Automated Attack Monkeys, Scalpel Mines, & Acid

I'm going to participate in the SOPA strike tomorrow, even though I don't live in the US and can't affect its legislators, because, like Milena says, if it affects the internet, it affects us all. I really recommend you read her post, actually. It's a very intelligent and well-reasoned one. Also, I like this one on The Hathor Legacy.

This means that from lunchtime-ish tomorrow until the early hours of the morning on Thursday I shall be officially On Strike.

And tomorrow being Wednesday, and therefore my day off, this will actually be more of a hardship than might at first be apparent. So when you don't see me on here or G+ or Twitter, remember to feel terribly sorry for me, won't you?

Today at work, Rob discovered a spider. She's a very cool spider. She's made her web in a hole in the beer garden, and she's put little trip wires all around it so that if any prey comes near she can come out and get it. I saw her take down a couple of fruit flies, but Rob saw her going for a wasp. She's very fast, and very brave (the wasp was bigger than her). We think she deserves a name.

The thing is, she's definitely a she. So Boris and Aragog are not really suitable. And Shelob is the name of a HUGE spider, not a little tough one.

My dad suggests Boudicca. Anybody got any other ideas?

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Correlation is not causation.
The plural of anecdote is not data.
Your job does not define your intellect.

Life continues to be a bowl of cherries (all stones and prussic acid). I may be able to post about the horrendous perfect storm of stress I have been going through the last couple of months at some point in the future, but for right now, my fuse is very very short indeed, and if life throws me another curveball I might have to go postal. This explains my total loack of activity online of late, for those who have been wondering - for a given definition of "explains", anyway.

Still, the other shoe should be dropping within the next week or so; normal service may, therefore, resume soon.

I hope.

My apologies to those of you who are awaiting something from me; I'll get there at some point.

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My work colleague has broken her toe, and so I am doing more hours at work up untill Friday, when the Fantastic Films Weekend begins, and blogging will be light because I will be at a film festival. Just so you know why I have gone all quiet.

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Things are a bit hectic at the moment. There has been a fair amount of stress at work, given that Nicki and Claire have handed their notice in and not been replaced yet. The election campaign is... well, those of you who are old hands at this can probably say better than me, but the feeling I get is that it's even madder than usual, what with the red wing of the Labservatives claiming that if you don't vote for them you'll all get cancer, and the Blue wing claiming that a hung parliament would lead inevitably to a Nazi government and economic collapse. Electioneering is running full tilt, and I will be glad, whatever the result, to wake up on May the 7th and find it all over and done with.

Unfortunately life doesn't stop for these things. My ex father in law has died this week, so I am trying to be there for Ian as he deals with the huge amount of admin this generates. He might be my ex, but we're still fairly close, and he is under a lot of pressure.

My house is still a mess. My shoes are falling to bits and I can't afford new ones. The dogs still need walking, and Holly still needs everything a six year old needs. I've had time with the doctor, and I need new glasses.

All this means that I am being even crapper than usual at answering emails and keeping up with other internetty things. This does not mean I don't care about any of these things, but I am pretty snowed under at the moment, so please accept my apologies if you're feeling ignored or slighted. It's not intentional.

I have lots of phonecalls to make, I have to plan my London trip, and I have to go to work at 4. I haven't even had breakfast yet.

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Hello internets! Did you miss me? My week has been full of ups and downs and drama. I have had a promise to buy my car reneged on (so it looks like it will be eBayed pretty soon). I have had my hair done at Toni and Guy (been saving up for that one for ages). I have done lots of cellar work at work, and lots of karate and climbing. I have redone the menu leaflet for work. I have made a fair dent in all the web design stuff I'm supposed to be doing, but am nowhere near finished. And I haven't stopped all week. I've barely had time to switch the computer on, let alone blog.

I have managed to have an f-list cull across all platforms though. If you've been removed, don't take it to heart, I was just drowning under the weight of stuff. I feel a lot better for reducing facebook and twitter by about a third. LJ was harder, and Dreamwidth harder still, but I think it will do my sanity good.

State of my health: I have a bunged up nose, loads of bruises of unknown origin, a knackered knee, a pulled pelvic floor muscle, and have been having the odd depressive attack. And I am very very very tired.
State of my finances: buggered.
State of my house: a tip.
State of my love life: pretty good.
State of my inbox: overflowing.
State of my To Do List: overwhelming.

Urge to do anything about any of the above? Non-existent.

I spent last night sitting in bed, nursing my poor sore knee, sipping brandy and watching Genesis of the Daleks. I have Imbolc to look forward to next weekend, not to mention lovely friends coming to visit for fun times (Andrew Hickey even says I can plait his beard!), and then a few days away in sunny Luton. Last week was very busy and stressful, but next week looks to be being better. :D

Oh yes, and I have a new sponsor :D Say hello to the lovely nanila, who was the very first Dreamwidth friend I made. Her blog is excellent, and you should all be reading it.

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like the glee of watching amazing_holly and fireworks and Hywel the Health and Safety Officer and lots of other stuuf.

But I'm knackered, so I'm going to sleep. Night night.

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Work interesting. Much cleaning. Holly snuggly. Crotchw00t fun. Peter Capaldi awesome. Lack of Jack buttocks disappointing. Watching Atlantis with Mat now. Night night.

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I have spent the bits of the last couple of days reading Asterix books. This has stopped me from ranting at length on the internet about some people's priorities. Yes, a man is dead and it's very sad for his family. But he was ONE MAN. He wasn't a great leader, he was once a good pop singer, but that was a long time ago. I understand why his fans are sad; I am sad when a celebrity I admire passes away. What I do not understand is why his death is considered so important that it has knocked every fucking thing else off the news agenda for two days now. Why are they posting about it TWICE on Lib Dem Voice? Why did they do a medley of his hits on Classic FM? And Radio 4? I don't object to a line in the news summary, and then "we'll have a full tribute later on radio 2 where pop music belongs", but blanket coverage on all stations is just stupid.

I'd probably be less grumpy about it if some twat on our street hadn't had his greatest hits on a constant loop... Still, I have got through a big pile of Asterix books I have been meaning to re-read for ages, so that's all right.

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Work was interesting yesterday. We had a funeral party booked in. They told us the service was at 1.30, so we expected them about 2ish. Five to two, lots of people in black suits come in, and tell us they have booked a funeral party. We sent them into the area we had reserved for them, and started bringing the buffet out. Ten past two, the actual people who had booked came in...

Yeah, that was fun.

I'm still a bit boggled, to be honest. I mean, you just wouldn't, would you? Poor Liz, who was stressed for various other reasons anyway, practically had a nervous breakdown. Luckily, the second party who had actually booked were regulars, and saw the funny side of it. And gave us huge tips. But even so... I'll never cease to be amazed by humanity.

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And, some links:

• Johann Hari uses skience to puncture a Tory lie. The commenters on the article are not happy about it. Speaking from personal experience, Holly is lots happier now she has two happy houses to choose from than she was when she was stuck in one unhappy one. But YMMV, I guess. Hat tip tyrell and matgb.


• The Yorkshire Post has an article on why Yorkshiremen (which is, as we know, a unisex term) love beer and pies. It's probably cod skience, but it's amusing. Hat tip matgb
• 
  
• Optical illusion is illusory. Every time you think you can believe your eyes, go and look at this page. Hat tip, in triplicate, matgb


• Mitchell and Web sum up the advertising industry in 58 seconds:
  
  
  
  
  
  (YouTube link) - hat tip andrewducker

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matgb has gone to Manchester today to spend the day playing toy soldiers with his mates. I have to go to work. I am all alone in the house. It's ODD. Oh well, time to go and lounge in the bath...

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• To Cynthia Samuels on BlogHer, for the linkage and the lovely comment.


• To the Gravelly-Voiced Sex Pot for making a post which said everything I wanted to say in my rant last night, but was too angry and sweary to do as eloquently as he. And to Caron for starting the chorus of feminist rage, and po8crg (here) and Mr Quist for joining it.


• To matgb for walking the dogs this morning, which means that I can have a lazy morning before my 8 hour shift tonight.


• To Daddy Richard, for being sweet and lovely and a better friend than I could wish for


• To everyone else I consider among my family and friends. You guys are awesome. You make things that would be soul destroying bearable, and you make things that would be passable amazing. I am a very lucky SB


• To radio 4, for repeating the News Quiz on a Saturday lunchtime, so that the fact that I spent the time it was on yesterday on a phone call to someone who needed me doesn't really matter.

I think it's good to remind myself, sometimes, that I have a lot to be thankful for. I am turning my phone off for the next couple of hours, and going and listening to the radio, then I am going to have a bath, then I am going to work.

I hope you all have a good day ♥

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