I rushed out of the office on Friday and forgot to log off from Messenger. Apologies to the (5) people who tried to send me a message, I wasn’t being ignorant, honest!
Month: June 2004
bookmark_borderPlanning
Bit of a busy week coming up, mainly because it’s Louise’s birthday (21.. +10…).
Thankfully I’ve got a few days off work, and I’m hoping to divide my time between several things that I’ve been needing to get done:
1. Properly weed the mono-block – our driveway is part mono-blocked but the large conifer tree (since removed) has pushed up all the mono-blocking to leave gaps in which there are loads of weeds.
2. Garden step – I’ve got the slabs, and the bricks so I guess I’d better build the damn thing.
3. Tidy the ‘office’ – paperwork everywhere, a lot of it not needed anymore, so a clearout is in order.
4. Scottish Blogs – ongoing maintenance and implement/fix a few features.
5. Redesign here – it’s coming…
So I might be a bit quiet next week as, despite having a couple of PC related tasks I don’t wanna spend too much time sitting on my backside.
bookmark_borderRequired Reading
From Joi Ito: Dare We Call It Genocide?
“Zahra Abdel Karim, a 30-year-old woman, told me how in the same attack on Ab-Layha, the Janjaweed shot to death her husband, Adam, and 7-year-old son, Rahshid, as well as three of her brothers. Then they grabbed her 4-year-old son, Rasheed, from her arms and cut his throat.”
It’s horrifying to think that, while we sit at home in our comfortable homes, relatively safe and happy, this kind of thing is happening.
When I did last year’s Blogathon, I chose Amnesty International as my charity for precisely this reason. I don’t think about these things much. I am aware that a lot of bad things happen in the world, I am aware that our country should be backing the UN and taking action where it can. I am aware that all of this is more important than, say, the fact the local shop didn’t have the Independent this morning.
But all too quickly I put this to the back of my mind and get on with my day. What difference can I make after all? Sure I can donate money, regularly perhaps, but I just don’t have the time required to dedicate… no hang on, don’t I mean I don’t have the desire or motivation to help out more? What is stopping me? I’m young, successful and intelligent, surely there is something I can do, anything?
But who do I sign up with? There are many different human rights organisations, and while Amnesty is the best known, would it be more effective of me if I joined a specific group, targetting something I feel very passionately about?
Or will I, again, decide that as I do donate to charity that I am already doing my bit, and leave it at that? Is that enough? Will that help me choke down guilt along with my Cornflakes whilst watching the morning news?
bookmark_borderSupply/Demand
The beauty of being the supplier of the backend ‘software’ that runs Scottish Blogs is that when I get two sites submitted by, presumably, some web marketing service, and the sites are obviously NOT blogs I can very quickly knock up a big red delete button and zap ’em tout de suite.
bookmark_borderReinhard
I know I’ve mentioned this before (or at least if I haven’t I’ve meant to…) but we inherited a print from Louise’s parents when they moved to Spain. It’s pride of place in our living room and I’ve been trying to find out more about it ever since.
Obviously I was doing something wrong as Louise found more, in a five minute spell with Google, including information about the artist, his other works, and the print we have, than I had managed over several nights.
Possibly because I mis-read his name to be Reinnard… ahem…
“his work has taken a distinct departure by exploring a new direction of non representational, “self contained”, paper sculptures. A blank sheet of paper undergoes fascinating transformations, by cutting, tearing, and manipulating, without removing anything or adding from another source. Based to some degree on geometric principals, his love for humor and playfulness is evident, as is his acute sense for design, aesthetics, and clarity.”
We are thinking of getting some more of his work, particularly Paper Moon for a certain room of the house.
bookmark_borderBugger it
Plagarism is a form of flattery (even if I can’t be bothered creating three columns).
THE BIG BROTHER BIT
Big Brother is getting a bit exciting. What? YES I watch it, get over it.
I must admit that this series, whilst being considerably more watchable than last year’s snooze-fest, is beginning to border on .. well I’m not sure what you call it but it’s making me distinctly uncomfortable. “Provocative TV” can only go so far and I think the recent fighting has over stepped the mark.
Or has it? I remember the media pitch for the first Big Brother having something to do with psychological (sociological) experimentation and manipulation. Has this season’s series finally taken these experiments to their conclusion?
After all, if I want to watch grown men threaten others and, generally, act like children, I can just turn on the news and watch some football fans do just that.
THE FOOTBALL BIT
England won. France drew. I’m supporting France, but to be honest none of the ‘big’ teams have performed particularly well yet. Sweden have been the most positive team, even if the scoreline of 5-0 against Bulgaria wasn’t a true reflection on the game.
And aren’t the referees supposed to be clamping down on diving and shirt-pulling. The referee in last’s night France game awarded several freekicks for shirt-pulling and NO yellow cards, not to mention ignoring the fact that Thierry Henry was completely taken out twice, with the Croatian players making no attempt at getting the ball.. ridiculous. The air in our living room matched the colour of the French shirts!
THE “DON’T CARE ABOUT EITHER” BIT
Louise is out shopping on Saturday (there is a mother-in-law without an outfit for a wedding!), and most of Sunday at Live and Loud with nieces in tow (she’s not fooling me of course, they are just an excuse). That leaves me with most of the weekend free.. to… er… well if I’ve not shifted this cold I’ll end up comatose on the sofa.
Of course there is Father’s Day on Sunday (sorry Dad, no Ferrari this year), so if I have the car I might head through there after dropping off Louise… hmmm plans to be made I think.
And finally, Championship Manager. 2.30 am this morning. Bloody addictive.