Small Person

Hello!

No chat - and unlikely to be much for the next few days, as we're all busy with Christmas and so on, but I couldn't (and didn't want to) resist showing off my wee niece, Evie.

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Have a very merry one,

C

Skiving off

Well, it's the last day, innit?

Did you all get that? It's the LAST DAY OF WORK!!!

*dances*

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What? Oh, I'm allowed to use multiple punctuation. It's do as I say, not as I do.

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It's a bloody good day for comics.

Lots of them.
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There are whispers of finishing at 3 o' clock - yay! Must laminate some stuff and stick it in a folder, other than that, I'm cushty for fannying around on the 'net and stuff. Just me in the info room today.

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Entirely lacking blog-chat today.

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Have a good one,

C

Our brains want to be happy

It's true. I'm sure a great many of you know that laughter is infectious. Interestingly, though, it's not just laughter - in general, most 'active' sounds like laughter or vomiting cause our brains to initiate the same processes which would happen were we laughing or vomiting BUT they respond far more strongly to positive rather than negative stimuli. So hearing someone being sick makes us feel a bit queasy, but we don't actually vomit, but hearing someone laugh can almost always make us smile.

So - our brains want to be happy. I personally vote for letting them.

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Over-hearty exclamation marks bug me.

It's not multiple punctuation, which is abhorrent enough!!! Ack! Pth! What I mean is when someone is making comment in an email which they're pretty sure will bug the person on receipt. So they stick an exclamation mark at the end. It's the written equivalent of a hearty slap on the back - "don't mean it, old chum!"

Yes, you bloody do and I'd prefer you had the balls to just say so, thanks oh so very much.

Look, it's not my fault - it's the reading. Thousands of books and hundreds of plays have passed in front of these eyes, so are you surprised that I occasionally obsess on punctuation marks and turns of phrase?

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Only one more day at work. One more! And we're hoping like Hell it'll be a short one. I've been told that we generally get shushed out of the door at around three o' clock. On holiday - such bliss!

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I haven't decorated the flat. And this is why. Also -

bahhumbugwhothehellwantsapileofneedlesontheirfloor.

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I had my faith in humanity restored last night. I was waiting for the bus outside Steve-O's house, heading home, and a little lad - can't have been more than eleven (although still just as tall as me!) - stopped and offered me his daysaver for the bus. It was dark, cold, windy and, to be frank, not the best of areas. I was quite stunned at such a small gesture, but one rarely runs across genuine altruism these days and especially not in one so young.

Piles of positive karma due to the lad.

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Have a good one,

C

Last ten, last ten

And so I skive off. Well, I have finished a folder and got halfway through another one, so I feel like I'm allowed. And I kind of forgot about blogging at lunchtime.

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It is SO close to the Christmas holidays I can just about taste it. I can definitely taste all the chocolates that have been littering the office the past few days - and which I have consumed guilt free as I baked ginger cake last week and brought it in for all to enjoy.

What's that you say? What about all the calories? Chocolates consumed around the festive period don't count - didn't you know?

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Am I boring you? I ask because I haven't had a comment in aaaages and my traffic reports for the blog are showing a dip.

Don't you love me any more? *trembling lip*

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Have a good one,

C

Tiny bit sad

Just a tiny bit, but definitely sad. I've been party to a long-standing tradition of food at Christmas. Yes, hasn't everybody, but this is specific rather than general. For the first time in at least eight years, I'm not having a big friends dinner before Christmas, usually on the eve of. Alexis, Steve and James are coming round on the 28th before we head out of town on our respective New Year jaunts, and I will be cooking the traditional ham, but still...s'not the same. Mostly because the boy Gregor won't be there and we haven't missed each other's company for some festive food in the aforesaid eight years.

*pout*

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It's a lovely day for photographs. Incredibly sunny, so many things backlit and lit up and squares of light through other buildings and all sorts. Early readers will have to wait until this evening for me to post the actual pics, but definitely some good ones. Plus, I was plugged into X-fm Scotland's X-List (usually bloody good show if you listen to radio in the afternoon) and some frightfully clever chap requested a track from Massive Attack's Mezzanine album which was just about perfect for wandering around the Meadows snapping pics to.

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Short one today because of the aforementioned pics - too much time spent wandering around playing with settings.

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Continues funny.

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Have a good one,

C

Chilly

I'll tell you what, it's bloody cold - inside and out. Work is shut for this week. We're all still here, but the doors are locked to the Little Student People which means I can be getting on with proper big bits of work without having to interrupt myself to go sit on the information desk or cover reception. Which is a good thing as I have turned my attention to the Medicine folders. An incredible amount of change has gone on in the past couple of years in medical education in the UK and all eleven folders need some serious updating. Yeek!

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Weekend was of the pleasant - parties and such, although I am a tired bunny today. James and Alexis, attentive pals that they are, noticed that the Hogfather was on Sky One last night and, television luddite that I am having only the 'cooncil' telly, they invited me round to watch.

I was tensed for a disappointment, as Mr P doesn't always translate well onto stage or screen, him being such a literary writer, but it's Bloody Good. Excellent casting, which I think has really made the difference. The sets and costumes are all good and the effects have just the right edge of mundane magic to them. Looking forward to Part 2 tonight!

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It wouldn't surprise me.

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Simplicity in technology.

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The writing is not happening at the moment. Not for any lack of inspiration, sinfest notwithstanding, but because I'm having a wee break. I'm still very new in the job and all that, so instead of thinking, 'not getting anything done, woe is my artistic self', I'm thinking 'not getting anything done - how godsbedamned restful'. I plan to pick things back up in the new year, but I am sooooo looking foward to my Christmas holiday. Finish on Friday (hopefully around about 2pm - I'm told we usually get a wee email saying, 'you can go home now') and not back to the office until the 8th.

It has been a very good year, but a very busy and long one. This man intends to kick back and relax.

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Dancin' feet.

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Have a good one,

C

Out of Date Bitching

Because I realise that almost everyone has had a go at people who SHOUT on their mobile phones in public places. Some silly bit- ahem - person on the bus this morning was absolutely roaring down the phone at someone else regarding something or other. Strangely, I wasn't insterested in the detail. It did occur to me, though, that it's so indicative of how seldom people can take someone else's point of view. I mean, whomever she was talking to was presumably not on a bus and could hear fine. It was the one who was doing all the shouting who had the hearing trouble, so did she need to shout? No. But the egocentric view is - I can't hear, therefore I will shout. Egocentrism, or at least rank stupidity, seems to be the carrying view these days.

Morons.

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I've been making the world a better place on behalf of others with Oxfam Unwrapped. I suggest you do the same. They have gifts right the way down to £6 only. Which is dirt cheap (and, actually, is for fertiliser, so you see how useful the metaphor is).

These things will make a real difference in people's lives, so if you're struggling for that little bitty thing for Aunt Maud, please consider it. Far better than bath salts and you still have time to order and receive (or have them sent direct) before Christmas. They send to you or to your nominated person a card and a cool little fridge magnet to represent your choice of gift, as well as a note explaining what the item(s) will do or achieve.

I don't know about you but the happy I'd get on knowing a small person in Africa had clean water to drink or some text books to read will last me all year - which is a lot longer than a selection box will!

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Well, hey, if you were omnipotent, wouldn't you occasionally?

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Way Cool dreams this morning. As well as one which gave me a nice idea for a story/book which has been duly written up (the idea, not the book - I'm not that good), I went for a flight on a jet fighter. It was wicked. Proper set me up for the day.

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Have a good one,

C

Disappointing...

...night for photos last night. I wanted to go take pics of Dynamic Earth, side on, as it's all lit up pretty, but they just didn't work. I'm sure there was more light and coloured light going on the other night when I conceived the idea. Wouldn't mind, but it just wasn't my evening. Nothing I put my eye to seemed to work out. A couple of decent ones of trees which I'll have to put up another time, as I still can't find my sodding memory stick to transfer!

***Evening Update on the left - pretty tree!***


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No humbugs allowed! (noisy warning, if you're at work!)

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Christmas has been sorted, finally. It did take threatening to go to James and Alexis' house (which I'm still planning on in the evening) to get Mum to make any kind of commitment to there being something to show up to on Christmas Day.

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From nought to sucking in 180 seconds...

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I'd best be off - work to do!

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Have a good one,

C

I may have to start counting down...

The Christ-mas holiday is so near! Woop! I can't bloody wait. It's been a long, eventful (and, of course, very good) year. I promised myself a long break at Christmas and I am having it. Finish up here next Friday, not back until 8th January.

Christmas plans are, as usual, here again - gone again - begin again. EvieSmallNiece's first Christmas so everything must hinge around what brother and sister-in-law can manage. I don't envy them at all, trying to keep everyone happy, but I do think they could do themselves a favour by being a bit more clear in their plans. I'm sure everyone would be happy with, "we're doing this, coming to see you then," rather than the almost non-stop vacillation in which they indulge. And everybody else's plans have to wait for confirmation on their convenience.

Hey - ho, eh? It will be nice to be all-family-together and I'm hoping to take a family portrait with my new toy, but still why must everything always be so godsbedamned complicated?

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Pretty photos (not mine). Loving flickr at the moment. All sorts of bells and whistles on that site.

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Not much in the way of good comics today, so here's the kick off of the very first Percy and Pooch arc on Sinfest.

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Now, to me, that cat looks seriously pissed off.

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Have a good one,

C

It's a link day...

It's just Too True.

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All right, chicks? Pleasant weekend, it was. The concert on Friday was good, and had an early start and finish so did that with Mum, went for a bit to eat and still had plenty of time to go visit Steve-O later on. Saturday was party down at Jenny's. (oops - photos on the laptop, not here).

I've lost my godsbedamned memory stick somehow, so can't transfer so easy!

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Only two weeks left of work and then hoooooliday! I'm off until the eighth, for which I cannot wait! Large lovely news of the moment is that I have been invited down to the Lake District for New Year, which should be great.

Jenny (not the small one, or the ex-boss one, different one) was warning me that it's 'a very small village type thing'. I told her there was a grand total of 17 people in my sixth year class at school, so I could deal.

Mostly looking forward to a couple of nice walks, take some photies. Many people at the party were enthusiastically interested in the camera, which was nice. They may have just been humouring the geek-boy, but still...

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An honest take on Oxfam's Gift-Aid and other such things.

I did tell my Mum that I'd like a goat, please, if she does insist on getting me something over and above kicking in on the laptop. Which she does. I know its a daft thing to whine about, but I'm a Big Boy now. Christmas needn't be the spoil-fest. 'specially considering how Absolutely Ruined I was at my birthday this year.

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*ewww alert*

Had to deal with Patsy's poo this morning. Seems she missed (by a good foot or so) the litter tray. Only occurred to me after I'd waved her around about it while shouting (aversion, you know) that it might have been a wee accident, her getting on and such.

Now I have guilt. Well, a bit of guilt. I did have to clean up the shicht, after all.

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It's exciting! It's very exciting!

OK, yes, only if you're a geek, but I am, and this is my blog, so we're using my definitions, ta.

Shiny, man. SHINY!

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I'm with the cat.

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If any one has any interest in China, it's history and significant characters, I can't recommend the works of Ms Anchee Min highly enough. I've read Empress Orchid (which Richard and Judy also recommend *spits*), her autobiography, Red Azalea and have just started Becoming Madame Mao.

(Incidentally, amazon.co.uk are doing one of their 'buy this one, get that one for cheap' deal on her books.)

And, OK, yes, shouldn't slag off Richard and Judy Book Club. They actually do recommend some very good books.

*spits*
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Have a good one,

C

Crazy in the Head

Had one of those nights where it seems like all I did was dream. In crazy fashion.

I killed someone (can't actually remember why now - I think it was some kind of mobster deal) but I didn't actually do it. Instead, I watched myself, not looking like me - thinner, for a kick-off, but definitely me, wander outside, and up the road to off this bloke.

I also saved a woman from drowning in some kind of mill pond, went to see 'Wicked' the musical, with some seriously mismatched friends and followed a woman whose feet were leaving bloody footprints on the pavement for miles around Edinburgh.

See - Crazy in the Head.

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Yesterday's Get Fuzzy have me cackling for about ten solid minutes.

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Off to an Elgar concert tonight at the Usher Hall. Free, as well, so thank you DaDa. Have a look at that, actually - it's worth signing up to and covers the whole of the UK, so you can select your region. There's a free service (just hit 'join' on the top left hand page) as well as the tariffed stuff.

And if any one in Edinburgh is a keen theatre / ballet / opera / art fan, drop me a line and I'll send you the sign up for my Artsworkers E-Bulletin - cheap (sometimes even free) entry to all of the above.

I've been to the ballet three times this year - for a fiver a throw!

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Tree!




















Lampost!











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Have a good one,

C

Lazy Boy

Been down to visit Bessie, it being Thursday. I was going to show a picture at one point, but had no data cable.

Got it today, as you can see.

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Lazy night of tiredness tonight, I think. Already had my bachelor chow. Macaroni cheese anna bacon sarnie. *laughter*

Found some pics on my phone I'd forgotten. Pretty trees with pretty leaves...

'net connection is a bit here again, gone again this evening, so I'm going to accept that excuse and knock off.

Have a good one,

C

Hump Day

I love that expression. Got bugger all to do with shaggin' - just referring to the fact that we are mid-week.

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I've just realised that I have Dead Links. How awful. It's because I've occasionally linked to comics.com, but they're a part-pay-for-view site. If you're not a subscriber, then you only get an archive of one month, so anything I've linked to there one can't get to any more.

On the flip side, that means I've been doing the blog for a while now. Yay. And people are still reading, according to my site counter (+ those who are RSSed) so Yay! to that, too. And thanks.

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Sin is geographical. ~Bertrand Russell

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Went out and took photos of the same Old College dome yesterday lunchtime. They are up on Flickr.

And here's my favourite, only it's of McEwan Hall, not Old College.

Although, the sky doesn't look as good on here as it does on Flickr. Well, I can see a difference, anyway.

Sue likes Starburst. Which is typical. Not of her, but of the fact that I spent half an hour refining settings and adjusting the tripod for the dome shots. Startburst - point, click, done.

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Scary Go Round chap, the extremely talented John Allison, has organised all his Tshirt pics onto one screen-size page. They are cool.

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That's me for today - lunchtime nearly over and I require some further snacks.

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Have a good one,

C

Take a note

I must admit to noting things down to tell my niece.

You see, I think for a lot of my life, I've been running on instincts. I feel more ordered these days. I usually know why I'm doing things. And have a vague and intermittent sense of purpose. But occasionally I think, "I do wish I'd known that earlier." Or at the very least paid attention when someone told me it. That last notwithstanding, I take at least a mental note of these thoughts to tell Evie. In case I catch her on a day when she's paying attention.

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So, because at least one of you will now be wondering, today's thought is - everyone should strive to be a lady or a gentleman. Not in any huntin', shootin', fishin', he's got £50,000 a year, don'tcherknow lady or gentleman kind of way. Not at all.

I've come up with - grace, composure and style as my top three attributes.

What are yours?

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Pretty pictures are up on Flickr from last night's adventure with James and Alexis' tripod. There's only six of them, but more to come of same dome view in the daytime. Took them today at lunchtime, but no cable here.

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Secret Santa. What a good idea.

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And, you know, he's got a point.

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Have a good one,

C

Worm

I've found one in the shiny new apple of my job. Its name is 'reception'. Actually, that's not strictly speaking true. Covering reception is a piece i' piss. It's the training that is going to wreck my head and, unless I misunderstood the instructions, I'm going to be shadowing all week. Somebody shoot me.

Ach, s'all right. I've got other stuff to do, appointments that need to be rescheduled from last week. Shan't be stuck there and once I get the first wee bit of 'here's how we answer the phone', 'here's how we book appointments' (which one does need to learn. It's basic, but you need to know the process) then it'll be fine.

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I feel like I'm forgetting a comic. I go from CRFH to Clan of the Cats, because they're both on Keenspot, then to Kevin and Kell and Real Life Comics. After that to Comics.com, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a stand-alone somewhere...

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Badness. I was trawling through the blog to find the photos of yon graffiti dude yesterday and discovered several really quite hideous grammar and spelling errors. Their for there and suchlike. *shudders*.

The other thing that I picked up is that I'm a cheerful wee thing, aren't I? That's good to know.

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Slightly disappointed by the Flickr uploads I'd done. Thought I'd put more of the 'Edinburgh' photos up. The loss of all those photos I've taken is really starting to nark. I keep remembering the odd image that I'd taken and which is now lost forever.

Grrrrr.

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Have a good one,

C

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!

Gmail is down. It's like some horrible, horrible nightmare. And blogger want me to switch to the new google-run blogger. You can't make me! Change is baaaaad!

Blogger's joined up with Google and every time I log in, it wants me to change to their zippy new running template. But I have to log in my with google account I don't want to do that. I'm starting to come down on the 'google as creeping virus of information control side of things.

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The new word thing I was talking about the other day? It is confirmed. I have found A Word which is in common usage around the world (the English speaking part of it obviously) which is not, I say not, listed in the Oxford English Dictionary - I used my lunchtime on Friday to go the central reference libary and check on the online version. Work is currently being pursued on the references to cite front and other such items. I am geek excited beyond the telling of it. Woop!

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Today I am tired. Last night there was booze. Still, had a pleasant day, met Alexis and we went to the Canaletto exhibition which was excellent. Amazing stuff. And then hot chocolate in Plaisirs, all as planned.

Have I shown you these photos? Playing with shutter speed at the chairyplanes at the Scot Monument and the Big Wheel and other stuff.


And the black and white chappies above are what replaced this fella. On that wall on South College Street.






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Coming soon we should have some awfy nice pictures. Edinburgh is all lit up at the moment. Buildings and domes in lovely colours, and I'm going to borrow James and Alexis' tripod and take lovely pictures of them.

...blogger doesn't seem to want to upload the example pic. Maybe there's a limit or something.

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Have a good one,

C

Blah de blah

Not much to say today. Lots I'd like to, but the ideas aren't really formulated properly. I may need pen and paper. Or at least a walk back from Steve's - usually good for firing the little grey cells.

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This is why I'm so narked that I lost my Pibgorn strips. Is it not attractive?

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OOoooooOOooooooh! There goes my free time yet again! And speaking of free time, I really must uninstall Civ4. The world conquering joy of it! It's just too much!

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Another pleasant day at work. It's quiet, very few Little Student People about which is probably a good thing as I'm covering the info desk all by my own self. And reading the papers - which is Part of my JOB!!! Continual pleasure at that one.

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Have a good one,

C