Wait a moment --- is that food?

2:46am: Tessa's on the road! To York!
On Sunday, I decided to take off Tessa's brake drums, to see what state the shoes were in. In doing so, one of the bolts snapped, with half stuck on the mount.

Since then, I've been trying to drill it out. And in that time, I've discovered that cheap drill bits that come free with the drill, or those HSS bits that your housemate got long ago from the screwfix catalogue are just not up to the job.

So, this morning was a quick run down to B+Q for a set of nice, Bosch HSS drill bits for 18quid. These went through the half-snapped bolt like it was butter (or, soya-base margarine), albeit butter that occasionally stalls your drill. They even had titanium ones, and tungesten-carbide cutting bit, so I got one of each. Incidentally, if you're ever in B+Q, look for the carbide cutting bit. It's tiny and costs 12quid. I kid ye not, but they will cut through anything. And if I hadn't bought them, Murphey's law would've come into effect.

The clue for next time is, if you're not making much progress within 10min, and getting a fine grey mist off the drilling instead of lots of swarf coming, then that fine grey mist is probably the drill bit grinding itself off on your high-tensile steel bolt. Which in a way, is what you'd want in something that takes between 1/16th - 1/8th the weight of a Ford Escort. It's not what your housemate wants, who owns these bits.


I digress. This all means that Tessa is back on the road, and I can go up to York this weekend in her. Huzzah!

I say weekend, I'm only there for Friday evening - Saturday afternoon, as it's a trampolining competition between us lot and York. It's a shame its not for longer, as I'd like to go out for a drink with non-trampolining friends, and stay for Sunday Anime. But this is not to be, mainly because I have a pantomomime rehearsal over here on Sunday (and I'm dame-ing). I'll just have to visit again soon, hopefully with ohajiki too :)

odangochan, are you in t'York this w/e, and would you like me to relieve you of your PSOne in exchange for some paper notes with the queen's head on it?

11:34pm: Edinburgh (part 1/2)
To answer my previous fretting a couple of posts ago: yes, it was worth it.

More later. Tomorrow. Or, er, today, since it's now tomorrow.

You know what I mean.

10:30pm: Now I don't usually do this, but...
Purloined from toasty_renfield:

Haiku2 for hara-hetta
tessa giving her a good dr who plot device well here's to who
@ aboutmylife.netblogger.comblogs.gnome.orgblogspot.comdeadjournal.comgreatestjournal.comlivejournal.commyspace.comspaces.msn.com
Created by Grahame

Nice.

11:04pm: On Money Matters
( To be 'polite', I've cut this rant to avoid upsetting those who prefer not to discuss money. )

Rant ends. You can look now: http://www.fugufish.org/frog/?p=38

---

And um... AmeCon was fantastic btw :) Geeks are lovely, especially when you put lots of them in a large room, with an AMV disco. Huzzah!

Alas I was using a sliver-halide camera (posh way of saying "it's a film camera, guv") for it, so you probably won't see any images that I took any time soon (or at all, if my organisational skills are up to their usual standard)

Citing odangochan (good seeing you again et. meeting Phil btw) - totally relate to the come-down thing. I got a similar sort of fix from AmeCon as I do from doing Theatrics, and the withdrawal symptoms are just the same. In a way, it's a nice melancholic feeling.

10:40pm: And Today's Coincidence is...
This morning I had a funny feeling that I'd meet someone I've known previously. Maybe I dreamt it.

Well, this afternoon, a guy called Steve popped into the office. I used to work on Christis! with Steve. So, he's just graduated from York, and now is working at our place. How cool! I'll have to meet up with him and his g/f sometime, see how things are. Perhaps encourage Algebra Lad[1] to join us. His buddy is a graduate in electronics at York too. This town certainly seems to draw them in...

I meant to say yesterday: I've got most of my Walter costume sorted for Ame. I asked the lady in the shop about black hairspray, and she said it'd be better to have a wig. Otherwise, if it's hot, the colour will run and tragedy would follow.

H'mm, that's an interesting image, colour being chased by tragedy, as anthropomorphisms.

---

God, I'm knackered. Somebody Please Kill Me Now. *Sighs*. Still, all will be well tomorrow. I'll have (nearly) free rein at work for the day. Huzzah! I think I shall l3rn myself some 1337 c0doring.



[1] Algebra Lad, of G.P.E.D.[2]

[2] Geek Patrol Elite Division. No, don't ask.

10:21pm: New housemate, woot!
Today, many things happened:

We got a new housemate, after a couple of weeks stressful searching. The stress has mainly been down to the conversation going thusly: "How much is the rent?". I tell them. "And bills?" I tell them. "Riiiiiiight... well, I'd best be off, got lots of places to see y'know". But this gal seems quite lovely, fresh out of uni. It seemed to work better, because all of us in the house are quite studenty (despite one being five years post-graduation). Wheras most people who've looked around are quite... 'mature' I suppose, and interested in the house looking absolutely perfect.

But students (or student-likes) would say "by 'eck, luxury!" to that, and would be happier with just a relatively clean house with nice people in it. Which is nice.

I digress; I did some gardening (woo!), and found a birds' nest, and a blackberry bush (and, a garden behind our house ;-). I wasn't sure what to do about the birds' nest, as it's right at the back of the garden, and it was quite well in shade. I've left the tree-bits that have sheltered it, and I was going to take a picture of the inside to see if there was anyone at home. I'll try to avoid disturbing it.

I'll have to organise a Garden-ing party, to get some people to help out, in return for free beer, and a barbeque in the space claimed.

---

And recently, many other things have happened:

I've borrowed an LCD TV/monitor off a mate. It's very nice, and despite being a bit smaller than our old one, the viewing area's still good. And the picture is so clear.

It's a shame he wants it back sometime...

I won an award on my recent trip to Northumbria, for a Lightly-Entertaining camping holiday with friends. I got the 'Floscars' award for navigation. I managed to get lost on arrival in Kielder. It has one road that runs through all of it. And I couldn't find the campsite, and there was no phone signal.

In the end, I got directed to nearly the right place, then worked out what was going on by seeing the huage fire from the road. Magic.

I've averaged 45hrs/week over the last 2 weeks. Still, it's for a deadline, and I think our customer will be happy. I think I should claim TOIL.

---

In respone to ohajii's philosophical musings:

• I've been to... 4 places of education. I needed the switch from secondary to 6th form to escape. And when I did escape, I put up a fascade. A shield. To protect myself, literally. I started again with a fresh sheet, I could be whoever I wanted to be. And socially, this worked rather well --- I overcame a fear of getting to know people, and didn't suffer strange looks. With my closest friends, I could lower my guard. Well, there was no need for the fascade in the first place.
  
• By the time I got to uni, I needed this fascade to get me through the 'meeting lots of new people'. A few months in, I'd found my feet, and could safely drop it, as I no longer cared about potential attacks.
  
• It's a shame you were not as fortunate, my dear :-( I wonder if separate 6th form is useful in this case...
  
• Nothing wrong with over-analysing, the important thing is to analyse at all, IMO. See the piece on my questions.
  

Incidentally, I've had this quote for a long time, and I've been meaning to use it:

No pill can help me deal with the problem of not wanting to take pills; likewise, no amount of psychotherapy alone can prevent my manias and depressions. I need both. It is an odd thing, owing life to pills, one's own quirks and tenacities, and this unique, strange, and ultimately profound relationship called psychotherapy."

Jamison, 1995

That's it for now. Next Time, I ought to quote something I heard on Due South the other... uh, month.

12:56am: Memes is like a boxa chawklates
Had fun chatting to ohajiki earlier, and we decided on something. So, here goes:

List Ten things you'd say to ten people if you were truly honest, but do so anonymously.

1. I loved your earlier writings and entries, I think it's a shame you've taken most of them down. I don't think they're at all arrogant or self-absorbed.
   
2. I think you should focus more on yourself, and not take so much on, especially for your final year. But I also think you'll be fine, because I never followed this advice.
   
3. I really think you should go into teaching. It doesn't matter what anyone else says, I think you'd be great at it. I think you'd give other women a passion for all the sciences.
   
4. I know you'd probably want to leave this in the past, but I'm sorry if I freaked you out with what I said when we were together. I'll leave it at that. How are you, btw?
   
5. When I've needed you most, you've been there. And you don't know how much that means to me, you really don't.
   
6. Do you know how many people you've inspired with your boundless energy? I'm glad you're staying after you graduate.
   
7. Would you like to be the best man, when the time comes?
   
8. You seem to understand so much about what it's like. I reckon we suffer the same psychological defects.
   
9. You have an amazing faith in God and way of thinking about Him that I can never hope to match. It's as though you feel lost, but I think you're approaching enlightenment. Keep at it.
   
10. You're one the most intelligent people I actually know. You're not arrogant about it, but you don't dumb-down either. And it's like you respect that people don't know stuff, but are learning. Just sayin', y'know.
    

To preserve the anonymity, I've blocked comments on this post. All I ask is that you take from this what you will. Who cares if you're wrong, good can still come from it, y'know.

---

Thanks ohajiki and odangochan for the reply to what I was on about previously. It's interesting how this was completely different to what I was thinking about. Which was exactly what I wanted. Thanks guys :) The opinions seem to fit 'questioning authority'. It's interesting because I didn't consider that might've been how I came across (probably from talking about stuff at work).

I'm still curious about it. So if you're bored, or just feeling philosophical, post an opinion in your own journal about the following: Is it ok not to question? Is it ok to say ``I don't want to'' because I won't like the result? Is it wrong of me to want people to think about this?.

Ta.

11:42pm: A worriesome day.
It's been one of those days where work has been tiring, and I couldn't wait to go home. After stopping off at t'supermarket, I got v. paranoid about cars driving 10mph faster than they should (as they seem to in the rain) and not seeing me on my bike. And of course, paranoid about the kids that hang around the supermarket.

I'll ascribe that to being tired and lacking food at the time.

Unfortunately, this got me thinking, which is always a bad thing. I got thinking about the whole academia thing, and wanting to set the world to rights. The latter is impossible for me; I'm aware that one idea can change the world, but it's not going to be one of mine, and it won't happen by tomorrow.

Anyway, here goes:

• Is it ok not to question?
• Is it ok to say ``I don't want to'' because I won't like the result?
• Is it wrong of me to want people to think about this?

Answers on the back of an LJ-post, please. Be as concice or as verbose as you wish. I'm not looking for sympathy, just opinions. I suppose you might call this a meme, were it not for the fact that it isn't.

Oh, go on then, call it ``The Philosophical Meme''.

---

Part of the reason for the above is that at work, I do the first two all day every day. And it doesn't stop when I go home, the analyticalness is still there, and not everyone around me wants it. An interesting alcohol-fueled discussion recently lead me to the realisation that all academia, whether it be art, science, math, theology, or whatever, is towards the refinement of an understanding. Which is what makes it different.

Not different to anything, just different.

---

Next time, I should say something about the piece of electronics I bought for 499.99+VAT. Or perhaps how you should be careful mixing Region 1+2 variants of DVDs, as corresponding volumes may contain differing episodes. Or maybe I should talk about the time I managed to blow up an AMD Athlon.

But I just did, so I won't ;)

11:53pm: Somersaults
Woo!

Today at trampolining, I was doing a routine with a tucked-back somersault and a tucked-front somersault in it --- repeatedly, and without the need of a mat on standby (or at all). Yay! I think I'm getting less scared witless of them. Competition in a couple of weeks time....

Though, that is one of the advantages of trampolining, it really takes your mind off things; you're concentrating so much on not dying in a somersault, that you don't really have a chance to think about all the things that have been worrying you over the week. Basic survival instinct kicks in. And afterwards, you're too busy catching your breath, going ``omg, I landed on my feet!'' or ``omg, I nearly landed on my heed!'' to worry about anything else.

A good thing really, considering how hellish work was today.

---

I did my frivolous purchase for the month: spending the birthday money from Grandad. So, a couple of Dr Who DVDs, Witch Hunter Robin Vol IV (in region 1), Narnia, the new Final Fantasy Movie, and a data cable for my phone. Whee! Amazon Jersey is quite nice: being a haven from tax, you don't pay any VAT on your stuff, only a little bit of import duty, and it seems to work out cheaper. Magic.

Speaking of my phone, it's being particularly imbecilic of late. The problem is that the front button easily gets pressed when you put it in your pocket/belt clip. This would normally be ok, but the auto-keyguard is limited to no less than 5s timeout, but it won't activate in the menus. This too would not be a problem, were it not for the fact that pressing the front button enough times eventually brings you to 'send text message', and sends a blank one to the most recent person. This also would not always be a great problem, if you could configure it to sound/vibrate when you get a delivery report. But the biggest problem, the main pain in the behind, is that when you've sent this blank message once, it's then very easy to resend it again, and again, and again.

The other interesting feature of the phone is that switching on the radio, and then switching it off starts to really drain the battery, and make the phone warm up. It doesn't drain the battery that quickly if you leave the radio on! So the options are either power-cycle it, or leave the radio on. (!).

---

Taking Tessa over to my parents over the bank holiday weekend (if it doesn't rain...), so Dad and I can do some work on her.

While I'm reminded, the weekend of course is when Dr Who is on. Squeee! It seems that both of these two new serieses have been set around humans and humanity. Sure, you get aliens, but it's always set on or near Earth (or indeed, New Earth). We've never had an episode set on an alien planet, or on a spaceship away from Earth. Saves a bit of budget I guess, but not very much if you've got plenty of aliens. You hear about them going to alien worlds, but we never see it. It's as though it's become a little like a soap opera. Not necessarily a bad thing, it seems to have given it a wider appeal. Perhaps we'll get more this season (no spoilers, please!).

And I certainly liked the way they dealt with last week's monster. I felt that to be a tribute to a good `ole Dr Who Plot Device.

Well, here's to Who.

12:02am: #Happy Birthday too mee...
And once again, I'm a year older than I was last year. Or, something. I wonder if I need a zimmer-frame yet. It's a little odd, because it's the first birthday away from my parents. Nonetheless, they're getting me a few presents, and so's ohajiki, but other than that there won't be much to it. Party on Sunday though. Hope Toni doesn't think I'm stealing people away from her boatrace party!

---

For most of the weekend, I was underneath Tessa, giving her a good inspection and rub-down.

( All the gory details of the inspection )

I'll probably post some photos up later, for the benefit of those who are really interested.

ohajiki's feeling a little left out with me spending all this time on Tessa. But it's ok, because she's coming up soon, and I get to give her lots of TLC&A. Yay!

12:58am: The Panto-mo-mime
For those unaware, the last time I wrote, I mentioned I'd got the role of the bad-guy in our local amateur dramatics society. Over the last week, we performed at 3 schools, including a special-needs school. Saturday was the student performance.

And it were blimmin' fantastic! I had to pull in Dan from work to do the lighting at the last minute (thankyoooou Dan!), I don't think anyone really noticed I couldn't sing nor act, and I got a few laughs out of the audience *smiles*. Though not as many as Fi, who couldn't help but corpse into giggles at every opportunity. Bless.

I wasn't able to top Roman's comedy-death-struggle, but I did manage to sneak in a bit of Crystal Maze into my lines. Ah, it was a Panto Of Joy! Followed up by an after-show party Of Joy (piccies to follow), with lots of people Of Joy, and people from our sister society (Of Joy, also). Not forgetting the Joyous drunken e-mails that the Chair sends during the night.

The best thing about any sort of dramatics is when you've finished it. The last performance is the best, and full of energy, because you know that you'll never again have to do those songs or scenes that you dreaded. Never again will you be required to sing ``I'm evil'' to a certain tune by Mouuse T. No longer will you curse to yourself when you call Grizley and Huxwold, because the actual character names have certain syllables reversed. And after the party finishes, and you've woken up on the floor in the foetal position on a sofa cushion and a couple of coats, you celebrate again by meeting up the next day for noon-brunch at `Spoons. Followed by a rather civilised and pleasant saunter round the local arts museum, because it was free. And spending all of the Sunday with these people Of Joy, doing nothing in particular.

But it's also sad in a way, because we've had so much fun rehearsing and doing the Panto. A good number of us bonded by sharing the same joys and pains (especially those who had to share the pain of singing and dancing to the variant of ``Take a Chance''). And now, we really ought to continue on with our lives. I felt the same way about G&S when I was doing techie-ing in York. The come-down can hit you a bit hard. At the end of the day, it was only a bit of light entertainment.

---

For the last few weeks at work, I've been answering support questions from one of our customers. To give you an idea of the level of the people I'm dealing with, here's an excerpt:

Us: Please could you give us the model and revision of the processor you're using.

Them: Yes.

Marvellous.

Anyhoo, I think I've bored everyone with enough musings about thespie type things. Sorry. In other words, I may go and catch up on some sleep now.

11:54pm: Don't look now, but I think I just saw some content fly past...
H'mm, so that's 2 months between entries. Anyone like to place any bets about the next one being in 3 months time? Feh.

The review of the LCD monitor will have to wait --- although it is quite a nice one, I'd recommend it to those thinking of something to replace their CRT for Christmas.

Instead, a quick rundown of what's been happening here:

• Moved. Started job. Only just out of the overdraft, but I suspect the rent and credit card bill (plus Christmas shopping...) will rectify that situation again.
• Signed up to too many things at the local Uni's Fresher's Fair. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't been to four already, and was still a student.
• Got involved in a very amateurish dramatics society. That is, the one that didn't actually take things too seriously, and enjoyed itself. Ala G&S at York, but without as much singing ability :) This lead to...
• Starred in a Dr Who spoof (if that's possible) short film. I was the arch-evil villan. Thankfully, editing probably won't happen until February, so I'm safe for now. Though you will get to see a modified shopping trolley being punted down a river (punt-chase scene anyone...?). This also lead to...
• Survived a really quite dangerous fireworks party. One of the rockets didn't leave the ground, and a few of the roman candles fell over. Great fun though, much more fun than those boring safe ones with your parents. You get a real sense of fear and excitement too (like a rollercoaster, but there's more chance of group death).
• Stage-handed for a production of Jeeves and Wooster at the local homeless shelter. Ok, so it was moving a few table and chairs between scenes, but the director was very grateful for me coming in at short (5 hours) notice. More again on Saturday. It's another of those ``Can you do us a really big favor'' that I seem to get myself into. Turns out well though, with drinks and a big party afterwards :)
• Went to a Trampolining competition round here, and came last 3rd in Intermediate. Not bad considering I got tucked-back somersaults into a horrid routine a couple of days beforehand. They're a nice lot there, and I've met some other graduate-no-longer-student-types-who've-moved-down-here.
• Took Tessa for her 80k service. She's doing much better now.

I say better, but I should've known not to listen to my parents. ``Change her battery before it gets too cold,'' they said. ``Oh, she'll be fine, she's running much better now,'' I said.

Turned the ignition a couple of weeks ago and heard the Click, Click, Click, Click of a relay not doing its job properly. Much franticness at 9am in the morning as I cycled down the road to the garage and back with a battery. Even more franticness as I just couldn't undo the damn bolt that was holding the battery in place. And that she had to be fixed by 4:30 so I could visit Ohajiki-chan.

In the end I went into work very late (and left late too, sorry Ohajiki!), borrowed some jumpleads off someone, started her off the new battery, and took it to the garage for them to fit it. Turns out I don't have nearly enough leverage on my tools. Christmas present for me then!

---

I'm sure I won't post anytime before the 3rd of December, so: Happy Birthday to Helen for the 3rd of December.

I think that's it for tonight. Work in t'morning, and it'll be release time in two weeks, so all hell will break loose.

Toodle-pip.

4:23pm: And so it begins (eventually...)
I've ordered a new monitor off Amazon. I'll give it a proper(ish) review when I get it, but until then, you can amuse yourself with the answer to this question:

( So, why are you getting a new monitor? )

I'm surprised that play.com doesn't do Monitors. They do everything else... don't they?

---

While I'm on a reviewing-fest, I could review the DVD recorder. Or, leave it for another day (next month?), when I've finished transferring the Ghostbusters tapes from `Beta to DVD. Maybe the Dangermouse too.

"Would you be Raymond Stantz?"
"No, not by choice".

---

So, um, content? Yes, I realise there's not been much any in the last month, but um... the thing is you see... uh...

Ooh, look, breakfast!

11:31pm: Rules of this Journal
Thanks to Chibi Ohajiki for my avatar.

Please bear in mind that these are my personal choices. I enjoy reading many journals that break most (if not all...) of these rules, so don't feel you have to get upset over how I wish to do things.

• No bitching about people. Especially not those I know personally. It's not very nice, and I've observed the consequences, which are less than pretty. You have to remember that those who you least wish to read your journal will eventually read it.
• Journalling will be kept to events of genuine interest. That is, that which is of interest to me. Hence, reading this journal may cause you to suffer from bits of mathematics, science, and opinions on the subjects of everyday stuff. However, I promise that I won't bombard you with enumerations of what I had for breakfast.
• Further to the above, no posting for the sake of it, for example: "Nothing much to say, really. That's it." If there isn't, I won't bother stating the fact.
• Much fun as it is to talk about how much I adore my g/f, it's probably not what everyone else wants to hear all the time. If I want to talk about such things, I can talk to her directly :)
• At least an attempt at readable grammar and spelling shall be made. Not just because I'm anally retentive :) This is to aid readability, and may be neglected in those odd occaisons where it will actually aid the flow of the journal.
• Surveys and ``Which blah etc. are you?'' kept to a minimum. Though, I have no doubt I'll try one or two that are amusing,
• Swearing will be kept to a minimum, and to where it is appropriate. Simply because there's just really no need for it, half the time.
• Further to the above, you may assume that you can read this at work without encountering any noo-dey bits, or things that may trigger a content filter. Anything that does I'll put between <lj-cut>s
• Every-so-often, I may (or may not) add ficticious events or characters. Hence, anything (or everything) you read here may be pure fiction. Won't it be fun trying to decipher the fiction from the reality? :)
• Etc, etc.
• I may not update every day, or with any consistant interval between updates. I have a real-world life to attend to (no really, I do) and so it takes priority to this electronic life.
• For each of the above rules, there may be exceptions. I'm only human, so no prizes for pointing out which ones I've broken, I'm afraid.