Year: 2004

bookmark_borderJoe's Head

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Joe's Head

Carling Academy, Kings of Leon, ears still ringing.

Great gig from a very good rock band. The band was as tight as the lead singers trousers (which I’m pretty sure were painted on) and they paced the set perfectly. Similarly to Faithless, I wasn’t as taken with their second album – in comparison with their first that is – so it was a pleasant surprise to find that I had a few pauses where I realised that the song I was enjoying so much was from that self same second album.

From start to finish they were spot on. Loud, racuous and the epitomy of a good rock gig. Their songs are much harder live and all in all I’m a lot more impressed than I thought I would be.

bookmark_borderMadness

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“I like driving in my car,
It’s not quite a Jaguar.”

So they sang. But I bet they could drive one if they’d had one. It’s similar to the fact that newspapers are made of paper, and we all know how paper is made. Not sure I could make it but I know the theory. Same as driving a car. Couldn’t build one, but know how it works.

Alas one of the key influences in the ‘simplification’ of sites like Blogger is that there are more and more people who have a blog but don’t have the faintest idea how it worked. Now I know that’s kind of the point, or at least it’s the reason Blogger is so successful but what is really beginning to bug me is that people won’t take the time to learn the basics before ripping out the gearbox, and trying to replace the driveshaft.

/rant

Posted in UncategorizedTagged

bookmark_borderPriorities

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I subscribe to the langalist. It’s a very useful PC email newsletter by Fred Langa which offers lots of practical advice on PC maintenance, smart programs (not COOL programs but ones that are useful and you’ll use more than once), and a good variety of articles on various PC related topics. He’s saved my bacon on several occasions so I’d recomment subscribing (it’s free). Today’s newsletter includes an article on end of year maintenance.

This is the bit that most people, including myself, fail. Backups for example, when did you last do one? I can’t recall when, but I know it’s over three or four months ago, which got me thinking.

If, god forbid, my entire PC including both hard drives, failed spectacularly and nothing was recoverable, what would I miss?

I have about 60GB of music, most of which only requires re-ripping the CD. All those programs I’ve downloaded can be re-downloaded, as can all those visual styles, wallpapers and such like. In fact bar a few personal documents (which ARE backed up on my pen drive) there is only one large folder that I would miss. My photos.

In a digital age, there is no film backup, and the originals are all stored on my hard drive. I DID burn a couple of DVDs as backup a while back, but I’ve added to them since then, and I really like some of them. So one of my tasks in the week between Christmas and New Year, a week I have OFF work (joy, bliss, rapture!) is to burn some up-to-date DVDs.

But therein lies another issue – how long do DVDs last before they start to degrade? It’s a worry indeed.

Ultimately though, I know that if I DID lose everything, whilst it would be major blow, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. It’s all about priorities you see. It’s the same principle that governs the fact that I’ve yet to buy Louise presents. A few months ago we booked tickets to Spain in January. We decided then that that would be our Christmas present, and we’d only get each other a few things. The priority for us is being together at Christmas. That’s why I always look forward to Christmas.

OK, that’s enough mushy stuff for now.

bookmark_borderElbows ready

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I’ve still got some Christmas presents to buy, all for Louise bar the HGJQTSM for LKPDN. So that means some lunchtime shopping for me, which isn’t so bad, especially as we are free to work the hours we want. So I can head out at 11ish and work late if needs be. Quite handy.

So, in an effort to be efficient I’ve got my list ready, broken down by shop. Five shops in all and I reckon I can get through them by Thursday. This takes into account the fact that I’m not doing any shopping today or tomorrow. Risky? No. PLANNED.

[insert waffle about the difference between how men and women shop]

What about you? Got your shopping done?

bookmark_borderSlouching

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OK, so the Christmas party was quite good. Admittedly that MAY have had something to do with the tequila. The meal was OK, the band were excellent, and I was “shakin my thang” with the best of them. Spent most of the evening dancing with lovely ladies who, thankfully, know what I’m like so I won’t need to hide my face in work on Monday morning. Unlike Susan, the tequila queen, who even managed to nick a present from under the Hilton’s Christmas tree. She was MOST miffed when she found out it was empty.

Yesterday was spent watching movies. You can tell it’s getting close to Christmas as they pull out all the old classics. The highlight, though, was a Hitchcock documentary. Today we ventured out for some grocery shopping and then headed back home to escape the madness. All in all a quiet weekend. Which is probably just as well as this time next week I’ll STILL be eating and drinking and making merry, but this time no tequila.

Speaking of next week, tomorrow I’ve got the Kings of Leon gig, Wednesday we get paid (early) so I suppose I’d better buy Louise something… and with both of us working on Christmas Eve we’ve already started planning what to wear, and packing bits and bobs in preparation. This’ll be the first Christmas with our smaller car as well, and I’m still trying to figure out how we’ll get everything in.

Anyway, I can smell some freshly baked shortbread coming out of the oven. Time for a large glass of milk!

bookmark_borderLost and Found

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You may not have read it, but hidden amongst the post prior to the Faithless gig was the fact that I had, at the time of writing, misplaced my camera.

I was beginning to get a bit worried, especially as the only place it MUST be was my Gran’s and both Louise and I were convinced that I decided not to bother taking my camera in with me.

So, suffice to say that I was most relieved when my darling, gorgeous, wife phoned me to tell me she had found the camera. It was in the car all along. I was SURE I’d checked.

Phew.

WARNING: Any comments from any of you women (you know who you are!) about how “men can’t find anything” will be met with the full wrath and fury that is my reasoned argument on the topic. Namely that, as us men are ‘hunters’ we can spot a kestrel flying three fields away whilst we zip along the motorway at 85 70, and Louise can’t as she is a ‘gatherer’ and more attuned to finding things in the immediate vicinity. Like my camera. In the car. Where I’d already looked. And yes I COULD hunt and kill my own food. After all, it can’t be that hard to chase down a pizza, right?

Oh shut up.