Celebration

When we think about the word "celebrate" it is so easy to get caught up thinking about the all too obvious. Especially at this time of year, there is no escape from the chintz. Every think that springs to mind is geared around the events in our lives; birthdays, graduation, Christmas, passing a driving test. We seem to ignore the things around us that don't make the noise. The kiss of a lover, the smell of the baby, the laugh of the parent. Maybe it's because I know that I can't deal with abusing these things that I keep them at arm's length. As I reached the halfway point in my life I realise that I was wrong.

It is more important to celebrate what you feel than what you
do.

avoid those speed camera traps

This top tip came from my dad:

When approaching a speed camera monitored area, do not keep your car in a complete lane. Ensure your car is not in any one whole lane, so either be in an overtaking type manoeuvre or over in the hard shoulder. Therefore, if your car is doing above the maximum speed the camera will flash and take a photo but your car licence plate is never in focus, and so you cannot be tracked.

Apparently the person told my dad worked for the highways installing speed cameras throughout the country (Mr Popularity or what), and this was a known flaw in the system. If you've ever been flashed by a camera and not been fined it could have been because the camera was not working, the camera was fake, or your licence plate was not in focus and so they could not send you a photo. The person that top my dad that this was a problem with the system was fired from his job - have a guess why?

mum and dad

It is always interesting to get a visit from the parents, when you don't see them and often you begin to forget how similar you really are. It always starts with the small things. The shared experience of cooking tonight's curry can start really well but then rapidly descends into "I know better" kind of business. I think we are too similar, equally stubborn, and end up not listening to each other. After the usual criticism of you live too far away, you don't visit enough, the house is a mess, the kids to eat I find my blood begin to boil. It always makes the laugh that they are quite happy to be critical but not particularly useful.

They have a good heart so there can be no mistaking their intentions, which are always the best, it is the repetitiveness of the barrage that makes a good experience descend into something a necessary. I shared the experience of my parents with some friends and was surprised to hear that I am not alone. It must be something like a switch in the parents head that goes off and on and triggers the "annoy offspring" gene.

And then they do something truly fantastic, like pay for a trip to India for all of us, which makes me feel even worse.

strange fruit

This little horror was found in our latest shopping from Sainsbury's. I may look very serious but it caused us no end of amusement, this is generally the usual reaction to any strange and amusing fruit or vegetable. We tend not to discriminate between fruit or vegetable, it is important to treat each equally.



The more we stared at it the more strange it seemed, is it one grape? Or is it two? The kids took to calling it "the bum grape"; after staring at it for a whole afternoon that was the best we could come up.

Life is too short

"Domain specific language technology was introduced at Microsoft as part of the software factories methodology.

While DSL is a useful as stand-alone languages, placing them in the context of a software factory makes them more powerful and helps avoid some common pitfalls in applying the technology.  This article explains how DSL is fit into the software factories methodology and how using the methodology can help DSL developers of weird some common pitfalls."

 

WTF.  I think I'm long past caring.  I'm sure it is important to somebody and it's probably very useful but right now I have better things to do.

Saturday love

The best laid plans of mice and men never ever come to fruition, no matter how hard you plan things will generally go wrong.  My intention today was to just sit on my big behind and he was very little as possible.  Little did I know that I would have to spend two hours fetching and carrying in chunk to the tip yard and then my five-minute job of attaching the spare tyre would be the last strenuous thing I would have to do today.  Unfortunately, whoever stole my spare tyre, that I was replacing, saw fit to bend the thread of the bolt holding the tyre in place. Two hours of wrestling with the bolt and desperately trying to attach the tyre back in place was not how I wanted to spend my Saturday afternoon.

Trying to undo the bolt was painful for many reasons, firstly, the small gash on my hand obtained by wriggling the bolt and banging my hand against the side of the car.  Secondly, dropping the spare tyre on my foot while trying to put the tyre on the rack.  Thirdly, giving up doing it alone and having to call Suki in to help me knowing that she would be completely useless.  This is not her fault she is not a car expert and I wouldn't expect it to be.  She is not a nut and bolt expert either (no pun intended).  It was just the thought of how desperate I had become that all I actually wanted was a little company -- misery loves company.

It all worked out well in the end and a nice Thai curry is always a good way to round off the day even if it is the one that wasn't planned.

Don't write, just talk

This is the first post that I have attempted to write by actually talking into it.  It seemed kind of weird that you can say things and things appear on the screen at the same time, well not quite at the same time obviously but close enough.  It also means that you have to make sure that you think through exactly what you plan to say and that any expletive that you may be tempted to say be controlled (much more difficult than it sounds).

It is very difficult to talk precisely and not make too many mistakes.  I was beginning to think that it was very boring having to write everything up in my notebook and then type it all into an e-mail or a blog entry or book.  So let's cut out the middleman and just write exactly what I'm thinking at this moment; not every evil thought I am having at this moment but just the ones are prepared to publish and share.

The plan is the really kickstart the book writing in earnest; with no real hurdles between me and the finished text any more, there is absolutely no excuse to get going in earnest.