tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53025062012-01-23T15:57:57.235Z"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.<br>"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat, "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."<br> "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.<br>"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."<br>Barbnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-58312536075248546032011-12-31T14:09:00.001Z2011-12-31T14:09:18.717Z

The Gift Of The Magi by O Henry One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-62790178316559888672011-12-23T21:26:00.002Z2011-12-23T21:27:50.947Z

One day a Jewish couple decided to see what a Catholic Mass was like. Toward the middle of the service, the priest said, "At this point of the service, if you are not a Catholic, you will need to leave at this time." No one left. So, for clarity of his request, the priest continued, "If you are a Protestant or a Jew, we would kindly ask you to leave the sanctuary at this time." All

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-6493595739981661892011-11-21T22:17:00.001Z2011-11-22T01:10:12.507Z

One of the loveliest people I've ever known and had the honour of calling my friend died yesterday. Her name was Dorothea Nissen Phillips; Dea to most of us who loved her. It happened while she was away on a cruise holiday to South America with her husband Fred; travel was one of her great passions. Typical of the Internet age, I found out this morning when I woke up and saw a text message from

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-29139950562928044792011-09-11T02:03:00.000+01:002011-09-11T02:03:03.221+01:00

2000 -  viewed from Staten Island ferry  2001 - 9/11  viewed from office

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-21216056740002619522011-09-06T15:58:00.001+01:002011-09-06T15:58:25.179+01:00

Asti celebrates with Sword & Martini at Everest Base Camp

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-89880810893864620892011-08-03T11:13:00.000+01:002011-08-03T11:13:21.785+01:00

And so farewell Toshiba laptop. The migration to the new HP computer is complete. Nothing lost, everything moved over reasonably successfully and basically with little to no hassle. Even managed to remove most of the Bloatware/Crap HP insists on pre-loading computers with though I'm still working out how to uninstall a particularly unpleasant bit of crap called WizLink. But by and large the new

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-41151225952498066962011-08-01T01:41:00.000+01:002011-08-01T01:41:58.056+01:00

Alan bought me a new computer this weekend. It took me most of Saturday & Sunday to move my files from the old laptop onto a usb drive. Tonight we finally set up the new computer, an HP desktop, and I'm now finishing up moving files. There's still a few hours work installing and migrating data, sorting out mail and passwords, etc but essentially I'm up and running on the new machine. What a

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-54185389801495179992011-07-26T01:44:00.000+01:002011-07-26T01:44:27.557+01:00

I had surgery today at West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, London, UK. This is an NHS hospital and for American readers, let me disclose that it is not a "University Hospital" in any sense we know of in the USA. The hospital has fairly murky Victorian roots; it was opened in 1894 as the Brentford Workhouse Infirmary (shades of Charles Dickens!), but was partly refurbished/partly new

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-55734596575328822052011-07-16T01:05:00.000+01:002011-07-16T01:05:19.533+01:00

Just watched the final Harry Potter film tonight. Wow! A worthy end to the tale. Very satisfying, very engrossing. A good way to end.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-20229691360670721292011-07-14T18:05:00.002+01:002011-07-14T18:05:12.334+01:00

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth.I

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-89452892220400008622011-05-13T22:15:00.000+01:002011-05-13T22:15:22.096+01:00

Astrid and I went out for Mothers Day brunch last Sunday - observing the real ie US Mothers Day. Asti picked a real winner, the Village East on Bermondsey Street. Lovely Eggs Benedict, lovely pancakes with real maple syrup and gorgeous bacon...and the best Bloody Marys I've had in recent memory or possibly ever.  If restaurants in London still allowed smoking, I could see that place becoming a

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-59376621583368110652011-05-03T00:43:00.000+01:002011-05-03T00:43:36.586+01:00

Osama Bin Laden is dead. Good riddance! It's almost 10 years since the terrorist attack on the US that was ordered by Bin Laden. I stood at my office windows and watched that day as the WTC towers burned, saw the 2nd plane crash into them, watched the fiery holocaust consume the towers and, finally and in a state of shock and disbelief watched their collapse. It's been almost 10 years that I've

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-9248928429752860832011-04-22T22:31:00.000+01:002011-04-22T22:31:17.454+01:00

Next Friday we'll be joining with our neighbours and holding an all day street party to celebrate the Royal Wedding. Doing a BBQ and everyone will bring food. Should be interesting as we are a very mixed ethnic/national group. I'll take photos for our housing association newsletter.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-69898615250318290682011-04-21T13:40:00.000+01:002011-04-21T13:40:48.581+01:00

After reading an interesting article in the NY Times about sugar research and a bit of digging about in the associated studies, I decided to give up sugar. Not entirely, that would be too tiresome and fanatic. But in line with what I understood from those studies, to simply stop adding sugar to my coffee which I calculate is the major source of sugar for me. Thank goodness Asti secured a supply

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-81808911557277153152011-04-20T19:40:00.000+01:002011-04-20T19:40:49.593+01:00

A good day at Oxford ACCU AGM.  Lovely drive there and back; sunshine and light traffic felt as if we were in some other country. ;) The meeting was classic. Just goes to show what happens when you piss off old politicians. I, of course, always enjoy theatre and this was a very worthy production, long in the making. Among other excitement, Alan was elected secretary, taking the position over

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-65180628618923610362011-04-16T09:11:00.000+01:002011-04-16T09:11:35.103+01:00

Up at Oxford today for the ACCU 2011 conference - specifically for the annual meeting/bloodbath where presumably they will be choosing a new Conference chair and committee members. This should prove interesting as the old boys are finally putting their collective foot down with the conference committee and imposing some sorely needed democracy and transparency as well as fiscal responsibility

Barbnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-14320745810912419962011-02-21T11:54:00.000Z2011-02-21T11:54:16.531Z

May you live in interesting times May you come to the attention of those in authority (May the government be aware of you). May you find what you are looking for. (May your wishes be granted).

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-39058912760532812482011-02-18T22:16:00.001Z2011-02-18T22:23:08.335Z

For reasons unknown it is impossible to find this Italian pastry, called Sfogliatelle, in London. WHY????? I've searched all over Greater London, talked with shop-owners, people I meet, restaurants, farmers markets. searched the web, everything. Nada. How can London not have these sublime pastries? I've seen some vaguely similar pastries here but they are filled with greasy sugar "creme".

Barbnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-3292210162642209952011-02-17T07:55:00.000Z2011-02-17T07:55:12.661Z

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-27372790090369538512011-02-07T14:21:00.000Z2011-02-07T14:21:45.561Z

Sadly the site I found this on now seems to be dead or down.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-71811683751707199362011-01-18T00:29:00.003Z2011-01-18T00:29:38.577Z

A Jew was studying Hebrew in Old Soviet Union and a guard came to him and said: 'Stop wasting your time. We're not allowing you to go to Israel. Why would you study Hebrew?' The Jew answered: 'If I go to Heaven, I'd like to speak G~d's language and be understood.' The guard replied: 'Well, what if you go to Hell?' The Jew finally said: 'Don't worry, I know Russian rather well.'

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-7948194022407725762011-01-07T23:30:00.000Z2011-01-07T23:30:50.622Z

It was a pretty decent Christmas and New Years Eve. We even managed to fit in a visit to Asti over on the other side of London. We had dinner at Ron & Hillary's along with Pete & Laurie on New Years Eve and all watched the midnight fireworks. Amazingly, TPTB in London finally got the fireworks right; this year's display was fabulous, impressive, and beautiful. I made profiteroles for our dessert

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-85826911448226677882010-12-23T00:43:00.000Z2010-12-23T00:43:15.619Z

I ventured out of the house on Monday in sub-zero temps to clear the snow off the car and drive to the local Tesco for milk and bread. The car was covered in 4 inches of snow and a layer of ice beneath that. But I did manage to get the door open and the engine started right up - what a relief. But after I'd carefully and thoroughly cleaned all the snow and ice off the car and was ready to leave

Barbnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-66071263634024033832010-12-10T20:50:00.000Z2010-12-10T20:50:58.677Z

Can you spot the insanity in this photo?

Barbnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-11927044243497057592010-12-09T15:55:00.003Z2010-12-09T15:57:32.093Z

A Catholic priest, a Protestant minister, and a Rabbi are discussing what they would like people to say after they die and their bodies are on display in open caskets. Priest: I would like someone to say "He was a righteous man, an honest man, and very generous." Minister: I would like someone to say "He was very kind and fair, and he was very good to his parishioners." Rabbi: I would

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-76744484495728698802010-12-08T15:16:00.000Z2010-12-08T15:16:06.905Z

Someday your prince charming will come; unless he took a wrong turn, got lost, and is too stubborn to ask for directions.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-45832896771794483972010-12-03T01:00:00.000Z2010-12-03T01:00:37.087Z

Tonight, when Alan arrived home from work, he handed me a very prettily wrapped box with a card wishing me a Happy Birthday. Ten days early but I couldn't resist opening it immediately. Yes! It was the 1TB Samsung portable usb hard drive I've been drooling over and wishing for. The perfect birthday present. I'm so pleased he got exactly what I wanted rather than taking me out to dinner or buying

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-58921230154697740822010-11-19T01:46:00.001Z2010-11-19T01:47:03.313Z

This has been a really bad 6 weeks for me in terms of computer hardware. To start with, I was talked into exchanging computers with my husband. (Don't let this happen to you, girls and boys! Just say no!) I won't go into what a nightmare and disaster the exchange was. Nor the massive loss of important files that it caused.  Then my router died. But my ISP, of course, didn't believe me when I

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-13762826498546911442010-11-08T20:20:00.000Z2010-11-08T20:20:05.781Z

Last Thursday at approximately 6am my router died and I lost internet access. Despite calling my ISP, O2 before 8am. it was only finally tonight at 6pm that the new router arrived. And of course when I plugged it in there was still no internet and I was required to call O2 tech support and argue with first line moro//tech support that the issue needed to be escalated to higher support, when I

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-24978296217034166912010-11-02T18:36:00.000Z2010-11-02T18:36:59.695Z

So, my massive film archive is gone. Into the bit bucket, gone with the wind. A product of 6 years of careful and often difficult collecting, lovingly selected. Six years of films I will probably not be able to collect back in their entirety. Bastard! Basically several years ago Alan pressured, whinged, moaned, and talked me into getting a used but powerful development computer from the company

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-53271389801292109012010-10-31T17:13:00.000Z2010-10-31T17:13:03.936Z

To keep your marriage brimming,With love in the loving cup,Whenever you’re wrong admit it;Whenever you’re right shut up. - Ogden Nash

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-81089939592454866062010-09-30T12:45:00.000+01:002010-09-30T12:45:24.664+01:00

A week from now Astrid & I will depart Heathrow airport for New York and my son Andrew's wedding. I'm pleased and excited for Andrew and Joanna and happy the long wait is almost over for them. I've made lists of what I need to buy here in the UK to bring to the US for friends and family and another list of what I need to buy while in the US to bring home with me. There are surprisingly many

Barbnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-63710971595017453062010-09-10T11:34:00.000+01:002010-09-10T11:34:55.091+01:00

All 1st amendment arguments aside, I find the recent ruckus and international outrage over some rabble-rousing Florida pastor's plan to burn Korans on 9/11 utterly hypocritical and revealing. That's because what's not being said about this situation is that he also plans to burn Talmuds. Why is no one denouncing the planned burning of the Talmud? Is it ok to burn Jewish sacred texts but not

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-7487276045974193302010-08-17T18:00:00.000+01:002010-08-17T18:00:57.609+01:00

I've just discovered this hilarious little digital spinoff of the excellent House MD TV series. It's available on the Fox website for US based viewers I've been told. I found it on YouTube. A quick search will get you the whole 13 episode series. Basically Nurse Jeffrey was a very minor bit character on a House episode where House fleetingly mocked him with the old canard about male nurses. The

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-89356232338805061832010-07-30T01:43:00.001+01:002010-07-30T01:45:37.893+01:00

 Children And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children." And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-34370280732553892402010-07-21T19:47:00.000+01:002010-07-21T19:47:26.802+01:00

I've tried 3 times to watch this film and see why people keep raving about it. I'm sorry but I just can't see what they see in it. I think it's BORING crap. I guess I'm not all that impressed with CGI and I've read too much good literature and seen too many brilliant films to be fooled by the Emperor's New Clothes any more. Don't get me wrong, I do have a taste for crumby movies sometimes - but

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-50836989702015732892010-07-13T11:04:00.000+01:002010-07-13T11:04:52.691+01:00

Today the invitation to Joanna and Andrew's wedding finally arrived in the mail! It's been a long and fraught process getting them ordered, assembled, addressed, and sent out and I'm very relieved to to see that task completed. That said, the invitations are beautiful and elegant. (Of course the idiots at UK Customs/UK Mail felt required to open our invitation before delivering it, just to make

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-2262081477499214272010-07-08T22:21:00.003+01:002010-07-09T01:14:11.936+01:00

Asti and I drove to Brussels early Tuesday morning to apartment hunt for her prior to her starting a new contract there on the following Monday. She was incredibly lucky to find a charming place in a stylish elevator building in the medieval part of the city. The area is filled with cafes offering inexpensive but good food and drinks daytime and music at night. Also a vast selection of excellent

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-13215792914407009262010-06-23T20:49:00.001+01:002010-06-23T20:50:00.994+01:00

June 23, 2010, 2:41 PM Earthquake Shakes New York: By THE NEW YORK TIMES A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck north of Ottawa on Wednesday afternoon, rattling buildings as far away as Vermont, Albany and even New York City. CNN 5.5 magnitude quake strikes Canada; no major damage [Updated at 2:55 p.m.] There has been no major damage reported so far from an earthquake that hit Canada today, the

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-84451341542918064092010-06-11T22:27:00.003+01:002010-06-11T22:30:53.157+01:00

Just returned from a holiday/shake-out trip to North Wales in the new car. The Honda handled it with grace and comfort and really good mileage. I think I want to replace the wiper blades but that's fussiness on my part. The photos can be seen here:     http://www.flickr.com/photos/37159912@N00/sets/72157624253518622/

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-9053155216951649862010-05-23T01:00:00.000+01:002010-05-23T01:00:28.677+01:00

I just saw Shrek Forever After and it was a happy ending to the series. They pulled the quality back up and regained the snappy humour of the original. Just a good, funny, clever film. Plus, as far as I'm concerned, the kitty still steals the show!

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-67481074654271662962010-05-22T15:50:00.003+01:002010-05-22T16:08:06.159+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-29090808301785520002010-05-19T23:59:00.002+01:002010-05-19T23:59:55.638+01:00

Since this film was released, I've thought, what a piece of rubbish that must be. But tonight I was bored, so bored that I started watching it. And it was amusing, and a funny ending that I enjoyed.  ::sigh:: Yeah, I'm easily amused. But this film turned out to be surprisingly good.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-65533917262851837062010-05-18T01:32:00.001+01:002010-05-18T01:33:36.325+01:00

Asti and I just returned from a few sunny days in Praia da Rocha, Portugal in the Algarve. Great vacation - great sun, great food, great wine. Beautiful place with lovely people. Click on the photo to see the whole photo collection.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-79208851358917368002010-04-28T12:43:00.000+01:002010-04-28T12:43:21.545+01:00

I've resisted setting a word verification (captcha) on my blog for several years despite the increasing amount of spam posted as comments. In the beginning, the spam were comments with links to commercial sites ie porn, meds, get rich quick however, that's all changed now and for the past year or so the comments posted were solely Chinese ideogram spam. I'm tired of it and there's no other way to

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-86842101000253122062010-04-28T12:33:00.000+01:002010-04-28T12:33:16.540+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-10375206970588149352010-04-27T07:08:00.002+01:002010-04-27T07:08:36.222+01:00

Angry commuter on cell phone ... What the hell do you mean my flight has been cancelled?!?! What kind of dog and pony show are you running with this airline?!?! Give me one good reason…… did you just say a cloud of volcanic ash is spreading over Europe… seriously? Okay, that’s good enough for me! Thanks for your time!

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-63682303830722299362010-04-08T20:42:00.002+01:002010-04-08T20:48:42.227+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-46846254819790035382010-03-31T18:36:00.000+01:002010-03-31T18:36:32.594+01:00

Curses upon Thunderbird and Mozilla! I hate them both. I wish them and all their minions 1000 years burning in hell. I trusted them when they told me I needed to update Thunderbird today, let Thunderbird update itself - and the bastards lost a mail folder's entire set of subfolders - which were where I stored ALL the emails from family and close friends. Arrrghhhhhh!!!!!They completely deleted

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-65767773018085311702010-03-19T23:22:00.000Z2010-03-19T23:22:15.439Z

Astrid took me to Bath for a Mothers Day outing on Saturday. It's a 2.5 hour drive each way but we'd never been there before, always wanted to, and it combined 2 of my favorite things - an archeological site and a spa. The archeological site is interesting - a surprising amount of the Roman baths remains including of course, the natural thermal springs. The modern spa built on part of the old

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-47800237881067158202010-03-09T02:00:00.000Z2010-03-09T02:00:52.590Z

I was genuinely surprised and delighted with the Academy Awards this year. Of course, that's because I agreed with almost all their choices, the exceptions being mild and a "fair enough" imo. I was hoping the Best Animated Film would go to The Secret of Kells - because I'm utterly smitten with this exquisite film. However, I liked Up and it was a charming film of the big-budget/major studio

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-73616615334389106242010-01-29T13:40:00.002Z2010-01-29T13:40:52.408Z

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-20214094742099750202009-10-24T19:17:00.000+01:002009-10-24T19:17:11.233+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-61825409630696568612009-09-24T11:29:00.000+01:002009-09-24T11:33:40.668+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-53584217224869280432009-08-27T22:39:00.000+01:002009-08-27T22:40:29.637+01:00

1. Aspire to be Barbie - the bitch has everything.2. If the shoe fits - buy them in every color.3. Take life with a pinch of salt... A wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila.4. In need of a support group? - Cocktail hour with the girls!5. Go on the 30 day diet. (I'm on it and so far I've lost 15 days).6. When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.7. Let your

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-77956556642143696192009-08-13T17:01:00.000+01:002009-08-13T17:04:57.665+01:00

Where the Dead Men LieBarcroft Henry BoakeOut on the wastes of the "Never Never,"That's where the dead men lie,There where the heat-waves dance forever,That's where the dead men lie;That's where the Earth's lov'd sons are keepingendless tryst - not the west wind sweepingfeverish pinions, can wake their sleeping -Out where the dead men lie!Where brown Summer and Death have mated,That's where the

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-37436609564207620752009-08-11T11:41:00.000+01:002009-08-11T11:42:08.837+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-67693731715922081582009-08-10T16:56:00.001+01:002009-08-10T16:56:35.403+01:00

Charles Manson was 5'2"That says so much, explains so much

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-55651240303433762812009-08-05T18:28:00.000+01:002009-08-05T18:29:08.702+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-43600553067546968772009-07-29T10:22:00.004+01:002009-07-29T10:29:11.064+01:00

Watch them all!!

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-4050803931278799792009-06-11T09:29:00.002+01:002009-06-11T09:32:08.068+01:00

W8ing4Godot from 15 Second Film Festival on Vimeo.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-60374820507312886222009-05-20T13:56:00.000+01:002009-05-20T13:57:29.246+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-14207568342159490082009-05-19T14:05:00.000+01:002009-05-19T14:06:17.766+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-7727291730463518442009-05-01T14:19:00.000+01:002009-05-01T14:20:44.322+01:00

Secret video footage of the Nazi's last agile planning meeting: Hitler goes crazy when he learns that his team has not been following the tenets of the agile manifesto..

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-10750807099230819522009-04-21T16:08:00.003+01:002009-05-08T23:30:53.541+01:00

With many thanks to Examiner.com (where you can find this and much, much more!)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Welcome to the world of ambiguity.Job interviews are often filled with unnecessary questions and ambiguity. The problem is so common that I often dream about the opportunity to apply for a job I don't want just to see how it unfolds

Barbnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-15363174057396386602008-12-10T00:41:00.003Z2008-12-10T00:48:39.213Z

It's been a long crazy month since I last posted on here. My son Andrew & his fiance Joanna visited us over the long Thanksgiving Day weekend. Great to see them again, pity the weather was lousy but that's London in November for you.My manager at work - ugh, less said the better. She's an obsessive micro-manager/backseat driver/passive aggressive bully type who fills empty time with endless

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-2127519942268564702008-11-05T06:54:00.002Z2008-11-05T07:03:19.262Z

Woke up this morning to a working internet connection and the news that we have a new President. I'm hoping for the best now.  Especially because Obama has majorities in both House & Senate. (One wishes the Brits would learn a lesson from the US and throw out Gordon Brown and Labour - but it would take energy and effort, putting your money where your mouth is, and Brits don't do that. Their forte

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-27078935365862025312008-11-05T00:10:00.001Z2008-11-05T00:11:53.793Z

Arrgh! My ISP is having a DNS "major issues" so I can't connect to US sites - or maybe 80% of the internet or something horrible. Nightmare.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-825140022686006182008-10-25T10:22:00.000+01:002008-10-25T10:23:38.056+01:00

YES!! My residence visa was approved - passport (and documents) arrived in the mail today.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-74994391888725633842008-10-23T23:50:00.001+01:002008-10-23T23:52:21.487+01:00

You need to watch The Secret Life of Bees. Exquisite film. And Queen Latifah once again is magical.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-17733054722011404132008-10-22T08:17:00.002+01:002008-10-22T08:26:53.234+01:00

So finally "only" three months after I applied for my new visa under their premium same day service for £950 (almost $2,000 for you in the states), the UK Border Agency admitted to my MP's office that they had made a decision on my application and would contact me with the result in due course. This comes after they told us the day I applied that everything was in order and I should just go have

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-62495213317910934382008-10-12T08:44:00.002+01:002008-10-12T08:46:46.890+01:00

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-32321450898541721412008-10-10T07:59:00.003+01:002008-10-10T08:11:05.069+01:00

Oh my god! This is so amazing and fantastic - I found my best friend after we'd been separated and lost track of each other for 30 years. And, like real best friends, it's as if we were never apart, it's still exactly the same. Oh my god - it's Barb & Irma again! Yay!!!I'm almost stunned with delight. She is, too. We've been looking for each other and checking the internet and finally luck was

Barbnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-45605580315995646382008-10-01T01:42:00.001+01:002008-10-01T01:42:55.239+01:00

What a surprise, another 5607 crap emaiils downloading now. This is getting really ugly

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-53469296551869962332008-10-01T01:34:00.002+01:002008-10-01T01:36:32.736+01:00

Ugh, finally got all the crap mail downloaded, marked, and removed to the trash. The final tally is over 20,000! All returned mail from some bastard spammer who spoofed my address. You would think sysadmins would know how to check the real sender address by now. But no, lazy, slovenly mail is the rule of the internet.What a time wasting nightmare that's been. And probably more to come.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-7848544312788607232008-09-30T23:01:00.002+01:002008-09-30T23:03:46.963+01:00

Thunderbird is currently downloading over 10,000 emails for me right now. Yes, 10,000 emails - all SPAM related. Someone spoofed my email address on some spam and voila, I'm getting 10,000 undeliverable notifications.I really believe in the physical punishment for the people who do this. Very psinful physical punishment.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-70596592532063494102008-09-21T21:29:00.002+01:002008-09-21T21:42:39.027+01:00

OMG! I just -finally- watched Frequency. What a film, fabulous. For years friends have told me to watch it and somehow I just never thought it was my sort of film. What an idiot I was. But at least it was a perfect choice for a quiet Sunday night. If you haven't seen it, you should. Really excellent.IMDB review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186151/I've been watching a lot of films this summer

Barbnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-8426000498008248182008-09-13T11:57:00.001+01:002008-09-13T11:58:59.430+01:00

http://www.cityofmemory.org/City of Memory is an online community map of personal stories and memories organized on a physical geographical map of New York City.It's a great deal more but it needs a lot more people to add their stories. Please add yours!

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-84321850106063864982008-09-11T22:58:00.002+01:002008-09-11T23:00:32.443+01:00

So, home from Moorefield Eye Hospital after repeat surgery to reattach the edge of my retina. No tears is the good bit and it looks like that edge simply didn't reattach fully the first time. So extra careful this time to make sure all goes perfectly. Phoeey, hate this stuff.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-74116177321621406532008-09-11T19:04:00.001+01:002008-09-11T19:06:02.859+01:00

LHC Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment WebcamsThere are currently two webcams onlineCamera 7: looking at the Underground Experimental Cavern from the Saleve side.Camera 8: looking out of the window of the 1st Floor of the SCX building that houses the CMS Control room.http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-37436594097255435132008-09-11T01:48:00.002+01:002008-09-11T01:56:42.878+01:00

Just when you thought life was settling down it rises up and smacks you upside the head.I came home from work today and noticed a few black specks in my right eye's vision. This is a bit frightening for me because that's the eye that just had a detached retina and I just had surgery to correct in July. At 2 follow up visits the doctors assured me it was healing beautifully, perfectly, I was the

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-72545998262303069002008-09-10T09:09:00.002+01:002008-09-10T09:11:56.902+01:00

Scientists fire up giant atom smasherDeep beneath the border of France and Switzerland, scientists Wednesday fired up one of the most ambitious experiments ever conceived, firing protons around a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel to try to unlock the secrets of the universe.http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/09/10/lhc.collider/index.htmlGo Science! CERN rocks!So much for the idiot-brigade doomsayers.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-9276125165712513162008-09-08T18:17:00.002+01:002008-09-08T18:19:31.845+01:00

Three weeks now since I expected my agency to deposit my paycheck. Arrgh, what complete incompetence. This is wrecking my budget. It doesn't matter how much you make if you can't rely on them to deposit your funds promptly and reliably.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-44119122627691448652008-08-24T12:40:00.004+01:002008-08-24T13:01:55.732+01:00

Food Meme1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating..1. Venison2. Nettle tea3. Huevos rancheros4. Steak tartare5. Crocodile6. Black pudding 7. Cheese fondue8. Carp9. Borscht10. Baba ghanoush11. Calamari12. Pho13. PB&J sandwich14. Aloo gobi15. Hot dog from a street cart16

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-11910369695553789902008-08-07T07:45:00.002+01:002008-08-07T07:49:45.374+01:00

Tuesday was Alan and my 2nd anniversary. We talked about it and are pleasantly surprised at how well it's worked out. Yes, the usual snags and spats and complaints but we have been friends for so many years I guess we're used to that part by now. On the other hand, reflecting back over 2 years, we're still happy about our decision. We decided to celebrate with a long weekend somewhere in Sept -

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-31843156766812498642008-07-27T00:20:00.002+01:002008-07-27T00:23:04.531+01:00

Slowly, slowly my eye is healing and recovering from surgery. Vision is still fuzzy. I'll know more when I see the consultant on Tuesday. I have a list of questions for him. But, so far, so good.In other news it's miserably hot and humid here. So oppressive one wants to do nothing at all. Perhaps sip iced tea, take a shower but that's the limit of ambition.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-75352748951735441112008-07-21T18:05:00.002+01:002008-07-21T18:14:03.588+01:00

Give credit where credit is due - the NHS has a few (miniscule but they are there) things right - the Moorfield Vitroretinal Emergency Clinic is one of them. It's absolutely no-frills, low comfort, no amenities BUT, and here is the diamond, the consultants are brilliant, the nurses are top notch, they actually have reasonably up-to-date equipment, and they class ALL retinal detachments are

Barbnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-84568844875231891122008-07-17T08:01:00.002+01:002008-07-17T08:16:03.476+01:00

Tuesday I had surgery for a detached retina. Totally unexpected, unplanned.Had some fuzziness in my right eye on Monday, went right to my optician after work. She spotted the problem immediately and made arrangements for me to be seen by a specialist that night. She insisted on my going then and there - well done! I would have waited till morning normally or gone to the local hospital which is

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-4144028898018755592008-07-17T07:54:00.000+01:002008-07-17T07:55:20.592+01:00

(Native American cop is arresting a black man)Black man: Fuckin' discrimination, man! Leave me the fuck alone! I ain't done nothin wrong!Native American Cop: Fuck you! We were oppressed first!Black man: Apache motherfucker!(Overheard in New York ---82nd St, Queens)

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-60298936975129560332008-07-10T20:20:00.002+01:002008-07-10T20:24:39.401+01:00

I passed the "Life in the UK" test today.Yes, ladies and gents, that is a real, official UK gov't required test you must pass to get a resident visa/citizenship here.They made me swear to secrecy about the questions. really. ( To protect the guilty, I suppose - I could have played Vegas with these questions and had them rolling in the aisles)

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-57409454156385889242008-07-10T06:57:00.001+01:002008-07-10T06:57:49.125+01:00

Conductor: This is 81st street. Get off here for the big museum of dead stuff.--Uptown C Train

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-38051553152062158272008-07-09T00:00:00.002+01:002008-07-09T00:04:14.451+01:00

Just got an email that an old friend of Alan's has died. Funeral next week. We'll go to the memorial afterwards at the pub to toast her memory. I remember her as a rather nice, funny old woman. She was a local Councillor and stood for the environment in a very practical and sensible manner. She was a smoker, a fellow exile. (No she didn't die from smoking!)

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-50475535800197071862008-07-08T21:41:00.002+01:002008-07-08T21:49:49.944+01:00

Update on the burn. I've never had a burn like this before. Usually the skin gets a bit red or at worst, I get blisters, which usually break) and then it gets scabby and starts to heal. This time, no visible blisters. The skin is a dark reddish brown and swollen where it was burned and I suspect the blisters are deep below. It hurts. It hurts a hell of a lot.So, deciding to take advantage of the

Barbnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-75982860347316349652008-07-06T21:30:00.002+01:002008-07-06T21:32:11.240+01:00

It took over 5 hours of iced wraps and painkiller tablets to bring the burn pain down to function level. It's 9:30 pm now and the hand still hurts and is stiff. There aren't blisters yet but the skin is swollen in the pattern of the boiling water inpact.

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-12839960580966592462008-07-06T11:29:00.002+01:002008-07-06T11:32:39.131+01:00

damn, damn, damn! I burned my right hand this morning making coffee. Splashed boiling water all over the top of my hand.I stayed calm and grabbed for the "cooling burn spray" we keep handy on the kitchen counter. What garbage! Useless and didn't work. I turned on the cold water and stuck my hand under the running water as fast as I could. Now that is relief. I don't know why the spray didn't work

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-19347477802477507292008-07-01T00:01:00.002+01:002008-07-01T00:28:56.320+01:00

And so tomorrow my little "vacation" comes to an end. Wednesday morning at 9am will find me at my new job. That's the good news. The bad news is that my agency has a monthly pay schedule. I know that a monthly pay cycle is the general rule in the UK, especially for higher level jobs, but I've been lucky in that, up till now my jobs paid on a weekly basis. The money is obviously exactly the same

Barbnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-46896699213156245192008-06-27T16:51:00.002+01:002008-06-27T16:53:04.773+01:00

I start a new job on Wednesday as a project manager in Disaster Recovery at GlaxoSmithKline. The offices are a 5 minute drive from my house - astounding!

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-74122875257188989052008-06-27T10:01:00.001+01:002008-06-27T10:01:34.360+01:00

The night too quickly passes And we are growing old, So let us fill our glasses And toast the Days of Gold; When finds of wondrous treasure Set all the South ablaze, And you and I were faithful mates all through the Roaring Days. Henry Lawson, "The Roaring Days"

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-59334195350317287822008-06-23T12:53:00.002+01:002008-06-23T13:15:12.218+01:00

How can they not have cottage cheese?So here I am trying to move to a healthier diet. More fruit and vegetables, less bread and pasta, you know the drill. So I was shopping at Tesco's and for crying out loud, they don't sell plain cottage cheese.They sell disgusting low-fat cottage cheese with it's plastic texture and taste. They sell plain low fat cottage cheese, low-fat cottage cheese with

Barbnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5302506.post-25885582241984378142008-06-21T22:18:00.002+01:002008-06-21T22:23:38.145+01:00

Went to see Cabaret at the Lyric theatre with Asti today. Awesome, awesome, awesome production. The actress playing Sally Bowes was no Liza Minella, not in her dreams; she was adequate and passably good in a few bits. The rest of the cast was ok. The orchestra was great. And the MC, ah the MC...the MC -was- the show and he was fabulous. From the moment he peeked his head out of the dilated iris

Barbnoreply@blogger.com1