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Cold

Now, either I have a cold or I have hayfever, really really early hayfever. Others have reported having it, so it could be that, but it's hard to tell. It wasn't as bad today, but was that because the cold is being beaten or because the maybe-it's-hayfever was damped down by the much wetter weather?

Tricky.

"I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness." - James Thurber (1894 - 1961)

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Firefly

So I've seen the first six episodes now. Why the fuck did they cancel it? It's really good!

Good thing the movie is on the way; maybe they'll get a series out of it...

"You Can't Take the Sky From Me..." - Lyrics, Firefly Theme

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Friday AAARRGGH!

The dentist visit went okay. It's the return in three weeks for a filling that's got me concerned.

After the last time I had a filling, my jaw begins to hurt if I have to hold it open for very long, more so than it ever did before. Just the two minute checkup yesterday was long enough to make it hurt. I dread to think what it'll be like when I'm having the filling done.

No Five again this week. As I've got to it a day late, I can't be arsed, so nyah.

"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." - Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)

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Infrequency

Damn. I should post more often. Especially when new people come a-visiting, this time via Pretty Girl in the Corner. More of Warrior Princess' readers?

Hello, whoever you are. I hope you found this place to be not that dull, and maybe you'll even return and read this message one day. If so, leave a comment. If you have a blog of your own, let me know and I'll put up a link. Thanks.

And you can all give me support for tomorrow morning, too. I have a dentist's appointment, and I don't have a lot of luck with them, like the time the guy decided it would be a laugh to get me injected and tear out my wisdom teeth without any warning or time to react. It was just oh, these'll have to come out *needle* *X-ray* *wrench* bye!.

Whoopee.

"DENTIST, n. A prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coins out of your pocket." - Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914), The Devil's Dictionary

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Friday Five, 7th February 2003

Since there isn't one this week, here's a blast from the past...

1. What did you have for breakfast this morning? If you didn't have breakfast, why not?

A Crunchy Nut Cornflake breakfast bar thingy. Nowhere near enough. Oh, and 'Rocket Fuel' coffee... coffee + guarana = wake up fast.

2. What's your favorite cereal?

I guess that's Weetabix, with milk and brown sugar. Brown because it's got more taste and crunchiness to it.

3. How often do you eat out? Do you want that to change?

Properly out, as opposed to a snack or fast food: not very often at all. I would probably like to eat out more, if I had the right person(s) to go with.

4. What do you plan on having for dinner tonight? Got a recipe for that?

I had a tuna melt panini, with a mug of mocha coffee (made with real Galaxy chocolate). I had it at the service station I always stop at one the way home (Warwick Services on the M40, if you really want to know). I might have more to eat in a bit, I'm feeling peckish now.

5. What's your favorite restaurant? Why?

I like the Hardwick Inn, near to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. The cooking is great, and they don't skimp on the portions.

"I went to a restaurant that serves 'breakfast at any time'. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance." - Steven Wright (1955 - )

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Thumb Twiddling

No, it's not some sort of kinky reference.

It's been almost a week, so I thought I'd better post something.

The Easter weekend was just great. Lots of sitting around, watching DVDs and playing Knights Of The Old Republic. Lightsabers and Jed! And lightsabers! Great fun. I've actually got somewhere, strolled my way through every planet and made it to the final world and the close to the Big Bad Place. Almost fifty hours of total gameplay so far, according to the save files. Groovy.

Watched The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen again, which was a laugh. Not knowing the original, I'm probably saved from having to splutter at everything the movie got 'wrong', which can only be a good thing. Watched more episodes of 24 as well, provided on video via a complicated postal system. That show kicks ass.

Best thing is, I had the day off on the Thursday. I went out briefly just around lunchtime, and then the next time I left the house after that was on Tuesday to go to work. Eeexcellent.

And now I'm back at work, and down in Andover, this time working Wednesday to Friday instead of the normal Tuesday to Thursday. Which means the extra excitement of driving home on a Friday afternoon/evening. Just fucking great. What fun.

And I have to take my car in for an overdue service-and-MOT combo on Saturday. Not very interesting, but then that describes this whole entry, really, doesn't it?

"It's only kinky the first time" - a T-shirt

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Good Friday Five!

1. What do you do for a living?

I am a computer programmer. Exciting.

2. What do you like most about your job?

The end of the day? Regular readers (I pity you) will know I really don't like much about my job at all. But I suppose it's that moment when something I'm doing finally fucking works and I'm rid of the thing. I like it when I can solve problems. But I also hate it when I can't.

3. What do you like least about your job?

Most of it, really, but the two top things right now are a) all the travelling and b) having to be responsible for important things working properly.

4. When you have a bad day at work it's usually because _____...

Things I've done haven't worked like they should and I have to make them work again, usually when I just think I've finally got it working right. Bloody annoying.

5. What other career(s) are you interested in?

Does being one of the idle rich count? Otherwise... I guess writing. I seem to be passable at it, I just don't have the dedication to really work at some sort of cohesive 'product', for lack of a better word.

"Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to get leisure." - Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

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Stressed

There are those who think I'm always laid back and calm about things. These are the people who have never seen me irritated.

I can get annoyed very easily, shouting at things that don't do "what they're supposed to do" i.e. what I want them to do RIGHT NOW DAMMIT! But it generally doesn't last very long... unless another thing irritates me some more, and it just kinda keeps on going for a bit. Too many annoying things in a row (other drivers on the road who are useless, yet another thing that doesn't "behave") can add up to make me very grumpy for a while. But even that doesn't really last that long.

So in the short term I get easily irritated even by little, pointless things, but they tend to get put into perspective rather quickly.

Why am I saying this here? Umm... Well, it's something to write, isn't it? It fills a space and tells you something about me too. Nothing all that interesting, but there you go.

"Speak when you are angry--and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret." - Laurence J. Peter (1919 - 1988)

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Five And Out

No Friday Five again! What am I supposed to put here now?!

Ummm... Okay, a question: What would be the very first thing you would buy if you won a large amount of whatever currency suits you best?

Answers in the comments.

"Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." - Woody Allen (1935 - )

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New Blog Link

I've added I Was Just Trying to BE POLITE! to my list of blogs I keep tabs on. Welcome to that small and highly dubious club, Jenny.

"I sent the club a wire stating, PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER." - Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

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"Greetings Fellow Programs!"

Nasty day yesterday, by which I mean Wednesday. I had to explain to three (or was it four?) groups of people how a group of program functions I had written works. I hate public speaking of any type, small groups or large. And then they asked questions... does it do this, what about that, can it do the other. I rarely have the answers, and I try my best to look like I know what they are talking about AND that I know how to make it work too.

Not an easy task.

And then today (in other words, Thursday; damn that midnight thing!) it went live and operational. Yes, on April Fool's Day. Stupid bastards. Who the fuck has their tax year start on April Fool's Day? The idiots I do this contract work for in Andover, that's who. Morons.

It went well though. No catastrophic breakdowns, just a few cosmetic problems that were fixed by the end of the day.

The company I work for (my actual employers) also support a payroll software package. This time of year is pretty bad, as new tax year = new programs and things. There have been problems with this every year. Unavoidable, it seems. Programs don't quite work, things print out wrong, that kind of thing. Usually this is not so bad, but this year I'm not in the office to sort things out most of the week, only Monday and Friday. So there have been many problems this time around and no one has been able to sort it out all week really.

And the actual owner of the software keeps ringing up and saying if we can do this and that and what-have-you. Even if I had the development stuff with me I'd have been unable to see to it during the day anyway, because I'd be busy doing the job we're being paid to do in Andover. There were times when me and the boss actually turned our phones off to escape the guy.

Fucking irritating bastard. Stupid fucking payroll. I fucking hate them both and would not give a pair of fetid dingoes kidneys if it just broke and I never had to bother with it again.

...

I feel a lot better now. I think I'll go and sleep on the lovely big mattress of mine now.

Oh, and good luck to Jen.

I hope that hasn't jinxed anything.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD)

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