The Mushkush Miscellany

At lunch this week I've been trying to make the best of the sun by escaping the stifling environment of our training room and eating my lunch and people watching in sunny George Square and having a nose around the local area. Struck me that the only times I can remember being in George Square previously has been for protest marches (or attempted protest marches) of one kind or another, though I'm sure that can't be true. Anyway I went off yesterday reading up on a bit of local history and hoped to post a photo today but forgot my camera. It would have faded into insignificance next to the shots of Glaswegian infested Machester today. I pity the fools.

So the history I was reading was the sort of event that was vital to securing the sort of lifestyle most of us in the 'west' enjoy, but the history and necessity of which has been forgotten and dismissed by generations who assume it's always been this way. And me. We all owe a debt to the folk that have fought and struggled to get us where we are today.

This week I am spending the working day in Glasgow learning all about Maintaining a SQL Server. It's also the start of the official busiest time of the year with all sorts of events happening over the next few weeks, which will be blogged about just for you as they happen because there's too much for me to be bothered writing down just now. Anyway, it's nice being in Glasgow again, I need to go through more often (I say this every time).

As previously hyped on this very website, I finally got round to watching Episode 1 of Dennō Coil (here) tonight, and it's excellent. Just thought you should know.

I saw these awesome photos of the recent volcanic eruption in Chile in The Metro (I think) but lost hope of finding them. Then they turned up on BLDGBLOG, which made me happy. Looks like CGI but it's actually a nice combination of lightning and volcanic eruption. Puts the flashes and rumbles Edinburgh got yesterday in perspective a little - and I love thunder, I can't imagine how much my awe-at-the-universe gland would be exploding if I saw this in real life (shortly before crapping myself and running for my life.

The universe really does kick arse, you know?

Just finished Band of Brothers, the history book that the excellent TV series was based on. It's compulsive reading. I started it at work yesterday (at lunch, mind) but found myself inventing toilet trips mid afternoon. I think seeing the TV series helped keep track of the people because the book throws names at you at a high rate of knots and, in case you didn't notice, a lot of people died in the second world war so there's a high turnover. The only flaw, really, is that it assumes a greater understanding of military rank and organisation than I have - it could maybe to with a family tree or similar at the start of each chapter, especially as the structure changes during the war.

Message in the first: My Wii is now internetified - bring it on! For half an hour a day. Sometimes.

Message in the second: I have finally made it to 1,000 books according to Library Thing. Better give some away again.

The Official Photographs for the Great Edinburgh Run are now up. You can see pictures of me here, and they prove conclusively that despite me being astonishingly beautiful, I don't photograph well.

After what I thought was a dang good run at the weekend (did I mention the 10k at all, I can't remember - you can still sponsor me, you know? current total £461.12 - let's just make it £500, eh?) which was remarkable for being pain free and left me relatively pain free all week, I decided to start training again today and got about 1 minute 20 seconds in before I couldn't go any further. All very strange. This week, I am thinking it's because I'm not doing a proper warm up.

In other not working news, I'm having trouble getting my Wii to connect to my wireless router or when it connects to my wireless router it's not able to see into the outside world. Unfortunately it's at the opposite end of the flat, though that shouldn't matter, and for some reason Laura wants to watch TV programs on her TV instead of letting me play.

Plus side is that I've been shooting swarthy East European Spanish non-zombies in Resident Evil 4, and my current Sports fitness level is an impressive 77. That was achieved around midnight last night, so I think it's not too bad.

In other things that are working news, I just started a remote desktop session to my PC at work. I am far too pleased about that for it to be healthy, work shouldn't make you happy, otherwise it's not work. It's taken so long to get set up I now can't imagine what good it will do me (not true, I can now access any PC or server at work from home - I never have to leave again. if only there wasn't this culture of attendeeism encouraged by our capitalist overlords to keep us under control, or something).

Minor footnote in personal history: last night I got my Wii on. We went looking on Saturday but buying off the shelf is next to impossible - not because of lack of stock but because it's just such a hassle to decide. And it's cheaper online. So it arrived at the parentals last night and after a very nice evening beneath the sun and blossoms in The Meadows, we weaved our way to the Wii.

Beautiful night last night - walking by the river at half nine it was as populated as it ever is in daylight by dog walkers and joggers and a homeless man. And me, peeing in the bushes. Men, eh?

Today it's another cherridy booksale day at work and, to be honest, in this weather nobody is in the mood for working. 5 books for £3 is not bad at all. Amongst other things I got Accelerando by Charles Stross and The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, pretty much at the two extremes of my wishlist. I also got the complete tales of Para Handy, which should be interesting. Since I've listed three I may as well mention the other two: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner and Band of Brothers. Maybe once I've cleared the literary mountain next to my bed I can start on some of these.

In other shopping news, I just had a nice ice lolly.

I know I already sang the praises of the most excellent Girl Genius but I thought I'd punt another couple your way:

Scary Go Round is an attractive (but not beautiful) tale of strangeness. I came into the story late and the it seemed to involve a flying bell with a huge moustache and a french accent bombing a rhyming wendigo with exploding easter eggs. You see where the goodness lies?

Kukuburi is a beautifully rendered tale of a courier drawn (pun intended) into a parallel universe of wise old chameleons and battle whales - curious to see where it's going to go.

Did I mention I've subscribed to 2000AD? Retro-beantastica!