Quiet, Washing-Machine At Work
Posted: Fri 7 November, 2008 Filed under: Animals, Domestic Leave a comment »Following on from its demise over the weekend, we got the new washing-machine delivered on Tuesday, along with them taking away the old one for disposal. (a whole £5 extra on the delivery charge)
Wow, what a difference. We’ve used it a couple of times (there having been a bit of a laundry backlog) and it’s impressively quiet. Even at full-speed spin Hound isn’t throwing a paddy, which is a massive improvement on the previous state of affairs.
A lot of the time, we have to look at the damn thing to even be sure it’s still running – we’ve got so used to the noise of the old machine, this one might as well be silent. Somehow even the water-fill is quieter than the previous machine.
So far, so good. I just hope it lasts a similar amount of time to the previous machine.
Five Year Plan : 40% Done
Posted: Wed 5 November, 2008 Filed under: Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Own Business, Thoughts, Writing Leave a comment »- Photography
Take more photosPut the good ones in the portfolio site- Work on a couple of projects/themes
Started the work on a couple of projects, and seeing how they go - Possibly do a redesign of the portfolio site to fit in more with ‘brand ‘image’
Couldn’t be chuffed with this one in the end, although I’m still thinking about it - Submit portfolio site and photos to various interested parties
- Possibly make more use of Flickr, although that one’s a bit of a “don’t know”
And really haven’t done this either, as I’ve been using the portfolio site instead - Pull more attention to the portfolio site
Again, working on it
- Business
Redesign/redevelop business website with a CMS etc.Look at sorting out a proper business bank accountKeep generating new work
As always, an ongoing process – but working fairly well so far, allbeit not having generated as much as I should have doneContinue with current work and clients
Again, an ongoing processGet new contract – the one with the current place will definitely expire in ’08, due to tax/IR35 reasons
I haven’t had any long-term contracts, but plenty of shorter-term ones, and now the new permanent role…Work on developing new sites and business ideas- Minimise outgoings, increase incoming money
Nice idea, but not all that successful due to rising costs (particularly of petrol)
- Writing
Realistically? Get one solid idea written and done, if only for the head-space
Admittedly, ‘only’ a short screenplay for a film of about 10-15 minutes, but still, completed and done, except for small ongoing edits- Optimistically? Get two solid ideas written and done.
Working on the second one (and a third, to be honest), but not completed
- House stuff
- House alterations
Bathroom- Kitchen extension/upgrade
Postponed for foreseeable future - Extra Item :
Cavity Wall Insulation - Extra Item : Loft Insulation
Postponed ’til ’09, due to a nightmare of work involved
- Garden alterations/work
Veg patch- Front garden/driveway
Semi-complete - Main lawn etc.
Semi-complete - Borders, beds, blah blah
- House alterations
Remember, Remember
Posted: Wed 5 November, 2008 Filed under: Cynicism, Depression, Domestic 6 Comments »Shit, I’m thirty-fucking-seven.
Blimey.
End Of Another Hype Phase
Posted: Tue 4 November, 2008 Filed under: Cynicism, News, Thoughts 4 Comments »At long last, the American Presidential election is going on today. And thank Christ for that – because I’m certainly getting deeply bored of all the coverage of it in the UK Media.
Now yes, I know, it’s important in the context of being US President, and all the guff around the “special relationship” between the US and the UK. (Why we don’t go the whole hog and just call it “being seen as the 51st state”, I don’t know) And I think that some of the coverage has been important to remind us all just how stupid some Americans can be – I’m thinking particularly of all the crap about “Obama must be a turr’rist, because his name sounds like Osama”, and seeing the way people think he’s Muslim (or even an Arab, forgetting the entire thing in their own country’s laws banning non-Americans from running for President – which is why (thank fuck) we’ll never see President Schwarzenegger)
But at the same time, I’m just so bored of the entire thing. I don’t honestly care whether Obama or McCain is leading the polls, or who said what at the latest debate in West Buttfuck, Idaho. Just. Don’t. Care.
So I’ll be glad when it’s all over.
Or at least, “over” as in “won’t hear about this again for another three years”…
Brand/RossGate
Posted: Mon 3 November, 2008 Filed under: Charm School, Cynicism, News, Thoughts 2 Comments »I’m going to come into this one a bit late, now that the hype around Russell Brand,Jonathon Ross, and those phone calls has faded a wee bit.
First of all, I didn’t hear the calls when they went out. Secondly, I’m not a great fan of either Brand or Ross, as I tend to think they’re both pretty much complete cocks at the best of times.
However, I don’t think that Brand deserved to lose his job (resign, quit, whatever – he still lost his job) for being a cock. I don’t think that Ross deserved a three-month suspension for being a cock. I do think that the producers of Brand’s show should have been fired – something which I don’t know whether it’s happened or not – as the calls were pre-recorded, and should’ve been checked pre-broadcast. And I think that the R2 controller should’ve fired the producers, not quit herself.
My personal opinion is just that the entire thing was Daily Mail-fuelled spite and hysteria (not for the first time) considering that at time of broadcast, a grand total of two people complained, and the complaints only exploded in number once the Daily Bigot had gone up in arms about it. (As usual, the Guardian’s Charlie Brooker sums it up far better than I ever could)
Yes, Brand and Ross are utter cocks. But they’re paid to be utter cocks. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up for debate – if I had control of a radio station, I wouldn’t employ them, but as I don’t, I’m left with the option to just not bother listening to them, or watching them. Which is in fact pretty much what I do. And that, so far as I can see it, is how things should be – we can all make the choice of who to listen to – and if we want to complain about something they’ve said, then fine – but at least complain about something that you’ve heard, not what some hate-mongering bigoted black-shirt rag tells you to complain about, or be offended by.