Wednesday, November 21, 2007
An emotional time…
We visited my Aunt and Uncle on the weekend for my Uncle’s 60th birthday which nearly didn’t happen. They recently received some very bad news about my Aunt’s illness and my Uncle couldn’t face having a celebration under the circumstances, but my Aunt insisted with her usual stoic manner and we gathered with friends at an Italian restaurant where we all enjoyed ourselves in each others company. The indoor firework on the birthday cake nearly removed eyebrows with its display and ended the evening on a bang.
A man and his shed…
We have just taken receipt of a new shed at home. The old one had been there fore at least 20 years and although well built was suffering rot and borer damage. Also we wanted something that was more suitable to our growing of plants, so we went for a ‘potting’ shed, which includes a large glass window with a bench under it for starting seedlings earlier and for growing tender plants under glass.
First of all I had to take down the old shed and make sure there was a solid base underneath for the new one to be built upon (the delivery included assembly). It soon became clear why the old shed was still standing after such a long time as it took ages to pull it down, break it up and dispose of it (the concrete-asbestos roof had to be taken to a special dump to deal with).
The building had been built on concrete pillars straight on the ground so I needed to lay a base. It just so happened that we had a front path of plain slabs that we didn’t like so I took these up and cleaned the old concrete off them and laid a new path. Then with the old slabs and a couple of additional ones I laid the base for the new shed. Not something I had done before and apart from a couple of broken slabs and a slight dip at one corner, it was not too bad.
We had a couple of delays to the expected delivery date and had to rearrange work and holidays to accommodate them but eventually it came and the two guys had it up in less than an hour in the rain. We then spent another couple of hours filling it back up with the soaking wet stuff that had been sitting out on the deck for weeks. We will need to sort it out better, but for now it is undercover.
First of all I had to take down the old shed and make sure there was a solid base underneath for the new one to be built upon (the delivery included assembly). It soon became clear why the old shed was still standing after such a long time as it took ages to pull it down, break it up and dispose of it (the concrete-asbestos roof had to be taken to a special dump to deal with).
The building had been built on concrete pillars straight on the ground so I needed to lay a base. It just so happened that we had a front path of plain slabs that we didn’t like so I took these up and cleaned the old concrete off them and laid a new path. Then with the old slabs and a couple of additional ones I laid the base for the new shed. Not something I had done before and apart from a couple of broken slabs and a slight dip at one corner, it was not too bad.
We had a couple of delays to the expected delivery date and had to rearrange work and holidays to accommodate them but eventually it came and the two guys had it up in less than an hour in the rain. We then spent another couple of hours filling it back up with the soaking wet stuff that had been sitting out on the deck for weeks. We will need to sort it out better, but for now it is undercover.
More of wot I have heard…
Yo La Tengo – I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass
This was an impulse buy for me as I needed to add something to my Amazon order to get free delivery (good sales tactic by them). I had heard several of their tracks before and I found this Indie-rock styled band interesting .Admittedly it is not to every bodies taste, and I don’t think it will get ‘high rotation’ at our home.
The band has been around for about twenty years but they have never really made it in the mainstream media (not that I hold that against them – most of the bands I like are not part of the mainstream pap).
When it comes to music, don’t be afraid to try something new.
Various Artists – Songs of America
I heard of this album on a late night BBC Radio 2 program by Stuart Maconie and thought it would be an interesting collection of songs. It is probably more for someone who wants to see the progress of American folk and is an intriguing documentary of the genre than for an evening of easy listening but there are some wonderful re-interpretations of classic standards in this collection and I am glad I bought it even if the motivation for creating it does appear to be a bit on the ‘worthy’ side.
Song Of America is a 50-song, 3-disc album that traces the history of the United States through its folk and popular musical traditions. The idea was the brainchild of President's Clinton's former Attorney General Janet Reno, whose premise was that music can be used as a great tool to teach the ideals and mores of the American peoples. Enlisting her nephew, producer Ed Pettersen and teaming up with David Macias of 31 Tigers (who won a Grammy for Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs Of Stephen Foster), this set has been nine years in the making. The result is an incredible musical journey.
Disc 1 extends from the famous date of 1492 up to 1860, a broad sweep including John Wesley Harding's version of 'God Save The King' through to Beth Nielsen Chapman's spine tingling negro spiritual 'Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child.'
Disc 2 from 1861 to 1945 sees songs from the Civil War in the anti-war song 'Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye' (Janis Ian) through to the Depression and then to war again, this time on foreign soil with the lament of 'Over There' (Jen Chapin).
Disc 3 brings us up to date from post war optimism, with the science will save us 'The Great Atomic Power' (Elizabeth Cook & Grascals), the civil rights protest inspired pride of 'Say It Loud' (The Dynamites), the affirmation of 'I Am Woman' (Martha Wainwright), and ends with John Mellancamp singing 'This Land Is Your Land'.
This seemingly impossible project has turned out to be not just about fantastic musicians and songs, it’s a living representation of the story of the most powerful nation on earth. And its relevance to today? This is answered with a final word from Janet Reno, who notes in her introduction: "It is important to know history to understand the importance our own actions have in shaping our future".
This was an impulse buy for me as I needed to add something to my Amazon order to get free delivery (good sales tactic by them). I had heard several of their tracks before and I found this Indie-rock styled band interesting .Admittedly it is not to every bodies taste, and I don’t think it will get ‘high rotation’ at our home.
The band has been around for about twenty years but they have never really made it in the mainstream media (not that I hold that against them – most of the bands I like are not part of the mainstream pap).
When it comes to music, don’t be afraid to try something new.
Various Artists – Songs of America
I heard of this album on a late night BBC Radio 2 program by Stuart Maconie and thought it would be an interesting collection of songs. It is probably more for someone who wants to see the progress of American folk and is an intriguing documentary of the genre than for an evening of easy listening but there are some wonderful re-interpretations of classic standards in this collection and I am glad I bought it even if the motivation for creating it does appear to be a bit on the ‘worthy’ side.
Song Of America is a 50-song, 3-disc album that traces the history of the United States through its folk and popular musical traditions. The idea was the brainchild of President's Clinton's former Attorney General Janet Reno, whose premise was that music can be used as a great tool to teach the ideals and mores of the American peoples. Enlisting her nephew, producer Ed Pettersen and teaming up with David Macias of 31 Tigers (who won a Grammy for Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs Of Stephen Foster), this set has been nine years in the making. The result is an incredible musical journey.
Disc 1 extends from the famous date of 1492 up to 1860, a broad sweep including John Wesley Harding's version of 'God Save The King' through to Beth Nielsen Chapman's spine tingling negro spiritual 'Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child.'
Disc 2 from 1861 to 1945 sees songs from the Civil War in the anti-war song 'Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye' (Janis Ian) through to the Depression and then to war again, this time on foreign soil with the lament of 'Over There' (Jen Chapin).
Disc 3 brings us up to date from post war optimism, with the science will save us 'The Great Atomic Power' (Elizabeth Cook & Grascals), the civil rights protest inspired pride of 'Say It Loud' (The Dynamites), the affirmation of 'I Am Woman' (Martha Wainwright), and ends with John Mellancamp singing 'This Land Is Your Land'.
This seemingly impossible project has turned out to be not just about fantastic musicians and songs, it’s a living representation of the story of the most powerful nation on earth. And its relevance to today? This is answered with a final word from Janet Reno, who notes in her introduction: "It is important to know history to understand the importance our own actions have in shaping our future".
Back and forth…
Travelling to and from Brussels with work
I have had a couple of week long trips to Brussels to attend the company’s New Hire Training (even though I have been employed for over 18 months). It was interesting and informative, but I am not one to enjoy trips away with work.
Up to Manchester
I also had a short trip up to Manchester to attend a course on Six Sigma – a collection of tools and methodologies design to improve efficiencies and quality in an organisation. The name takes itself from the sigma deviation on a standard distribution curve.
I have had a couple of week long trips to Brussels to attend the company’s New Hire Training (even though I have been employed for over 18 months). It was interesting and informative, but I am not one to enjoy trips away with work.
Up to Manchester
I also had a short trip up to Manchester to attend a course on Six Sigma – a collection of tools and methodologies design to improve efficiencies and quality in an organisation. The name takes itself from the sigma deviation on a standard distribution curve.
More of wot I have read…
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
What can I say, I am a fan of Terry Pratchett and even though this is part of his teen series, I still enjoyed reading it. It is a good book for the younger readers to introduce them to the weird and wonderful Discworld and some of its more well known inhabitants… …the witches.
“At 9, Tiffany Aching defeated the cruel Queen of Fairyland.
At 11, she battled an ancient body-stealing evil.
At 13, Tiffany faces a new challenge: a boy. And boys can be a bit of a problem when you're thirteen. . . .
But the Wintersmith isn't exactly a boy. He is Winter itself—snow, gales, icicles—all of it. When he has a crush on Tiffany, he may make her roses out of ice, but his nature is blizzards and avalanches. And he wants Tiffany to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever.
Tiffany will need all her cunning to make it to Spring. She'll also need her friends, from junior witches to the legendary Granny Weatherwax. They—
Crivens! Tiffany will need the Wee Free Men too! She'll have the help of the bravest, toughest, smelliest pictsies ever to be banished from Fairyland—whether she wants it or not.
It's going to be a cold, cold season, because if Tiffany doesn't survive until Spring—
—Spring won't come.”
The Rama series by Arthur C Clarke
I found the middle two books in a charity shop and bought them on a whim. I found I had the last at home, but it had been so long that I couldn’t remember reading it. The first book I don’t think I have ever read. Arthur C Clarke’s books can be a bit difficult to read in that he does detail everything in a way that must be logical to him, but unfortunately I don’t get all of his gadgets or aliens and I find they can irritate and detract from the story. I guess though trying to explain alien life forms and advanced technology is always going to be a risk. I also have a difficulty with the possibility that we could have any common ground with another race, or even be able to recognise them should we come across one – humans are not my idea of a constitutes superior species. Nevertheless some leaps of faith are required if a story is to be told, and the overall idea is very interesting and explores some of these issues in a controlled environment.
1972 Rendezvous With Rama
In 2130, a new celestial body is discovered heading toward the Sun. Earthlings name this object 'Rama' -- a vast cylinder, about 31 miles long and 12 miles across, with a mass of at least ten trillion tons. The spaceship Endeavor, directed by Commander Bill Norton, lands on Rama and has three weeks to explore its hollow interior. Inside the vessel they discover a completely self-contained world -- a world that has been cruising through space for perhaps more than a million years.
1989 Rama II
Years ago, the enormous, enigmatic alien spacecraft called Rama sailed through our solar system as mind-boggling proof that life existed -- or had existed -- elsewhere in the universe. Now, at the dawn of the twenty-third century, another ship is discovered hurtling toward us. A crew of Earth's best and brightest minds is assembled to rendezvous with the massive vessel. They are armed with everything we know about Raman technology and culture. But nothing can prepare them for what they are about to encounter on board Rama II: cosmic secrets that are startling, sensational -- and perhaps even deadly.
1991 The Garden Of Rama
By the twenty-third century Earth has already had two encounters with massive, mysterious robotic spacecraft from beyond our solar system--the incontestable proof of an alien technology that far exceeds our own. Now three human cosmonauts are trapped aboard a labyrinthine Raman vessel, where it will take all of their physical and mental resources to survive. Only twelve years into their journey do these intrepid travelers learn their destination and face their ultimate challenge: a rendevous with a Raman base--and the unseen architects of their galactic home. The cosmonauts have given up family, friends, and possessions to live a new kind of life. But the answers that await them at the Raman Node will require an even greater sacrifice--if humanity is indeed ready to learn the awe-inspiring truth.
1993 Rama Revealed
After the appearance of a spaceship, Rama, a second craft arrives, destined to house a group of colonists. But, the colony has become a dictatorship. Nicole Wakefield, condemned to death, escapes to an island called New York, and is forced to flee to the corridors inhabited by octospiders.
What can I say, I am a fan of Terry Pratchett and even though this is part of his teen series, I still enjoyed reading it. It is a good book for the younger readers to introduce them to the weird and wonderful Discworld and some of its more well known inhabitants… …the witches.
“At 9, Tiffany Aching defeated the cruel Queen of Fairyland.
At 11, she battled an ancient body-stealing evil.
At 13, Tiffany faces a new challenge: a boy. And boys can be a bit of a problem when you're thirteen. . . .
But the Wintersmith isn't exactly a boy. He is Winter itself—snow, gales, icicles—all of it. When he has a crush on Tiffany, he may make her roses out of ice, but his nature is blizzards and avalanches. And he wants Tiffany to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever.
Tiffany will need all her cunning to make it to Spring. She'll also need her friends, from junior witches to the legendary Granny Weatherwax. They—
Crivens! Tiffany will need the Wee Free Men too! She'll have the help of the bravest, toughest, smelliest pictsies ever to be banished from Fairyland—whether she wants it or not.
It's going to be a cold, cold season, because if Tiffany doesn't survive until Spring—
—Spring won't come.”
The Rama series by Arthur C Clarke
I found the middle two books in a charity shop and bought them on a whim. I found I had the last at home, but it had been so long that I couldn’t remember reading it. The first book I don’t think I have ever read. Arthur C Clarke’s books can be a bit difficult to read in that he does detail everything in a way that must be logical to him, but unfortunately I don’t get all of his gadgets or aliens and I find they can irritate and detract from the story. I guess though trying to explain alien life forms and advanced technology is always going to be a risk. I also have a difficulty with the possibility that we could have any common ground with another race, or even be able to recognise them should we come across one – humans are not my idea of a constitutes superior species. Nevertheless some leaps of faith are required if a story is to be told, and the overall idea is very interesting and explores some of these issues in a controlled environment.
1972 Rendezvous With Rama
In 2130, a new celestial body is discovered heading toward the Sun. Earthlings name this object 'Rama' -- a vast cylinder, about 31 miles long and 12 miles across, with a mass of at least ten trillion tons. The spaceship Endeavor, directed by Commander Bill Norton, lands on Rama and has three weeks to explore its hollow interior. Inside the vessel they discover a completely self-contained world -- a world that has been cruising through space for perhaps more than a million years.
1989 Rama II
Years ago, the enormous, enigmatic alien spacecraft called Rama sailed through our solar system as mind-boggling proof that life existed -- or had existed -- elsewhere in the universe. Now, at the dawn of the twenty-third century, another ship is discovered hurtling toward us. A crew of Earth's best and brightest minds is assembled to rendezvous with the massive vessel. They are armed with everything we know about Raman technology and culture. But nothing can prepare them for what they are about to encounter on board Rama II: cosmic secrets that are startling, sensational -- and perhaps even deadly.
1991 The Garden Of Rama
By the twenty-third century Earth has already had two encounters with massive, mysterious robotic spacecraft from beyond our solar system--the incontestable proof of an alien technology that far exceeds our own. Now three human cosmonauts are trapped aboard a labyrinthine Raman vessel, where it will take all of their physical and mental resources to survive. Only twelve years into their journey do these intrepid travelers learn their destination and face their ultimate challenge: a rendevous with a Raman base--and the unseen architects of their galactic home. The cosmonauts have given up family, friends, and possessions to live a new kind of life. But the answers that await them at the Raman Node will require an even greater sacrifice--if humanity is indeed ready to learn the awe-inspiring truth.
1993 Rama Revealed
After the appearance of a spaceship, Rama, a second craft arrives, destined to house a group of colonists. But, the colony has become a dictatorship. Nicole Wakefield, condemned to death, escapes to an island called New York, and is forced to flee to the corridors inhabited by octospiders.
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