So you thought you used to play 2D games. If you had taken a look behind the screen, then you'd have seen this.
The featured game is Lady Bug from Universal Games, a classic 8-bit game for the arcades, released in 1981.
Would be great to see a series of these scenes realized as 3D pixel games or tangible designer gadgets. If anyone is interested to realize that, just get in touch with me.
More 3D pixel creations at Sevensheaven.nl.
Join me at Twitter [I mainly write in the Dutch language].
·
3d,
8 bit,
arcade game,
lady bug,
metin seven,
pixel art,
sevensheaven,
universal games,
voxel art
Mon - 5 miles (1,300 feet). Felt sore from Wyoming the day before, so settled for a hike to the top of Horsetooth with Dana, Alistair, Kenny, Amy and their boys.
Tues noon - 13.5 miles (2,000 feet). Mill Creek route.
pm - 8 miles easy at Pineridge. 59:35
Weds noon - 13.5 miles (2,000 feet). Mill Creek route in reverse (Up Horsetooth - Westridge - Mill - Stout - Spring Ck). 1:49.
pm - 6 miles easy with Bubba. Soderburg to Arthur's TH & back. Bubba is not an endurance athlete.
Bubba at Kenny and Amy's house in his preferred position: horizontal.Thurs noon - 15.5 miles (2,700 feet). 2:15. Horsetooth - Westridge - Mill Creek - Arthurs - West Valley - Nomad - Sawmill - Herrington - Spring Creek - home.
Saw one of these (Greater Prairie Chicken):
Photo: Mary TremaineAnd one of these on my run (third rattler of the season; rattlers 3, bull snakes 4):
Thurs pm - 6 miles easy at Pineridge.Fri noon - 8 miles (1,650 feet) with Amy. Horsetooth/Audra route.
Amy topping out at the Audra turn-offFriday pm - 8 miles easy at Pineridge. 58:23.
Sat am - 16 miles. Half-mile warm-up, Pilot Hill 25k (1,600 feet). 1:45.
Sun am - 25.5 miles (7,200 feet). Crosier triple crossing with Ryan. 4:57.
Total: 125 miles (18,450 vertical feet)
Well it has been a huge May for me, and it is mission accomplished on the getting-myself-ready-for-Bighorn front. I'm sure there's more that I could and maybe should have done, but the goal for May was to rack up as many miles and vertical feet of climbing as time would allow. I ended up with 513 miles and a massive 67,000 feet of climbing. If I don't see another upward facing trail for the next week, I'll be a happy man.
Bighorn is not a huge climbing course (17,000 feet), but that's not why I put my legs through such torture. For me, hills work on multiple fronts: they make me faster, they make me stronger and most importantly, they give me confidence. But above all, I genuinely love running up hills. Besides, I really don't have too many other options where I live unless I want to drive to a trailhead (which I don't).
For the next 18 days, the plan is to focus on recovery and to take a few stabs at some FKT climb routes around Fort Collins.
Sat am - 16 miles. Half-mile warm-up, Pilot Hill 25k (1,600 feet). 1:45.
Sun am - 25.5 miles (7,200 feet). Crosier triple crossing with Ryan. 4:57.
Total: 125 miles (18,450 vertical feet)
Well it has been a huge May for me, and it is mission accomplished on the getting-myself-ready-for-Bighorn front. I'm sure there's more that I could and maybe should have done, but the goal for May was to rack up as many miles and vertical feet of climbing as time would allow. I ended up with 513 miles and a massive 67,000 feet of climbing. If I don't see another upward facing trail for the next week, I'll be a happy man.
Bighorn is not a huge climbing course (17,000 feet), but that's not why I put my legs through such torture. For me, hills work on multiple fronts: they make me faster, they make me stronger and most importantly, they give me confidence. But above all, I genuinely love running up hills. Besides, I really don't have too many other options where I live unless I want to drive to a trailhead (which I don't).
For the next 18 days, the plan is to focus on recovery and to take a few stabs at some FKT climb routes around Fort Collins.
Big miles and big dollars this month. Spending per mile dropped 1 cent to 99 cents per mile. This really is an expensive game. Maybe if I drop my mileage, I will drop my spending. I need to start winning money rather than beer to offset my costs!
May 1 - Drive to and from Buena Vista. 460 miles @ $1.85/gal = $24 (Dana's car)
May 1 - Endurolytes. $18.22
May 1 - Coffee, lunch, dinner. $50
May 1 - Traffic ticket. $44
May 1 - Cabin (2 nights). $106.8
May 2 - Firewood. $4
May 3 - Breakfast @ Golden Burro. $23
May 5 - Larimer County Parks pass. $65
May 8 - Pilot Hill, Leadville registrations $83
May 16 - Drive to Crosier 45 miles = $5
May 24 - Drive to Laramie 150 miles = $15
May 24 - Vasque Velocity. $50
May 30 - Drive to Laramie 140 miles = $10
Totals:
Spending .................. $498
Miles .......................... 513
Spending per Mile ...... $0.97
YTD Totals
Dollars:
Jan ......... $456
Feb ......... $284
March ...... $30
April ........ $318
May ......... $498
To date .... $1,578
Miles:
Jan .......... 265 (33,000 feet)
Feb .......... 259.5 (40,350 feet)
March ....... 302 (32,050 feet)
April ....... 247.5 (31,300 feet)
May ......... 513 (67,000 feet)
To Date .. 1,587 (203,700 feet)
Spending per Mile: $0.99
A nice shield bug
Katydid nymph
Tiny gray bird nymph
Harlequin cluster
Spotted cucumber beetle
Looper
A resting bee.
A handsome fly.
When I was looking over these photos on my computer, they looked too grainy. Then I looked at my camera settings, and I think I had the ISO set too high. I still have a few things to learn about my new camera.
It has bugs on it!
I saw it at Sears the other day, and I couldn't resist. I just happened to be in the market for a new purse. I'm not one of those ladies who changes handbags frequently. I've been schlepping around with the same little old purse for about 3 years, and even though it was made very well, and was still OK, I was just tired of it. I wasn't looking for a bug purse, but this one found me. 
Cute as it is, it's not made very well, so it probably won't last 3 years, but I'll be satisfied if it makes it through the summer.
I brought him home from Joshua Tree a couple of months ago. He's like Stanley, only fully grown. He has been eating well. I have him on a paper towel substrate, as unsightly as that looks, but at least he won't get impacted from ingesting sand like Stanley did.
This pumpkin-looking thing sprouted in my compost a couple of months ago, and I transplanted it in my front yard. I've found similar plants before and tried to nurture them, but they've never actually produced a full sized fruit. I'm expecting this ping-pong ball sized fruit to fall off at any time. But the flowers are attracting some insects.
This bee seemed like it was old and tired and ready to die. 
Lucky for me, that made it easier to photograph.
Near another flower, a skipper had a head full of pollen. Like the bee, it seemed more sluggish than it should have been. It made me wonder if the pollen of this mystery-squash has some kind of tranquilizing effect.
Audio
Son Of Bazerk - The Band Get Swivey On The Wheels (Instrumental) - S.O.U.L.
DVA feat Badness, Riko, Flowdan & Killa P - Bullit A' Go Fly (Dusk &
Blackdown Mix) - Keysound
Moving Ninja & Pinch - False Flag - Tectonic
Elemental - 925 - Reduction
Richard Buckner - Lil Wallet Picture - MCA
Joe Henry - Richard Pryor Addresses A Tearful Nation - Mammoth
Jeb Loy Nichols - Sugar Creek - Capitol
De La Soul - Ghetto Thang (Ghetto Ximer Mix) - Tommy Boy
STL - Six In A Row - Smallville
Omar S - Oasis 21 - FXHE
Bovill - Slinky - Meanwhile
Abacus - Instrullussions - Fragile
Maus & Stolle - Sparks - Klang Elektronik
Nat Birchall - Nina's Dance - Gondwana
Andrew Hill - McNeil Island - Blue Note
MC Lyte - Paper Twin - First Priority
Jilt Van Moorst - Pecker - Caravan
Beckett & Taylor - Smash - Hand On The Plow
F - Epilogue (Ramadanman Rerub) - 7even
Else Marie Pade - Syv Cirkler - Dacapo
Kreng - The Black Balloon & The Armadillo - Miasmah
Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov - Opening Theme from Andey Rublyov - Toei Music
They don't make their races easy in Wyoming, but going in I was two for two in the Cowboy state and looking to keep the streak alive.
With an 8:00am start, the alarm didn't go off quite as early as it did for last weekend's Wyoming Marathon, but any time I'm conscious at 5:xx, it's tough. Got a call from Ryan B the night before saying he was in, so I picked him up on the way down and then picked up J.Z. and David Bohn from the Fort Collins Trail Runners group, and we made the 70-minute trip north to Laramie.
Pilot Hill in the distanceI figured it would be me and Ryan duking this one out, and from the gun Ryan shot off and built an early 20-meter lead through the sand flats. It always takes me a mile or two to find my rhythm and breathing early in a race, especially a shorter one like this, so I just let Ryan go maintaining my position in second. A mile or two into the race, as the climbing was beginning, I caught up to Ryan and eased past him to take up the lead, a position I didn't hold for long.
Starting the climbA tall, comfortable and efficient-looking runner eased past me at three miles or so and began to build a solid lead. Normally you can tell when someone is running easy or working hard, and this guy had an effortless stride as he was working up the hill. I figured the winning streak was probably going to stop at two as I continued to watch him pull away from me. However, there came a point five or six miles into the climb when it didn't seem like he was picking up any more ground, but the lead was still a fairly substantial 90 seconds or so.
The course at Pilot Hill is a real mixed bag in terms of terrain, with knobbly awkward rock sections, stretches of sand, looser jeep-track stuff, stretches of grass, with nasty jutting rock sections to really spice things up every now and then, and a couple of ditch jumps thrown in just for fun. The climb, however, was pretty consistent; one of those in-between grades that is never too steep and never flat, just a steady grind. The run is a straight out-and-back, with a mile or two of extra turns on the way out, making the outbound distance just under 8.5 miles and the return just over 7 miles.
As I'm watching the leader grow his lead up the climb, I hear a set of lungs close at hand behind. I figure it's Ryan. The turn comes after the steepest section of the climb, right under the T.V. towers, and I was energized to see Alec and Cathy Muthig manning the aid station at the top. They gave me a good cheer as I rolled in, just north of 62 minutes. The lead runner was still a good minute and half ahead at the turn, with another guy I didn't recognize close behind me, and Ryan about two minutes back in fourth. Ryan is such a strong downhill runner that I doubted I'd hold that two minutes and actually liked his chances of winning or coming in second, so I decided to bolt the opening and steepest sections of the drop.
The first two to three miles of descent cover some pretty technical terrain, and I could tell that the leader was not in his element through this section, which allowed me to close to within ten seconds by the first aid station on the way back down. As the terrain eased up, I was keeping pace - not gaining ground but not losing ground either. Game on. This one, I figured, might come down to a sprint and if not, it would be about who had gas left in the tank through the always-tough 3/4 point of the race. By the final aid station (3 miles or so out), I could tell the leader had run out of gears, so I made my move and eased past him. As I was doing so, he told me not to worry about him as he was "cooked": music to my ears. I took a quick look over my shoulder to see where third and fourth were and saw nothing but scenery.
Fearing the bluff, I kept the foot on the gas through the sand flats, crossing the finish line in 1:45. A total 62 and change up, 42 and change down. Second was 30 seconds back, with third 90 seconds back and Ryan two or three minutes back in fourth.
Finishing up. Race photo credits: Pilot Hill ClassicChatting with the guys after the race, I learned that second, Michael Huntington, is a member of the UW track team with a 10k PR of 30:4x(!), while third, Martin Stensing is a 9:50 Ironman and, well, Ryan is Ryan. For a field of 47 runners this was an impressive group of athletes. All four of us came in under last year's winning time of 1:49.
Michael, me and Ryan I cannot say enough about this race and the organization. The course was marked every 100 meters with flags, which, over the course of 8 miles, is a lot of flags. The post-race meal was gourmet and plentiful, the atmosphere was super friendly and just about everyone went home with some kind of prize. For my troubles, I got a free entry into next year's race, or one of two other races in the Laramie trail series later in the year; an etched pint glass; and a massive bomber from the Grand Tetons brewery: my kind of race. I'll be back for years to come and hope that others will too. For $17 you will not find a better deal (except maybe Alec's free Twin Mountain Trudge, but you've got to be slightly loopy to run that one).
Three wins in Wyoming this year, one race left. We'll see what happens in three weeks.
After a rather stressful start to our weekend where a certain junior member of the household decided to "clean" our unused fireplace (see evidence below), it was nice to have a get together to look forward to.
We FINALLY got together with some dear friends. Sam and Carly and their gorgeous children over the weekend.
They moved house two weeks ago and I've been longing to see it, and them too.
So this afternoon, armed with a hibiscus plant and some food we wended our way there.
We had a brilliant time!
We've decided Mr Small and River make the perfect couple, so they are now officially engaged to each other. Aren't they adorable? I am optimistic River will keep him on the straight and narrow.
We ate, drank, laughed and loved watching the children tearing throughout the house and garden. And Carly, as promised, I made you black and white!
Then we went to the park, the children played while the boys kicked a football.
We talked about so many of our dear friends, Sam and Carly currently have no phone or internet access so I was able to update on some of the things happening in blogland.
When it comes to life's pleasures. It doesn't get much better than this.
Cartoon for the Dutch Nu.nl news website, about scientists who succeeded in giving a human speech gene to mice.
More at Sevensheaven.nl
Join me at Twitter [I mainly write in the Dutch language].
I've been running a lot through May, twice a day on most days and averaging upwards of 18 miles through 27 running days. Looks like I will come in at just over 500 miles for the month with over 60,000 feet of climbing.
The intensity with which I have gone after the miles this month is completely new territory for me. Through the first half of the month it was a struggle, but the deeper into May I've gotten, the stronger I've been feeling and the easier the daily two-hour, first-run grind has been. So much so in fact that the Wyoming Marathon last weekend was over shortly after I felt like I was getting warmed up. My confidence levels have never been so high, and with the Big Horn starting gun just three weeks away (to the minute), I couldn't feel better about my chances for a strong finish.
Anyway, I intend to finish up May with miles, climbing and intensity. First up is the Pilot Hill Classic, which is touted as the oldest footrace in Wyoming. This Saturday will be the 33rd running of the 15.5-mile hill climb and descent. The climb doesn't look that intense - 1,500 feet over 7 miles - but the descent is reportedly pretty loose and treacherous. The field is typically small and is capped at 100, but there are usually a couple of Cowboys from the University of Wyoming track team who show up, so the pace should be good. Just got off the phone with Ryan B, and he's toying with the idea of running, so either way I'm looking forward to a competitive race.
Sunday will be the last day of the big-mileage-and-climbing phase of this training cycle. Ryan and I have an early morning start planned for a triple crossing of Crosier Mountain - a nearby, lower elevation peak that is currently clear of snow. We plan to out and back from all three trailheads for something close to 26 miles and 8,000 feet of climbing. Should be something of an epic. We plan to get going at around 6:30. Anyone who happens to read this in time and wants to tag along is more than welcome. I would imagine we'll work fairly hard up the climbs, but probably take time at the top to refuel and soak up the unbelievable views of RMNP.
Got to love Colorado in the sun!
Rocky from Round Mountain Ingredients:7 weeks backpacking around Asia1 shipping container, with all personal possessions, delayed for no good reason1 vintage car, ready for import, and assorted bureaucratic requirements4 weeks of staying in someone else's house1 9-day bad head-cold1 sporadic internet connection1 wedding in far-off Wales2 small children, aged three and four years1 flat, damaged in multiple small but
The number of readers has crept up again – I think Merisi must be in visiting hourly.
This is certainly not due to the quality of the Blog and indeed Cate berated me yesterday for the turgid drivel that I have been sloshing about.
When I said I would write a Blog I did not say I would make it interesting. I am sure she thinks my life is much more interesting than it really is. She could ask Muffin what happens here during the day and confirm that the answer is ‘bugger all’.
The only chance I have of a conversation is with a delivery person and as this person has usually just walked up six flights of stairs they are not in the mood to listen to me mangling the German language.
But where in the name of the Gaspar the Patron Saint of Beagles have my Blog commenters gone. Where is everybody out there?
I have been talking for some time to Herr Schmutzigewäsche at Mercedes about a bicycle rack for Billy Benz.
He initially offered me a roof rack plus bike racks - which would cost about €600 but we are not sure about this as the thought of hammering along the A2 with two bikes on the roof makes me a bit uneasy.
Can you imagine a bike flying off the car at 150 kilometers and hour? I can.
Hang on – I will be in our car – not the car behind us – so that’s probably OK.
So I asked him to let me know how much a tow bar and rack would cost.
€3,050 is the answer. Excuse me?
This was expensive even by Wien/Mercedes standards (I mean you can get a perfectly nice meal in Meinl Am Graben for that – well – not really nice – well barely edible actually – and there won’t be much of it - AND a bottle of Wachau Valley Gruner Veltliner).
So I went back and said – Excuse me – did you say €3,050?
‘I know it is expensive’ he said ‘ but they have to make some alterations to the car’. What does this mean? Don’t you just bolt a tow bar onto the bottom of the car – perhaps the alterations are done in Ouagadougou by the dry cleaners?
Even without the gold plating it is too expensive so we are back to roof racks and will have to take our chances. Without this we cannot go flambling around the countryside so it has to be done.
I am due to have my second FSME injection which is to protect me against the ferocious ticks which infest the countryside hereabouts. They are apparently the size of kittens and Rozalin has warned me that they can do immense damage and possibly take a leg off if they get you unawares at the right angle.
I am not confident that that FSME will be strong enough so am taking a 5 Iron to deal with the more aggressive ticks many of whom were apparently enraged by the AC/DC concert on Sunday and are out for revenge.
You can tell these ones – they have cotton wool stuffed in their ears.
Rozalin went to this concert and as she can no longer hear anything at all except a faint buzzing in her ears she carries a slate and chalk so that Cate can write her messages.
Incidentally – I saw Angus Young being ‘interviewed’ on TV and I can tell you that 40 years of prancing around in a school uniform playing deafening music and consuming many strange substances – many of them probably illegal – has not done his powers of speech or comprehension any good at all.
But he seems happy because he smiles a lot. I imagine he also has buzzing ears.
But – say what you like about Acca Dacca – it is the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world – and always has been.
This is certainly not due to the quality of the Blog and indeed Cate berated me yesterday for the turgid drivel that I have been sloshing about.
When I said I would write a Blog I did not say I would make it interesting. I am sure she thinks my life is much more interesting than it really is. She could ask Muffin what happens here during the day and confirm that the answer is ‘bugger all’.
The only chance I have of a conversation is with a delivery person and as this person has usually just walked up six flights of stairs they are not in the mood to listen to me mangling the German language.
But where in the name of the Gaspar the Patron Saint of Beagles have my Blog commenters gone. Where is everybody out there?
I have been talking for some time to Herr Schmutzigewäsche at Mercedes about a bicycle rack for Billy Benz.
He initially offered me a roof rack plus bike racks - which would cost about €600 but we are not sure about this as the thought of hammering along the A2 with two bikes on the roof makes me a bit uneasy.
Can you imagine a bike flying off the car at 150 kilometers and hour? I can.
Hang on – I will be in our car – not the car behind us – so that’s probably OK.
So I asked him to let me know how much a tow bar and rack would cost.
€3,050 is the answer. Excuse me?
This was expensive even by Wien/Mercedes standards (I mean you can get a perfectly nice meal in Meinl Am Graben for that – well – not really nice – well barely edible actually – and there won’t be much of it - AND a bottle of Wachau Valley Gruner Veltliner).
So I went back and said – Excuse me – did you say €3,050?
‘I know it is expensive’ he said ‘ but they have to make some alterations to the car’. What does this mean? Don’t you just bolt a tow bar onto the bottom of the car – perhaps the alterations are done in Ouagadougou by the dry cleaners?
Even without the gold plating it is too expensive so we are back to roof racks and will have to take our chances. Without this we cannot go flambling around the countryside so it has to be done.
I am due to have my second FSME injection which is to protect me against the ferocious ticks which infest the countryside hereabouts. They are apparently the size of kittens and Rozalin has warned me that they can do immense damage and possibly take a leg off if they get you unawares at the right angle.
I am not confident that that FSME will be strong enough so am taking a 5 Iron to deal with the more aggressive ticks many of whom were apparently enraged by the AC/DC concert on Sunday and are out for revenge.
You can tell these ones – they have cotton wool stuffed in their ears.
Rozalin went to this concert and as she can no longer hear anything at all except a faint buzzing in her ears she carries a slate and chalk so that Cate can write her messages.
Incidentally – I saw Angus Young being ‘interviewed’ on TV and I can tell you that 40 years of prancing around in a school uniform playing deafening music and consuming many strange substances – many of them probably illegal – has not done his powers of speech or comprehension any good at all.
But he seems happy because he smiles a lot. I imagine he also has buzzing ears.
But – say what you like about Acca Dacca – it is the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world – and always has been.
First off, Qatar looks more and more remote. Things are good at DH"s work and I am enormously relieved. That said, if we do have to up sticks and move I'll be alot braver about it this time round!
I've been distinctly out of sorts these past few days.
I've been back working in an office, wearing nice clothes and interacting with grown ups who respect my opinion. I think it's testament to how lacking in confidence I have become, that they told me to stop apologising for offering my viewpoint or thoughts.
I mean, it was like a reflex action. Am I the only person who does this?
I only worked for a few days but it's nice. It's nice to dip in and feel respected and valued.
It's also nice to use a proper coffee machine.
It's good to be back home picking up the threads of my household and spinning them back into some kind of order.
So why the sense of unease?
Well tonight my parents dropped over with some dinner for me. DH is away at the moment and they are very supportive of me.
They were telling me how my brothers were doing.
One is back from presenting a paper at a medical conference, one is off to the USA to pursue his studies in biomechanics, one just did a major photoshoot with Olympic gold medallists and one has been nominated for finalist for Life Saver of the year.
And me?
I just finished combing conditioner through my childrens hair to ensure they don't have head-lice and had to comfort my son after he got given a blood nose at school.
And that's the thing about my "job"
There are no awards, no tangible markers that let you know you are doing a good job. And truly, for someone like me who spent her life being "measured."
Did my classes get enough good grades?
Did my SEN pupils make solid progress?
Did I get that promotion?
I don't have anything to measure my achievements.
I have sent off my application to study Theology though!
So I have been sitting here feeling sorry for myself. But I started checking emails and one came through. I subscribe to this site where they send you a Bible quote each day. I must confess alot of the time I don't read them properly.
But this one really struck me. It said:" So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."
And that was really what the unease was.
It was me being AFRAID.
Afraid I didn't measure up. Afraid I wasn't good enough.
But that really doesn't matter, does it?
I also know that this fear is so meaningless in that context. And the reality is, I would chew my right arm off before I gave up this life or my precious children. I wouldn't change this, or them for anything.
The other day, I worked at the office all day, then I tutored all evening and collapsed into bed exhausted.
Then the cry went up from Mr Small.
So I wended my way to his room.
He was of course, disproportionately pleased to see me.
I broke my own rules and picked him up for a cuddle.
We lay on the couch, me drowsing.
Him grinning with glee.
Then he did something he's never done before.
He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.
Then he lay his head on my shoulder and promptly fell asleep.
So yes.
I'd chew my right arm off for this.
And I'll try to remember.
What I do matters.
ALOT.
Graphic 2D symbols that express security services, used as prints on a company car.
I love creating 2D graphics like these, next to my 3D work.
More at Sevensheaven.nl
Today Metin invited me to join Clogwork. Well, I couldn't say no to my dear pixel-pushing pal, so here I am.
My name is Bjorn Nelissen and I specialise in conceptual illustration. My work is done either in acrylics or ink/charcoal.
The image above deals with AD(H)D. People with AD(H)D receive too much information (stimuli) which they can't process properly.
More work can be seen on my website: http://www.bjornnelissen.nl
There were some moments of great excitement last night when I rendered the OzCon website totally useless. It took me a sweaty 30 minutes to get it going again.
There are still some bits that are not quite right but at least people can use it while I figure out how to fix it.
The software I bought (and for which I paid twice) looks OK but it will take some getting used to so I need to go slowly.
Theoretically the software converts everything from and to html but in practice it often does not always do it all – so manual intervention is required – usually with unfortunate consequences.
The problem with stuff like this is that you only have to make a very small coding error and everything goes wobbly – or disappears.
I have changed all the lights that were not functioning and have taken the ladder to its new home in the basement. I am dreading the day when one of the really high lights goes out.
Apart from the fact that I have to carry the ladder up 6 flights of stairs I am not looking forward to scaling the heights necessary to reach the lights.
The problem with the ceiling is not only that some parts are so high – but that others are very low. In the kitchen – for example – the ceiling slopes so that near the large storage cupboard it is only about 5 feet high. This means that I keep crashing into it when I go to this cupboard. This leaves marks on both the ceiling and my head.
We are going to visit Moni and the Kätzchen on Friday – this is the first time we will have seen them. Rozalin is going with us to commence the negotiations for the release date. It is proving harder to get these cats than to get a terrorist out of Gitmo.
We hope to have them by mid June so that we can bed them in before we go away. We hope that Gretchen will be able to stay in the apartment to look after them – and if not we need to find another resident cat minder.
Gretchen is apparently not as young as I thought she was and is in fact going to university. She doesn’t drink coffee so may be a little bit suspect but I am prepared to overlook this. We have made her an offer and she is thinking about it.
You will have noticed that the moving pictures of ducks have not yet materialised. This is simply because I have not had time to take the pictures and then work out how to use the software to edit them and load them onto the website.
My days are absolutely crushing and it is often hard work to cram in coffee, lunch, coffee a bicycle ride and an afternoon nap. In fact I haven’t been for a bike ride for a week or so – I missed the last couple of days because it is simply too hot.
I know it is not quite the end of the month but I can safely make my “Lunatic of the Month Award”.
There are still some bits that are not quite right but at least people can use it while I figure out how to fix it.
The software I bought (and for which I paid twice) looks OK but it will take some getting used to so I need to go slowly.
Theoretically the software converts everything from and to html but in practice it often does not always do it all – so manual intervention is required – usually with unfortunate consequences.
The problem with stuff like this is that you only have to make a very small coding error and everything goes wobbly – or disappears.
I have changed all the lights that were not functioning and have taken the ladder to its new home in the basement. I am dreading the day when one of the really high lights goes out.
Apart from the fact that I have to carry the ladder up 6 flights of stairs I am not looking forward to scaling the heights necessary to reach the lights.
The problem with the ceiling is not only that some parts are so high – but that others are very low. In the kitchen – for example – the ceiling slopes so that near the large storage cupboard it is only about 5 feet high. This means that I keep crashing into it when I go to this cupboard. This leaves marks on both the ceiling and my head.
We are going to visit Moni and the Kätzchen on Friday – this is the first time we will have seen them. Rozalin is going with us to commence the negotiations for the release date. It is proving harder to get these cats than to get a terrorist out of Gitmo.
We hope to have them by mid June so that we can bed them in before we go away. We hope that Gretchen will be able to stay in the apartment to look after them – and if not we need to find another resident cat minder.
Gretchen is apparently not as young as I thought she was and is in fact going to university. She doesn’t drink coffee so may be a little bit suspect but I am prepared to overlook this. We have made her an offer and she is thinking about it.
You will have noticed that the moving pictures of ducks have not yet materialised. This is simply because I have not had time to take the pictures and then work out how to use the software to edit them and load them onto the website.
My days are absolutely crushing and it is often hard work to cram in coffee, lunch, coffee a bicycle ride and an afternoon nap. In fact I haven’t been for a bike ride for a week or so – I missed the last couple of days because it is simply too hot.
I know it is not quite the end of the month but I can safely make my “Lunatic of the Month Award”.
There were a couple of right wing Austrian politicians in the running early but they were blown away by an old favourite.
The winner is Kim Jong Il of the Democratic Republic of Loopy Land. In fact it is hard to see anyone beating him for the Annual Award for 2009.
Of course if he declares war on South Korea he gets to keep the trophy forever.
Of course if he declares war on South Korea he gets to keep the trophy forever.
Clive Anderson appeals on behalf of Save the Rhino. Save the Rhino works to conserve viable populations of critically endangered rhinos in Africa and Asia.Listen now on the BBC Radio 4 website
It’s all over for Frau Almhupfer – the gravy train has ended. I received my BIPA card yesterday (they must have worked overtime) so can now buy things for which I get the points.
The ladder arrived but as a special punishment for not being home the first time he called the delivery man made me go to the front gate to collect it and then I had to carry it up six flights of stairs.
He also (probably after the Friday phone call) appears to have attacked the ladder with a sledge hammer and the bottom rung was bent and detached from the other thingies.
I had to make a decision. Do I ring them and go through the agony of trying to get another ladder - or do I fix it myself. A no brainer really. I straightened out the rung as best I could and reattached it with my rivet gun.
If you don’t have a rivet gun you should get one – it is the most useful thing I have ever bought. Tell your SO you would like one for your birthday – you won’t regret it.
I have had my first foray into the stratosphere of our lounge room ceiling. I moved the table then stood the ladder on the table and then climbed to the top of the ladder. This enabled me to change the lights at the second highest level.
Cate went into her study and put her iPod on so that she could not hear any screams or thuds.
I really do not know how I am going to get to the highest lights. I have spoken to Muffin again and she has absolutely no interest in being attached to the end of a broomstick. She says she gets vertigo.
I had to buy a piece of website software from a US company so that I can more easily change the pages of the site I am looking after. I bought it as a download - and they charged me for two downloads.
I sent them an email and suggested that they might like to give me a refund.
This would have been far too simple so they sent me a ‘Letter of Destruction’ which I have to fill out and sign to say that I have destroyed the second item of software (that I didn’t download) and have done many other things which include destroying the (non-existent) documentation.
Then I sent this off and perhaps after 30 days I may get a refund.
A normal person would fall off their trolley and shout about this but I have now been in Austria for 9 months and have nerves of steel. Minor obstacles like this are but ripples on a pond.
I have filled out the form (committing about 10 different counts of perjury) and sent it off and will wait quietly for a refund – and arrest when we go to the USA in July.
The ladder arrived but as a special punishment for not being home the first time he called the delivery man made me go to the front gate to collect it and then I had to carry it up six flights of stairs.
He also (probably after the Friday phone call) appears to have attacked the ladder with a sledge hammer and the bottom rung was bent and detached from the other thingies.
I had to make a decision. Do I ring them and go through the agony of trying to get another ladder - or do I fix it myself. A no brainer really. I straightened out the rung as best I could and reattached it with my rivet gun.
If you don’t have a rivet gun you should get one – it is the most useful thing I have ever bought. Tell your SO you would like one for your birthday – you won’t regret it.
I have had my first foray into the stratosphere of our lounge room ceiling. I moved the table then stood the ladder on the table and then climbed to the top of the ladder. This enabled me to change the lights at the second highest level.
Cate went into her study and put her iPod on so that she could not hear any screams or thuds.
I really do not know how I am going to get to the highest lights. I have spoken to Muffin again and she has absolutely no interest in being attached to the end of a broomstick. She says she gets vertigo.
I had to buy a piece of website software from a US company so that I can more easily change the pages of the site I am looking after. I bought it as a download - and they charged me for two downloads.
I sent them an email and suggested that they might like to give me a refund.
This would have been far too simple so they sent me a ‘Letter of Destruction’ which I have to fill out and sign to say that I have destroyed the second item of software (that I didn’t download) and have done many other things which include destroying the (non-existent) documentation.
Then I sent this off and perhaps after 30 days I may get a refund.
A normal person would fall off their trolley and shout about this but I have now been in Austria for 9 months and have nerves of steel. Minor obstacles like this are but ripples on a pond.
I have filled out the form (committing about 10 different counts of perjury) and sent it off and will wait quietly for a refund – and arrest when we go to the USA in July.