My e-mail's not currently working - it might be bouncing as well. The server has been hacked (twice in the last few days!) so my index page was down today as well (that's fixed though). Admittedly, some of the e-mail problems could be due to freeserve.

Dad is working on it though.

I finally finished the Rotaract website, got the guy to upload it, then discovered I'd completely cocked-up the contact page. Anyway, now it is all fixed, I just need him to re-upload it (and hope the logo doesn't get corrupted again).

My e-mail, on the other hand, is not working. Again. On the plus side, I just have to message dad about it. Freeserve also likes to randomly mark emails as spam, even though they're not. And even though it won't mark similar ones from the same place as spam, even with really similar headers. Anyway, I just found out it decided a review I had from SoA was spam! The worrying part is I got a review for the same story, the same day and that wasn't spam. Hmm.

I have updated my website though. And made a little 'new' icon. It's red, of course. And it's two months till I go to Australia. I'm so not ready.

I saw all three Lord of the Rings films this weekend. It's interesting how much is more noticeable when you see them so close together. And my sister's boyfriend has a widescreen TV and surround sound - so it's just like the cinema only with comfy seats, cheaper food and better-timed breaks.

I noticed the knife Galadriel gives to Aragorn is the one he holds up when he's woken up at Dunharrow. And the battles get bigger - so it's just the Fellowship fighting orcs in the first one, then there's the Rohirrim and lots of orcs, then it's everyone against everyone else in the third.

There's also a roast chicken joke going on in extended Two Towers, which I never realised before. At the beginning, Sam says he brought seasoning with him in case they found a roast chicken. At the end, Merry and Pippin find a roast chicken!

The hobbits looked so much different at the start: more innocent, I think. I did like how Sam, when fighting orcs to rescue Frodo, after Shelob's lair, killed one for Frodo, one for the Shire and one for his Gaffer. But never one for himself. All the hobbits went from throwing stones to actual fighting with swords. Well, except for Frodo who had battles of his own.

Avon posted a link in her journal to a site with a list of best books. I've only read 9 of the 100 on the science fiction list, but not only have I read the first one on the list, but some of my favourite books are on there. I'd debate whether some of them were science fiction, mind you. There were quite a few on there I'd like to read. And quite a few Asimov's that I'd like to like but just can't seem to for some reason.

My best is the BBC Big Read list, of which I've read 29. It does help that there are a fair few Terry Pratchett's on there, mind you

I am laughing, reading everyone's comments about LJ not being around for a day on Saturday. What I did that day was: exactly the same as if it had been up. It had that much impact on my life. I don't have a GJ backup journal, nor can I see the point of one. Mind you, I can't work out why anyone would need more than one userpic either. I only have this one so I can post in communities, and I only write in it so people can read it on their friends lists if they want to.

I was more affected by my site getting moved the weekend before and my email going down for an evening, as I was trying to plan meeting up with people. Although, strangely, LJ emails still got through.

I have now read every Quantum Leap book. The latest one followed on from an episode I hadn't seen, so I watched it last night after Tae Kwon Do. It was weird because it was series 2, Al still had the old brown handlink, and the introduction was voiced by a man, which just doesn't sound the same.

But it occurred to me that Quantum Leap is pretty much a comfort programme. Because you know it's always going to have a happy ending (apart from some of the crap they came up with in series five, but we'll just pretend they don't exist). The idea of starting off with Sam having essentially lost his memory was brilliant, because that way you can introduce his life, and Al's to the viewer as he learns about them.

I also love the relationship between Sam and Al. OK, so I also love Al's shirts. And that everyone at school watched it (we were introduced to it in RE when they did a race prejudice episode as we were doing prejudice at the time).

How did it get to be midnight? I could have sworn it was 11pm a minute ago. Must go to bed.

Today I went to the Blakes 7 series 2 DVD launch. I got the first bus from here to anywhere and ended up taking four hours to get to the actual place. I was very good at just missing trains, mind you.

First, we saw Blake's Junction 7, which was really funny. The only minor flaw was that it had Johnny Vegas in, who I hate. But regardless, his scene was still very good. I have a postcard from it, and if I stand at the other end of the room they could easily be mistaken for the original cast.

There were seven cast members there, and some back scene people as well. I'm quite impressed that I printed out the photo I took of the cast on photo paper. Admittedly, it's dark in the middle, and has someone's head in the way, but it's a start.

The cast, from l-r: David Jackson (Gan), Michael Keating (Vila), Peter Tuddenham (Orac, Zen, Slave), Gareth Thomas (Blake), Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Jan Chappell (Cally), Brian Croucher (Travis II)

Brian Croucher has apparently been in lots of episodes of The Bill - he's into double figures. I only remember the one though. I also spoke to Gareth Thomas, but I can't reveal our conversation until 28th January in case my mum reads this.

I then went to Oxford Street - the best time to go is as the shops are closing. I thought I'd get a bus to Harrods and ended up walking to Selfridges (from the nearest tube station this time) so took a photo of it all lit up:

I eventually managed to get myself on a bus and get off at the right stop. I couldn't be bothered to walk far enough to one end of Harrods to get as good a picture though:

I only really went in to look around and go to the toilet - which were like a posh hotel's. I followed signs to the Egyptian Hall, because I couldn't work out what it was, and ended up walking round with my mouth open. It looks like an Egyptian themed hotel in Vegas (although not the Luxor, because that's a pyramid). The Egyptian escalators, even more so. Although they were normal escalators, just with Egyptian ceilings and statues around.

I got completely lost trying to get out, until I found a map anyway. I also got off the bus at Hyde Park Corner instead of Marble Arch. Which is a complete pain by tube. I remember when I first went to London I used to get lost coming out of the tube stations - when I got off the train all I could do was follow everyone else. So I've improved a bit but I think I'm always going to get lost in London. The trouble is it all looks the same!

Some meme spamming - lj cuts for length.

IQ Test

2004

Films

I'm a bit behind myself, so a belated happy birthday to Annie and Altariel.

My printer arrived yesterday (after a delivery estimate of 20th-26th January). The lead hasn't arrived though, of course, so I appropriated the one from my TV card. It's not as if there's anything on till Wednesday anyway.

I spent an hour setting it up and installing all the stuff, twice. So then I tested it and I spent five minutes completely gobsmacked at how fast it is. Admittedly, my old printer is old, but the new one prints so quickly you can practically blink and miss it. I'm, not my phone will fit on top of it, which is something I didn't think of, but apart from that, it's great. I will have to try printing some stuff in colour, in draft quality, double-sided and some photos on the paper they sent with it.

At work today we had a charity day to raise money for the tsunami victims (specifically someone living near the company chairman's house in Sri Lanka who has been taking in people who have lost their homes). We managed about �500, which the company said they would match. Which is really great but annoys me because most of the rest of the people in the company never give anything to charity at any other time. Except when I come round selling raffle tickets/asking for sponsorship.

I know you can't have a big thing too often - we used to have a charity week at school so often it seemed like it was every other week. And I know that there are a lot of charities, all worthy causes, that you can't hope to support them all. And it's really important to remember that there are lots of others that need support, apart from tsunami-related ones. But I just want people to remember them at other times of the year - when they aren't prompted to by the rest of the country.

Tomorrow night is our annual cheese and wine quiz. It was not looking good on Tuesday, for the numbers of people we had going. Now it almost looks like we'll have too many for the venue! I managed to stand up in front of about 20 people at the Christmas dinner and make a short speech without getting nervous, so I'm going to attempt to make a welcome speech in front of 50 tomorrow. Which, I have to admit, I would never have considered doing six months ago.

I went on holiday to London last weekend. I am so tired now though, that last night I had ten hours of sleep and I'm going to go to bed soon so I can get another ten hours tonight. I had forgotten how knackering holidays are.

I started off nice and gently and met a friend for lunch, wandered from Covent Garden to Tottenham Court Road and eventually checked into the hostel in the middle of the afternoon. The instructions to get there seemed simple enough - turn left out of the tube station and it's 50m away. Having tried the two left turnings I finally spotted the right road sign and found the place. Turned out it was across the road, turn left, turn right and it's 50m on the left. Which is not quite the same.

It turned out to be a lot bigger than I thought as well. The fun part was making my bed. I was on a top bunk so you have to be on the bed the whole time you're putting the sheet on the mattress. Which was a bit of a trial. As was getting up and down to the bed itself. Getting back into the centre of London I managed to catch up with a load of people coming from a Chelsea game. From which I'm guessing that their football ground is on the District line, possibly close to Earls Court, but it could be anywhere really.

I was going to go to the Natural History Museum but wasn't going to get in before they closed. So I went and visited the Australian shop on the way. Having seen a sign at Embankment tube station to say Covent Garden was walkable from there, I thought I'd do that. I didn't even get lost! I went past the Canadian pub and the Australian pub on the way as well. I loved the Australian shop though - they had so much food there! I now have some dark chocolate TimTams, which are the only ones Tescos haven't sold so far. I was hoping mum might be able to eat them but they have milk and milk chocolate in. I haven't tried them yet - I need my chocolate to be cold first.

Since pretty much the only thing left open by that time were the shops, and I'd been in that direction earlier in the day, I was fairly sure I might be able to make it to Oxford Street without getting too lost. As it turned out I went in the opposite direction. Which counts as not too lost when it comes to me and London. I ended up walking all the way up Oxford Street to Marble Arch. Which is a long way. I did get my mum and sister birthday cards - necessary to do a long time in advance otherwise the only cards you can get are Valentines day. You're obviously not supposed to have a birthday anywhere near the 14th February.

I didn't have the energy to do anything in the evening. The hostel had a DVD cinema and were on the second half of the theatrical Two Towers by the time I got there. The seats they had I can't quite explain but were really comfortable. I could have quite happily fallen asleep if it wasn't for the orcs making noise - and seeming to make the floor vibrate. I saw a bit of the Jerry Springer opera in the TV room. Every time they sung I couldn't quite make out all the words so I had no idea of the plot really. The part of the first half I saw was fine because it was a take-off of Jerry Springer. The second half got weird though, so I ended up going to bed. Which was going to be an early (or at least not too late) night but ended up being 12.30.

The annoying thing about the hostel was that they had a 10am check-out time. And nothing opened till 11! I did some more walking (ie getting lost trying to find Tescos and then finding out they didn't open till 11 either). And I walked past Harrods (they didn't open till 12). I managed to get two hours in the Natural History museum. I did all the bits I wanted to in the Life section though - although since this was Human Biology, a tiny Evolution exhibit, and similarly tiny primate one, they didn't really tell me much I didn't already know.

Then I met up with some Rotaractors at Somerset House (which I ended up walking past, then walking back past because they didn't really want you to know how to get to the rink - I only found it by accident) to go ice-skating. I did up my boots too tight - which I do every time - but once I got that sorted I enjoyed myself. The only trouble with it was that there were so many people and such a small rink that it was really hard not to crash into people, or fall over them. I only ever learnt how to skate forwards - learning to stop never seemed necessary (that's what the barriers are for). An hour was just right though, so you could skate the whole time and not hurt too much afterwards.

There are still loads of things I need to do in London, so I will have to go and do it all again. And do the same thing in other places - although for longer if they're further away. I remember losing half a stone when I went to Eastern Europe (which was significant because my jeans fell down so far I kept walking on them) because we did so much walking. Perhaps it's just as well I'm planning to get buses between cities in Australia - if I stayed in one place I wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace! I need a holiday to get over my holiday - I went to work for the rest.

Because I untaped my thumb to wash my hair and now can't type.

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

(I looked back in my archive and I came out as ISTJ on the Myers-Briggs meme going round at the time. I think I came out as the same thing on the Hogwarts house one as well.

On New Years Eve I actually dreamed I resigned from my job. Then panicked because I didn't have a job.

I've just spent just under £100 at amazon. And when I say just under, I mean by 9p. All of the stuff I bought was under £10 except for the printer. Which itself is a tale and a half.

I realised some time ago that my printer didn't talk to me anymore. When it won't print it just flashes, which could mean it's run out of paper or one or both of the cartridges need replacing. I also realised that this had been going on since dad bought a special lead to connect it to the USB port. And it had taken me a few years to notice.

Then I got a new computer and it prints everything backwards (ie from last page to first), which is caused by XP.

The HP web site suggested using the XP driver rather than the one supplied with the printer. Except that the computer can't find the printer when you tell it to look. It will print perfectly fine though!

So me and dad spent some time going round the shops measuring printer boxes (because they never tell you details like that) and looking at printers. I read reviews, which turned out to be quite useless because they would say things such as it's slow, when it's actually four times as fast as my current printer. I think I spent more time choosing my printer than I did my computer.

The other day I was reading some of the comments about people's HP fanon constants, and then Nilmandra posted about Elrond and loss and it got me thinking about how I see Elrond. There are all sorts of things about him in my personal fanon that are entirely unsupported by canon - at least in the sense that they're not mentioned either way. In all fairness, some of this probably comes from other people's fics because you can't help but be influenced.

My Elrond...

I also saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tonight. I don't quite know why it's described as a romantic comedy because it's not funny. Or that romantic. But it makes you think, and I like that.

A multi-part post. It's quite long, so it's interspersed with livejournal to make my life a bit easier.

Firstly, the New Years Resolutions.

2004 Resolutions

2005 Resolutions

Taggart

New Year

On an entirely different note, I have discovered how to make my friends pages have no cut tags (as long as I'm logged in). It makes other peoples friends pages do the same thing and it's great! I don't read my friends page very often, but I do read other peoples (mainly because I can't quite be bothered to put them on my list) but it means I can actually read them!

I'm writing this in Semagic, which is great (I especially like the quick links thing) but I'm still going to have to put it into Blogger to spell check it, send it to lj, then change the links from cut-tags to actually links.

Oh, and happy new year everyone - may your 2005 be better than your 2004.