Last Year

Posted: Sat 26 January, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, House Purchase | Leave a comment »

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since we made an offer on the house we now live in. (In fact it’s slightly over the year but I only looked back and confirmed it this evening)

This time last year, we were actually meeting the architect for the first time, to discuss our plans for the extensions and so on – and now we’ve finally had a quote from the builder to cost out those self-same extensions, so we can start to get things going soon. Happy Day.

Luck of the Devil

Posted: Fri 25 January, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Customer Services, Cynicism, Weirdness, Work-related | 1 Comment »

Today, I’ve had to park on the road outside the office, there being no available parking spaces on their forecourt. Not an uncommon occurrence- but the road is all parking-meter type things, where the maximum duration is two hours. A bit of a pain in the tits, but I just set the alarm on my mobile for five minutes before the ticket is due to expire, go down, renew the ticket, job done.

Only of course today I haven’t got the phone with me.

The parking charges start at 9am (which is another good reason for coming in early – if I get in at 7.30 or so, I get 3½hours parking in the morning for my £1.20, rather than the standard 2 hours for the same amount) so the first reminder is at 11am.

With no reminder, I just looked at the clock on my PC and thought “Oooohh, tits” , as it was 11.35. Yep, I’m so going to have a parking ticket. Bugger. Working two days a week it’s actually more economical to drive in, even including the petrol and parking costs, than getting the train. Except when I get a parking ticket. Then all economy goes out the window.

But I get down to the car and lo, no parking ticket. More than half-an-hour over my limit, and nothing. I really don’t know how I’ve managed that, but I’m not going to complain!

Of course, now I’ll go down at 13.40 (the ticket expiring at 13.35) and I’ll have a ticket…

Missing Tech – Again

Posted: Fri 25 January, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Customer Services, Domestic, Work-related | Leave a comment »

This morning, due to being even more of a twonk than usual (Fridays at the moment are a total killer for me – I’ve spent three days waking up at normal times and working from home, followed by a 5.30am wakeup on a Friday. Blech.) I’ve left my phone at home.

Work being work, they’ve also blocked my ability to send a text message to my phone from the O2 site, which is even more annoying. Grrrr.

Still, I’m sure I’ll find some service or other that can do what I want…

Watch Glass

Posted: Thu 24 January, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Domestic | Leave a comment »

I’ve had my Seiko Kinetic watch since about 2000. It’s a fantastic watch, and I love it to bits for various reasons. It’s proved to be tough as old boots, until now.

This morning I’ve noticed that the glass has got a poxy great chip in it. I don’t know how it’s happened – it must’ve been in the last couple of days, but I can’t think of how it happened.

I’m going to get it repaired, for sure. I don’t yet know how much it’ll cost, or where I can get the repair done, but it’ll have to be done. (assuming the cost isn’t ridiculous)

I just wish I knew how it’s happened.

Local Discoveries.

Posted: Wed 23 January, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Green, News | Leave a comment »

Isn’t it bizarre sometimes, the way you find out about things?

For instance, despite having been here a year now, and being fairly interested in Green/Ethical energy sources and the like, I had no idea that the local poultry company was also creating a power station fuelled by chicken carcasses.

While I can’t deny that I have certain issues about an industry that’s producing enough chicken “by-products” (as they call them) to provide a power station with enough raw material to power the town of Attleborough year-round, I’d rather see it going to this use than others. For example, as the site says, these by-products used to go into cattle feed and the like, although that process was stopped with the event of BSE. And if the choice is between just incinerating everything, or using the generated heat to create power, well I suppose that’s better than nothing.

USB Sticks – Update

Posted: Tue 22 January, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Geeky, Own Business, Work-related | 1 Comment »

Following on from yesterday’s loss of USB stick, we found it today.

In the washing machine.

Thank the lord for solid-state technology, which just shrugs off things like getting washed. It’s dried out,
I’ve just put it in the laptop, and all’s fine, the entire thing is working well.

Happy Day.

Cookery Lessons

Posted: Tue 22 January, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Cynicism, Domestic, Health, News, Thoughts | 1 Comment »

On first read, the news that cookery lessons are to become part of the compulsory school schedule is great news. I did cookery lessons way back when I was in school, and it was a useful grounding. (Admittedly, I don’t do a great deal of cooking, but at least I can cook, and can do enough to mean I’m OK without needing to go to a takeaway for meals.)

But then you take a look at the fine print. One hour a week, for one term? Not really a comprehensive course then. (Or a grammar one – ha, education joke. I slay me.) If it were one hour a week for the full school year, you’d have pupils with a decent knowledge of cooking, basic recipes, and general nutritional knowledge that might actually go some way towards the end goal.

Once a week for one term? It’s hardly worth the effort. Of course, even a tiny bit of effort is better than none at all, but still, there’s so much more that could be done with this.

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