Yak & Natter

Richard told me about World66 today… So, I’ve been and filled in my map – pretty poor attempt. Must travel more…

Even the European map doesn’t look that well travelled (although I haven’t included any country that I haven’t stopped for at least a day)

I’ve been meaning to set up a stocks and shares ISA for 2003/4 since about, er, last April but last week I finally got around to it. I had a conversation with a “finance aware” friend of mine who recommended I take a look at Elson Associates. I did, and I was quite impressed by the amount of discount they offer off initial charges – it makes quite a difference and I’ll probably take a look at the 2004/5 offers after April.

Since buying a Mac
back in July I’ve become
everything I swore I’d never become: a Mac bore,
banging on about Mac this and Mac that, and how all Windows
users are wasting their lives. I don’t know how
this happened. I suppose I’m just more
optimistic when I use a Mac. Or maybe I’m a sucker for the marketing.
Either way, things seem better. Anyway…a
couple of days ago my Mac died on me: hardware
problems, and it’s heading back to the mother ship to get
some of that crashed saucer
technology
refitted. So “up to seven working days” of life back
in the Windows world for me. It’s not a shock, it’s just… harder.
Windows does pretty much all the same things, but in a more complicated, gets-in-the-way, kind
of style. There are a zillion dull tiny details, but they add
up to quite a different experience.
Ok, there I go again. So, time for a late new year’s resolution: don’t mention
how great Apple machines are ever again. Let’s see how long that lasts…

We’ve recently got into the bad habit of eating biscuits at work. This week I brought in a packet of chocolate biscuits Richard and I were given for Christmas, and they really are fabulous. Worth every calorie and worth remembering for next time we want a chocolatey treat!

I did a bit of blog hopping this morning, starting from nyclondon and then heading to LondonPhotos before spotting their section on Polaroid Manipulation. It was interesting to read some of the comments especially the one from “o+” about how it was considered trite when he was at school. Strange how something that was once trite has become interesting because it’s now unusual.

I finished reading Life on Air by David Attenborough over the weekend. I don’t read many autobiographies but I really enjoyed this one – it’s really well written, and full of facts about the places, animals and people he’s spent time with. Thanks to Ash and Mitűl for recommending and then buying it for us.

Over Christmas I bought a 500ml bottle of Molton Brown Shower gel. Last week I started using it and dropped it, smashing the pump dispenser lid. Over the weekend I went into the Molton Brown shop and asked if I could buy a replacement dispenser. Unfortunately they don’t stock them for the big bottles, but the lady found a 500ml bottle from their stock room, took out the dispenser, washed it and gave it to me, all for no cost. Good customer service still lives.

Okay, so we’ve all seen the geek joke about upgrading girlfriend version 1.0 to wife version 1.0 etc, well an american has taken it one step further. His poor son appears to have been named Jon Blake Cusack 2.0. I’m kind of surprised that I can’t find a website announcing the upgrade although I’m sure it’s only time.

Over Christmas we recorded Iris when it was on the tv. Last night we got around to watching it. It’s a very, very good film, although it is pretty upsetting watching such a sharp mind deteriorate due to Alzheimers disease. The acting was very good, and Jim Broadbent totally deserved his oscar for it as his sense of frustration felt so real. One thing they didn’t do was give any indication of the timeline of her deterioration, but on further investigation it appears to have been 4 or 5 years. Dementia is such an awful disease, stripping away facets of personality leaving a barely recognisable shell, and as yet their is no cure – just treatments that delay the inevitable.