The day I took the train...

A little Ocean Colour Scene reference for you there. Today I am stuck on a currently static (I lie, it's just started to crawl along) train down to London for the excitement that is the Aleph User Group meeting at the British Library.

Apparently the problem was:

Traction motors in the Drem area...

Anyway, much fun with trains and delays, trying to type minutes and occasional bursts of badly streamed Radio 4 including the shock news that Oh My God, Ming has resigned! I think it's probably overall a good think but it seems a shame that he's basically been nudged out for being too old. But maybe someone will notice that the Lib Dems are actually coming up with the few original policies in the weird Thatcher political soup out there. We'll see...

That's about all for now, odd little post as it is, as I'm watching the end of Nurse Betty and feeling only slightly guilty for not finishing my minutes for work yet.

Showered with frustration

It's turning into an odd autumn...

Since a rather horrified neighbour called at our door early last week we have been without the use of our shower which had been leaking into their newly redecorated bathroom. Until our tiler gets in contact and/or a new tiler is found and whichever of them gets on with making us water tight we are stuck having bathes or very odd showers whilst sat in the bath (too impossible for me to deal with but Heather's an expert). It's surprisingly frustrating even though the bathes themselves are strangely calming (mind you tomorrow I have a meeting so calming is less what I want, fast and wakeful would be better) and just a tad decadent (bubble bath being essential).

All the bathing fun is just a wee drop in the ocean of some rather seasonal depression though: we are down to much lower levels of light and shorter days already; we are starting on the boring road to an entirely root veg filled weekly veg box; work is getting duller and duller as we await some excitement like the changeover to the next funding period while at the same time also having lots of meetings at which we have less to report than would make them exciting; I have a newsletter to write and a website to update but getting round to it is proving hard and even my happy distraction of dress making is tough as I'm losing patience already and haven't even finished H's dress let alone started mine. I've just lost my energy lately and having lunch in doors away from the rain, having only my 18 minutes of walking to and from work as my exercise for the day is all taking its toll. And just as I'm slowing into flabby winter hibernation the world seems to be holding parties and social stuff for the first time in months...

So now I'm hoping I can get my rather unmotivated and unusually flabby arse in gear sufficiently to get into swimming and maybe belly dancing again so that I have a bit of energy injected into my day. Fixing my lunch hour so it's not so cabin feverish would be good but I'm not sure how. That said when my MSc starts in January that will help keep me over busy. I'm also trying to wean myself off my daily Metropole Mochas. That is going to be hard but it's a special request from my Missus as it becomes an expensive habit over the course of a month and is hardly useful so I'm gonna try my best. And I'm trying to arrange some social stuff as any deadline/goal helps me sort stuff out in a way I never manage without some sort of cut off point (that's the main problem with work at the mo actually - endless unchanging frustration with no point at which to be able to feel something is completed or achieved).

However any ideas for perking me up at the moment would be much appreciated. Currently emails from nice work and non work folks are keeping me just about chipper at work but something needs to change as badly as I normally cope with winter this year could be really horrible if I can't wake up my routine and shake it up a bit... I'm trying though.....

In the meantime it's off to the daily challenge of bathing and hair washing without splashes, leaks or soap bubbles escaping the tub... much fun... !

Appropriatte Behaviour...

I've been wondering lately about what it is and isn't appropriate to chat to people about. You know, whether or not to tell your work colleagues about your partner's job situation or your horrible encounter with scabies; whether to complain about how bad your day is to the Big Issue Man (my normal seller, John, is studying to be a veterinary nurse in Glasgow so I think he won't be selling in Edinburgh much anymore which will at least appease my guilt for suggesting his day of selling might be less stressful than my day in my cosy office upstairs converting libraries. I think I'm right but I'm also well aware of how flexible and lucrative my job is and how much more preferable. However John always seems upbeat and a veritable guru of life advice - apparently I should brighten up my desk for maximum effect); whether you try and engage in stilted conversations with the barista you buy your daily hazelnut mocha from, how to tip fairly amongst the variable quality baristas and, worse of all, how to deal with an exchange like this:

Barista: The usual?
Me: Yes please.

then several minutes later as I make moves to pay, I get told the charge...

Barista: Er, the usual...

Now this would be fine in Starbucks or Costa or anywhere with a set in stone pricelist but this exchange took place in Metropole, my very favourite coffee shop in Edinburgh, which is eccentric to the point of bafflement. In the last 7 days I have been charged: £2, £2.50, £1.60 and £1.87 (reduced by a number of completely inexplicable moves from about £2.80). However the nice Barista (I don't know their names but this was Nice Man With Kids Who Gave Me a 10% Discount Card, there is also: Camp Teddy Boy, Cool Inks Guy, Ginger Man, Eczema Guy, Trying Not To Be Ya Girl etc...) was trying to give me massively discounted coffee (in my gorgeous big UC Davis plastic mug stolen from Heather) when a big queue of non-regulars was waiting. But I ask you... what should I have paid??! I went for what he charged me last time and that seems to have stuck now but Heather was with me and the blank looks exchanged were quite something to behold.

The world is a minefield!

Anyway I am off to Alexandras birthday but before I go two links both sourced from that national treasure that is Stephen Fry. If you saw part one of his "HIV & Me" documentary you won't need my recommendation for part 2 next Tuesday at 9. If you missed part 1 I suggest you seek it and part 2 out as it looks to be an excellent balanced show (except the omission of the ladies who like ladies but since we are a stupendously low risk group I do understand that). Anyway, to the links:

Stephen Fry's latest excellent blog entry, this time on Fame

Oh it's the aesthetically hideous but content rich Richard Dawkins site, he's certainly controversial and I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't like him a lot more if he didn't work as such good PR for organised religion since his attacks are often rather below the belt, surreal or simply displaying as much closed mindedness as his subjects. However I'm fascinated by genetics and I really can't get into any supporting any religion whatsoever no matter how positive or negative it's cultural impact so for my money it's worth having a wee look at Prof. Dawkins thoughts...

And finally a link to the Radio 4 show, 4 at Forty, which saw me through the last of my stressful conversions of Cambridge Library records. It's taken ages but I think I've cracked it hence my chirpiness! On the slight chance that it's still there when you read this I also highly recommend this episode of Lives in a Landscape about showgirls - fascinating, respectful and so strange to listen to on Radio 4 but so entirely the only place on radio or tv that they could do it properly!

fluffy ol' egg head

fluffy ol' egg head
Originally uploaded by eurovision_nicola

Wohoo! I'm feeling all creative ahead of the Big Knit and wondering if I can also find space for more beading and the marvels of such places as Beadworks.

In less good creative news I'm struggling with Flickr netiquette. Someone has posted LOADS of comments (mostly sarcastic but nothing offensive - more the sort of comments that amuse 8 year olds) and I'm now not sure whether to:

(a) politely email the chap and ask him nicely not to comment
(b) delete some of his comments
(c) delete all of his comments
(d) start making more of my pics private
(e) all of the above
(f) something else entirely...

Oh the modern virtual minefield of Web 2.0!

Mind you I'm getting off lucky if this young Flickr star's torment is anything to go by.