Month: September 2001

Losing focus somewhat at the moment. So many websites closing down, job is kinda static at the moment, and we’ve ground to halt on the home front, think we did so much so early on that we are now just enjoying the house. Must give myself a kick over the weekend. Also struggling to change ISP. My new ISP has a wonderful system where you email your problem (namely that the webspace I created I want changed to my alias instead of my username…) and the reply via email saying, and I’m paraphrasing here: “Thanks for your email but to do what you want we need to charge you £1 a minute on our technical support phone line.”

I don’t know why but this is leading me to another rant against banks and there insistence that it takes 3-4 days to process ANYTHING. That’s one hell of a time delay on that keystroke…

Getting back on an even keel. Re-working site design. And generally trying to be healthier and stay away from the PC for longer. Is working just now but I know I will come crawling back like an estranged lover, with all the guilt that implies. OK, ok that’s a tad melodramatic (a tad! sheesh!) but you get the point. Have bought a bike to help me get fit, and a PlayStation 2 to, emmm, counteract that I suppose… dammit failed again.

A couple of days late, but happy birfday matey (and your better half too), and no mine isn’t til next month Stu… (but it did give me a much needed good laugh. Thanks!!).

God, I hate it when I do that, all cryptic and trying to pretend I’m part of an elite group of friends (which, of course, I am).

Walking for the train last night I passed some building works, a new office block no doubt, about 6 or 7 storeys high. Right at the top two guys were erecting scaffolding. Standing on one bar, hanging on to one upright, it all looked very precarious to me (and from someone with a mild fear of heights, bloody scary as well). Admittedly not quite as breathtaking as the pictures of the workers having lunch whilst working on the Empire State Building – pictures which demonstrate one thing, you must be certifiably nuts to do THAT job…. I digress.

It got me thinking about my fears, then onto my aspirations, and somehow round to my ‘selling out’. I used to be a staunch supporter of many things, and I still am. I just don’t vocalise my support as often (if at all). A few years back I remember a friend at university heckling someone for selling out and becoming middle aged. Is that person now me?

Wow cards – a visit to here, a couple of emails and I’m musing about the Scotland/England divide. I lived in England, very happily, for about 2 years (just over). Don’t have a problem with the country or the majority of the people. I know a lot of Scots who class their ranting about the ‘bloody English’ as patriotism, but there is a degree of malice in the comments. Being a Scot I can sympathise but if you draw the same parallel of misguided prejudice under it you end up looking at the current situation in Ireland – schoolkids escorted by the army to get to school – and that’s just ridiculous. I know that’s taking things to extremes but that’s the problem with prejudice, where does it stop?

I’ve often considered either switching this site or launching a new one which dealt with my professional interests and opinions, a la zeldman.

Trouble is I’m not sure how many people would care, and how to narrow down what I do so as not to tread into too many areas. Writing, Grammar, Evolution of language, UI design, HCI, web design and usability, educating users, etc etc – the list is endless. That’s one of the joys of being a Technical Communicator – you get to do LOADS of different things, unfortunately it is assumed that you don’t do any of them as well as a ‘qualified’ professional (except the writing bit that is).

Sigh, now I just need to get up enough motivation. Ohh and to check that I can post some stuff without getting slapped by anyone at work … lol.

I also need to start going to bed at a reasonable time and stop reading work emails at 11:46pm! And with that thought in mind, night all!