Month: April 2003

OK, this may become a common theme. We spent the day preparing for the next few weeks. Got a lot done, some of which I can’t mention as it is a surprise for someone who may read this (nyah nyah na nah nah), although I didn’t get my grass cut, that’ll be the priority tomorrow methinks. We have our youngest niece and nephew (Mark and Megan) staying over tonight and we’ve just finished watching Lilo & Stitch. My in-laws are coming over tomorrow to pick them up and drop off our eldest niece, Joanne, who is staying over tomorrow night. Unfortunately I’m back to work on Monday, but Louise and Joanne will be going through to Dumbarton as it is my mother-in-law’s 60th birthday on Tuesday (and she doesn’t look a day older than 59… tee hee, sorry Grace).

Which reminds me, what do the following all have in common?:
1. My mother-in-law’s 60th birthday.
2. My mother-in-law retires.
3. Louise’s grandfather’s 80th.
4. My in-laws emigrating to the South of Spain.
5. Our godson’s 1st communion.
6. My sister’s 22nd birthday.
7. One of our best friend’s wedding where Louise is the only bridesmaid.
8. Our 9 year engagement anniversary (yeah yeah I know, but we like to remember it…)

Answer: They all happen in the next 5 weeks.

You’ll forgive me if I go a little crazy from time to time won’t you, for example I was seriously considering cutting the grass about half an hour ago despite the fact that is is dark…

A friend in New York has friends in Holland who are coming to Glasgow, so she asked me for some insider information about where they should go, and what they should do… It’s not a bad list so I thought I’d share it with you all (gee, ain’t I nice…)

• For starters there is a much more comprehensive website available, The Glasgow Website which has coverage of all the major sights and events going on in and around Glasgow.
• As with most large cities the guided bus tour is a good way of getting round the city centre sights, and is usually informative. Depends how much of a ‘tourist’ you want to be!
• The Burrell Collection is well enough known I think, but is worth highlighting.
• The CCA on Sauciehall Street is good – contemporary art, a nice bar and an excellent restaurant.
• The Hillhouse in Helensburgh, a 40 minute train ride away, is the previous home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, I used to work just down the road from there at Crossaig.
• The Riverside Club for a good Scottish night out.

The Gallery of Modern Art, Princes Square (for some shopping), Counting House pub (crap pub but impressive inside, used to be a bank don’t ya know), Cafe India (one of the best Indian restaurants in the UK seemingly), and a myriad of other places popped into my head but, as is typical of most people I think, I haven’t ‘done’ that many things in Glasgow. This is something Louise and I are hoping to put right this summer, with a long weekend spent touring Glasgow. The best bit of that kind of ‘holiday’ is that you get to go home to your own bed every night!

So the Harlem Globetrotters were entertaining. That’s about it really, I’m glad I went but think the 12 year old sitting next to me got more from it (well from the amount of times he snorted a mouthful of coke out through his nose anyway). Very slick, very professional, and with some pretty good basketballing moments it was a fun night.

Tonight I’m playing 5-a-side football. I just hope I remember I should be kicking the ball, not bouncing it.

I’ll be out and about in the comments boxes tonight (with 5 Live to keep me company as I don’t have Sky Sports). I apologise in advance for any football related silliness I may spout but, if the truth be told, I seem to be getting sillier. Yes I know what you are thinking, how can this mad, zany loony get any sillier, well I can and I am.

Ohh and bravo to The Independent for asking some questions, and thanks to Jon for reminding me about it.

With the news that the BBC is going to be asked to justify the £112m it spends on online and interactive services, comes the feeling that, once again, the government isn’t really in touch with this internetweb thingy…
BBC dealt online ultimatum: “The BBC has been asked to provide a detailed critique of its own online operations, measured against the objectives outlined by former director general John Birt when he originally secured approval for BBC Online in 1997.”

1997! In internet time that is an eternity ago, and I struggle to see how any organisation would be able to justify itself against anything drawn up against how the internet stood six years ago. The BBC News website has won awards (and rightly so in my opinion), and News 24 is a solid channel. I would question the money spent on BBC3 (and BBC Choice before it) and of course we must remember that a portion of this comes from our TV licence fee (however I’m sure I’ve read figures along the lines of 10% or less of the money they get comes from that source).

The UK is still behind many countries in usage and uptake of the internet, the BBC as a brand is seen as safe, reliable and trustworthy, a must in the eyes of new(er) internet users. I think this should be maintained.

I have the nagging suspicion that this is about money though.

For some reason I couldn’t sleep last night. Doubley odd as I was particularly knackered after a few late nights.
What it does mean is that I am working at home again – no bad thing as the work I’m currently doing is monotonous but requires my full attention.

Unfortunately it does mean I miss Friday cakes at work AND the “congrats on releasing some software early” free beer and pizza later on. I can honestly say that this is the first time I have ever been involved in a software release that has shipped earlier than the target date. Feels kinda odd, you know, like when you rush out of the house in the morning and start to wonder if you’ve left the iron on, or something…

Anyway, off to start downloading the new Matrix trailer (thank heavens for broadband).

We sometimes take English for granted, but if we examine its paradoxes we find that quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. There is no egg in the eggplant, no ham in the hamburger, and neither pine nor apple are in the pineapple.
If writers write, how come fingers don’t fing? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of phone booth be phone beeth? If the teacher taught, why didn’t the preacher praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what the heck does a humanitarian eat!? Why do people recite at a play, yet play at a recital?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which a house can burn up as it burns down. When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why it is that when I wind up my watch it starts, but when I wind up this posting, it ends?

[UPDATE: This is not mine, as a quick Google suggests. Yes, folks the truth is out, I’m not THAT clever…]