Strange as it may seem, I am beginning to get chromebook envy. I am typing this on a Samsung Chromebook, but I am jealous of the 'books with more processing RAM and more capability. I believe I've said it before, but I am an unrepentant neophile - just call me "bleeding edge" Thorley.
Not that anyone is likely to sell me a chromebook / PC for £15 - that's all I'm prepared to bid - PCs are a commodity and the lower someone is prepared to go in selling one, the lower I am prepared to go in buying one. What can I say? I'm a miser.
Anyway, must be bedtime xxx...
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Saturday 15-02-21 - James Acaster in Worthing
Last night TW & I went to see James Acaster at the Connaught Studio in Worthing. It was part of Matt's Comedy Club, a regular night in Worthing which has been going for a few years now.
James was supported by Jay Foreman, who is a musical comedian. He is actually Beardyman's brother, which I didn't know until I looked him up on Wikipedia just before the show. And it showed, he did some really clever stuff (which was also funny) with his guitar and the songs during the show.
The night started with three local comics who each had a short slot. The funniest of these was a passive-aggressive housewife called Lindy Larkin, she came across like Alison Steadman in Abigail's Party, and she had some really sharp lines.
Then Jay came on, and sang some songs. They were light, witty and enjoyable. He had a couple of more eccentric jokes, and the John Lennon song was brilliant, I thought. The half-hour or so that he was on sped by.
Then it was time for the interval. TW went and bought a CD from Jay, and as she does, they got talking. She told him that we'd been to see Beardyman, and they had a nice chat. And then, it was time for the main event.
I was looking forward to seeing James, I'd seen him on a couple of TV shows, and Richard Herring interviewed him last year and bigs him up a lot, as part of the new generation of comics coming through. His show was likeable enough, and he is certainly a likeable fellow. He plays a lot on his geekiness / awkwardness and the way he interprets other people's behaviour (in the show) is cleverly wrong. The show really sparked when he accidentally swore. To explain, Matt's Comedy Club is a "family friendly" event, and so they must have asked the comedians not to swear. I'm sure they wouldn't have asked Frankie Boyle to perform, for instance. James coped well, I'm not sure that his act involves much swearing anyway, but he accidentally swore anyway, and there followed a moment or two of inspired lunacy, the act began to take off. The finale was odd, but funny, and all the way through it seemed to be building to something, but never quite getting there.
It was a good evening, and I'm glad I went, it was good to have time out with TW, even if we were both hanging and tired. That may have affected my enjoyment of the evening, but there were great bits there, little nuggets of brilliance.
This morning we played Jay Foreman's CD to the girls and they really enjoyed it. We have a permanent memento of the evening, as well as the memory of the laughter, and of course next time we see any of them on the TV, we'll be able to say we were there and we saw them...
James was supported by Jay Foreman, who is a musical comedian. He is actually Beardyman's brother, which I didn't know until I looked him up on Wikipedia just before the show. And it showed, he did some really clever stuff (which was also funny) with his guitar and the songs during the show.
The night started with three local comics who each had a short slot. The funniest of these was a passive-aggressive housewife called Lindy Larkin, she came across like Alison Steadman in Abigail's Party, and she had some really sharp lines.
Then Jay came on, and sang some songs. They were light, witty and enjoyable. He had a couple of more eccentric jokes, and the John Lennon song was brilliant, I thought. The half-hour or so that he was on sped by.
Then it was time for the interval. TW went and bought a CD from Jay, and as she does, they got talking. She told him that we'd been to see Beardyman, and they had a nice chat. And then, it was time for the main event.
I was looking forward to seeing James, I'd seen him on a couple of TV shows, and Richard Herring interviewed him last year and bigs him up a lot, as part of the new generation of comics coming through. His show was likeable enough, and he is certainly a likeable fellow. He plays a lot on his geekiness / awkwardness and the way he interprets other people's behaviour (in the show) is cleverly wrong. The show really sparked when he accidentally swore. To explain, Matt's Comedy Club is a "family friendly" event, and so they must have asked the comedians not to swear. I'm sure they wouldn't have asked Frankie Boyle to perform, for instance. James coped well, I'm not sure that his act involves much swearing anyway, but he accidentally swore anyway, and there followed a moment or two of inspired lunacy, the act began to take off. The finale was odd, but funny, and all the way through it seemed to be building to something, but never quite getting there.
It was a good evening, and I'm glad I went, it was good to have time out with TW, even if we were both hanging and tired. That may have affected my enjoyment of the evening, but there were great bits there, little nuggets of brilliance.
This morning we played Jay Foreman's CD to the girls and they really enjoyed it. We have a permanent memento of the evening, as well as the memory of the laughter, and of course next time we see any of them on the TV, we'll be able to say we were there and we saw them...
Sunday, February 15, 2015
15-02-14 Valentine's Day (Part 1)
I don't do Valentine's Day, and nor does TW. Her issue is, why should there be a specific day set aside for being 'mantic with your partner? Should we need to diarise it?
So we exchange cards, mostly. Her mother and grandmother are probably going to be here all day, so there isn't the opportunity for a grand romantic gesture, even if I were that way inclined.
But it's probably worth taking some time out of our hectic schedules, looking after three girls and working and tidying the house, and meeting friends and sleeping and eating... to appreciate each other just a bit. To spend some time together, not on the sofa watching crap telly in companionable silence.
We went out for an evening together at the end of January, and we should probably do the same again, probably at the end of the month. In fact, I might try and make it a monthly event, wouldn't that be nice?
So we exchange cards, mostly. Her mother and grandmother are probably going to be here all day, so there isn't the opportunity for a grand romantic gesture, even if I were that way inclined.
But it's probably worth taking some time out of our hectic schedules, looking after three girls and working and tidying the house, and meeting friends and sleeping and eating... to appreciate each other just a bit. To spend some time together, not on the sofa watching crap telly in companionable silence.
We went out for an evening together at the end of January, and we should probably do the same again, probably at the end of the month. In fact, I might try and make it a monthly event, wouldn't that be nice?
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Saturday 15-02-14 Cricket World Cup Australia vs England
Just a quick thought on this... I initially thought that actually, if the umpire had declared lbw, Anderson was right to give up and therefore his stumping was due to the umpire's decision. If the umpire's decision was wrong, or classed as wrong after the fact, the ball should have been called dead or replayed. Unfortunately, on the field, the run out was given. I came to the conclusion that because Australia had continued playing, and Anderson had stopped, actually Australia were in the right and they had won the game correctly.
Later the laws were clarified and the ball should have been called dead, but by then it was too late. Taylor missed out on his century, which was the main issue. With eight overs to go, England would never have won, let alone survived, so it would not have been a big deal to replay the ball.
England were never going to win but it would have been good for Taylor.
I expect that with review systems and video replays, etc., it will go towards my view on things, where the ball will be played and all sides will have to play until the ball is called dead, then the video refs can review the play and determine if any foul or notable play occurred.
Now, lets see the highlights on ITV...
Later the laws were clarified and the ball should have been called dead, but by then it was too late. Taylor missed out on his century, which was the main issue. With eight overs to go, England would never have won, let alone survived, so it would not have been a big deal to replay the ball.
England were never going to win but it would have been good for Taylor.
I expect that with review systems and video replays, etc., it will go towards my view on things, where the ball will be played and all sides will have to play until the ball is called dead, then the video refs can review the play and determine if any foul or notable play occurred.
Now, lets see the highlights on ITV...
Friday 15-02-13 Portsmouth Docks
Whenever I think about docks, I am reminded of the Blackadder scene with Rowan Atkinson and Tony "Time Team" Robinson. There is always a slightly seedy, tawdry feel to it.
That is so not the case with Portsmouth Docks, they are a testament to the naval history of the UK.
It was an INSET day at school, so I took a day off and we headed to Portsmouth. The docks are a short walk from the Portsmouth Harbour train station, so it was easy to get there. Also it is a short walk to Gunwharf Quays, and on the way back TW was threatening a detour, but luckily that never materialised.
The entry ticket costs a fair bit, about £55, I think, but that gives you entry to the docks for a year, so we will be able to go back during the summer and do the bits we missed yesterday.
We first went onto the Warrior, a ship built in 1860, and the engineering and vision utilised in building such a ship was amazing. The ship was bristling with cannon, and some of those weighed six tonnes. The fact that the ship was still floating and not at the bottom of the ocean was quite remarkable. Of course, the living conditions "enjoyed" by the men onboard were horrific, but the things they achieved were awe-inspiring. The way they lived together, and relied on each other, was amazing. Certainly there would be no opportunity for introspection or "me" time. Even if they did get a moment to themselves, they would be assaulted by their own stench, or the worry that they would be punished for some reason by the officers or the bosun.
I was impressed by the many uses of the hammock; in addition to a sleeping-place, it could be used to protect from shrapnel (when wrapped up and stored in the splinter nets topside), it was also a bouyancy device, i.e., it could be used as a life-raft for 12-14 hours, and it would also, for those unlucky enough to die at sea, be used as their coffin. A cannonball would be set at the corpse's feet, and the hammock would be sewn up around the body, and the last stitch, known as the "dead man's stitch" would go through the corpse's nose, to ensure a) that the corpse was indeed a corpse, and b) that the body didn't float free once the hammock was pitched over the side. Because some of the crew were pressganged into service, they would take any opportunity to escape, even if that meant pretending to be dead. The dead man's stitch would provoke a response from any body not already a corpse :) .
As well as learning about the naval practices and living conditions of the day, we learned about the origins of sayings. For instance, "not enough room to swing a cat" refers to the basic punishment tool of the day, the cat o' nine tails. That was the lash, basically. Apparently if someone was punished by the cat o' nine tails, in a lot of instances they had to make their own cat, which would be particularly galling. "Let the cat out of the bag" is another relating to the same, the cat was always taken up in a bag, and when it was taken out, something bad was going to happen. I don't think it means the same these days, I think now it means to reveal a secret, although not with dire consequences.
Later we also learned the origins of "cock-up" which isn't rude as you might imagine. I was quite disappointed. It is from archery, and the fact that the "cock feather" is a different colour to the other two and should always be at a 90-degree angle pointing away from the bow. If the cock feather is pointing up, the arrow won't fly properly, and so a mistake is referred to as a "cock-up".
We had a picnic which we took with us, so we sat outside in the cold and the rain in the middle of February, eating our sandwiches. At that point I was ready to come home, but we were under a canvas outside the Mary Rose museum, so although it was raining around us, we weren't actually getting wet.
The Mary Rose museum was brilliant, very well done. There was one point where I was looking at a skeleton, and they had an "artist's impression" of what the archer might have looked like. I had quite a surprise as it looked as though the archer was looking at me - I'm not sure whether that was a little joke by the museum curators, but it put the wind up me for a minute or two.
Then we went to the Victory, and had a guided tour around that. The guide was very knowledgeable, but it seemed he was rushing through his presentation. To be fair though, I think there was a tour behind us as well, so he probably wanted to ensure he was keeping ahead. The majesty of Nelson's quarters was impressive, and the noise and the hullabaloo that the sailors below decks must have suffered during battle was also equally impressive.
We didn't have time to see the submarine, or the boats out to the submarine weren't running, and there were several museums we didn't go into. There is also a boat trip around the docks which we didn't take, so there is still lots for us to do the next time we go back.
The girls really enjoyed it, and that's the second time they've been. Maybe next time we'll split the day between the Docks and Gunwharf Quays - at least, that might appeal to TW.
That is so not the case with Portsmouth Docks, they are a testament to the naval history of the UK.
It was an INSET day at school, so I took a day off and we headed to Portsmouth. The docks are a short walk from the Portsmouth Harbour train station, so it was easy to get there. Also it is a short walk to Gunwharf Quays, and on the way back TW was threatening a detour, but luckily that never materialised.
The entry ticket costs a fair bit, about £55, I think, but that gives you entry to the docks for a year, so we will be able to go back during the summer and do the bits we missed yesterday.
We first went onto the Warrior, a ship built in 1860, and the engineering and vision utilised in building such a ship was amazing. The ship was bristling with cannon, and some of those weighed six tonnes. The fact that the ship was still floating and not at the bottom of the ocean was quite remarkable. Of course, the living conditions "enjoyed" by the men onboard were horrific, but the things they achieved were awe-inspiring. The way they lived together, and relied on each other, was amazing. Certainly there would be no opportunity for introspection or "me" time. Even if they did get a moment to themselves, they would be assaulted by their own stench, or the worry that they would be punished for some reason by the officers or the bosun.
I was impressed by the many uses of the hammock; in addition to a sleeping-place, it could be used to protect from shrapnel (when wrapped up and stored in the splinter nets topside), it was also a bouyancy device, i.e., it could be used as a life-raft for 12-14 hours, and it would also, for those unlucky enough to die at sea, be used as their coffin. A cannonball would be set at the corpse's feet, and the hammock would be sewn up around the body, and the last stitch, known as the "dead man's stitch" would go through the corpse's nose, to ensure a) that the corpse was indeed a corpse, and b) that the body didn't float free once the hammock was pitched over the side. Because some of the crew were pressganged into service, they would take any opportunity to escape, even if that meant pretending to be dead. The dead man's stitch would provoke a response from any body not already a corpse :) .
As well as learning about the naval practices and living conditions of the day, we learned about the origins of sayings. For instance, "not enough room to swing a cat" refers to the basic punishment tool of the day, the cat o' nine tails. That was the lash, basically. Apparently if someone was punished by the cat o' nine tails, in a lot of instances they had to make their own cat, which would be particularly galling. "Let the cat out of the bag" is another relating to the same, the cat was always taken up in a bag, and when it was taken out, something bad was going to happen. I don't think it means the same these days, I think now it means to reveal a secret, although not with dire consequences.
Later we also learned the origins of "cock-up" which isn't rude as you might imagine. I was quite disappointed. It is from archery, and the fact that the "cock feather" is a different colour to the other two and should always be at a 90-degree angle pointing away from the bow. If the cock feather is pointing up, the arrow won't fly properly, and so a mistake is referred to as a "cock-up".
We had a picnic which we took with us, so we sat outside in the cold and the rain in the middle of February, eating our sandwiches. At that point I was ready to come home, but we were under a canvas outside the Mary Rose museum, so although it was raining around us, we weren't actually getting wet.
The Mary Rose museum was brilliant, very well done. There was one point where I was looking at a skeleton, and they had an "artist's impression" of what the archer might have looked like. I had quite a surprise as it looked as though the archer was looking at me - I'm not sure whether that was a little joke by the museum curators, but it put the wind up me for a minute or two.
Then we went to the Victory, and had a guided tour around that. The guide was very knowledgeable, but it seemed he was rushing through his presentation. To be fair though, I think there was a tour behind us as well, so he probably wanted to ensure he was keeping ahead. The majesty of Nelson's quarters was impressive, and the noise and the hullabaloo that the sailors below decks must have suffered during battle was also equally impressive.
We didn't have time to see the submarine, or the boats out to the submarine weren't running, and there were several museums we didn't go into. There is also a boat trip around the docks which we didn't take, so there is still lots for us to do the next time we go back.
The girls really enjoyed it, and that's the second time they've been. Maybe next time we'll split the day between the Docks and Gunwharf Quays - at least, that might appeal to TW.
Saturday, February 07, 2015
...and the Six Nations Rolls Around Again
So last night was the start of the Six Nations 2015, and the opening match was Wales vs. England at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The kids were up in bed, TW was out for the evening, and I was ensconced in the living room with a bottle of red wine. Work was done for the day, I had taken off my suit (we had had visitors) and I was relaxed.
The build-up to the match was sensational; they turned off the lights in the stadium and had a brilliant light show. England refused to come out on to the pitch because they thought that Wales would keep them waiting, and as it turned out there were more fireworks and build-up before the Welsh team emerged. The match started, eventually, and things went Wales's way, they were very quickly ten points up. England scored a try to pull back five points, Mike Brown put in a lovely little grubber kick which was picked up by Watson for the try.
The rest of the half was enthralling, they played hard and fast, Wales put on another two penalties, and England took one, so that the score was 13-8 as half-time approached. Wales were pushing hard, and on the last play before half-time they dropped a goal to go 16-8 up. What a threatening way to finish the half, and I was gutted.
However, it seemed that a different England team came out of the changing room after half-time. They upped the tempo, and Wales were on the back foot, scrambling to get back and defend in an organised manner. Within five minutes of the restart, England had another try, Joseph slipped a tackle and was clear, he crossed the line and ran it back to almost under the posts, making the conversion simple for Ford. England were in touching distance, at 16-15.
It was a tense twenty minutes before there was another score, England took a penalty to go 16-18 up; it was a start, but the match was nowhere near won, and there was still fifteen minutes to go. If I had any nails, I would have been biting them, and I was hugging myself and gently rocking, hoping against hope that England might hold out against Wales. I was worried that they would suddenly get a second wind and take the game away from England. As it was, England scored again, which broke the tension, but then it was disallowed because Easter had over-run the ball, and obstructed the game. Gutted! The score was back to 16-18. Haskell as well, made it as far as the line, but was prevented from scoring by the goalposts. He tried to deposit the ball at the base of the posts, which would have been a try, but it didn't work out. England were in the ascendancy, but they just couldn't turn their advantage into points on the board. It could still have gone Wales' way; all they needed was a quick break and they could have been home free.
In the last minute of the game, Ford took another three points and England were 16-21 up. It wasn't possible for Wales to win from there, but they played out the game. It was a tense game, I was tense for the full 80 minutes, and it was as though we were on a tightrope, teetering high and liable to crash out at any point. What a great game, both sides gave it their all, I thought, and it was a great way to start the tournament. The icing on the cake was the win for England.
With the wine drained, and the excitement levels slowly returning to normal, I headed off to bed. I am looking forward to seeing today's matches, although I think TW might have something to say about that...
The build-up to the match was sensational; they turned off the lights in the stadium and had a brilliant light show. England refused to come out on to the pitch because they thought that Wales would keep them waiting, and as it turned out there were more fireworks and build-up before the Welsh team emerged. The match started, eventually, and things went Wales's way, they were very quickly ten points up. England scored a try to pull back five points, Mike Brown put in a lovely little grubber kick which was picked up by Watson for the try.
The rest of the half was enthralling, they played hard and fast, Wales put on another two penalties, and England took one, so that the score was 13-8 as half-time approached. Wales were pushing hard, and on the last play before half-time they dropped a goal to go 16-8 up. What a threatening way to finish the half, and I was gutted.
However, it seemed that a different England team came out of the changing room after half-time. They upped the tempo, and Wales were on the back foot, scrambling to get back and defend in an organised manner. Within five minutes of the restart, England had another try, Joseph slipped a tackle and was clear, he crossed the line and ran it back to almost under the posts, making the conversion simple for Ford. England were in touching distance, at 16-15.
It was a tense twenty minutes before there was another score, England took a penalty to go 16-18 up; it was a start, but the match was nowhere near won, and there was still fifteen minutes to go. If I had any nails, I would have been biting them, and I was hugging myself and gently rocking, hoping against hope that England might hold out against Wales. I was worried that they would suddenly get a second wind and take the game away from England. As it was, England scored again, which broke the tension, but then it was disallowed because Easter had over-run the ball, and obstructed the game. Gutted! The score was back to 16-18. Haskell as well, made it as far as the line, but was prevented from scoring by the goalposts. He tried to deposit the ball at the base of the posts, which would have been a try, but it didn't work out. England were in the ascendancy, but they just couldn't turn their advantage into points on the board. It could still have gone Wales' way; all they needed was a quick break and they could have been home free.
In the last minute of the game, Ford took another three points and England were 16-21 up. It wasn't possible for Wales to win from there, but they played out the game. It was a tense game, I was tense for the full 80 minutes, and it was as though we were on a tightrope, teetering high and liable to crash out at any point. What a great game, both sides gave it their all, I thought, and it was a great way to start the tournament. The icing on the cake was the win for England.
With the wine drained, and the excitement levels slowly returning to normal, I headed off to bed. I am looking forward to seeing today's matches, although I think TW might have something to say about that...
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