Bedging

4.0°C, same.

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Bedging: Bessie is bedging. To bedge you must lean against the edge of a sofa, or bed and lean into it with all your weight. Then slide along while growling in an unagressive way. Let me know how it goes when you try it. It appears to be very satisfying. Or at least it does if you are a dog. But if you were, you’d probably not be reading this.

mo-bile

2°C

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Is there something in a mobile phone contract that says it’s ok to be rude to people around you? Does it say

 "When you are  in the middle of a conversation, should your new XXXX_1234 ring, then end your conversation in mid-sentence to find start one with the person who has dialled up your XXXX-1234 for a more important dialogue. If you upgrade to the XXXX-1234plus model you don’t even have to say " do you mind if I answer the phone".

With our 3G technology it’s possible to continue the new conversation loudly for 20 mins without and conscience, and to ignore those around you."

 

It must be time to design a new set of buttons for my website- especially now that I have Fireworks v8.

 

Bleary-Eyes

The cold has got to them today. Five hours out in rather cold salty dry air has left them rather tired & prickly feeling. 60 miles felt good today, the ice was easy to avoid. Riding east meant riding on the north side of the road, that aide was sunny and so no ice. Shame the wind dropped for the ride home.

ExCathedra

The Oratory, Edgbaston.

A gilted, victorian , cold classsical church used as a venue for choral music. We heard some Elgar, Schubert, Reinburger and finished with Mozart. The highlight was Schöenburg – it was his last piece before going all 12-tone. Interesting in that sense even if not as a piece of it’s own. Others commented on how good the acoustics are, but I didn’t think so, at least not where I was sitting.

There were some interesting characters in the audience, a couple who obviously arrived on a motorbike. there was also a guy dressed as a woman, which caused a lot of speculation amongst us on the way home. Was this his first outing as a woman? Why was he on his own? Did the wig keep him warm?

 

In summary- not as stunning as the Arvo Pärt we saw last summer.

 

Link: ExCathedra

Corporate incompetance

4.9°C+

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We have a growing list of complaints about retail corporations.

• Curries online: One month on and 18 phone-calls in an attempt to return a faulty dishwasher. they give us other numbers to ring, usually to services or companies that no longer exist.
• Sky TV: charging for premium football matches that we haven’t ordered or watched. Everyone here hates football. We are closing the account because of this.
• British Gas: they want us to increase the monthly payment even though we already have overpayed them by £80. They agreed that the £80 is the correct figure, but say we still aren’t paying enough.
• Inland Revenue: they want me to repay £1000 in tax underpayment based on caculations THEY made; it’s their mistake I tell you. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had the same problem with them. It’s their mistake- why should I suffer?

Awww no!

2°C quiet.

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Aww no! I prefer the old style space.

Daylight

1.9°C, same as yesterday.

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We got some. We want more, it’s changing by 4 minutes more each day now.

 

Turpentine: trying a new brush given to me for "evaluation". It’s another Daler-Rowney, but intended for acrylics. The bristles are just right, fine hairs but generaly stiffer. The handle is all wrong though- it’s too thin and light. My hand ached after an hour’s painting.

The picture below is a tentative more towards deep water. I really am not sure about this at all. 

obsessive

1.9°C, same as yesterday(near enough).

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Far Cry: it’s truly an addictive game. I knew there would be a part where mutants turn up. It could have been the point that spoils it all, leading to uninstalling the game. However it’s appeared as a natural continuation to the story. Some of the cut scenes are rather poorly done, the animation should be a lot better. It’s a shame because the models and rendering quality are decent.

 

Sleeplessness: let’s see how it goes tonight. Now: camomile.

The Location principle

2°C, clearing, dipping

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It’s unlikely that we live in a special location. Everywhere is like this.

 

CDs:

Tanya Donelly: Whiskey Tango Ghosts

50 Foot Wave

Grandaddy:Sumday

I got the last one from the if-you-like-this-then-you-may-like-these lists on Amazon. I have no idfea what it’s going to sound like, but what’s wring with taking a risk. How many times have you bought an album from a known good band only to find it’s a dud?

Update: on first listening- it seems rather bland. The Tanya Donelly sounds excellent, especially as I listened to her other album yesterday.

A still, quiet room

2°C, grey

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Dull: The science Dept are all enthusiastic about my meterorite candidate. The more I look at it, the more it looks earthly.

I have to go and mark coursework now.

turpentine time

7°C

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Turpentine: Laid down the first turpentine layers on those paintings mentioned recently. And yes, in the profile one- that is a finger emerging behind at speed. It’s a shame that both of these pictures are at the same stage, Ideally one would he half-way through, then if I’m in the mood for detailing I would choose one, otherwise work up the other.

Update: there’s something cringingly irksome about that finger picture. I usually feel like this at this stage, having poseted the picture for (potentially) all the world to see, I do feel s strong urge to fix it. I wonder how my motivation would work without that self-imposed pressure?

Note: I’ve taken it out untill it’s fixed up a bit.