Sunday 29 November 2009 21:36
Bloody computers. After wasting hours on the damn thing, I realised
that the CD drive was faulty. It was working, which led me to believe
the problem lay elsewhere, but once I connected another drive, I
managed to get an operating system installed in no time at all. Now I
only need is to get it re-housed, to get it off the (very small) living
room floor where its been in bits for way too long. Sunday 29 November 2009 14:12
A few months ago, I decided to sign-up to the National Lottery online,
mainly because I forget to buy tickets and because they let you know if
you win anything.It's hard not to build your hopes up when you receive an email like this ...
Dear Gary,
We have some exciting news about the ticket that you bought for the Saturday 28 November draw. Please click http://www.national-lottery.co.uk/player/account/wallet/landing.do?link=email and enter your username and password to view the details online now.
Kind Regards
National Lottery Customer Care Team
www.national-lottery.co.uk
Of course, I'd forgotten my username and password, so I had to go through the security checks to reset my password. Only to find I'd won a tenner.
Sunday 29 November 2009 13:33
This bloody old computer is doing my head in. I gave up last night and
started again this morning. It's running so slowly and I'm having a few
problems getting an operating system onto the hard drive. It's hardly
surprising I guess; the computer is ten years old, build by my then 16
year-old daughter. I had an identical computer at the time and thought
it was great. I took out the old 6 Gig hard drive, which was stupidly expensive ten years ago, and swapped it for a 20 Gig drive I had in my box of spare parts. I also swapped the old Celeron 333 processor for a 500 and stuck some extra memory in.
It'd been running XP, but took around 15 minutes to boot-up, although I remember that it'd originally had Windows 98, then 2000. I'll give Linux a try now I think and, if that won't work, go back to 2000. Or possibly just bin the computer.
Sunday 29 November 2009 01:33
The hardest thing about this job is being what you ain't.
It's late, I'm trying to salvage (or recycle) a pretty ancient
computer. It's taking forever, so I'm playing random MP3s from the
network drive. The line above's from a pretty old album, strangely
released as a tribute to some famous composer (whose name escapes me).
He was from Eastern Europe, but wrote most of his stuff in the US. I
used to play the album a lot a decade ago. Anyway ...I made a bit of an idiot of myself this (yesterday, technically) afternoon. I've not had much to do with babies recently and even when I have I've relied on the nearest adult female to do the difficult stuff. However, today Owen started crying while I had hold of him ans, since he was obviously hungry, Lucy passed me a bottle. He went quiet as soon as I put it in his mouth, but then started crying louder. I kept trying with the bottle, but he just kept crying. Then I looked at the bottle and noticed the very cleverly moulded lid. It fitted over the teat exactly. The results were a lot better once the lid was removed. Things were much simpler when bottles had big round lids.
There'll possibly be some delay before this gets posted; I've forgotten my ftp details and didn't think of making a note of them before I wiped my laptop. Hopefully Paula will know the password.
Saturday 28 November 2009 11:11
For some strange reason, Ubuntu eee went all weird on my Asus
the other day. Of course, it had to happen when I needed to print
something. There're other computers in the house, but they're nowhere
near my huge old laser printer. So I temporarily gave up trying to
print.I should probably try to get the print server up and running again; it's not worked since the arrival of the new router earlier this year and I've painful memories of getting it all to work in the first place. I've had a week off work too, but for some reason or another it wasn't high on my list of priorities. I know I'll probably need to set aside a day, with a couple of bottles of nice beer, so one day I'll get round to it.
Anyway, as a temporary solution, the Asus is alive and well again. I'd held off trying the new Ubuntu netbook remix, which is based on the new 9.10 version rather than the older 8.something because I'd read that there were couple of bugs that caused problems on the eee 900, but it seems to work fine.
I'm now at the end of my week off, or the beginning of the weekend since I think of myself as a half full kind of bloke, so I'm very conscious that it's back to the routine of work on Monday. I'm sitting thinking of productive things to do, so I can go back to work feeling I've actually done something. I may go for a walk today.
Or I could read a book. I read one yesterday, the first one since E's things the grandchildren should know last year (in a tent in Holland). It was a little disappointing though (the new one, not E's book, which I thought was quite good).
Time for a cup of coffee I think.
Thursday 26 November 2009 11:47
Bloody computers. For
some reason Ubuntu won't recognise Paula's old scanner. After a gap of
a couple of years I'd decided to resume scanning old photos. I'd
abandoned this originally after finishing a whole album and realising
it was truly the most boring thing I'd ever done in my life. Of course, I could use one of the Windows machines. But the kitchen PC's mouse batteries are flat and the living room computer's connected to the TV (and a couple of hours without TV would be unthinkable). Another day perhaps.
Wednesday 25 November 2009 23:50
Home again. I had a great time in Glasgow yesterday/last night. The Arctic Monkeys were very good, much better than their performance at Leeds festival, although we did miss the Eagles of Death Metal (or rather, Phil did; I wasn't fussed). Staropramen in the 13th note, surely the coolest bar in the city, was very nice; it'd been just over a year since I was last there. The Horseshoe Bar was good, but Phil almost managed to offend some Germans.It was good to catch up with Sarah and Nicky too, as well as meeting Mat (who's a really good bloke). It was a little odd meeting up with George (who has a most comfortable sofa) in Glasgow, wandering around the city centre as though we were in Newcastle. But pretty cool.
I didn't take my camera, so don't have any pictures to put up here. I've some fuzzy phone pictures, but they're really not worth seeing. Well, maybe apart from this one. Phil asleep with his bunny ...
Tuesday 24 November 2009 00:46
Well now then Mardy Bum I've seen your frown
And it's like looking down the barrel of a gun
And it goes off
And out come all these words
Oh there's a very pleasant side to you
A side I much prefer
It's one that laughs and jokes around
Remember cuddles in the kitchen
Yeah, to get things off the ground
And it was up, up and away
Oh, but it's right hard to remember
That on a day like today when you're all argumentative
And you've got the face on
Well now then Mardy Bum
Oh I'm in trouble again, aren't I
I thought as much
Cause you turned over there
Pulling that silent disappointment face
The one that I can't bear
Why can't we just laugh and joke around
Remember cuddles in the kitchen
Yeah, to get things off the ground
And it was up, up and away
Oh, but it's right hard to remember
That on a day like today when you're all argumentative
And you've got the face on
And yeah I'm sorry I was late
but I missed the train
And then the traffic was a state
And I can't be arsed to carry on in this debate
That reoccurs, oh when you say I don't care
but of course I do, yet I clearly do!
So laugh and joke around
Remember cuddles in the kitchen
Yeah, to get things off the ground
And it was up, up and away
Oh, but it's right hard to remember
That on a day like today when you're all argumentative
And you've got the face on
Tuesday 24 November 2009 00:35
On setting the alarm on my phone, I noticed that I had 80 missed calls today. What? I don't know that many people.Tuesday 24 November 2009 00:25
He'll make up for lost time.Although I only caught the end of the item on BBC news 24, about the man who'd been conscious for the 23 years he'd been believed to be in a coma, I did hear the above comment from the newsreader. The story was horrible enough, but surely we could expect better of the BBC.
Monday 23 November 2009 23:19
Is this my third post in one day? A very, very long time ago I once went for a walk. A lot of things were troubling me and I was heading down a steep path of self destruction. So I went for a walk. It was a cold day, February I think. 1979. I walked from a pretty grotty part of Sunderland, called Townend Farm, to Seaham (and back). I sat on rocks on the beach at Seaham and watched the waves rolling in until the sun went down. It made sense at the time and it's one of those things that has stuck with me. Although a lot of time has passed, it's still very clear. I'm older and a lot (cough) wiser now though. I deal with stuff in a very different way; largely because I'm not that eighteen-year-old any more.
Saying that, the experience left me with a pretty heavy-duty heap of memories and feelings, and a tendency towards walking when I need to clear my head. Not such a lengthy walk nowadays though.
I went for a walk this eveninhg. It wasn't a reaction to anything in particular, just an attempt to clear my head. I really do need to do this more often. or go back to cycling (which was a great way to burn-off hassles). It was still a bit silly though, since it was bloody freezing outside. I'm a lot older now too, so I didn't walk anywhere near Seaham.
I'm going to Glasgow tomorrow. Obviously not on foot.
Monday 23 November 2009 09:03
Did I mention I'm off work today? And tomorrow? All week in fact. Now what can I do with this morning? I know, I'll go to Asda. Monday 23 November 2009 00:05
I'm just back after a few pints of Guinness with Trevor. We went to the Union Rooms in town, pretty much as we always do. It was a nice, gentlemanly kind of evening. I don't need to go to work tomorrow (technically today) and I'm more than a little bit happy about it.
Sunday 22 November 2009 00:47
I've
had a most enjoyable evening with my children. I wish to state that I
love my children. I have two and they're actually very nice people.
They're actually at the top of my list of nice people. As are my three grandchildren. So there. I was invited to a party tonight. I was on the Metro at the time. I declined the offer, but now I'm back at the house I think that was probably a bad move.
There's an Elvis impersonator at my local on Thursday. I'll probably go, so if anyone's interested ...
I'm going to see the Arctic Monkeys on Tuesday. I used to like them a lot until I saw them at Leeds festival this year, when they were a bit arsy. I'll give them a second chance though. I've a spare ticket if ....
Anyway, I should probably sleep now. Yes.
Wednesday 18 November 2009 22:15
I
don't have a lot of luck with trains. I had to go to Preston today for
a team meeting, but was late because the train stopped in the middle of
nowhere for no apparent reason. I shouldn't complain though, singe I
wasn't too badly late. I shall, however, complain about the return
journey. Unfortunately, my first train was late so I missed the
connection at Carlisle and had over an hour's wait for the next one.
Still, a pint of Guinness kept me occupied.The team meeting, followed by our xmas lunch (the only time before xmas that we'd all be in the same city) was ok. They're a good bunch of people. I liked them even more when they said that I surely wasn't old enough to be a grandad.
It's my Friday tomorrow, since I need to take some time off to get rid of a few days leave before December. Saying that, even though I've Friday (my Saturday?) off, I need to go in for a meeting. So maybe tomorrow's Thursday after all.
Tuesday 17 November 2009 22:50
Well,
after quite a struggle, the new washing machine is in place and
working. OK, so the floor's a little wet and the waste pipe's stretched
to breaking point, but it's up and running. I have to say at this point
that I didn't enjoy this evening.Almost compensating for my washing machine-induced hassle is my new Presidents of the USA t-shirt. It's not actually new, since it's an old gig shirt, but it's unworn and from a shop on ebay. It's kind of red with sparkly silver text and, contrary to this description, isn't gay at all. I do love it.
It smells a bit funny though.
Sunday 15 November 2009 10:14
I'm not particularly happy with technology today. The washing machine died yesterday. I mean properly
died. I'd managed to replace a couple of parts in recent months, but
this time it's really dead. It's not much over five years old, but it's
had a lot of use, so it's not worth throwing money at it. I started
looking for a new one on the internet last night, but couldn't really
be bothered so left it until this morning.And, of course, my internet connection isn't working this morning (which does make me wonder why I'm bothering to write this). I've tried all the obvious things, but the problem seems to be broadband itself rather than anything within the house.
No internet connection and a pressing need for a new washing machine. Bugger, I'm going to have to go to a shop.
Oh, while I'm on the subject of electrical goods, I accidentally found a button on the new TV. It wasn't mentioned in the badly translated from Mandarin manual, but the TV worked fine once I'd pressed it.
Thursday 12 November 2009 22:28
I
was feeling very tired last night, hence the lack of mention of the
Kasabian gig on Tuesday. I did feel a bit of a wimp at the time since I
was the only one who didn't go to a club after Gotham Town closed (they
had a Kasabian thing going on after the concert), but I felt rough most
of yesterday after only a few hours sleep, and decidedly hungover, so
leaving early at around two was probably sensible. Although leaving
earlier might have been more sensible.I thought that Kasabian were great though; I've seen them at lots of festivals and as support so it was nice to see them at their own concert and in a larger venue. Newcastle arena was packed and the crowd was bouncing.
Monday 9 November 2009 19:29
I'm
a bit tired tonight; didn't sleep much at all last night, felt like
just a couple of hours. I had the weirdest of dreams though. I don't
usually have dreams, or at least remember them. I sometimes know I've
had a dream, but just can't quite seem to remember. I do remember a
couple of recurring dreams from around the age of three or four. But
barely anything as an adult.Anyway, on waking up this morning, it was all so clear. It even took me a while to realise I'd been asleep. I'd answered a knock at the front door. But it was the wrong front door, the one from my old house. When I opened the door, I saw Cyndi Lauper standing there with a man. I invited them both in and made them a cup of coffee. Although they definitely came through my old front door, the living room was the one from a house my mother used to live in, in the late 80s, early 90s.
We chatted for a while, sitting on my mother's old sofa, and she introduced the man as her agent. I told her that I once had a (brief) conversation with her in the mid-90s, in an AOL chatroom (they used to do chats with celebrities). She used the name Margaret. There was an earthquake in Italy during the chat and a man called Roberto typed something like my god, my god, I'm having an earthquake! He used to paint pictures of her, often doing bizarre things like fighting dragons.
Unfortunately, she didn't remember chatting to me. During our conversation, she seemed to get a little upset. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she was fine, just needed a hug. So we went upstairs to the bedroom, my room from my old house, and had a big hug. There wasn't anything funny about it, her agent was there too. Then my alarm went off.
Sunday 8 November 2009 13:06
I
went out last night, with Deb, to Newcastle. After a lovely, sunny day,
the weather was foul by the evening. Cold and wet. After thinking it'd
be a wash-out, the night turned out to be one of the best I've had
in ages. Friday 6 November 2009 23:18
I had in mind a relaxing evening. Sadly that wasn't to be. I bought a cool TV a few days ago. Well, it would have been cool if I'd clicked on the right one and it doesn't do the things I'd bought it to do. Anyone who knows me, though, would acknowledge that I look on the positive side of life. So, I realised that I should buy a DVD recordable thing that'd make the TV do the things that the TV I'd meant to buy can do (a short sentence that reads like long one). Problem solved.
Or maybe not. The damn machine works with every TV in the house, but not the new one. Of course it took hours to discover this.
Since I tend to think positive, I'm thinking how nice it'd be to bounce up and down on the TV in question.
Thursday 5 November 2009 20:55
I'm glad I don't have young kids; it's way too cold to stand around outside watching fireworks.Older
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