Iola

Bah when the shiney phone of shitieness came back for the fixers it never occurred to me that they would have done so many weird things to it.  Yesterday I took photos on said phone which of course should now be on my computer and on facebook.  Are they?
of course not
why not?
because my computer doesn't seem to be able to find them
It can find the photos from before the day of repairing.  But it doesn't let me view all the folders on the phone anymore. I shouldn't be so surpirsed - I could never take the photos of my last Nokia either (since that one wanted infrared to do it)

To view the new  photos on the camera I have to go to them  via the camera not the images folder since they appear to be in a separate mystery place.  As far as I can make out the only way to liberate them is via bluetooth.  I do not have any bluetooth enabled devices in my house.  this all blows goats really.  clearly I've reached that stage where technology has totally left me hight and dry.  I ask for things like manuals and want instructions.  I'm so quaint and oldfashioned aren't I...  (next you'll all be telling me that i-pads are not what people with incontinence use, but some kind of invention for MacIntosh wearers...)

I misscalled the IT help team.  the work experience lad (that chap has yet to see his 18th birthday, hell he was so young I could have been his granny.  Legally.) fixed the laptop's ability to connect to wireless.  I can connect to our network at home.  I can't connect to the server to download files tonight but hopefully my boss will be in tomorrow, tell me she had the same one off issue and it's just a server quirk not a machine quirk...

I've been trying to make work laptop work at home.  It appears that there is something wrong with my laptop's ability to access it's wi-fi.  Today's phone call to help desk lead to someone calling me to say they would come and take my laptop away.  Erm of course you can if you lend me another one to work on...  Oh.  Clearly the idea of someone needing to work whilst their computer is being fixed is unusual. 

I suspect 3 months of parking and mileage claims so I can come into the office after delivering training to check my email will be on the cards as I have little hope of this being fixed.  Which is tedious. 

but hey I work for the council, therefore I work for the tax payer therefore I blame every taxpayer as my employer.  which means as a tax payer it's all my own fault init....

have purchased all the tissues in the world of super softness for a bargain price.
Have purchased a further 2 boxes of hard core decongestant tablets.
Hopefully this excess will help my cold see the light and leave post haste.  I can't remember every having a 2 week cold before 10 days is the maximum legal limit surely....  If it had been flu like to start with I'd cut it some slack but really this is just not cricket.

(particularly Ms Fean...)

Consultation and info about forthcoming changes at Kirkstall Leisure centre -
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Sports_clubs_and_centres/Sports_facilities/Kirkstall_leisure_centre.aspx

26th Jan 3-7pm apparently.
Now back to what I was really looking for on our intranet...

DHL deliver for the people I ordered some books from the other day.
The book people very sensibly have a box on the order form labelled "special instructions for the delivery driver"
So I put in "leave in bookcase by the side door please"
So last night I get home and find a note through the door indicated a parcel delivery has been.
Was the "left in a safe place" box ticked?
No
Was there a parcel in the bookcase?
No
was the returned to depot you need to go and collect box ticked?
Yes
Clearly literacy is not on the delivery drivers job description because lets face it if they can't read they can be paid less....

A do nothing monday night appeared to have nearly driven away the cold that was trying to establish itself in my nose.  I was bemused at the way it seemed worse sat in my office than later sat in front of the tv though.  Today it's been playing up in the car then better in the building I was in this morning, got worse in the car and then is now easing again back to the gentle rumblings of "if you are sensible this will not escalate" that snuffles and sore throats have taken to doing with me.

There is one thing in common all the places it was noticibly worse though - 3 lush bath items only sealed in one layer of plastic.  These were a gift received on Saturday night, I know that they all say they smell of different things but they just smell of ergh to me.  It's like the nasal equivalent of "too loud to hear the sounds".  I have now ofloaded these to a colleague at work for whom they are highly prized items (she owns a teenage daughter - apparently lush is mana from heaven for teenage girls.) 

My nose is a bit sensitive to some perfumes I know but I thought that I just found lush stinky not actually snot inducing.  Definately another thing that goes on the evidence pile for "just because it's all natural doesn't mean it's better".   Now to find a diplomatic way of discouraging people from giving me such items as gifts.

does anyone in leeds have an unlocked handset (or vodaphone) one I can borrow for 10days to a fortnight?  Mine is poorly and gone to the doctors.  Just stopped working.  No idea why - mid conversation and all!   I can collect over the weekend or meet you in town somewhere.... 
I will be hugely grateful.
Flowers and chocolates grateful....

Apparently the "what's in your lunch box" stories on all the news websites today are not about the obvious but about school dinners...Clearly I'm somewhat out of date in my useage of language.
And why is "your" used? or is it really true that the majority of readers of BBC website the grauniad or YEP are schoolkids...

due to an unfortunate sequence of events I ended up at Bramley town end this morning (there'd been no busses to town in either direction go past the bus stop  since 7.15.  I got there at 7.50.  I followed the herd onto a bus to Townend to get the stanningley road busses).  This was a mistake:  I then walked all the way into town that way ie down the 72 and 508 bus route.  Not a single 508 went past and only 2 full 72s so I'm guessing something slidy and nasty happened in Bradford way (much like the something nasty and slidy happinening in Pudsey that ate all the busses I'd normally have caught).  Lots of out of service busses flew by.  First Bus not about profit, just about providing the worst customer service possible. 

Why does New Year's day always feel like it must be a sunday?
How did I stay up till 5 and then be wide awake at 9am?  Did mean I got to be the washing up fairy.  Starting the new year with a good deed is a fine thing to do.  Starting the new year with a reaslistic but aspirational resolution would probably have better long term effects though.

Fireworks under moonlight are fab: even at -16C.  Rochdale didn't try as hard as 10 years ago for the display on the horizon this year though, but the floating lattern thingies are great.  Wonder how many people in Todmorden/Hebden bridge are convinced they were UFOs though...

I am however concerned that everything I ate in the last 24 hrs seems to have become rear-end-lard already.  And there was a considerable amount of eatage over an 8 hr period....

That or I really have purchased the worlds most uncomfortable underpants recently. 

My time away with family at my parents fridge  housewas successful - 4 days of breakfast walk-eat-cook-eat-sleep/fight dog for some bed space.

I have returned and I have to say that home is great! Yesterday's journey here was less lovely than it could have been - but the snow on the Cairngorms was pretty, even if I did slip into a coma with the coldness of the train at one point. And inevitably the pretty snow lead to delays arriving in Edinburgh so the connection to Leeds was missed by 2 minutes (should have been a 40 minute wait) so a frosty York platform 4 was seen at 8.30pm last night. Fortunately I have gods in my friendship circle and grannieannie collected me at Leeds and took me to the pub anyway.

( cut for reference to families children and sickness )

At risk of sounding like a facebook entry
Pogues+Moshpit=sheer joy festival.
In more detail:
went to the Pogues last night with Lo expectations. migrated to the middle and bounced. A lot. Found myself about 6 people from the front at one point - a surprise for me. Had a fabulous time.

Woman who joined to sing fairytale in new york was out of tune in a completely inappropriate way. shame really but it's a song that's been so played to death I really am not keen on it. they have to do it though. Thankfully it wasn't the very last song . My hips may be grumbling at spending 1.25 hrs as heavy duty shock absorbers, but they may just be responding to the serious massage treatment they got beforehand....
I do love a good bouncy gig.

I'm really rather excited about this because I saw these trailers here

Always therapeutic to vent spleen at people isn't it? I assume that one of our IT teams has been told to survey all laptop users at our place as "home workers". OOPS! Just because my employer doesn't see fit to give me a desk and a workspace doesn't actually mean I work from home - it just means I don't have a desk and a workspace that belongs to me... (yes I do a desk job, yes I waste 20 mins a day because of this). I was polite because I realise it's not IT's fault they have been poorly advised but I do hope I'm not the only person who replies with something in a similar vein.

Anyone fancy seeing the Pogues at Leeds O2 next week, monday 14th - I know it's £29.95 but if anyone is going can i tag along?
there was a point to getting in early this morning - hearing the receptionist whistling a cheery tune and finding out why...

Inspired to ask advice by reading nalsa 's post. I'm having film challenge. the last few I've got from lovefilm have sucked so my taste seems to be changing, I need recommendations
recent things have been
Wall-e - eeee get me out of here, if it wasn't for the ironing I'd have given it up completely.
Gataca - great idea, dull delivery
Micheal Clayton - didn't make it to the end
Women - got a scathing "bad film" in my diary!
He loves me, he loves me not - cant remember it at all but got a "film improves"
So throw some ideas at me please, I'll give many things a go...

One Man Lord of the Rings - Halifax someone I know saw this so I thought I'd play nice and pass on the link.

* Tuesday 16 March 7.30 pm
( Read more... )

'If you liked The Lord of the Rings trilogy, you'll love Charlie Ross' version - and if you didn't, well, at least his is shorter' - Sir Ian McKellen

Tickets: £15.50

Who knew that 8 weeks of pretty much total abstenence from sugar would cause the smell of it cooking would give me a slight "oh too much sugar" stomach sensation. (made some buns the like of which I have not previously cooked plus date and walnut slices this afternoon). That was cured by my presence in the gym earlier. Sadly I've caused it to return by cooking some apple slices and eating a piece of the data cake. Which would be more understandable if there actually was much sugar in these recipes.

The cats are totally confused because my presence in the kitchen for over an hour has not resulted in something they think it is right a proper to get a little taste of. (OK so they think they should get a little taste but I beg to differ).

Yup I wasn't at werk today - I have new shower, large quanities of new makeup, cakes and had a massage. My review of the Experience at the weekend was joyful but challenging. I do like remembering that Life is indeed a go for it event...

Have returned from my Keldy adventure. 4 people, 3 nights £150 quid. Hot tub on the deck. Fabulous walking location, could have gone to other places* for fun stuff too if the weather hadn't been so lovely. (did a forest walk Sunday and the Hole of Horcum on saturday). Sadly no steam train today as R had to return to go to her passport interview (because the £XK and interviews to get her citizenship don't prove who she is enough already. Personally the sooner I can just be a citizen of this planet the better) and it was absolutely p-ing it down at 9 am there this morning.
We had great food, great wine, great company, much silliness and much walking. I may not be a very good girlie girl but I think I've mastered the art of the girlie weekend.

*Pickering, Whitby, Scarborough, all less than 1/2 hr away