Michael's Meanderings

So since last weekend I ordered a new Tefal Avanti kettle and matching toaster via Amazon. The kettle arrived the following day, the toaster the day after (while I got an email to expect it 4 days later!)

Prior to visiting my chiropractor I went to pick up my prescription inhaler (which I had ordered via Boots online website). It wasn't ready, on checking the site both this request and the previous one in May were still Pending! After this I went to the library to collect a reserved Ukulele song book (with CD), then to get my spine cracked!

I've also ordered a Raspberry Pi, power supply and Pibow case. I don't know if they will arrive before I leave for Worldcon or not. The current delivery times are 3-18 weeks! according to the websites.

As I ordered a Raspbery Pi I needed a keyboard for it, so I went to PC World and discovered they weren't stocking the model I wanted. It was a nice walk on a sunny day though.

I finally got my ticket confirmations, and have checked via US Airways that all is OK (it is). Except they have my name as Bernardi Bernardi which I will have to check in to before I leave.

I got a note from my ISP that my mailbox had reached it's size limit and I needed to delete some messages. So I downloaded the latest release of Pegasus Mail as it's the best took I know for email management. I downloaded all the mail on the server (which was over 3 year's worth) and deleted all but the last year worth.

Thursday was my parents wedding anniversary, so I planned to visit this week end, but then I remembered I have dancing on the last Saturday of the month! So I came over on Friday after work, we had a nice celebratory dinner then watched the Olympics Opening Ceremony from 9:00pm to 12:50am! I should be taking the number 23 bus back to Crawley in order to get to the dance at 7pm.

This week has had so much happening that I just had to try to get everything down.

So on Monday I got a call at work from D to say that my freezer had finally dies (after over 30 years) and i needed to come home and clear it out. I also had to order a replacement from Argos an upright, which cost £231.44 including home delivery and removal of old equipment. However it didn't get delivered until Thursday so all the food defrosted and had to be binned or quickly eaten.

Tuesday I visited the chiropractor, even though I'm not sure if i believe it works my back doesn't seem to be giving me as much pain!

Wednesday was dance night and we revised rumba, waltz and foxtrot. I also started listening to an audio edition of John Scalzi's Redshirts.

Last year when I was unemployed I bought a supporting membership to Chicon this year's Worldcon. not least so I could get the voters packet. It almost paid for itself when Wicked Girls by Seanan McGuire was included. Anyway since I've been employed for nearly 6 months now (exactly 6 months on Tuesday) I decided I could afford to go to Chicago and finally books flight and accommodation on Thursday. There won't be much change from a grand but I've always wanted to see Chicago so.... Later that day I had another Chiropractic session.

On Friday I went to the Hawth to see "Dancing in the Streets" with K (dancing partner) we were up in the Circle near the back (the only pair of ticket available) but despite this we both had a good time. I ate before the show at the in house cafe, and while the lamb cutlets in gravy with potatoes and peas was very tasty the price has put me off eating there in future.

Saturday was the busiest yet. I'd booked a music lesson with Nicki of www.ucanukulele.co.uk at 11:40 and caught the 10:31 train to Brighton. I'd printed directions but discovered the shortest distance was mostly uphill, I arrive only a few minutes early, and Nicki had another student for about 10 minutes. It was a good lesson I learned how to hold and strum and even managed to play a couple of tunes (badly) but with practice... She also recommended changing the strings, so after paying £20 (which was the last of the cash I had on me I went to get my Uke restrung,

This cost me another £15 but I had to get cash to pay first. So I went to the station (the nearest cash machines got money and stopped off at Cleaver for Leather to collect the new belt I'd ordered the previous month (this was £25) back to Brighton Guitars and paid for the new strings and fitting and then to the Theatre Royal where I bought tickets for the Original cast stage show of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in July.

Finally I used a Groupon voucher to get into to see Snow White and the Hunter at the Odeon for free. The normal ticket price being £8.50 so this paid for the journey to Brighton on it's own.

And then today (Sunday) I read all morning and then went shopping and mostly replaced the frozen food that had defrosted. Once i got back I helped D clear the old compost heap, so we now have all our lawn back.

I forgot to mention D bought a new lawn mower and mowed the front lawn (which was a jungle and took 6 hour to clear with pauses). Yesterday he finished the back lawn (apart from compost area).