Batteries not included.

Kurt Vonnegut

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:55:51 GMT

Kurt Vonnegut passed away today.
BBC Article
And to think I just finished re-reading "The Sirens of Titan" a few weeks ago.

I'll have to track down that "A Fate Worse Than Death" pamphlet I've got somewhere.

Meme stuff

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:46:27 GMT

I wasn't expecting this...

What Divinity do you worship? Your Result: You worship DEATH Death was brought into being in order that combat should serve a purpose besides wanton destruction. The loss of life created within battle, a certain expediency and desire to end the combat, as well as making it far more potent. The first of these Divinities was unable to take away life from those that would otherwise die. The reality of death meant that those in war would suffer grievous wounds, but unless Death finished the job, so to speak, they would merely suffer on in horror. The first Death finally committed suicide with her Brother, Life. The second Divinity known as Death was given a toll by which to harvest life, and a compassion for all those in suffering. As such he has done a much more effective job. Death appears as smoke dark and cold in appearance, and hanging unnaturally in the air. The believers of Death hold that life is a great thing, to be savored and enjoyed, and that death is the final reprieve. They are amongst the most stable, compassionate, and loyal believers one may encounter. They are generally non-combatants, but they will acted aggressively and overwhelmingly when defending the helpless. Whether or not they restrict this to just their beloved or to any helpless varies from believer to believer. They have often sustained the loss of many loved ones, but never overtly traumatic. There is a saying amongst the followers of Life that a believer of Death is merely a naivÃ« follower of Life. Death is Aligned with the Halls of Order.
You worship KINDNESS
You worship KNOWLEDGE
You worship LIFE
You worship FATE
You worship CRUELTY
You worship INSPIRATION
You worship WAR
What Divinity do you worship? Make Your Own Quiz

It's been a while...

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:32:34 GMT

Klein Sexual Orientation Grid

I scored an average of 2.62

Heterosexual

Bisexual

Homosexual

Meaning

This result can also be related to the Kinsey Scale:

0 = exclusively heterosexual
1 = predominantly heterosexual, incidentally homosexual
2 = predominantly heterosexual, but more
than incidentally homosexual
3 = equally heterosexual and homosexual
4 = predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally
heterosexual
5 = predominantly homosexual, incidentally heterosexual
6 = exclusively homosexual

Summary

The idea of this excercise is to understand exactly how dynamic a person's sexual orientation can be, as well as how fluid it can be over a person's lifespan. While a person's number of actual homo/heterosexual encounters may be easy to categorize, their actual orientation may be completely different. Simple labels like "homosexual", "heterosexual", and "bisexual" need not be the only three options available to us.

Take the quiz

Bram Alan Thornton

Sat, 09 Sep 2006 08:27:21 GMT

It's a BOY!
(wordstosell - read that to the tune of "It's a joust!)
September 8th, 20:08
5lb, 12oz. (Or, for those of you who that now work with the metric system, 2.630Kg.)
Mother and baby are doing fine, despite the fact that he's 3 and a half weeks early. No incubator required.

R.I.P.

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:40:55 GMT

Steve Irwin

And den...?

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 09:30:55 GMT

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=55

Funny

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 09:15:49 GMT

I know this has been going for ages, but a friend just discovered it, and this one made me laugh.

Lime Jello

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 09:21:38 GMT

I'm glad the midwife didn't hear me.
;-)

Stress

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 09:13:46 GMT

Baby on the way, organising new house... Starting to be a bit much. Still, once it's all done, I'll feel tonnes better.

Just hang on in there. :-)

Finally going

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 22:53:36 GMT

My parents are finally moving, so I bobbed round to see them before they go. The house was like a museum of my marriage. The displayed pictures of close family were all taken on my wedding day. The cork from a champagne bottle opened on my wedding day was on display in a cabinet. Wedding invitations were displayed in another. The wedding video is kept safe, because it's the last record of a number of my family members. There was even a postcard behind a clock in the sitting room.

It felt weird.

Test

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 23:27:25 GMT

Just moved back to Linux

(Fedora Core 5 if you must know)

Has this blog software built in, so I'm just seeing if it works.

:-)

Finally back on the internet at home.

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:34:11 GMT

Yahoo!

Time to see what baby websites are out there.

:-)

"When you dream..."

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 17:07:53 GMT

Ok. Something worth updating.

Baby. :-)
(This is a good thing.)

Both really excited.

Things have been much better between us of late, so this is just icing on the cake.

Arguments probably caused by crazy prenant hormones.

Due 4th October. (ish)

Probably a girl. First scan was inconclusive.
Will let people know when I've got more of an idea.

Only found out about 2 weeks ago.

Will try and post more later.

In the meantime... Anyone got any name ideas?

Crap joke of the day

Tue, 09 May 2006 14:00:48 GMT

Why should you never race a lesbian?

Because they go lickety-split.

(I said it was crap.)

Update

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:46:00 GMT

Well, I've been kicked into starting up my LJ again, and what better way to start, than with a pointless meme. :-)

COLOURSEER
C	is for	Cool as a cucumber
O	is for	Omnipotent
L	is for	Lickable
O	is for	Optimistic
U	is for	Upbeat
R	is for	Romantic
S	is for	Scary
E	is for	Earnest
E	is for	Energetic
R	is for	Responsible

What Does Your Name Mean?

In other news, I might be off to Edinburgh again next weekend for the Beltane festival.
(You can read about beltane here and the Edinburgh beltane festival here.

Erm, other news...

Moved again. Now in Fallowfield. Shared house still. There is a French student, studying tourism, a Spanish married couple looking for work, and moving in this weekend is a budding musician, hoping to get a break in Manchester. The house is falling apart. :-) But it's cheap, and it'll do.

A good friend at work had a baby back in November. A lovely little baby boy called Ibrahim. But unfortunately, he was never very well, and passed away the other weekend. Everyone is devastated.
On top of that, my manager's mother is slowly dying of bowl cancer, so he is in pieces. He's trying to work, then traveling the length of the country every weekend to see her. Problem is, she's only awake for a few minutes a day, and she can't deal with lots of people. And whilst he's there, his sisters are giving him a hard time.
The lady who sits next to me in work has just finished a disastrous relationship, and is constantly warring with her 21 year old son, who won't lift a finger to help around the house, or get a part time job to help with the bills, whilst she works two jobs to try and keep him and herself.

As a Subject Matter Expert at work, I've been told that I'll be helping out a team going into training next week. I've known about this for a a few weeks. Not a problem. Just being in the training room, answering questions, clearing up various points, and making sure that the training package being delivered by the trainer matches what the staff are doing out on the floor.
But yesterday I find out that I'm going to be delivering the training! The company has a whole department for delivering training, but they can't release anyone for 6 months, so I've been "volunteered".

And at some point I need to sit down and read "Strangers in Paradise", an comic that my spanish friend has sent me in CD format. I would post a link, but I've promised not to look it up before I read it. :-)

Right, I'll sign off now, as I can't think of anything else that's worth writing about...

Until next time...

Long time, no see

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 10:14:28 GMT

Hi Everyone,

Well, I've been busy Er, well. Maybe not really.

Mostly just arguments with Mitch.

Oh, and I was beaten up by a carful of youths for just being there.

And Amy hates me. (Justified.)

I'm feeling tired all the time.

Mitch and I did go to Scotland a few weeks back. Edinburgh to be precise. Very nice. Looked around in the buried streets and stuff. Very cool.

I'm sick of women's magazines with stories like:
"My husband had his penis implanted on his forehead, and then had an affair with my sister - and my mother - and his father! What should I do?"

Most recent news, I'm moving again this weekend. Further out, bigger room. I'll invest in bigger, more comfy bed.

Maybe then I won't be so tired.

Boring meme

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 21:46:39 GMT

Your Heart Is Pink

In relationships, you like to play innocent - even though you aren't.
Each time you fall in love, it's like falling for the first time.

Your flirting style: Coy

Your lucky first date: Picnic in the park

Your dream lover: Is both caring and dominant

What you bring to relationships: Romance

What Color Heart Do You Have?

SIMHORN

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 17:10:36 GMT

Song In My Head Of Right Now...
Is Del Shannon's Runaway... Where the hell did I get that from? Though I know the song, I had no idea of the artists name till I just looked it up on the internet.

So in honour of this inauspicious occasion, I present the lyrics:

Dell Shannon - Runaway

As I walk along I wonder a-what went wrong
With our love, a love that was so strong
And as I still walk on, I think of the things we've done
Together, a-while our hearts were young

I'm a-walkin' in the rain
Tears are fallin' and I feel the pain
Wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wa-wa-wa-wa-wonder
Why
Ah-why-why-why-why-why she ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway, run-run-run-run-runaway

------ Musitron solo ------

I'm a-walkin' in the rain
Tears are fallin' and I feel the pain
Wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wa-wa-wa-wa-wonder
Why
Ah-why-why-why-why-why she ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway, run-run-run-run-runaway
A-run-run-run-run-runaway

Another pregnancy related announcement

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 17:03:20 GMT

Shaheidur, a friend of mine from work, his wife gave birth on Saturday, 03:18 to a boy, (No name yet,)4lb 9oz.

everybody's sprog droppin'

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 14:22:51 GMT

Must be something in the water...

Found out today about 2 more people being pregnant.

There's Naomi, that I used to work with, 16 weeks pregnant as of today, and Silké, a friend of mine in Germany, who is due in May. That's on top of the four or five people I already know about.

I went over to Barnsley this weekend, and introduced Mitch to Lee and Ruth. It seemed to go pretty well. Both Lee and Ruth liked her, but I was off singing for most of the evening with Lee in a different room to Mitch and Ruth, so I honestly couldn't say if Mitch was enjoying herself, but she claims she did. Though she didn't sleep well, and so was a bit grumpy on Sunday evening.

When we got back to Manchester on Sunday, we did some shopping, and crashed in front of the TV. We watched that "Creature Comforts" thingumy which was good, if only 10 minutes long, and then played "Project Zero" on the PS2. I was terrified! I obviously need to watch more Japanese horror to acclimatise myself, :-) We crashed out, and were rudely awakened by a frantic knocking at the front door this morning.

Now in a house of 6 people, why is it only ever me that moves when the front door is banged on? My room is the furthest walk from the front door, but it always seems to be me that answers it. Even though the person banging on the door has always buggered off by the time I get there, and shoved a card through the door. :-(

Ah well.

In work at the mo. Listening to Bon Jovi's latest album, that Lee bought me for my birthday.

Mince Pies!

Fri, 04 Nov 2005 21:21:27 GMT

The departmental manager has just come round offering people mince pies! For goodness sake! We've not even had bonfire night yet! Food for bonfire season should be pork pies and mushy peas served with mint sauce, followed by parkin pie! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!!

Clever Blonde

Fri, 04 Nov 2005 16:39:11 GMT

Recieved this today from someone I used to work with. It made me giggle...

Clever Blonde.

A lawyer and a blonde woman are sitting next to each other on a long flight from L.A. to New York. The lawyer leans over to her and asks if she would like to play a fun game.

The blonde is tired and just wants to take a nap, so she politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.

The lawyer persists, saying that the game is really easy and a lot of fun. He explains how the game works: "I ask you a question, and if you don't
know the answer, you pay me, and vice versa.

"Again, the blonde politely declines and tries to get some sleep.

The lawyer figures that since his opponent is a blonde he will easily win the match, so he makes another offer. "Okay, how about this....if you don't know the answer you pay me only $5, but if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500."

This catches the blonde's attention and, figuring that there will be no end to this torment unless she plays, she agrees.

The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" The blonde doesn't say a word, reaches into her purse, pulls out
a five dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.

Now, it's the blonde's turn.

She asks the lawyer, "What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?"

The lawyer looks at her with a puzzled look. He takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references. He taps into the Air-phone with his modem and searches the Net and even the Library of Congress. Frustrated, he send e-mails to all his coworkers and friends he knows, all to no avail. After over an hour of searching for the answer he finally gives up. He wakes the blonde and hands her $500.

The blonde politely takes the $500 and turns away to get back to sleep.

The lawyer, who is more than a little frustrated, wakes the blonde and asks, "Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with
four?"

Again without a word, the blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5, and goes back to sleep.

"I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday..."

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 22:05:11 GMT

Goddamit! Remember I was talking about the good music selection on the car journeys this weekend?

Well I can't get the tunes out of my head, and I've been singing merrily to myself all the time. I've tried everything today to change the record in my head, but to no avail.

"I know a song that'll get on your nerves..."
"And the cat came back, the very next day..."
"I'm 'Enry the eighth I am..."
"Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka-dot bikini..."
"I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world..."

But nothing will dislodge "Bat Out of Hell".
It's a great track, and there are worse things to be stuck in your head, but it's starting to get repetitive...

Oh yeah, Happy Eid you horn honking bastards blocking the curry mile. None of the busses are running that way because of you. And it's raining. :-(

The Hoola-Hoop incident... (giggle, giggle)

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 16:36:51 GMT

That was a fun weekend. :-)

The catch on the washing machine door broke on Thursday night, so I couldn't wash any of the clothes I was planning on taking, and I wound up digging through the bin-bags of clothes for stuff to wear. I pulled out all the torches I bought after the last event, (I didn't have a torch last time, and was stumbling around in the dark.) and repacked my bag around 15 times, throwing out things I didn't think I'd need.

Drove down to Ledbury with Masati and looby_lu, who seem to have fantastic taste in driving music, :-) had a great pub lunch, and then threw myself to the floor repeatedly, simulating all sorts of horrific deaths, including being eaten. :-) And I giggled hysterically at the infamous "Hoola Hoop" incident...

On the way back, at the service station stops, Masati and I played various arcade games, including Time Crisis 2 and House of the Dead 3. It was nice to be able to shoot someone and not hear the word "Spang!".

Thanks to the Warren Oak site being mostly soft grass, I managed to avoid serious scrapes, and only have one slightly grazed elbow from a fall on practically the only path on site. I had a fantastic time, and it's a shame that Riftworld is going on hiatus for a while. I guess I'll have to look at some other systems to get my fix.

Also in the service station on the way back, I pulled apart a whole shelving unit of stuffed animals looking for an elephant. I finally found one, and it was presented to Michelle on Sunday evening. She likes it, and has called it "Krishna", as "Ganesh" would have been too obvious.

Sleepy, but still have 5 and a half hours of work left, and random russian females e-mailing me. My life can seem so surreal sometimes.

Fish.

Excited

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 19:25:20 GMT

Hmm, I'm supposed to be working, but instead I'm reading up on Riftworld stuff on the net, as this weekend, I'm off to Ledbury to run around and get muddy, hitting people with large rubber implements. Yes, I'm going LARPing, to a Riftworld event.

Most of my washing is done, I've claimed my sleeping bag back, and I'm as excited as I used to be about Christmas!!!

I'm easily pleased. :-)