31 July 2007
27 July 2007
24 July 2007
James's good news
James has been given a stipend for the first 3 months of his stay in Angouleme. So no tech journalism for him for 3 months, lucky little Texan!
He says I can tell you because he can't be bothered to blog any more. He only did it to copy other cartoonists he likes. I am disappointed because I like the robot blog and the characteristic curmudgeonly tone of his posts, but I suppose greater things beckon...
I spent all day entering proofreading changes on the database. By 4.30 I felt like I was going to lose my mind. It is still here, I think. I have entered all the changes. Now we have to mailmerge the data and use the spellcheck to find more mistakes.
I have bought some short trousers like what girls are wearing at the moment. With little dresses.
The sun shone and the sky was blue today.
He says I can tell you because he can't be bothered to blog any more. He only did it to copy other cartoonists he likes. I am disappointed because I like the robot blog and the characteristic curmudgeonly tone of his posts, but I suppose greater things beckon...
I spent all day entering proofreading changes on the database. By 4.30 I felt like I was going to lose my mind. It is still here, I think. I have entered all the changes. Now we have to mailmerge the data and use the spellcheck to find more mistakes.
I have bought some short trousers like what girls are wearing at the moment. With little dresses.
The sun shone and the sky was blue today.
23 July 2007
I was wrong about Dudley Dursley. I was right about other Harry Potter stuff though. Can't say because some Potter fans might not have read it yet.
The Observer's review was very churlish, I thought.
I went into the pub at about 5pm on Saturday and bumped into Jerome and friends.
"Have you read it already?" Jerome enquired, looking amazed.
"Er, yes," I replied. I read very quickly; it's an occupational hazard of cataloguing documents. I tried to read it slowly but I couldn't. The advantage of being a fast reader is that you don't waste much time reading stuff you don't like and if things are any good you can read them over and over again and savour them.
They were really surprised. I don't see why reading books fast is so surprising, but I am resigned to the fact that loads of things I do (like wearing odd socks because I can't be bothered to put them into pairs - it's a waste of time) seem to surprise people and make them think I'm odd. Despite living in the suburbs and working a 9-5 job in local government, being married, and not going out much, what could be more dull than that?
"So how long did it take you?"
I decided to refuse to tell them because then they'd be impressed that I'd read it so fast and think that I'm really clever and that would annoy me. Reading fast isn't clever; it's just reading fast.
"Did you buy it at midnight?"
"No."
"First thing in the morning?"
"No."
"We saw all those nerds queueing up last night in the rain when we were coming out of the pub. Ha ha."
"Oh." (feels slightly insulted on behalf of fellow Harry Potter fans, but it's not good explaining that, to me and to large numbers of other people in the country, the last Harry Potter is like Christmas and the Rugby World Cup rolled into one)
"So who dies?" enquired Jerome.
"You don't know the names of any of the characters."
"Which of the main characters die?"
"Well, loads of them die. It's a bloodbath. I'm not saying. You only want the information so you can disappoint someone you know is a fan. I'm not risking that."
"Oh come on. Is it Gandalf or Dusseldorf?"
In other news...
Work is winding down in the slow, weird, mindboggling way that work tends to. In the last week you come into the same office and do the same things as you've done for the last 2 years, in the knowledge that it's all going to end and you will never come back there or do those things again. It should feel different because it's ending but it doesn't until the last day, when suddenly there's no need to do any more work.
James has some good news. I won't say in case he wants to tell the world.
The Observer's review was very churlish, I thought.
I went into the pub at about 5pm on Saturday and bumped into Jerome and friends.
"Have you read it already?" Jerome enquired, looking amazed.
"Er, yes," I replied. I read very quickly; it's an occupational hazard of cataloguing documents. I tried to read it slowly but I couldn't. The advantage of being a fast reader is that you don't waste much time reading stuff you don't like and if things are any good you can read them over and over again and savour them.
They were really surprised. I don't see why reading books fast is so surprising, but I am resigned to the fact that loads of things I do (like wearing odd socks because I can't be bothered to put them into pairs - it's a waste of time) seem to surprise people and make them think I'm odd. Despite living in the suburbs and working a 9-5 job in local government, being married, and not going out much, what could be more dull than that?
"So how long did it take you?"
I decided to refuse to tell them because then they'd be impressed that I'd read it so fast and think that I'm really clever and that would annoy me. Reading fast isn't clever; it's just reading fast.
"Did you buy it at midnight?"
"No."
"First thing in the morning?"
"No."
"We saw all those nerds queueing up last night in the rain when we were coming out of the pub. Ha ha."
"Oh." (feels slightly insulted on behalf of fellow Harry Potter fans, but it's not good explaining that, to me and to large numbers of other people in the country, the last Harry Potter is like Christmas and the Rugby World Cup rolled into one)
"So who dies?" enquired Jerome.
"You don't know the names of any of the characters."
"Which of the main characters die?"
"Well, loads of them die. It's a bloodbath. I'm not saying. You only want the information so you can disappoint someone you know is a fan. I'm not risking that."
"Oh come on. Is it Gandalf or Dusseldorf?"
In other news...
Work is winding down in the slow, weird, mindboggling way that work tends to. In the last week you come into the same office and do the same things as you've done for the last 2 years, in the knowledge that it's all going to end and you will never come back there or do those things again. It should feel different because it's ending but it doesn't until the last day, when suddenly there's no need to do any more work.
James has some good news. I won't say in case he wants to tell the world.
20 July 2007
17 July 2007
I survived Trailwalker support.
What an epic weekend I have had. The last four days feel like a week. It was intense. And having seen what our team went through, I thank my lucky stars I didn't do Trailwalker.
And with that frustrating and cryptic post I will not blog any more about it because I am a gremlin.
And with that frustrating and cryptic post I will not blog any more about it because I am a gremlin.
09 July 2007
James's life
A short report on the interesting life of James Lee. He has been feeling very tired since Friday. All he wants to do is to lie in bed and read trashy detective novels. He doesn't know whether to set up a facebook profile or not. I don't think he should because he won't update it which will be disappointing for his friends. Like his blog, which is very dull. He set up a facebook account to look at other people's profiles but then he suspended it. He might activate it again, but he is concerned that he will become obsessed by facebook and spend hours altering it. Like his posh web site, which took him an entire weekend of total obsession.
James has been writing lots of notes. He always writes notes. That is not news. I pity anyone who has to sort out his archive and catalogue the vast numbers of notebooks full of scrawls about the future of his comics career and the sources of his inspiration. You may deduce from the tone of the last few sentences that I will not be taking this on. Sometimes I read interviews with the wives of famous authors who talk eloquently their husband's work, and continue it after their death. I am not such a wife. I do not really understand. And I do not try to either. When we visited Gregory, James's comics chum in France, he said he was surprised that I am coming to Ango since I don't really like comics. I'm afraid it's even worse. I am indifferent. I like some comics if the story is interesting or it they are funny. Someone else suggested taht I am James's muse, which is a very amusing idea. A very lazy muse who lies on the sofa and eats chocolate and tells him to do what he likes. I don't even read his comics properly, if I'm honest. But, for some reasons, James thinks this is satisfactory.
James has been trying to work out why Ian Rankin's books appeal, since they are not very well written.
His shoes are satisfactory at the moment. His green bag has lost a few zips but is still serving him well. He bought some new shirts from Debenhams which was exciting for me because he had been wearing the same outfit (blue jeans, black shirt) for weeks on end. I am not exaggerating. He really did. The new shirts come in a variety of colours which is also quite exciting. The green one looks particualrly nice, although they all look quite good. He wears all black for trips abroad so he can spill his dinner on his clothes.
James's friend is coming to visit. If anyone is dedicated enough to have read his travel diary, he's the friend who goes to Barcelona with him. (But dont' feel guilty if you haven't read it ).
James had pasta and meatballs for dinner. I can't think of any other James news, but I can supply more mundane detail, if anyone is moved to enquire.
James has been writing lots of notes. He always writes notes. That is not news. I pity anyone who has to sort out his archive and catalogue the vast numbers of notebooks full of scrawls about the future of his comics career and the sources of his inspiration. You may deduce from the tone of the last few sentences that I will not be taking this on. Sometimes I read interviews with the wives of famous authors who talk eloquently their husband's work, and continue it after their death. I am not such a wife. I do not really understand. And I do not try to either. When we visited Gregory, James's comics chum in France, he said he was surprised that I am coming to Ango since I don't really like comics. I'm afraid it's even worse. I am indifferent. I like some comics if the story is interesting or it they are funny. Someone else suggested taht I am James's muse, which is a very amusing idea. A very lazy muse who lies on the sofa and eats chocolate and tells him to do what he likes. I don't even read his comics properly, if I'm honest. But, for some reasons, James thinks this is satisfactory.
James has been trying to work out why Ian Rankin's books appeal, since they are not very well written.
His shoes are satisfactory at the moment. His green bag has lost a few zips but is still serving him well. He bought some new shirts from Debenhams which was exciting for me because he had been wearing the same outfit (blue jeans, black shirt) for weeks on end. I am not exaggerating. He really did. The new shirts come in a variety of colours which is also quite exciting. The green one looks particualrly nice, although they all look quite good. He wears all black for trips abroad so he can spill his dinner on his clothes.
James's friend is coming to visit. If anyone is dedicated enough to have read his travel diary, he's the friend who goes to Barcelona with him. (But dont' feel guilty if you haven't read it ).
James had pasta and meatballs for dinner. I can't think of any other James news, but I can supply more mundane detail, if anyone is moved to enquire.
08 July 2007
Marvin's interesting year
Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you are all well.
Here is what's happening in the world of Gremlins Online over the next few months. Actually, as I move around, this blog will suddenly become very useful since I will not see anyone who reads it. .
Trailwalker is next weekend. James has organized everything. I have been working incredibly hard this week and have no brainpower left when I come home.
At the beginning of August I start work at the university for a month, listing a collection of First World War letters. Everyone I have told this to seems to think that it will be very interesting. I think it will be the same as all the other stuff I've catalogued. It's time to move on.
At the end of August, we will move out of the house. James will take stuff to the flat in France. If anyone would like to have me to stay in the first two weeks in September, that would be much appreciated. Apart from being compulsively untidy, I am a very good guest. James is going to live in France without me for two months.
In the middle of September, I start my English language teaching course, which is very intensive and hard work apparently. More hard work.
Towards the end of October I go to Australia for a month - my cousin is getting married. I am going with my Mum. We are going to get the train up the east coast from Sydney to Brisbane, which will be rather interesting.
We come back from Australia at the end of November and then after recovering from horrendous jet-lag I will go to France. I think we are going to come back for Christmas, so I will laze around in France for 3 weeks and start to get used to it. At the end of January, there is the big comics festival in Angouleme so I expect we will have visitors and that will mean I won't have to do anything much until the end of January except look after them. I am going to take things very slowly and try not to be dutiful and do boring things in order to earn money to spend on pointless things. (Like silver shoes) I am going to follow the good example of my dear friend Em, who does things very slowly and beautifully.
I will have no home for the last few months of this year. I will have my old room at my parents' house, but I will be wandering around living out of a suitcase.
Here is what's happening in the world of Gremlins Online over the next few months. Actually, as I move around, this blog will suddenly become very useful since I will not see anyone who reads it. .
Trailwalker is next weekend. James has organized everything. I have been working incredibly hard this week and have no brainpower left when I come home.
At the beginning of August I start work at the university for a month, listing a collection of First World War letters. Everyone I have told this to seems to think that it will be very interesting. I think it will be the same as all the other stuff I've catalogued. It's time to move on.
At the end of August, we will move out of the house. James will take stuff to the flat in France. If anyone would like to have me to stay in the first two weeks in September, that would be much appreciated. Apart from being compulsively untidy, I am a very good guest. James is going to live in France without me for two months.
In the middle of September, I start my English language teaching course, which is very intensive and hard work apparently. More hard work.
Towards the end of October I go to Australia for a month - my cousin is getting married. I am going with my Mum. We are going to get the train up the east coast from Sydney to Brisbane, which will be rather interesting.
We come back from Australia at the end of November and then after recovering from horrendous jet-lag I will go to France. I think we are going to come back for Christmas, so I will laze around in France for 3 weeks and start to get used to it. At the end of January, there is the big comics festival in Angouleme so I expect we will have visitors and that will mean I won't have to do anything much until the end of January except look after them. I am going to take things very slowly and try not to be dutiful and do boring things in order to earn money to spend on pointless things. (Like silver shoes) I am going to follow the good example of my dear friend Em, who does things very slowly and beautifully.
I will have no home for the last few months of this year. I will have my old room at my parents' house, but I will be wandering around living out of a suitcase.
04 July 2007
Numbering miracle
Today, I renumbered 162 CDs three times (here are some brackets for the pedantic among you) and changed all the numbers on the database. There are 206 CDs in the whole series, but I didn't have to renumber them all because somehow the numbers from 163-206 turned out the same in the old arrangement and the new arrangement. It was like magic, like the God of Archives (probably a goddess actually) had decided to spare me the pain of renumbering the final 40 CDs.
James bought me a present today. It is a purse in the shape of a pig wearing a scarf. The pig has a quizzical expression and its eyes follow you round the room. I will keep my keys in it and hope nobody at work notices how funny it is.
We had our final choir rehearsal today. Disaster. We don't know the music. It's not looking good. so don't come to Coventry Cathedral at 7.30 on Saturday unless you are tone deaf.
I am 52% addicted to blogging.
Why has facebook suddenly become so popular?
James bought me a present today. It is a purse in the shape of a pig wearing a scarf. The pig has a quizzical expression and its eyes follow you round the room. I will keep my keys in it and hope nobody at work notices how funny it is.
We had our final choir rehearsal today. Disaster. We don't know the music. It's not looking good. so don't come to Coventry Cathedral at 7.30 on Saturday unless you are tone deaf.
I am 52% addicted to blogging.
Why has facebook suddenly become so popular?
02 July 2007
Metallic shoes
Fashion lasts for a week; style lasts forever.
I do listen to Chrissy Wissy sometimes.
Last week, I bought some silver shoes. Everyone is wearing silver accessories at the moment.
I am breaking them in and trying to like them. I think they are a bit daring. Perhaps they are a mistake. They were in the sale. I think James has his doubts but he is too polite to say. James is quite good for a bit of fashion advice.
Plus they have ankle straps which Trinny and Susannah say are unflattering to all but the most elegant of ankles. My ankles are more carthorse than racehorse...
I wish they were red.
I do listen to Chrissy Wissy sometimes.
Last week, I bought some silver shoes. Everyone is wearing silver accessories at the moment.
I am breaking them in and trying to like them. I think they are a bit daring. Perhaps they are a mistake. They were in the sale. I think James has his doubts but he is too polite to say. James is quite good for a bit of fashion advice.
Plus they have ankle straps which Trinny and Susannah say are unflattering to all but the most elegant of ankles. My ankles are more carthorse than racehorse...
I wish they were red.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)