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Last year I managed 43 recs, so there are almost twice as many this year!

These recs are in the following fandoms: 10 Things I Hate About You, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Absolutely Fabulous, Anne of Green Gables, The Avengers, Ballet Shoes, Blackadder, Blakes 7, Cambridge Spies, Chalet School, Chuck, Coupling, Dead Like Me, The Dead Zone, Discworld, Drop the Dead Donkey, Father Ted, Futurama, Galaxy Quest, The Hobbit, Hustle, Lost in Austen, Merlin, Nation, Nethack, Posh Nosh, Press Gang, Pushing Daisies, Red Dwarf, Quantum Leap, Sadlers Wells, Scrubs, Spooks, Stardust, Thoughtcrimes, Top Gear/Narnia, Vorkosigan.

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I have an 2Gb mp3 player that I use for listening to stuff in the car on long journeys, so I don't have to work out stopping at the services around changing the CD. But it is a bit annoying because it plays files in the order of the name of the track in the properties, rather than the file name. It's a bit of a pain going and changing them all - the other day I ripped Forty Five and it gave the tracks such silly names that I ended up listening to one of the CDs anyway, as it was quicker (and it helpfully reached the end just as I reached the services, but that rarely happens).

So my question is, does anyone know of an mp3 player that's at least 2Gb in size (although 1Gb would probably do) that will play tracks in filename order? I think ipods do it, but I don't really want to spend £100 and I'd far rather copy files in Explorer, rather than having to download iTunes and fiddle about with that.

I seem to be behind on talking about Christmas and what I got. I drove home the morning of Christmas Day and I wish the roads were always that empty. Although there were still idiots about and people who'd get up my arse before overtaking despite there being no other cars on the road. But at least there were no lorries, so I think I overtook two people and one of them was the one time I needed to get out of the left lane anyway.

I wish the roads were always that quiet.

Pretty much all the Christmas TV was on Christmas Day, so we had to tape Blackadder (which we still haven't watched) and have a late dinner to fit it round Doctor Who, which was good, I liked it, although the Confidential (which we also had to tape) told us why the boy never said anything - he had such a Welsh accent we nearly couldn't understand him and Welsh accents are usually ok. (No one spoil anything in the comments cos the Aussies haven't seen it yet).

So presents were also late and I got:
SJA on DVD
Outnumbered series 1 on DVD (which we're working our way through)
A couple of books I found I wanted when we went to Blackwells in August and hadn't got round to buying yet
Socks (I can't be bothered to buy socks)
A Doctor Who 1000 piece puzzle (which we haven't made yet)
A disabled Dalek (its eyestalk is held on with sellotape - also it isn't pink)

I did well out of my work secret santa too as they got me a signed Graham Cole (Tony Stamp) cast card, which was either well researched or lucky since I don't recognise most of The Bill cast any more, and a pack with a little K9 and a very heavy, little TARDIS with a Fourth Doctor who has a face that makes him look like a girl. The latter are at work because I don't have to dust there.

From Avon I got a bunny calendar, which might mean next year has 12 months of November.

Today me and my sister went into town for a few bits. Work always gives us a £15 Smiths voucher at Christmas, so I got Battlefield on DVD for 92p. It was hideously busy, though, and we amused ourselves by guessing which shop might go under next (we reckon Smiths, QS and French Connection).

28.87 / 50kg (58%)

I am still alive. My broadband was activated on Monday. Sadly, though, BT have buggered something up so it doesn't work properly. And Wednesday night not only did it not work at all, but my phone line completely stopped working too. I speak to BT at least twice a day, except yesterday and this morning I even spoke to an English person! Now I am at home, though, I have internet, finally.

I am mostly unpacked, I just need to buy a wardrobe so I can put everything else away. And a sofa so I have something comfortable to sit on to watch TV. When my landlord has fixed the aerial - at the moment it's pretty dead and I'm using an internet aerial, which I have to reposition every time I want to watch something and during that time too.

I am still trying to catch up with all the things I've been wanting to do this week, along with reading through the Yuletide archive. I've read 45 stories so far (I can tell from the top commenters list).

I dreamt last night that there was a Charley in TR, although threading with her involved moving my freezer through the kitchen cupboards for some reason. It seemed logical at the time...

My flat is gradually looking more like I live there. Although I'm down to three crates to empty now, some of them won't empty because I have nowhere to put them until I get a wardrobe. I also have a few boxes of things to do something with and piles of crap on my dining room table, bookcases and on the side in the kitchen.

But I also have a plant, which I won in the raffle at the Rotary Christmas dinner on Tuesday night. It's the first plant I've ever owned, so I had to get someone else to tell me how to look after it - which was just as well because I'd never have guessed. And it was just as well mum pointed out I'd have to bring it home because I wouldn't have thought of that either and it would have died of thirst over the Christmas holidays...

I am sort of reading my friends list, but because RSS Bandit would have so many to download it'll take forever on dial-up I'm reading the LJ ones on my friends list and saving the rest for Monday. But it's so hard to read on my friends list I'm more skim-reading things. I don't know how other people read their LJ feeds that way!

I've been watching Leverage and really liking it. It reminds me of Hustle. I love all the exciting stunts and I hope they keep not delving into the character's pasts because I don't really care that much. I just like to see them in action.

I recognised the name Christian Kane before it started, although I couldn't work out why. Once he was on screen, though, it was obvious - he was Lindsay in Angel. But there's another character in it - Sophie Devereux - and I spent the whole of the first two episodes wondering where I recognised her from. Her flambouyancy seemed familiar too and it drove me mad, until I remembered to look it up on the imdb. It turns out she was Jane in Coupling.

Apart from that I have no broadband at home until Monday But tonight is my only night in this week until Sunday, so I'm probably not going to notice too much. I have a whole load of things on my PVR to watch too, and a Star Trek DVD from lovefilm - when I've watched that one I'll have seen every episode of every Star Trek series. Including the animated ones.

I did get hold of Band of Brothers to try, since so many people on my friends list think it's the best thing since sliced bread, but I didn't even make it all the way through the first episode. Which wasn't that much of a surprise because it's not really my sort of thing.

Also, I might have a soya intolerance. Or a stomach bug, but I'll wait till Christmas to find out where I can be ill in comfort. I finally managed to upload my Yuletide fic. It was typical - I got it done before I moved, but then the uploads went wonky if you or your recipient's name began with P-Z and that includes me since my name starts with P. Once it was back, then I had no internet.

I am moved and have unpacked quite a bit. Well, my sister unpacked quite a bit in the bedroom and kitchen, I'm still working on the lounge.

I have no broadband until next Monday and there's not even anyone with an unsecure wireless network I can pick up from my flat

And my stomach's not working any more, so I'm really tired from that and moving.

I want it to be Christmas now, so I can go home and rest.

I'm so tired I've been reduced to watching Top Gear repeats on Dave. And it's currently one I've seen before as well. I am still using my internet connection, though, despite my phone being cut off.

It kept raining on and off today, which wasn't a help. I got to the new flat early and my landlord was already there. When I went inside I discovered there wasn't a freezer, but I felt sure there had been when I first looked at it... So now I owe my parents money for a freezer, which is being delivered Sunday afternoon. So I can't move my frozen food till Monday.

BT kept trying to ring me while I was driving, but they came at 1pm, so I could ring Zen and my internet will take 6 working days - I'll have an exact date by the end of the weekend, but I'm hoping it's before next weekend and not after.

While all this was going on, and I was trying to clean the new flat, Barclaycard fraud department tried to ring me. I changed my address on play.com and paypal, and they wanted to check it with Barclaycard, who decided it was someone else trying to use my card.

So far I've spent £15 on my mobile - it was just as well I had plenty on it to start with.

It was only after I'd been home for a while that I realised I left the hoover there and didn't mean to. And I forgot to clean the fridge in the new flat. The trouble was it was 2.30pm by the time I left there and I hadn't had lunch. Which is partly why I'm so tired.

And I currently hate the new flat on the basis that it's not home. But I remember thinking that about this place two years ago, so it will pass. Eventually.

I should have known today would be bad when I woke up at 6.30 with diarrhea, which meant turning lights on and putting my glasses on and therefore no chance of going back to sleep till my alarm went off at 8am. This afternoon I found out that it was because Sainsbury's poisoned me - they put milk in their Free From Chicken things. Which at least explains why I haven't been right since I had one on Sunday.

Then today got suddenly busy with last minute stuff ten minutes before the end of the day. But I managed to escape half an hour late. And when I got back my work Secret Santa present had arrived - I was getting worried since it has to be in by Thursday, the redirect on my post means anything sent after tomorrow takes an extra day and there's a postal strike here on Monday.

Tomorrow I get to get up at the normal time, manhandle my hoover into the car (I've never picked my hoover up for any more than very short distances as I have no stairs), de-ice said car no doubt, fit some other stuff in there, convince the car it really does want to start, convince the car it really does want to go, put petrol in it and drive to the new flat by 10am to pick the keys up. Then clean it and wait for the BT engineer to come sometime in the afternoon. And hope it's before 5pm so I can call Zen and tell them to give me broadband. And that's going to be the quiet day in comparison to Saturday...

Now, last time I moved my phone line cut off at 10pm, but my internet stayed on as long as I was connected. This time it's getting cut off at noon, so it'll be interesting to see if the internet's still working, since my router is permanently connected. Otherwise I'll be hoping my neighbours with the unsecure wireless network have it switched on (they don't always).

I finally managed to take the bag of books that's been sitting around my room for ages to the charity shop today. Well, I tried to take it into work on Monday but I only got a few paces from the front door and the handles broke. Since I was already late by then, I took it back and left it for another day. I took it in yesterday, went down to the charity shop at lunch to find they'd randomly closed for lunch. I chose that charity shop of the many we have in town because it has a whole room for books.

But on the way back to work I passed another charity shop. Since I just want to get rid of these books I thought I'd drop them in there. But there was a woman trying to pay by card and the woman behind the till was getting herself in a mess with it and after a couple of minutes I decided I much preferred the idea of lunch. I could have gone to another charity shop, but I couldn't be bothered by that point. I ended up taking it to the original charity shop this lunchtime. The woman in there didn't really seem to care that I was giving them this donation. I almost don't know why I bothered.

PC080225

Originally uploaded by paranoidangel

In between the endless tea breaks, we actually saw some of Midsomer Murders being filmed this morning. Jesse Birdsall (and it's definitely him) was dressed normally, although put a coat and tiny scarf on between scenes. Seriously, that scarf was definitely girly. It was cold, but that's no excuse.

Three times I saw them film a tiny little bit where Barnaby and the Sergeant walked from the road into the courtyard, met up with Jesse Birdsall beside the dinghy, which had been moved and was now devoid of plastic sealife stuck to it. Then they went off further into the courtyard out of shot and it was quite a while before they called 'Cut'.

I was really excited to see them all close up anyway. I bet when the episode is on in six months time it'll all be completely unrecognisable. But we all really want to know why Jesse Birdsall was dressed so strangely on Thursday and what the dinghy is all about.

Funnily enough, this might just contain SPOILERS.... Read more...

I have now filled eleven crates with my possessions. Four of those crates are mostly books. I really need to be ruthless with them after I move, I think. I've packed most of the pictures on my walls, mostly emptied the bookcases and taken a load of stuff off my desk and TV stand too. So it's all looking a bit empty. Well, until you see the crates piled up anyway. I have to go round the flat carefully in case I bump into things.

I spent a lot of yesterday morning going through stuff and tidying it. And discovering stuff I hadn't unpacked from when I last moved two years ago... I've binned it now because it wasn't even that important at the time. I kept on discovering stuff in random places, especially pension statements for some reason. Which included after I've packed that stuff and refuse to go back to it yet again.

Next Saturday my sister's bringing her crates and between those and all my boxes, I think that'll be pretty much everything covered.

Also, this weekend, I had a bit of a getting things done weekend because I didn't go out. I was planning to go swimming but I have conjunctivitis (although mildly - it took me two days to work out why my eye was pink) and I shouldn't take that to a swimming pool really.

But I did listen to the latest Seven & Ace audio: Forty Five. I don't think I was paying much attention to the first CD, though, so I'll listen to that again on the way home at Christmas. Then I also finally put my Canada diary up on my website. I have done all my Christmas shopping (which only involved buying one thing, so that wasn't hard) and nearly done everything for my TR secret santa too.

Now I am downloading Band of Brothers, so I won't be able to say I haven't got plenty to watch for when I have no broadband after I move...

We've had what must be the most excitement ever at work the past few days because Midsomer Murders have been filming outside out office. Wednesday afternoon they spent doing up the outside of the shop in the courtyard and playing about with a dinghy. Thursday afternoon they pranced around a bit, had very bright lights and did a scene where someone dressed something like Neptune walked from their fake giftshop out of the courtyard. This morning they stood around and chatted and drunk tea. This afternoon they were filming in the shop with some black curtain over it, so we couldn't see what they were doing.

No sign of John Nettles so far, but according to their letter they'll be back on Monday. And we all await the new series of Midsomer Murders with baited breath. Or the fast forward button, in most cases.

I actually had some time at work today where I wasn't trying to do a million things at once by the end of the day. I almost didn't know what to do with myself! So when I got home I had plenty of time to listen to the six o'clock news on Radio 5 for once, make muffins and watch Chuck. And then my TV guide (aka my dad) told me there was a programme on about time, which put paid to my plan to actually do some writing tonight. And as interesting as the programme was it featured quite a few physicists, none of whom were fat or bearded. One of them was even female. What is the world coming to?

For the next couple of days everything gets put on hold for Rotaract. Tomorrow I am not looking forward to venturing out into the cold (not that it's that warm in here) and breaking my car out from under a load of ice, while the car only gets even colder than the outside air. But I am driving far enough that not only will it warm up before I get there, but I might also be able to get warm air on my feet too! It's very hard to drive when you can't feel your feet, your hands and you're shivering.

Thursday I get to spend several hours outside in the evening selling chestnuts (bonus: I like chestnuts). I discovered last year that two pairs of trousers keeps you warm, but it looks like this year will be colder than last year...

But on the plus side, because I have a long weekend to do moving things, this is my last five day week before Christmas!

I not-so-cunningly left talking about last week's SJA till after Spooks and about the best I can do at the moment is 'bibble'. But I will try.

There are spoilers in here for last week's SJA. Read more...