You are allowed to enjoy this…

Yesterday, I managed to fall asleep at my keyboard while actually writing an article. My god, if my writing has that effect on me what does it do to the poor reader? When I awoke, Alex was lying at my feet.

Today, been trying to avoid reading spoilers to the final Dr Who episode, but I just can’t help myself. The Sun newspaper had a picture of the Emperor Dalek. It looks suitably big and scary. I can’t wait for Saturday night.

In the post: a box of 100 blank printable CD-Rs for the production of more Sows’ Ears. We sold out again last week and I need to get some more together. Very popular. Don’t think I am making any money from this: the postage to America wipes out any profit and I am just about breaking even.

The saga of my broken SanDisk 1Gb memory card continues. The last episode concluded with me discovering that I needed to return the item to the UK distributor for a replacement. I duly packaged it up and sent it by Special Delivery to the address provided. Only it isn’t as easy as that. Now it seems that my packet made it all the way to the Reading mail office but somehow disappeared there. Where did it go? So now I have no chance of getting a replacement item and I have a battle on my hands to get the Royal Mail to issue me with a refund for an item it lost. Hurrah! I wouldn’t mind, but that memory card was very expensive and I’d used my remaining spending money from PayPal to pay for it (when I could have used that cash to buy CDs on eBay).

Moan, moan, moan, moan, moan… 🙂

Meanwhile, the wonderful Sun newspaper website has a wonderful article encouraging people to do the housework in the buff. Of course, they use a suitably endowed lady to emphasis the erotic qualities of doing the ironing:

Somehow, I don’t think a picture of me in my birthday suit, ironing my underpants, would have had the same effect! C’mon The Sun, what about equality, eh?

Yesterday, two fellows from separate companies arrived to look at the house and prepare a quote for the work on Chez Lock. One of them advised us that the work would be “very expensive”. This is worrying as we only have a limited budget. We’ve asked for two quotes to be drawn up from each company, one of the quotes is for the cheapest option.
In the post: paperwork from the bank.
Still feeling listless and over-tired. Keep nodding off at the keyboard and if I have a lie-down on the bed, I fall asleep almost instantly. The Missus thinks that I need to get out of the house more. Well I would if Alex the Wonderdog would actually want to come walkies with me. Most people take their dogs for a walk, I take my dog for a drag. Sometimes it gets quite embarrassing, especially when we pass a bus stop full of people and the little sod puts the brakes on. Oh well, I’ve always got to look the total shit, so deal with it.
Here’s a pic of Alex posing with my bass:

He looks so innocent doesn’t he? But he has a plan…

Interesting piece about the Pink Floyd reunion:
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/story.jsp?story=646855

Some advice often given when attending an interview or delivering a presentation is to imagine your interviewer/audience naked. It seems that this fellow got it the completely wrong way around!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4091636.stm

So anyway, the Locks are planning an expansion at Chez Lock and we wanted to get some work done on the house. The Missus duly did her research and called four builders who advertise to do the kind of work we wanted done.
The first appointment was for Friday evening at 6.30pm. At 6.10pm, I received a call from the woman who was going to survey our house and draw up the quote. She wasn’t feeling very well and couldn’t make it. Could we reschedule? I was pretty annoyed at this because I had tidied up and the Missus had left work extra early to be here. I made some quip about “must be a good party you are going to…and well it is a Friday night we all like to get drunk on a Friday, no?” and sent her on her way.
On Monday, the second company was due to call at 7.00pm. Of course, they never bothered to turn up or even call to announce the fact that they couldn’t be bothered to turn up.
The third company didn’t bother to return our calls – so that’s another no show.
Our fourth choice is due to arrive tonight. However, at 9.30am, after walking Alex the Wonderdog, I noticed a message on the answer machine. It was from the fourth choice informing a “Mr Ford” that last night’s survey had been successful and that the quote was in the post for him to sign. What the heck was that all about???
Without sounding too much like Alan Partridge: “This country!”

Maybe I am turning into a hypochondriac, but there’s something not right with me at the moment. Take yesterday, for example, I felt totally exhausted. After doing some minor chores (vacuuming the house), I felt totally cream-crackered. In the afternoon, I decided to work on some mixes of my music, but felt asleep at the keyboard. The Missus woke me and when I tried playing some guitar/bass, I just couldn’t focus my mind, I couldn’t get my fingers to work in synch with each other. I felt like I was going to just shut-down. Not a good feeling.
So I had a nap. I only felt better when I took the dog for a walk that evening. I think it was the fresh air that did it. Today, I am feeling a little bit more peppy, but I am wondering if this some sort of after-effect of the really bad sore throat I had last week. You know, sometimes after you’ve had a cold, the illness kind of slows you down. Maybe I just need some sunshine? Yup – that’s it. Bring on the sun… (What am I saying? This is England, you fool)
In the post: junk mail
Waiting on some eBay goodies to arrive, though the way the post is to and from the US, it could be some weeks before I get them.

It appears that hell has frozen over and Pink Floyd are to appear at the Live 8 concert with Roger Waters in tow. This rumour has been doing the rounds for months now, but if it is on the BBC news website it HAS to be true, right? 😉
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4085484.stm
What next? King Crimson to play London? 🙂