Michael's Meanderings

So possibly as a result of taking blood pressure tablets, I have had a dry cough since January, I've also been retching after breakfast (usually when I'm cleaning my teeth). On the 1st this actually resulted in me throwing up! I've booked an appointment with my GP.
We had an office team BBQ on the sea front, it was bring your own food but trays of charcoal to cook on were provided. The weather was fine and we had a good time. Though the seagulls were a bit alarming, swooping on any dropped items.
Packed up and returned D's Sky Q Box (after bringing it back from Holland). My apple tree had over 20 apples, unfortunately most were rotten having fallen or were wormy! I will have to check their status more regularly next year.
SF Book club discussed Stand on Zanzibar, which again I didn't complete. Continued with Ballroom & Line Dance classes. My sister and I went out for a social ballroom dance, after practice at home we were able to dance a few more styles (still won't do quickstep or foxtrot).
Went to see Zippo's Circus, which was on Hove seafront. There were demonstrators as they had animal acts (the first time I've seen this in 20+ years - the animals not the demonstrators) though the animals in question were tame horses and budgies.
Saw Christopher Robin at the cinema, bought sausage & chips for supper - but didn't eat til I got to the train station due to to fear of seagull attacks!
On the last Wednesday of the month I took the day off and went to London, visited British Library - exhibition on Windrush, went to Forbidden Planet & bought a book.
Then to the Science Museum for the SMLates - the theme was circus and unfortunately I'd pre-booked for an IMAX show - Dancing on Icebergs, which was interesting but ate 2/3 of my evening, and was not circus related. I had to leave early to get to see “Resurrecting Philip Astley” which was circus related and very informative, and finished the evening,
Continued to make Delay Repay claims against the rail companies, and getting eVouchers of £1.50-£2:50 for each delay, they mount up. My season ticket allows me almost unlimited travel between Gatwick, Brighton and Worthing and Horsham (without additional cost), so whenever I need to travel outside this area I've been using eVouchers, so my journey to London was effectively free!

So with the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I thought I'd re-read the whole series first. I managed to borrow 6 out of the 7 books from the library as ebooks (pottermore.com editions) so they were the current version. It also meant that (especially for the later tomes) I didn't break my wrists! I read tPoA as my Paper edition over a w/e (the book was on loan when I wanted to read it.)
It was quite interesting to re-read the books for the first time, especially after having watched the films a number of time so the visuals were usually taken from the films. However there were a few occasions when there were differences. In the book Aunt Petunia is blonde (and in the movies is brunette)
As a result of the casting choices for HP&tCC I did specifically check for any referenced to if Hermione was black or not. The only evidence that she was not back is that Malfoy and the others in Slytherin (or anyone one else) never made any comment on her skin colour. Shacklebolt is described as black.
It was also interesting to read them one after the other, rather than with a year gap between each one.
I finally got around to ordering a new pair of dance shoes, these were Latin style and not patent leather.
Once again I got a significant refund on my train season ticket due to delays & cancellations. Over £120 over the last 4 months!
Went to Continental Circus Berlin, which had some good jugglers and an awesome laser light show - where light was bent and used a light sabre!
I also went to the Crawley Circus Festival - unfortunately the weather wasn't as good as it had been the previous week end. However I did managed to do some juggling and did a Poi workshop and learnt a new sequence!
I have been saving towards my retirement for about 20 years, and with recent changes in the rules I could have taken early retirement on my 55 birthday. I have decided not to do so while my current employment continues, but once it ends I'll retire rather than go on the dole!
It does mean that I can take some money as a lump sum and since I have a number of upgrades to the house and garden I will have to do so.
And the final event of the month to recount was that last Wednesday Mark Oshiro (of markreads.net) was in Brighton, and I was one of 4 people who turned up, Mark read from his own new novel (not yet finished) and discussion occurred. He was feeling peckish so i suggested Fish and Chips (traditional at the seaside) and we decided to visit the pier and eat there!

First day unemployed, bought tickets to London for Eastercon, Went to book club (first time in over a year)
D gave me a iPhone 5 as an early birthday present!
Spent a while learning to use it and configure it. (and to upgrade all the apps)

On Thu left for London, visited the Science Museum before going to Heathrow and checking in to the Holiday In.
Good Friday
Breakfast at McD (and for rest of W/E as on way from Holiday Inn to Park Inn (were the convention was held)
Checked in to Eastercon 2015 / Dysprosium got free mug and discworld calendar, got wifi working! on both ipod and iphone
Went to back to back panels, my favourite being the difference engine imaged and imagined by the author of "The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage "
bought food at petrol station / co-op over the road. Spent an hour at filking
Saturday
After McD porridge for breakfast, more panels including GoHs Caroline Mullan & Jim Butcher (in separate program items)
Met a chatted to Listie Katrina & fiancé
Concerts with Playing Rapunzel followed by Talis+2 (Seannan McGuire unable to join in due to lurgy)
Easter Sunday
After McD porridge for breakfast, went to Easter worship then checked out art show for last time
GoH - Herr Döktor interview and GoH - Seanan McGuire (an hour with). In evening was Not the masquerade! an hour of filking
Easter Monday
Last day of con. couple of panels then closing ceremony. Chatted with ED. Read in hotel room (should have left but...)

Tuesday
Left in morning spent hour and a half at the science museum
Got a call from Agency asking if I wanted to renew contract! I said yes. Restarting work in 2 days.
Dancing with J - started learning new quickstep. Later in the month expanded the foxtrot repertoire
Spent day after return from Eastercon replacing upstairs toilet with D! Discovered seat had broken at the hinges so had to order replacement
Bought weekly season tickets until the end of the month, than a monthly one! And back to work!
I celebrated my birthday during April and got cards from family & my dance partner, went for a nice lunch with the latter, followed with hours talking in the sun. Saw ISS pass overhead that night!
The following day celebrated my sister's (and my) birthday with another lunch out, with niece, her intended, my sister and brother-in-law and a nice surprise my aunt and uncle (who I hadn't seen for months - even though they only live a few miles away)
Also celebrated 8 years since I started writing on LiveJournal in 2007
the Brighton SF Reading group met on the second Monday of the month as the previous week was Easter Monday
We discussed Ancillary Justice for most of the 2 hours, usually we only spend the first hour on the book itself, then wander ot ofther genre topics. But this time almost all discussion was on topic. That I had actually finished the book was probably a plus!
Went to World Book Night Quiz at Martlets Cafe - cam 2nd of 7 teams! Go free book.
Finally got a SIM for my iPhone, bit odd to actually have a working Smart Phone!
Last Saturday of the month was social dance, with practice night 8 days prior to this. Spotted a Circus in Goffs Park, decided to go.
Up early sunday morning so I could get train to Crawly for the 11:00 performance by Zyair circus
Had sunday lunch while waiting to go to the cinema then discovered it had sold out! Sky box performed an update which now allows it to remember recored programs and to automatically start recording the new series!
Now separates recorded programs from scheduled programs (different menu entried)
Started watching iZombie via internet as not available via Sky.

Completed all the elearning requirements for working in NHS for this year.
Also finished off the "Sharing Knife" I have been making, with a leather sheath and handle
Had a Private dance lesson with J to learn the Viennese Waltz, bought replacement dance shoes (1/2 size larger than previous pairs)
Saw The Lego Movie - better than the title would let you believe but...
Had a number of blood tests, mostly OK but low in Calcium, so now taking supplements. Also had asthma review (must remember to use inhaler in the evening as well as the morning during summer (pollen), prescriptions now cost £8.05 per item.
Continued Ballroom Dancing on Tuesday with C & J and started going to Subway rather than Burger King (lower cost meal deal and bonus points)
Now regularly mowing lawn again! Got Mary Kowal's latest as an audio book (Valour and Vanity) a series I will always buy and listen too as Mary reads her own work to perfection.
SF Book Club was delayed due to bank holiday, The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson, was of such length few finished it! (inc me).
Reserved 2 Orbit Hugo nominees (already bought Mira Grant one).
Went to the Moscow State Circus at Preston Park. Some of the best jugglers I've ever seen, cool flyers, and a few novelty items. (whip & roller skates)
Walked around the Swiss Rock Garden afterwards for over 20min before getting train home.
Went to visit family for Mum's birthday on last bank holiday weekend (two bank holidays in a month is too much). Dad was also celebrating being priest for 55 years!
Left my bottle of calcium supplements at my parents! Fortunately they don't expire quickly and aren't expensive, so got replacements.
Saw Maleficent at a Worthing cinema / theatre. Had a unscheduled pause in the middle where the digital film looped repeatedly (She's coming). At first we thought it part of the movie but after 6 repetitions...
Bought ticket to see Dave Gorman's - Work in Progress (Modern Life is Goodish) for next week.
Now working on 2 Coursera classes, "Programming for Everybody" in Python and "Understanding Europe: Why It Matters and What It Can Offer You" I'm not going to add any more until I finish both.
Last Saturday in the month was our Grand Ballroom Dance Social, with Lecture, Professional Demonstration and "high tea" (sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and jam with tea) It was an excellent evening!

Went to Book Club supposed to read Pride and Prejudice but didn't finish, then to Dancing in Crawley. Went to dentist for filling including checkup cost £97!
Got a small tax refund, due to being out of work most of the year!
Continued dancing on Tuesday (1 hr), Wednesday (2hr) and Friday (1 hr) this latter with a different teacher and dancing with at 3-4 different partners a week.
Fictionwise.com finally closed down and I was able to get most of my books transfered to the Nook site (I also downloaded them to my hard disk)
Had a job interview for a non profit in Brighton. Didn't get the job!
Visited my parents for the week end on my younger sisters birthday.
Rewards moved from Haywards Heath to Crawley (merging two offices into a new office in the same building as CDG). Job Club with CDG ongoing.
Saw Star Trek: Heart of Darkness at the local cinema.
Open evening at Central Sussex College in Crawley. Was able to sign up for the Business Admin with funding via the Reach program (and therefore free) however doesn't start for months.
Went shopping with Mum for a new laptop for her to use (her current one is being returned to the charity she borrowed it from) Got a Toshiba with Windows 8 on it. cleared stuff from old PC and transferred it to the new one.
Started cutting the lawn myself. First time I had done so in years, it's actually quite therapeutic!
Installed a newer version of Mint Debian - Cinnamon onto my old laptop.
Downloaded the Hugo Packet and copied the epub stories to my Kobo
Bought ticked for the Juggling Convention held at the Hawth in August. This was also an open day for the Crawley signal box so I had a visit, with a view up and down the line for miles.
Visited parents again, a Talis Kimberly concert was streamed live from the mill house on ustream, which I was able to watch.
Went out for dinner at the Toby Carvery Worthing with all the family
I was offered Bank Work with Sussex Oakleaf (though this didn't come to anything)
Went to CDG one to one meeting had to take a new course from Elmfield Training, a four week all day course starting the first week of June!
Went to see Billy Smarts Circus in Preston Park.

Managed to get to this within my 2 week window this time.

At the Wednesday dance class we've just started the Slow Foxtrot, you can really travel with this and it's all coming back to me. It'll be really great once we complete learing the routine. We have also been revising both Cha Cha and Rumba, which is essential as they are so similar.

Collected my two new pairs of glasses from Specsavers, for the fist time I seem to be having issues with varifocals.

I also restarted seeing a chiropractor, however this one is local so I'm saving train fare. I don't know if it's real or all in the mind, but I still feel better!

Last weekend I went to visit my parents, at least in part to celebrate my Mum's birthday. My sister and Brother-in-law had got back from a holiday in Turkey the day before, so we were able to celebrate together. This was the Jubilee weekend and there was a circus in town, so I wanted to go. Surprisingly my Mum also expressed an interest so after church on Sunday we went to Cirque Normandie a very small circus with only 9 personnel in the ring (4 of them clowns). But they put on a good show and the audience seemed to enjoy it even if most of them were under ten.

I finally (after over a year) got around to updating some of The Bujold Nexus. The biggest problem was after not updating it for a while I got out of the habit of updating, so I didn't. There are probably some gaps that I missed, so if you spot any let me know.

I've been reading some of the Hugo nominees and listening to Wicked Girls by Seanan McGuire. Those tracks are awesome. Hopefully before the voting deadline I will have finished them all.

Most important event of the month was that with major help from my parents I was able to pay off my mortgage a year early. This meant that I didn't have to pay over £3000 in interest, it also meant I didn't have to worry about becoming homeless.

The next day was the monthly Book Club the book being "The Believers" by Zoe Heller which I didn't finish either.

Then the next day I saw my dentist for my 6 month check up, my asthma review at the doctors, and the first ITQ module test on Word 2007 which I passed with 97%!

The next weekend was the Crawley Circus Festival at the Hawth including the Kettle of Fish evening performance in the evening. Got a lift home, and on Sunday from I.

On Tue 9th I had to start a Work Programme Insite Appointment at CDG in Crawley, which was supposed to provided more in depth assistance to longer term unemployed. However most of their services have been covered by the Reach Program! But it's a JSA requirement. One good thing, travel expenses are re-embursed so train travel cost are recouped.

Unfortunately I was unable to got to Renovation the Worldcon in Reno, Nevada due to lack of money. but I did try to catch a flavour of the program via twitter, and streamed media.

Mum had to return to hospital again with hip problems

On Thursday 18th I returned to Central Sussex College, Crawley for a Reach workshop leading to "NCFE Award in Job search & Interview skills" this was a day a week for six weeks

I took the second ITQ module Excel 2007 and passed at 94%

At the end of the month I saw an amateur production of "Return to the Forbidden Planet" at the Hawth, which was held in the small Studio, good fun though.

Started volunteering at Sussex Oakleaf a small charity based in Haywards Heath. I was involved in designing Excel spreadsheet version of paper forms.

The following Monday I finished the first module of Principles of Business & Administration, the test for which was computer based and I passed. This meant the end of term so the next module started in mid September.

The next day a Sky engineer came to replace my Sky+HD box, as this model was faulty and had to be recalled. So I now have a shiny new box which is smaller and likely to last longer.

Given that I wasn't going to get to London for a Book Club meeting, I decided to see if there was any thing locally, and discovered there was a group that met on the first Wednesday of the month, in the library at 2pm in the after noon. The first book I tried to read was "Birth of Venus, Love and Death in Florence by Sarah Dunant.

I discovered that the Jay Miller's Circus was visiting Burgess Hill in the middle of the month and went to see the matinee, which was a good plan as it was a very small circus.

This month's major movie was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 in 3D which was a very bad idea as the film was dark enough as it was, wearing sunglasses only made it darker. This was followed the following week by Cars 2 which had a wonderfully character voiced by Michael Caine. At the end of the month I also saw Captain America, not being invested in the character I approached it as just another movie and found it surprisingly good.

Next haircut was due at the end of the month, it's quite odd going to the hairdressers (even if I have managed to get a student discount occasionally) since I hadn't had a haircut in months if not years previously.

Out of the house at least twice a week on Wednesday for ITQ training (as I don't have Office 2007 at home) and on Fridays at Sussex Oakleaf.

I'll try to summerise from my diary. At the end of April there was a Bank Holiday for a Royal Wedding, as I was unemployed and not a royalist it had no impact on me. Mum was still in hospital with hip related issues.

On the 5th I went to the Princess Royal Hospital to see a specialist regarding some numbness I'd been having in my legs. It's apparently mild peripheral neuropathy and there isn't much that can be done ;-(

Went to Jobshop in Crawley investigated options available as an unemployed person. I got on the Reach program, which provides training for the unemployed. As part of my Job Seekers Agreement I have to sign on every 2 weeks, and prove I've been looking for work. I have a spreadsheet! this get my National Insurance paid and I also get a bi-weekly payment (which helps but doesn't pay all the bills).

Went to see Thor in 3D at the cinema, pretty good film but 3D isn't really much use.

On the 11th I went to visit Mum in hospital, booked a ticket to see One Man Star Wars, then as part of the Brighton Festival I went to the Theatre Royal to see Circa, a fusion of circus skill, music and dance. The following week I went to see the Netherlands National Circus (also part of the festival).

Defrosted freezer (an annual event!)

Also went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Had my second hair cut after getting my pony tail lopped off after I turned 50. Then went to Worthing Pavillion Theatre to see One Man Star Wars with Charles Ross (I'd seen him in One Man Lord of the Rings before so wanted to complete the set!

My Mum came out of hospital the week my middle sister had book a holiday, so my younger sister came from Somerset to look after her for a week. The whole family was in one place and time on Mum's birthday so we celebrated all the missed birthday (my 50th and my sisters' 48th and 40th!) with her's.

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last post. Anyway the Sunday after Picocon I went to visit my parents, as it was dad's birthday the previous week. His eyes have not improved.... It was raining all day and on the drive there and back we went through some very large puddles.

On Tuesday 2nd I went to the Hawth to see The Moscow State Circus, it's "theme" was Rasputin. My seat was in the middle near the front. Because the performance was in a theatre some of the bigger acts didn't fit, and some had to be reduced in scope (according to the programme). There were some terrific jugglers though.

The following Sunday I walked around Beadlands, very bleak, nothing much in the way of plants or animals. Managed to finish off watching the second series of Chuck which I'd recorded a while back.

The following Monday I saw my Chiropractor then managed to get to the Odeon cinema in Brighton, to see "Alice in Wonderland in 3D". It was nicely re-imagineered so while familiar the story took unexpected twists and turns.

I finally got around to renewing my passport, and my old one was returned in the post this weekend, so I should get my new one in a week or two. Cost £85.50 including PO security.

Last weekend I pickled some onions, I'm not sure if I did it correctly, but a month or so will soon tell.

Last Tuesday I went to the European premier of the new IMAX film "Hubble 3D" at the Science Museum. This was followed on the Wednesday by two hours entitled "Striking Your Own Chord" at the Dana Centre. This included tacks and workshops. I was in the group that sang 3 part african chant, which was very cool.

Last week my watch strap broke, I managed to get a replacement this Saturday.