Trog

Seeking advice and help

2006-11-19T22:52:40Z

Firstly this is going to be such a demanding entry that I apologise in advance, but I really need help on this lot:

1. Webcams. I'm going to get one, mainly because my friends Nigel and Luria have moved to Macau and want to watch me crumble before their very eyes. Lol. Does anyone know what makes a good one, what's reasonable to spend? Will it fix to the lid of my laptop or will I have to pile lots of books up and balance it precariously on a leftover sandwich crust in the vicinity?

2. Lazer printers. Same story really - what's good and what's not.

3. A photoshop question. Why does my text keep coming out all different sizes and look so rubbishy and amature. What the hell am I doing wrong, and am I right in thinking it has something to do with the original resolution of the icon picture? Where can I get those lovely little clear small fonts people use. How do I get the text outlined in different colours. Eeep! Help!

Here is something lovely - you probably don't know it, but I lost most of my mobility about 4 months ago - well I just got THIS!

Woo-Hoo! My very own mobility scooter, which from here on in will be refered to as "The Car". Isn't it beautiful? It does an absolutely amazing 8mph! Ok, so that's not much but I can drive it on the pavement as well as the road and you should watch those crazy pedestranians leap! It does about 15-18 miles on one charge too. Isn't it RED and Shiny. My dopey and lovely brother is getting me a GPS for it for Xmas would you believe? Cool as fuck. I'm gonna get a whippy arial with a jolly roger on it and an Ooogah horn. I've already crashed it once and I've had it just 2 days. Watch out South West Cornwall!

Oh and also I am now back on BROADBAND! I can now answer comments without the inevetable collapse halfway through composition and such. So big shiny yay on that.

Finally and with much embarrassment I must once again ask if some very kind soul would redesign my journal for me. I can't make head or tail of the instructions and I have a couple of pics I'd like it designed round. I just have no flipping idea where to start. I would of course, as well as being totally greatful, reward the person with some journal time or user pic space or whatever they fancied. If someone would contact me regarding design and such I will mail the pics and chat with you about layout and give password for you to fix me a new look. It's totally embarrasing - I'm sure my brain used to be better than this! *g*

Right, that's about the end of this begging entry - betcha sick I'm back now huh? Heh!

Lovvles to all from the Trog.

Hiya dudes

2006-11-17T05:23:37Z

Well hello everyone! I expect you might be surprised to hear from me as I have all but disappeared from LJ in the last year or so. Basically it's been a full time job being sick. I shan't burden you with the details but... Eeeeew! *g*

Things have changed quite a lot for me recently, not least in that I've moved permanently down to my Mums in Cornwall, and despite it's reputation as the poor cousin of the Health Service have received some amazing attention and a lot less of the "Well that’s another one on the way out" attitude that I had in London. I've actually had so much attention from the health care professionals here that I'm feeling better! Shock horror! I've even been offered some more chemo - whilst in London they told me in February not to expect anything but palliative care from then on. Here they actually are trying to help me! Whoopee fucking do!

To be honest I don't expect much of what they do will help, in except that it's made me feel much better mentally, and helped my Mum no end to feel that someone gives a damn. So that's good. This new chemo has only a 20% chance of working at all, and they define working as reducing tumour size by a quarter - on the other hand that quarter would work wonders for me as it's now invading my spine and approaching my kidney tubes in a sneaky sidling kind of way - so getting that lot to back off a bit would be a *good* thing. *g*

I actually feel so damn chirpy that you will find me posting, in between health crises and such - I'll try not to be to squicky about those - but guys *brown and yellow* vomit? And I hadn't eaten a banana and peanut butter sandwich since I was 4 years old! Top that someone...

Anyhoo - apart from all that -

Here is a recent pic of me and my brother. I'm the slightly ill looking one - no, not that one - the one *without* the beard!

Right, it's strained my tiny brain enough trying to remember how to do an LJ cut tag, plus we are still on dial up for another few days here until said bro comes and fixes up broadband for us - so I'm gonna sign off. But feel free to tell me how you all are finding Torchwood!

Lovvles to everyone – from Da Trogster.

minitrog @ 2006-01-15T20:15:00

2006-01-15T20:17:14Z

Armin Shimerman has just turned up in tonights eppie of 'Invasion' on channel 4 right now...

minitrog @ 2005-10-13T02:25:00

2005-10-13T01:31:52Z

This test only has one question, but it's a very important one. Please don't answer it without giving it some serious thought. By giving an honest answer you will be able to test where you stand morally.

The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation, where you will have to make a decision one-way or the other. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous.

You're in Florida...In Miami, to be exact... There is great chaos going on around you, caused by a hurricane and severe floods. There are huge masses of water forming devastating waves. You are a news photographer and you are in the middle of this great disaster.

The situation is nearly hopeless - but you know that you will escape alive. You're trying to shoot very impressive photos. There are houses and people floating around you, disappearing into the water. Nature is showing all its destructive power, and is ripping everything away with it.

Suddenly, you see a man in the water, and he is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken away by the masses of water and mud. You move closer.

Somehow the man looks familiar. And suddenly you know who it is - it's George W. Bush! At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him away ... forever.

You have two options. You can try to save him or you can take the best photo of your life. So, you can save the life of George W. Bush, or you can shoot a Pulitzer prize winning photo. A unique photo displaying the death of one of the world's most powerful men.

And here's the question: (Please give an honest answer)

Would you select color film, or go with the simplicity of classic black and white?

OMG! They picked an ACTOR!

2005-10-11T22:40:07Z

The new James Bond was announced to little fanfare - I caught in in the Standard tonight. No less that DANIEL CRAIG!

For those of you who don't know the man he is an absolutely superb actor. He has been particularly notable in some brilliant British TV dramas, Our Friends From the North and Mother Love are two of my faves. He was also in Love is the Devil, the biopic of Frances Bacon, playing lover George Dyer to Jacobi's Bacon. He's been in loads of stuff, (IMDB link above) and for my call, couldn't be a better choice.

I immediately rang my mum when I read it, as he is absolutely her favourite actor. She spotted him way back in OFFtN, which was broadcast in 1996, an in fact rang me after the first eppie and said "This bloke is dynamite, he's a marvellous actor, and bloody gorgeous besides. He Will Go FAR!" She was totally made up with the news, and was muttering something about finding some batteries as I hung up. I'm very happy for her - I do like to think that my 69 year old mum has some kind of a sex life. *g*

He has unconventional looks - totally rugged, even beaten-up looking, and the most piercing blue eyes. Just a couple of months ago, Mum mentally cast him as Willie Garvin in any new Modesty Blaise pic, a role for which he would be perfect.

I personally don't particularly see him as Bond, but I totally believe he can convince me. (My Bond choices go 1)Sean Connery, 2)Pierce Brosnan 3)Will Someone Please Shoot Roger Moore Already!) Not that I'm a fan of Bond movies so much anyway, but we were always taken as kids to the new one each year, and I always seem to have lived with a fan of it, so haven't missed any.

The current Bond fan in the house is Nic, who is disgusted with the choice - heh! He thinks Jude Law would have been a far better choice, but is very happy that Orlando Bloom didn't get it!

Anyone who want's to know more - there's a pretty comprehensive fansite here.

Daniel Craig - Woo-hoo!

minitrog @ 2005-10-11T13:54:00

2005-10-11T12:56:34Z

Hmm... Laptop sort of deadish. Won't power up, was overheating anyway. Sending it off for fixing. Hate using this crappy PC. Bugger.

Back more cheerful when it comes home all fixey.

minitrog @ 2005-10-04T13:54:00

2005-10-04T20:56:17Z

Query for a friend. What's a good html checker? Preferably easy to use and free...

Thanks.

Bwah!

2005-10-03T04:59:23Z

For those with a total overdose of Serenity Angst, I offer an antidote...

Thanks to groc for finding the pic for me - dried those tears right up!

Serenity

2005-10-01T00:06:32Z

So of course, I'm all wooly and having kittens as we're driving in to catch the Very First Showing this morning. And I'm all "What if there's a pile up on the freeway?" or "What if the film breaks and we can't see it?" And bridie is being all reassuring and saying "There's never been a pile up on this freeway, and I know a back way anyway, and if the film breaks then we'll get something to eat and see the next showing in the posh seats..." and generally calming me down as I was getting all bouncy and having a minor fan-girl freak out.

Of course, and would you fucking believe it, we get there and the FILM BROKE when they were testing it out and we had to wait for the next showing! I can also kill you with my brain!

My heart was so motherfucking broken that it was half an hour after the movie ended before I could even remember anything else. Wash is dead and I'm still sniffling like a baby.

Nifty bit of retro-fitting, making Simon go and get River from the evil labs - I recall in the series that he claimed to have had her delived by 'the resistance' to him on Persephone. But this refit makes it work, that he knows more than he's telling, and allows for the breach between him and Mal.

Loved all the Big Movie effects. Great space-ship work all around. Lovely planet sequences and superb flying. Laughed my fucking arse off when the came out of the clouds to face the massed ranks of the Alliance and The Operative is all Mr Smug and "Lock weapons" and patronisingly admiring that they ain't even changing course - and then 50 massive Reaver ships come smashing out of the cloud after them. Oops, you ain't so bleedin' smug now, are ya? Heh.

River's fight sequences were amongst the best I've ever seen. Some truly hard work went into filming and editing them, and I am well impressed.

Nothing about the movie was less than I had hoped for, and some of it was a whole lot more. Jayne was funny and cool, very much the self-centered grizzly woobie that I love so. I was very happy with Inara and the fake incense, and her not knowing quite what she wanted at the end. Worked for me. I'm sad to see the back of Book, but for me he was never *really* there. They didn't show us enough of *him* in the series for me to really care about him. It would have taken a lot anyway for me to get over the religious thing, but on top of that, I was never sure enough of his motivations to trust him. But he turned out to be a good bloke, and I'm sorry he's gone.

The only slightly flat note for me was that I was still so shocked by Wash dying that when Kaylee finally bagged the doc I didn't feel anything at all. I was/am so worried for Zoe. Waaa!

We had a slight debate in the car on the way home. I really wanted The Operative to be dead. groc pointed out, and rightly, that everything he had been, both to himself and as a tool of the Alliance was dead, which is much the same thing. But I wanted Mal to stab him in both his eyeballs and eat his fucking liver!

Mal. What can I say. Perfect!

Fine Damned Movie.

I'm still absorbing a lot of it, and shall have to see it again very soon. Fortunately it opens at home the day after I get back. Handy!

Also - Map thingie:

minitrog @ 2005-09-27T22:26:00

2005-09-28T05:59:28Z

Well, I'm having a lovely time. Very relaxing here, amongst the birdsong, sun and pals. So damned happy to be with bridie and groc.

I've had a few symptoms brought on by the travelling and my cold the other week, but nothing that a few pain-killers won't knock out. Doctor said this crap would go on for a few months or so - apparently radiation is also bad for you? Huh.

I've been shopping! I'd also ordered a bunch of DVD's from the Amazon dot Com sale before I left home, coz they were really cheap, and I could bring them home rather than pay the postage. So with that included I have spent a small fortune, and am now the proud owner of:

CSI seasons 1 and 2 - Amazingly cheap in the sale $30 each series, which is about 17 quid or so.

Angel season 5 (at last!)

The 7up series. Which is a really interesting documentary and makes a fascinating social document. An established series of films which revisits the lives of a bunch of English kids every 7 years, starting when they are 7. Highly recommended if for no other reason that the massive insight it gives you into every aspect of life of the period. The first was made in 1964 I think. There is a reasonable review of the series here at amazon - scroll down. I saw the first few of these in school, and then on telly, but lost track at about 28up or so. I was surprised to find that these had been released in the US but not the UK. Good stuff.

Also purchased Sin City and Constantine - second hand (previously viewed!) Heh.

Boots!

4 Shirts, all really similar and all totally to my taste.

Little things with flashing lights for the boys and Yoshi, and candy type stuff for helenraven.

Still hunting for something for a few other folk, and for my Mum. It must be clothing, of a very certain green colour for me to think she will really like it. That or an automatic pepper grinder - hers is crap!

We've been watching Firefly every day so we will be totally ready for the viewing, which is booked for 11am Friday morning! Squeee Eee Eee! With that in mind:

When you see this, post a Firefly quote:

Mal: "Well, my days of taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."

Shiny!

LA la la...

2005-09-25T05:24:37Z

I'm here, I'm almost over the jet lag - I'm off to bed!

(Happy birthday wolfling)

minitrog @ 2005-09-22T10:14:00

2005-09-22T09:20:51Z

Hiya folks.

Saw the Gyne Doc yesterday. She said that the evil-blob is GONE! Entirely gone. [insert pic of Trog doing cartwheels!] She said I still have a couple of swollen lymph glands that they will be keeping a close eye on, and that I will continue to get some of these nasty side effects of the meds and radiation for a few more months, but apart from that, things are good.

So, in a few hours I shall get on a plane and fly to LA and see Serenity when it comes out. I shall shop for unnecessary boots, and vital DVD's and lie down a lot.

Hooray! hooray! It's a happy holiday.

Talk to you all from foreign.

Luvvles guys. X

minitrog @ 2005-09-14T14:51:00

2005-09-14T14:43:06Z

Hiya folks.

Cold much better - merely a sniffle now, with the odd hacking cough for punctuation. I managed to get to the trade fair yesterday and stayed for 3 hours marvelling at how everyone has the same stock, and all the salespersons are terribly well dressed, and there was absolutely nothing funky, interesting and cheap for me to stock in the shop this xmas.

I always feel a bit like a poor second cousin at these events. I'm not a clothes horse, my hair is a bit birds-nesty, and make-up and me don't go. All the people there are terribly chic, well groomed and icy. Makes me nervous as hell. It was in the grand hall at Olympia, and I sniffled my way around miles and miles of posh little booths with thin, varnished women in them selling ugly overpriced jewellery and gifts. It was horrible!

I was made a bit happier by finding a few of my regular suppliers, all of whom seem to be grouped in the bad-boys corner. They gave me tea and buns and were welcoming and lovely, wearing hand-knitted jumpers with crumbs down them, and not trying to sell me stuff at all. Which meant I spent far more with them than I should have in reaction against the general feeling of frosty-posh. Do you think I can possibly get rid of two dozen foot-high cow shaped money boxes? Nah, me neither. We shall be sporting a rural feel in the gift window for months! *g*

On the advice of my f/l I am currently d/l Supernatural and Bones. Supernatural is whizzing down the pipe, wheras Bones is dripping - backwards! That's of course the one I really want to see. Da Boy! Plus, it's a procedural type thing, which I have a real love of. Any other recs from the new line up folks? I'm suddenly up for telly again. Woo-Hoo!

Huge congrats to the sparkling karenbear for getting the job. Damn fine work darling - I hope it turns out to be everything you were after. Now you're working, can you lend me a fiver? *g*

I fly off to LA next week Thursday, so am in a hightened state of 'almost starting to think about thinking about getting readyness'. Do I *have* a suitcase? Money - I have to get funny foreign money. New knickers for travelling - You have to get new knickers in case your luggage gets searched and they laugh at your old knickers. I *do* so enjoy worrying. *g* On the other hand, it's a good excuse to spend excessive money on new knickers and suitcases...

Apart from that, all seems right with the world. Oh, I know it isn't, that everything is grim and awful in the world, but for once, today, I'm not actually *feeling* it. Which is nice.

Good Wednesday guys. Beep!

(Extra points to net-trivia-geeks who knows where the dancing rodent comes from.)

Music Question

2005-09-11T13:23:39Z

Probably only UK peeps can help me with this as I don't know if this ad is shown anywhere else.

Does anyone know what the piano music on the Stella Artois advert with the skating priests is? Nic really likes it, and I want to get it for him.

Thank you.

minitrog @ 2005-09-07T16:42:00

2005-09-07T20:22:36Z

Hiya folks.

Well, I've been ill. No, not that kind of ill, the regular summer cold ill. Unfortunately, as I still have no immune system, what should have been 3 days of sniffles has in fact been 8 days (and counting) of total misery. Waa! I shall never again take my immune system for granted. Good immune system, nice immune system, get right immediately you useless little bugger!

According to my doc, it takes 6 months after radiotherapy for the I-sys to get right again, and so I am not looking forward to flying as I always catch a cold on a long flight. Do you think they would look at me strangely if I wore a filter mask to fly? But then how would I eat my in-flight dinner? Ok, forget the mask. Perhaps I shall just suck strong menthol lozenges all the way, and scare off the germs on the way in.

I'm due to see the gyne doc the day before I fly off for two weeks in LA. She'll tell me then what further treatment I'm to have. I'm guessing 'none', right? That would be good. *g* Realistically it may be an op, or more chemo, but it could be none, and I've got my fingers crossed. I feel pretty good, or I did until the awful cold of evil descended.

My Mum is in Thailand. When she visited just after the Tsunami, she met a fisherman in the south with a large family and a smashed up boat. She came home and established a little charity to raise the money to buy him a new fishing boat, and as part of this trip she will be arranging for the boat-building and donating any extra cash to the local school. She is a bloody diamond my mum!

I passed up an opportunity to see Serenity tonight (Thanks for the offer hon - mwah!) I've decided that having waited this long, and having planned to see it the day it opens in LA with bridie and groc, I shall hold on 'till then. Hard decision, but I comforted myself watching 'War Stories' and 'Out of Gas' this afternoon.

As I've been off with this cold most of the last while, I've been watching all the news from the Hurricane affected areas of the US. I am having a hard time believing how obstructionist some of the agencies appear to be, and how disorganised the whole relief process has been. At times there seems to be no-one in charge at all. I guess part of this is having so many different levels of government, local, state and federal, all with a different emphasis, and seemingly no ability to utilise private resources in time of crisis. Poor fucking people - always come out last. I can't believe no-one was charged with the responsibility of evacuating hospitals and the like! An absolute nightmare for everyone involved, and with the level of homelessness caused, I suspect that it will take years and a huge endeavor on the part of the whole country to relieve the situation. All of you over there who are doing things to raise money and relief supplies have my best wishes. I'm also following the links to reports and blogs detailing some of the more irresponsible and dodgy political decisions surrounding emergency management and the like. Interesting stuff. Stay on 'em guys.

Isn't my new icon delicious? Spike and Angel. karenbear made it for me, along the lines of a whole bunch she has made which are here. She also reminded me where the dollmaker was, so I went ahead and made my little gang. Here are me and the boys - we look just like this:

Actually, the dolls only come in one width, as it were, so while the boys are the right size, I should be just a leetle bit wider than that! *g* The freaky thing is that the Nic doll is actually just like him - it could be a photo!

As someone who defines herself as extremely resistant to 'cute', I find these little dolls make me go all soggy against my will. I had to go ahead and make a Jim and Blair too:

Although I couldn't get Blair's hair quite right. Considering the dollmaker offers about 600 kinds of hair, there are surprisingly few that are actually like real hair!

Should anyone care to play, and not have the addy, the dollmaker thingie is here:

http://elouai.com/doll-makers/candybar-doll-maker.php

So anyway, it's just under two weeks until I take my little trip, and then it will be all uphill until christmas - as you can imagine a shop like ours is mental at christmas time. I'm looking forward to the work actually, the normality of it all after this very weird year.

Lovvles everyone.

minitrog @ 2005-08-26T18:36:00

2005-08-26T17:38:55Z

Good game.

http://70.84.34.106/~mediaun/ngame.swf

minitrog @ 2005-08-25T22:24:00

2005-08-25T21:29:02Z

Pure Geek

34 % Nerd, 69% Geek, 39% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Geek, earning you the title of: Pure Geek. It's not that you're a school junkie, like the nerd, and you don't really stand out in a crowd, like the dork, you just have some interests that aren't quite mainstream. Perhaps it's anime, perhaps it's computers, perhaps it's bottlecaps, perhaps it's all of those and more. Your interests take you to events and gatherings that are filled with people you find unusual and beyond-the-pale, but you don't quite consider yourself "of that crowd." Instead, you consider yourself to be fairly normal.

Which, you are.

Congratulations!

(P.S. You're the one on the *right*.)

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 18% on nerdiness
You scored higher than 95% on geekosity
You scored higher than 77% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Globbled from raveninthewind

I Am Robot - Hear Me Rust!

2005-08-24T23:13:11Z

minitrog @ 2005-08-22T23:55:00

2005-08-22T23:32:45Z

Hiya Folks.

Still working my bum off. Done my accounts like a good person - well, the easy bit anyway. The shop is looking shinier by the day. Anita Dobson came in last week (Angie off Eastenders for the lucky few who don't know. *g*) She bought a pendant and chain from Rik, and asked for a little black satin bag for it. Fine, off she toddles. Comes back 10 minutes later, whilst I'm behind the till, and says that she had asked for a *purple* bag and not black. I happily swop it for her despite having heard her quite clearly ask for a black one, and we shared a "Blokes eh?" moment. Then the odd bit. She shook my hand! Despite my having made no recognition of her celebrity or whatever, she reached out and grabbed my hand and shook it. Thesps eh? *g*

Rik however is totally made up at having been dissed by Ange offa 'Enders. Poor boy.

I have some super news. I'm off to LA for two weeks! My visit will coincide with the opening of Serenity, and I am staying with bridie and groc. We have also booked to go to a fan event on the eve of the movie, and I shall see it the day it comes out. I know that everyone and their mum will have already seen it by then, but I had tentatively planned this from the time it was shifted to September, and am so happy to be able to go and see it with Bridie and The Grocster. Plus, 2 weeks in LA with the uberpals! I'm so happy, oh so happy. I'm all happy, and sappy and saaaad! Tra la la... You get the picture. *g*

Apart from that, I've done rather well on a quiz, which is tres fun. Spot the SF story from the first line. I was quite pleased by my score as I had to guess most of the sword and sorcery ones, but it's a buzz to get them from only a couple of words without looking at the choices. I revel in my geek-ness. Gacked from rozk

Elite Reader
You have a Geek Lore rating of 87%

Sure, fans aren't Slans, but you're definitely something special. Your knowledge of speculative literature has to be pretty damned impressive to achieve this score. Long may you flip those pages!

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on Geek Lore

Link: The SF/F Opening Lines Test written by winternight2 on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Happy days folks.

Just stuff type stuff.

2005-08-12T22:04:30Z

Well, what a week! Say what you will about Robin Cook, but he was a senior minister and cabinet member who resigned from the government over the war with Iraq. How rare is that in these days of bum licking, self-serving Tory-clones? He was an intelligent man, and debated well and interestingly I recall from a few sessions on 'Any Questions' and suchlike. Although he moved slowly and surely to the right over the last while, like many Labour politicians, I felt he was a (fairly) honest man, who believed in changing the system from within, and worked bloody hard to do so. I also quite admired that he *managed* to have so many flings and affairs whilst being 4 foot 9 and looking like a poorly photoshopped croissant with someone else's hair. Also, he keeled over whilst hill-walking in Scotland. Told you so! That whole exercise thing will just Do. You. In! *g*

The 'Fandom should pay me for dossing about and scribbling' thing. Hmmmm. Me too, only I don't write, but will offer very high quality doss for the money. *g* Actually, that is a total lie, as I am reveling in being back at work, and have worked like a bastard these two weeks. The place is slowly turning round and looking much prettier and I'm quite satisfied with what I've done. About another two weeks should make it all shiny again, the only problem is I'm totally knackered and have an amazingly stiff and painful neck from all the hunching and squinting that goes on in my work. Oh, OH! and speaking of entitlement issues and such, you ain't gonna believe this one. A young woman came into the shop this morning and said "Do you remember me, I came in last night just before you shut and bought a bracelet?" Yes I did remember her, and said so. "Well" she says, "I seem to have lost it, I think on the way to the tube, do you think you could replace it?" "Sure" I say, and hoik out another of the same. I wrap it and hand it over. "£14.50" I say. "Oh" she says, "No. I meant could you replace it as I lost it so soon after buying it!" It slowly dawned on me that she meant FREE! Completely FREE OF CHARGE. From my pocket to hers because she is an idiot who lost her bracelet - what the time factor has to do with it, I have no idea. After I'd picked my chin up off the floor I said "Sure, no problem, if you'll give Rik over there a blow job for me, as I have a stiff neck, and can't be bothered right now..." She stared at me like a dog that's just been shown a card trick and then said "There's no need to be like *that*!" and stomped off out of the shop and back to cloud-cookoo land. Honest to buggery! Some people are already on another planet - no Mars Mission needed. There was an old dear in the shop who overheard the whole exchange. She said "I'm not sure I like the bracelet that much but..." and then she eyed Rik in a very meaningful way. LOL

Yoshi is still on his hols, and I miss him. I quite like having Rik in the shop as his substitute, but with the amount of work at the moment I could do with his know-how around the place. I keep imagining him on holiday at his in-laws in France. He is Japanese, his wife French. As neither of them knows the others language so they communicate in broken English. He is convinced that his in-laws talk about him behind his back in front of him. I told him he should secretly record them, and then get a French-speaking friend to translate it later. Or, you know, learn French, which will have the added bonus that he can TALK TO HIS WIFE! People are kinda odd sometimes.

'Lost' started showing here this week to a wave of ennui from the reviewers in the papers. I was home too late that night from work, and I can't abide missing the start of anything. Tell me, those who've seen the show, should I d/l the first couple of eppies and then follow it? Is it a riveting, multi-layered and textural drama, or a "Don't my legs look good in banana leaf skirt?" type thang? Gimme the nod folks.

Nic has gone for a week in Cyprus to visit his sister, and seemingly taken the living room clock from the mantelpiece with him. WTF? Either that or we have had a very strange burglar. I keep looking at the gap to find it gone, and my little Terrance and Philip dolls are leaning on each other rather than leaning either side of the clock. And every time I look at the gap, and *don't* find out the time I really resent it as my neck hurts whenever I move my head! Did I mention that my neck really hurts?

I have a stack of books almost to the ceiling to read, as I now have my concentration back, and can read all the books people gave me while I was ill. I'm just starting 'Pattern Recognition' by William Gibson, which I have had for ages, but not got to. I hope it's a good one, I do so adore him when he's on form. To be frank I don't think he's ever off form, but can be repeatitive, so here's hoping.

Anyway guys, it's nice to be back. Have a good weekend all - X

Hop Skip Yay!

2005-08-08T22:02:21Z

Firstly guys, thanks to everyone who commented on my post from Mums. It's quite unlike me not to answer every comment, but Mum's dial up is *so* bad and slow, and I didn't want to monopolise the phone line.

Brilliant news from my consultant who I saw today after only a two-and-a-quarter hour wait!

The icky-blob has "shrunk dramatically" and the progress is "very, very good" and "really very positive". The effects of the radiation treatment will continue for another 6-8 weeks, (It kills the nucleus of the icky cell, which then pegs out when it tries to divide,) and he has made an appointment for 6 weeks time for me to see the gyne bloke. The gyne consultant will then decide if the blob is to be operated on, or whether it's even necessary! Woo-Hoo!

All my other bits are clear, lungs, liver, kidneys, although there is still a bit of swelling in the lymph nodes (?). But apparently with this level of positive reaction in the main blob (ha-ha - tiny blob now, and shrinking), they reckon that's just a side effect of the treatment, and nothing to worry about.

Oh man am I ever motherfucking relieved! Yay NHS! Yay Trog-bits! Big Shiny Yay all over!

Nic came with me, and put up with my intense nervousness during the wait with classic Greek stoicism, and then after I had seen the Doctor, he fed me a burger and chips to calm my insane babbling. I rang my Mum and then Rik when I got home. My Mum cried. Then Rik cried. Nic would have cried but he's reading a very interesting book, which distracted him! *g*

I've been back at work for a week, and although not doing quite full-time, shall get back to normal as my stamina increases. Other than that I am seeing the surgical consultant bloke on Wednesday about my hernia, which will require an operation, although probably not this year, but that's a lot less worrying.

I do however have a huge amount of work to do to bring things back up to standard in my little shop, and all the grand plans I had for this year have sailed neatly out of the window and into the bin-lorry. I'll just have to chip away at it all bit by bit I expect. I'm knackered just thinking about it all. Phew!

To sum up - I shall be here for a while longer than I had previously thought - Excellent!

My thanks to everyone who has mailed and messaged me, sent me stories and phoned, wrote and sent cards, commented and all, while I was all painful and yukky. I totally appreciate your support guys. Mwah!

In other news... Hell, there is *no* other news today! *g*

minitrog @ 2005-07-22T01:22:00

2005-07-22T00:20:18Z

Hiya everyone.

I've had all the treatment that was scheduled to date. Radiotherapy - 6 weeks, Chemo - 5 weekly doses. That followed by a rather horrendous 24 hours of internal radiation. (Really, really not recommended).

This all was followed by some very nasty and painful weeks of side effects and associated yuk which left me a groaning, whingy bastard. Hence my absence from LJ as I didn't want to subject you all to that particular joy! I am sorry if my absence worried anyone, thanks for the mails and comments guys, you do all rock rather mightely. Mwah!

The evil side-effects *appear* to have departed to plague some other poor bugger now, and I'm in the process of trying to get fit again. 3 months or so of doing bugger-all have left me in a very feeble state, so I'm taking it slow, and re-building my stamina back to it's normal level - that of rather lazy couch-spud.

I have a scan on the 2nd of August, and a meeting with my consultant on the 8th, at which time he will tell me if it's gone, or if I need more treatment. Fingers crossed!

That aside, I have traveled down to the West Country to stay with Mum for a week. It's rather lovely to be here in her beautiful garden, doing little more than helping her water, taking a short stroll to see the blue herons on the estuary and making major decisions such as whether to buy sandals today or tomorrow... sigh - such a hard life. *g*

Before I left London I had the good fortune to meet up with lumenara who is a total bundle of fun and enthusiasm. We had a terrific evening, and I do regret that I'm away and may not get another chance to wibble Jossversewise with her before she leaves. Our meeting also led to my finally meeting up with another London Jossverse stalwart, xanpet2000 which was an absolute delight. We discovered that we lived just a couple of miles apart for most of our youth. Cool.

On the other hand, I will be back home in time to see giogio before she makes her move, so that's a treat in store! Yay.

I've obviously chosen a good time to be away as well, as one of todays 'incidents' was at my local tube. I rang the boys and Rik rather tiredly said "Yes we're alright. No, nothing's happened to anyone we know. Yes I'm eating a sandwich. Yes go away now, it's only a bomb!" I guess it's true that you can get used to anything!

Right, I'd better go and decide which type of scones we want for tea tomorrow - it's just *so* hard - this life! *g*

Big grin guys - things are looking up!

minitrog @ 2005-07-07T11:07:00

2005-07-07T10:08:35Z

Me and the boys are home and ok. Bastards.

Only meee!

2005-05-20T21:31:28Z

Hiya guys, long time no wibble.

So, they did say that the side effects of the treatment would get worse towards the end. And They Spoke Truly. Bastards. Smug medical bastards, just because they were right they don’t have to keep saying it, and it doesn’t make it better either. “We *did* tell you it would get worse at the end.” Thanks so much, my confidence increases every time you say that – WANKER!

Two more Rad Zaps next week, and then that bit is over.

So, radiation burns on the skin – actually suppurating blisters now - in three places. Let me tell you that aside from the novelty value, there isn’t much to recommend here. They itch like crazy too, and although I can stay away in the day, I keep waking up in the night scratching like mad. Nic suggested tying my hands to the headboard of my bed, but honestly, I don’t much feel like having nookie at the moment. *g*

The tiredness is out of order too. I speak from the perspective of couch-lover. My standard operating position is lying on the couch, but it’s a whole other thing when you *have* to. Limbs feel like string, knees really want to bend the wrong way, lifting large cocktails is beyond me! I resorted for the first time today of asking some friends of Mum’s who live round the corner to get a bit of shopping in for me – Nic was at work and Rik is with his woobie. I’m relying so much on the boys right now that I hate having to ask them for anything. Said pals of Mum did shopping, and promised not to tell her. She worries *far* too much.

She went back to Cornwall a few days ago, a couple of days after my last Chemo (and thank fuck that is over), so I was able to drop my stoicism levels by about 50%. She’ll be back up in a couple of weeks for the next terrifying medical procedure, which has me so paralysed with fear that I can’t even type about it. I’m scared to death. Waa!

Oh, and my digestive system is still doing the masochism tango. I went through a couple of days where I just didn’t want to eat, which was so OOC that the boys wanted to call the doctor. The kept making appetising meals and wafting them under my nose. You know, and then jerking them away and shoving me a bucket instead, which *really* should have clued them in.

But my hair is staying firmly stuck to my head, so that’s cool. I keep buying it expensive products as a reward for being good, but I must say the people who sell ‘Zero’ frizz need to work on their maths!

So yeah, two more zaps, a bunch of scans and then the awful evil. Does this seem to have been going on for a really long time? ::sigh::

Honest truth guys, I'm really worn out and a little bit sad.

Here’s another bitch, I can’t concentrate to read for any length of time. That is a first for me, and I’m reduced to channel hopping by the hour, which is a thankless process given the dearth of good telly. I’m also brit-picking a long HP story or two for someone, so I’m doing it a chapter at a time, and just hoping I’m not missing anything.

On another note, I am fucking outraged by the pictures of Saddam Hussein which appeared in The Scum today. The editor tried to justify it by saying “He’s a bastard”. So fucking what? It’s not about that you rights-violating fuckwad, it’s about us and how we behave. Sickening, shameful and wrong.

I’m on tenterhooks as the finale of CSI is downloading at such a slow speed that it will be next sodding Tuesday before I get to see it at this rate. I’m totally fraught, and really need to see it now. It’s slow because Nic is d/l a whole bunch of whatever-it-is and using up all the bandwidth. I am being very honourable though, and didn’t switch off his downloads while he was at work, but I’m probably not beyond begging for some single-user access when he gets home tonight. Nickyyyyyy!

Also to wish the happiest of birthdays to the ever lovely obsessedmuch. My biggest shiny hugs and luvvles baby-doll. Mwah!

Books glorious books!

2005-05-16T00:45:24Z

I had a longish post half worked out, but I'm shagged out so I'm doing instead this book meme for which I was tagged by miss_c667

1. Total number of books I've owned:

Well, I've currently about a thousand I suppose. About 10 years ago I went to live in Central America for a year and couldn't afford storage for most of my books. I sold about 2000 mostly SF paperbacks for 10p each! (Sob)

2. Last book I bought:

I bought for Riks birthday prezzie Raw Spirit by Iain Banks. Unlike his superb SF or his twisted modern literature, this is the tale of Iain Banks' tour of the Scottish Whisky distilleries. Although I haven't read it myself yet - ok I sneaked a look at the introduction, it comes with interesting reader reviews over at Amazon, and I'm quite interested to get my hands on it once the boy is done. Being Banks I suspect it will be laced with politics and humour.

3. Last book I read:

I had just started in on Seven Wonders of the Industrial World by Deborah Cadbury which I borrowed from helenraven months ago, when Rik lifted it from me and I've yet to see it back! Maybe I can grab it back while he immerses himself in "Raw Spirit" (So no change there! *g*).

4. 3 books that mean a lot to me: (Originally this section of the meme asked for 5 books, but I've changed it as I'm a bit shagged out.)

Player of Games by Iain M Banks. The first 'Culture' Book I read, which totally blew me away. From an initially simple-seeming plot one grows in awareness of the Culture and it's expression of Anarchism and the effects on a hedonistic Culture citizen and gamesplayer as he is exposed to the barbarity of an external and terrible society. His growth into a political animal is shocking and wonderful to observe, and while Banks' later books in this arena are perhaps a little more sophisticated and embroiled, I have never lost the amazing effect that this first read had on me. Superb writing and superb science fiction.

The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K Le Guin. You won't need a link for this one, you've all read it. As a child I found such joy reading these. I've read probably all of Le Guin's SF and loved the Left Hand of Darkness more, but as a adult. For a kid who mainly read hard SF, this was one of my few forays into the more fantasy side of things, and apart from a few older works and Alan Garner's stuff, one of the only written-for-kids fantasy books that worked properly for me. As writing it kicks Harry Potter right in the bollocks, Thank fuck the fan-fic there is so good! *g*

There's a short Holmes story which has always stuck in my mind. To my shame I can't remember the title, something like 'The **** face'. Maybe cesario can remind me. What makes this a particularly interesting tale is the anti-racist element of it. Written when it was, this is refreshing. Given that contemporaries such as Hornung were writing the likes of the "Raffles" stories, which were so laced with anti-semitism as to make them unreadable to the modern sensibility. On top of that, Holmes expressed more emotionalism and politics than I remember in any other short story. It's *is* short, 10-15 pages I recall, and I've only read it twice, and the last time would have been 20 or so years ago, but I remember it still.

5. Tag 5 people and have them fill this out in their LJs:

Actually, this meme has taken far longer than I expected it to do, but has been very enjoyable, so I invite anyone on my friends list who fancies a literary wallow to have a plunge. *g*

In other news, Mum, Hozzie, Mum, Hozzie, Barbecue! *g*

Laters dudes. Have a chilled week. X