Most of today has been spent watching the single matches of the Ryder Cup. Being a Golf fan (for my sins) I couldn't really be expected to do anything else. I was amazed at how well the European team played and my congratulations go out to them. Also I must admit that there was a tear in my eye when Darren Clark won his match on the 16th. It's incredible how well Darren was playing considering it wasn't so long ago that he lost his Wife to Cancer.
When I wasn't watching the golf I finally finished piecing my bike back together. I bought a seat on eBay (where else?) and I can quite happily report that it is a much better design for the male form. It's actually filled with that Gel-type material and it is much more comfortable to ride with. I took the bike out for a test-ride up and down the hill a couple of times just to make sure everything is okay. With no problems I'm just hoping for some nice weather towards the back end of the year so that it doesn't just sit in the garage until next year!
I suspect you guys are probably wondering what I alluded to in my last entry. I suspect it wasn't (partially) what you thought. It should be interesting though.
I really don't meet many (any) new people. Between work and all of my evening activities I must be honest and say I don't get out much. Mind you "going out" has never been my scene anyway .If I go anywhere it's usually to meet friends and I just don't really have those kind of "friends" around here. I have friends at work certainly, but I'm the youngest person in the office at the moment and it's very rare that I see anybody outside of work.
All of my real close friends are you guys who have had the delight and fortune to meet via the internet and university. Just imagine those of us who live at the four corners of this country (and the globe), would we have gone on with our lives not knowing each other without the internet?
Now before I go any further these thoughts aren't as depressing as they probably read. As I type there is a smile on my face and it is a situation I have learned to at least become comfortable with. However these are thoughts that have been running through my head these past couple of weeks. I have been wondering what happens now? How do I move forward...
... Well what I actually did this weekend was join an "introduction agency". Bet you didn't see that one coming did ya? Knowing my situation and wanting to become pro-active I thought this to be a possible solution. So on Saturday I went for an interview to join the agency. They interview all potential clients to assess there suitability and obviously to get details as to what people are looking for.
The agency (I'll keep calling it that as it makes it sound like something out of a spy novel) was in the middle of moving offices so they were actually based temporarily in a suite in the Marriot hotel. They were also running late as the hotel staff had forgotten where they had put them and were directing clients the wrong way.
The interview actually went on for 2+ hours. I won't say too much about it, most of the questions would be as you would suspect. What was interesting though was the use of psychometric testing similar to those used by an employer. I had to smile while doing those. Every time I've done one of those I've upset the person assessing them. People like to use them to pigeon hole you to one category or another. Generally I get scores that put me equally in them all, prompting a "I'll get ye yet cully" look in there eyes.
The second interesting thing is the conversation that occurred when the interview moved in the direction of my occupation. I obviously told her I was a Software/Commissioning engineer, but it was the subject of "on what" that we ended up talking for ages on. I'm always amazed how people want to know more on the subject. I suppose deep down people have a morbid fascination for it, that they just don't realise is there until they have the opportunity to find out more! I think my company should advertise it as a perk of the job.
Anyway after going through all that I am now a member of "The Agency". I'll admit here and now it's not cheap. Erm membership is a 4 figure number and I'll just leave it there. Will it be worth it? I won't be able to answer that question yet, but I'm hoping that turns into a definite YES in the future.
So what happens next? Well obviously all my information goes into the system and then we wait. They promise upto 16 introductions in a year (if you need them) and it usually takes about 3 weeks before they send you details of the first one. When things start happening, I promise you my friends will be the first to know. I'm going to be as completely open as I can be on this and I suspect I'll be all the happier for it!
Wow, I've just re-read this lot and it's a monster of a post. If you've got to the end - you deserve a cookie. And if you remind me nest time you see me, I'll be very happy to oblige!
Profound Lyric of the day:
Sacred geometry.
Where movement is poetry.
Visions of you and me forever.
Dark Waltz ~ Hayley Westenra
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Typed in Blood!
I just love a dramatic post title. Don't you?
Never has a post title been so apt in this case. At the moment my eczema is playing havok with my hands. The skin is all cracked on my fingers and it was so bad earlier in the week I caught a slight infection as well. So they become all swollen which made it difficult to type, also bending certain fingers opened up parts of the skin...
...causing the phenomenon described in the title. So I've been avoid general keboard usage whenever possible this week. Which has been a bit difficult with work seen as how it's part of my job and all. I've tried to stick to the task that don't involve typing, but i'm the only one in the office this week (my boss is on holiday), so I've had to take on what I've come to call emergency typing.
Of course this has also meant no blogging etc when I got home otherwise I'd have no fingers left. Although I wouldn't have to worry about blood stains as they would just blend in with my sofa! Thankfully the swelling has gone down now and I can flex my fingers without it turning into a scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Thankfully (?) it's been a slow news week up here so you haven't missed out on much. Only one noteworthy tidbit. Last friday we took the cadets on a night time exercise on Strensall Common which is an area of land the Army use for exercises. There were 10 staff members and 60 cadets. Anyway at the end of the evening we got back to where we'd parked our cars to find that a member of staff had lost there car keys somewhere on the common. Not only that but somebody else had put there car keys in this persons car for safe (??) keeping.
Oh dear! It's 11 in the evening pitch black and the common now contained tall grass, bushes, tree's, ditches, swamps and 1 set of car keys. The common is about 3 sq. km and we had 70 people. Needle, haystack, whichever way you look at it we had no chance. I don't know how they got into the car as we had to leave before then. I suspect if we'd have enquired one of the cadets may have had the necessary "skills" to "help".
See I told you it was a slow news week. I may have somethign slightly more interesting to post about on Saturday. Depends on how things go and how... er ... open I'm feeling.
Thought provoking lyric of the day:
When it all comes crashing down,
And the prayers move in to town.
Bring your floral words,
Wrapped in selafane.
Richard Ashcroft ~ Sweet Brother Malcolm
Never has a post title been so apt in this case. At the moment my eczema is playing havok with my hands. The skin is all cracked on my fingers and it was so bad earlier in the week I caught a slight infection as well. So they become all swollen which made it difficult to type, also bending certain fingers opened up parts of the skin...
...causing the phenomenon described in the title. So I've been avoid general keboard usage whenever possible this week. Which has been a bit difficult with work seen as how it's part of my job and all. I've tried to stick to the task that don't involve typing, but i'm the only one in the office this week (my boss is on holiday), so I've had to take on what I've come to call emergency typing.
Of course this has also meant no blogging etc when I got home otherwise I'd have no fingers left. Although I wouldn't have to worry about blood stains as they would just blend in with my sofa! Thankfully the swelling has gone down now and I can flex my fingers without it turning into a scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Thankfully (?) it's been a slow news week up here so you haven't missed out on much. Only one noteworthy tidbit. Last friday we took the cadets on a night time exercise on Strensall Common which is an area of land the Army use for exercises. There were 10 staff members and 60 cadets. Anyway at the end of the evening we got back to where we'd parked our cars to find that a member of staff had lost there car keys somewhere on the common. Not only that but somebody else had put there car keys in this persons car for safe (??) keeping.
Oh dear! It's 11 in the evening pitch black and the common now contained tall grass, bushes, tree's, ditches, swamps and 1 set of car keys. The common is about 3 sq. km and we had 70 people. Needle, haystack, whichever way you look at it we had no chance. I don't know how they got into the car as we had to leave before then. I suspect if we'd have enquired one of the cadets may have had the necessary "skills" to "help".
See I told you it was a slow news week. I may have somethign slightly more interesting to post about on Saturday. Depends on how things go and how... er ... open I'm feeling.
Thought provoking lyric of the day:
When it all comes crashing down,
And the prayers move in to town.
Bring your floral words,
Wrapped in selafane.
Richard Ashcroft ~ Sweet Brother Malcolm
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Trying Hard to Keep it Up...
... my internet connection that is!
What I forgot to mention in my last entry is that on friday evening we took the cadets to York Maze. Cut from fields of Maize (definate pun intended there) it is the size of 15 football pitches. Every year it is cut into a different design and this year it had a Star Trek theme (it being the 40th anniversery and all). It's actually really good and there's an arial shot if you follow the earlier link.
The reason we went last week was because they have started there Halloween activites. Yes I know it's early but the rest of the Maze (Maize) get's harvested before Halloween and they have to do it sometime before then. As you would expect they have people positioned round the maze in halloween costumes and it is open until 11pm in the evening. The best bit were the blokes in hockey masks running around with real chainsaws. You could hear them (and the screams) from the other side of the Maze.
I love scaring cadets. It's one of life's little pleasures.
Speaking of scary things, today I was sat in my office which faces the main road when suddenly there was this loud bang from outside. I peered through the blinds to find a lorry parked by the side of the road and a mangled lump of metal on the pavement slightly behind it. It transpires that the twisted lump used to be a bus shelter. The lorry was transporting it (it didn't look very secure) and then it suddenly fell off the back (I don't know why). The driver was very lucky, I suspect that if there had been anybody on the pavement at that time they'd be dead (or at least seriously injured).
I've also never actually heard of a bus shelter being vandalsied before it was even installed!
I went cycling this evening for the first time in ages. I didn't go too far (just up and down the hill a couple of time). I would probaby have gone further if it wasn't for that seat. When I called it a device of KGB torture last week I was doing it a definate injustice. Although it's not so bad as finishing Alias season 2 which I did on Monday Night. That ends on an even bigger cliffhanger than the first season. What's worse is that you in way can see it coming, just because it seems to have nothing in common with what's gone before. This was a series made for DVD as each season puts a gun to your head and forces you to buy the next one. I need to see S3 just to find out what's going (gone) on!!!
Finally I came across this statistic in the paper on Monday.
"HALF of all wives fantasise about sex with other men within two years of getting married but only three in 10 act on them, a poll of 6,300 20 to 38-year-old women showed."
Only 3 in 10. I know it's not a large survey but that's 30%. Definatley an example of when wording is key!
Spiderwatch:-
Just the one so far, caught it right above my bed on the ceiling last night. Fast little bugger as well. Maybe he was waiting for me to go to sleep before pouncing...
Profound Lyric of the Day:
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her,
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.
Not Ready to Make Nice ~ Dixie Chicks
For the unintiated:-
More Dixie Chicks lyrics and videoclips on Lyricspy
What I forgot to mention in my last entry is that on friday evening we took the cadets to York Maze. Cut from fields of Maize (definate pun intended there) it is the size of 15 football pitches. Every year it is cut into a different design and this year it had a Star Trek theme (it being the 40th anniversery and all). It's actually really good and there's an arial shot if you follow the earlier link.
The reason we went last week was because they have started there Halloween activites. Yes I know it's early but the rest of the Maze (Maize) get's harvested before Halloween and they have to do it sometime before then. As you would expect they have people positioned round the maze in halloween costumes and it is open until 11pm in the evening. The best bit were the blokes in hockey masks running around with real chainsaws. You could hear them (and the screams) from the other side of the Maze.
I love scaring cadets. It's one of life's little pleasures.
Speaking of scary things, today I was sat in my office which faces the main road when suddenly there was this loud bang from outside. I peered through the blinds to find a lorry parked by the side of the road and a mangled lump of metal on the pavement slightly behind it. It transpires that the twisted lump used to be a bus shelter. The lorry was transporting it (it didn't look very secure) and then it suddenly fell off the back (I don't know why). The driver was very lucky, I suspect that if there had been anybody on the pavement at that time they'd be dead (or at least seriously injured).
I've also never actually heard of a bus shelter being vandalsied before it was even installed!
I went cycling this evening for the first time in ages. I didn't go too far (just up and down the hill a couple of time). I would probaby have gone further if it wasn't for that seat. When I called it a device of KGB torture last week I was doing it a definate injustice. Although it's not so bad as finishing Alias season 2 which I did on Monday Night. That ends on an even bigger cliffhanger than the first season. What's worse is that you in way can see it coming, just because it seems to have nothing in common with what's gone before. This was a series made for DVD as each season puts a gun to your head and forces you to buy the next one. I need to see S3 just to find out what's going (gone) on!!!
Finally I came across this statistic in the paper on Monday.
"HALF of all wives fantasise about sex with other men within two years of getting married but only three in 10 act on them, a poll of 6,300 20 to 38-year-old women showed."
Only 3 in 10. I know it's not a large survey but that's 30%. Definatley an example of when wording is key!
Spiderwatch:-
Just the one so far, caught it right above my bed on the ceiling last night. Fast little bugger as well. Maybe he was waiting for me to go to sleep before pouncing...
Profound Lyric of the Day:
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her,
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.
Not Ready to Make Nice ~ Dixie Chicks
For the unintiated:-
More Dixie Chicks lyrics and videoclips on Lyricspy
Monday, September 11, 2006
Stormy Weather
I feel like a Yo-yo, my net connection seems to last 30 seconds, goes down, comes back up and then goes down again. Obviously this post has been brought to you thanks to notepad and the ability to copy/paste stuff...
...and then catching it on the upswing. I need to check that my enemy is not trying to cut off my lines of communication. Either that or it has something to do with the thunderstorm that's just suddenly appeared out of nowhere outside my window?
Well after last weeks invasion, things seem to have settled down to a war of attrition. Except that I would imagine that ? would lose a war of attrition, there being only one of me and probably an army of several million of them. Still I have manged to remove 2 more of the 8-legged infantry from various corners of my house. Not to call me paranoid, but I do check the ceiling in bedroom before I go to bed as well. ~ Cheers Eileen for putting that happy thought in my head! ;-)
I now have a working washing machine as well. So it turned out to be worth the day-off just get that fixed. I'm glad really, as there was a possibility that the engineer would get here diagnose the problem and then tell me I'd need to wait for delivery of a part! As it was I still had to fork out £90 for a call-out that lasted less than an hour and the fix was just reloading the control software into the machine. Still I have managed to put 2 loads through it today without a problem (apart from those caused by me trying to operate the machine).
On the nearly working front is my bike. I have cleaned it, oiled it and replaced the front brakes + innertube. The rear brakes work, but squeak like a mouse trying to yodel. I'll have to replace those when the bike shop get some more in. The other thing I need to replace is the sadle. I took the bike for a quick run up and down the hill to ensure that I had put everything back together correctly and the saddle just felt like it was made of wood. It's so thin I'm assuming it was invented by an ex-KGB torturer whose's branching out into other areas.
So when I go back for the brakes I'm going to look for a better saddle and also a helmet. Better to be safe rather than sorry, especially with some of the hills round my way. I haven't dared try any yet, but I bet you could get up some speed on the downhill sections.
Thought Provoking Lyric of the Day:
Why must we lose love to ever know love at all? ~ Light of Day - The Divine Comedy
OH what the hell I can't get enough of the chorus either...1...2...3...&
When there's no more lies to hide behind.
And no more tears to cry,
I know we'll be alright.
'Cause even though the skies above are cold and grey.
I'm sure tomorrow we will see the light of day.
...and then catching it on the upswing. I need to check that my enemy is not trying to cut off my lines of communication. Either that or it has something to do with the thunderstorm that's just suddenly appeared out of nowhere outside my window?
Well after last weeks invasion, things seem to have settled down to a war of attrition. Except that I would imagine that ? would lose a war of attrition, there being only one of me and probably an army of several million of them. Still I have manged to remove 2 more of the 8-legged infantry from various corners of my house. Not to call me paranoid, but I do check the ceiling in bedroom before I go to bed as well. ~ Cheers Eileen for putting that happy thought in my head! ;-)
I now have a working washing machine as well. So it turned out to be worth the day-off just get that fixed. I'm glad really, as there was a possibility that the engineer would get here diagnose the problem and then tell me I'd need to wait for delivery of a part! As it was I still had to fork out £90 for a call-out that lasted less than an hour and the fix was just reloading the control software into the machine. Still I have managed to put 2 loads through it today without a problem (apart from those caused by me trying to operate the machine).
On the nearly working front is my bike. I have cleaned it, oiled it and replaced the front brakes + innertube. The rear brakes work, but squeak like a mouse trying to yodel. I'll have to replace those when the bike shop get some more in. The other thing I need to replace is the sadle. I took the bike for a quick run up and down the hill to ensure that I had put everything back together correctly and the saddle just felt like it was made of wood. It's so thin I'm assuming it was invented by an ex-KGB torturer whose's branching out into other areas.
So when I go back for the brakes I'm going to look for a better saddle and also a helmet. Better to be safe rather than sorry, especially with some of the hills round my way. I haven't dared try any yet, but I bet you could get up some speed on the downhill sections.
Thought Provoking Lyric of the Day:
Why must we lose love to ever know love at all? ~ Light of Day - The Divine Comedy
OH what the hell I can't get enough of the chorus either...1...2...3...&
When there's no more lies to hide behind.
And no more tears to cry,
I know we'll be alright.
'Cause even though the skies above are cold and grey.
I'm sure tomorrow we will see the light of day.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
I Have Had it with the Motherf**king Spiders in this Motherf**king House
Shamlessly borrowed from Simon!
Okay own up. Who doesn't have their fair share. My house just seems to be awash with spiders at the moment. I know I've complained about living on my own, but that wasn't an open invitation for my eight legged friends to come along and keep me company. I'd just about got rid of all those annoying Thunder Bug type things as well.
But now everytime I come back to my house on an evening I'm finding yet another spider trying to set up residence in one of the numerous corners in my house. I have ... er ... removed at least 7 or 8 so far this week using various means. If I were to detail it all I'd probably sound like a B-Movie version of "Snakes on a Plane" if such a thing is possible.
Also to add to the list of things that have broken in my house - my electic razor has gone on the blink. Which means I'm currently trying to hack my face off every morning with a manual razor. This wouldn't be so bad except I've never used a manual razor in my life. It's always been easier and quicker to use an electric one. so far there's been no blood, but it's always in the back of my mind that maybe I'd do better with sandpaper.
Maybe I should try waxing or something?
I hope to reduce my "broken" list by one early next week. I've got an engineer coming to look at my washer/dryer on Monday. Not before time as well, it actually switched itself on while empty on Monday night. It's currently unplugged to prevent a repeat performance. The really annoying thing though is I've had to take a day off work to get it fixed, so I hope they can do it on the day!
Topical Thought for the Day: At the moment it's currently San Marino 0 - 13 Germany in the football. Sort of puts England 5 - 0 Andorra in perspective doesn't it?
Okay own up. Who doesn't have their fair share. My house just seems to be awash with spiders at the moment. I know I've complained about living on my own, but that wasn't an open invitation for my eight legged friends to come along and keep me company. I'd just about got rid of all those annoying Thunder Bug type things as well.
But now everytime I come back to my house on an evening I'm finding yet another spider trying to set up residence in one of the numerous corners in my house. I have ... er ... removed at least 7 or 8 so far this week using various means. If I were to detail it all I'd probably sound like a B-Movie version of "Snakes on a Plane" if such a thing is possible.
Also to add to the list of things that have broken in my house - my electic razor has gone on the blink. Which means I'm currently trying to hack my face off every morning with a manual razor. This wouldn't be so bad except I've never used a manual razor in my life. It's always been easier and quicker to use an electric one. so far there's been no blood, but it's always in the back of my mind that maybe I'd do better with sandpaper.
Maybe I should try waxing or something?
I hope to reduce my "broken" list by one early next week. I've got an engineer coming to look at my washer/dryer on Monday. Not before time as well, it actually switched itself on while empty on Monday night. It's currently unplugged to prevent a repeat performance. The really annoying thing though is I've had to take a day off work to get it fixed, so I hope they can do it on the day!
Topical Thought for the Day: At the moment it's currently San Marino 0 - 13 Germany in the football. Sort of puts England 5 - 0 Andorra in perspective doesn't it?
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Nothing to see here, move along!
It's been a rather quiet weekend (for once). Unfortunately we had lots of rain yesterday which meant the cadets couldn't actually go gliding. Which was a shame it was nice weather when we drove to the airfield. Unfortunately just before the first cadets went up the heavens opened. We stayed around for a couple of hours to see if the weather would break, but by lunchtime it had just gotten worse. The day wasn't a total loss for the Cadets. They each got to beat me senseless at Tony Hawk for the PS one (a skateboarding game).
Which was nice. The only other bits of news are rather short.
1. I now own a bike. It used to be my dad's but he hasn't used it in a while so I bought it off him. It needs a bit of work, but nothing tot serious. I managed to fix most of it this morning, it only requires a new innertube at the front. I can now explore the area better than I can on foot and maybe see what lies beyond those parts of the village that are too far to walk on an evening and are inaccessible by car.
2. I finally got it. That f*$king huge spider that's been running around my living room I finally managed to catch it just now. I'm sorry, but it didn't survive the encounter. My nerves are not strong enough where spiders are concerned (especially when they are that big).
They are my krypronite!
Which was nice. The only other bits of news are rather short.
1. I now own a bike. It used to be my dad's but he hasn't used it in a while so I bought it off him. It needs a bit of work, but nothing tot serious. I managed to fix most of it this morning, it only requires a new innertube at the front. I can now explore the area better than I can on foot and maybe see what lies beyond those parts of the village that are too far to walk on an evening and are inaccessible by car.
2. I finally got it. That f*$king huge spider that's been running around my living room I finally managed to catch it just now. I'm sorry, but it didn't survive the encounter. My nerves are not strong enough where spiders are concerned (especially when they are that big).
They are my krypronite!
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