was a bit of beef when I took it out of the freezer"
**Inner dolphins
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Lawks
I am going to sing. On stage. With a band, and everything.
Well, assuming they agree to it, I mean.
My guitar teacher asked me this evening if I would do it and I said yes. He wants me to play rhythm guitar for the song as well. He's going to suggest it to the rest of the band, and if they agree I will go along and rehearse with them, and then perform with them in a local pub in early March.
I am so excited. Really.
More news as it breaks.
Well, assuming they agree to it, I mean.
My guitar teacher asked me this evening if I would do it and I said yes. He wants me to play rhythm guitar for the song as well. He's going to suggest it to the rest of the band, and if they agree I will go along and rehearse with them, and then perform with them in a local pub in early March.
I am so excited. Really.
More news as it breaks.
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Travelling
Blimey. Thursday already. This week is zipping by, which usually indicates that I am busy and not too grumpy. Which is indeed the case. So hurrah.
Went up to London on Tuesday for what I expected to be a long meeting. In the event, it was a 5 hour round trip for an hour and a half of meeting. Not a great ratio, but I was glad I was there.
It meant I put faces to names*, and got to bore the pants off them** by droning on about the project for most of the meeting. They asked lots of difficult questions and I said "Hmm, too early to say" a lot.
Still, it was useful to meet everyone, and they all promised to help my team.
I changed my usual travel routine, and took a direct train from Tisbury (look on a map, American readers. And anyone not from Wiltshire) which was excellent. I was able to chill out for the entire trip, there was no faffing around changing trains at Salisbury, and it is only a few miles further to the station from home. I even got some work done on the journey. Blimey.
I will definitely be doing that again in future. Made a huge difference to the day. And the weather was superb.
Walking from Waterloo to the office was glorious. I got to see all the various "Living Statue" people along the South Bank.
Mildly entertaining, especially the one dressed a silver wizard, ringing a small bell every time anyone gave him some money. You could sense all the other statues thinking "Bastard" every time the bell rang. Heh.
Had a really good guitar lesson this week as well. I am learning the intro (and chords) to "You Shook Me All Night Long", one of AC/DC's classics.
I was tempted to go and see Nazareth play live last night in Frome, but decided against it on the grounds that I couldn't be arsed.
Am checking out upcoming bands playing at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff though, now I know how easy it is to get there on the train.
*Not literally. Although a "Pin the name to the face" game has a certain appeal. I might take some name tags and drawing pins next time, just in case.
**Again, not literally. Well, not that I noticed, anyway.
Went up to London on Tuesday for what I expected to be a long meeting. In the event, it was a 5 hour round trip for an hour and a half of meeting. Not a great ratio, but I was glad I was there.
It meant I put faces to names*, and got to bore the pants off them** by droning on about the project for most of the meeting. They asked lots of difficult questions and I said "Hmm, too early to say" a lot.
Still, it was useful to meet everyone, and they all promised to help my team.
I changed my usual travel routine, and took a direct train from Tisbury (look on a map, American readers. And anyone not from Wiltshire) which was excellent. I was able to chill out for the entire trip, there was no faffing around changing trains at Salisbury, and it is only a few miles further to the station from home. I even got some work done on the journey. Blimey.
I will definitely be doing that again in future. Made a huge difference to the day. And the weather was superb.
Walking from Waterloo to the office was glorious. I got to see all the various "Living Statue" people along the South Bank.
Mildly entertaining, especially the one dressed a silver wizard, ringing a small bell every time anyone gave him some money. You could sense all the other statues thinking "Bastard" every time the bell rang. Heh.
Had a really good guitar lesson this week as well. I am learning the intro (and chords) to "You Shook Me All Night Long", one of AC/DC's classics.
I was tempted to go and see Nazareth play live last night in Frome, but decided against it on the grounds that I couldn't be arsed.
Am checking out upcoming bands playing at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff though, now I know how easy it is to get there on the train.
*Not literally. Although a "Pin the name to the face" game has a certain appeal. I might take some name tags and drawing pins next time, just in case.
**Again, not literally. Well, not that I noticed, anyway.
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Still cold
Well, the house is dark, dank and gloomy. My every step echoes through a desolate void. The world is a hard and lonely place*.
Arse.
Still, Mr WithaY and the American mates are back tomorrow. Hurrah.
The upstairs hot water isn't working, as I discovered when I was taking a shower this morning. Not something you want to find out after you start washing your hair. Past the point of no return, once shampoo is involved.
I spent a jolly half hour on the phone before I left for work, begging the boiler engineery fixey people to come out and fix it. They said "We'll be there on Monday".
I believe my anguished cry could be heard in Gloucester.
I explained** that we have no heating and no hot water, and that I was due a houseful of guests on Friday.
God, the Americans already think we live in the Dark Ages, still coping with rationing, oil lamps and the 3 day week. No central heating and having to wash in the kitchen sink would really put the tin hat on that.
Anyhoo.
The general consensus at work is that Mr WithaY is texting the boiler from France to encourage it to save on oil.
I was supposed to be driving to Bournemouth airport tomorrow afternoon to pick them all up but have arranged a taxi instead as I need to be here for the boiler man. Gah.
Other news: Was on a training course at work on Monday and Tuesday (hence not being in France with everyone else) which was interesting. In a sad "Not as good as the South of France" kind of way.
Had a cracking guitar lesson on Monday with my gorgeous teacher. I have been left with strict instructions to listen to Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" so I can learn it. I don't think I've ever heard it. One of my lovely on-line mates told me to learn it months ago, so I will have to get my finger out and get listening.
So. Off to YouTube later.
Yep. Think that's about it for me today.
*Still bored being here on my own.
**I think he picked up how stressed I was at the point where I said "Just leave it, never mind....please. I will find a plumber who can come out today." I think my normally beautifully-modulated voice may have wobbled a little too.
Arse.
Still, Mr WithaY and the American mates are back tomorrow. Hurrah.
The upstairs hot water isn't working, as I discovered when I was taking a shower this morning. Not something you want to find out after you start washing your hair. Past the point of no return, once shampoo is involved.
I spent a jolly half hour on the phone before I left for work, begging the boiler engineery fixey people to come out and fix it. They said "We'll be there on Monday".
I believe my anguished cry could be heard in Gloucester.
I explained** that we have no heating and no hot water, and that I was due a houseful of guests on Friday.
God, the Americans already think we live in the Dark Ages, still coping with rationing, oil lamps and the 3 day week. No central heating and having to wash in the kitchen sink would really put the tin hat on that.
Anyhoo.
The general consensus at work is that Mr WithaY is texting the boiler from France to encourage it to save on oil.
I was supposed to be driving to Bournemouth airport tomorrow afternoon to pick them all up but have arranged a taxi instead as I need to be here for the boiler man. Gah.
Other news: Was on a training course at work on Monday and Tuesday (hence not being in France with everyone else) which was interesting. In a sad "Not as good as the South of France" kind of way.
Had a cracking guitar lesson on Monday with my gorgeous teacher. I have been left with strict instructions to listen to Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" so I can learn it. I don't think I've ever heard it. One of my lovely on-line mates told me to learn it months ago, so I will have to get my finger out and get listening.
So. Off to YouTube later.
Yep. Think that's about it for me today.
*Still bored being here on my own.
**I think he picked up how stressed I was at the point where I said "Just leave it, never mind....please. I will find a plumber who can come out today." I think my normally beautifully-modulated voice may have wobbled a little too.
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Guitar hero
Had a bloody great guitar lesson tonight.
My barre chords are starting to sound something like they should, and I was able to knock out a slow and painful "All Along The Watchtower" by the end of it. Hurrah!
I am feeling confident enough to have another go at the Police's "Can't Stand Losing You" which is one of their songs I like best. Trouble is, it's ALL barre chords, and when I found the tab for it I gave up in despair after a few attempts.
However. That was a while back, and I have improved significantly since then.
Other news. We're still not flooded. Rather touchingly, many of our friends and relatives have been calling and texting to make sure we're ok. We are. I have taken the precaution of moving BOTH guitars upstairs though. Just in case.
My barre chords are starting to sound something like they should, and I was able to knock out a slow and painful "All Along The Watchtower" by the end of it. Hurrah!
I am feeling confident enough to have another go at the Police's "Can't Stand Losing You" which is one of their songs I like best. Trouble is, it's ALL barre chords, and when I found the tab for it I gave up in despair after a few attempts.
However. That was a while back, and I have improved significantly since then.
Other news. We're still not flooded. Rather touchingly, many of our friends and relatives have been calling and texting to make sure we're ok. We are. I have taken the precaution of moving BOTH guitars upstairs though. Just in case.
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