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  • 12/13/2002: The Noise of Carpet

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    12/13/2002 Entry: “The Noise of Carpet”

    Hrm.

    Moments in time:


    Sometimes I forget the world sees me differently to the way I sometimes think I look in my head – I smile at someone and the “how I look” I think “shit, she’ll think I’m trying to pull” or something similar. And then I thing “feh, no, that’s *not* the way I look, and I don’t think I ever *really* looked like that”.

    I think people were always a bit, well, didn’t think of me as that kind of ‘bloke’, that said I never was that kind of bloke so they’d’ve been right.

    And then there’s moments when I’m hit by, well, how much I’ve changed, but only as an afterthought to what I’ve just done. Like getting dressed earlier, just slobby – teeshirt and jeans – and thinking putting on my green boots, and well, I dunno I thought I looked okay. And well. Yes. It was just nice.

    The latter is more normal, and I often don’t really notice it. The former, well, it suprises me when it occurs. Occasionally, well, when someone said “oh, we’re all girls here” today, well, I thought “yay”….but there we go. It happens less and less that I notice it. Yeah. So.

    Anyway, I went, err, shopping today. Kinda felt out of place, but still, did it – and I managed to get some of the best named snack bars I’ve encountered….



    So there y’go.

    Replies: 1 Comment

    Does comment posting still work?

    Posted by Kate the Admin of a broken Greymatter install @ 12/17/2002 04:18 PM GMT


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  • 12/12/2002: Dried leaves in boiling water….

    [Previous entry: “Another god-damn’d survey & more…”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “The Noise of Carpet”]

    12/12/2002 Entry: “Dried leaves in boiling water….”

    Well, that and toast.

    Isn’t it funny how you suddenly discover that you’ve been doing something wrong all this time.

    Click here….before you click more…..

    I mean, is it really necassary to never leave my toaster alone? And why can’t I toast alumium foil in it? Surely that’s just poor design….

    And in other news, I’ve been decorating the lounge. I am become Polyfiller Fairy, destroyer of cracks and filler of small (large) gaps. I’ve often wondered if it’s possible to build an entire house out of No-more-big-gaps filler. Now I’ve got the chance to find out, mwuahahahahaha.

    Pfer. Knackered. Long day.

    Tomorrow, though, will be a substantially longer day. But in a good way :-)


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  • 12/11/2002: Another god-damn’d survey & more…

    [Previous entry: “Nothing is Changing”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “Dried leaves in boiling water….”]

    12/11/2002 Entry: “Another god-damn’d survey & more…”

    So, here we go with an Xmas related survey. Don’t you just feel all seasonal now?

    1. Real or artificial tree?
    Real – am thinking will probably get one with roots next year and do the keep-the-same-tree-for-years trick.

    2. Real or artificial wreath?
    Neither

    3. Open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (or do you do another holiday such as Hannukkah)?
    Xmas day, usually mid morning, just after the huuuge breakfast my dad used to do. But, things being a bit different this year, they’ll be opened mid afternoon – probably – when I get to my parents after work.

    4. “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “Miracle on 34th Street”?
    “The Nightmare before Christmas” and “The Snowman”/”Father Christmas” (I think that’s what it’s called, the Raymond Briggs one)

    5. Outdoor decorations, or just indoors?
    Indoor, paper decorations.

    6. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” or “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”?
    “Fairytail of New York”

    7. Miniature lights or the larger ones?
    Small white lights, maybe. Used to do coloured ones, and have no huge objection to them.

    8. Store-bought or hand-made ornaments?
    Store bought, although my mum still has the ones that me and my sis made as children. You’ll notice a distinct absence of Angels, stars, and general-christian-related symbolism on our tree tho’ which is topped by a Robin :-)

    9. TV Specials: The Grinch or Charlie Brown?
    Dunno. Whatever is on, if I’m in the mood.

    10. Will you be staying at home for the holiday, or going visiting?
    Going to see my parents, also Aisling’s coming here shortly after Xmas, so we can have a second Xmas :-) – also there’s the probable-grandparent-related-presents which’ll arrive at some point.

    It snowed yesterday, which was cold. I was actually bouncing along trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue (don’t tell me it’s cute behaviour, it’s not :-P ). Incidentally, I forgot to mention before, the webcam is back, now with added workitude….and my fingers are bloody cold. The heatings been on all day and it’s still cold. Feh.

    And in the ‘sympathy’ stakes yesterday I ended up getting up an hour early for work (4:30, instead of 5:30) due to managing to hit hour-advance on my alarm clock and not realising until I’d got up, had breakfast, had coffee and then thought “right, time to get changed….”

    Feh.

    Still. Yes. Cold.

    And this is funny. Well, it amused me. That comes via Lauren, incidentally….who is one of the two people I got presents for yesterday….Actually, the snow made me feel it was Xmas for the first time :-)

    And, yes, hrm. Got my parents left to get presents for – well, I’ve got something small for my mum, but it’s not really enough. And I’ve not worked out what to get my dad – it’s a bit difficult, becuase he’s not really got that much enthusiasm and awakeness at the moment (with the chemo). With the scan result coming soon, we, well, we don’t know whether xmas will be a celebration, or a, well, sadder occasion.

    Feh.

    Oh, and one more link – you need flash for this one.

    Incidentally, whoever it is who’s out buying *all the sodding cheap chests of draws in Bristol* can you *stop it please*. Having toured the environs of bristol, visiting such high flighing shops as “Furniture Land” (or possibly “Furniture lebensraum” given the nature of some of the fake-displays in the shop (that joke is from Jas, so don’t blame me ;-)) I’ve found a distinct lack of cheap new, or second hand, furniture. Which is frustrating.

    All the shops that *look* like cheap-crap-furniture shops actually only do expensive crap, or expensive nice. Feh. And I tried MFI, and if I’m going to get something that crap I want it cheaper, okay?

    Yes. So. Brr. It’s still cold. My hand’s are stopping working…I think I’ll go back to tidying.


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  • 12/09/2002: Nothing is Changing

    [Previous entry: “Underground, Overground, Wombling free.”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “Another god-damn’d survey & more…”]

    12/09/2002 Entry: “Nothing is Changing”

    So, I wrote this once before, but then Phoenix crashed.

    And yes, it is the current version.

    So, I was looking at the disused underground site, and apart from being struck by what a sad little geekling I am (well, I am aren’t I), I was also struck by another thought (ought to duck more). Would they build the underground now? No. I don’t think they would. I think the expense is to great and the return on the investment too long.

    Major engineering projects like this just wouldn’t happen now. Which I think is sad…..

    Mind you, given how long it takes them to build a tram system now….perhaps it’s for the best!

    Replies: 1 Comment

    They built a whole section of Jubilee line a couple of years back, so it is still feasible. They are working on making the existing stuff better now tho I think. When they made the jubilee longer they didnt have enough trains to keep to schedule (or so it seemed when I lived there)

    Posted by Lauren @ 12/15/2002 04:37 PM GMT


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  • 12/08/2002: Underground, Overground, Wombling free.

    [Previous entry: “We have moved!”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “Nothing is Changing”]

    12/08/2002 Entry: “Underground, Overground, Wombling free.”

    I’m a sad little geekling, but I find this interesting.

    Replies: 2 comments

    you have lured us here under false pretences!!! We believed this was a site dedicated to the general splendiosity of the legend that are the wombles of wimbledon common. you big poo I happen to be Great Uncle Bulgaria’s lover. And you wave this underground train palarva in our faces you fiend you fiend!!! Shame on you.

    Posted by Great Antie Bulgaria @ 03/03/2003 12:17 PM GMT

    you have lured us here under false pretences!!! We believed this was a site dedicated to the general splendiosity of the legend that are the wombles of wimbledon common. you big poo I happen to be Great Uncle Bulgaria’s lover. And you wave this underground train palarva in our faces you fiend you fiend!!! Shame on you.

    Posted by Great Antie Bulgaria @ 03/03/2003 12:19 PM GMT


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  • 12/06/2002: We have moved!

    [Previous entry: “Weird….”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “Underground, Overground, Wombling free.”]

    12/06/2002 Entry: “We have moved!”


    We have moved! Please, if you link to me, update your links to point to
    www.pyoor.org
    (Yes, I really do, finally have my own domain!)


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  • 12/04/2002: No! Stop the cruelty to Moolings!

    [Previous entry: “Extra, Extra!”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “Cold, dark, humiliation”]

    12/04/2002 Archived Entry: “No! Stop the cruelty to Moolings!”

    So, I’m standing in this queue, and the girl in front turns around to me….

    ….and she says…

    “I’d let you go in front, but I’m buying some milk and that’s precious”…

    I was a bit puzzled, but I let it go…..then….

    “It’s wrong to steal milk from cows isn’t it. They make the milk to give to their calves and we steal it”.

    Seeing as she was holding 4 pints of milk in her hand I wasn’t quite sure how to react to this…. but I was saved because she continued….

    “And cow’s is an insulting name to call them isn’t it. Moolings. They should be called Moolings”

    She went on to repeat it to the woman at the counter who looked “a bit confused”.

    Have wednesdays always been like this and I’ve been too busy to notice?

    In other news, you might notice that my machine is back up – and serving webpages incredibly rapidly. That’s because it’s shiny and new. Shiny, new and here. And after Jasmine spent all night and most of yesterday evening patching and writing patches to make a completely custom KT400 kernel it runs. Working around bugs in the bleeding edge motherboard. Feh.

    Still, she’s done a stellar job, my machine is now fast and shiny, even if when I got back she said “Is it still up” and seemed suprised when I indicated that it was all fine…. Anyway, I’m now a little unsure what to do with it – we’ve managed to avoid having to do a reinstall (which I’ve been expecting to do) because, well, SuSE 8.1 doesn’t support this board anyway….

    So…err. Yes. Feh.

    So anyway, webcam is back, unless it causes crashage.

    And in other news, I went to the Rocky Horror Show….we actually went to see Bowling for Colombine and err, well, ended up trying to get in on the opening day without prebooking. Funnily enough it was sold out. But in the process of going there we encountered a whole bundle of Rocky goers….

    So Jas rang up and found out that they had tickets….so we got four for the next day (well, the last four seats, actually) and went! And err, yes, there’s a video of it. Yes. So there we go.

    Was excellent fun. Although the audience were a bit quiet, think we need to go again, to a later showing :-)

    Replies: 2 comments

    Actually, given that a calf can drink about a pint of milk a day, and that a Guernsey produces about eight pints at each milking (and there are two milkings a day), if we didn’t steal mooling-juice, they’d all die of mastitis. Don’t you just love selective breeding?

    Posted by Jas the Farmer @ 12/05/2002 12:02 PM GMT

    mmmm, yes, sounds like a very sensible person. Moo!

    Posted by Aisling the shortly arriving @ 12/05/2002 09:36 AM GMT

  • 11/30/2002: Extra, Extra!

    [Previous entry: “Skwew you, skwew you and skwew you.”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “No! Stop the cruelty to Moolings!”]

    11/30/2002 Archived Entry: “Extra, Extra!”

    I forgot to mention Daisy. How I could do this terrible thing escapes me. Anyway, we took Daisy to the vet to get a lump checked out and I’m pleased to inform all those interested that Daisy is in fact okay. The lump is nothing serious and she is being her usual neurotic strange self around the house. Daisy, incidentally, was the star of my webcam before my machine became nothing more than a webserver and err, flakey X server.

    And in final other news, before I head to bed cursing CD printers, is that I’ve added the old ‘reviews’ to the top of the page. What? You’d noticed already? Well….see…it’s getting to that time of year when I start going “oh holy fuck, where’d the year go?” – which is when I start writing my ‘Reviews’. So. Yes. Thought they ought to make a reappearance. They’re all shiny and modernised too now[1] :-)

    So there y’go.

    [1]Well, sorta. They are if you go to them from here. I need (so much) to write something that goes through and err, well, tweaks all the old pages to say….oh oooh. Hrm. yes. Erm. Yeah, to point to the new ones or to be in new format and automagically linked. Yes. Hrm. Ahha.

  • 11/22/2002: Shit.

    [Previous entry: “Gone”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “Presumption”]

    11/22/2002 Archived Entry: “Shit.”

    I take it back. It’s actually my machine that’s dead, possibly also the 848 card didn’t help, but I think my motherboard is passing the way of the dodo.

    So I’ve ordered the bits for a new machine.

    *sigh*

  • 11/21/2002: Gone

    [Previous entry: “Fiffle”] [Main Index] [Next entry: “Shit.”]

    11/21/2002 Archived Entry: “Gone”

    It’s gone. The webcam has gone. Ceased. Ended.

    The BT848 card managed to crash my machine twice in about an hour, on one occasion when it was in the middle of installing a patch. So that’s it. End. Goodbye.

    Unless anyone wants to donate to the Get Kate a New Machine fund, in which case I’ll put the BT848 back into a rather cut-down-this machine, and that’ll be the webcam server.