Arrrggghhh
I had one of those weekends. House in chaos, everything smelling of white spirit, computer monitor not attached to computer, kettle on the stairs while the kitchen floor dries.
Got fed last night by some good, good people, but this did involve some strange Peruvian spirit, and though I skipped home I fear it was not the most sensible start to the week.
And today I have only one really important thing to do but I cannot get my head round it. I feel like I have a touch of Durkheim's anomie.
Or, as Bruce Springsteen put it, I might take a wrong turn and just keep going.
It'll be all right soon, probably.
joella
Monday, September 29, 2003
Friday, September 26, 2003
The Google Toolbar
I had the Google Toolbar installed many moons ago, then I got a new PC and never got round to reinstalling it, and then I forgot all about it.
And at home Google is my homepage, so it's no big deal. But at work my homepage is a set of useful links I put together for the last team I worked in, and Google is two clicks away. Or three, if you are not on the homepage when you think about it. Which is two, or even three, clicks too many when you use Google as often as I do.
I could have re-done my homepage, but I couldn't be arsed. I could have reset my homepage, but I would then lose all the other useful links (Favourites are for reference, not for everyday use, imo).
So I decided to go for the Google Toolbar again.
And what a tremendously useful thing it has become. It blocks pop-ups, unless you don't want it to. It auto-fills in forms, unless you don't want it to. It searches just within the site you're on.
It also lets you BlogThis! whenever you like. So I did.
joella
I had the Google Toolbar installed many moons ago, then I got a new PC and never got round to reinstalling it, and then I forgot all about it.
And at home Google is my homepage, so it's no big deal. But at work my homepage is a set of useful links I put together for the last team I worked in, and Google is two clicks away. Or three, if you are not on the homepage when you think about it. Which is two, or even three, clicks too many when you use Google as often as I do.
I could have re-done my homepage, but I couldn't be arsed. I could have reset my homepage, but I would then lose all the other useful links (Favourites are for reference, not for everyday use, imo).
So I decided to go for the Google Toolbar again.
And what a tremendously useful thing it has become. It blocks pop-ups, unless you don't want it to. It auto-fills in forms, unless you don't want it to. It searches just within the site you're on.
It also lets you BlogThis! whenever you like. So I did.
joella
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
When I grow up I want to be an old woman
Went to see Belleville Rendezvous the other day. It is a surreal French animation which takes you to some strange old places.
I'm not, as I have said, always a great one for art, but there is a wonderful dog in it who behaves perfectly consistently however weird it gets, and it features the funniest corrective shoe in history.
And of course Madame Souza and the swinging, frog-eating Belleville Triplets themselves. Afterwards I said how wonderful it was to have a film -- albeit an animation -- where the four main characters were old women. How often does that happen?
Aha! someone pointed out: what about Calendar Girls?
No, no, that misses the *point*.
joella
Went to see Belleville Rendezvous the other day. It is a surreal French animation which takes you to some strange old places.
I'm not, as I have said, always a great one for art, but there is a wonderful dog in it who behaves perfectly consistently however weird it gets, and it features the funniest corrective shoe in history.
And of course Madame Souza and the swinging, frog-eating Belleville Triplets themselves. Afterwards I said how wonderful it was to have a film -- albeit an animation -- where the four main characters were old women. How often does that happen?
Aha! someone pointed out: what about Calendar Girls?
No, no, that misses the *point*.
joella
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
80s revival in my head
There's a leather necklace that S and I bought together in about 1986 because we both wanted it but neither of us could afford it. We took turns wearing it, and then it ended up with me, and somehow I kept it.
And how glad I am that I did, because suddenly it looks fabulous again (how does that *happen*?). And Psychocandy sounds fabulous again. And I hate the government again.
Any minute now mine will be a pint of snakebite.
joella
There's a leather necklace that S and I bought together in about 1986 because we both wanted it but neither of us could afford it. We took turns wearing it, and then it ended up with me, and somehow I kept it.
And how glad I am that I did, because suddenly it looks fabulous again (how does that *happen*?). And Psychocandy sounds fabulous again. And I hate the government again.
Any minute now mine will be a pint of snakebite.
joella
Monday, September 22, 2003
Smell-o-vision
I have always been somewhat led by my nose, and am even more so as a non-smoker (I can smell a cigarette on a warm day at 100 paces).
Often this is great. I was just walking through Cornmarket in Oxford, a fairly dismal experience most of the time as they have been resurfacing it for years now, so there are hoards of people squeezing across tiny little walkways in bad moods and the smell drifts from KFC (very bad) to Lush (not much better).
But today the resurfacing had reached that crucial point where they have to lay asphalt. Oh, the smell of fresh asphalt. I could live on that smell. It reminds me, though I am not sure why, of long hot childhood summers. It makes me want to lie down and smell the road.
Other top smells of the week have included Sunday lunch coming out of the kitchen at the Marsh Harrier, mingling with the smell of fresh beer and the smell of the Observer to create something quintissentially British and great... and the smell I got when I opened my long lost dishwasher after I first used it yesterday: clean, shiny and nostalgic all at the same time.
But sometimes it is not great. I sat behind someone on the bus whose clothes had that smell you get when you leave them in the washing machine too long and then dry them badly. I cannot bear that smell. It is the smell of neglect and depression and no central heating. I would like to live in a world where nobody's clothes smelt like that.
joella
I have always been somewhat led by my nose, and am even more so as a non-smoker (I can smell a cigarette on a warm day at 100 paces).
Often this is great. I was just walking through Cornmarket in Oxford, a fairly dismal experience most of the time as they have been resurfacing it for years now, so there are hoards of people squeezing across tiny little walkways in bad moods and the smell drifts from KFC (very bad) to Lush (not much better).
But today the resurfacing had reached that crucial point where they have to lay asphalt. Oh, the smell of fresh asphalt. I could live on that smell. It reminds me, though I am not sure why, of long hot childhood summers. It makes me want to lie down and smell the road.
Other top smells of the week have included Sunday lunch coming out of the kitchen at the Marsh Harrier, mingling with the smell of fresh beer and the smell of the Observer to create something quintissentially British and great... and the smell I got when I opened my long lost dishwasher after I first used it yesterday: clean, shiny and nostalgic all at the same time.
But sometimes it is not great. I sat behind someone on the bus whose clothes had that smell you get when you leave them in the washing machine too long and then dry them badly. I cannot bear that smell. It is the smell of neglect and depression and no central heating. I would like to live in a world where nobody's clothes smelt like that.
joella
Friday, September 19, 2003
Miles shows off
I have been saying to Miles for *ages* that he should have a website, given that he does website development stuff for a living.
And now he's got one.
He said 'I don't want to just have a website. I want to do something that says I am a programmer but also creative'.
And he's done it (Press F5). I am dead impressed.
Though you can't actually use it to contact him or anything useful like that. Purist arty programmers don't make it easy for you to give them work.
joella
I have been saying to Miles for *ages* that he should have a website, given that he does website development stuff for a living.
And now he's got one.
He said 'I don't want to just have a website. I want to do something that says I am a programmer but also creative'.
And he's done it (Press F5). I am dead impressed.
Though you can't actually use it to contact him or anything useful like that. Purist arty programmers don't make it easy for you to give them work.
joella
The bright side
Okay, it's better than marrying the wrong man in the wrong century. That was drunken hyperbole. The units are still horrible, but apparently they can be painted. And if that doesn't work we'll get new ones. We don't have to live with them.
And now we've got a window. And... bestest of all... the lump of metal and plastic that I have been dragging round Oxford with me for the last five years but unable to plumb in has ceased to be a very large piece of emotional baggage and become a dishwasher again! Hooray!
And the sink has a bit you can use for rinsing.
And we have a real oven.
And cupboards. And drawers. Two years we have lived with no kitchen cupboards or drawers.
A bit of shit brown fake wood can be dealt with. We will deal with it.
joella
Okay, it's better than marrying the wrong man in the wrong century. That was drunken hyperbole. The units are still horrible, but apparently they can be painted. And if that doesn't work we'll get new ones. We don't have to live with them.
And now we've got a window. And... bestest of all... the lump of metal and plastic that I have been dragging round Oxford with me for the last five years but unable to plumb in has ceased to be a very large piece of emotional baggage and become a dishwasher again! Hooray!
And the sink has a bit you can use for rinsing.
And we have a real oven.
And cupboards. And drawers. Two years we have lived with no kitchen cupboards or drawers.
A bit of shit brown fake wood can be dealt with. We will deal with it.
joella
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Push pineapple shake a tree
The kitchen men están aquí.
We made our choices and they are doing their job. But something has gone wrong.
We hate our units. We don't hate the design, and we don't hate the concept, but we hate the delivery.
The doors are fine. The worktops are fine. But the units themselves are fucking hideous. How did we choose light oak? It's not light and it never saw oak. It is like a world without redemption. It is like marrying the wrong man in the wrong century.
I live in a world where this can be rectified. I have lived my life in preparation for this moment. Surely.
joella
The kitchen men están aquí.
We made our choices and they are doing their job. But something has gone wrong.
We hate our units. We don't hate the design, and we don't hate the concept, but we hate the delivery.
The doors are fine. The worktops are fine. But the units themselves are fucking hideous. How did we choose light oak? It's not light and it never saw oak. It is like a world without redemption. It is like marrying the wrong man in the wrong century.
I live in a world where this can be rectified. I have lived my life in preparation for this moment. Surely.
joella
Time to stand up and be counted
OK, way I see it, if you're reading this you either
a) know me and think I'm cool enough to have a blog worth reading
b) know me and think I'm a bitch trog from hell (in which case fuck off let's not waste each other's time)
or
c) don't know me from Eve but got here anyway
So.
Oh, bugger. I had a really good point, and then I went to the loo, and now I can't remember what I was going to say.
joella
OK, way I see it, if you're reading this you either
a) know me and think I'm cool enough to have a blog worth reading
b) know me and think I'm a bitch trog from hell (in which case fuck off let's not waste each other's time)
or
c) don't know me from Eve but got here anyway
So.
Oh, bugger. I had a really good point, and then I went to the loo, and now I can't remember what I was going to say.
joella
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
S is for scary
For long boring car journeys, there is the poo game. But that doesn't help you get to sleep when your body clock is a bit screwed, so for that we have the alphabet game.
It's pretty simple, like all the best games. Think of a category (colours, animals, etc) then think of one thing from that category beginning with each letter of the alphabet in order.
X and z are obvious dodgy characters, but pretty quickly you come to hate j, k and n as well. The only category we have got all the way through is cars (thank you, Citroen Xsara!).
The other night, Miles said: let's do disasters. OK, I said. Avalanche.
M: Bloodbath
J: Ewww. Um, cyclone
M: Drought
J: Earthquake
M:Flood
J: G... g... genocide!
How can I be delighted to have thought of genocide? H, of course, is for Holocaust, and we stopped there before we horrified ourselves further.
joella
For long boring car journeys, there is the poo game. But that doesn't help you get to sleep when your body clock is a bit screwed, so for that we have the alphabet game.
It's pretty simple, like all the best games. Think of a category (colours, animals, etc) then think of one thing from that category beginning with each letter of the alphabet in order.
X and z are obvious dodgy characters, but pretty quickly you come to hate j, k and n as well. The only category we have got all the way through is cars (thank you, Citroen Xsara!).
The other night, Miles said: let's do disasters. OK, I said. Avalanche.
M: Bloodbath
J: Ewww. Um, cyclone
M: Drought
J: Earthquake
M:Flood
J: G... g... genocide!
How can I be delighted to have thought of genocide? H, of course, is for Holocaust, and we stopped there before we horrified ourselves further.
joella
Sunday, September 07, 2003
It's only rock and roll but I like it...
... like it, yes I do.
It was the Limitations' last night of the summer party yesterday, in a barn in Oddington. There were about 250 people there, including many of my favourite ones.
I wore a mini skirt for the first time in my life, and my 80s canvas biker jacket from the first time round. (I am beginning to regret chucking all my red and black plastic jewellery -- a casualty of moving house so many times).
We danced, we drank, we screamed for more. The band could do no wrong. The music was supposed to stop at 12.30 but didn't. The bar was supposed to close at one but didn't. I fell over on the way to the toilet at about three and decided to call it a night, but S was still dancing when Belinda called the police at five because she was stuck in her tent.
We had watermelon for breakfast and stopped at the Little Chef on the way home.
It was wonderful. Autumn is allowed now.
joella
... like it, yes I do.
It was the Limitations' last night of the summer party yesterday, in a barn in Oddington. There were about 250 people there, including many of my favourite ones.
I wore a mini skirt for the first time in my life, and my 80s canvas biker jacket from the first time round. (I am beginning to regret chucking all my red and black plastic jewellery -- a casualty of moving house so many times).
We danced, we drank, we screamed for more. The band could do no wrong. The music was supposed to stop at 12.30 but didn't. The bar was supposed to close at one but didn't. I fell over on the way to the toilet at about three and decided to call it a night, but S was still dancing when Belinda called the police at five because she was stuck in her tent.
We had watermelon for breakfast and stopped at the Little Chef on the way home.
It was wonderful. Autumn is allowed now.
joella
Friday, September 05, 2003
Singing the blues to make trade fair
The US and the EU are ruining the lives of millions of poor farmers. The world's trade activists are decamping to Mexico right now to lobby the big guns at the World Trade Organisation Meeting in Cancun from 10th - 14th September.
Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign is going to be there and they have recorded a cow singing the blues to help them gather support... and that cow is my boyfriend.
http://www.maketradefair.com/bluecow.htm
He is very excited to be part of an email campaign, even disguised as a cow, and possibly even more excited that Jeremy has given him a mention...
joella
The US and the EU are ruining the lives of millions of poor farmers. The world's trade activists are decamping to Mexico right now to lobby the big guns at the World Trade Organisation Meeting in Cancun from 10th - 14th September.
Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign is going to be there and they have recorded a cow singing the blues to help them gather support... and that cow is my boyfriend.
http://www.maketradefair.com/bluecow.htm
He is very excited to be part of an email campaign, even disguised as a cow, and possibly even more excited that Jeremy has given him a mention...
joella
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Reptile loving Finnish speaking billiard playing giant hairy woman WLTM...
Some time at the end of last year when I was drinking far too much I joined Emode, which is an online dating agency.
I didn't join Emode because I wanted to do any online dating, I joined because I was really really drunk. I think I got there via a quiz or IQ test from another site, and ended up registering in order to get my results.
My profile is a mixture of outright lies (I am 6'5", keep lizards, speak nine languages, live in Schenectady, NY) and the word 'Arse'. ArseArseArseArseArse is the answer to the sections 'How she's different', 'Who she's looking for', 'What you'd find in her bedroom' and 'Her hangouts' (hmmm).
And bugger me if I don't get an email every single week with people who match my profile. I can't even unsubscribe because I used an email address that I can receive to but not send from.
Either this is a perfect demonstration of the pointlessness of 'website personalisation', or there really are some weirdos out there.
Either way, not good. Note to self: only surf when sober.
joella
Some time at the end of last year when I was drinking far too much I joined Emode, which is an online dating agency.
I didn't join Emode because I wanted to do any online dating, I joined because I was really really drunk. I think I got there via a quiz or IQ test from another site, and ended up registering in order to get my results.
My profile is a mixture of outright lies (I am 6'5", keep lizards, speak nine languages, live in Schenectady, NY) and the word 'Arse'. ArseArseArseArseArse is the answer to the sections 'How she's different', 'Who she's looking for', 'What you'd find in her bedroom' and 'Her hangouts' (hmmm).
And bugger me if I don't get an email every single week with people who match my profile. I can't even unsubscribe because I used an email address that I can receive to but not send from.
Either this is a perfect demonstration of the pointlessness of 'website personalisation', or there really are some weirdos out there.
Either way, not good. Note to self: only surf when sober.
joella
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Poorly girl
I stayed at home today. I don't like doing that unless I'm indisputably ill, and to me a cold doesn't count, but I just couldn't get up.
Then I slept on and off until 2pm, when I woke up feeling a lot better, so I don't feel so bad about staying at home.
When I wasn't sleeping I read most of the Life of Pi.
Feeling humbled by a boy who managed to tame a tiger while feeling a lot worse than I was, I got up and cleaned my shower room.
If I am honest, this room only gets a proper clean about twice a year. It was filthy, and it has been getting me down.
I find I can only clean the shower when I am in the shower, and so it was that in my slightly feverish state I set to wearing only a pair of Marigolds and brandishing a bottle of bleach.
I had to have a bit more of a lie down afterwards, I don't think on balance it was a good idea. My shower is lovely and clean though.
joella
I stayed at home today. I don't like doing that unless I'm indisputably ill, and to me a cold doesn't count, but I just couldn't get up.
Then I slept on and off until 2pm, when I woke up feeling a lot better, so I don't feel so bad about staying at home.
When I wasn't sleeping I read most of the Life of Pi.
Feeling humbled by a boy who managed to tame a tiger while feeling a lot worse than I was, I got up and cleaned my shower room.
If I am honest, this room only gets a proper clean about twice a year. It was filthy, and it has been getting me down.
I find I can only clean the shower when I am in the shower, and so it was that in my slightly feverish state I set to wearing only a pair of Marigolds and brandishing a bottle of bleach.
I had to have a bit more of a lie down afterwards, I don't think on balance it was a good idea. My shower is lovely and clean though.
joella
Monday, September 01, 2003
Small blue thing
I feel rotten today. And it's not an extra-long hangover from Saturday night, though I probably did deserve one for talking so much bollocks.
No, it's something more sinister -- mostly physical, a kind of heavy head, sore-ish throat, bit of sneezing, general fug, but accompanied by a feeling best described as restlessness combined with apathy, which I find quite unsettling. Like I would run away if I could be arsed.
I am hoping the psychological feelings are a side effect of the same bug that is causing the physical ones. I haven't got time for existential angst this month.
But maybe I don't have a choice in the matter. On Friday night I was at a Mick Thomas gig at Brentford FC. My friend Pete was there too -- I've known him for six years or so, but we only really see each other at gigs.
He was standing a couple of yards away from me down at the front, and at the opening bars of one song he came over and shouted in my ear: This one's called The Lonely Goth -- it might work for you.
Thanks a lot, I said, but you know what, he was right.
joella
I feel rotten today. And it's not an extra-long hangover from Saturday night, though I probably did deserve one for talking so much bollocks.
No, it's something more sinister -- mostly physical, a kind of heavy head, sore-ish throat, bit of sneezing, general fug, but accompanied by a feeling best described as restlessness combined with apathy, which I find quite unsettling. Like I would run away if I could be arsed.
I am hoping the psychological feelings are a side effect of the same bug that is causing the physical ones. I haven't got time for existential angst this month.
But maybe I don't have a choice in the matter. On Friday night I was at a Mick Thomas gig at Brentford FC. My friend Pete was there too -- I've known him for six years or so, but we only really see each other at gigs.
He was standing a couple of yards away from me down at the front, and at the opening bars of one song he came over and shouted in my ear: This one's called The Lonely Goth -- it might work for you.
Thanks a lot, I said, but you know what, he was right.
joella
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)