July 29, 2005

Transport joy (almost)

The District Line works properly again. Yay. I'd be excited if I had any enthusiasm for anything right now.

Anyway.

Posted by totkat at 2:46 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2005

Assumptions

Why is it that trains going through Clapham Junction are never advertised as stopping there, yet they all do? How is a non local person supposed to know that? And on the tube, all of those stations at which there aren't the usual interchange at the moment... the drivers are quite commonly not stopping or contradicting the automatic announcements that say you can change there. It'd be bloody frustrating getting off to change line only to find that you can't and now the tube you were on has left the station. Assumption is a silly thing.
Posted by totkat at 6:14 PM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2005

Stockwell shooting

I'm not outraged at hearing the man who was shot at Stockwell was nothing to do with the bombings in London. I can only think that it was an awful turn of circumstances that led to it happening. I believe wholeheartedly that the police must have had a damned good reason to suspect that man of endangering public safety. They already have to be extremely careful and certain when they use force against people, but given the case brought against the officers who shot the guy with the table leg they have become more vulnerable to legal proceedings, never mind criticism for their actions. Armed police are trained to do their job, they're not jittery 19 year olds who have just been handed a gun. They are accountable for what they do, which is a phenomenal responsibility and they know it. I cannot believe that British armed police would have shot someone just because they were brown and ran away from them when challenged. There _must_ be more to it than that.

Posted by totkat at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

The dirty deed is done

I dropped off the kitties in Cambridge earlier today. They seemed to take it pretty well, despite Paris having pooped in his carrier part of the way there and drooled uncontrollably until I had a chance to clean it up.

Posted by totkat at 9:22 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2005

Again things happen

And I've never seen Wood Lane so empty.
Posted by totkat at 5:17 PM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2005

Request for info: apache module mod_backhand

Anybody used, or know of usage of mod_backhand? Basically, having skimmed through the documentation, I think I can get away with installing it on a pair of webservers and it will load balance those two. Am I deluding myself/have I read wrongly?

Posted by totkat at 12:23 PM | Comments (1)

July 13, 2005

Post-exam guilt

Kinda. When I finished my GCSEs and my A Levels, each time I fell into a good few weeks of feeling purposeless, useless and aimless. Having worked and revised and been taking exams for two or three months each time, suddenly having nothing to work on made me feel guilty that I wasn't doing something. Now I'm getting it about not doing any decorating. It isn't as if there isn't any to do, it's just that I'm done for now. And my right wrist and hand are too sore to do any anyway. But I still feel guilty. And aimless.

I'm on a training course, today and tomorrow, on interviewing job, just in time for going through the applications for the vacancy in the team next week. It's funny, the course tutor keeps saying that the course will fry our brains but it isn't rocket science. The best part was choosing the correct candidate in an exercise on shortlisting. The rest of my group panned that candidate, but I used the criteria and instruction we'd been given to score the (fictional) candidates and I scored that candidate highest and thought that one was the best of the field we were given. And I was right.

Posted by totkat at 8:39 PM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2005

Getting there...

The kitchen is back together again. As is the bathroom. The extension is almost sorted out. It feels like I'm getting somewhere. But I'm so sick of painting. I don't want to get up in the morning because I know I'll have more painting to do. And it is hot, which at least means the paint dries quickly, but it means that it isn't just smelly work, but sweaty too.

Posted by totkat at 8:11 PM | Comments (0)

Mmm, but bleh

Aaah what a lovely weekend. Dinner out on Saturday after an afternoon of J helping with decorating. Then more decorating on Sunday, followed by the British Grand Prix and a roast dinner.

Today, it's back to full-time painting. Everything reeks of gloss. And it is vile. Still, it is time for a lunch break and I have the yummmiest chicken soup (made from the carcass pickings from the roast chicken yesterday, chopped mushrooms, a couple of rashers of bacon, onion - from the roast again - some wine and a dollop of creme fraiche). Yum.

Then it'll be back to the painting, but I think I've had enough of gloss for today and I'll touch up the wall edges in the bathroom, kichen and extension. That'll be those rooms done then. *phew*

Posted by totkat at 3:26 PM | Comments (0)

July 8, 2005

Louvred doors of doom

I'd've finished the extension walls about 2 hours earlier if it wasn't for that stupid cupboard door. The louvres are a nightmare to paint. Hmph. Anyway. They're done and I've washed up all of the rollers and brushes. I _may_ do the ceiling edges later tonight if I feel up to it. But my right wrist is really painful now, so I'd rather not. Still, Lilac Love is nice. Reminds me of black cherry yogurt, but a very creamy one.

Posted by totkat at 5:40 PM | Comments (0)

D.I.Y. again (lots more to come)

I was a bit silly and left the masking tape on too long, so when I peeled it off it took some of the paint at the edges with it last night. This morning started with a trip to B&Q, to get more Barley Twist to finish the kitchen, touch up the edges and the other wall in the extension and to get a radiator roller to paint down behind the radiators and above the kitchen cupboards. That dinky roller is great. Oh yes.

Now the kitchen is finished (except for the wood) and I'm almost done with the extension walls. After that, I'll touch up the extension ceiling and that'll be it for today. I'm tired, more so after what happened yesterday, and my shoulders and hands ache.

A bacon sandwich for brunch just now and I'll get back to the paint. I'm behind after yesterday as I'd hoped to have the kitchen, extension and possibly wood-work done. But I've still got the weekend and three days of next week. I'd like to have a rest day next week, but we'll see how it goes. There's still the bathroom and kitchen wood to do, the porch, the spare room and at least under the stairs in the hall if not all of it.

Posted by totkat at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)

July 6, 2005

Painty painty paint paint

I was good. I did the second coat of paint on the tiles. I really didn't want to, my shoulders are achey and I'm weary. And my lungs are filled with solvent now. Tile paint _stinks_. I did open all of the windows in the house, but still it stinks.

Posted by totkat at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

*ache*

One and a half walls of kitchen and one of extension done. So, I'm taking a break (having washed out the cutting-in brush and roller for a second time today) for de-kinking my shoulders, then hand-over to be on call. After that, I'll get a second coat of paint on the tiles and that'll be it for today on the decorating front. It is already not looking like my house any more; the kitchen is so much brighter!

I thought it was Tuesday today. This is because I started decorating yesterday (I couldn't on Monday because of the skirting board man being here and the fridge/freezer being delivered.). All of the rubbing down, masking taping and newspapering takes more thim than you'd think. Still, I'm glad I have three days leave next week so I don't have to rush this stuff. I reckon it will all be done by the end of next week. Then I can look at carpet.

Hmm, I still haven't decided what colour to do the porch. Maybe I'll see whether I need to buy a second pot of anything for the extension, kitchen or spare room instead of trying to pick something new.

Posted by totkat at 5:06 PM | Comments (0)

Hey ho

Gooseberry came back at 08:26 this morning, so totkat.org is back online.

I've scrubbed down the tiles and done the first coat of paint on those and the kitchen ceiling is now painted. That's the hard bit. I get to do the easy bit; the kitchen and extension walls (and 2nd coat on the tiles). But now it is time for lunch.

Oh and shame about the Olympics. Time to timetable leaving London by 2012.

Posted by totkat at 1:30 PM | Comments (0)