Right, I'm leaving North Wales now and off down to London!
John
- Fri Mar 31 08:44:23 2006
...don't let me build your expectations up though Jimmy - it is basically just a very small and quite basic bar, which has a selection of very good whiskies bottled by the society. It's not really the London gentleman's club you might have in mind - very contemporary really, but anyway I like it.
John
- Thu Mar 30 18:49:11 2006
Oh I see Jimmy... Actually I think there might be just a single visit to the whisky club, late afternoon before everyone else gets to London and it could be just me and you by the sounds of things!
John
- Thu Mar 30 18:47:34 2006
John: But that WAS 10 years ago!!! :)
Lox
- Thu Mar 30 14:54:45 2006
John- Of *course* I'm a whisky drinker! What I meant was that you & I will be drinking it earlier in the day, and then you'll have to take a second tourist-crew to your whisky club later on. Being limited on numbers, I assume I'll not be attending the second stint. That's what I thought you meant! Or have I misunderstood?
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 30 14:46:24 2006
Eeee, I remember 10 years ago! I was young, dashing, going to change the world for a better place, make my fortune and - more importantly - pay off the mortgage ... OK, so 0 out of 5... a career rethink is necessary I feel... :|
Nigel
- Thu Mar 30 14:02:47 2006
There we go with the arbritrary "10 years ago" again!
John
- Thu Mar 30 13:48:59 2006
John: English railroads, as far as I remember, have always been quite expensive.... When I used to go and see Claire in Loughborough from Reading it costed me 52 pounds return, and that's 10 years ago...
Lox
- Thu Mar 30 13:09:17 2006
Bloody hell, have just looked at the train times/fares, and it seems the 3 hour and 20 minutes journey from Bangor to London will cost me 62 pounds for a "saver" single. The return ticket, which is of no use to me, costs just one pound more.
John
- Thu Mar 30 12:31:20 2006
Ah, Jimmy, are you not a whisky drinker then?
John
- Thu Mar 30 12:29:57 2006
That sounds like an excellent plan. Quite what I'm gonna do while the rest of you sit around drinking whisky is another matter. Well, it *is* London- I'm sure I can find some way to amuse myself ...
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 30 12:26:31 2006
Well, my plan for Friday, presuming it is OK with everyone else, is to go for a short tour of some of my favourite historic pubs - The Cittie of Yorke, Ye Olde Mitre, The Seven Stars and so on. I am really keen to fit in a trip to the whisky society, but unfortunately I can only sign in three guests. Jimmy - if it turns out that the rest of them will be joining us a little later on (i.e. after they finish work) then perhaps the two of us could go there for a bit before that...?
John
- Thu Mar 30 12:04:29 2006
Aaah- it's a case of "The spirit is strong, by the typing is weak" ...
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 30 09:40:28 2006
(I might even learn how to spell "intend" !)
Nigel
- Thu Mar 30 09:13:42 2006
Phew! You must be a toddler then Jimmy :)) I agree with your hypothesis! I fully intent to keep learning new stuff until they cart me off... :)
Nigel
- Thu Mar 30 09:12:57 2006
Here's my theory on being old: it only matters if you *feel* old ... and you only feel old when you stop learning things. This week I'm learning computational geometry.
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 30 08:53:39 2006
Well, I'm old too- but it ain't gonna stop me!
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 30 08:51:48 2006
Nigel: That's an incredibly good idea. I'll see what I can do.
Travis
- Thu Mar 30 07:53:24 2006
Me too, Travis, but I'm old you see - about three pints and I'm anybody's these days! I shall show my support - as I might suggest you do too, mate - and will raise a glass at the appropriate time :)
Nigel
- Wed Mar 29 23:36:25 2006
Jimmy: love to be there, but I can't. Sorry, all. Would be a bit expensive, you see.
Travis
- Wed Mar 29 20:20:40 2006
Good evening guys and gals! How are you all? I hope everything is ok. Here in Japan is 11ish and I am just about to think to go to bed, for the last full day in the land of the rising sun as far as this trip is concerned... Happy to leave? Nope... Happy to go back home? Yeah, kind of...
Lox
- Wed Mar 29 14:53:02 2006
No danger of a night club? I'm very glad to hear it! John has a whisky club? Now *that* sounds interesting ...
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 29 12:27:17 2006
Doubt there's much danger of a nightclub! Suspect it will be pubs and possibly a visit to John's whisky club - but not sure if he can take lots of people there.
Simon
- Wed Mar 29 12:14:54 2006
What's planned? I'm not a fan of night clubs, but now that pub hours have been extended, that shouldn't be an issue (we can just stay in the pub).
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 29 12:05:42 2006
Me, digi-dave, possibly richie-rich. Stu and James of London fame are coming too (don't expect you know them Jimmy, but think John has met them).
Simon
- Wed Mar 29 11:26:26 2006
Who's coming on Friday then? (John- see e-mail)
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 29 10:08:59 2006
Morning. Another grey day.
Sheri
- Wed Mar 29 08:27:46 2006
Anyway, I'm off to Dublin for the day, so will probably not be able to get to the internet again until very late tonight, or more likely tomorrow morning.
John
- Wed Mar 29 06:59:20 2006
Jimmy - oh and by the way, I have emailed you about Friday (basically yes, please book that!).
John
- Wed Mar 29 06:54:31 2006
Only when I'm in Japan! Back in the UK I revert to the stone age.
John
- Wed Mar 29 06:53:49 2006
... and I thought you were one of those people who could access the internet from the toilet.
Jimmy
- Tue Mar 28 21:51:00 2006
Jimmy - sorry I haven't been able to get to the internet the last few days. I've just got access now, and will try to make a decision very soon about Friday night - I am not exactly sure yet where I will be and when...
John
- Tue Mar 28 18:08:42 2006
Yes, a brain in a VAT-69 !! Hic!
Philly
- Tue Mar 28 15:54:15 2006
Sheri: No fear. We remove the "with" from the phrase if we want it to have a carnal meaning.
Travis
- Tue Mar 28 15:42:49 2006
Philly, are you a...REAL person? Or a mere brain in a vat? A Turing Machine?
Travis
- Tue Mar 28 15:41:43 2006
Not THE Smythe? Of the Sussex Smythes? Smithers old bean! I hope don't hold any grudges about that initiation ceremony. I was made to do that - honestly!
Tarquin The Flatulent
- Tue Mar 28 13:44:41 2006
Toodle-pip Tarquin! Don't you talk to me about shoelaces!
Smythe
- Tue Mar 28 13:40:42 2006
Philly! How are you! Fancy meeting you here!! Golly how I remember those nights in the dorm... You were so... masterful!! By the way I never wear shoelaces nowadays!
Tarquin The Flatulent
- Tue Mar 28 13:21:49 2006
John! Are you there?! Get in touch!
Jimmy
- Tue Mar 28 12:59:49 2006
Ha! Rumbled...
Philly the Imposter
- Tue Mar 28 12:41:59 2006
Ha! Rumbled...
Philly the Imposter
- Tue Mar 28 12:39:43 2006
Neither do you need to speak English - re-read your post!
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 28 11:59:19 2006
So true! Did I say I got turned down for Eaton. I wrote Eaten on the enrolement form!! lol!! Besides, being well-healed mean I don't actually need to know how to spell...
Philly
- Tue Mar 28 11:43:54 2006
Ah Philly, you fit in well on this board, most the other members have trouble with spelling as well. You obviously used to sleep in a flower bed.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 28 11:34:36 2006
At school fellow borders used to make fun of my name. I was called "Philly". Do I sense that many of you at the Maison are private school attendees? The ribbing I used to get in the dorm was painful. Still, as father is one of the richest men in Hertfordshire, I always had the last laugh! LOL! (That *is* in the correct vernacular, isn't it?)
Philbert Arbuthno-Wells
- Tue Mar 28 10:46:12 2006
None whatsoever! At least I hope....
Sheri
- Tue Mar 28 10:32:18 2006
And is there any good reason why someone might want to?
Philbert Arbuthnot-Wells
- Tue Mar 28 09:57:10 2006
Well, Travis, don't fuck with me!!! (both literally and figuratively)
Sheri
- Tue Mar 28 09:40:09 2006
Give him a ribbing - you're pulling my leg - taking the Mickey - you're joshing - taking the rise - you're 'avin' a larf; and of course the piece-de-resistance: Oh I say, are you making fun of me?
Philbert Arbuthnot-Wells
- Tue Mar 28 09:38:04 2006
MM- I see what you mean about the hat. I must admit at first glance I though it was part of the bushes behind you ... but *now* I see! Marvellous!
Jimmy
- Tue Mar 28 08:25:26 2006
Lox: I've never heard it in the US. We just say, "Making fun of X." Some say, "Goofing on X," but I hate that/have never said it. Teasing is also rarely used. We don't really have a good slang for it, unfortunately. I would also say, "I'm just fucking with you." That might work.
Travis
- Tue Mar 28 07:54:02 2006
Travis: Don't you use it in the us as well? What form of slang do you use then? I am curious...
Lox
- Tue Mar 28 00:25:28 2006
Don't feel bad, Sheri. I hadn't heard/seen it before coming to these boards either.
Travis
- Mon Mar 27 20:40:44 2006
MM. Right! That figures! I didn't know what meant *to take the piss out of someone*. Christelle (my wife) explained it to me. My English slang is not up-to-date!
Sheri
- Mon Mar 27 18:17:33 2006
Great pictures! Congratus to you Rob, and Mrs Rob!
dsp
- Mon Mar 27 17:02:23 2006
Also, Lox, it is actually a long black coat, with a gold lining. It was made specially for him. and with the rest of the outfit, it looked very smart.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 27 16:49:41 2006
Look closely Lox, I am wearing a hat, of sorts, - I think it would be called a "confection in feathers".
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 27 16:48:28 2006
MM: I seeeeee that explains the missing hat then... Still the stove pipe hat (thanks for telling me the name I really had no clue,...) is nice, very "retro" (well being from 1800..). I think I saw Bethan in one pic, but I'll wait for the others. As for Rob taking the piss, I think that it's what he does best, but this time at least you could retort with some comments about his boots or black/yellow cape!!! :)
As for the headmaster... MARVELLOUS!!
Lox
- Mon Mar 27 16:28:17 2006
Sheri: a comment was made about the understated size of my hat. At my daughter's wedding I had a large hat, quite plain, but a sort of eliptical shape. Rob said it looked like a flying saucer. Am I allowd to PISS on this site.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 27 16:17:45 2006
MM: "I had the p..s taken out of me so much, and they are still doing it, this time it was understated" Sorry MM, I fear I do not understand. What means *p..s* ? And what is the whole sense of the sentence?
Sheri ze Puzzled Frog
- Mon Mar 27 15:30:35 2006
Guy in a kilt - and when he took his hat off, he was completely bald, except for a five inch line of hair standing straight up, coloured bright green. He is apparently a headmaster of a school!!!!!! They were never like that in my day.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 27 15:05:39 2006
Regarding Rob's hat - they are called Stove Pipe hats and were worn in the 1800s by people such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel (and I've probably spelt that incorrectly), It was about 30 cms high.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 27 15:02:47 2006
Lox: Rob and Kate return home on Friday or Saturday, he wasn't sure last time I spoke to him 7/8 April. Bethan is there, being held by Alex. There are more of her on our camera, still to be downloaded. Regarding the hat - last time I had a large hat (5 years ago) I had the p..s taken out of me so much, and they are still doing it, this time it was understated. Didn't want to upstage Rob.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 27 15:00:51 2006
Rob: Marvellous picrures! Some comments:
- I love Rob's dress, makes him look a bit like a vampire but it's well cool, and thoose shoes! Class!
- I am sure that the top hat that is featured in the pics is Rob's.
- I am impressed at the Mr.Camel invitation
- John looks the SAME in all pictures!
- I think that Jill's dress is great, but I am missing the hat there!!
- Kate looks great, I wonder how you managed to get hold of her (I am sure a million people must have said the same thing!)
- Where is Bethan?
- Who's that guy in the quilt?
Lox
- Mon Mar 27 14:46:27 2006
Or compel them to crane their neck... ! (But you got the point, I s'pose)
Sheri
- Mon Mar 27 14:42:19 2006
You know, the kind of hat which prevents people situated behind from witnessing the exchange of the rings....
Sheri
- Mon Mar 27 14:39:26 2006
Rob: Will do for sure, see you in Italy (hopefully), when are you leaving to go back to England?
Lox
- Mon Mar 27 14:36:12 2006
MM. I've seen Rob's pictures and I must say I'm bitterly disappointed. I hoped you'd be wearing one of those huge eccentric hats one cannot fail to spot in British weddings...! :-(
Sheri ze Frog
- Mon Mar 27 14:34:33 2006
Wedding Pics
Rob Lang
- Mon Mar 27 13:45:33 2006
About to leave for honeymoon. Some pictures from the wedding: http://www.maison-de-stuff.net/rob/p2006wedbyrn.xml Lox, when you get back to Florence, please leave a message at the Albani Hotel with your number and we'll be in touch!
Rob Lang
- Mon Mar 27 13:45:10 2006
Lox: I'm not sure if his mobile will work, but they are staying at the Albani Florence Hotel.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 27 09:14:53 2006
Sheri/MM: Actually I would love to see the script of what has been said during the speeches. It is a use that we don't really have in Italy, yes sometimes the bride and groom do say something, but not like you do in England where, if I am not mistaken, the best man, MUST deliver a speech.. right?
Lox
- Mon Mar 27 01:03:34 2006
MM. Did you deliver a speech too?
Sheri
- Sun Mar 26 16:04:36 2006
MM: Will be back on Saturday, then I will try my best to get some days of holiday and go down to Florence to meet them. It all depends on my boss of course, but... Are they going to have a mobile there? If so could you send me the number at my usual email address? In case they don't have it, what is the name of the hotel?
Lox
- Sun Mar 26 15:09:51 2006
Not sure Lox, but rest assured you will be informed when we know. It's got to be good for a laugh. Hope you manage to meet up in Florence.
Mad Mumsie
- Sun Mar 26 14:20:38 2006
MM: Congrats to Rob and Kate, again!! I wish I was there to see them! Well, I might see them in Florence though! :) When and where are the picture going to be featured on the web?
Lox
- Sun Mar 26 13:24:02 2006
Perhaps that should have read "the speeches were funny and not too long"
Mad Mumsie
- Sun Mar 26 13:08:45 2006
CONT....... this gave Gareth the necessary time to catch up with proceedings. Fortunately the rain held off and we were finally let back into the building to continue the ceremony. It could only happen to Rob!! The meal was superb, the speeches, not too long, and funny, and the disco was VERY LOUD. The bride looked gorgeous, and the groom, well, photos will of course tell all.
Mad Mumsie
- Sun Mar 26 12:47:42 2006
Rob and Kate's wedding was a hoot. Very nearly everything went according to plan, except the horrendous hold up on the good old M25 which meant that one of the best men arrived half way through the ceremony - and that was the other unplanned event. Rob's sister, Alex, was half way through her reading when the fire alarm went off, and we all had to troop outside for 10 minutes or so.........
Mad Mumsie
- Sun Mar 26 12:43:36 2006
Yes, Umbria starts with a U. I had forgotten. In French, we write Ombrie. And we write Sienne (doppia n) for Siena. Some day, I'd like to make a tour with you. Would be nice to converse both in Italian and in English. I wonder if you have an accent. Looking forward to reading your posts.
Sheri
- Sun Mar 26 10:14:04 2006
Sheri: I agree... Umbria and Marche are not as nice as Tuscany, but they are still very nice places. As for me in Japan I am posting a MASSIVE update of the blog + pictures today... :P
Lox
- Sun Mar 26 09:43:46 2006
How is it going on in Japan?
Sheri
- Sun Mar 26 09:17:29 2006
Ah... Firenze! Used to go there quite often when I resided in Siena. I truly believe Tuscany with its hills and vinyards is one of the most gorgeous bit of land on the planet. There are still many charming places in the countryside, unspoiled and unknown to the plain basic tourist. Ombria is not bad either, and less frequented.
Sheri
- Sun Mar 26 09:16:32 2006
Sheri: Long time no see!! How are you? I hope that everything is good... Believe it or not but Rob and Kate will come to FLORENCE!!! I might even be able to see them as I should be back from Japan at the end of this week...
Lox
- Sun Mar 26 02:58:11 2006
On the other hand, Rob persists in not answering me. But I guess he must be rather busy right now... Time for him to follow the parable: go and multiply! He has God's blessing now...! ;-)
Sheri
- Sat Mar 25 16:11:33 2006
I feel in a better mood than usual.
1) I've been sober for two weeks and it's always nice to feel tipsy again after one drink. Moderation is the best way to enhance pleasure, be it in sex or alcohol.
2) I've seen a TV documentary on the Rhône River and its present state of health. It is clear that pollution is receding. Several varieties of fish have initiated a comeback. Is it a sign that men are getting wiser ?
Sheri ze Frog
- Sat Mar 25 16:02:41 2006
Rob/Kate: Any honeymoon? Where to?
Sheri
- Sat Mar 25 07:41:15 2006
Rob/Kate- Well done! Congratulations!! John- Alison will not be joining us (although, bizarrely, she will be in London on that night), so the Travel Inn looks like the way to go. Do you want me to book it (£46 each)? E-mail me: moc.1fsmailliw@sdrawde.nacnud (reversed to avoid spam, of course)!
Jimmy
- Fri Mar 24 22:49:52 2006
I have just defended my final paper for my philosophy MA. I was told that the paper was very good by my committee, and also a very good defense itself. And there was much rejoicing. Rob/Kate: There was much more rejoicing. Congrats. Let's see some pictures.
Travis
- Fri Mar 24 22:24:25 2006
I've got that Friday feeling! Anyone else?
Congratulations to Rob and Kate!
Simon
- Fri Mar 24 15:05:48 2006
Finally the fair is finished, tomorrow I'll be able to update the blog with all the pictures ans several posts! Now it's Friday night here, so I believe that Rob will be at the church or something at the moment, I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST ROB AND KATE, and may you have "figli maschi" (may you breed male children), as we usually say in Italy.
Lox
- Fri Mar 24 10:07:00 2006
It's a bit of a crazy schedule for me this time, what with trying to get round and see all of my family (and of course go to the wedding), but only being in the country 11 nights.
John
- Fri Mar 24 07:09:45 2006
Tom - sorry mate I won't be going to the Reading area at all during this trip from now on - the only times I'll be in the South East will be tonight for Rob's whatsit, and next Friday for my last night in London... Any chance you could get over to the big smoke for the evening?
John
- Fri Mar 24 07:07:41 2006
Jimmy - I will be travelling down from North Wales that day, I would expect to get to London around 3ish... I will need to find a hotel too, so that travel inn sounds like it could be a very good idea...!
John
- Fri Mar 24 07:05:51 2006
Well, the cake is done, except for the bits that have to be added at the venue. The hats (not mine) were collected after a bit of confusion over which address they were at. And I have washed my hair, and now have a few moments whilst drying it. It looks as though it will rain in the morning, but should clear by midday - hears hoping.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 23 20:59:31 2006
Are you able to drop by and see us at all John???
tom
- Thu Mar 23 13:57:08 2006
Hey all.
tom
- Thu Mar 23 13:56:48 2006
Johnnyboy- I may well but up for that! It transpires that Alison is in London next Friday anyway, so it could all be very convenient. What time do you intend to kick-off? How are people getting home (if at all)? I think Alison will have accommodation provided for her that night (but not for me)- so if anybody wants to share a cheap hotel room, now is a good time to mention it (The Travel Inn next to the London Eye is excellently located and cost less than a hundred quid for the room).
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 23 09:49:00 2006
Well jetlag is not all bad - I woke up around 6AM, and have been able to spend two very productive hours updating my blog etc whilst everyone else is still asleep.
John
- Thu Mar 23 08:26:09 2006
Yes Jimmy, due to a rather hectic travel schedule, with the exception of Rob's wedding I will only be in the South East for one other night (Friday 31st) during my stay in the UK. It's the last night before I fly back, and I'll be staying in London. I was hoping to take advantage of this to have a couple of drinks and see some friends, plus maybe visit some of my old favourite pubs there... It would be really great if you and Mrs Jimmy could join us! Thus far a couple of your former colleagues (David and Simon) have made noises indicating they might come along. It could be very nice!
John
- Thu Mar 23 06:11:51 2006
It depends- am I allowed to bring the trouble & strife?
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 22 17:10:49 2006
You gonna come then Jimmy? Would be good to see you too.
Simon
- Wed Mar 22 16:53:17 2006
Friday 31st, London. Rest of the details are currently unknown - this is John after all ;)
Simon
- Wed Mar 22 15:23:44 2006
What day? What time? What location?
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 22 15:08:25 2006
scratch murmering, there was obviously "murmuring"
Simon
- Wed Mar 22 14:57:13 2006
I believe there was murmering of a drink in london next week with John-san. Fancy it?
Simon
- Wed Mar 22 14:53:50 2006
Well don't everybody shout at once for God's sake! Miserable bastards.
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 22 14:37:40 2006
Well, what I meant was that with spring here and John in the country, I reckon we should arrange a pub visit in the not-too-distant future. I've never met most of you, but it seems a fair number are in the Reading area ... not too far for me (better still- you could all come to Oxford). Any takers?
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 22 12:20:41 2006
Well that's me done until its all over. Will report back on Monday. Have a good weekend everyone, when it comes
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 22 12:07:54 2006
Mine's an Asahi almost-beer!
Simon
- Wed Mar 22 12:07:50 2006
What of?
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 22 10:31:52 2006
Anybody fancy a pint?
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 22 09:09:20 2006
Strange that, I wonder if it's the same sort of event, funny hats etc.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 22 08:47:37 2006
Hello all from the UK! Arrived yesterday, flight was fine. I'm in Reading as I write, but will motor up to the Midlands later on, and stay there the next couple of nights before coming back down to the South East - funnily I too have a vague feeling I have some appointment or other on Friday.
John
- Wed Mar 22 08:31:48 2006
Morning all. Half day today, then off for the rest of the week. I've got some appointment or other on Friday.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 22 08:21:41 2006
MM. Interestingly enough, it seems that someone told the Japanese weather that today was the first spring day... All the nasty cold gales went away to leave a pleaseant 15 degrees celsius sunny day... Shame that I'll be inside trying to sell crap fabrics to people! :)
Lox
- Tue Mar 21 23:16:10 2006
Evening all!! I'm just about here... In the process of changing computers at home, and at work we had a "power-down" last night, which almost needless to say, didn't convert to "power-up" this morning!!
Nigel
- Tue Mar 21 23:08:28 2006
Cheer up Sheri, its officially the first day of Spring today. Pity no-one told the weather.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 21 16:24:01 2006
I'm here all right. But nobody seems to care... (sob)
Sheri
- Tue Mar 21 16:13:55 2006
Is there no-one out there today.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 21 15:44:05 2006
Welcome Home John.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 21 09:03:14 2006
Will be taking off in just
under an hour, so my
next post will be in the
UK, will have to go back
to my stone age mobile
with no web access.
How will I cope..?
John
- Tue Mar 21 02:12:07 2006
Oh yea! This free beer and
comfy chair feels good!
John
- Tue Mar 21 02:06:18 2006
Apparently I can use
NWA's business class
lounge even though I'm
flying economy with a
completely different
airline. Plus
I can have Chie here as a guest. Oh the joys of
being a gold member!
John
- Tue Mar 21 02:03:50 2006
John: You said that you will be flying VIRGIN for the FIRST TIME... Isn't there a bit of a play on words? :)
Rob:I am sure that Kate hates you for not being stressed, but maybe it's all gonna arrive in one bi shot when you cut the cake or when the best man will have his speech... By the way who's the best man?
Lox
- Tue Mar 21 00:51:11 2006
On my way to the
airport now. Will be
flying Virgin for the
first time, so am
hoping it might be at
least slightly better
than usual. Unfortunately
I'll be in economy
though - after having
flown business the
last couple of times
I went anywhere it is
going to be hard to
go back! Still, on the
plus side I actually
want to go where I'm
going this time!
John
- Tue Mar 21 00:00:20 2006
Rob: I wasn't nervous before my wedding either, but the wife was (not wife then, of course). Standing before everyone was a bit nerve-wracking (maybe my atheism clashing with the church setting had something to do with it?). Best wishes to you both. Then maybe you'll get to work on a Rob Jr.?
Travis
- Mon Mar 20 19:49:10 2006
So Rob, about to lose your virginity...? Did the priest give you a first rate speech on the matter?
Sheri
- Mon Mar 20 17:03:36 2006
Look out for the bossy flower girl that'll be Bethan, the youngest member of the Lang clan, although she's called Griffiths.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 20 15:26:12 2006
Really looking forward to seeing Rob, Kate, Jill and the extended Lang clan on Friday!
John
- Mon Mar 20 15:14:43 2006
Right, well, bedtime for me now. Will be taking off in about 12 hours time. As usual will leave my packing until about an hour before I leave for the airport!
John
- Mon Mar 20 15:13:16 2006
If you took any more of yours off, you'd be bald. You have to leave some so that everyone can see its RED.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 20 14:31:29 2006
Nervous? Excited? Not really. And that is really winding Kate up. She'd be much happier if I was tearing my hair out like she does.
Rob Lang
- Mon Mar 20 14:08:52 2006
Lox Monday lunchtime now - Friday pm wedding. Stressed me stressed nah - (where are the valium) I have to ice the cake on Thursday - hide the brandy.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 20 13:03:36 2006
I just have departed from John's marvellous company in Shinjuku here in Tokyo... Safe journey mate, shame it wasn't longer, but still better than last time!
Rob/MM: How are the days before the cerimony? Feeling stressed and all?
Lox
- Mon Mar 20 12:57:56 2006
Safe journey, mate. Can't wait to see you there!
Rob Lang
- Mon Mar 20 11:50:51 2006
Safe journey John, and I look forward to seeing you on Friday. I shall be the one with the outrageous hat :)
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 20 11:44:50 2006
Sorry, should've said "Morning All".
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 20 08:50:43 2006
Travis: The other option for travellling around central London is by bus, although with the amount of traffic its often quicker to walk. There is also a tour of London on an open topped bus, super if the weather is good, which would give you a flavour of the place. I think its a half day thing. Then you could revisit those bits that appeal.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 20 08:49:19 2006
Travis: Oh and yes walking is very much an option once in central London and free of all your luggage! Many popular places to visit in London (Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament etc etc) are actually all pretty close to each other. You could see all of the above with just ten or fifteen minutes walk inbetween each venue. Plus by walking you get to see a lot of the bits inbetween, and it often ends up quicker than using the Tube (subway). I was just about to offer to take you on a guided tour, and then I remembered I actually live in Japan now!
John
- Mon Mar 20 07:35:23 2006
Lox: the wedding is this Friday, the 24th.
John
- Mon Mar 20 07:23:52 2006
Travis: assuming you're coming into London Heathrow (usually this is the airport for flights outside of Europe) then there are several options for public transport.
The cheapest is the tube - something like 4 pounds for a single ticket. A lot of people use this from the airport with luggage etc to get into central London, but it does take a while (about an hour if I recall correctly) and depending on the time of day can be very crowded.
There is a high speed train - the Heathrow Express that goes to Paddington (big station which is fairly central), and only takes 15 minutes, will be less crowded, but consequently costs about 15 pounds for a single ticket.
Taxis are probably best avoided - this can work out very expensive to get into central London (over 50 pounds) and could take a long time if traffic is bad.
Of course all of the above depends on where your hotel will be in London, and what time of day you're arriving.
John
- Mon Mar 20 07:22:51 2006
Travis: Let me know when you will come, during a second trip I supose, and I'll be able to be more precise in my advice. Of course we could even meet up in Italy if I am there... As for what John is suggesting, I personally hate spending a lot of time in the airport, that's why I suggsted that you reduce the scope of the visit and stay more in a certain place, but that much depends on what you want to do really..
John: When is the wedding exactely?
Lox
- Mon Mar 20 05:19:39 2006
I've got a question about transportation within London...I understand that if a lot of places are close, you can just walk. How about transportation from the air port (with bags, etc.) to a hotel? I'm looking for methods and prices if anyone can give me an idea. I've honestly NEVER used any public transit or even a taxi.
Travis
- Mon Mar 20 05:16:05 2006
Excellent stuff, guys. Lox, I'd love to see your homelands (hah!) at least Rome, but I won't have time (unless we just do London, Rome, and one other Italian city, as someone has suggested) this trip. John: I have seen the flight prices. Many of them are free, with a few pounds tax. That's insane. Let me feed this to the wife and let her process a bit of it. Then I can ask better-directed questions.
Travis
- Mon Mar 20 02:47:09 2006
Incidentally I have some understanding of these hectic travel schedules around Northern Europe, as I'll be flying there tomorrow, and doing something similar. Of course the main event is Mr. Lang's wedding, but I'll also be trying to get round and see all the family while I'm there. So I'll be taking in London and other parts of South East England, Central England, South East Wales, North West Wales and also popping over to Ireland for a day in Dublin. I'll be travelling over 1000 miles in total by car and train (plus 100 or so by boat).
John
- Mon Mar 20 01:06:24 2006
Of course, travelling
by train will provide you
with a much more
pleasant experience,
but it will consume
more time, and,
insanely, will probably
end up more expensive
than flying.
John
- Mon Mar 20 00:30:39 2006
Travis - London, Paris,
Dublin and Edinburgh is
just about doable in 9
days, but only really if
you fly between each
city, so you'd pretty
much be in an airport
every other day! If you
don't actually mind
flying though this might
be kind of cool. Flights
within Europe can be
senselessly cheap, if
you know where to
look - we can help you
with this.
John
- Mon Mar 20 00:25:01 2006
Travis: Pesonally I'd reccomend the idea of visiting LESS places if you have only 9 days, you'll end up not really seeing a lot and you might remember all the trips and bags packing rather than the actual cities. Anyways in Paris there are a gazzillion things to do, but if you are short of time I'd go to the Eiffel Tower (nice view of the city), Notre Dame de Paris (my favourite gothic church in the world), check out the Louvre and all the gardens near it, at night Pigalle (red light district very picturesque) and grab a bite in the quarter of Saint Germain.
Lox
- Mon Mar 20 00:13:43 2006
Thanks for the suggestion, Jimmy. I'll look in to it.
Travis
- Sun Mar 19 19:45:35 2006
Travis- London can be quite a problem. The trouble is that there's *so* much there, it can be difficult to decide what to do. Always buy TimeOut before visting (a weekly "What's On" guide to the city) - it covers just about everything :)
Jimmy
- Sun Mar 19 19:27:34 2006
Rob: Thank you kindly, sir. If the wife and I do it this year, it would be a bit of a rush job. We'd probably only have 7-9 days for it all, and we'd like to at least see something in Ireland and Scotland, and Paris, of course. Any suggestions for sightseeing in those other locations?
Travis
- Sun Mar 19 17:38:22 2006
T-Boy. I don't know of a tourism site for London but there is a hell of a lot to do. And all the galleries and museums are free (oh the joy of a socialist nation). All the big sites are quite close together: Trafalgar Square (with Nelson's Column), National Art Galley, Buckingham Palace etc. I'd be love to be your guide for a few days, if you like, sir!
Rob Lang
- Sun Mar 19 11:00:54 2006
John, you once recommended a tourism site for either London specifically or for England generally. Any idea of the URL? My wife and I are trying to decide if we should take our trip after this school semester or wait until I graduate (May '07). I'd like as much input as possible. Thank you, sir.
Travis
- Sat Mar 18 17:26:41 2006
Spring Break is just an indefinitely long (2 or 3 days to a full week off) break from school work. It's nice. Many student, particularly those between high school and college (18 or 19 years old) go to beaches, drink like crazy, break laws, and get arrested. I've never done that. I just enjoy the time off. I have used it to polish up my thesis, which I defend next Friday (24th).
I also met a professor from the University in Surrey over break. Any of you happen to know any professors there?
Travis
- Sat Mar 18 17:25:05 2006
No problem Travis - so, spring break is a concept I'm only dimly aware of, but have occasionally heard mentioned on TV. Is it basically just a regular break inbetween terms/semesters...? Or does it have a particular significance? I get the impression it is often associated with going to the beach and drinking a lot, is this true...?
John
- Sat Mar 18 06:56:26 2006
Sorry, John. I missed your birthday. Happy Birthday! I'm on spring break, so I've been slacking off severely.
Travis
- Sat Mar 18 06:44:02 2006
Actually I spoke to soon - now it is grey, overcast and a bit cold. The balcony doors are most definitely closed.
John
- Sat Mar 18 05:52:47 2006
Nice weather here in Japan - I am sitting in my flat (it is lunchtime Saturday here) with the balcony doors open and a gentle breeze blowing in... lovely!
John
- Sat Mar 18 03:13:32 2006
I on the other hand was out until 4AM. :)
John
- Sat Mar 18 01:43:01 2006
Posting from my agent`s home, lovely dinner yesterday and a good night sleep are preceeding today`s meeting with John! :)
Lox
- Sat Mar 18 00:36:31 2006
Jumping ship early as I'm going out for dinner with friends. Off to Wootton Bassett tomorrow for a weekend with Bethan, Whoopee. May pop in to see Rob and Kate on Sunday, not quite so exciting.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 17 16:01:11 2006
I have just used one of the most miserable applications of all time. It's called "Creator" and you have to use the middle button to select vertices (to define triangles). My mouse has a wheel instead of a button, so it keeps rolling by accident when I press it - causing the view to shift and the wrong vertex to be selected! After about 30 triangles, I honestly think I've injured my hand.
Jimmy
- Fri Mar 17 14:02:19 2006
Looks like everyone is in there with you John. When do you leave for "The Big Smoke"?
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 17 11:14:08 2006
So, I've wandered into
the Hobgoblin here in
Tokyo, quite oblivious
of the fact it is St.
Patrick's Day. There
are so many Westerners
in here, and I have to
admit to quite liking it!
John
- Fri Mar 17 10:21:31 2006
Ciao John, will try to call you today I am on a train to Nagoya in 20 minutes... :( BORIIINNNGGG...
Lox
- Fri Mar 17 02:01:58 2006
Lox: any idea what time
you'll be arriving in
Tokyo on Saturday
night? In theory it
shouldn't matter how
late you get here - we could still go out if you wanted, I know a number
of bars open until 5AM.
Of course, if you are
really tired then that is
a different issue...
John
- Thu Mar 16 23:36:12 2006
MM: I didn't even notice
until you pointed it out
:D
John
- Thu Mar 16 23:26:04 2006
Nor is the FORECAST
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 16 13:59:41 2006
John: bring your winter woollies with you next week, the forecase is NOT for a sudden heatwave :)
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 16 13:27:37 2006
I think this is just the last spurt of wintery weather, getting it all out of the system, before the glorious onset of spring. Ever the optimist!
John
- Thu Mar 16 12:17:50 2006
Lox: I might tell you its not so hot in London at the moment, in fact its threatening to snow, the wind is bitter, considering its the middle of March, it should be a lot warmer.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 16 11:03:48 2006
It is raining here in
Tokyo now as well. I
think I can understand
the effect it has had
on your mood Lox - it
is a particularly dreary
kind of rain isn't it?
John
- Thu Mar 16 09:57:40 2006
MM, completely right. I am extremely happy to be here, I love this place and I am away from the claws of my boss ...:) Didn't want to sound depressed, I like it here, it's just the weather that is shite, but I can't have everything can I... :)
Lox
- Thu Mar 16 09:27:56 2006
At least you're both awake at the same time. Morning everyone. Lox, look on the bright side, you could be in Italy chatting to that "wonderful" boss of yours!
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 16 08:23:09 2006
Lox, sorry to hear your day is a bit sucky - I know that lack of motivation feeling well! On the plus side though, it's kind of cool for me to have someone else posting from an office in Japan...
John
- Thu Mar 16 04:29:27 2006
Dsp - haven't seen any birthday related customs here. It seems adults hardly celebrate their birthdays at all in Japan!
John
- Thu Mar 16 04:27:52 2006
Mmmm crap rainy day in Osaka, I don't want to do any work at all, but it seems that the agent is not entirely of the same idea... Will have to travel to Kobe to meet some clients, 2 hours in the car for 1 appointment... Oh well, it's part of the job isn't it?
Lox
- Thu Mar 16 03:42:12 2006
Oh dear... I was caught cow-orking once... Oh the shame... :(
Nigel
- Wed Mar 15 19:57:20 2006
John - firstly, happy birthday! Second - is there a Japanese birthday tradition? Do you get you coworkers cakes? Or saki or something?
dsp
- Wed Mar 15 14:53:28 2006
Most excellent!! Hope it was a good meal!!
Nigel
- Wed Mar 15 14:45:23 2006
Ah no, strangely we went out to eat, with Chie's Mum and her little sister...
John
- Wed Mar 15 14:36:03 2006
Ah John... Perhaps a quiet night in with Chie? A candle-lit dinner; a bottle of expensive wine. Relaxing, talking about the sunset, the future... :)
Nigel
- Wed Mar 15 13:15:18 2006
MM, Lox - thanks! I too am hanging around the office like Lox, waiting to leave. My plans for the evening seem to be falling on their face a bit - one of those situations were one person suggests one thing, another person suggests a different thing, you try to do both, and as a result end up doing neither! Anyway, not to worry, I will be back in England next week, and have basically determined to just postpone any birthday type celebrations until then... (Oh, plus the forthcoming weekend extravaganza in Tokyo with Lox!)
John
- Wed Mar 15 09:32:09 2006
Just finished the usual day of work here in Japan. Now waiting at the office to wrap up all the work that we couldn't get done since we were seeing clients... Oh well, part of the job I guess... Didn't eat a thing for lunch (too busy) now waiting for a nice dinner somewehere, gotta remember to avoid the hamburger at the hotel as it is pure shite.
Lox
- Wed Mar 15 09:16:16 2006
John: That'll be happy birthday again then.. .:)
Lox
- Wed Mar 15 09:14:16 2006
Happy Birthday on the right day John
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 15 08:22:35 2006
OK I think now we're
finally there in UK time.
John
- Wed Mar 15 00:16:18 2006
Is it John's birthday yet? Happy birthday John!
dsp
- Tue Mar 14 21:13:08 2006
Well John, you could have the best of both worlds and extend your birthday by 9 hours, thereby covering both England and Japan.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 14 15:39:46 2006
Hmmm.... I'm going to go to sleep now, so not much progressing to do really! But thanks anyway!
John
- Tue Mar 14 15:21:47 2006
Happy Birthday John. I hope your day gets more exciting as it progresses.
Graf
- Tue Mar 14 15:20:28 2006
Presuming it is now official, then my first act of this new year of my life is going to be emptying the washing machine, which is just about to finish its run. Ho, hum.
John
- Tue Mar 14 15:04:25 2006
Right, well it is now after midnight in Japan, and so I will now graciously accept the previously posted greetings - thanks! I wonder if it actually counts though, given that I was born in the UK, not Japan - is it really my birthday now or not...?
John
- Tue Mar 14 15:01:28 2006
parp!
Jimmy
- Tue Mar 14 13:48:56 2006
Yep! That was close...!
sheri
- Tue Mar 14 13:29:36 2006
Phew, guys I think we got out of that one OK.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 14 13:17:58 2006
Ok I can see the logic
now - midnight in Japan
will be in about two
hours, so probably you
guys are right on the
money.
John
- Tue Mar 14 13:09:07 2006
MM. I meant 'youR precious offspring...'. But I think you got it anyway.
Sheri
- Tue Mar 14 12:08:43 2006
My little problem with my server is solved. I did it ALONE and I'm proud of it!
Sheri
- Tue Mar 14 12:06:29 2006
MM. I fear you precious offspring doesn't share my sense of humour...
Sheri
- Tue Mar 14 12:06:05 2006
Sheri: leave my little boy alone, we paid a lot of money to make him that clever!! :))
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 14 12:00:05 2006
Rob! Stop showing off! Always trying to draw everyone's attention...
Sheri
- Tue Mar 14 11:43:03 2006
Rob: Its tomorrow!
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 14 11:38:54 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY John!
Rob Lang
- Tue Mar 14 11:23:47 2006
Or for the really adventurous "Twister" :)
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 14 10:40:26 2006
Ah... Understood!! :)
Nigel
- Tue Mar 14 10:39:49 2006
I was thinking more of Buckaroo or Ker-Plunk.
Jimmy
- Tue Mar 14 10:29:51 2006
What is? Petanque? Flip-Clack-Yay!!!
Nigel
- Tue Mar 14 10:03:40 2006
It's a funny old game.
Jimmy
- Tue Mar 14 09:40:00 2006
John: I'm sure the reason is that you are nearly half a day ahead of us in time, and by the time we got to add our good wishes your birthday would be nearly over. (or you would be past caring!)
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 14 09:34:15 2006
We're all just getting confused by the International Dateline, dopler-shift and other such variables... :))
Nigel
- Tue Mar 14 09:27:50 2006
Then who started with that birthday thing? We have to find the culprit!
Sheri
- Tue Mar 14 09:18:52 2006
Thanks guys. I barely have the heart to tell you all that my
birthday is in fact tomorrow - the 15th.
John
- Tue Mar 14 09:03:53 2006
Merry thingumbob, Johnnyboy!
Jimmy
- Tue Mar 14 08:57:47 2006
Many happy returns John!
Nigel
- Tue Mar 14 08:46:57 2006
Happy Birthday John. Have a good one.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 14 08:38:57 2006
Incidentally, can anyone help me here? I can't get access to my server (wanadoo) from my 'space' on the computer. I get a message which says this: Runtime error! This application has requested the runtime to terminate it in an unusual way (C:\progra~1\wanadoo\taskbarIcon.exe). Or I get: C:\program Files\wanadoo\Espace wanadoo.exe abnormal program termination. It's all chinese to me.
Sheri
- Tue Mar 14 07:56:59 2006
Bon anniversaire, John. Cela n'est qu'une bougie de plus sur le gâteau. (only one more candel on the cake)
Sheri
- Tue Mar 14 07:54:19 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNNNNNN!!! Will give you a call in the aternoon to start talking about the weekend... I am moving al lthe schedule so that I can arrive on Saturday afternoon! :)
Lox
- Tue Mar 14 01:15:59 2006
...because it's 9AM here in Japan?
John
- Tue Mar 14 00:08:19 2006
Happy birthday Dr Hawkins! Why arn't you drinking?
dsp
- Tue Mar 14 00:00:12 2006
... but I'll always think of you that way ;)
Jimmy
- Mon Mar 13 17:57:52 2006
Nigel. No, I have no blog or website of my own. I could send you some pics, but I fear you'd be disappointed: I don't look like a pervert. At least, I believe...
Sheri
- Mon Mar 13 15:04:49 2006
Hey Sheri - you've mistaken me for someone who gives a damn! Boy am I enjoying spending it.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 13 12:01:40 2006
Sheri: Do you have a personal web-site out there in hyperspace? Any photos for example? I for one have this mental image of you in my mind and it would be great to learn if I'm right, or madly wrong!! :))))
Nigel
- Mon Mar 13 11:34:19 2006
MM. I know someone who won't be pleased to hear that...!
Sheri
- Mon Mar 13 10:53:34 2006
Sheri: I'm not THAT ill, (I am at work) besides, I haven't finished spending the kid's inheritance yet.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 13 10:15:20 2006
MM. You're ill? Are you suffering? I know of a cure called *euthanasia*...! Apparently it works. The pain vanishes for ever! Guaranteed! ;-)
Sheri
- Mon Mar 13 09:57:03 2006
Glad you're OK Nigel. My cold is still awful, but at least its not like a tap now.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 13 09:06:38 2006
Morning all! Morning MM! Hope your cold is on the mend!! Yes, I'm one of the few who's made it in to Wrexham so far. Trouble is, as I live twenty miles away, people hate it when I make it in....!! Toyota power!!! :))
Nigel
- Mon Mar 13 08:53:37 2006
Morning all: Lovely sunny morning in London, although I heard Wrexham mentioned on the radio this morning in connection with snow falls and closed roads.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Mar 13 08:39:52 2006
Ok Nigel, I believe you!
Sheri
- Mon Mar 13 07:41:55 2006
In Japan now!! I have just landed really... God jet lag is already coming to say hello!!
Lox
- Mon Mar 13 04:05:41 2006
Ah Sheri... I do not have a beer belly! I don't actually know where beer-bellies come from. Afterall, I drink beer and do not have one. I personally think beer-bellies have an ill-founded bad reputation, and are mis-described. It's not the beer that causes the belly, but the kebabs and curries people eat while drunk!! :))
Nigel
- Sun Mar 12 20:17:26 2006
Nigel. How big is your beer belly?
Sheri
- Sun Mar 12 19:19:57 2006
Well, Tom, being a relatively recent guest I don't know you. I do wish you a happy birthday nonetheless.
Sheri
- Sun Mar 12 19:12:17 2006
Ok... I'm on my own today!! No worries!! Pass the Guinness!! Cleared some snow - although to be honest we have about 6-inches of the stuff today!! Did my best! Time to imbibe! :)
Nigel
- Sun Mar 12 17:27:27 2006
Well, er.... Snow!! Oh, and morning all!
Nigel
- Sun Mar 12 08:41:59 2006
Lox - looking forward to seeing you here! Let me know as soon as you are in a fit state to meet up!
John
- Sun Mar 12 02:14:56 2006
Yep Tom, let me be the first to wish you happy birthday on the day itself!
John
- Sun Mar 12 02:14:08 2006
Wow! You jet-setters!! Safe journey Lox!! Happy Bop-Day Tom! Me? Today I'll be mostly drinking Guinness!! :)
Nigel
- Sat Mar 11 19:33:43 2006
Happy birthday tommy boy!! How many? Have a good weekend everyone, next post will be from Japan for me.. .:)
Lox
- Sat Mar 11 13:22:27 2006
Happy Birfday, if that's true, Tom. I'm now on spring break from school...meaning I have more time to sit at home and work on school assignments. Huzzah!
Travis
- Sat Mar 11 04:30:51 2006
Feeling very rough so jumping ship early. Hope you all have a good weekend.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 10 15:36:29 2006
Have a good day on Sunday Tom. Happy Birthday.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 10 13:49:04 2006
I had better have both of them then as its a joint effort!!
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 10 13:48:28 2006
Rob: Hope everything goes well for tomorrow! For damage limitation purposes, get your mum or Kate to look after your passport!
dsp
- Fri Mar 10 13:05:06 2006
According to my super computer brain, this weekend is Tom's birthday weekend. Happy birthday for Sunday Tom! The question we're all wondering is what is Rowan-boy getting for his birthday?
dsp
- Fri Mar 10 13:03:54 2006
Happy Friday everyone nearly weekend! (yay)
dsp
- Fri Mar 10 11:43:58 2006
I'm not well. I have the most appalling cold, runny nose, sneezing, the lot. On my own in the office today, so no danger of giving it to anyone else. Only the boss, tucked up in his own little office. Still better this week than two weeks time, aye Rob!
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 10 11:33:41 2006
Good news! Glad to hear it, Lox!
Nigel
- Fri Mar 10 11:27:39 2006
Nigel: Thanks for worrying, I am ok. Will write something later, but all in all to summarize I have played little Tony Blair (polititian) and managed to get through the dinner...
Lox
- Fri Mar 10 11:07:53 2006
Morning all! Let me be the first to clear yesterday's input!! Nothing much has happened so far today, but at least it's Friday!! You ok Lox?
Nigel
- Fri Mar 10 10:12:56 2006
Well not any more I'm not ... I'm back at work now. Kev- don't worry, I cleaned it all up.
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 9 16:26:31 2006
Snigger, Jimmys 'whizzin'. Don't make a mess Jimmy!
Kev
- Thu Mar 9 15:57:36 2006
You're not really are
you Jimmy?
John
- Thu Mar 9 15:42:25 2006
I am- I'm whizzin' along at an incredible speed!
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 9 12:59:03 2006
Hands up. who is on the yamanote line right now?
John
- Thu Mar 9 12:56:30 2006
I like Nottingham- it has a lot going on. I went there for a wedding once, and they told us "The reception's in the university- here's a map". Sadly, the map was only of the campus, and it transpired that there are two universities, so I spent a long time trying to match the map to the wrong one. Hmm.
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 9 12:45:18 2006
Yep, can't hide from
the fact, Nottingham
has had a big rise in
crime in recent years.
Before that it did seem
pretty safe. I don't
know though, a lot of it
is just perception. I
went out in Nottingham
once or twice last year
and it was fine...
John
- Thu Mar 9 12:33:46 2006
I haven't been to Nottingham myself, so my opinion is only based on news reports on tv. I think the town has gotten quite bad ( in certain areas no doubt ) over the last few years with regards drugs and gun crime. John would know more about this probably since i believe thats where he is roughly from. (err... thats the roughness not the guns or drugs - i hope )
Kev
- Thu Mar 9 11:23:33 2006
Kev: I like Nottingham, I though I was relatively safe there when we went with John... Another town I love is Edinburgh (right after Florence), Monmuth and Oxford/Cambridge.... On the Hate side we have, Loughborough, Manchester, Birmingham...
Lox
- Thu Mar 9 10:56:25 2006
Lox, you seem be attracted to the towns in the UK that you are most likely to get killed in!
Kev
- Thu Mar 9 10:53:08 2006
Spent 3 and half years in Reading, I fell in love with the place when I left unfortunately. I guess it's not a bad place but there are better towns in England in my opinion (Nottingham for example, is one I especially love)...
Lox
- Thu Mar 9 09:25:11 2006
I went to Reading. Great university, shitty town. 3 Excellent years!
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 9 09:08:56 2006
I was in Birmingham. Apart from the campus, the Barber Institute (which I quite liked) and the students' guild, it was pretty depressing.
Sheri
- Thu Mar 9 08:59:04 2006
Travis - yes it is true that the town of Reading does tend to garner some fairly negative opinions, both within the UK, and it seems abroad too! The university was nice though, very green and leafy, and much of the surrounding area (Pangbourne, Sonning, etc) is very pleasant also. Maybe the problem with Reading itself is that is has always been an industrial town - people were just drawn there for work. It was beer and biscuits in the past, nowadays it is insurance and IT. I think as a result it is lacking a sense of community or something - lots of people just live there a few years for a job, then move away.
John
- Thu Mar 9 08:01:24 2006
It was more the 75k jobs that caught my eye (got to fiddle with the URLs to see them as I mentioned earlier). Lots of them seemed to be MS(TV) related, and they asked for about 6 years of relevant experience, which I don't believe is beyond the realms of any of those among us who work(ed) in IT/broadcasting. 75k - after the taxman has had his cut, you would still be pocketing over 4000 quid every month.
John
- Thu Mar 9 07:51:09 2006
I don't know anything about Reading, but I was chatting with a Hungarian fellow about the UK. I mentioned that I knew some people in Reading. He promptly responded, "Reading is a dump." He's an academic who has been teaching in the US for years, so I don't know his perspective. I'll judge for myself when I finally get over there...
Travis
- Thu Mar 9 00:41:33 2006
i like the link john 50k, woohoo, Reading - i'd rather chop off my arm with a saw using the blood-covered hook attachment on my other arm that i've already chopped in the previous 5 minutes. sorry Reading-ites ;)
money isn't everything. ( although i still have a long term plan of winning a couple of million quid on the lottery!
kev
- Wed Mar 8 23:55:40 2006
Jimmy - I was browsing through the back catalogue on dtvjobs.co.uk. Actually it only seemed to show one current entry, so I had to manually edit the URL and reduce the "id" number to see past entries.
John
- Wed Mar 8 23:04:20 2006
Nigel: I love Lubbock. It's not for everyone...but they're mostly the young people. Lubbock is known for some cool things: a large independent music base, rapidly-improving collegiate athletics, some high quality academic programs (MA Philosophy, nursing, a decent law program), an excellent teacher training program, and good local beer. I almost regret having to move, but there is no PhD here for Philosophy. I'd definitely consider returning here after getting the PhD.
Travis
- Wed Mar 8 18:03:43 2006
Rob: It's the same here, as far as mortgages go. 3x is the norm, with little upward variance. When is your wedding, incidentally? I somehow don't remember hearing about this. Congratulations!
Travis
- Wed Mar 8 18:00:48 2006
I think there would probably spring up a whole industry in China removing the m from M&Ms. Every weekend car boot sales would be raided for fake smarties - how would they know - well they would taste wrong. Since they are now the valid currency easting them would be a treasonous offence and only customs, police and trading standards would be authorised to eat them ( but they would not enjoy them of course! )
Kev
- Wed Mar 8 17:46:36 2006
Jimmy: Thanks, I didn't quite get the Hat of my dreams due to Civilian Aviation Authority (CAA) restrictions on headgear size.
Kev: Anyone trying to counterfeit smarties with M&Ms would be stupid as M&Ms have a little 'm' on them. Anyone caught doing that would have to be executed for stupidity.
Rob Lang
- Wed Mar 8 17:29:39 2006
Money is overrated, I think we should invent a new currency based on smarties. Blue ones are worth the most! Red ones the least. We would need to watch out for people trying to use counterfits though ( M&Ms ) !!
Kev
- Wed Mar 8 17:06:15 2006
Jimmy - sounds more like a nightmare to me.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 8 16:53:06 2006
Well, congratulations Rob! Hope you get the hat of your dreams :)
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 8 16:51:02 2006
Nigel: The bells would have been extra.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 8 16:40:10 2006
Jimmy, I is gettin' married on the 24th. As Byrn rightly noted.
T-Boy, it does feel quite steep. Given that mortgage lenders will give 4 times salary at best, you need to be earning more than 40k to buy. Most lenders only give 3 times salary, which leads to 55k / year. These are big salaries - for a flat in a not too hip and happening place.
Rob Lang
- Wed Mar 8 16:38:49 2006
MM: Why do I have these aural mirages of the 1812 Overture?? :))
Travis: Sounds actually pretty good to me! Warm, sunny academic, cheap housing, beer... (within limits, I know!) Away from big-city crush..... :))
Nigel
- Wed Mar 8 16:18:32 2006
Hello.
To celebrate the upcoming wedding of Rob Lang and Kate Jago there will be a Stag / Hen do this Saturday in the Back of Beyond (BOB), Reading.
We'll be starting at 3pm and staying there till late. Don't feel you have to turn up to the whole thing, feel free to just drop in if you get the chance.
Guests are welcome. The pub is non-smoking, but there's a beer garden out the back.
Sorry about the late notice, and randomly posting this here, I'm just trying to catch anyone I miss by email
Byrn
- Wed Mar 8 15:58:35 2006
Sorry, this message was too big.
Byrn
- Wed Mar 8 15:57:49 2006
John- where are these "Fat UK wages"? Please suggest a web-site.
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 8 15:53:13 2006
If one can stand living on Arrakis, Lubbock's prices are very reasonable. Most homes are in the 80-100k range (and this is US dollars), most also have at least 2 bed rooms, 2 bathrooms. True, Lubbock is in the middle of nowhere, but I've had no occasion to leave in the 3 years I've been here except to see my family.
It's an insulated paradise, as it were.
Travis
- Wed Mar 8 15:15:53 2006
Sorry, couldn't get working cannons. I'll talk to Cyberdad, see if he can rig something up with his aeroplane stuff.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 8 14:40:49 2006
You wish!
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 8 14:39:58 2006
Rob- is there a special occasion to justify this unorthodox headwear?
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 8 14:30:13 2006
I want my mum to wear a galleon with sails and cannons on it. Working cannons, too. I'll be wearing a 1foot stovepipe. I will not be outdone!
Rob Lang
- Wed Mar 8 14:19:32 2006
Salaries are fat but so are the house prices and living costs. And getting fatter by the day. It will now cost Kate and I 160,000 to get a 2 bedroom flat in the Reading area.
Rob lang
- Wed Mar 8 14:18:35 2006
So money, boys and girls. Money, money, money. I've just been browsing through some job sites, and I can't help but think Japan was not a great career move in terms of fat wage packets. I had read that the national average salary was higher here, which gave me a false impression that my salary would get a lot better. On closer inspection it appears that while the average may be good in Japan, the distribution is not so wide. In other words, everyone generally earns a reasonably good salary, but no-one seems to earn a great salary here. Looking back at the job sites for the UK I am seeing some really fat salaries on offer, for jobs I am pretty sure I could do. If it wasn't for Chie, around about now I'd be saying "Well, Japan, that was a laugh while it lasted", and getting on a plane back to the UK.
John
- Wed Mar 8 14:02:44 2006
I like hats ... but they tend to make me look very dodgy.
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 8 13:52:43 2006
True to form, when I tried it on at home Cyberdad laughed.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 8 12:23:26 2006
Yes, I like hats!
Nigel
- Wed Mar 8 11:51:25 2006
Mmmm...... hats.
John
- Wed Mar 8 10:51:10 2006
Nigel: They've got to have something to laugh at, what with global warming; the price of houses; the price of everything. Rob's little ones will be able to laugh at the hats they will be wearing at his wedding - not mine I hasten to add. Mine is bought and according to Rob it has cannon on it. Mind you he's not seen it. And I'm not telling him either. But it will be spectacular.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 8 10:35:11 2006
John: No problem! In fact it will probably be a good thing to get it "digitized" for posterity (Ok, so my kids can laugh at it!!)
Nigel
- Wed Mar 8 10:02:19 2006
Ha! morning MM/Lox! Funny... I saw Dull and Drizzly here in Wrexham this morning! That pair move fast if they're both down in London now!! (Yes. it's going to be one of those days!)
Lox: Please try and smile today - it really will help you cope!! Honestly!! :))) I'm doing it! True, my colleagues do think I've gone mad, but it helps me!!
Nigel
- Wed Mar 8 10:01:13 2006
Nigel - only if it is not
too much trouble!
John
- Wed Mar 8 09:58:40 2006
Morning all - dull and drizzly in London.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Mar 8 09:54:50 2006
'Morning...
Lox
- Wed Mar 8 09:44:37 2006
John: Oooh, I'll have to dig it out and OCR it (yes, it was that long ago!!). I'll try and do the deed, then upload it and post a link. May take a few days though... :)
Nigel
- Wed Mar 8 08:49:13 2006
Travis. fair enough...!
Sheri
- Wed Mar 8 07:43:54 2006
Nigel, where/how can I
read 'Dirty Weekend on
a Shoestring' - it
sounds fantastic!
John
- Tue Mar 7 23:50:46 2006
Sheri: Or true skepticism?
Travis
- Tue Mar 7 21:01:25 2006
Travis. False modesty!
Sheri
- Tue Mar 7 17:02:26 2006
John: Well done! Ten is a fairly impressive number, very impressive for a recent PhD in my field. Sheri: This is just a book review of "The Philosophy of Film Noir." My review was solicited. I generally don't think highly of publishing work. I don't think that anything (my work or the work of others I read) is worthy of it.
Travis
- Tue Mar 7 16:11:51 2006
I'm alredish on iishhh... Hic!! Weeeee!
Nigel
- Tue Mar 7 13:31:11 2006
What time's the next flight?
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Mar 7 11:57:25 2006
So we're watching telly here in Japan, and there is a feature on "host bars" - the equivalent of a "hostess bar", but where the women are the customers, and the men there to, errr, entertain them. So in this particular one the theme is that the "hosts" drink really heavily, because apparently the girls find it really cute when they're blind drunk. Errr, so lets wind back a bit here - these men are being paid to hang around women and drink themselves stupid, and that's what the women actually want them to do. I'm so following the wrong career path.
John
- Tue Mar 7 11:28:11 2006
Ah, Tom! You must be one of the few men I've talked to who also has two children and is *still* able to concentrate!!! :)))
Nigel
- Tue Mar 7 11:03:24 2006
John: Harking back to my comments yesterday... Enthusiasm makes learning easier. Enthusiasm and accessability should go hand in hand (?) Sounds a good idea to me! :)
Sheri: Just two. Being a mere man I lost the ability to concentrate after the youngest came along, so we'll probably stop at two as well! ;)
Nigel
- Tue Mar 7 11:00:52 2006
Most of the academics I meet in the security world do as John suggests and make things complicated to hide the fact that they don't understand the real world. They talk about "should and could" when the real world talks of "will" or more likely "won't".
tom
- Tue Mar 7 10:53:30 2006
Nigel, how many children have you got?
Sheri
- Tue Mar 7 10:34:33 2006
Congrats Travis! I only managed one paper in my time in Academia. I didn't actually get to present it because it was in Hawaii and the department had stolen my (large, industry funded) PhD budget into the big departmental pot.
Rob Lang
- Tue Mar 7 10:12:12 2006
Nigel - none of them
were really that clever!
It is a sad fact that
most academic authors
do not consider
readability to be a
desirable goal - in fact
if anything the opposite
is true. Making
something difficult to
read is a good way to
hide the fact that you
don't actually have
anything worth saying!
I got a lot of
criticism, which I took
to mean that, to my
credit, my work was
very accessible. :D
John
- Tue Mar 7 10:06:20 2006
Oh, but I forgot technologynow.co.uk, which I have now closed.... :(
Nigel
- Tue Mar 7 09:48:41 2006
Travis: Looking forward to it!!
Nigel
- Tue Mar 7 08:49:05 2006
John: I'd just like to say "Gulp!" I've popped over to stuffware and read through your list of publications... Having just read the titles I feel my intellectual capacity has now been exhausted!! And talking of publications my own list runs to about three - "Dirty Weekend on a Shoestring" A motorcycling weekend to Scotland in the rain... "Cross-Platform 3D Realisation Using Atari and PC computers" Not as good as it sounds! And several PDA related artilces on Foxpop.co.uk which has now basically closed but was amazing in it's time.... :))
Oh, and Morning all!! :))
Nigel
- Tue Mar 7 08:48:21 2006
Ah, Sheri.... I remember those times very well.... :))
Nigel
- Tue Mar 7 08:40:49 2006
Travis. What is it about, your publication?
Sheri
- Tue Mar 7 07:49:21 2006
Christelle wants another child. She bothered me everyday about it and finally wore me down. I'm exhausted and somewhat blasé, cose it's no longer spontaneous and become more *mechanical*. Anyone knows what I mean...?
Sheri
- Tue Mar 7 07:48:50 2006
Congratulations on your first publication Travis! Soon you will have the self indulgent pleasure of doing reference lookups (on Google scholar et al) to see who is quoting from your work. In my case though this was something of a disappointment - I made nigh on ten publications during my time in academia, and I've yet to find another paper referencing any of them. Ho, hum...
John
- Tue Mar 7 07:41:11 2006
Thankfully, I don't really have a boss to deal with...just a department chair (who never addresses me, unless drunk) and my professors, who are very easygoing.
Incidentally, my book review has been submitted for final appraisal. It should appear in the next issue of InterTexts journal, making it my first "academic" publication. I'll make it available to anyone who is interested.
Travis
- Tue Mar 7 01:02:07 2006
Puts a new slant on things though.... :)
Nigel
- Mon Mar 6 20:19:17 2006
Hmm I seem to have turned the forum Italic.
Kev
- Mon Mar 6 17:12:13 2006
No, I would go into his office/meeting room and start to punch myself on the nose. Shouting and screaming 'don't hit me', 'stop hurting me' ( in italian of course else people wouldn't understand me ). Then I would demand compensation or whatever else I wanted. Whoops trivialising with humour again!
Kev
- Mon Mar 6 17:11:31 2006
I'd punch him on the nose and be done with it.
tom
- Mon Mar 6 17:03:35 2006
Kev: Not really. I am having a strange day... I am waiting for him to come back to have the second half of the chat. It's a wierd feeling because he said that he doesn't trust me, and a lot of other things. The problem is that he thinks that I am behaving in a bad way towards him, and he doesn't see that all my reactions are due to his mistakes first. The problem is the fact that I think that he will never change his mind, so in the end, all the argument just confirmed what I was fearing: I am in a dodgy position where my direct superior is basically telling me that if he could he'd send me out tomorrow... I need to rest over it and think about what to do..
Lox
- Mon Mar 6 16:25:02 2006
Lox, did you do that thing with your thumb flicking your top teeth ( or is that Spanish? ). Also sorry to trivialise but to Italians say " Mama Mia! " alot or is that just a stereotype like all british people wear bowler hats and say 'Good show old man' all the time.
Sorry I have a stupid sense of humor, but when I don't know what to say I make a joke about it. Sounds like you are having another pissy day!
Kev
- Mon Mar 6 15:47:07 2006
Interesting day at work. I have had a meeting with the General Director, bypassing my director alltogether. He got quite angry at me because of that (of course it was intentional), and we had a nice argument. This time Marta took place in the fray, and we ended up talking a bit, though we still need to finish our chat later. I have been threatened, offended, called a false person, but still I managed not to hit him directly. :)
Lox
- Mon Mar 6 14:20:56 2006
Busy busy busy busy
tom
- Mon Mar 6 13:45:11 2006
Yep there was definitely some enthusiasm in there! It is really hard to write an article on a topic which brings about as strong opinions as whisky does without at least addressing the different view points. I'm judging by the fact that an article didn't exist before I created it though that Japanese whisky is very much a minority interest, and realistically speaking people may well simply not care enough to complain about any possible bias...
John
- Mon Mar 6 13:17:26 2006
Ah, but I read the minor "element of my opinion" only as Enthusiasm! It was fine. Plus I think enthusiasm is the one, true way to make learning enjoyable (and the odd glass of Scotch!)
Nigel
- Mon Mar 6 13:07:52 2006
Nigel - Oh and thanks for you kind words about my articles! Actually I found it quite hard to write something that has to be so impartial and unbiased - even as it stands I am slightly concerned that there is an element of my opinion rather than just the cold hard facts.
John
- Mon Mar 6 13:04:02 2006
To be honest, I'm amazed that abuse on wikipedia is so limited - that is the first time I've seen anyone go and make a mess of it (and it didn't last - a couple of hours later someone else came and just reverted those changes). I guess the flip side of the fact that anyone can come along and mess it up is that anyone can come along and fix it... and generally speaking there are more people who want to see a decent end result than people who want to scrawl the wiki equivalent of graffiti (waffiti?) all over a perfectly good article.
John
- Mon Mar 6 13:01:35 2006
Yes, that's bl*&%y annoying! I read you're own articles, and they're great, and done in the right spirit. Sharing one's knowledge is what learning should be about. The ability to offer that knowledge for free, and without strings is top pf the heap. Then along come these idiots and screw things up. Ok, register everyone, issue passwords... Wouldn't work. The Wiki idea was brilliant and that guy who started wikipedia didn't deserve the flack he got....
There. Said it!
I guess the only real answer is to forget the idea, go back to paid for encyclopedias. Then you can buy the ideology you want. A pathetic future for the disemination of knowledge!
Nigel
- Mon Mar 6 12:55:50 2006
In fact, it had already reverted by the time I posted that message (basically someone had come along and deleted the whole page, and just put some silly message in instead).
John
- Mon Mar 6 12:49:42 2006
Just found a good example of where wikis break down (I guess this will change very soon) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen
John
- Mon Mar 6 12:48:35 2006
In retrospect, I may have meant downturn rather than downfall.
John
- Mon Mar 6 12:38:04 2006
Kev - I heard there was an economic downfall across most of the far east as a result, actually.
John
- Mon Mar 6 12:00:29 2006
John: do you think local property prices plumeted ? not just your block but the whole street ?
Kev
- Mon Mar 6 10:21:30 2006
Yes, I guess that is a
benefit of only renting
- no property disputes.
Anyway, I am probably the
annoying neighbour
rather than the victim.
I bet the other people
in my apartment block
were quite dismayed
when they found a
gaijin had moved in - so
far I appear to be the
only one...
John
- Mon Mar 6 10:19:03 2006
The area involved was pathetically small. They wanted one end of a long fence moved by about 6 inches. In the end, they were only entitled to move it 4 inches. However, due to the fact that the fence wasn't straight, even though one end moved towards our house nearly all of the rest of it moved towards them. In total, I think they gained about 2 square feet at the end they wanted to move, but lost at least 10 times as much along the rest of the length of the fence. So basically, they made a mess of my patio, and then donated half their flower-bed to us. I *really* wish they'd just left it the hell alone. As I suggested in the first place. Idiots.
Jimmy
- Mon Mar 6 10:15:29 2006
Naughty!
Sheri
- Mon Mar 6 10:14:47 2006
I'm all for planting conifer boundary hedges between disliked neighours... Ok, they get mad and ask to cut them back, but at least the roots suck all the water out of their soil and turn it into a wasteland... :) Just a thought from someone who has about 120-yards of eight-foot conifer hedge boundaries... :)))
Nigel
- Mon Mar 6 10:09:36 2006
How much land did your neighbours lose? Must have been relly amusing to see their faces while erecting the new fence.
Sheri
- Mon Mar 6 08:49:22 2006
Jimmy. I'm not an angel , but at least I can question myself. Those people just can't.
Sheri
- Mon Mar 6 08:46:11 2006
Sheri- don't let nasty neighbours get you down! We have a nasty pair next door, and they caused an utterly pointless boundary dispute. They were extremely aggressive about it (quite unneccessarily so) and when we got to the end of the dispute, they actually ended up *losing* land, and they had to pay for a new fence, which had to be entirely on their land, and maintin it (where previously it was on our land, and we had to maintain it). Some people are just arses.
Jimmy
- Sun Mar 5 19:23:54 2006
Another Sunday doing "Sunday" things. Including a spot of DIY shoe-cupboard engineering... Yes, we have to keep our Ladies happy!!
Nigel
- Sun Mar 5 17:38:43 2006
They said to my wife that they will no longer bother me and just ignore me, which is what I always wanted. I feel so good!
Sheri
- Sun Mar 5 10:13:03 2006
I was exemplary and triumphant. I told them, calmly, that they were not beyong reproach, which infuriated them. I'm so proud of me, cose they fell short of arguments and simply slammed their door at me!
Sheri
- Sun Mar 5 10:10:57 2006
Guys. Do you all recall the sad episode of my two charming neighbours with whom I had an argument? I had lost control of myself and spat at their feet to mean my contempt. Well, we had another argument today, but this time I remained totally cool-blooded. Zen. They insulted me, shouted at me, but I didn't raise my voice.
Sheri
- Sun Mar 5 10:10:44 2006
Sorry, this message was too big.
Sheri
- Sun Mar 5 10:09:45 2006
Great snowman Nigel! Good job!
dsp
- Sun Mar 5 07:31:15 2006
Nigel - don't be so modest - that's a pretty fine snow person you have there! I particularly like the antennae. Inspired!
John
- Sat Mar 4 23:37:26 2006
Sheri: Haha! It's a safe bet with computers now. At least in my limited experience. My brothers (I have 3, no sisters) will call me to ask me about computer stuff, as if I know, and that's the first thing I suspect caused their problems.
Travis
- Sat Mar 4 23:06:43 2006
Ok. This one's for you John - http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bagley/Snowbeing.jpg - It may not be good as certain Japanese rooftop speciamens, but this one was co-built by a 2.5yoa person!!
Nigel
- Sat Mar 4 22:46:34 2006
My apologies.
Sheri
- Sat Mar 4 15:32:31 2006
Travis. I had a few words with my brother today. Apparently, you weren't that wrong... ! (You know, the dialer thing...).
Sheri
- Sat Mar 4 15:31:34 2006
True! Tell you what, I'll give it a go and link a photo later on!
Nigel
- Sat Mar 4 13:17:27 2006
Snowman, Nigel, snowman!
John
- Sat Mar 4 11:31:18 2006
Morning John! Nope! I'm up. Cheers! Fresh snow this morning - all looking very photogenic. No plans yet, but I'm sure something will occur!
Nigel
- Sat Mar 4 08:58:44 2006
You're all asleep aren't
you?
John
- Sat Mar 4 08:27:59 2006
So I'm celebrating
my return to Tokyo from the US by
having a pint of bitter
and a packet of smokey
bacon crisps. I am one
culturally confused
individual aren't I?
John
- Sat Mar 4 07:36:46 2006
MM: I don't delight in your bad weather. Where I grew up, we had snow all the time...so I'm just delighting in Lubbock's nice weather this year. No snow, warm.
Travis
- Sat Mar 4 05:47:14 2006
Last time I had jetlag was... ooohh... er..... Oh well never, really! Though the last time I went abroad it was on one of those turbo-jet-hydrofoil ferry things to Guernsey. Does that count? (Jetlag and seasick?!?)
Nigel
- Fri Mar 3 21:52:59 2006
well, once you've done it once or twice it won't matter.i believe home dialysis machines are all the rage in tokyo.
kev
- Fri Mar 3 21:50:10 2006
Yes Kev that sounds like a great solution, so long as you don't mind the slightly unfortunate side effect of kidney failure!
John
- Fri Mar 3 21:45:02 2006
that'll really learn'im!!!
kev
- Fri Mar 3 21:32:17 2006
the other way to beat Jetlag San, ls to drink copius amounts of alcohol and take 5 or 6 sleeping tablets!
kev
- Fri Mar 3 21:31:18 2006
(errr, if that message is confusing, it is around 6:30 Saturday morning here, I arrived around in Tokyo around 5:30 Friday night)
John
- Fri Mar 3 21:25:03 2006
Right well I'm back in Tokyo now, as standard I woke up around 4AM, but for once I managed to pull one over on Mr Jetlag, by going to bed several hours earlier than usual. That'll learn it!
John
- Fri Mar 3 21:23:09 2006
Gadget time!
After my switch-back to PC computing, it seemed churlish to sell the iPod too, but it had too small a capacity for my needs. So, buy a new, bigger, iPod? Well, no. I decided on a Samsung YH-920. It's a 20GB model with colour screen. I'd had the earlier version with mono a couple of years back and knew it was a quality device. The choice of their latest was a "no-brainer" as they say.
The software is now Samsung's own and not Napster any more(thank goodness!) and seems like half a dozen other applications I/we already have, but in beta form :( For example, to rip a CD you change to rip mode; the software then converts and places your music in the My Music folder. You then have to manually add them to a playlist, then import that to the player. Long-winded and clunky. Perhaps I'll get used to it or just continue to use WinAmp and WM10. Only trouble is you have to upload via the Samsung software or the music won't play.
So far I've charged the battery and am uploading some MP3s to test. The menu system is pretty much a standard affair with nice icons and graphics.
All in all a very nice machine, let down a bit by the "version 1.0" software... :))
Nigel
- Fri Mar 3 21:20:08 2006
Safe journey, Tom!! :)
Nigel
- Fri Mar 3 19:38:36 2006
I'm at Dublin airport. Flight in half an hour. Lovely wireless... very quick...
tom
- Fri Mar 3 19:20:18 2006
Hoorah, its 5 oclock. Have a good weekend everyone.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 3 17:03:16 2006
Travis, there is an expression that could be used to describe your delight in our bad weather, but I'm too much of a lady to use it :) Very cold here, blue sky and white clouds. Hope it doesn't snow - family are coming for the weekend.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 3 15:09:10 2006
(I'm quite happy too)
Jimmy
- Fri Mar 3 14:42:00 2006
Snowing? Should be near 60 degrees today, with a chance of thunderstorms. I hope the latter waits until I'm through playing basketball...
Travis
- Fri Mar 3 14:24:35 2006
Someone's happy as well as me!! Hoorah!!
Yep, snow isforecast coming down from your way dsp. Still crystal clear blue skies here though!!
Incidentally I was just trying to view your site, dsp, but "not found". Probably our access here at work... :(
Nigel
- Fri Mar 3 14:06:13 2006
Hiya boys and girls! Happy Friday!
dsp
- Fri Mar 3 13:41:49 2006
Its SNOWING here in Blackburn, everybody in!
dsp
- Fri Mar 3 13:40:40 2006
MM: EEEEhhh you don't know how many times I have heard someone saying that to me! If I'd got a penny for every one of them I'd be millionaire! Still, thanks... :)
Lox
- Fri Mar 3 12:59:03 2006
Sheri: Made new entry, let's say that thing developed a bit... I am not expecting anyone to refuse anything of course, that's her decision, but what I expect, is gratitude for what I taught her on the job, and more than everything a bit of help, knowing that by leaving she puts ME in a dreadful situation.
Lox
- Fri Mar 3 12:57:32 2006
Lox. I just read your journal. I really can't see why you're so angry at Marta. She's been offered a position. What do you expect? You want her to spit on it, just to please you? ......................You fussy boy!
Sheri
- Fri Mar 3 12:47:45 2006
Lox: I wish I could speak Italian as badly as you speak English ;)
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 3 12:29:56 2006
(Thus speaks "Dr Nigel" . Sadly I'm a "quack" and in no way qualified to tell other people anything!! :)) )
Nigel
- Fri Mar 3 11:40:51 2006
Take heart, Lox. I guess you're feeling pretty depressed about the leg inflamation, and Marta changing jobs isn't helping. Try and see the bright side. You're in a relatively well-paid job and very good at what you do. You manage to travel to places you like and meet friends you like... Perhaps it is a good time to change your job, but in the mean time, enjoy knowing you are destined for better things. Who knows, maybe Marta will understand your frustration and make amends. :)) Cheer up!!
Nigel
- Fri Mar 3 11:39:51 2006
What's wrong with Marta? Explain!
Sheri
- Fri Mar 3 11:37:07 2006
And also the little english that I know is leaving me... that was "put and end to"... not "on"... ohhhh wellll
Lox
- Fri Mar 3 11:22:17 2006
Unfortunately I cannot seem to be able to recover from the very bad situation that it has been created at work. The fact that I have little to do here doesn't help, I am so angry at my bosses and Marta that I cannot take these thoughts off my mind. Though I am not able to leave the company as I need the wage, at least until I find a better thing, I feel that this whole story is going to put an end on the relationship with Marta, all in all 2006 is bringing change to my life.Lovely...
Lox
- Fri Mar 3 11:19:44 2006
Morning all! The car said -6 !! But at least the sun's out!
Nigel
- Fri Mar 3 08:52:27 2006
We seem to have "lost" Thursday's posts on the "previous day" link, it goes back to Wednesday.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 3 08:30:26 2006
'morning all!
Jimmy
- Fri Mar 3 08:29:24 2006
Morning everyone. Still cold, but no white stuff yet.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Mar 3 08:29:08 2006
Have another drink! It works!
Sheri
- Thu Mar 2 18:13:14 2006
I'll be flying back to Tokyo in a few hours then, just about to check out of my hotel. Unfortunately I seem to have rather overdone it last night, and have been left with something of a hangover, which could make for a very unpleasant flight!
John
- Thu Mar 2 17:37:28 2006
All right there kids?!
tom
- Thu Mar 2 16:34:40 2006
Jimmy: Thanks for the info. I honestly didn't know many of those tips. I wear glasses, but my prescription hasn't changed in a decade so I'm not worried about horrible vision any time soon. Lox: Sorry to hear. When did you go back to work?
Travis
- Thu Mar 2 15:14:45 2006
MM: Unfortunately the problem seems to be my kneecap tendon. Which means that if I am not careful I might get a chronic tendon inflamation which apparently takes at least 1 YEAR to heal properly... So I have to change training regime and take it very easy on the operated leg... :(
Lox
- Thu Mar 2 12:46:18 2006
Nigel: Not ALMOST it is Spring, apparently. No snow in London, bit of a flurry late yesterday afternoon, but it didn't settle. Very very cold though.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 2 11:17:20 2006
A bit of good news, then Lox! (?)
Well here today there are not many of us in work due to the rather large amount of snow that fell last night. Being a Toyota driver I had no problems getting in ( :)) ) but many others fell by the wayside.
It is the 2nd of March now, isn't it? Almost Spring, right?
Nigel
- Thu Mar 2 11:03:46 2006
Lox, so did he tell you how long you were likely to have the inflammation, and what are they/you doing about it.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 2 11:02:22 2006
MM, Jhon: Yes you are right... at least I have someone to talk to here.. :) Well today I have had the check up with the surgeon, he said that apart from the tendon inflamation the surgery was a major sucecss and the knee is "very stable"...
Lox
- Thu Mar 2 10:50:08 2006
Wow Lox, that does all sound pretty sucky... I guess like MM says you just have to take some comfort in the fact that at least you are in Bella Firenze!
John
- Thu Mar 2 09:03:16 2006
Lox: Chin Up. Remember every cloud has a silver lining, and you ARE in Florence aren't you. See what I mean.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Mar 2 08:53:53 2006
Ciao guys...
Just a quick message to report my presence in Florence. Yesterday it has been probably the worst day of the whole year, I have been diagnosed yet more inflamation to the knee, my new computer doesn't EVEN boot (just three stupid Posts signals... fuck), and to cap it all, it seems that they waited for me to go away to officially say that Marta (my assistant at work) is going to be replaced by a girl who just finished her stage with the company. Not a good day at all... :(
Lox
- Thu Mar 2 08:28:17 2006
Travis- I tend to wind-up the resolution of the screen, but also wind-up the font sizes. This means you can't get any more text on-screen than with the lower resolution, but you improve the quality of the text, making it easaier on the eyes. Make sure there's not a window behind your monitor (that'll cause contrast problems for your eyes). Increase the screen-refresh to whatever the card can manage. Switch-on font anti-alisaing (I think this is the default on XP). A lot of computer-nerd people I've met tend to use tiny fonts so they can get a lot of text on-screen at once ... but this is simply geekiness and bad on the eyes. Lots of the aforementioned nerds end up wearing glasses, but I've managed to get to 32 without trouble. You just have to remember to get up and walk away from your computer for a few minutes every half-hour. Oh- and another thing: don't let web-sites impose tiny text on you. A little-known (so it seems) short-cut to changing your browser's font size is to hold down CTRL and rotate the mouse wheel to adjust the size. If I ever find a page that's too small to read, but the idiot web-designer has fixed the text at a certain pixel-size, I simply go away and don't use that page ever again.
Jimmy
- Thu Mar 2 08:06:37 2006
Right, well that marks the end of my last day in the office for this trip to the US. Will fly back to Tokyo tomorrow...
John
- Thu Mar 2 02:29:53 2006
Speaking of good eyesight...those of you who mess with computers for a living (or a passion), do you notice any signs of strained vision? I've noticed that my eyes get tired more quickly now, bloodshot more easily since I've been doing the classics stuff. Hunting down accents in ancient Greek takes a toll on the eyes.
Travis
- Wed Mar 1 23:07:50 2006
The 770 can bluetooth to a mobile, but that would be a quick way to burn through the pennies! I use Wi-fi. Browsing is a dream, using it in landscape means I can surf without keeping on scrolling like I used to with my Axim x3i. Best gadget I've bought in ages!
Kev
- Wed Mar 1 20:52:26 2006
Oh wow! Very cool Kev! Like John I just nipped over to Google Images to check it out. Veerry nice! So is the screen etc bigger than my Palm LifeDrive, do you know? Looks as though it might be. In landscape mode the LifeDrive makes browsing the web pretty easy (the browser's called "Blazer"). Of course I'm not connected with GRPS only wifi :| (Score one to Kev!!)
Nigel
- Wed Mar 1 20:13:29 2006
its also alot smaller than i thought. very nice and a snip at 245.
kev
- Wed Mar 1 19:13:46 2006
the text is small but its very clear. you are aware its linux based, you'd better read the small print in your contract first in case bill gets annoyed :)
kev
- Wed Mar 1 19:12:32 2006
Kev - I went and took a quick look at that on the web and it looks jolly nice... Is the text size problem just on the maison? Do you have anyway of increasing it in your browser? I have a feeling we've not done our CSS properly...
John
- Wed Mar 1 19:03:12 2006
i am posting this message from my brand new spangly new nokia 770. first impressions are good ;) you,need good eyesight for the screen though!
kev
- Wed Mar 1 15:07:01 2006
*I'm* not gonna stop eating cats!
Jimmy
- Wed Mar 1 08:34:50 2006
Blimey, is it really March already? Oh well, here's: Last month's messages
John
- Wed Mar 1 06:59:04 2006
Can't...see...old...info...
Travis
- Wed Mar 1 06:31:23 2006
Kev - one upshot of the news item you mentioned is that people may have to stop eating cats.
John
- Wed Mar 1 05:03:29 2006
