Archive for January, 2008

An Appeal

Published by
Dan
at January 27, 2008 in The Dales Walk. 58 Comments

It is this blog’s birthday today, and to mark the occasion I am publishing probably the most important post that it will ever see.

As many of you already know, this July I will be walking the the 78 mile long Dales Way footpath. Yes, 78 miles. In six days. And what’s more it was my own idea. Many are predicting it will be the end of me.

I am doing the walk in aid of The Joseph Salmon Trust, a charity set up by our close friends Neil and Rachel in memorial of their son Joseph. In April of 2005 three year old Joseph died suddenly in his sleep. Here is Rachel talking about it in the comments section of this blog:

Hi, this is Joseph’s mummy here. First Dan, I’d like to say a big thank you for what you’re planning on doing. When Neil sent me the link yesterday I was in tears. The bit about coming home to Joseph’s toys as we left them…well, I can’t describe the pain. And it’s still with us. We miss Joseph every day. He was our first child, he was a little smasher, and he turned Neil and I into - hopefully - better people because of who he was. We will always be proud to be his parents.

In answer to your question Whit, Joseph died from streptococcal pneumonia. It’s very rare and it took him, although suddenly, very peacefully. When I went in to him in the morning it was obvious from his posture that he’d just gone into a deeper and deeper sleep and never knew anything about it. This too is what all the medical personnel associated with him told us. There are not many (if any) consolations when you lose a child, but at least he didn’t suffer. And as a parent, it’s one of the things you want most for your child isn’t it?

So Dan, and everyone who’s going to join you - good luck and thank you.
From the comments section of A Prelude to an Announcement. October 22, 2007

The Joseph Salmon Trust supports parents who have lost a child by providing financial assistance to those who need it most. This may be to help with funeral costs or to allow the self employed a break from work while they come to terms with their loss. Grieving families have enough to deal with without worries about where they will find the money to say goodbye to their child or pay the next electricity bill. Nothing we can do can make their situation better, but we can do something to stop it getting worse.

And this is where you come in. Today marks the official start of the fundraising of the walk and I’m looking for donations. Any amount, no matter how small will go towards making a big difference to somebody in the darkest hours of their torment. When you donate you will receive (if you want one) a link on the roll of honor both here and on the Dales Walk blog. You also get the right to place one of these magnificent badges (designed by the delightful Mr Oli Walker) on your website or blog. You can either right click and save the picture from here, or I can email you the html code to insert into your blog.

supporting hardworksmall danblisters

In addition, if you could find the time to write own short post about the walk, or just copy and paste this one and put it on your blog, I would be eternally grateful. The more promotion the event gets the more money we are likely to raise.

So what are you waiting for, donate by credit/debit card via justgiving.com:

Donate Here

or you can email me (dghughes28@yahoo.co.uk) for details how you can donate via post.

All the participants are paying for their own food, accommodation, and equipment, and so any donation goes directly to the charity itself. In addition Neil has sworn that the administrative costs of the Joseph Salmon Trust will come purely from corporate sponsorship, so everything goes directly to the people who need it most.

We have a real chance to make a difference here. Thank you.

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Memorial to Joseph at Chester Zoo

Some links:

***Update 28/01/08***

As of 10am this morning we’ve so far raised $235, and there is hopefully more to come. Please keep it coming; any amount, no matter how small, will make a real difference to someone’s life.

***Update 29/01/08***

The total is now standing at $380. Thank you so much to everyone who has given money. A special mention to cre8Buzz who were magnificently generous, particularly as I only signed up to their site yesterday. If you haven’t signed up to their social/blog networking site then go do so now.

If you haven’t yet given and feel in a position to do so then anything you can spare will be very appreciated.

***Update 31/01/08***

Sorry for being a little bit absent. My damn internet is down yet again. But the total continued to rise in my absence and now stands at a staggering $560. I have been amazed by people’s kindness and generosity. Thank you so much.

***Update 01/02/08***

The total now stands at a staggering $625, thank you so much. The level of generosity shown has left me breathless at times. I had hoped to raise around $150 from the blog, and even then I thought I was probably being overly optimistic. But I hadn’t counted on how wonderful the blogesphere is.

Again thank you.

Although I’m going to start pumping out my regular brand of claptrap on the blog again, the appeal is far from over. I have no target here other than “as much as humanly possible”. Every penny received will go directly to those who need it most. Please keep money and the links coming in. As Whit most eloquently said on his blog:

There are many good causes in the world and I know that times are tight, but this, my friends, is something worthwhile. This is for the love of a little boy gone and the parents that remain.

It is to help those parents that have nightmares ahead.

***Update 11/02/08***

We’re up to an amazing $745 now. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and everyone who has given me a plug on their blog. It is unbelievable how generous people have been.

My training is going well, since I started this appeal I’ve been walking at least six miles three times a week. The aching the day after is starting to reduce, but I’m still not relishing the prospect of walking 17 miles for three days in a row.

Your generosity is making it all worth it however. Please consider giving if you haven’t already, and again thank you to everyone who has.

Another chance to see… Day Seven

Published by
Dan
at January 26, 2008 in General. 13 Comments

It’s this blog’s birthday this week and in celebration I’m taking a trawl through the archives and republishing some of my favourite posts.

I’m including this because it took me bloody ages to write and so I feel it deserves some extra milage.

And that’s the end of the week of reruns. Make sure you come back tomorrow for that important post. And make sure you bring your credit cards. Bwa-ha-ha-ha.

That’s a load of rich creamery butter

Originally posted September 6th, 2007

We recently re-subscribed to satellite TV after an absence of around a year. There are many reasons for us returning to the fold: the genius of Sky+, endless repeats of Ironside, and a wider variety of “nothing on the telly” than we had before. But one of the main reasons we got it is for the kids channels. Cbeebies on freeview is all very well and good, but it’s worthiness and dare I say banality gets a little wearing after a while.

One side effect of all these different channels is that Amy is being exposed to advertising like never before. She sits glued to the TV during the breaks and after each commercial turns to us and asks “Can I have one of those?”.

Of course her mind is young and easily manipulated. You wouldn’t catch a mature and culturally literate man such as myself become prey to the sub conscious influence of the advertiser’s slogans. Whether I’m looking for a breakfast of champions or some milk chocolate that melts in my mouth not in my hand, I make sure I am choosing the real thing. I want quality products at reasonable prices and the best a man can get, not whatever some suit in an office thinks I should be using my flexible friend on. Advertising executives are grrreat at asking where do you want to go today and making you think that their products will put you in the happiest place on earth. But you need to block out their messages.

Take a leaf from my book and don’t fall for their tricks, have it your own way. You need to challenge everything, think different, and just do it. Choose freedom and don’t listen to the advertiser’s propaganda, no matter how finger lickin’ good they make it sound. They would like you to think that only smarties have the answer, but they underestimate the public - we know when we’ve been tangoed, we can tell if its live or if it’s memorex.

I have a feeling that there is something special in the air. Maybe its frustration with being lied to, maybe its the impact of consumerism on the planet, or maybe it’s maybelline; but there is an explosion of disgruntlement coming, and once we pop we can’t stop. Life is short, play hard and live your life. Because life is complicated enough without branding. For successful living you have to lift and separate the truth from the lies or you will end up with the 501 blues. You need to look sharp, feel sharp and make sure you are making the right choices. Because, after all, you’re worth it.

Another chance to see… Day Five

Published by
Dan
at January 24, 2008 in General. 9 Comments

It’s this blog’s birthday this week and in celebration I’m taking a trawl through the archives and republishing some of my favourite posts.

It’s two for the price of one today as I give you a couple of my many Diet Coke related posts:

I’m not an addict

Originally posted June 22nd, 2007

I'm not addicted

An open letter to Coca-Cola

Originally posted July 7th, 2007

Dear Ms Cola

Do you mind if I call you Coca? Such an unusual first name. Are you any relation to Coca Chanel?

You don’t know me, but you might have met my sister. She once went on a tour of your factory in Atlanta so you could have bumped into her. She is tall and goofy looking with quite bad breath. Ring any bells?

Firstly let me just say I am a big fan of your work. The whole Coke Zero thing is just inspired. Now drinking calorie free coke can be socially acceptable for a man as well as a woman! In one simple move you have ingeniously stemmed the alarming raise in obesity rates in young males, saving countless lives. Well done!

Is it true that there is actually estrogen added to Diet Coke?

Anyway, no doubt you have noticed that there has been a sales spike centered around Huddersfield recently. This is as a direct result of your recent iTunes promotion. Since I first became aware of it two weeks ago I have spent roughly twenty five pounds on your products in an attempt to win an special edition 80gb iPod. So far I have been unsuccessful.

I have however won a total of 63 free songs on iTunes. While I have a wide taste in music (liking everything from Paul Simon through to Art Garfunkel) I have struggled to find 63 songs to actually download. I have even gone so low as ask a bunch of freaks I met on the internet for some suggestions, but still have a number of free tracks left.

What really rubs salt in the wounds is that despite having all these songs I have nothing but my laptop to play them on. This is fine for when I am at home, but if I want to listen to my Sounds of Silence album in my car I am only able to drive round my house in very tight circles, as the wireless connection for my internet does not extend very far. This has made getting to work very problematic.

Unfortunately despite my overwhelming desire to win an iPod I am going to have to decrease my levels of Coke consumption under medical advice. Due to the amount of caffeine I have been drinking I have not slept for 82 hours. In addition my nostril hair is falling out and I become dizzy every time I use the toilet. As a result it has been recommended that I do not have any of your products for at least three weeks. I am a little worried that I will be missing out on my recommended daily amount of Potassium benzoate and “natural flavourings”; but my doctor assures me that this will not be a problem.

So I will no longer be able to enter your contest and this saddens me greatly. I have one more promotional code left, and would therefore very much appreciate it if you could see your way to ensuring that it is a winner. I will be entering it onto your website at 9:30 tomorrow morning. I look forward to the receipt of my iPod.

Yours sincerely
Dan
aged 31½

Another chance to see… Day Four

Published by
Dan
at January 23, 2008 in General. 4 Comments

It’s this blog’s birthday this week and in celebration I’m taking a trawl through the archives and republishing some of my favourite posts.

This was part of a looking back on my childhood thing I was doing for a few days. It is probably as personal as I’ve ever got on the blog.

Of the way we were

Originally posted July 3rd, 2007

I remember running out of the kitchen and fleeing up the staircase. I didn’t make it to my bedroom, only managing to get to the top of the stairs before my sobbing rendered me immobile.

I lay face down, my head buried in my bended arm, tears streaming from my eyes. My mother followed me up and tried to comfort me, tried to reassure me; hampered in her attempts by the steep narrow staircase.

“I don’t want to be stupid.” I gasped between sobs

“You aren’t stupid, you just find things more difficult.”

My parents had just told me I had been diagnosed as being dyslexic. A learning difficulty. A learning difficulty just like the girl at school who drooled when she spoke.

I knew I wasn’t as good at spelling as my friends. And I had difficulty with multiplication tables and remembering ordered lists such as the months or the alphabet. I had been to special classes in reading and writing, and I had been excused assembly to learn how to have nice handwriting. And just recently I had spent time with a nice man called Mr Wolfe who gave me lots of tests and puzzles to do. A lot of them were quite hard.

But I had never thought there was something wrong with me. I never thought I was any different from the rest of the kids at school. And now I was.

I have nothing but praise for the way my parents supported me through that time. I later learnt that they fought to have my difficulties recognized, the school having dismissed me as lazy and dyslexia as a “middle class disease”.

My father had programed me a special spelling game on the ZX Spectrum. If I got a spelling right a man ran across the screen and if I got it wrong he was crushed halfway across by a falling block.

Once a week my mother picked me up from school at lunchtime and took me to a lady called Ruth who was doing a course in dyslexia. I was her case study. When there I again did lots of tests and puzzles and was always rewarded with a game of connect four at the end, she often let me win. She had a King Charles Spaniel which used to pee every time it got excited. I remember enjoying my time with her.

Because I was missing school dinner my mum used to make me a packed lunch, which I used to eat in the car on the way. It consisted of all sorts of treats that on regular days I would never get a sniff of. My enjoyment of the food was always marred with a smattering of travel sickness. Nevertheless I remember relishing those trips, sitting in the front seat of the car, cramming food and drink into my mouth despite my ever present nauseousness, and most importantly getting to have my mum all to myself. The taste of banana milkshake still evokes those memories to this day.

I don’t think I’ve ever truly appreciated my parents role in me overcoming my dyslexia. My diagnosis rarely even crosses my mind these days, and I no longer consider myself disabled by it. I have them to thank for that, not the education system, and I will be always grateful.

I have been surprised about how emotional I have got when writing this post. I’ve dredged up old feelings that have been unexamined for years. It was a difficult time, when my self esteem took a real bashing. But those days are over, and it is ironic that one of my favorite things to do, writing, is one of the things that caused me so much distress in my childhood.

Thank you Mum and Dad. From the 8 year old me.

dan.jpg

Another chance to see… Day Three

Published by
Dan
at January 22, 2008 in General. 10 Comments

It’s this blog’s birthday this week and in celebration I’m taking a trawl through the archives and republishing some of my favourite posts.

Another Lee family related post, the last one I promise. This one is special to me as I wrote it from Greg and Deb’s basement while we were visiting them. I had woken up early and snuck downstairs to tinker on the internet. I downloaded a couple of gigabytes of instruction manuals on how to make home made fertilizer bombs too, so now you know why Homeland Security have been paying you so much attention Greg.

Letter from America

Originally posted March 25th, 2007

As you know Kerry and I have flown over from England to spend a few days with Geg and Deb. Most people from the UK have a pretty good idea of what goes on in the USA as American TV and films is extremely prevalent on our screens. In addition both Kerry and I have been in the States before so we knew what to expect. There still have been a few culture shocks for us however.

In order to get into a shop, restaurant, hotel, or public building in the US you have to pull the door open, in the UK you would push it. I understand the rational for this, it makes things a lot safer in case of a fire. What it doesn’t do however is make things a lot safer for the visiting Englishman who subconsciously assumes the door will open. I have spent the last four days walking into doors.

While I love the service culture in America, sometimes it becomes a little overwhelming. In England when you order a meal you basically get what you are given. There is none of this “How would you like your eggs sir?” or “Can I refill your coffee sir?” or “Sir would you like to do that in the restroom instead?”. No, you just get whatever egg the cook feels like making and a coffee which, once it’s gone, will only be refilled if you fork out more cash.

Sometimes the options can get a little overwhelming. It had taken Kerry and I three days to work out the secret code for how we like our eggs is “over hard” and we were more than a little proud of our new cultural knowledge. We entered the diner full of pomp and swagger, confident that this time we wouldn’t be reduced to bumbling Hugh Grant like figures when asked the dreaded egg question. And all went swimmingly, Kerry was first up and performed admirably under the pressure. But the real masterstroke came when I suddenly changed my mind and decided to have scrambled instead. Such improvisational dexterity can only be the hallmark of a real pro.

And then they asked us how we wanted our toast and all our confidence was shattered in one cruel blow. Toast for the sake of god ! What on earth are the codes for that? We tried some guesses - “Crunchy over crust”, “Butter side down”, and “With the burnt bits scraped off please ” but the waiter just looked at us blankly. Our only consolation is that like 65% of the rest of the US he probably thought our accent was Australian so we didn’t bring our nation into disrepute.

We have also been asked for proof of our age nearly every time we have been into a bar. The first time it happened we assumed it was an attempt to make us feel unwelcome, as the request came from an incredibly surly bartender. However we were subsequently asked by a number of bouncers and barmen who appeared much more friendly and willing to help . Back home you are unlikely to be asked for identification once you reach about seventeen, so it was all rather exciting and flattering. Every time it happened to us we told ourselves that it wasn’t a cultural thing, it was just we looked incredibly vibrant youthful.

But we’ve had a really great time so far, especially with Greg and Deb. They have been most genial hosts, and have bent over backwards for us. The kids keeps us entertained too, and are fantastically well behaved despite what their parents say. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time, and now that we are at the Lee family’s house and they have made us so welcome, we are incredibly grateful that we’ve made such cool friends, no matter how strangely we met.

Another chance to see… Day Two

Published by
Dan
at January 21, 2008 in General. 11 Comments

It’s this blog’s birthday this week and in celebration I’m taking a trawl through the archives and republishing some of my favourite posts.

The exchange of food parcels discussed in this post probably marks the spot when the friendship between our family and Greg and Deb’s was firmly cemented. As I’ve said before, this friendship is exceptionally important to me and the only thing I regret is that we live so far from one another.

Bloody hell, I’m a sycophantic bugger at times.

Twizlers - a postmodern deconstruction and review

Originally posted August 14th, 2006

As you probably know, last month we received a food parcel from Greg and Deb giving us a taster of the kinds of food that could be found in their pantry. At the risk of alienating both the Lee family and the entire of the USA this is what we thought:


Twizlers
By far Amy’s favourite, although her short attention span when eating means that we still occasionally find partially eaten neglected stumps of Twizle squirreled away around the house.
Between us Amy and I managed to finish of a 1lb bag within around 3 days. The trick is to miss meals so you don’t use up valuable stomach space.
5 Gregs
5greg

Peanut butter and Jelly
I’ve always been a Sun-pat peanut butter man. With most foodstuffs I’m more than happy to accept supermarket own brand with no quibbles, but I insist on quality from my peanut butter.The packaging for Skippy peanut butter freaked me out a bit – jars should be glass goddamn it. But there is no denying that it’s good stuff. It was a lot less frothy and creamy than Sunpat, but in a good way.
The jelly (or jam as the civilised world calls it) won points even before I tasted it for coming in a handy container that doubles as a glass after the jelly is gone. However it lost points for being the first jar of jam that I’ve had to look for instructions on how to open, the lid pops off rather than screws I discovered after a puzzling five minutes.
Of course no jelly truly stands up to my own home made bilberry jam (the secret of the grittiness and strange aftertaste is not to bother taking the stalks off the berries).
4 Gregs
4greg

Taco kit
Tacos are a standard in out house, indeed they are the traditional meal for the annual Eurovisionfest. To be honest we haven’t tried these yet, but they are sitting in the cupboard waiting.
4 Gregs
4greg

Reese’s Peanut butter cups
Good grief these were sweet! As far as I can tell they consist solely of refined sugar smeared with peanut butter. They were so sweet my teeth retreated behind my tongue. Gregg said that a lot of ex-pat Americans complain that they can’t find these in England. The reason for this is probably our strict rules about chemical and biological weapons on domestic soil.
1 Greg
1greg

Tabasco and Habenero sauce
I’ve enjoyed a few zippy servings of scrambled eggs as a result of these two marvellous bottles.
5 Gregs
5greg

New Orleans style Red Beans and Rice
It is my sincere belief that Greg sent me this in a malicious and preconceived attempt to sabotage my status as Uber-husbandTM. After all, it is hard to put in a perfect performance as a husband and father when all you are able to do is sit on the toilet as gallons of fluid rushes out of your bowels. A little too graphic a description perhaps, but accurate.
They did taste nice, but perhaps I shouldn’t have eaten the whole box by myself in one sitting.
2 Gregs
2greg

S’mores Pop-Tarts
I am a broken man. I have been introduced to the wondrous taste of S’mores Pop Tarts by a prophet from beyond the seas, only to have it whipped away from me by the barbaric English supermarkets that refuse to stock such delights. Damn them, damn their eyes.
I was going to make a tremendously witty remark such as “They were really good, so good that I want s’more”, but then discovered this is what the word means anyway. Ho hum.
5 Gregs
5greg

Orange tic-tacs
Q. What are a generals favourite sweets?
A. Tac-tics
We have these over here, but Amy enjoyed them both as a treat and a musical instrument to shake.
3 Gregs
3greg

Assorted candy bars
I can’t really comment on these as the majority of them mysteriously disappeared while I was at work. I have my suspicions of the culprit, but sadly no evidence.
3 Gregs
3greg

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
I was disproportionably excited at the prospect of eating a real life Kraft dinner, and the experience was everything I hoped and dreamed it would be – a slightly bland but pleasant meal based around the premise that powdered dairy products are a Good Thing.
Kerry wasn’t so keen but Amy and I wolfed it down.
4 Gregs
4greg

Again I want to thank Greg and Deb for their generosity. Trying all this stuff was both fun and interesting. There were tears, but there was also laughter. I think I speak for the entire Hughes household when I say that the whole affair was a learning experience for us, and we are better and more rounded human beings as a result. Damn it, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry…

A parcel was put in the post for the Lee family this morning. I’m sure I won’t miss the kidney I had to sell to pay for the postage.

Another chance to see… Day One

Published by
Dan
at January 20, 2008 in General. 9 Comments

In exactly one weeks time it will be this blog’s second birthday. I am generally a man of extremely fickle fancies when it comes to hobbies, and so it is a near miracle that I made it beyond three entries. But amazingly I don’t think there has ever been a single time when I’ve been tempted to give it up. If I had known what an exciting and rewarding community blogging would plunge me into I’d have started doing this long ago.

I have a special post planned for the blog’s actual birthday, in fact it will be the most important post I’ve ever done. I going to need a bit of time to prepare it though, so I’m planning to devote this coming week to re-runs of some of my favorite posts from the past two years. I hope you enjoy them.

Star Wars: A Small Hope

Originally posted March 12th, 2006

Amy and I messing around last summer. Don’t you just love computers, 10 years ago I could only dream of being able to add my own lightsaber effects.

The truth about cats and dogs

Published by
Dan
at January 18, 2008 in General. 10 Comments

When Amy was 18 months old she used to spend her days sitting on the rug listening to harpsichord music and crocheting elaborate tapestries. She would pause only to take a dainty sip out of a delicate bone china tea cup or engage in the occasional swoon.

Of course my recollection may be colored faintly by the rosy mists of time, but I’m pretty sure that’s what happened.

Evan, on the other hand, spends his time launching himself off various items of furniture and playing a game where he finds out how many things he can smash in one minute, then tries to beat that number.

If Amy is Pride and Prejudice, then Evan is Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Crockery Cupboard.

I don’t know if it is the gender difference, the fact that he is the second child, or just contrasting personalities, but Evan is quickly teaching us that just because we’ve had one doesn’t mean we’re dab hands for the second.

And do you know what? I love it. Just like I love my gentle, tentative daughter, I love my rambunctious and adventurous son. It doesn’t get much better than this.

TV Times

Published by
Dan
at January 17, 2008 in General. 9 Comments

This week the Times has been giving away free DVD’s of classic British childrens TV programs. The Wombles, The Flumps, Hector’s House, Willo the Wisp, Rainbow, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Mr Benn, and Captain Pugwash, all these can be yours for the mere cost of a paper.

Or at least they could. You’ve probably missed most of them by now. Sorry.

Still, most of the shows are still shown on TV on Sky if you get a yearning for a bit of nostalgia (Channel 615 between 8 and 10pm).

I’m not one of those people who believes that children’s television was intrinsically better in the 70’s and 80’s. Yes, there was some good stuff out there, but there was also a load of pants as well. I know that Bagpuss is the holy grail of retro kids TV, but I saw an episode the other day and it was bloody awful. The animation was jerky, the storyline tedious, and those damn mice were very annoying indeed (I shall probably be lynched now; ah well, I regret nothing).

However it saddens me that Amy and Evan’s childhood television experiences will be drastically different from my own. When I were a lad there were only 3 channels to choose from, and they all stopped broadcasting for 3 or 4 hours in the afternoon. Kids TV was confined to around 15 minutes in the middle of the day and a couple of hours between school kicking out time and the six o’clock news.

Kerry had it even worse than me. She spent her early childhood on an army base in Germany and, as far as I can make out, their children’s TV ration consisted of half the theme tune to Playschool three times a year. I’m sure she could sue for human rights violations if she wanted to.

These days however kids have access to children’s programs 24 hours a day. With Sky+ they can even pause and rewind it. I don’t think this is necessarily a good thing. Alongside all the educational, social, and health drawbacks of excessive television consumption they are also loosing something even more important; the excitement and specialness of TV.

In eighteen years time will their generation sit around student houses discussing Higgledytown Heroes and Dora the Explorer with the same passion that we were discussing Bod or Dogtanian and the three Muskerhounds? Somehow I doubt it. Familiarity breeds contempt (that’s why I just sent Sam that anthrax parcel), and heaven knows we are already about as familiar with the output of Nick Jr and Playhouse Disney as any human being can stand.

Even with strict parental controls (such as no TV in the toilet) modern children are still massively over exposed to televison, and this must inevitably tarnish it’s magic. And that’s a real shame.

I have a lot more to say about this topic, but for now I shall just leave you with the special X rated version of classic British kids program Rainbow.

Maintain radio silence

Published by
Dan
at January 15, 2008 in General. 18 Comments

On Saturday afternoon our internet stopped working. Tiscali, our isp, have been less than helpful – informing us that their helpline doesn’t support Macs or wireless modems but “have we tried turning it off and then back on again?”. In actual fact I don’t think there is anything wrong at our end, I think it’s a problem with the service itself. This has happened a couple of times in the past and has mysteriously resolved itself after a few of days. It’s probably just a waiting game, and if it’s not then I’ll just switch isp.

But for the time being I’m without web access at home. Which means no blogs, no wikipedia, and no podcasts. I am completely bereft. I’ve even had to resort to reading books and spending time with my family. Oh the humanity.

Still, I’ve got access at work; although the computers here run a 1963 version of Internet Explorer so google reader doesn’t work properly. This means I’ve not been able to keep up to date with my blogroll recently. I’m making an effort to click through as many as I can from the list down the side of the page, but on these antiquated machines it is slow going and the list isn’t all that up to date.

So there you go. I’m not going to be around as much over the next few days until I can get things sorted out, but to be honest you probably wouldn’t have noticed anything if I hadn’t pointed it out.

No saying horrid things about me while I’m gone.

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