bookmark_border*sticks two chips up nose*

I’m going slightly mad, I’m one card short of a full deck, I’m not quite the shilling, One wave short of a shipwreck, I’m not at my usual top billing, I’m coming down with a fever, I’m really out to sea, This kettle is boiling over, I think I’m a banana tree …

There is just too much going on at the moment.

However it’s a pattern I’m used to as we always seem to do things this way, not on purpose, cramming several different tasks and events into a short timeframe. The last ripples of the re-mortgage are lapping at the shore (for those keeping count, that was fixing the car, getting new double glazed front and back doors, and a slew of minor DIY related ‘stuff’, plus a wee bit extra for Xmas), the new TV continues to add value (it’s SOOO luvverly) and cost (new cables mainly, and I’m still trying to figure out if we are using more energy now than we were with our ageing CRT), the 5K looms on the horizon, and we’ve just about finished our Xmas shopping.

Add in the new job stuff (spare time being spent reading up on Extreme Programming), the putting up of Xmas decorations, completion of some long outstanding DIY projects, and the start of the Xmas night out merry-go-round is a positive relief!

My first is today, although it’s a lunch, with the development team from my new company. I had a half-day holiday left so it’s worked out quite well. Be a good chance to meet them all in a less formal setting and see what they are really like! Thankfully I’m driving so they are saved from lesser-known alter ego “stupid drunk Gordon”. He doesn’t get out much but BOY, when he does… ummm… well those stories are for another time (ohh I feel like Scaryduck now… no I will NOT be having a Vote-O).

Sunday WAS going to be next ‘festive drinking occasion’ but, unfortunately, a couple of close friends can’t make it due to work commitments (they’re not even in the country) and this was supposed to be the only day we all had free in December! So I guess we’ll have our Xmas night out sometime in .. ohh.. April probably.. I’m sure Keith, Stuart and I will cope admirably. Which reminds me, don’t expect anything from me on Monday coming as I’m celebrating completion of the 5K by getting completely trolleyed on Sunday night.

Next week should be a little bit calmer, thank god, which should give me some time to play with new mobile phone (which should arrive today). Alas the free XBox 360 doesn’t arrive until January…

Although the new phone does mean another jump through the multiple “how to port your number to the same network” hoops, but I’ve done it once before, just takes a little time and patience.

– – – –

For those who are wondering about the post title, it’s.. well.. ok, I screwed up. I always seem to think that Captain Edmund Blackadder, when pretending to be mad in Blackadder Goes Forth, sticks chips up his nose. He doesn’t, as can be seen here, so I guess my brain is mixing that with this scene from a Fish Called Wanda when Kevin Kline sticks a chip in each of Michael Palin’s nostrils (the photo was taken just before that moment, I think).

Just wanted to make that clear, it’s bad enough when the pedants correct your spelling and grammar…

bookmark_borderPondering

When do we ‘un-dummify’ our sites? (it’s SOOO last week dahlings…).

Is Webcam XP the best (free) software for webcams out there? Or should I stick with the XP Powertoy: Timershot?

Who else can I get to sponsor me for Blogathon 2003?

What SHOULD I be doing right now instead of sitting here?*

What are you all up to?

* My beloved is watching Charmed day on Living TV, so it’s kinda a ‘house’ day and the temperature isn’t too great in Hamilton. Roll on tomorrow though!

bookmark_borderHabitually the Same

I’m in a rut. Not a bad one, or a particularly deep one, but it’s there and I’m aware of it’s sides and length and can’t seem to clamber up out of it. I’m in a ‘surfing’ rut.

I have a list of 25 or so sites I visit every day (most tracked with Blogtrack) and I visit MeFi daily (twice daily on occasion) as well. Beyond that I start to struggle, I occasionally check out some book reviews, buy some CDs or DVDs online, or find a walkthrough or cheat to help me through the game I’m currently stuck at. I’ll occasionally follow links and post them here too.

But I can’t find anything new. There is SOOO much information available that I can’t seem to concentrate on any of it for longer than a few minutes at a time. Look back through my archives (once I get them working again hmmm) and you will find no common thread.

So I’m going to spend this evening finding NEW resources, new places to visit regularly, then in about 6 months time I will go through this process again no doubt. The changing of habits is hard.

bookmark_borderOld Skool

Wednesday – half way through the week. Spent last night surfing a few sites, actually surfing. Not just visiting the same sites again and again. Been ages since I did that, start at a site, take a link from there, take a link from the next one, and so on and so forth.

Didn’t really take much of it in to be honest as it was a deliberate distraction strategy, but it was good to get back to when I first ‘met’ the web. I still remember my amazement that there was SOOOO much porn about… ahem that is… what I meant to say was, that there were so many different uses, and SOOO much information, I remember thinking that my head would probably explode if I tried to take it all in. Which is probably why I only visit the same few sites everyday. So I’ve decided to try and ‘surf’ properly more. In fact I might even start a campaign.. hmmmm