Michael's Meanderings

Uploaded Tuesday's post to LJ then messaged L&S and then used FaceTime to video chat with them.
Tested Skype between mum's laptop and my iPod. It worked but I should have tried it earlier.

Wed 10 Oct
Up 7:15 stepped on glasses! Had shower with newly fitted shower head, better spray. Had breakfast, last check of email then off to Valencia airport at 8:30.

Got to airport 10:20 said goodbye to mum and sis. Queued for check in and boarding card, done 10:55.

Through security when I realised wine bottles weren't allowed in hand luggage, so had to dump them! Bought cigarettes and whisky for 65.80€ paid £54.53.

Discovered antihistamine tablets had fallen from my coat pocket, though only 5/30 left. Started queuing to board flight EZY8642 at gate C11 at 11:35 (no reserved seating).

Through passport / ticket check by 12ish. On tarmac 12:20, on the plane seated 12:30. Plane took off 12:56, due to arrive at Gatwick 2:00.

Ate packed lunch 1:30ish read. Landed 2:57/1:57 on time, out of plane by 2:20 to passport control in the chipped passport queue done and out of North Terminal 2:40 to train station platform 5 by 2:50 to catch the 15:00 to Haywards Heath. Then to Specsavers to get my glasses readjusted, and to chiropractor to get tomorrows appointment moved.

Home 4:20. Unpacked, watched Mythbusters had dinner, then caught 6:53 to Gatwick.

Got the 100 bus to St Paul's church hall. Arrived 8:00, got New Year's Eve dance ticket. Lesson started 8:30, J didn't turn up so mostly danced with the teacher or solo. Mostly worked on new steps to the quickstep.

Finished 9:45 caught bus back to Gatwick then home.

Thu 11 Oct
Back to work, after work some of the team went to the Jubilee Oak in Crawley for a farewell drink. I got a lift from MB but still got drenched in a torrential downpour!

MB had to leave early as he was starting an evening class at 7:00.
CR, SF and JW turned up just before he left. Organiser of the event MG with OD and KO turned up next, with boss TOM arriving just after 7:00.

I left at 7:30 to catch a train at Crawley for Three Bridges and then home. Unfortunate due to a body on the line at Gatwick all services were being delayed. The train from Three Bridges was SRO and packed like sardines (or the tube at rush hour).

When I got home I caught up with Strictly Come Dancing from last week end.

Well the most important occurrence after Easter was my birthday, which I celebrated by going into Crawley and used my McD free vouchers to have McNuggets and a Big Mac, paying for fries and a milk shake. Then read in the Library, and then walked to the church hall for an hour of dancing with K. (This is now my regular Wednesday evening, though I sometime go to BK rather than McD.) When I got home I had a number of birthday cards arrive, with a book from sister H and a ballroom dance music cd ordered from Amazon.

On Friday I got a bus from Crawley to Southwater, to visit parents and sisters family (the first time I’ve used such transport, I usually get the train). It stopped only a few dozen yards from the door! I’ll be using this method of transport more often in future.

We had a celebratory fish and chip dinner, and I one upped my sister by giving her some ladybird ear pods (for music listening). On Saturday I finished my latest ITQ module and watched Heather Dale streamed from The Mill House Love, which was a nice house filk.

I’ve just discovered a new exit from Gatwick Airport, via an Emergency exit that means I don’t have to cross the road to catch my bus, the walking time is less too. With the recent rain that has been a major plus.

The small Android tablet I bought via eBay arrived, It’s pretty cool, a LOT lighter than the 10” model, though battery life isn’t great. Pity it doesn’t use a micro USB interface for charging. Also via eBay I've ordered: a Blooth headset, keyboard and mouse, but so far I haven't got any of them to work!

Since Easter I’ve ordered a lot of books (to make up a lack of ordered during Lent!)

Last w/e I got a haircut, it’s now shorter than it’s been in 40 years! Dug out and watched Ballroom Dancing with Angela Rippon on DVD. Then went to the cinema for a double bill of “The Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists” followed by “The Hunger Games”.

I’ve been handed even more responsibility, now I am actually assigning work directly in the database system. I feel that I’m running fast to stay where I am!

Last Wednesday (before dancing) I went to Crawley bus station and discovered I was eligible for a Gatwick Travelcard. This allows me to travel on ANY bus that at some point passes through either Gatwick Airport or Crawley Bus Station, for a pound less than the current ticket (PlusBus which was a pretty good deal anyway). This means that my bus journey to Southwater will now be free!

Tomorrow I'm due to go dancing again, and I hope to see the new Avenger movie some time over the week end.

I really was going to post more frequently this year but....
Last Bank Holiday I went to see Iron Man 2 at the local cinema, it was fun, but not great (but at least as good as the original movie.)

This month I've been dealing with my yearly appraisal. The hardest part is that it's half self assessment. I find it very difficult saying anything about myself, let alone bragging!

My mini media server has had it's disk fail, So i've bought a usb 1TB disk to copy all the data on to. It only cost £60 a few years ago it would have been thousands of pounds, or even "science fictional!".

I've also caught the Torchwood Virtual Season 3 which re-writes the S3 story such that CoE didn't happen. It's just finished so I had the whole thing in a three week period (rather than weekly over 13 episodes).

Last Thursday I walked to Forbidden Planet, first visit in weeks, but it was sunny so the exercise was good, bought 4 books.

I took the day off on Friday and went to Brighton in the afternoon. did a small amount of shopping and read on the beach. Considering it was a Friday it was quite crowed, nice and sunny. I thing walked along the promenade to Hove, staying on the seafront till reaching the King Alfred Centre. Then north looking for the station, near which is my chiropractors office. Got there early for my appointment, but not busy so I was squeezed in and then home.

Sunday D left for the US early. He's going to be traveling all over and has a website to document his journey. I went to the matinee performance of the Price of Persia at my local cinema. I was the only one there which was cool. A very Indiana Jones meets Jason and the Argonauts.

And so we are up to date!

Up 7:40 down to breakfast, full breakfast service, like Friday, not a buffet so the egg was fried and there was only one sausage but with added tomato! Had a mild headache, finished packing and checked out by 8:50! Since I really don't need to catch a train until after 10:00 so I decided to stay in the the lobby and surf.

On the Train
So Marcus joined me in the lobby and copied a couple of silent movies to usb stick, and left at 10:15 walked to Boots and got something for the headache then on to Bradford Interchange and caught the 10:34 to Leeds which got in just before 11:00 so I had half an hour to wander the station and got some stuff for lunch. Once again I was in coach B in the quite coach, this time with an actual table in addition to power. So after I finally finished the book I'd started on the journey to Bradford, I pulled out the laptop to update and check out the silent movies and watched one but the difference with and without music meant I didn't watch any more.

I got home at 3:30 and since it was a nice day I went for a walk around Bedelands Farm. I saw a couple of butterflies, and a rabbit, there were even blue bells in the wooded areas. Got back after 45 minutes and started watching the TV I'd recorded over the w/e!