queenbarwench | Entries tagged with rl: general

On Thursday afternoon, we had a thunderstorm and flash floods in Newcastle! All the underpasses on the main roads flooded, and some key junctions and roundabouts. My evening went as follows...

Left work in torrential rain, splashing through 4 inches of water in the car park (ew, wet socks!)
Took an hour to go a mile in the car with a friend to the pub where we were gathering for another colleague's retirement drinks.
Rain stopped at about 7pm, traffic failed to clear. In fact, traffic was pretty much stationary eastbound. (The day after people were talking about 6 hour journeys to get across town)
At 9pm, I went to see if I could catch a bus. Nothing running, so I walked home, which is about 4 miles. I got home around 10.30 and was veeeery tired.

Here are some pics:

There was no flood damage on our street (yay for living on a hill!) and the day after, there was no evidence nearby that the storm had happened at all! It appears that I was quite lucky.

It's been 9 months since I last posted... Wow! I, ummm... I guess I've been busy! So, hello again, folks. I have been lurking and reading fic (although mostly on AO3), but not much more than that.

So, what have I been up to, I hear you ask. Let me tell you...

( Geek stuff )

( Work stuff )

( Home stuff )

( Fannish things )

tl;dr: I'm alive; yay Skyrim; yay garden; yay H50 and other tv shows.

So, that's a recent history of me. I'd like to say that it won't be as long until my next update, but given my track record, that's not really a promise that I can make.

Well actually, I've been back from London since Monday, but I've been, yanno, busy. There will be an update re London Soon(tm).

I am currently waiting to walk to my polling station. I am waiting for Paz who, despite being the same age as me (30, that is), has never before voted. And he's taking it seriously and reading up on policies! Right at this moment.

Which is why I'm still waiting to vote rather than been and gone already.

I want to make and EAT dinner already!

Oh, finally!

Current Mood: starving

So, I made it to London. The journey was quiet and the train was late, but I'd planned for that. I attempted a Skype IM conversation with a mate in New Zealand, but the on-board wi-fi was not overly impressed with the whole idea, so I started watching Castle instead. I got 10 minutes into the first episode and was already in love.

So now I've had lunch from Pret and am happily ensconsed in Starbucks with coffee and wi-fi that is free, thanks to my Starbucks card. Yes, I, for one, welcome our evil overlords, Starbucks and Google. They are my friends.

( Waffle about my itinerary )

One final thing to share, before I forget: Are You A Nerd, Dork, Geek or Dweeb?, courtesy of David Hewlett on Twitter. I can now officially confirm my status as a geek! :D

So, which are you?

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: London!

I'm catching a train to London at 9.30 tomorrow morning. I'm not ready; I haven't packed... it'll be fine... [she says].

Anyway, stupidly busy week means that I've ended up skipping over a load of 3w4dw content, which sucks. But I did track a few. Which leads me to my question: on which page can I see what I have tracked and modify how I'm notified? Damned if I can find it myself!

Ok. Jeans are in the tumble dryer and I'm copying Castle to my laptop now. Other than obvious things like socks and knickers, what have I forgotten?

Current Mood: busy

I'm supposed to be raiding this evening, but our server crashed and isn't back up yet. And it was looking like a good night for Fury loot, too :( Bah humbug! I guess I can catch up on my flist instead.

So, anyway. The office has been quiet, due to my manager being stranded in Barcelona with her 9 year old daughter because of the volcano. She has flights rebooked for Sunday, but there's more ash in the air already. According to the New Scientist, this could keep happening for quite some time, i.e. the next 40-60 years. Holidays in England or the ferry to Ireland, then.

Also,

danceswithgary wrote some drabbles, including one for me. Find them here.

I'm sure there are things I could usefully be doing with my evening off raiding, but damned if I can remember what they are right now...

Current Mood: lazy

For some random reason over Easter, I watched actual live TV. With actual adverts. One of these adverts helpfully informed me that White Collar, which I've seen mentioned many times on my flist, is coming soon to Bravo. So, I go to Bravo's webpage for more details. Only, there are none. 'Soon' is all I get.

How am I supposed to set my V+ box for 'soon'?

~x~

I must now go and cook risotto for dinner. My risotto is lovely and tasty and filling, but a) I'm hungry and would like it to be magically ready when I walk into the kitchen and b) it's tedious to make - constant stirring precludes reading a book at the same time.

Where is my robot butler to do these things for me?

Current Mood: hungry

Erm, oops! Hello, folks :D

So, a brief summary of the last three months:

January was cold and snowy. So much snow, in fact, that we failed to fly to Belfast to have Second Christmas at the in-laws.
Made two trips to Brussels; passed two audits!
Got the Sentinels Fate expansion for Everquest 2. My fury, Raelynne, is now level 90.
Passed a Problem-Solving Test and three interviews, but didn't yet get the job I want. I'm on a list, though, which is a positive step.
Went to wedding of Paz's little brother, which was a day of much fun.

I'm going to try to be more regular about posting, but I've said that before... We'll see.

Current Mood: tired

A slightly belated happy new year to everyone. May the new year have more win and less fail for all.

I'm back to work tomorrow (have to get up in 7 hours - ugh!) and January is shaping up to be a bit crazy. I have 4 days to prepare for an audit and for meetings in Brussels. Then Belfast on Thursday night with Paz to visit the in-laws. Back Monday evening; late start at work Tuesday; flight to Brussels in the afternoon. A day of meetings, back the following morning and 5 more days to finalise everything for my very first audit.

I am a teeny bit terrified.

[Also, wtf, British weather??? There has been snow on the ground consistently for 3 weeks now. This really needs to stop.]

Current Mood: busy

I have worked a whole two days this week. Yesterday was interminable, but today was alright. And since I do not have to work tomorrow, I am sitting here with Black Magic chocolates, a glass of red wine (both xmas presents), recorded episodes of Spooks on the V+ box and flist catch-up on the laptop. Marvellous.

Current Mood: peaceful
Current Location: Home, sofa

I saw this in the Metro the other day, and it sums up my relationship with Paz perfectly.

The cartoon is called Nemi.

Current Mood: amused

A couple of things I wanted to share:

From lilithilien, Feeling grumpy 'is good for you'. Such a wonderful excuse!
Regarding Stargate Universe, now commonly known as SG:Ugh, there is an open letter to Joe Mallozi et al, in the form of LoLcats. Please note, this link comes with a spit-take warning: put down your cuppa before clicking!
Thanks to toft for this link: Real Program Slash - Google Desktop and Norton Antivirus

My list of open tabs is somewhat more manageable now, although SGA Big Bang is imminent, so that won't last long.

I came so close to having my hands on my RAM upgrade this evening! But all I found was a 'We tried to deliver' note :( Hopefully, they will deliver tomorrow after 10:30, when I will be back from my driving lesson, and not before. It would suck to miss it twice!

Current Mood: tired

I have successfully reduced my number of open tabs to 11, but I have not yet trawled my reading list for the last 3 days *sigh*.

I saw Eddie Izzard last night at the Newcastle arena and he rocked!!! The tickets were unexpected, so thanks to whichever mates of Paz' manager decided to bail. Our gain! Highlights of the evening were the jazz chicken and gazelles on elastic. I've noticed Eddie's getting rather more political these days. Significant time devoted to creationism and 'intelligent design', and several mentions of the BNP. It made for an interesting, intelligent show. It was also as funny as hell!

I currently have men drilling holes in my brickwork and stuffing the house cavities with yellow fluff. Soon we shall be fully insulated! Unfortunately, I can't go into town and meet my mate from London off the train until they're done. I'm also only half way through my to-do list for the day.

Still to do:

Tidy bedroom
Tidy desk (hah!)
Food shopping for weekend guests - umm...
Check train prices to Sheffield and London.

That last one is important. I have to go to Sheffield and I want to go to London, both before xmas. I probably can't afford to do both but, either way, I should book sooner rather than later.

OK, workmen finally done! I'm off to town to meet Andy, who I haven't seen since easter.

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Everywhere. All at once.

I've had a very random day:

I am 30 today. It feels much like any other day.
Despite the birthday, I still had to get up at 6:30am to go to work this morning.
HUUUUUUGE lunch to say goodbye to the lady I'm taking over from.
Area-wide power outage at 2.00pm somewhat inconvenient.
Cake and presentation for aforementioned lady (in the dark). I feel fat now.
Give up trying to work with no power and no network and am just packing up to leave when the fire alarm goes. Dammit! Needed 5 more minutes!
Stand outside (in the rain) for 20 minutes until we're allowed back in and I can collect my laptop.
Am just leaving as the power returns. Can't get out as the security systems haven't reset properly.
Am home, showered and in jeans, waiting for taxi to airport. Am going to Brussels for work. Back tomorrow night.

Also randomly, I'm on twitter these days. I'm raelynne79 if you're remotely interested.

Current Mood: zen

1) An interesting evening for my rogue, Eris, on our current D&D campaign. We're on a dungeon crawl, and I'm making a lot of use of my Detect Trap skill. A couple nearly got me, but I escaped unscathed. Also, a bound Earth Elemental followed its instructions to the letter, motioning us to silence, before reporting to its summoner that it heard nothing and no one spoke to it. It was a rival house. We took care of the problem with a grenade!

2) I have lots of pics of D20's in a folder, waiting for me to make an icon. I should get round to that some day.

3) This morning, I mowed* my legs. It hurts, but it's also quite boring and my mind was wandering. I was thinking that I've read a few fics where John Sheppard shaves his legs (mostly in the context of genderswap), but none where he waxes them (or any other body part). I'd love to read that, especially as a not-genderswap fic. Any recs?

4) New job is becoming more interesting. They're sending me to Brussels for a meeting!!! I have a new project to start work on tomorrow morning, and some internet research that is driving me crazy because of the IE6 trauma.

5) I may have eaten too many chocolate brownies this evening. They may also have been more chocolate than brownie. Less chocolate or more flour next time. And also 5 mins extra in the oven.

6) This is reading like a drunk!post, but it's actually not. It could be a chocolate-overdose!post.

7) Bedtime! Commute is still a bitch and seven is a good number.

8) I remembered something else: Ian Brown and Kasabian both have albums out and singles playing on the radio. Given that Kasabian are pretty much Stone Roses II, I actually can't tell which single belongs to which band if I don't hear the DJ announce the song.

* I use an epilator. It sounds like one of those teeny electric Flymo mowers so, while I'm not technically mowing my legs, that's how I refer to it.

Current Mood: random
Current Location: Home, desk
Current Music: Ian Brown: My Way

Wow, skip=300 to get past to the last entry I read, and about 70 tabs open to be read/ laughed at/ commented on/ acted upon. I feel this is not an effective use of my Friday.

However, plumber has been and fixed my boiler (and bled my radiators for me) and I now need to go into town and pick up Paz's 30th birthday present. If it's as awesome as I'm hoping, I'll try and post a couple of pics of it this afternoon.

Damn, I'm starving! OK, lunch first, then town. And then the washing up, now I have hot water again. *sigh* Where does Aion feature in this to-do list?

Current Mood: hungry
Current Location: Home, desk

Holidays are great for me but not so great for catching up on the flist afterwards. I made it to skip=100 and I have 27 tabs open to read and/or comment on. But now I'm going to make lunch before Paz and I go out to spend the afternoon at Gibside.

Next week I have two job applications to complete, some temping agencies to join, some studying to do, a friend to have lunch with and I must drag my fat arse to the gym!

When am I going to read my tabs?

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Home, desk

PLEASE TO STOP LIVING UP TO YOUR STEREOTYPE!

I swam into town to have lunch with my mother, which was very nice. She went off to her hair appointment and I headed up into town to pick up a book on SQL. I happened to accidentally fall into Clarks, where I accidentally bought a pair of shoes in the sale. Oops! I'm justifying them as sensible work shoes for wearing to the job I don't have yet. I think there may be a flaw in my reasoning.

We were promised a nice hot summer. Methinks they LIED.

Current Mood: soggy
Current Location: Home, desk
Current Music: Absolute radio

I looked up from my computer and, noticing the time, decided to nip out to the shop to pick up the jobs paper. And maybe some chocolate. I'm reaching for my shoes when there's a rumble of thunder and the heavens open. I swear the weather is out to get me, or at least to trap me in the house. Last week I got caught in two thunderstorms on the same day and slipped and fell in the Bigg Market. The giant bruise on my knee is now turning an interesting yellow colour.

I have a couple of things to share. First up we have Heart Arrhythmia by

lavvyan. I've been very carefully bookmarking links to Season 5 fics without reading them, given that I won't have S5 in my hands for another month yet, so I'm not sure why I decided to read this one. It's set after The Shrine and I'm very, very glad I did read it. It's just... right.

Second thing is courtesy of Cute Overload: Cats 'exploit' humans by purring. It's not really news, if you're a cat owner; just an explanation.

The rain appears to have stopped. Time to fetch the Evening Chronicle.

Current Mood: chocolate deprived
Current Location: Home, desk
Current Music: ZZ Top

I've had a week of hormones followed by a week of weather-induced headaches (stupid humidity) so I have been in Lurk mode. ( So, some stuff... )

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: Home, sofa
Current Music: Wimbledon Men's Semi-Finals

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

When has Plan A ever worked?

Go to Plan B

Thunder and lightning, something frightening!

Well, hello there, stranger!

The Wanderer Returns

Starbucks is my friend

Busy like the bee!

Grr, server down

Where is my robot butler?

It has been three months since my last confession...

Happy new year!

Short week

An accurate description

Links in my chain-mail bikini

Mostly a good day

Jet-set lifestyle

Update: Misc.

The internets! It sucks me in!

Holidays

Attention, British weather!

drip drip drip

SetLurkStatus=0

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