August 2016

Sep. 1st, 2016 12:29 pm
mbernardi: (WeeMee)
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!
mbernardi: (WeeMee)
Unfortunately my bathroom has been out of action all month (or at least the bath part). Fortunately I have been able to use a shower after work. I haven't been able to trim my beard and it has grown very bushy! I'm not sure how much I will trim it down one the bath is installe (it arrived at the end of the month).
My printed A5 diary also arrived and I was most impress at how cool it looked.
My new Nook Simple Touch arrived, unfortunately after the fist day I was unable to use it and I have been trying to return it for replacement / refund.
New cleaning crew have cleaned the house so that it tidier than it's been since I moved in!
First week end was the mini maker faire at the Brighton Dome. Large number of children and more crafty making including (knitting and felting)
Finally got to watch Dr Who live at home, and the Extra broadcast on iplayer.
Strictly Come Dancing started with a new crop of 15 celebrities and 3 new professional dancers.
Discussed "The Dispossessed" at the monthly Brighton SF Discussion group on the first Monday of the month.
Dancing every Tue for class, with the normal end of the month social dance on the last Saturday. However J & I also went to the "Strictly dance magic" evening at the Martlets in Burgess Hill the week before. (they are usually held on the same night but this month the BH event had to move)
On Thursday 11th J & I went to the WB Studio to enjoy the Harry Potter Experience! J drove up up arriving at eleven
We checked out the shop which was awesome, the variety of stuff - and the prices!
We then had lunch (sausages and mash) before starting the tour at one o'clock (a bit earlier than scheduled, but as not very busy it was OK)
I took dozens of photos, until the battery died and have to say that it was one of the most interesting and fun day I've had in quite a while. It was a sort of cross between a museum and a theme park - but in a good way.
If anyone has a chance to go, do take it it's well worth it (and now with a new Death Eater section arriving after our visit). Everyone I have talked to, who have been have enjoyed it, if a HP or not.
Also I have been playing on pottermore.com, I was sorted into Ravenclaw (not surprisingly) and have progressed to the end of the chamber of secrets.
D has made som major improvements to the garden, including a lean to for his bike and additional paving slab to provide space to walk around it.
I planted and additional pear tree, to add to the apple tree and grape vine.
D also painted his room walls, so had to finally say goodby to purple paint, it did make the room more cheerful!
Brighton & Hove libraries have started improving their ebook collections and I have borrowed my fist ebook using OverDrive.
Went to visit family to celebrate my nieces birthday on Sun 20th (birthday was Sat) her fiance took me nearly to work on Monday morning (but the wait for a train for over half an hour was not fun in my shirt sleeves!)
At the end of the month I finally got to the dentist to discover I had a loose filling (which he removed with little effort) ball bearing sized. Got a temporary filling to last until the whole thing can be replaced.
Purchased my season ticket for October, which will be the start of my second year at NHS Sussex.
On the last sunday of the month a select group of 20 people from Crawley Dance Academy were invited to " West End Heroes" at the Dominion Theatre in London.
Train's to Three Bridges were replaced by busses so took longer to get there. Group train tickets meant the price was half the normal cost and we shared taxis and dined at Garfunkel's
The tickets had a nominal price of £175 each! But the total cost for the night out was only £31.45 to me.
Got back to Three Bridges at 00:00 and replacement busses not running to reliably so J gave me a lift home.
Also paid the remaining amount for the New Years Eve dance, and collected the ticket.

July 2014

Aug. 3rd, 2014 05:11 pm
mbernardi: (WeeMee)
My Kobo eReader had it's ups and downs this month. The operating system / interface was upgraded to make it work more like the iOS app. Unfortunately the micro USB, used to recharge and copy files to it, got damaged do it's now unusable. In addition it appears Kobo have decided not to continue making it so a replacement is not available.
Dancing with C & J on Tuesday of every week and the social dance on the last Saturday. J arrived early but in general the number of attendees was low. Gave J a copy of Firefly (the series) for her birthday. Also booked to see the HP Experience next month with her. Paid £5 deposit for New Years party.
Weather has been warm and sunny for most of the month, so I have been wearing short sleeve shirts to work. Dress code requires a collar so T-shirts are out.
I got a discount ticket (from work) to see Billy Smart's Circus at Lancing. The seat and program together only cost £5, this may have been the first time I've seen this particular circus.
Went to see my chiropractor, and he also tried my first acupuncture on my left leg. not sure if it made any difference, did feel odd though!
Renovating my garage and back garden. CS has emptied it of his stuff and installed a back door leading to a new path in the garden. He has also installed a hefty new gate and new fencing (on the right side looking from my back door). Attempted to buy replacement front garage door but no luck.
D took me in "his" taxi to the post office to collect a package from amazon. First time he's taken me anywhere!
Bought a new watch strap, to replace the broken original one, and saw "How to Train Your Dragon 2 - 3D"
Mowed the front and back lawns (in different days).
First Monday in the month I was at the Earth and Stars in Brighton for our Science Fiction Discussion Group to talk about Device Endurance. We were relegated to a table in the main back as the upper room had been book by another function.
Had to visit the dentist to get a filling in my upper left. I arrived much too early but is was raining and I didn't want to get wet wandering around town.
Mum phoned to say that she kept getting popup adverts on her laptop, so I went to visit and sorted it out. Had to de-install a load of Adware, and a couple of apparent trojans. Started accessing pottermore.com site - eats time! but fun.
Had a cough for the end of the month, finished bottle of cough mixture.
Walk to the Post Office Delivery Office, took just over an hour and a half there and back! Collected amazon package.
Saw Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go [Live at the O2] on the Gold TV channel. It was of more interest as a event than the content.
Renewed my train season ticket. Got my London hotel booking extended to a day before and after Loncon3, Mobile version of program now live.
Bought 2 pairs of shorts and 2 short sleeved shirts. Returned 2 audible books for credit.
Have had blisters on right toes, but as the first two weeks in August dancing is off, I should recover.
Last Monday of the month had a major thunderstorm. Lightning strike on electric substation at Hove station; meant no trains on South West line from Brighton. So couldn't get in to work (did get to Brighton) so went home for the day.
Sent in my Hugo and Retro Hugo votes online. Alarm clock batteries expired.
Started setup for LFS101x - Introduction to Linux at courses.edx.org/courses/LinuxFoundationX/LFS101x. Created Ubuntu 14.04.1 install on USB Disc
Also started editing my electronic diary for last year prior to printing it out.
mbernardi: (bladerunner)
The next three weekends I going to be away. Next week at Constitution in Cambridge, then Anticipation in Montreal and then the local juggling festival at The Hawth.

So the last two weeks or so at work have been hectic, working as part of the team working on laptop encryption. Usually I might get one or two voice mail messages a week, over the last two weeks I've had 10+ a day! We've encrypted nearly 600 laptops so far and are nearly done!

I re-read the last 3 Harry Potter books prior to seeing The Half Blood Prince at the Cinema. I think they got the balance right, turning a book that long into a movie requires cuts and modifications, and I think it turned out OK.

A week ago last Thursday I went to City Airport at Docklands, just so I could tell how long it took to get there, and to find it. Since I'm flying from there to Montreal via Amsterdam next Tuesday. I also stopped off to see the Thames Barrier an then stopped at Gatwick for something to eat, as it was getting late.

Last Saturday after getting my back adjusted I walked from Hove to Brighton, since it was sunny. My niece was due to bungee jump on Saturday and when I spotted a crane on the seafront I texted to find out where she was. When I got home I discovered that the crane I'd passed was the one she'd jumped from!

I haven't managed to get many walks around Bedelands recently, due to poor weather at the weekend, and inertia! I have however been walking from Hove to Brighton, when it hasn't been raining, so I think that makes up for it. This Saturday I managed to buy some fresh Tamarinds, which I hadn't tasted since I was living in Barbados 40 years ago. The same shop also had fresh sugar cane but it was expensive, and wasn't my favourite even as a kid.

I've just ordered a new bike from ASDA it was only £75 including delivery, but at least I'll find out if I can still ride, and enjoy the process. I haven't been on a bike in about 30 years so... I didn't want to spend a few hundred pond and then discover I hated it ;-)
mbernardi: (bladerunner)
The next three weekends I going to be away. Next week at Constitution in Cambridge, then Anticipation in Montreal and then the local juggling festival at The Hawth.

So the last two weeks or so at work have been hectic, working as part of the team working on laptop encryption. Usually I might get one or two voice mail messages a week, over the last two weeks I've had 10+ a day! We've encrypted nearly 600 laptops so far and are nearly done!

I re-read the last 3 Harry Potter books prior to seeing The Half Blood Prince at the Cinema. I think they got the balance right, turning a book that long into a movie requires cuts and modifications, and I think it turned out OK.

A week ago last Thursday I went to City Airport at Docklands, just so I could tell how long it took to get there, and to find it. Since I'm flying from there to Montreal via Amsterdam next Tuesday. I also stopped off to see the Thames Barrier an then stopped at Gatwick for something to eat, as it was getting late.

Last Saturday after getting my back adjusted I walked from Hove to Brighton, since it was sunny. My niece was due to bungee jump on Saturday and when I spotted a crane on the seafront I texted to find out where she was. When I got home I discovered that the crane I'd passed was the one she'd jumped from!

I haven't managed to get many walks around Bedelands recently, due to poor weather at the weekend, and inertia! I have however been walking from Hove to Brighton, when it hasn't been raining, so I think that makes up for it. This Saturday I managed to buy some fresh Tamarinds, which I hadn't tasted since I was living in Barbados 40 years ago. The same shop also had fresh sugar cane but it was expensive, and wasn't my favourite even as a kid.

I've just ordered a new bike from ASDA it was only £75 including delivery, but at least I'll find out if I can still ride, and enjoy the process. I haven't been on a bike in about 30 years so... I didn't want to spend a few hundred pond and then discover I hated it ;-)
mbernardi: (Stack_O'Books)
There was a certain amount of rain & thunder on Friday afternoon. But despite this I managed to visit Forbidden Planet, & pick up a few books, without getting drenched.

However when I got to Victoria NO south bound trains were running at all! Fortunately for me, the first one to run, stopped at my station so the 18:17 actually left at 20:10ish, I only had a 40 minute wait. (Which considering the circumstances was marvelous).

Saturday I was eagerly waiting for an amazon parcel, which arrived just after nine. I spent the rest of the day reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". I think it's the best book in the series YMMV, and I'm not saying any more [spoiler etc.].

As a result of reading all day, didn't get a chance to go shopping, but fortunately I'd stocked up the previous weekend, so I didn't run out of anything!
mbernardi: (Stack_O'Books)
There was a certain amount of rain & thunder on Friday afternoon. But despite this I managed to visit Forbidden Planet, & pick up a few books, without getting drenched.

However when I got to Victoria NO south bound trains were running at all! Fortunately for me, the first one to run, stopped at my station so the 18:17 actually left at 20:10ish, I only had a 40 minute wait. (Which considering the circumstances was marvelous).

Saturday I was eagerly waiting for an amazon parcel, which arrived just after nine. I spent the rest of the day reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". I think it's the best book in the series YMMV, and I'm not saying any more [spoiler etc.].

As a result of reading all day, didn't get a chance to go shopping, but fortunately I'd stocked up the previous weekend, so I didn't run out of anything!

July 2019

S M T W T F S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
2122232425 2627
28293031   

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags