Spider

This is the spider hiding in the toilet at the workshop/office where I work a couple of days a week. The wall is absolutely manky.

This is a photograph of a poster I made for the workshop/office toilet. It is actually a quite small spider but I zoomed in on it using the "macro focus" on my camera.

My defrag problem

I think I may have discovered why my defrag failed. I think the power may have been off in my flat for a couple of hours. Just noticed the time on my bedside alarm clock is two hours different from my computer clock which suggests the power was off for two hours. Or does it? I'm not too sure. Too tired to try and figure it out. My alarm rests to 12:00pm when the power goes out. So that's what probably buggered things up.

The cheap pot noodle

I have one of these as a "scooby-snack" when I'm at work. 35p from Morrisons.

It's amazing how something as disgusting looking as this


can turn in to a delicious meal just by adding boiling water


he says sarcastically.

Almost finished


Finally - all gone


a view from an angle


a tower of pot noodles

Cycle path

Elsewhere I posted a picture of a cycle path that ends in the middle of nowhere. Well, tonight, when cycling home I thought I'd cut across a field at roughly where this cycle path is on the main road. After jumping over three large gates I finally made it to the cycle path. It means I don't have to use the main road as much......especially in winter and the dark night. But the best thing of all is - because this cycle path is next to a yachting marina it is floodlit. There are no lights on the main road. Yippee.

Defragmenting

Started to defragment my computer at 11am today. 40 minutes later and it hasn't got beyond 10% yet. That's usually the first hurdle. So I'm guessing this is going to be a long one. I'm betting on 36 hours. From memory I think the last one was around 32 hours. I tell a lie. I did another defrag shortly after that mammoth one and it only took 8 hours or so. And that last 5% takes forever.

Update : after 47 minutes it changed to 11% and at 54 minutes it is still 11%. So by my calculation it should only take just over 7 hours. If only it were as simple as that. I wish there was something to indicate approximate time left. I'm still betting on 36 hours.

Second update : after 1 hour and 8 minutes it is 12%......getting up towards 9½ hours now if it was based on this. Thankfully I'm going to work now and won't be updating every % increase.

Think I'll need to start buying computer magazines as I prepare to buy a new computer.

Third update : I know I should have gone to work by now. At 12:54pm it reached 13% but it keeps going back to the start....although it quickly returns to where it was. Worrying when you notice it for the first time. Maybe the 36 hours prediction was too short.

Fourth and final update : Well, I get home from work about 9pm and the first thing I see is the monitor is showing the desktop - when it should be showing defrag either continuing or at most the defrag finished screen. Bugger me - it has failed. Need to try again tomorrow morning. Bugger.

This was just across the road from me. I remember sitting at my bedroom window as the drama unfolded outside....then started to worry as the flames got more intense. They've since built a new modern looking school in its place. What an absolute waste.

Evening Times

I'm pissed off the Evening Times waits until 5pm before updating its site now. Used to be 2pm and sometimes I could linger about my flat until 2pm just to see the sports update before going to work. Not any more. Only another 5 minutes to wait. What am I going to do for 5 minutes. Well, I could have a........but that would still leave 4½ minutes. Oh good, just typing that has hasted one minute. 3½" minutes now. The tension is undearable. See ya later - I'm off.

Mobile phone working again

Well my mobile is working again and I'm getting all these texts from a mad person thinking I have fallen out with them because I never replied to any. Well, I haven't fallen out with you......even after you called me a fat bald freak (I knew it wasn't meant in a bad way - at least I hope it wasn't meant in a bad way). All it took was switching the phone off and then back on again. I never switch the phone off - I just bung it on re-charge when the battery is going low.
So I'm in a slightly happier mood than my usual miserable self. I even managed a bit of work yesterday and I might even do some today. But I've still to make a decision on all these monitors. A wise person would just throw them all out.

Monitor wasn't burst after all

Just got my new flat screen monitor working and it looks as though it is the computer that is faulty and not the monitor. Well, as I couldn't test any other monitors on it how was I supposed to know. So I've now got an extra 19" CRT monitor. I may replace one of my 17" monitors with it and just have the 17" one sitting about doing nothing. I already have five 15" monitors sitting about the flat gathering dust and one 13" monitor. Why can't I just throw them out? I've also got a scanner that only works on Windows 95......and none of my computers have Windows 95.

Hay fever

Suffering from hay fever just now. Sneezing like mad and rubbbing my eyes till there's nothing left of them

TFT Monitor

Well, I've finally been forced to join the modern world and get a flat screen monitor.
BENQ FP937s 19" is the one I went for - because it had just been reviewed in PC World and was cheap. I hope I don't have any bother getting it to work on my computer. No other monitor has worked on it yet but I assume with the correct disk I should get this new one to work. I'd be better off getting a new computer. All my computers run on Windows 98SE and that's just too old.

Loud music
I had to laugh in the supermarket tonight. They had put the music on far too loud by mistake. It was only when they noticed old grannies disco dancing they thought to turn it down.

The end of the road

This is where the cycle path comes to an end. If I did manage to get my bike over this gate (dunno if it's locked or not) I'd then have to walk with my bike some distance to get me back on the main road. maybe someday they will upgrade it and I can start to use the cycle path home instead of risking my life on the road. You see, whenever I get on my bike, I seem to become invisible to car drivers.

A tideir flat?

Why is it I can spend most of the day tidying up my flat and it hardly looks any tidier. It would help if I actually threw some things out instead of keeping them.

Like this for instance

I have no idea what these cables are for. I bought a huge bundle of cables off Ebay and threw most of them away as they were no use......but I kept these. Nine months later and I still haven't used them yet.

Lights, camera, action

This is my living room door of my flat. There are flashing disco lights surrounding it just now. Also in the picture is a camera pointing towards my settee. I have in the past lay on the settee and watched myself lying on the settee on the TV. Exciting life I lead.

I really should throw things out

This can of lager was bought two days before my 17th birthday. 29th May 1982. Scotland had just been beaten by England at Hampden and when I saw this in the "carry-out" shop after the game I juts had to buy it.

The untidy flat 2

Second picture - On top of the wardrobe Beneath the green Safeway baskets is old neswpapers sports pages going back years. I keep the sports pages of The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald, The Ayrshire Post, The Irvine Herald and The Largs & Millport Weekly News. I've been keeping some of them since 1991 so as you can imagine it is quite a bundle to keep in my tiny flat. Next to this is my tumble drier. Next are some football magazine and then more newspapers archive in A3 Landscape Lever arch files. On top of these are a couple of computer monitors and a tiny tv/radio.

The untidy flat 1

Ans so begins a series of untidy flat pictures. This first one is in response to Bananaman's comment asking if I really never did throw anything out. Well, apart from the football magazine in the case, on top is a dot matirx printer, a fax machine and an A3 printer. None of which I use. The fax machine does have the phone part connected - I don't know why because just out of the picture is a small phone I do use when in the bedroom. The small phone cost �1 on Ebay plus �2.25 to post it. The fax machine - there is a fax machine in the living room but the fax friend thing was fried by either lightining or the power going on and off. So if anyone wants to send me a fax they need to phone me first so I can plug the fax machine in. So the fax machine has never been used as a fax machine - just a phone. The massive roll of bubble wrap. Why do I keep that? I'm not going to send anything to anyone. Maybe I'll use in in some weirs sexual perverted game.....but that would mean kidnapping some unsuspecting woman and dragging her back to the flat. Not funny I know.

Milk carton full of rubbish

I manage to crush most of my rubbish into a 6 pint milk carton so there is no spillage in the wheelie bin - so I get annoyed when other people use my bin and just throw their rubbish in and stinks the bin out. The metal tins are cleaned out and crushed up. I was wishing the council would have recycling bins for them but they assure me the metal is seperated out at their rubbish tips.

My untidy flat

I've been taking photos of various parts of my flat. It ios an absolute disgrace just now. I intend posting the pictures on her in the hope it will shame me into tidying the plae up.

Craigie Rock

Craigiw Rock in Fairlie. I was just cycling by this tonight and hurriedly took a photo (I did stop). To the left of it and out of view was the old church manse - now bought by someone and used as a normal house. As a 15 and 16 year old we used to pitch our tent at the top and get legless on cider. Of all the places to park a tent. It was great for throwing things at passing cars.

.....and from the side

and now a view from the side

Toothbrushes 1

A view of my old toothbrushes from above

Tiny kitchen

This is the tiny kitchen where i make my coffe when I'm at work. In case you're wondering what the mess on the wall is, well, there was a larger water heater there before but it was removed and replaced by the smaller one. One of the concrete building blocks seems to have a face in it. Maybe not a picture of Jesus - but a face nonetheless.

Recycling envelopes

I do my bit for the environment. I re-use envelopes. Punch holes in them and keep them together with metal clips. I have dozens of these.

I've taken a picture of this before - on my mobile phone/camera but this is a better version. The hotel across the road from my office is being demolished. There was once three pubs/hotels in the village now there's only one. One of them wa actually quite a large hotel - obviously too large for the village.

Coffee

I think this cup could do with a clean.

My mother brought this down to the office/workshop tonight for me. 40 years old and my mum is still bringing me meals now and then. I took a picture of it (obviously) and I had the large size version of it on full screen on my laptop while I was typing an e-mail on my other computer. I happened to glance across and went to pick up a spoon to take a bite of it. That was a disappointment I tell you to find it wasn't real.

Clocks are big, Machines are heavy

Only one hour 44 minutes to go and then it's home, sweet home.

Oh sugar

So, he's spilt the sugar - what does he do next? He does what every normal person would do - he takes a picture of it then posts it on his blog. Not tidy the place up then?

All my tv's working now

Finally figured how to get all three tv's working with Freesat. The only problem is it is confusing that I have to aim the remote at the Magic Link Eye thing - so if I'm watching on the portable b/w tv next to my computers in the bedroom I have to aim the remote at the MLE on top of the colour portable next to the bed....even if that tv is switched off. It's just not natural I tell thee.

I've ordered another Sky remote control on Ebay as it was getting annoying leaving the remote in the bedroom.

Charity wristbands gone mad

Alright - maybe they're not charity wristbands. How many rubber bands can you fit on one wrist?

Answers on a postcard to .........

£1 richer

I felt like I'd won the lottery tonight. I went to put my trolley back in its place at the supermarket and noticed a £1 coin in the trolley in front after I'd got my own £1 back. It confused me until I found the slotty thing and swiped the £1 for myself. Had I seen the person put the trolley there I would have shouted to them (honest) but instead I pocketed the money with a feeling of smugness.

Thunder and lightning
I think we may have some of this soon. My bedroom is like an oven just now. Really hot. The previous night I was going to leave the bedroom window wide open - but I was scared burglars would sneak in and bugger me while I was sleeping (coz that's wot they do you know). Tonight I'll take my chances. I've never tried it so I might even enjoy it if they did it to me. The only other problem is it's been boiling hot all day but dark clouds have been appearing. Knowing my luck it will start pissing it down when I've got the windows wide open.

Cheesecake

Just wolfed down a toffee cheesecake. 6 inch in diameter - here's a picture of the empty carton next to a sheet of A4 paper to give an idea of the size of it. I just kept nibbling away little bits at a time and before I knew it the thing was gone.

My Freesat

Well that's me got my Freesat finally with all the programmes I'm allowed. The TV installer didn't bother coming out to install the viewing card and gave me instructions to do it myself. I think he was avoiding me because I had to pay the extra £20 for the viewing card and he knows I would have complained. What could have cost me £150 from Sky has ended up costing me £259 by getting it done by a "local" person.
My Magic Link Eye thing works as well. But I can't use my portable b/w tv in the bedroom. I have two tv's in my bedroom. One next to my computers which is handy to switch channels the other is next to my bed. I can have Freesat on both of them but not through the Magic Link Eye (or is it Magic Eye Link?) or I can have the MLE on the bed tv but then the b/w tv doesn't work at all.

It's a puzzler.

No I'm not giving some sort of nazi salute. Note my charity wristband (or is it just a blue rubber band) and look at the state of the windows falling apart.

Clothes getting dried

Hopefully they'll be dry by the time I go to bed as they are right above my bed. I don't like hanging them outside (far healthier I know). I usually hang them in the hallway but as it's so bloody hot just now I can hang them in my bedroom and they'll be dry quicker.

Who ate all the pies

40 years old and he has this written on his bedroom door. I give up. I am well aware that there is an "S" missing from the end of the last "pie" - I was just making sure I had used the right type of pen. ie not permanent. Below is the remainder of the hand.

A nice smelling fly

There is a fly in my kitchen and will be smeeling a bit nicer than all the other flies. I don't have any fly killer spray but I do have some deoderant. I thought I'd skoosh the little blighter with that. I even thought I'd killed him at one point as he disappeared from sight - but the little basket case is back. Maybe even has super powers now. It's probably shitting over any food I've got left lying about just to spite me.

I'll end up dreaming I'm being chased by a large version of this sheep. (click on the picture for the full size version).

I'm famous

Post edited - maybe I'm not famous.

Where's my fecking camera? I'm getting annoyed waiting for it to arrive now. At least the have one of the camera this time and it is "on it's way" but what the hell does that mean.

I hate this heat. It must be a sign of old age moaning about the heat/cold. I've been told by a policeman friend that there are more car accidents in summer than there are in winter with the icy roads. All these pervs driving about in cars looking at 18 year old with tiny skirts and skimpy tops. There's a thought to go to my bed with now. Instead I'll probably end up dreaming of being chased over fields by giant sheep.

I am not afraid

As a result of the bombings in London last Thursday (7/7......or as the Americans would call it, 7/7) there seems to be a lot of "We are not afraid" pictures going about. So, I think I'll add my own.

I woke up this morning and my willy was gone
Ooooo eeee chirpy chirpy cheep cheep

They don't write songs like that anymore he reminisces.

What's going on in the world today?

I can't believe what I'm hearing on the news tonight. A 14 year old is accused of raping a 7 year old, two 8 year olds and is also accused of sexually assaulting a 10 year old. Not even over a period of a few weeks - he tempted all four girls to leave the playground where they were playing to a more secluded part of the park. Also, on the day of the London bombings a 10 year old girl was found by her grandfather murdered not far from where she lived. She had been beaten to death. Police want to speak to two boys she was seen playing (football I think) with earlier. A couple of months ago a 12 year old girl was accused (in the press) of attempting to hang a 5 year old boy. I know kids have been raped/murdered (by adults) since the beginning of time but now kids are being accused of these things with greater regularity than I can remember. Maybe the reporting of these things is getting better because of faster communications but I definitely think things are getting worse.

Maybe I was just more innocent at that age - but things like that didn't even enter into my head.

My monitor's on its last legs

I think I'll need to invest in a new monitor soon. This one is going crazy now. The only problem is this computer is very huffy about having other monitors on it. I'll need to try again to see if I can get another monitor working on it.

Why is my computer so arsey when it comes to monitors. It just won't allow another monitor to be used on it. Why is my other computers don't care what monitor is used - I can chop and change them without any hassle. This is getting right on my tits now.

This heat is killing me

Well yesterday I spent the day like a slob - unable to get off my settee - I just slept there most of the time. And now my back is in agony as a result. I also stabbed my left foot with a kitchen knife. It was lying on the floor. My left foot stood on the blade. My right foot stood on the handle and slid the blade into my left foot. I have little feeling in my right foot because of a back operation about 9 or 10 years ago so I couldn't stop it. Actually, it was a mountain out of a molehill. There was bugger all wrong with my left foot. A big fucking Jessie is all I am. I've just been reading about someone else that has had to go to hospital last night because of them cutting themself that bad and I'm worrying about a pin prick.

My camera can't be far off now

I'm expecting my camera to be delivered any day now and I can start posting more pointless pictures on my blog again. Then the thing will be left as the novelty wears off.

Update :
Well my camera willl be far off now. The memory card arrived today so I went to check the website to see if the camera had been sent out yet.......low and behold - nothing. No mention of a camera. It had vanished into thin air. I went to check my e-mails to see if there was any mention of it and I found an e-mail dated the 5th July saying they couldn't find any supplies of the camera. Fucking marvelous Amazon.co.uk. That's the last time I'll be buying anything from you. You took from the 26th June to the 5th July to find out you didn't have any stock of the camera. Anyway - I've ordered another one....this time I paid the £9.80 to have i delivered quicker and it's still going to be £19 cheaper than Amazon. I only went with Amazon as I thought they'd be more reliable than going with a company I'd never heard of.
So this morning I'm grumpy and tired (as well as fat and bald).

Cornflakes, biscuits and pot noodles

How long can someone live on cornflakes, biscuits and pot noodles? I'm just too tired the last few days to eat. I did make an attempt at a meal the other night, but it looked disgusting, tasted worse ands despite me flushing it down the toilet I'm sure the smell is lingering around to remind me.

Not recognising people (#17)
At the supermarket tonight there were only two tills being used and one of those was the "baskets only" till. I had a trolley - but the nice looking girl directed me to that till as I didn't have that many items. Just as it was my turn I noticed the person behind me had only one item (a huge box of beer bottles) so I said he could jump in, in front of me and he replied "Thanks Longshot Kickdebucket". It was only then I noticed that the person live in one of the flats below mine and I have probably known him for about 20 or more years.

Woken up by five helicopters

Went to my bed at 2am and decided to get back up and post on SAUK at 6am until about 11am then went back to my bed - pointless as I knew I would be back up at noon. I was then woken up by what I thought at the time was one really loud helicopter right outside my window (absurd I know). But I found out later there were actually five of the beggars buzzing about. What am I going to be woken up by next.

Raging at the cost of my Freesat
It is advertised on the Sky website as costing £150. I saw a local TV shop advertise in my football teams match day programme the same thing for £199 so I'd rather go for someone that advertises in there even though it was £49 dearer. I then had to wait 6 months and after it's installed I'm told it will actually cost £239. There was no viewing card with it and so after about another 10 days of the TV shop guy saying it is a computer glitch to blame (I wonder if it was the same computer glitch that delayed the installation by 6 months) he then phones me up, gives me a phone number and I've to order the thing myself. Another £20. £259 I've spent on it so far. £109 more than if I'd gone direct to Sky. Fuck loyalty to my football team - I'll go for the cheap option in future.

Whatever happened to Roxette?

I was listening to a song on one of my Freesat channels and I thought that sounds like Roxette. At the end of the song the title came up as something like "Roxette versus blah blah blah". I hate that. What's this versus all about? Is she having an arm wrestling competition with the person? No. She is singing on the same song as this person. So what did happen to Roxette. I really mean - whatever happened to Marie Fredriksson from Roxette.

Could I be about to BUY some music

Ever since I got broadband (and probably before) I have this reluctance to actually buy music.It's pretty easy to find most of what I'm looking for on Usenet and it takes less time than the song is to download. But I've saw a Dido dvd that has a free audio cd as well and I think I may just buy it. Old habits die hard as I've already downloaded the audio cd off of Usenet but there are another five tracks on the dvd. Dido has become like Dire Straits (Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?) She was massive once, like Dire Straits and now it has become fashionable to knock her, like Dire Straits. Ah well, I like them both.

Hearing knocking at the door
Very early this morning I thought I heard a knock at my door. As I'm expecting a large football book to be delivered (actually a book about one of my own club's rivals) I got up to see if the knock at the door was the postie. There was a policeman at my neighbours door and I asked him if he had knocked on my door. It must have been the knocking at my neighbour's door I heard. Still, I suppose it's better than getting up to answer a knock at the door and the knock was actually in my dream.

My blistered heel

WARNING
The following picture is absolutely disgusting. I haven't put it directly on my blog because of this. Certainly not for the squeamish.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/theesel1994/Dscf0034.jpg

There are two blisters - one has broken and the other is filled with puss just waiting to explode. There is another one on my toe as well. I wish this fecking flash wouldn't go off so I can get a decent piucture.

Ooooooooooh Gabby

There is absolutely no reason for me posting this picture other than to say I was once obsessed with this woman.

Can you guess what it is yet?

The above subject line should be said in a Rolf Harris accent.

Well, if you can, tell me what it's proper name is or find me a picture on t'internet of it.

A strange start to the day

Around 10:30am I heard some glasses being rattled at my door. I thought - maybe it's the postman. You see, I have a carrier bag full of glass jars waiting to go to be recycled. I thought, maybe the postie has placed his bag down next to this bag and knocked it over. I thought no more of it. When I went out about an hour later, someone had placed all the jars in a line outside my door. I live in a block of six flats.

When I came back up later on I was locked out my building. I never bothered to get a key cut for the front door to the building so I had to go through the door to the next block of flats and in through the back door on my building. Annoying. We only got a lock on the door to stop schoolchildren getting into the building at lunchtimes in winter and eating their lunch. It was usually a group of about a dozen girls. I said hello to them any time I passed them on the stairs and they said hello back. But I think others in the building must have gone out and started arguing with them and they would have argued back. One of my neighbours even phoned the police to complain about them. One Wednesday I was leaving on my bike and I heard people talking outside my door. They were there for about 45 minutes by the time I left. Great - so that's where my tax money goes.

Camera I've ordered.

This is the camera I've ordered (right click on the link and open it in a new window so you can stay on my interesting blog and not bugger off and buy stuff from Amazon.

Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo: Casio Exilim Card EX-S100 Silver Digital Camera with Docking Station (3.2Mp, 2.8x Optical), 2.0" LCD

Glasgow SA meeting

I went to my first ever Glasgow SA meet on Saturday - only another two people turned up though.

Before going home I headed to Coopers Bar in Glasgow Central station and had a pint of lager.

24 minutes later and it was time for another one

And then 18 minutes later it was time for some food and a rip-off 70p for a bag of crisps.

And then a train journey home. I was invited to a nightclub in my home town by a couple of attarctive young teenage ladies from Kilbirnie. One of them was convinced she knew me from somewhere and worryingly asked me if I was a policeman. maybe the shiny shoes (size 13) which were giving me blisters were what made me think I was a plod.

Measured up for my kilt

That's me been measured up for my kilt now. When she was measuring round me at one point my belly started to wobble. I thought to myself .....Don't laugh - it will only make it wobble more.

Ventriloquists

Haven't seen any of those on TV in years - but now I've got crap TV to go through I found a ventriloquist. He was only on for a couple of minutes though.

Christmas is fast approaching

We've not even reached the Summer Solstice and I've received my first Christmas catalogue.

Carrier bag tax

Just as I folded up all my carrier bags I hear on the TV some MSP is trying to get a carrier bag tax passed through the Scottish Parliament. Bloody typical. maybe I should set up a stall outside the supermarket and sell the ones I already have at half price.

Carrier bags

I've got boxes full of these cartons of carrier bags......just in case they decide to start charging for them at some point in the future (like they do in the Republic of Ireland).

Strange hut

This hut has suddenly appeared in the garden where I look out my living room window. Maybe there was a tree there before that's been chopped down. But when I first saw it I thought it was an outside toilet.

Freesat

I've now got my new Freesat thing - but I don't have the viewing card yet so most of the channels are missing. What a load of dross that is there though. I do get the choice of match I want at Wimbledon. I can't find ITV or Channel Four or Channel Five.

A bit of cheek from one of those installing the thing. His mate said to me I've left you plenty of cable in case you want to put the TV somewhere else in the room, to which he said "where the hell is he going to put the TV?" because the room is overcrowded with "things". And that was after I'd moved a lot of the stuff through to the bedroom to give them some space.

I didn't even let them through to the bathroom to wash his hands and asked him to wash them in the kitchen sink. Partly because I'd just used the toilet before they arrived but partly because that place is also being used to store things.

Finally folded the carrier bags
I finally got round to folding the pile of plastic carrier bags I get from Morrison's. It onlt takes a few minutes if I do it at the time of using the bags - but I rarely do so the pile gets bigger and then I've got to spend an hour or so folding them. Then they're kept neatly in plastic milk cartons (cut to appropriate size).

Knocked out by air gel

I think I've figured out why I was feeling so drowsy last week. I bought an air fresh gel for the tiny office I work in for a couple of days a week. This was placed on a shelf and this particular shelf was only about 18 inches from my head. I think I was being "poisoned" by this because I've moved the position of it this week and haven't felt drowsy.......despite not getting to bed until 4am this morning.

Ourbid on Ebay with 5 seconds to go

I'd been bidding on a book and was outbid with just 5 seconds left. This particular book came out in 1985. I bought the first edition of it. It was a football (non-league) book. The edition I had did not have any Scottish results in it so I was determined to get the version that had Scottish results. I think I actually bought my version around 1992 so I've been waiting for 13 years to get the book.......FIVE FUCKING SECONDS. Christ, the creep was waiting for the final seconds so I couldn't come back at him. What a wanker - I thought it was just me that did that.

So just how much interest have I earned?

So - how much interest should I have earned since the interest was last added to the various accounts.

Well, the Abbey national one was opened on the 9th June so that's 3 days interest (it's is actually only two, if I think about it - but it's easier to count this way) which is 3p after 1p tax has been deducted. The National Savings Bank should have 162 days interest - or £2.91 after tax (with the greedy bastard taxman getting 73p). My ISA has no tax deducted and so at 12th June should have given me £56.87.

£5.94 a week interest

That's how much I earn from my savings.

I have £6300 in an ISA which earns me £5.74 a week (no tax to pay). My National Savings Bank a/c earns me 13p a week (after income tax deducted) from the £252.49 I have in it. I recently closed one Abbey a/c and opened another so the £122.90 I have in there earns me a whopping penny a day or 7p per week interest by the time the tax man has had his share.
The rates of interest are as follows :
ISA 4.75%
NSB 3.25%
Abbey 3.55%
I currently have around £600 in my current account and £114 cash in my wallet and I owe my credit card £29.05 and around £500 is owed to me for work I've done and not been paid for yet. So there you have my financial state of affairs at 10th june 2005.
40 years old - it's a pretty sad picture don't you think. time to bung some of that £600 from my current account into the National Lottery a/c in an attempt to try and improve things.

atacked by a baby swan

I dreamt I was attacked by a baby swan. Part of a much larger dream too bizarre to describe. The swans would grow from a ball not to dissimilar to something deepfat fried. They would evolve "transformer like" into swans (dunno where the deep fat fried outer layer went to - it couldn't have disappeared as that's what then ended up in after flying about). This particular baby swan flew towards me and I held out two fingers (held together) for it to land on. Unfortunately it used it's feet to wrap around my fingers in a vice like grip. It was agony. Then it bit me - but held on. Everyoen was looking at the swan and saying how sweet it looked - which meant I couldn't do what I wanted and that was to batter it off a table to get it to let go of me. There was a bunch of these deep fat fried objects lying on the ground - and I was saying to people not to break the outer crust. But it was too late and I had to run away from these creatures. I had a fera of going to sleep because of knowng I could wake at find I was being bitten by a swan.


Then, just before 8am there was a knock at the door. So I out my clothes on and answered the door - only for it to dawn on me I had dreamt this as well. I've probably wrote about this before on my blog as it happens that often.

Could I feel any worse?

My pills are meant to be taken after a meal. Well I took one lot at 9:30am and another lot about 3pm and I hadn't had anything to eat by that time. Went to work about 4pm and thought I'm going to fall asleep at any moment. So I came home and thought I might even fall asleep while cycling home. I nearly came off the road at one point.....luckily the police car wasn't behind me at that point. But I can't sleep. It isn't even the pain that keeping me awake now. I don't know what it is . I feel as though my face is going to fall on this keyboard I'm that tired. But when I lie down and try to sleep - nothing happens. It's a bit like a bad hangover - one that starts early - even before you've finished drinking. You then can't sleep and feel sick. That's another thing I've had - warnings about an impending trip to the toilet with my face stuffed down the pan.

Everything I touch seems to break
At my work there is a computer, monitor and printer I bought for them off of Ebay. I didn't even bother to ask them - I just bought the stuff and then demanded the money. Well, as soon as I got in the monitor packed in. I say packed in - it didn't even start. I'm the only one that uses their computer as well. So I got them to give me a lift home and I picked up a 15" monitor. I have 6 spare ones because of a mad spell on Ebay. After using this one for a wee while I decided it was too small. I've bought another 17" one off of Ebay - again without telling them.
The pull-down lightswitch in the kitchen at my work doesn't work so I just keep taking the bulb in and out while the switch is left in the permanent on position. This bulb decided it didn't want to work after I accidentally dropped it. Probably because I was feeling so drowsy. What else can possibly go wrong for me today.

While cycling the last part of my journey home I saw someone stading in a doorway that vaguely know so I was going to say hello as I cycled by. He was taking to someone on the pavement that I didn't recognise. This person then shouted out to me. I then recognised him. I've been going to the football every Saturday with him since about 1982. I don't recognise him but I recognise someone I've hardly saw. Must be these drugs playing havoc with my brain......what's left of my brain.

Retrospective

It appears RETROSPECTIVE is being removed from all new dictionaries from 1st January 2009 onwards. Seems a bit harsh as I can think of a few other words that are more deserving to be removed. Still, that's the decision the powers-that-be have made. Some words have to be removed to make way for new words. It's annoying that a good word like RETROSPECTIVE has to make way for CHAV.

I'll need to start taking more pictures

Just a note to myself (well, there's only me and two other people read this blog) to start taking more pictures with my mobile phone.

Becoming more organised via the internet

I've definitely become a lot more net organised now.
Most of my favourites are stored at Yahoo so I can access them via any computer. My Hotmail account I've now organised into various folders. It's a pity I never noticed the bit about "sent e-mails" being deleted after 30 days. My banking is done online now and I've also added Abbey National. I can view previous Gas bills on the net now (though there's not much use for that). My phone bills also I can view online - there is a use for that. My Tax Returns are filed online now.....and my bank balance isn't as healthy as I thought as there's a tax bill to be paid at theend of July.
Just wish I could get my flat tidier via the net.

Hottest day of the year - so guess what I bought???????

This has been copied from SA-UK where my dodgy shoulder hasn't been mentioned before in case you're wondering why I mnetion it in this post despite mentioning it a few times already on my blog.

It must be the hottest day of the year where I'm living (Burns Country) and I've just bought a hot water bottle out of the chemists. I have a dodgy shoulder just now - which means I haven't slept since Wednesday because of the pain. Went to the docs today and she gave me a prescription for some drugs. She also told me some heat on the shoulder might do some good - she suggested a hot water bottle. I had no intention of getting one - I was intending scalding the shoulder on a kettle. But as I was wandering about aimlessly in the chemist while waiting for my prescription - as you do, otherwise you look as though you're about to rob the place this hot water bottle whispered gently in my ear "Buy me". I thought it was the sleep depravation at first but then the bottle started waving at me and saying "look - over here - buy me". I know I've just turned 40 but hot water bottles, slippers - what's next - a walking stick.

The last thing I needed

The last thing I needed when I have this bad shoulder is to slip on some wet tiles. I was down at a chip shop picking up some invoices and the lassie was outside cleaning the tiles. I stretched my foot to avoid stepping twice on the tiles and slipped. The chip shop owner looked up at that point to see me in pain. If I lived in the USA I'd have sued him. I didn't fall or anything like that - it's just that I can do without sudden movements.

My cheapo drugs

Click on the picture for the larger size version

Well my shoulder's been buggered since about Wednesday. It wasn't until Saturday that I decided to get some drugs to help myself. I had tried using 5 years out of date Co-proxomal on the Friday night (against the advice of one of my blog readers - there are two of you out there).
So I've bought some Ibuprofen, Paracetamol and Dextrose Energy - although the latter are basically just sweets.....or at least I treat them as sweets.
I never knew drugs were so cheap nowadays - certainly a lot cheaper than the guy that used to live below me sold them for.
But it looks as though I may have to give in and see the doc tomorrow.

A bunch of receipts

No receipts for ages then along come five all at once :

My birthday potato

Money's tight in this household so I couldn't afford a birthday cake. A birthday potato had to suffiice.