Nothing to report apart from the fact that both PS/2 mouse ports are dead. Bought a USB mouse and that works fine. Have now ordered some PS/2 -> USB converters to sort the whole situation out.

Spent most of Saturday at Shell's Grand & Grandads celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Ate lots and played Pictionary and Scattegories with the rest of Shells family until late in the night. I rocked, although Scattegories was damned tricky. It was an ace day!

Shell bought Bop It Extreme 2 which we got addicted to on Saturday evening and while I went to work, she went Xmas shopping. She has bought me a present. I know where it is, it isn't wrapped - but I'm not going to ruin the surprise. I spent last week sorting out presents for Xmas and Birthdays and started the ordering. Last year, I managed about get about 80% online, this year I want to manage 90% or more...

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[link]   Posted @ 14:40

This morning, I removed the KVM from the scenario and plugged the cordless keyboard/mouse directly into my main PC. Keyboard worked, mouse didn't.

Tried a wired mouse - still didn't work.

Tried both in the other PC - still no mouse.

I either have a virus/trojan that has disabled the mouse or the PS/2 ports have died on both machines. Gonna try a USB mouse tomorrow (working late today so wont have chance today) and see what happens. If that doesn't work - then we have a virus issue. If it does, then I have 2 duff PS/2 ports. AAaarrgghh!!

Been looking around for Xmas and birthday presents. Chandler has his birthday at the beginning of December and Shell atthe beginning of January. Gonna be an expensive few months I think :)

Interestingly though, I did manage to find something that I actually want - Mancala. I used to play this on my old Nokia 3330 continually. I tried getting hold of this a couple of years ago, but it was either hideously expensive or sold out... And something that is for me but not for me, IYSWIM

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[link]   Posted @ 10:10

Had a great weekend with the kids. Saturday afternoon, we went round their Nan's house and I left them there for a while to see how things would be. They hardly even noticed. Both of them have asked about staying over...

Yesterday, Rhiannon and I did her reading. She shot through the flashcards without any problems but we got as little stuck in the books. She knows a good 90% of the words without a problem, but some words she just guessed and wild guesses at that. So we worked through some words and did the phonetic spelling of them so that she works out what the words are letter by letter. Then this morning, I dropped her off at school and met her teacher. We chatted about Rhiannons work, etc and all is good and fine.

Missed Shell terribly over the weekend. Saw her on Saturday for a bit, when I arrived with a present for her, a pair of
Adidas Tuscany trainers. I also have a pair (not identical) but I bought them when we went shopping for trainers for her and they didnt have her size (which she was none too pleased about). eBay to the rescue though and she was as pleased as punch with them.

A while ago, I had problems with the mouse on my Amiga. This morning, I wander into my office and the mouse isnt working on my PCs! I swapped out the batteries but no joy. Swapped out to a trackball, but no joy. Will try a direct connection this evening (without the KVM in place) and see what is what. It wasn't working on the other PC either, so I suspect that the KVM is dead...

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[link]   Posted @ 14:04

Yesterday, I started early (7am) so went home early. Which meant I got to go bowling with Shell, Su and Dave. I managed to scrape a win on 2 of the games and then Shell demolished us all on the 3rd game. Hopefully this will become a regular thing (the bowling, not Shell winning handsomely). She then went on to beat me into the ground at Monopoly - ending up with me bankrupt and her with nearly �4000, plus properties and houses.

Anyhow, picking up the kids later for the weekend. Need to do some food shopping with them, as the cupboards are pretty bare due to a clearout a few days ago, when I checked the use-by dates of various bits and chucked it all away. I might attack the freezer this weekend and clear that out too :o

I found these a couple of days ago and they made me giggle:

and that pretty well sums up the way things have been recently :)

Just for reference, when I started typing this I decided to visit the chocolate machine to get a Crunchie. But they didnt have any, so I made do with a Mars instead. But you cant say "Thank Mars its Friday"...

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[link]   Posted @ 12:58

Yesterday, for some reason, I was humming. Just a tune, but I was humming it away all day.

But the most annoying thing, and the thing that really started to bug me later in the day, was the fact that no matter how hard I tried, I couldnt remember the words or anything about the song. It was driving me mad, until Shell managed to distract me for long enough to forget about it.

Then it started again this morning. AAarrgghh!! - but this time I remembered a word. The word was "Trevor". What fucking use was that?!?!

Until, slowly, more words popped into my head (no doubt sparked off by the Trevor) and it suddenly occurred to me where it came from.

Magical Trevor. A bizarre toon and crazy little ditty from the creator of Weebl and Bob. I first watched/listened/absorbed this a few days after it came out and it has taken a couple of months for it to seep back out again.

I hate the interweb sometimes :)

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[link]   Posted @ 13:36

Recently, there was details about a JPG exploit under windows that allows a graphics file to hack your PC. Want to fix it? Then check out this tutorial to make sure you are safe.

I've been looking for a decent hotel in Gateshead/Newcastle-upon-Tyne for Shell and I to spend the weekend away in November and I came across this place. Nothing odd I hear you say. But select Photo Tour and then look at the second "Themed Bedroom". WTF? I'd feel under-dressed. I need to take boots, clothes, a holster, pretend gun and hat! Nice, but not quite what I was after :)

The reason for the weekend away? This. I've been there a couple of times when I have visited Newcastle for work - and its not only huge - its packed with shops. So after the November payday... should be good for Xmas shopping too. Both of us should enjoy that and if I can book a hotel nearby - it should be a fine weekend.

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[link]   Posted @ 13:32

So a weekend with Shell, spent relaxing, playing Monopoly, bowling and visiting the Animal Farm Country Park (apologies for the terrible site, but I cannot be held responsible for the lack of web skills of linked sites)

It was pretty cool (despite the rain) and we met lots and lots of goats, some donkeys and even a Llama. We were pleased to find out that we aren't llamas (in case any of you were wondering) as Misty (the llama) didnt spit at us. Apparently, they only spit at other llamas. If however, you have been spat at by a llama, then drop me a line so I can mention it :)

I won the bowling of course (of course? OF COURSE? yeah right - managed to scrape a win more likely) and hopefully we will be going again soon to have a couple more games. 1 game cost nearly a tenner and we spent 25mins playing it. However, in the evenings you can get 3 games for �6, so I think we'll try that instead.

On another note, I have been using eBay for a few years now (and have a blue star for my efforts) and it never fails to amaze me what people will pay for stuff. Check this one for example. An incredible amount of money, and I have one sat under my desk at home (well beside the desk as it is a beast) which is massively upgraded compared to that one. Amiga kit has been fetching ridiculous prices recently, so maybe it is time for me to sell off some of my bits and pare down my computing power. I don't use it anywhere near as much as I did (mostly thanks to Shell for giving me somewhere else to direct my efforts) and I have waaaay too much stuff. I feel an ebaying session coming on to clear some bits and bobs or maybe a car boot sale to get rid of some others. And make some money too boot!

This week should see me cleaning the old car and getting it advertised, to put money back in my account - providing the weather holds up. Clean the inside up, take it to the carwash, etc - nothing too major :)

An interesting link from Apple today. Just in case you were wondering How to pick up and carry your iMac G5, Apple have provided detailed instructions. I pity all the Mac users who were worried about this - and all those owners who are carrying one around without instructions on how to put it down...

I always thought cats were cleverer than dogs, but it would appear "Red" is pretty damn smart

And also RIP to Janet Leigh who passed away yesterday at 77. Best remembered for her role in Psycho...

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[link]   Posted @ 17:27

That was a damned annoying series of adverts wasnt it? Thinking back, I'm fairly sure I loved them at the time, but I've grown up now :)

So. Weekend spent with the kids went well. Visited my sister (so they could see Aunt, Uncle and cousin) - it was good to see them (Hi Jess! - as I know you read) and the kids had a great time. Then off to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway for lunch, where we bought sandwiches from the make-up shop (make-up shop = Boots) and ate them by the fountain, watching it shoot up into the air.

On the way home, the kids fell asleep, so I dropped some flowers and a pressie off to Shell (at her mums) as she had a stinking cold and was feeling pretty shite. Cheered her up a bit I think.

Sunday afternoon, the kids and I went round to their Nans house, where we had sandwiches and cake. Once again the kids walked in and carried on as if nothing had ever happened - even though they hadnt seen their Nan and La-la for over 7 months!

Then back to work on Monday BOO!. Although over the weekend, I did manage to watch a coupe of films - Open Water and Resident Evil: Apocalypse - and enjoyed them both immensely. RE2 is miles better than the first film.

I forgot to mention that the weekend before, Shell, Su, Dave and I went bowling. I had some tickets that I had got from using iPoints, so it didnt cost a lot. Now a couple of things you need to know - 1) Dave had never been bowling before in his life and 2) Dave has a prosthetic leg.

AND HE SODDING WON

I was second with a dismal 99 points, but he streamed away with a very respectable 120 odd points! His first ever bowl was a strike! So we are going to have to go again sometime, so that we can see whether it was a fluke or not. He may not have grace or style, but man can he bowl that ball. It is awesome to watch.

Yesterday I had the kids again at 4pm - and picked them up in my new car. I bought a 1995 'M' Ford Escort 1.4 LX for �300 from my colleague Douggie (who has now left work and will be missed). It has 12mths MOT and should save me a packet in petrol compared to the SRi. My insurance went down by about 10% too, as did the breakdown insurance. Chandler saw the car and told me he didnt like it and preferred my old one (which I need to sell ASAP). Bloody typical!

And now, the obligatory link for you:-

Hilarious eBay feedback

Also, check out (if you can) *anything* by a group called The Polyphonic Spree. Beautiful. And they are playing live in Bristol in November. It's a little left-field, but I'm currently lovin' it (no - not McDonalds).

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[link]   Posted @ 08:48

A couple of days ago, we noticed that the fair has arrived in Weston. So last night, as we drove to her mums to drop off some stuff, we drove past to check it was setup (as it wasnt earlier in the day) and it was open!

So we raced back and went in. Not a lot of rides but all of them were only �1 each. We went on the octopus thingy first - 4 arms, with 4 chairs in that swing in/out at great speed. We were the only people on it and it didnt do anything for about 10mins. Then one of the carnies got in and off it went! Holy crap! They must have turned the speed up, cos this baby was flying. It was so fast as it approached the outside and then swung back to the centre, that I could feel the skin of my face moving due to the G forces. Excellent fun.

I won a teddy bear for Shell on the "pick up a thingy with a stick" and we then went in the fun house. It was a short trip - alright though - but the place seemed dilapidated and not well kept. So Shell then won a blue dog doodad from another stall (another "catch something on the end of your stick" game) and we headed to the Waltzer. What a blast! Shell was hunched over into my arm, alternating between screaming and wooing! I was just laughing the whole time. Of course, when we got off, there were the usual injuries - bad ears, aching backs, etc. Great fun though. I might go back and take some pictures as I'm flying round... provided I can find the wrist strap for the camera :)

In other news, one of our contractors is leaving next week. He has been here for about 18months and will be sorely missed. He is selling me his car though. A 1995 Ford Escort. As my current car (2.0ltr SRi Cavalier) goes through about �10 of petrol in 3 days (home to train station and back each day - only about 6 miles) I need something more economical, and the price is just right. I'll sell the Cavalier for about the same amount and end up with a more economical, cheaper to insure and newer car than I currently have. I mean, it wont perform anything like the Cav, but frankly the savings more than outweigh that.

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[link]   Posted @ 10:37

Just for reference, the hotel we stayed at was the "Grand Hotel Nouvel Opera" on Avenue Ledru Rollin. It was clean, tidy and comfortable - perfect for a base of operations. If, however, you planned on staying in the lap of luxury or wanted to spend a lot of time in your hotel room, I would recommend you look elsewhere. Functional as a hotel room and well situated.

On Monday, I received a phone call from the travel company I got the free Paris flights from asking me if I wanted to use them. I said that we had just come back but we would probably be heading back to Paris early next year. They will call me back in November :)

I've been pricing up details for Copenhagen - about the same as Paris, but I have very little detail about travel around the city (although it is pretty small).

One thing that struck us after being away for a few days, was how much things had changed in our home town. These are probably things that have changed over a few weeks or so, but we only noticed them when we got back. Shops been re-fitted, new shops opened, massive roadworks, etc. Had they been waiting for us to go away and then embarked on a massive amount of changes, so as to fool us on our return? Which would mean they also knew we were leaving, meaning that we are being watched!

Monday night, I got home around 9.30pm and last night not until 11pm. Both days I started at 9am, so I am taking Thursday morning off as TOIL (time off in lieu) to spend some time with Shell and catch some Zs.

This evening, I may crack open the bottle of Rum that Shell bought me in Paris. After a couple of long days, a nice sit down, a drink and some relaxing time would be good. Which means something drastic will happen later this evening, it will all go to pot and I'll end up more knackered than I am already :)

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[link]   Posted @ 13:31