Geez a hug

Does anyone remember this fella, at all?

I entered him in a photography contest for the Scottish Biodiversity Week. He did not win. Poo.

BUT - happyhappyhappy - he was picked to be in the final exhibition. *GRINS*

...

Rosie, childhood cat, got put to sleep this morning. Sucks. All the usual, very true, things applicable. Long life (119 in cat years), happy one, old and ill. Vet thought so too and Mum says the actual going was very calm.



Still sucks, though. :(


(That's your cue for the hug, btw).

...

Quick! Something funny.

...

T minus 3 days until moving. Eeeeeeeek!

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Nihil obstat,

C

Packing? Yes. Well. Ummmm...

Didn't quite get to the packing. Ach, it was glorious. Nice weather and my very last weekend in MY flat (of whatever ilk) for what could be a long time. So I enjoyed it

I read, went for a walk, watched TV, messed about with an animation. Napped. All very pleasant. Packing for the rest of the week now, but it shan't be all that bad. I don't really have that much stuff after all the prior purges.


...

Caught some cricket on Sunday. Looks like the leather ball isn't the only one being cupped. *laughter*

And look at that bowler go

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Nihil obstat,

C

Freelance, baby!

Woop! Got me a new freelance project. I just *love* being paid £25 an hour! And this one will be an Absolute Piece of Piss. Writing the occupational profile for General Practitioner. A career on which I didn't write the book, but I did write the website.



...



Other excitements. There's this thing on Flickr where you can mark other people as 'contacts' so that newly uploaded photos from them show up on your home page. I've got a few now, but mostly on the back of them 'contacting' me after I've 'contacted' them. Yesterday, however, not one, not two, but three people marked me as a contact without me nudging them in any way.



Appreciation - how maaarvelous. And they are, all three, pretty good photographers themselves. Flattered.



...



I'd like to get some HDR practise in this weekend (which probably means it's going to piss rain). Steve gave me a kick to use the RAW function on my camera, which I hadn't bothered with previously. Looks good. Certainly the most adjustable format. Takes up a heinous amount of space on card, though! I do like the fact, however, that you can't see what you've taken until you open it in Photoshop or whatever.



That's true of digital a lot of the time. Although you've got that instant check on your screen (and mine happens to be the biggest) there are plenty that look crap in small but awesome when viewed properly and vice versa. RAW's an anticipatory upswing on that.



...

...

On writing.

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Nihil obstat,

C

Nearly, nearly

It's nearly the weekend. Which will be almost entirely taken up by packing, but I got me a lunch date on Saturday, too. :)

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Patsy the Cat. Keeping quiet for once.

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'Cos it's time you realised...

you're just an average man...

...

Rehearsal was...all right. Better, but still not good enough.

Strength!

...

And, yes, it is time to pack. Moving out next weekend, so must pack everything up this weekend. Blech. I dislike living amongst bags n' boxes, but there is something tremendously satisfying about packing up a whole house, having it all neat and labelled. Which reminds me. Must buy labels.

Organised Indoor Fun - HoooOOOOOOO!

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Nihil obstat,

C

Hens are hard

They are, you know. They keep turning into roosters, for a start. Plan is, you see, to make a hen for each of the ladies (and me!) on Alexis' hen night. Which will be nice. Only hens are difficult.

I must say, though. I'm liking the evolveds. Check out SUP-erbiiiiiiiird! (and Clyde).

...

Steve was round last night and managed to kick me into a productive gear. We both sat happily modelling and I knocked together another squashies animation. I think I'm starting to get a sense of story from them. What they're for, how they're going to act, that kind of thing.

I was at an Audio Visual careers day earlier in the year and one thing I came away with was that everyone; writer, director, technician, whatever - everyone talked about story. Presentation is just that, after all. If you haven't got a decent story, then it doesn't matter how impressive your tech is, it'll remain impressive tech rather than a communicative medium. That's making a lot of sense to me at the moment. Make the models and take their photos, yes, but when I want them to move, they're going to have to have purpose. Character. And the squashies are on their way to that, so - Yay!

...

This chap does some amazing portraiture.

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Nihil obstat,

C

It's all happening

Was down at my folks' place last night for dinner, for the first time in a couple of weeks. Catching them up with what's going on with moving out of rented pad, and the forms and applications for the mortgage and all that. Well. Made it all a bit real.

The buying thing is fine. Market looks OK - I might be being naive, but we'll wait and see. It's the staying in Port Seton again that's starting to look oh-so-very real. Still and all, turns out a train pass isn't excessively priced and the two mile cycle from station to house will be good for fitness levels. And, ideally, it's pretty much downhill on way home. Be a stone b*tch in the morning, though. Especially as I'll be setting off earlier than I currently get out of bed!

Eyes on the prize, Mr Reynolds. Eyes on the prize...

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Got very bold yesterday. I put up nekkid pics on flickr, in an appropriately named set.

...

Weather just took a turn for the worse, which is rotten. It's been belting sunshine all day and I'll bet that the rain starts at - oh, no. Wait. It's raining now. OK - second part of bet is that it'll stay raining until I get home from rehearsal and don't need to go outside any more. At least it's a pleasant excuse to get bus down from King's Buildings rather than walk.

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Nihil obstat,

C

Pleasant, pleasant

A nice weekend. Did stuff.


...



Did animation. Which I'm figuring out how to upload. Steve explained it to me, but I didn't have my brain with me.

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Theatre was good on Friday. I loved it. Thought it was a technical tour de force - and not just the revolving sofa which never once moved but managed to be in a different position every couple of minutes. The lighting was brilliant. I can't imagine that the set design of what was basically a white box had nothing to do with how the actors' shadows played on the back of the set. The whole play was about shifts in power, status and specifics and the actors' shadows really contributed to that. There were none too few instances in which the characters (only ever two on stage at once) would circle the stage which created twins and multiples of their actions and presence on the back walls.

Most clever. Fish and chips beforehand at Monster Mash was pretty good too and bravo bravo bravo to the Traverse programmes which, for original work, include the entire play text.

...

Did clean. Lovely clear surfaces (those that aren't arrayed with modelling materials and tools).

Did golf. Went and hit some balls with Steve and SteveO which was pleasant. King's Acre driving range very nice place to spend a part of Sunday evening.

Did walk. Steve and I went for a wander along the front of the Crags after golfing.

Did read. Clearing decks in preparation for Mr. Potter.

Did indulge myself. Not telling.

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Nihil obstat,

C

Plans, man.

My first proper animation this weekend. Excitement. I've got no plans for Saturday or Sunday and have every intention of keeping it that way. I may even turn my phone off. I've also got a Farscape disc and an Angel disc through from Lovefilm so have background nonsense to watch while I'm shifting each tiny little body part its tiny little next-frame distance.

Theatre tonight, with a wee bunch of peeps. Should be good - preview of one of the Traverse's festival offerings.

...

This chap takes some truly awesome photographs.

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Nihil obstat,

C

Tonight - cleaning!

And it requires the exclamation mark. I am going to clean that mofo to an inch of its skirting boards. I plan to do a reasonably lengthy animation on Saturday and, I have discovered the needing-the-place-to-be-clean thing isn't just procrastination. The cooking of awesome gourmet meals for one - that's procrastination.

When I was at Uni, I was known for my rallying cry of, "I can't do this essay. Not while the bathroom needs cleaning!". And the fact that I'd eat chicken dippers, chips and beans five nights out the week until I had an assignment due at which point only prawn kabobs (they're littler thank kebabs is why - also, the spelling is different), creamy chilli chicken with boiled, butter and herb basted new potatoes and rough cut salad. Followed by home baked chocolate cake. With icing.

Basically, anything to not start work on the essay. Only, it's odd. Now, when I'm working away at something fun, I'm quite happy to jam beans on toast down my neck and keep working. But I do find it hard to settle for a proper creative 'session' if the bathroom needs doing.

I wish to be creative at the weekend so, tonight - cleaning!

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I hate exclamation marks. Semi-colons, contrary to some opinions, I have nothing against. In moderation. But I really hate exclamation marks. And multiple exclamation marks? Sign of a diseased mind. You might as well stick your pants on your head.

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Never lasts.

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Nihil obstat,

C

Further definitions

Probably should have looked a little further than I actually did on the old 'nihil obstat'. And there's no going back now. Only on a one hundredth post may the sign-off be changed.

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If you think 'new flat' instead of 'porch' this is so where my head is about buying a flat. I could have that and that and this and three of those and...

I would tell myself to calm down, but what's wrong with a bit of excitement? I'm very practical with it, you know. Seriously. It's just such a lovely thought - I'll finally be able to follow through on the many and glorious plans I've had for various living spaces because it'll be *mine*. And before any one starts sucking air through their teeth in worry - don't. I had a flat before and made all my bad decor choices in that.

Actually, I plan to have lots of white boxes as I want merry-loads of hanging space. Hard to go wrong with lining paper and white emulsion.

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Theatre plans. Hurrah. I was rather hoping some previews might show up in the next week or two. I caught some great stuff last year for cheap if not free around this time. Only one so far, but it looks good. And £5 only!

Cheap culture. I just never get bored of that.

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SPSS. Gods, why on Earth did I say "Oh, I can do that."

Correction - 'could' do that. To a B (oh, all right a C) standard in 3rd year. Which was years ago. Ah, well. Tutorial programme here I come.

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Nihil obstat,

C

Bicentennial

Lookit! My 200th blog post. Merriment.

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Amen, Brother.

...

OK, what's shaking?

Well, I did animate these guys last night:

I don't think I can show you the animations. Or at least, I can't find an 'embed object' button anywhere here.

Steve of the Edgar is coming round tonight. Might see if he can help me out. Or, you know, I could read the help files.

Naaaaaaaah.

...

Other than that, I'm wondering if it's time for boxes. Actually, it's definitely time to start finding a home for said boxes - and furniture! Need to cost up the storage malarkey for all my stuff. As for boxing it, it might be a bit early. I want to enjoy the last couple weeks I've got in current pad and constant gazing on packed stuff is a bit depressing.

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Rehearsals kick off again tomorrow. Guess I'd better have a gander at the script tonight. Make sure I still remember it. I think I'll lose the ability to glare at Andy for his lines if I forget mine!

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Nihil obstat,

C

Maaaaarvelous...

...weekend.

Weather was pleasant for a kick-off. P*ssing it down now, of course, but hey-ho back to work anyway.

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Went to Stills re-opening on Saturday with Ms Babb. Most entirely fun. We did workshops on pinhole cameras and on developing from film, both of which were fun and cool and interesting. So glad we went to the pinhole one as I was moderately fixated on going straight out and buying a film camera after the developing workshop. Happily, the pinhole diverted thoughts onto much cheaper lines.

Plus, I don't think Liz will need too much encouragement to purchase chemicals in which case...

...

Took my own photos, too. I did drop by Bristo Square a couple times over the weekend, but all the skaters were a bit little - under 16 - and what with the all embracing paranoid hysteria which seems to have gripped the country (someone told me about a photographer friend who had the police at his door for taking some snaps of some kids playing football) I thought best not.

So I did some indoors stuff, taking photos of my feet. And some glass. But not both together. They'll be going up onto Flickr a bit later - I forgot the CD.

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Saw Harry Potter last night, which was great. Very good film, which cut out the bits of the book that JK should have in the first place. How indulgent can an editor be, I ask you?

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Stick in,

C

Ka-Schmee

Yes, I know that isn't a word.

Brain = mince.

Seriously - it's like butterfly syndrome between my ears. Not in any unhappy way, I just can't settle on a thought, or an activity.

Except sleeping - sleeping I'm all about at the moment. Small naps.

I know why, you understand.

It's the moving thing. I am to be uplifted so cannot settle.

It's not stress. I'm not worried or harassed.

Know what I'm doing, confident I can do it.

I just feel a bit disjointed. Everything's already packed in my head, I don't feel like I want to start any projects. I had a vague thought towards putting together some kind of tray-meets-box to model in. Might still do that.

Anyways. Excitement also in head regarding possibilites that buying is opening up. Like an actual factual studio instead of some shelving chucked together in a rented flat. This would be cool.

....

Stick in,

C

Woop! A title again!

Gawds know what was happening there. I suppose if I flicked through some 'boards, I could find out.


...


Aaaaaa...Grrrr.

That's about the size of it today. Not thrilled with anything, really. Of course, I'm not entirely one hunner per cent chuffed with the workplace today, so it's entirely possible that I'll perk as soon as five o' clock hits.

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. . . - see? Absolutely nothing to say. Ooh. Comics, as always, to the rescue.

A buttload.

And it is lunchtime.

I've never played Unreal Tournament, but still - I admire the sentiment.

...

See, now, there's a thing. I was just called through to do some CV feedback (colleague's got a headache). Very nice student and I think I might actually have done her some good. And I'm back liking job - well, let's not go too far - I recognise that there are excellent elements to my job.

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Stick in,

C

People who 'hmmm' in meetings...

...ought to be f*cking shot. You know the ones - they want to be chairing and so they go in for excessive agreeing with things. It's grunt for "Oh, yes, I know about that. I do! Me! Me! ME!"

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Much to do, much to do. Work just got busy, which is nice. I don't do well when there's not much on. I tend to dip entirely and do nothing. But when there's absolutely loads to do, I kick in and work twice as fast as usual.

Wonder what it's like to have middle gears?

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Check the awesome grown-upness of me. Got an appointment with a mortgage adviser. Not that I haven't bought and sold before, but I was a student then, nineteen, and pretty much just signing what my folks told me to. It's looking good, though. I've done a bit of digging around and I think I can afford to buy a flat.

Crazy, eh?

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Stick in,

C

Ok, that's just too odd. For the second day in a row, Blogger, or my web browser won't let me click in the title dialog. Weeeeird.

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Picnic!

And, as Liz is claiming the start of summer, I claim Sneaky Photographer of the Week Award. Even looks like she's smiling at the camera, dunnit? And we all know how likely that is. Picnic was top idea. Couldn't believe the heat in the sun. A bit sneeze-ly, though. My havfever is NOT coming back. I forbid it.

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And I managed to upload Musselburgh Harbour and a few more Arthur's Seat views. My favourite clouds of the weekend.

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And from 'one crazy plan' to 'I'm definitely doing that.'

Have made an appointment with a mortgage adviser. If all the info goes as I think it will, I'm going to buy a flat. Eek!

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Stick in,

C

Untitled for some reason. Blogger won't let me access the dialog box. Blargh it is.

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OK, there are people who are entirely without homes, and starving children in Africa, but bugger all that philosophy pish - WHY must I move AGAIN? Getting steadily more and more despondent, unmotivated and generally p*ssed off about the whole thing. We will return to this topic.

...

Weekend was nice, though. :)

Liz and I had a play date on Saturday, going out to take photos in Musselburgh and Portobello. Not the most thrilling places in the world, but nice snaps of boats and harbour and such. We also did go to the Fruitmarket and Stills galleries when we got back to town. All very pleasant. Photos aren't up on Flickr yet, as internet connection still AWOL.

You'll also have to wait for the Quite Stunning (if I do say so myself) landscape shots I got from on top of the world on Sunday. (That's on Arthur's Seat, btw). Whilst out with Liz I promised God if he could make Sunday a pleasant one, I would drag my lazy ass up the hill. Turned out nice, so I made a lunch, grabbed the Beast and my book and toddled up. Most pleasant. A bit windy off and on, but I found several nice little shielded spots. Even caught a nap in the sunshine and woke to find a Red Admiral making itself comfortable on my shirt-front. Obviously, my sloooooow efforts at carefullycarefully picking up camera to get a shot of said flutterby were not slooooow or careful enough and it nicked off. I did catch a bird or two - ones I have no idea what they are. Must show my Dad.

I also saw a couple get engaged, which was lovely. I'd just finished lunch and was heading from the leeward side toward the top and came across a young man on his knees.

Happy coincidence at the best of times, but this one was in front of a young lady. I hung back a bit, not wanting to get in the way of their moment. She said 'yes' obviously, and I offered my congratulations as I walked past them. Very sweet. :)

And, of course, I had just packed away the camera for the walk round the hill (me being a sensible boy) which was deeply annoying. Neither of them spotted me lurking out of their way so I could have taken some snaps of their moment of joy.

...

So. Flats. *degenerates into swearing*

Small rays of sunshine today - a couple of pads available in areas I'm after. One in Tollcross and one in Grove Street. The one in Tollcross will probably go today, though. Called the agency and they've got a lot of folk going to view it this afternoon. Any other feckin' day and I could be on of them, but no - I'm up at King's Buildings today. The one in Grove Street is a studio, but it's fairly cheap - £50 a month less than currently paying. That's a private let, as well, so although it's furnished he/she might be willing to strip it out and let me put my furniture in. Wait and see.

Of course, the other, somewhat crazy idea is to scrap the whole renting thing, move in with my parents while I sort out a mortage and buy somewhere. Hells, my sister has managed it so it can't be that hard. I'd save fortunes stopping with my parents for a bit, too, so would have cash for surveys and suchlike without too much sweat. Plus, they're the most uber-keen on me mortgaging myself for life, so...

Still - that would be round about the fourth time I've had to flee back to the parental nest. Which I can't help feeling is just a bit lame. Just a bit, though. :)

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Stick in,

C

Quick week!

How marvellous. Friday already.

...

I'm not sorry,
I'm not sorry,
No, I'm not sorry.

I didn't mean to make you cry.

...

Have been a nose-to-grindstone boy all week. Written three publications with which I am pleased. Of course, boss might not be, but really - what does she know?

...

My bro emailed me - a lot - yesterday, rather desperate to talk to me. Turns out he had been idly typing small Evie's, his lovely daughter and my lovely niece, name into various search engines. And came up with the flickr photoset of her I'd put up in her wee anorak and doggie balaclava-type thing. You know the type. Cute to the extreme.

Cue parental paranoia (bless - she's still tiny and their first) and the - lots of - emails until he got me on the phone to ask me to slap a private lock on them. This is fair enough, she's his kid and therefore his decision on what happens to images of her.

It got me thinking, though. Isn't that a bit strong?

Basically, what I'm asking is, are we that bothered? About the obvious, I mean. Are we to be so scared of a tiny fraction (and it is a tiny fraction) of the population who may look at a picture of a pretty child and think bad things - of whatever variety. Should we stop taking pictures of children at all just in case these bad people see them? I happen to think that the shots I took were brilliant - empirically aesthetic, if you like. She's a beautiful little person and why shouldn't lots of folk be allowed a wee, "Awwww. What a cutie!" in their day?

Men aren't allowed to talk to kids any more. It's true. I've tracked it. Unless you're a formally validated childcare worker, then you're not allowed to interact. Mothers will glare at you for smiling at their children, whereas I recall chatting away to people at the bus stop when I was small and mum being simply grateful to have my attention grabbed for a few minutes. And I remember kids likewise being allowed to talk to me.

I'm not suggesting that parents are in any way wrong to want to protect their children, but really - put the paranoia down, people, and step away. Just because the media is screaming about the 1% of bad people in the world, it doesn't mean good people no longer exist. Someone smiling may just be communicating goodwill. A crazy thought, I realise, but they may not even have an ulterior motive for doing so.

I love kids - always have and am not going to stop saying so. Someone taking that 'the wrong way' has a problem. Not me.

...

I think the flower may have confused him somewhat.

Everyone can understand this, though. If not from one side, then the other.

Calligraphy time!

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Stick in,

C

I've got goat feet

I wouldn't normally put this kind of thing up, but...

Your Score: Pan

66% Extroversion, 13% Intuition, 55% Emotiveness, 76% Perceptiveness

I've seen that sculpture, I have. Even, rather naughtily, took my own picture. Now lost in the Great Laptop Crash of '06. Sculpture is in the Uffizi, in Florence. They reckon Pan's about to have his way with the well-formed youth. *grins*

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Thursday already, eh? My, how the week flies in! Usual visit to Gran tonight, but nothing much excting other than that. Work carries on apace. Spotted a decent vacancy today, too!

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Stick in,

C

Would have thought...

...I'd be boring you by now, but you're all still there according to the site counter. Don't you have any work to do? I know I do. *laughter*

I'm actually having fun at work this week. Writing some publications, which is always good. Five to ten minute discussions on whether to use the term 'sometimes' or 'often'. And does one always capitalise in this particular context?

Capitals are the bane of my feckin' life, ah'm tellin' ye.

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Delightful.

...

Not a lot happening on the flat front. Same three unfurnished one bedroomed flats in Leith. I don't want to live in Leith. I like the area I'm in now. It's so convenient for eve-r-y-thing. Hey ho, stay optimistic. A gem will appear.

...

Writing, it seems, is progressing, though in small. THE BOOK carries on. (What? It's in big bloody capitals in my head. I'm actually a little scared of calling it that out loud, in case the characters get scared and run away. They all signed up for short stories.)

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Ratiocination - the process of reasoning.

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Stick in,

C

Amazing

Even from the very depths of the sulk I'm currently in - SO dull - I notice that things are amazing.



I'm listening to the radio over the interweb at the moment. That's fairly amazing. Often strikes me that one, music spilling out from plastic and metal. Imagine having to wait six months for the only guy who had a guitar to walk through your village.

The fact that I could pop into a shop in which I could buy packets filled with tasty and nutritious food is pretty amazing. Even though I'm in a colossal snit over the fact that I have to move, I still find it astonishing that I have a whole flat to just myself. Don't have to share with any one.



Spoiled rotten we are, and rarely acknowledge the fact.



...



Look, I can't help it. I'm in a mood. Which leaves me with two types of communication. Whining and philosophical. You'd prefer the whining?



...



Charles M. Schulz - "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."



...



Awwww, yeah. Slick the studly one.



...

...

That rain's really quite heavy, innit?

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Stick in,

C

...and we're back!

Yes, I know. Skiver boy. But my thiev-ed internet is blip-blip-blipping. I can just about check email, but by the time I've written a reply, internet is gone and I can neither send nor save the draft. Obviously no point in finally sorting out my own t'internet as I'm moving in a month.

So, sorry if I seem to be sitting on anyone's correspondence. Should catch up now I can log in back at work.

...

It was a laaaazy week. Got up to not much at all - unless you count nearly completing Final Fantasy X. Which I do. And Hell with it, I just finished a play performance, didn't I? I'm allowed some slack time, he said - to himself. Small shrieking monstrous goblin, who I may make a model of, "Lazy! Sitting on your arse! Ever going to get anything done, are you?"

Thankfully, although I may not be able to turn the irritating little blighter to mute, I can give him a right good ding round the earhole. Do. Be. Quiet.

I didn't even take any photographs. #pause for gasps of disbelief#. I did take a load of the other two parts of the Torchsong trilogy, which are up on the flickr stream. I also started poking around with Adobe SomethingOrOther that lets you make animations. And I read books, so it's not like I truly did nothing. One does require some downtime, after all.

OK, yes, I'll stop trying to convince myself.

I do feel pleasantly relaxed. Notice how I didn't throw the cat out of the window last night when I discovered she had p*ssed in my BED!

...

Bugger all on the flat market at the moment. Two or three that I don't want. Poop.

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Stick in,

C