*sigh* That’ll teach me to miss out on a pre-order. Hellblazer: Haunted was sold out. The good news was that most of the stuff in my order goes straight into the must read now pile and that Rosemary’s Backpack had finally arrived. Pre-ordered Orbiter and Namor because it’s by Andi Watson.

Picked up a few other bits and pieces, items of note include Michael J. Fox’s autobiography: Lucky Man, HST’s Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 and Red Dwarf season 1 on DVD.

What else should I be?

Have you ever read something in email or on a message board or somewhere that just didn’t compute. I can’t think of the right word for it. Its not that it doesn’t make sense its not even on that level. The words just don’t see to actually make it into your brain to then try and make sense. It’s like its blank and there was nothing there and you scroll back up and try again?

I am at a loss for words and not just a little embarrassed.

– – – – –

Nirvana really were one of the greatest bands of the 90’s. They are the soundtrack for the weekend kicking off now with the classic Unplugged.

When I title my posts, it is usually a pop culture reference of some sort which at the time either holds some meaning for me or is something which just caught my fancy. (The page title works exactly the same way except that it has a lot more of a meaning for me). Most of the time it’s a lyric from a song I’m listening to or I’ve heard recently. I really wish that I could type something in there to capture a piece of music. Right now when I type this I’m listening to Nirvana’s All Apologies and I want it to be the soundtrack while you read this. I want the song to match the post and the post to match the song. The title of this song is the first 8 seconds of the guitar strum at the start of All Apologies.

Yesterday was one of the lads in work birthday. It was also pay day. This combined left me with a fucker of a hangover this morning. However last night was a really great night out. I had a long chat with a friend who in the past 18 months or so I’ve not talked to much. Not for any reason other than we were never out together or had the chance. It was really good and I was very glad to talk to her for a while and catch up on stuff. This was kinda a trend for the night, a lot of sitting around the pub chatting. It was all very good. I do need to go and find my phone and charge it.

I am also very pleased to report that CSI and CSI:Miami are returning next week. w00t! (or something)

Another thread on another forum had an interesting thought which is something that has been going on lately with some people. At what point do you know your friends well enough and indeed do they know you well enough to refer to them using words that are in themselves offensive? Hmm ok I have no idea how to keep going on that one so I’ll just leave it as a standalone question.

Just fucking do it.
Yes, yes I know. It’s not that simple. Nothing ever is, as much as I wish it were.

There is a smallish thread going on over at the V about this weeks comics. As I am getting mine this afternoon I am so very much looking forward to the reading this will entail. Especially as one of the first things said to me last night was that Ellis’ Hellblazer: Haunted was excellent and I must read it. Which I fully intend to later today. Oh and I think its time for some more Invisibles

This is the cover for Orbiter. A hardcover OGN by Warren Ellis and Colleen Dorancoming from DC Vertigo in early summer. It is a large image and I wouldn’t normally post something this big but man is it pretty!

I was going to be picking this up and I was somewhat sure I was going to get it in hardback. This has ensured that I will 100% be getting the hardback. The cover is now my wallpaper in work where my screen can do it some justice.

My flatmate comes back today or tomorrow. This of course means I have some cleaning to do. Gah, I’ve done some of it, gotta take all the empty beer bottles and cans down to the recycling bins on the way to the shops.

Been invited out for some more drinks tonight but right now I don’t think that would be good. I suspect a night in reading would be good. I borrowed a couple of DVDs from Iain (Boogie Nights and Romeo and Juliet) and want to watch them. I may throw in a bout of depression aswell.

Also I HAVE to get some batteries so I can get my camera going again. As I have found the cable and have plenty of webspace I need to start actually putting some effort into it.

Oh that reminds me. Over exposure. Sometimes when I have been listening to music for a long time there comes a point where it is too much. It’s not physically painful to listen to more, but it is mentally painful. There has come points where I have pulled my headphones off because I simply can’t listen to another second. Its not even when I’m listening to the same album over and over, its whatever it is. I’ve noticed it a little more recently and I wonder what it is. Related to that I need some new music. I shall have a look in town later this afternoon. Not sure what I want, I kinda feel like something light but I have a stronger urge for something indie and maybe a little darker.

The New York Times has an article running about a project in place to put Wi-Fi on Mount Everest. How fucking cool is that? (via BoingBoing).

I had not intended to blog yesterday. I wanted to leave the thoughts in the long post (two back) right there at the top. It contains some stuff that is on my mind a lot and I wanted to keep it fresh. But it didn’t happen, there was some stuff going on and I wanted to write it down.

Right going out to get stuff now.

what else should I write, I don’t have the right.

I’m annoyed. Not just one but two systems are being messed with. Neither to my standards. I guess this is what I asked for but I still reserve the right to be annoyed.

I saw the video for Nirvana’s You Know Your Right today. Found it available to stream over on AOL US. Man they were a band.

No man is an island entire of itself

Well, today was certainly a day. Many interesting events leading to a grand finale. I’m not even going to try and find the words for today.

So after it was all over and I was leaving work suggested to Iain some beers as it was just called for after the last hour. But he has a dog to walk and was already late getting home. So went around to his place for beers and pizza (and dog walking). It was all good, we just hung out and chatted and tried to set up some software on his ‘supercomputer’.

Then we went to his local pub. I had been there before with him for dinner, but tonight was just drinks. I was getting a round in and someone wanted an orange drink. Not thinking I asked the girl behind the bar for Club Orange. This is of course orange lemonade, but it is an Irish brand. She told me they didn’t have it, but she knew what it was. I hadn’t twigged it, but she was Irish. We chatted for a moment and like many Irish people do, we expressed our mutual love for Tayto. She then informed me that you could buy them (along with Club Orange and Club Lemon) in the Irish section of the Safeway across the road. I’ve been here for close on three years and I’ve looked for Tayto. Could this be the jackpot? So going back out to Iain’s sometime early next week to check it out and have some drinks and maybe talk to the nice girl behind the bar who could possibly have just become one of my favourite people.

So that leads in a very roundabout way back to a topic which has been kicking around the V in a couple of odd places this week. Confidence. You either have it or you don’t. It’s come up in terms of writing and in talking to members of the opposite sex…or in some cases the same sex. Start off with writing and this is something I have an issue with. I would love to write reviews or articles for some of the sites out there. I’ve tried. I must have done twenty drafts of a review for one site and I’m more than likely never going to send it in. I did send it to a friend in a couple of versions to have a read of. Even that took a little bit of effort. If I don’t have a good opinion of it, how in the hell can I send it to someone to put on a public website with my name on it?

That’s just one example I guess the prime example in this case is women. A couple of postings on the V made me laugh and think about stuff…not that I need much to start me thinking about women. But one of the posters noted that a guy had once come up to her and asked if she minded if he tried to chat her up. I don’t think he got the reaction he wanted. A reply to this was a way opposite point of view from one of the guys. He said that he goes into situations like that not thinking, but knowing 100% he has chatted her up and it worked out. Kinda different ends of the spectrum there. I’ll just clarify that I don’t fit into either before moving forward. They are interesting points of view. I think the former is really bad and well its really bad. The latter takes a hell of a lot of self-confidence or as was noted in the thread a hell of a lot of booze.

Anyways I’ve been thinking about it and it leads nicely into a very related topic. How do you decide to go for someone? What makes you suddenly think fuck it, ya know I’m just going to do it and then go and do it. Well, booze does for sure. I’ve been there. But in general. It seems so much easier for some people and so much harder for others and umm I don’t have an end to that sentence. It just never seems to make sense. The last time I seriously went for a girl I got lucky, the feelings were mutual and we ended up going out for a year. That would be the longest time I’ve seen someone, which I guess isn’t bad but ya know. The internet seems to help with this a lot, at least for some people but its not for everyone. I am glad to see it working for some I know.

So now, a question. This isn’t a specific question, it is just a thought and some thoughts about that thought. There is some stuff going on in your life and it is something that you spend time thinking about (or indeed worrying about). It is important to you. Why don’t you talk to your friends about it? Is that not part of the reason they are there, why they are your friends?
Well, lets see. There are any number of reasons for this, here are just a few off the top of my head.
– You don’t want to. Pretty simple this one, for whatever reason you just don’t want to talk about it. Perhaps your not ready to talk about it, perhaps you have thought about it and you just don’t want to share those thoughts.
– Fear: you don’t know what they will think, how they will react. They might laugh at you.
– Embarrassment: maybe you fucked up and you don’t want anyone to know. Maybe its just something your not comfortable talking about.
– Trust: It is entirely possible you don’t trust them or don’t want to trust them. Will they tell someone else, will it slip out at some stage?
– Mutual friends / six degrees of separation: What if it is something to do with or about someone you both know and you don’t feel that it is something that is appropriate for discussion.
– Who cares. Maybe it is something that you don’t think your friends will give a fuck about. Its not important to them and just because it is important to you…well that doesn’t mean they’ll give it the time of day.

I suspect I could break it down a little more, but the common theme is vulnerability. Nobody wants to be vulnerable and a secret is no longer a secret once two people know it.

Umm I guess that ends that, well it does not end it. It stops I don’t know what else to say.

Oh yes I do. Someone asked me last week why I did something. The answer was a simple and honest;

a complete and utter lack of giving a fuck for a while I guess.

That works.

Second lastly, I have to pick up Namor from Marvel’s ‘New Wave’ as it is being done by Andi Watson and I am very glad to report that XP is still my bitch and it will fucking well remain that way.

And finally a quote covering lots of stuff (including the title)

No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main…. Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee
John Donne, Meditation XVII

Goodnight all, sleep well and dream well.

In the news today apperently people flirt more in email and the sky is blue.
The dangerous game of the e-flirt.

I had no idea that the song Big Yellow Taxi was that song. I’m just streaming the video for Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton’s version (AOL’s music/video streaming is still really impressing me) and its a great song. Not too sure on this version but…. great song.

Quick notes.
– Glory stays forever.
– Women are not more trouble than they are worth, but damn they are trouble
– I so don’t fit in here at the moment.
– I have a lot of reading to to and a lot of understanding to work on. I wanted a challenge, I certainly have that now.

Welcome to the motherfucking internet.

He died chatting on IRC. Talking in a channel he frequented and allowed his overdose to be seen on a webcam.
RIP: Ripper.

And the Metafilter thread. This thread might not last and indeed the entire thing maybe a hoax.

I have a couple of things to share with you this fine morning.

1) I rock

2) XP is my bitch.

That is all.

Two immediate thoughts. 1) Zombie lawyers are awesome and 2) Wesley carrying grenades is awesome. Not a fantastic episode and I will be disappointed if that is the end of Wolfram and Hart. I am quiet glad Lilah survived and hope to see her again soon. Looking forward to the rest of the season alot.

Finished watching Angel. The heating sounded like it was making funny noises so I stood up to check it out. It was at that point I figured out that my right leg was not working as I almost toppled forward. Took a couple of moments to sort it self out for which the muscle just below my knee felt like concrete and was just not moving. Anyway the pain while agonising for the same time frame also past. Its raining…not too heavy but certainly not lightly. I have this urge to go out for a walk and think about stuff.

I really should go to bed and get some sleep, but I just don’t feel like it. From the sound of it, the rain has got a lot heavier and is not the best kind of weather to go walking in.

I think my laptop may have just died. I shall be rebooting it now. Ah its ok. The screen is on its last legs perhaps I shall do a full backup when I reinstall and see if I can have it looked at. It is under warranty until April.

24 5 -6

Well that was pretty predictable but still solid. Next episode is three weeks away (bastards) but looks good.

Now onto Angel.

Sometimes the simple things can restore your faith. I’m using/testing something at the moment. I sent in a little bit of feedback for a feature I thought was missing and I would really like to see. About 20 minutes later I get a reply back from the project manager telling me its a good idea and they already included it last weekend and if I wanted to test the daily builds I could go here and keep an eye on them.

It now works and it works well. It does what I went, when I want and overall as well as my previous app did. And it is still being worked on. This makes me happier.