sidonia.net

Three Years On

2011-03-27T09:38:00.003+01:00

Celebrating three years of my new life today with a Piratical Themed party. Much fun had by all, most especially the birthday boy himself. This was the pick of the cards. We are off to Thailand for a month. You will not notice my absence from this blog.

Save the Mokihinui

2010-10-25T21:07:00.002+01:00

120 kayakers, environmentalists protest West Coast dam - Environment Sci - Video - 3 NewsBriefly out of blog retirement to lament the slanting of the above news item. Having been at the Mokihinui this weekend in support of the river run, I'm disappointed that news piece couched the run in terms like "costly" and supported by "outsiders".For the record the most of the costs of the exercise went

In other News...

2009-05-21T02:59:00.001+01:00

Building and Resource consents have both been granted. At last. We shall commence and there will be photos and posts...Yay!

Broken Blogging Continues

2009-05-21T02:42:00.003+01:00

Still really haven't got a use for this site, but in the interests of half maintaining a presence on it, here are a couple of links to two inspirational videos that I just keep watching. It helps beat the winter blues you know...Video one is just plain awesome. Linked to it by William Gibson, way back in August last year, I've been regularly watching ever since. I keep hoping it will start me

Arthur is One!

2009-04-01T17:33:00.001+01:00

From Exported VideosFrom Exported Videos

Three Posts: Three

2009-03-21T21:08:00.003Z

We bought a house. In fact we bought this one...It is an old villa that was built in all likelihood in 1914 as part of a development that was designed to create affordable housing for workers in Nelson. It is in a particularly poor state of repair. You can't see it from this photo, but the lean-to area at the back of the property, which housed the bathroom, kitchen and toilet, can't be lived in

Three Posts: Two Point Two

2009-03-21T21:04:00.002Z

Just a quick follow up on the second post. Saw this article in the paper a day or so ago. Spooky about how that happens; you think of something and then it pops up again a short time later.

Three Posts: Two

2009-03-14T20:58:00.003Z

As mentioned (almost a year ago now...) the plan was to head back to NZ and start settling in Nelson. Here is a special photo of the house in which the family is currently living.It is an amazing photo for a couple of reasons. For a start, the perspective of it makes the massive building look like a dolls house. The miniaturising perspective was achieved by an arborist, who had climbed one of

Three Posts: One

2009-03-14T20:53:00.003Z

It has been nearly a year and the silence on this blog has been near absolute. Here is the reason, my lovely boy Arthur.This is my favorite photo of Arthur. It is reminiscent of old photos of me at Arthur's age; always smiling and always with some food in my mouth!Being a dad is great.

Hmmn

2008-05-27T15:33:00.001+01:00

My baby saw the new Indianna Jones movie today. I have yet to see it. Seven weeks old (nearly 8) and I am already jealous of him!

Home in about a month

2008-05-25T10:53:00.001+01:00

Quick update on the return from France. We are travelling home. Yes home, for good. We arrive in NZ on 02 July 08 (in Auckland) and will drive down the Nth Island to Welly town thereafter. Plan on hitting the capital on 04 July 08, so for those of you who are also in town that weekend lets get together. I have a son, now 7 weeks old, to show you all! That is all for the moment.

What is a name?

2008-04-04T23:50:00.001+01:00

I didn't think I was having a boy, but when it became apparent this name stuck. It is a good name:Arthur Finlay Gillespie

I am a Dad

2008-04-03T00:17:00.001+01:00

I have a son.Born 7:10am 02/04/08 3.54kg.Thankfully mother and baby are fine. I suspect I will write more about this.

Tune in next time when Spidey says...

2008-03-17T13:13:00.001Z

Interestingly I need to blog based on a radio interview that Dylan Horrocks had on bFm the other day (should still be here). It was an interesting enough interview to be sure, about E. Gary Gygax, but it took a big turn for the amusing-as-hell when Dylan began chatting away about how the advent of computer game style scriptwriting/storytelling as being seen by some authors as a corruption of

Another thing to enjoy...

2007-12-20T23:51:00.001Z

Blade Runner most especially because it allows you imagine drinking spirits (like gin) with impunity. Tomorrow shall tell. Avoid We Own The Night.One more fucking day at work and this year of it is OVER. Of course the same shit will still be there next year, in an all too brief 10 days time. Still 2008 is shaping up to be a cracker. And you can't have crackers without a sacrifice or two.

Ha! - The Mathematical Proof!

2007-12-20T23:38:00.001Z

Look at the statistics below. They make me laugh. Blogs are selfish. Don't treat them otherwise, just fucking enjoy them!-- sidonia.net -- Site Summary --- Visits Total ........................ 2,115 Average per Day .................. - Average Visit Length ............. - This Week ..................

A Bi-Monthly Rhythm

2007-12-15T13:13:00.000Z

It appears that I only blog every 2nd month. Three posts in half a year. Not a very good average...--I think it may have something to do with Google Reader which has organised my web based readings away from sidonia.net (where I used to link to all my favorite blogs etc.). Means I don't visit this space often and can aviod the 'guilt' of not utilising it.--Many things on the boil at the

Four Months

2007-10-17T21:28:00.000+01:00

Last time I blogged was two months ago, I had news back then but I couldn't tell you, Now that same news is two months older,And I don't want to keep it a secret... Two plus two equals four,I'm going to be a dad.

The Old Story

2007-08-08T19:51:00.000+01:00

A workmate has introduced me to an excellent track, it's called La Ritournelle by a guy called Sebastien Tellier. It is a brilliant track. You should check it out in its entirety - the myspace version is a bit triangly and short. So perhaps you should check it out here... That link at least contains the increadibly beautiful buiLD-UP, enjoy!Anyway the track is sort of a theme tune for me at

Bike Route

2007-07-30T11:15:00.000+01:00

Lea Bridge to Warehttp://www.bikely.com/Go visit www.bikely.com for some cool mapping tools!

Systems Check

2007-07-10T12:12:00.001+01:00

Writing this from work, cause well, I can. I don't think that I have written from work before so it'll be interesting to see how it comes through.In my last post I stated that I've gone bike mad. Now the total miles is greater that 420 and I've saved at least £83.20 on transport costs. The main problem with it is that recently (i.e. 3 out of the last 4 trips) the return ride home has been

The News

2007-06-27T13:26:00.001+01:00

I don't have anything more cool to report than this. "And the crazy lady said yes."Go Mr and Mrs Trees, King and Queen (of France), God and Goddess!That said, I will also bore you with some of the details of my life!Travel:Have recently returned from a diving trip to Gozo, theSee I was diving! While I was underwater I saw some cool stuff including:and(Thanks Arna for the great pics)We are of to

Quick Update!

2007-06-06T09:10:00.001+01:00

Am waiting for William Gibson's latest novel to arrive in the stores and always keep an eye on his blog just in case any news of interest pops up. It just did. That made me think of Pattern Recognition, and how I also read recently that it is not going to be made into a movie just yet contrary to my post about it over a year ago. Another movie to add to the Quince's I wanna make it wish list

Stuff

2007-06-05T20:03:00.001+01:00

Have been meaning to write more on the pharma industry, but have been preoccupied with mini-adventures that have so far prevented me. In lieu of some thing considered on that front, here is a random smattering of stuff I've been reading, looking at and trying out:Reading Margret Atwood's Oryx and Crake at the moment and enjoying it for the pessimistic attitude towards technology and the stupid

You know what

2007-05-21T12:05:00.001+01:00

this means? That is right, I can still make Neuromancer! It is gonna be perfect. Choice.

CIpP

2007-04-24T13:31:00.001+01:00

Following on from my last CIpP related post, Morgue comments:The only direction I can see this moving in is the same one that balances out all the anti-social outputs of capitalism, and that is public accountability. There are three influences of note on corporations - financial incentive, legislative restriction, and public accountability. The first is far more of a problem than it is a

Things I've seen today

2007-04-19T14:32:00.001+01:00

Having a day off to sort UK essentials like NI numbers etc. (these things take time in the UK!) and have seen a couple of things that I feel obliged to share with you.It started with Fahrenheit 911, I'm watching this in dribs and drabs at the moment, and whenever I load it up I always like to hear George W. say "If I hit every shot good, people would say I wasn't working!" which doesn't mean shit

Now I see!

2007-04-11T15:22:00.001+01:00

A ways back, last month in fact, I was having a quiet night at home and posted three things which I instantly dismissed as a succession of home-alone-blog-fillers, you know the kind that you say stuff in a sort of mock stream of consciousness just to get something on your blog. For some reason I didn't delete them. I guess I need much blog filling! I've been feeling nothing for sidonia for a

Engage

2007-03-22T22:22:00.001Z

To engage people. Good people. How?I was going to try and do a three x three x three thing and TRY and be all clever with it. But WHY? So instead I'm going to list some things that are really involving my brain at the moment: IP - Intellectual Property.Protectionism - As a way of maintaining IP.Profiteering - as a way of milking protectionism.I HATE:that I work for a drug company.that I don't

The last post?

2007-03-22T21:33:00.001Z

Shit! Fuck! Crap!All these (3) things.I've been totally blocked from saying things on the quince since god knows how long. I feel as if there are a million and one things that I need to tell you all (all 3 of ya!). But what exactly? In which order? How? and then it all stops. The flow is dammed (in the verb sense, as in to dam a river - fuck I wonder sometimes if I'm fluent in English and

OK

2007-03-22T21:12:00.001Z

Three things,Number One: No blog activity. Apologies. Nothing to write.Number Two: New Job. Boring. I await training...Number Three: Happy. Life is interesting. In tune...

Good on you Harry!

2007-03-01T20:35:00.001Z

I've been listening to my iPod of late and have been caught a number of times by a track which I have no recollection of ever actually collecting. This is due to a widening of my interpretation of digital copyright, and the kind sofa cruisers we sometimes encourage to stay on their way through London that have varied musical possessions I can 'borrow'. It doesn't help that I have an iPod shuffle

Update

2007-02-16T07:15:00.000Z

In a remarkably romantic turn of events, the UK Home Office has (in its infinite wisdom) given me leave to remain on UK soil on the basis of my longstanding (now five year) relationship with Sal. The visa confirmation came through on Valentines Day!Of course to celebrate I went climbing, and Sal went to dinner with a friend for we (as a couple) care not for the commercial trappings and enforced

NZ Visit

2007-01-23T21:19:00.000Z

Very quickly, here is a late January post, all the way from NZ where I'm currently seven days into a whirlwind home visit, the primary reason for which was the marriage of my best friend to his long-term and wonderfully lovely partner. There is NOTHING better in the world to come home and celebrate with the best of people a relationship between the best of people. And that is just what I've

Average

2006-12-20T21:58:00.001Z

According to the statisticians, UK 2006 was the warmest UK in history.I, on the other hand, am showing a very luke warm average of posts on this website. If I wasn't a closet collector, I'd have binned this site in favor of something else I couldn't stick my teeth into. So yeah. Average.I suspect that my mood is somewhat negatively affected by the latest screening at Rio (my local cinema).

Raven-ous

2006-12-05T06:48:00.000Z

Tower of London - not so long ago. Quite a cool looking raven. Obviously totally at ease with the tourists and photo taking. Just a shame that the wings are clipped. Spoils an otherwise amazing looking bird - the kind that you just can't help imagining pecking eyeballs out of decapitated heads, not that I saw any on the tour.Am humoured to think that bad movie titles still abound. The

Under-Waterworld

2006-11-03T19:11:00.000Z

Skipping all the nonsense that accompanies my usual lack-of-blogging here is an excited, yet relaxed, slightly tanned update from the northern hemisphere. For this King-of-Quince has recently arrived back from a snorkeling and diving holiday in Egypt where I wasn't terrorized at all, except by the resort helpers perpetual calls for 'beach volley, anyone?'Despite this I managed to relax, forget

The strange world of the interweb

2006-09-27T22:07:00.000+01:00

Very briefly, for i don't have much to say. But I was amazed at the interweb today. It connected a few disjoint things that I've been mulling over recently. A while back I read Simon Singh 's "Big Bang" and in it it had a quote from Paul Dirac regarding how science was the complete opposite of poetry. I agreed at the time, and then it popped up today as a quote of the day. So I was

Catching

2006-09-10T13:00:00.000+01:00

Have a wee sniffly, the residue of a cold or my immune system's response to all the socialising I've been making it handle recently. It is inbetween sniffles that I have noticed just how long that it has been since posting last. A long time... *sniffles* A very long time... *blows nose* So what has been happening i hear you ask? Well, couple of things. I've started climbing, which I think

a shitty biscuit!

2006-08-16T18:47:00.000+01:00

Bugger. Went to the bank (online of course) to pay my dues and, well, fucked up proper. I had thought that the measly amount of money I receive in what is termed my 'salary' was sufficient for the purchase of a removable hard drive as well as rent, food for the week, transport and beer (of course). I was mistaken. The buggers at amazon dot bloody transact three days bloody later dot com

While I'm here

2006-08-10T20:32:00.000+01:00

Visual Factory:At work we have a glorified notice board. It is called the visual factory. It comprises a bunch of laminated info sheets that are not particularly visual or informative.I on the other hand perceive my world as a visual factory. A proper one. Interesting and, well, visual. Some visuals of note...V for Vendetta - Dvd, glad I watched it cause finding a library copy of the graphic

A note of Ron The Body

2006-08-10T13:17:00.000+01:00

Check out this.--Edited cause I am a muppet myself and can't spell. Also I meant note as in Floral. A hint in other words.

Will wonders never cease?

2006-08-06T11:18:00.000+01:00

Seems as if the e-mail to blog feature is working again. I guess this means that there are NO excuses for not keeping things up-to-date. Except for the fact that I'm lazy...Tired from two largish nights in a row topping off a sport-billy week. A slow sunday will ensue as the sore muscles and sleep deprivation combine to make lethargy the number one activity. Will have to eventually leave the

wtf?

2006-07-31T21:50:00.000+01:00

What is going on?

2006-07-31T20:47:00.000+01:00

I'm having difficulty. The e-mail to blog thing seems broken. I've lost the measly three posts that I've tried to write since the 12th of July. And I don't know why! It is currently residing in the too difficult basket. Till I fix it I guess I'll have to resort to trying from within blogger.com.So what has been going on? Well work for one. A co-wo got fired the other day. I'm VERY pissed

fucked off

2006-07-12T20:22:00.000+01:00

all work related, for which I feel shouldn't tell you. but I am. Well fucked off.--At home. Alone. A leprechaun has stolen the S and left me the man-in-charge. I think there was a program out there called that. I'm not living in a sitcom though. For the above reasons. Grr!--Speaking of sit-somethings, I've been watching Prison Break on the olde computer. It's OK. Addictive but nothing

The jinx!

2006-07-10T23:15:00.000+01:00

Gave myself a dose of the jinx today with my NOT want towards work. Train was late on the way to work and I came THIS close on the local station to saying fuck the money and walking home and calling in sick. Not that I'd have been paid for it. I signed a contract where my work is poorly paid, sick leave isn't covered, I get no bonuses at all and I still have to give notice that I'm going to

grumble

2006-07-10T07:25:00.000+01:00

I really do NOT want to go to work today!*grumble, grumble, mutter*Have the house to myself for the next week, so aim to surf the internet in peace and write the occasional post. Keep a lookout...

Break

2006-06-28T22:33:00.000+01:00

Walking home from the train, I got snuck up upon by my afternoon nemesis. Yes, I'm being stalked by a deaf 100 year old paedophilic ice-cream pusher. How do I know he is deaf I hear you ask? Well you might assume that wrinkly old fuckers made a bad impression on me once, and that I'm bringing every last one of my anti-old-people stereotypes to bear on him; hence he is old, paedophilic,

LOST, Cricket.

2006-06-17T13:23:00.000+01:00

Caught up with the final episodes of LOST Season 2 a week or so ago, and am pleased to report that there is enough 'hanging' to make me want to catch up with the Season 3 when is airs later this year. In fact the final cut scene was for me the most interesting of the season. Though undoubtedly it will create yet another season's worth of material to explore and un-resolve...I'm not sure why

broken links

2006-06-02T07:17:00.000+01:00

Sorry, have been away -- an enforced absence due to the bloody computer failing to maintain stability and a coherent registry file. Wasn't exactly the perpetual "blue screen of death'', but it was a terminal issue that is ONLY just resolving itself; that is if the bloody Windows Update does its stuff and installs stuff instead of crashing. Helpfuly the MSN messenger icon has appeared (I wonder

Pay dirt...

2006-05-12T20:15:00.000+01:00

yes, the pay is dirt, but at least the dirt came through, in its meager trowel sized shovel, today. and with it i'm off. yes, 'tis sal's dirt-h-bay next week and to celebrate we are off to italia. yay! first continental excursion is afoot. will write post the event to tell you just how much fun it all was. i'm looking forward to good coffee and pesto. fyi the location is cinque terre

I got paid!

2006-05-05T07:11:00.000+01:00

Thank the sweet-sweet capitalistic Lord, I got paid this morning! I might just have to celebrate by drinking most of it...

Lost Season 2 Episode 12

2006-05-05T07:05:00.000+01:00

For want of not revealing MASSIVE spoilers I'll just ask this wee question. wtf?

shit

2006-05-04T19:35:00.000+01:00

heaps to say, no time to say it, so i'll fob you off on the best pimped snack project to date. fucking wicked!

Lubricated

2006-04-21T15:16:00.000+01:00

Well currently felling as though communication is divine (pigphone - sadly all google searches for the old party site have long since vanished) and am mentally well lubricated because of My Best Friend's chat that has just concluded and in which games of Rock Paper Scissors were played over the distance of half the world (wtf?) and that was also fuelled by a whiskey or two. It is after 2pm so

Pattern Recognition

2006-04-21T10:06:00.000+01:00

Well, a little late off the mark, but the news on IMDB is that Peter Weir is adapting Pattern Recognition to the big screen. We here at with the quince think this is fucking good news. I've been on a little bit of a troll over the interview and had a listen to an interview at dvdtalt.com with Peter Weir in which he sounds like an entirely sensible antipodean in whom we can trust (he says

NZ Called

2006-04-20T15:27:00.000+01:00

Whoopee!NZ called, sounded fantastic, made me miss them and then told me to buck up my 'oh woe is me' ideas about life the universe and everything. So now I am charged with enthusiasm for the new job and London and everything. But then of course she spoiled it by signing off with a "come home before Feb '07" comment. Conflicting advice there Acting Manager! Sort that shit out before the

Pooh

2006-04-20T00:59:00.000+01:00

...to Lost Season 2 Episode 19. Pooh! And not a cool Pooh like a honey loving fellow neither!Though confirmation of a Jin/Sun conflict is of interest...--I need to sleep but just can't quite be fucked. --Have been boozing. Am quite wasted. In a very lucid and awake kid of way.--Can't wait to hear from NZ. Come on NZ. Call! I'll be sober 10pm NZ time...

Sweet nothing

2006-04-18T15:03:00.000+01:00

Just a little note, of no importance that may or may not solicit comment. Easter is over. I may not have walked 500 miles, but I did cover 41 over the break. I intend to write about it sometime. Not now for I have to enjoy my FREEDOM - unemployment with end in sigh (I remain that way till Monday 24th). That is all, and till then I remain your Easter themed pimped snack.

Further...

2006-04-12T13:30:00.000+01:00

RTB is finished 'Long live RTB'~m, notes will follow in a less public forum.

Lost

2006-04-12T13:28:00.000+01:00

Season 2 Episode 18 is a shrimp cracker of an episode despite far too much fat-man fun and frivolity. It is all getting interesting(er) and interesting(er).

Good

2006-04-12T10:49:00.000+01:00

Today is good - I have a job. Interview yesterday, offer today. 'Tis all good.*Guitar is good, the fingers on my left hand are supple and hitting the right strings today, and my right hand is strumming up a storm. I just blitzed "Last to know" which was the VERY first proper song I ever learned on the guitar, and an old faithful in determining if the g-tar playing day will be good. And all

Nothing to report

2006-04-10T11:48:00.000+01:00

Please go about your business as usual, for there is nothing of note to report here.

The Global Elite

2006-04-03T12:09:00.000+01:00

Well, well, well. I may be an unemployable chemical technologist, but I do still have the power to mingle with the global elite(tge). This weekend I had a walk on role as a wannabe bartender at a soire hosted by none other than Sir Jeremy Greenstock, who'se tge page is here, at the amazingly old/huge/plush Ditchley Park, which he is director of.You can read more about the house here, and look

Reading Drafts

2006-03-31T13:47:00.000+01:00

As mentioned in earlier posts, I'm reading a draft of a book. Thusfar it is excellent, and I've just read a bit that made me want topost this. I'm not exactly sure why. Bear with me...--I started reading the draft on my computer and I got to around page 60before realising that I just wasn't enjoying reading it on the screen. I felt guilty that this was then stopping me from concentrating onthe

Weird

2006-03-31T09:24:00.000+01:00

Had a daydream just before falling asleep last night, in which I was a writer for Lost way back at its conception, and I was fighting the other creative folk for using Charlie's character not to display the evils of addiction with heroin, but with cigarettes! I mean what self respecting heroin junkie wouldn't smoke as well? I know that I didn't pay enough attention to the first series so I'm

London Day # ? (I've stopped counting even before I started!)

2006-03-28T13:47:00.000+01:00

Not a lot to tell you. The rejections are still mounting and theprospects of employment seem a dim and distant horizon still.Have been reading a bit, having finished half of Invisibles Vol.02,the Sherlock Holmes collection and The Scar, though sadly not enoughof ~m's 2nd draft. We are getting there though.Still feel naughty for reading the Invisibles, as Harkonnen was oncepurported to be in the

the will to live...

2006-03-22T12:40:00.000Z

...is always improved with a good cup of coffee. I'm currently stuck on Indo style coffee. No, not coffee from Indonesia, just their low-tech way of preparing it. In a nut shell (or should that be a bean casing) you take a generous scoop of coffee, add it to your cup or mug, pour on hot water, stir add sugar/milk to taste and drink. Yes, you drink a fair amount of grinds with each cup (this

Harkonnen

2006-03-21T15:08:00.000Z

Don't you hate it when you have good friends who don't have nicknames or handles that you can easily use to partially hide identity when talking about them in blog posts? I do. This excerpt is from one... The next morning I was hung over. Very hung over, at one stage I crawled off to the toilet to take a dump and it took me half an hour because there was no moisture in my body.I'm calling

snakes on a plane

2006-03-21T14:59:00.000Z

omgfound through this site which i got through a twisted series of links that is FAR to involved to describe here. According to imdb it's in post production. God knows when it it'll actually be here, or why. "God, when will 'Snakes on a Plane' come out in cinemas?" OK, so maybe no one knows...It makes me wonder why, oh why, 'March or Die!' hasn't arrived yet.

Tsotsi

2006-03-21T13:02:00.000Z
Good movie. Very simple story. Clearly and well told. Good performances. Great catchy music. And all in a foreign language that will have you checking yourself every ten minutes going did I hear and understand that, or did I read and understand that? Sal commented that the production feel at the beginning of the movie was very stage-production like. I agree. It all of course goes

Crash

2006-03-20T10:55:00.000Z
Hmmn. I watched this on Dvd last night and I just wasn't that taken with it. Maybe I'm missing something, but it didn't grab me as particularly clever or special. And oscar worthy? I just dunno. Don't get me wrong though I thoroughly enjoyed it and was entertained by it. There was just something not-brilliant about it. Will try and put my finger on it... In the meanwhile I'm planning to go

Love Bites?

2006-03-20T09:34:00.000Z
No, not that series, the new Insiders Guide to Love. Evidently it screened just before Xmas but, not being in NZ at the time, I missed it. So anyone out there who saw it should comment about what it was like. How did it compare to Happiness?

RTB (aka ode to ~m)

2006-03-17T11:54:00.000Z
No not Ready To Blog, Reasons To Beg or Rub Thine Boobies, just Ron The Body!*JUST*(preemptive just exasperation from ~m - but you know as I know that it could never be JUST) Congrats on Draft2.0.  All that midnight oil and the bastard is DONE!  Knocked door, knocked up, knocked off, well at least ver2.0.Feel free to send me a copy to read over or visually peruse (I assume there are pictures -

too close to home

2006-03-16T11:21:00.000Z
The drug trial that has gone horribly wrong is just a little too close to home for me. I work in the industry, I've helped create drugs that will eventually go to tests like this, and I understand the protocols, procedures and extensive testing that goes on behind the scenes trying to determine if that drug is safe. And I also have an appreciation for the fact that despite this elements about

lost in other news

2006-03-14T16:00:00.000Z
I've been watching more lost, eps 7-11 came my way the other day and I'm up to 10 (I think - shush don't tell Sal). Episode 7 sucked oh so much, for many crappy reasons, but was thankfully pegged back by eps 8 and 9. Basically if you read this DON'T watch episode 7. It tells you nothing. Skip straight to ep 8. And that is the problem with this season. There is good stuff, but too much

¡a a+~ ã!

2006-03-14T10:40:00.000Z
Over the weekend I made this and it is now the official London pet.  You all should go out and get one.  They are great.  They wander around with a semi-intelligent looking determination that makes you want to pick them up and give 'em a hug. The best thing about it is you don't need to take it outside so that it can crap on the sidewalk. --I need to work out how to deal with accented characters

a toast to friends

2006-03-10T10:57:00.000Z
Having just received and responded to a series of text messages with Stronglight, I happened upon this article, that would have made the whole interaction a lot more 'inter' and 'active'. Burbon and coke in NZ and Bali coffee here in the UK (not quite at the depressed_with_London, therefore drinking spirits for breakfast [mainly cause I can't afford to]). In fact with the wedding spree going

The Weekstart

2006-03-06T11:32:00.000Z
The new week has begun. It was heralded with a lazy start, an Oscar run-down, and a thorough read of all the blogs that I try hard to keep up to date with. There was even a little chatting with ~m thanks to the nifty google chat that invariably glows green when I've woken up, abluted, and breakfasted, to say 'hey morgue is out there too!' He keeps funny hours that boy. Of course my ability to

Scarf

2006-03-03T16:09:00.000Z
Well, a while back I posted this about the fact that I was whiling away my time by knitting.Well, I whiled, and I whiled, and the border to this post is the result. I'm quite proud of it, although its length (at over 6'6") is a bit annoying at times.Currently I'm whiling more time away, trying not to get depressed about the lack of employment.I'm not knitting though.In fact I'm not doing

Therapy?

2006-03-02T18:25:00.000Z
I used to have a couple of Therapy? singles. In fact I probably still do. But given that they are half a world away and likely in a box I can't remember packing or putting somewhere it is understandably hard for me to imagine that they are still a possession.Anyway, one of the songs on one of the singles was a thumping track with a heavy guitar riff that lead into a chorus that ends:"...You

It troubles me...

2006-03-02T15:45:00.000Z
... to find out just how easy it is to do STUPID stuff with computers these days.I found how I needed to do what I did by searching for "img htmlmouseover" on google, which was then auto-corrected to "img html mouseover" and finding this site (5th listed). I liked the no javascript approach, and after a couple of trials it worked. So see below for another waste of your and my time!I hope ~m's

Wicker Men!

2006-03-02T15:07:00.000Z
According to Multi (vitamin) D this needed to be done.According to me, I'm just as much in the dark as you!

BAN, BON, BAR, BIC, BUN, BHC

2006-03-01T12:53:00.000Z
Went to BANbury last weekend with Sal and a friend of mine.  Hired a rental Mercedes (I only ever travel in style) and drove the 100 or so miles there with the intention and purpose of contributing amateur painting skills to this project.  Had a great weekend, replete with cool old barn, an amazing BONfire, good eats, conversation and a fair few drinks. All good, despite the bitter cold wind

in other news

2006-02-24T10:22:00.000Z
More creative writing available here. Found by typing 'what is happening to me' into google. I was expecting sites regarding the challenges of puberty, but hey, I'm not going to look a gift werewolf in the mouth! And I'd like to state for the record that Mr Anderson & Morgue rock the party. You know they do!

stop the clock

2006-02-24T09:56:00.000Z
With easily a day and 13 hours to spare ~m came through with utter nonsense that satisfied my every wish and was a delight to read.In Chuck's breast pocket was a vivid Sharpie pen. I snatched it out and took off my shirt. Keeping a wary eye on the Andew Loughnans, I wrote hastily across my chest, 'What did I do?' Then I displayed what I had written to them. They replied in chorus: 'You

Yes!

2006-02-23T19:25:00.000Z
I'm happy, and just a little bit drunk. But read on cause you NEED to know this? Guess what the latest make up ad I just read was?GET PLUMPMAKE UPBE BEAUTIFULSee who is marketing this: Catherine ZJ (hopefully she is the default (the site sucks)). It doesn't even have the ad that I have been seeing all around London town... WTF?

where is my story?

2006-02-23T19:03:00.000Z
~m!Well done man, 1 day and 13 hours to spare.

my employment pickle

2006-02-23T17:58:00.000Z
I'm looking for work in London. Right in London. And that means that my profession, chemical technology, aint thick on the ground. It is a big arse city, and like most cities it likes to keep its industries away from the centre of it. In other words, to get to where the chemistry in this fine city is happening, I'll have to travel. And this is a conflict. A pickle if you will.I'm good at

London Obs #2

2006-02-21T18:12:00.000Z
I need to test out why my last e-mail post got eaten, so here goes an attempt at another. I'm going to stick heaps of links in this post to distract you and cover up the fact that I don't have much to say...Things what I am doing at the moment: ~ Painting a miniature, this one to be precise, only in different colours and with less skill.~ Wanting stuff, like this & this, and this, even this.

Cambodge Photo #1

2006-02-21T15:15:00.000Z
Well Cal, I tried, but my incompetence ate my post.So here is a filler.It is my favorite photo taken in Cambodia. It is a view from the top of one of the many temples in the Angkor complex.It is my favorite for many reasons, but especially because Angkor is so hard to photograph well. It is too immense, too awe inspiring to capture with a man made device.So I was very happy that out of the

London Obs#1

2006-02-16T09:26:00.000Z
Just a wee post on one of the noted* excesses of London. Street sweepers, you know those great big truck + vacuum gutter sweepers they have in cities, come past my place an average of three times a day - usually between 6-8am, then in the early arvo and then late at night 8-10pm. I've counted five sweepers in one day. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of street swept rubbish is cigarette

in-Flamed!

2006-02-15T11:37:00.000Z
Over where the light is strong, an intra-blog flirtation is distracting me from doing what I really should do - find a job. But it is worth noting, I think, because of the difficulty of being understood when you write e-mails, and by extension, I guess this includes blog posts. Hopefully at least half of you will understand this... I got thinking about being understood after reading an article

don't foresake anything....

2006-02-10T10:15:00.000Z
I awoke groggily this morning. After all I was blind drunk last night. I read through the chats I had on Skype and pieced together most of my evening. I then checked my gmail account to find that I'd written my best friend an e-mail containing precisely the subject line of this post. I have no idea why. I should stop drinking.

The data poor

2006-02-09T09:42:00.000Z
I don't really know where I want to go with this, so bear with me and hopefully I'll get to a point...Over at Mr Anderson there is a horrible tale of woe that I hope to never have happen to me. To summarize; an unsecured member on his home network was compromised by a virus and that in turn meant that his ISP account was overused MASSIVELY and at HUGE expense to him as the ISP account holder.Now

Wow

2006-02-09T08:47:00.000Z
I've been getting into all the modification things you can do with personal homepages at google.com and such like. So early in the morning, after breakfast, and as I'm getting ready for another depressing day of searching for work, I get to scroll through RSS fed headlines and other curios. It allows me to stumble (in a very syndicated kind of way) upon things as cool as this...I am amazed

A Travelling Man's Sandals (Mandals?)

2006-02-02T17:57:00.000Z
Here is a picture of the improbably used and unfortunately broken sandals that carried me around South East Asia for six whole months.It is a memorial photo taken early this year when, god have mercy on me, I threw them out. I needed to. They were broken and only of sentimental value. And I had to move flats in London on the Tube and Bus. *Sigh*They were amazing really. Hard wearing,

Who would have thought?

2006-01-30T14:57:00.000Z
The quince is everywhere!