Last night I went to the pub. She who is trying to make out that she is being maligned behaved as though my being there had spoilt her whole night. Went to the pub tonight she stood on her own at the bar having done a u-turn upon seeing me. Do I look like someone who cares? Yeah your right.
It's getting to the point where she is looking like a complete prat, and people are actually noticing this and commenting that she is behaving like a five year old. And I just sit there and smile and ignore her. You see I have learned that I can hold my own with people, I don't need to make other people look small to make myself look big. I grant that I have a nasty temper that wise people do not get on the wrong side of. More importantly, I've decided that I am going to have a social life and if some psychotic attention seeker wants to fantasize about my being a threat to them then okay. If they want to lie about me - fine. I know the truth, the people that know me know the truth, and it isn't actually hurting me. The person who is behaving like a brain dead twat is on the other hand starting to get bad press as people notice the stupidity. Lets face it, if you insist on being the center of attention when you're actually a complete bore, people tend to be glad to see the back of you.
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Beware - rant in progress
Today I arrived home to find an email from a friend. He and his partner had been up all night with their blind, ailing, geriatric puss, who had sadly died this morning. Didn't help that it was my friend's birthday. After I had been around for a visit to commiserate for their loss it was decided that we would go to the pub for a "wee dram" or three. So there we were a rather forlorn group of four people sitting in the pub, but the ale soon lifted our spirits, and one of the group, who had recently returned from Nigeria was telling us about life in North West Africa. During the course of our evening a couple turned up and suddenly things turned very sour.
Basically, the female of the pair was a friend of mine for many years, but about a year ago decided to spread some lies about another friend in, of all places, her Livejournal. The other friend, lets call her Mrs A, was very upset about this and asked for a retraction of the lies and received abuse in return. Mrs A's husband then tried to get a retraction and he too had abuse hurled at him. He, however, was defending his wife's reputation so didn't back down at this point, hence their argument spilled over into my livejournal comment space. I told them both to stop it and grow up, where upon I got an apology from Mr A but abuse from the other woman. Now I have put up with this woman's tantrums for a number of years and to be honest they were growing thin. She seems to think that behaving like a petulant 5 year old is a virtue in a thirtysomething year old woman, which to be frank, it isn't. By this point she was slandering Mr A in on line forums by making people believe that he had had some sort of breakdown and had become a dangerous lunatic who was putting her health and safety in great danger.
Having had this argument thrust into my face and deciding to draw a line in the sand, which she very quickly crossed, I told her to grow up and act her age, to which her partner then started telling me that she was "unsocialised" and "didn't know that her behaviour was unacceptable" and that "I was responsible for her bad behaviour by not telling her it was wrong". When I pointed out that when you tell her her behaviour is unacceptable you get a torrent of abuse I was told I was "being unreasonable".
I was supposed to be the matron of honour at this woman's wedding but I told her that I wouldn't bestow such an honour on someone who though being abusive to friends was a good idea and I broke of contact with her. At this point her partner started telling anyone that would listen that I was "spreading obnoxious lies" about her. Of course, as the only things I had said about her were backed up by emails and other independant witnesses people soon got tired of hearing this. And so for nearly a near this couple have been trying to make the world believe that I am a dangerous lunatic.
Tonight was the last straw. They have made unsubstantiated accusations against people that I know just on the basis that they are talking to me. They are saying that they cannot even be in the same pub as me as I pose a physical threat to their safety (which bearing in mind that I was in the same pub for two hours and didn't even look at them) is patently fabricated, and this on top of telling people over the past year that I am a psychotic receiving psychiatric care (I'd like to see them prove that one in a court of law). I am so angry at the moment but I know that there is very little that I can do. Or at least there is very little that I can do that doesn't take me down to the same sewer that they live in.
Maybe I should just get my solicitor to issue a summons of slander against them. There are enough witnesses to prove my case....
Today I arrived home to find an email from a friend. He and his partner had been up all night with their blind, ailing, geriatric puss, who had sadly died this morning. Didn't help that it was my friend's birthday. After I had been around for a visit to commiserate for their loss it was decided that we would go to the pub for a "wee dram" or three. So there we were a rather forlorn group of four people sitting in the pub, but the ale soon lifted our spirits, and one of the group, who had recently returned from Nigeria was telling us about life in North West Africa. During the course of our evening a couple turned up and suddenly things turned very sour.
Basically, the female of the pair was a friend of mine for many years, but about a year ago decided to spread some lies about another friend in, of all places, her Livejournal. The other friend, lets call her Mrs A, was very upset about this and asked for a retraction of the lies and received abuse in return. Mrs A's husband then tried to get a retraction and he too had abuse hurled at him. He, however, was defending his wife's reputation so didn't back down at this point, hence their argument spilled over into my livejournal comment space. I told them both to stop it and grow up, where upon I got an apology from Mr A but abuse from the other woman. Now I have put up with this woman's tantrums for a number of years and to be honest they were growing thin. She seems to think that behaving like a petulant 5 year old is a virtue in a thirtysomething year old woman, which to be frank, it isn't. By this point she was slandering Mr A in on line forums by making people believe that he had had some sort of breakdown and had become a dangerous lunatic who was putting her health and safety in great danger.
Having had this argument thrust into my face and deciding to draw a line in the sand, which she very quickly crossed, I told her to grow up and act her age, to which her partner then started telling me that she was "unsocialised" and "didn't know that her behaviour was unacceptable" and that "I was responsible for her bad behaviour by not telling her it was wrong". When I pointed out that when you tell her her behaviour is unacceptable you get a torrent of abuse I was told I was "being unreasonable".
I was supposed to be the matron of honour at this woman's wedding but I told her that I wouldn't bestow such an honour on someone who though being abusive to friends was a good idea and I broke of contact with her. At this point her partner started telling anyone that would listen that I was "spreading obnoxious lies" about her. Of course, as the only things I had said about her were backed up by emails and other independant witnesses people soon got tired of hearing this. And so for nearly a near this couple have been trying to make the world believe that I am a dangerous lunatic.
Tonight was the last straw. They have made unsubstantiated accusations against people that I know just on the basis that they are talking to me. They are saying that they cannot even be in the same pub as me as I pose a physical threat to their safety (which bearing in mind that I was in the same pub for two hours and didn't even look at them) is patently fabricated, and this on top of telling people over the past year that I am a psychotic receiving psychiatric care (I'd like to see them prove that one in a court of law). I am so angry at the moment but I know that there is very little that I can do. Or at least there is very little that I can do that doesn't take me down to the same sewer that they live in.
Maybe I should just get my solicitor to issue a summons of slander against them. There are enough witnesses to prove my case....
Friday, March 26, 2004
Panic Stations!
Wedding day is getting every closer and whilst we have most things in order there are a few little details that need doing.
The darling boy needs to hurry up with the design for the official invitations otherwise we are not going to be able to send them out in time.
I need to get on an do the information web page, because I don't have time to go looking up stuff for everybody as they request it. So things like, map to the venue, link to tourist board B&B index, wedding list, alleged order of day, etc, will be there for people to check up on at their own convenience.
Trouble is I want a nice picture of a victorian style wedding dress that has a long train, and is a nice size to put on a web page and I can't find one. They are all either photos taken at the wrong angle to be useful, too small, or too fuzzy. The graphic artist that I was working with is busy too so he doesn't have time to create an image for me.
On the other hand I have the model of the dress almost done so I'll probably be wearing that all day next weekend so I can see where the pattern will need to be adjusted. This weekend I'm looking for a suitable veil, saw a nice simple two-layer one but I can't get it in black. That's another thing that is brewing - my future mother-in-law is convinced that I am joking when I say that the wedding dress is going to be black and keeps making suggestions of "suitable" colours. I keep telling her that I'm going for authentic but... Maybe I should see if my friends (the film producers) can put me in touch with one of the costume designers so I can get evidence to prove my point, not that it's likely to work though.
The darling boy needs to hurry up with the design for the official invitations otherwise we are not going to be able to send them out in time.
I need to get on an do the information web page, because I don't have time to go looking up stuff for everybody as they request it. So things like, map to the venue, link to tourist board B&B index, wedding list, alleged order of day, etc, will be there for people to check up on at their own convenience.
Trouble is I want a nice picture of a victorian style wedding dress that has a long train, and is a nice size to put on a web page and I can't find one. They are all either photos taken at the wrong angle to be useful, too small, or too fuzzy. The graphic artist that I was working with is busy too so he doesn't have time to create an image for me.
On the other hand I have the model of the dress almost done so I'll probably be wearing that all day next weekend so I can see where the pattern will need to be adjusted. This weekend I'm looking for a suitable veil, saw a nice simple two-layer one but I can't get it in black. That's another thing that is brewing - my future mother-in-law is convinced that I am joking when I say that the wedding dress is going to be black and keeps making suggestions of "suitable" colours. I keep telling her that I'm going for authentic but... Maybe I should see if my friends (the film producers) can put me in touch with one of the costume designers so I can get evidence to prove my point, not that it's likely to work though.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
It's Official
Blueyonder are complete F***wits.
They have introduced some antivirus thing or another, which is clearly configured incorrectly, because so far all it has bounced has been innocent mail from a MODERATED mailing list that I have been on for about six years and that doesn't allow attachments. Now forgive me if I am being naive, but how in the name of the devil's illegitimate spawn can plain text email with no attachments be spreading viruses? More importantly when will the "tech" support tards at Bluechunder get a clue as to how to run a system? FFS
They have introduced some antivirus thing or another, which is clearly configured incorrectly, because so far all it has bounced has been innocent mail from a MODERATED mailing list that I have been on for about six years and that doesn't allow attachments. Now forgive me if I am being naive, but how in the name of the devil's illegitimate spawn can plain text email with no attachments be spreading viruses? More importantly when will the "tech" support tards at Bluechunder get a clue as to how to run a system? FFS
Friday, February 20, 2004
I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!
This morning I finally got to sit the CIW Foundations Exam. Time allowed 90 mins but I did it in about 30 and I passed.
So I am now a Certified Internet Webmaster Associate.
The thing that had me most worried was the section on Internet Fundamentals, as I have been struggling to get my head around the OSI Reference Model and where protocols and network devices fit into it, yet I managed to get 92% on that section.
If you see a half crazed woman bouncing about Edinburgh celebrating like a loon then that will be me.
So I am now a Certified Internet Webmaster Associate.
The thing that had me most worried was the section on Internet Fundamentals, as I have been struggling to get my head around the OSI Reference Model and where protocols and network devices fit into it, yet I managed to get 92% on that section.
If you see a half crazed woman bouncing about Edinburgh celebrating like a loon then that will be me.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Linux Games Petition
Like a number of others I'm getting fed up of having to run a second computer in windows just so I can play commercial games. One of the guys in a chat room I'm on has started a petition to show the games manufacturers that Linux is an untapped market, and that it is in their economic interest to provide the linux community with ports of the top selling games.
The test of the petition is:
To: EA Games
We, the Linux gaming community are feeling alienated by companies that, in face of huge demand for our choice of operating system, still refuse to provide proper client-side ports for major games.
Although this petition is focused primarily towards EA Games, (who became a powerful force in gaming due to their commitment to providing native ports to a variety of operating environments) the writer of this petition also believes that such companies as Blizzard (who deliberately SHUT DOWN an open source native port project for some of their games, which did not infringe on their intellectual property, called freecraft) deserves special mention.
This petition aims to make the following points:
1. Emulation is not a native port, and native ports are what is required by the linux-driven consumer.
2. Our numbers and buying power are great enough to warrant such projects as a transition from directx to opengl, for instance.
3. We believe we are the future, and this is an offer to make peace with this community, before we are further alienated, and you really need us to stay in business.
4. Native server ports without client side ports are offensive, and unacceptable.
5. We are no longer willing to run a Windows machine, or buy a gaming console just to be able to play games. (Thanks to the insight of such companies as Atari, among others, we don't have to)
Thank you for reviewing this petition.
Sincerely,
You can view the petition and sign it here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/linux260/petition.html
The test of the petition is:
To: EA Games
We, the Linux gaming community are feeling alienated by companies that, in face of huge demand for our choice of operating system, still refuse to provide proper client-side ports for major games.
Although this petition is focused primarily towards EA Games, (who became a powerful force in gaming due to their commitment to providing native ports to a variety of operating environments) the writer of this petition also believes that such companies as Blizzard (who deliberately SHUT DOWN an open source native port project for some of their games, which did not infringe on their intellectual property, called freecraft) deserves special mention.
This petition aims to make the following points:
1. Emulation is not a native port, and native ports are what is required by the linux-driven consumer.
2. Our numbers and buying power are great enough to warrant such projects as a transition from directx to opengl, for instance.
3. We believe we are the future, and this is an offer to make peace with this community, before we are further alienated, and you really need us to stay in business.
4. Native server ports without client side ports are offensive, and unacceptable.
5. We are no longer willing to run a Windows machine, or buy a gaming console just to be able to play games. (Thanks to the insight of such companies as Atari, among others, we don't have to)
Thank you for reviewing this petition.
Sincerely,
You can view the petition and sign it here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/linux260/petition.html
Monday, February 09, 2004
Crazy people
I spotted an interesting article on the BBC's web page today.
An American Airlines pilot asked Christians on his flight to raise their hands to identify themselves, prior to calling all non-Christians crazy. He also suggested that the non-Christians should speak to the Christians about their faith. Needless to say reports are that passengers were terrified.
The full story is here on the BBC's news site.
This, of course, does raise the question as to who actually is the crazy person here.
An American Airlines pilot asked Christians on his flight to raise their hands to identify themselves, prior to calling all non-Christians crazy. He also suggested that the non-Christians should speak to the Christians about their faith. Needless to say reports are that passengers were terrified.
The full story is here on the BBC's news site.
This, of course, does raise the question as to who actually is the crazy person here.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Ice Cold in Omsk
It's nice to know where the Russian army have their priorities, and if this story is anything to go by it's more in having a good time that in fighting wars.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3414593.stm
"Six divers, 10 men with electric saws and a tank pulled the beer kegs - but not the truck - to safety."
That's dedication to a cause.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3414593.stm
"Six divers, 10 men with electric saws and a tank pulled the beer kegs - but not the truck - to safety."
That's dedication to a cause.
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
Tis the season to be... erm... tortured?
Trawling the web as you do when you are supposed to be getting on with lots of work. I found this little story. Well okay I didn't find it but one of the guys in the chat room I hang out in found it.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8060210^13762,00.html
Enjoy
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8060210^13762,00.html
Enjoy
Thursday, November 27, 2003
I'm currently working my behind off on the end of course project, on top of that I'm running around like a maniac doing things for the wedding, and I'm studying for the CIW Foundations exam. Not to mention the Gutenburg project that I'm heading up. I really need to have each day in the order of 40 hours long to be able to get everything done.
Any donations of spare time, extra strength caffeine, etc would be gratefully accepted. :-)
Any donations of spare time, extra strength caffeine, etc would be gratefully accepted. :-)
Thursday, November 20, 2003
How do you deal with a person who will not listen to anyone's opinions and seems to get their self esteem from belittling, patronising and ignoring other people, or by riding roughshod over any ideas that aren't their's? Especially when you are supposed to be working in a team with said person?
BTW, punching them in the face is not an option.
Update
This person and I have had a blazing row due in part to the wasting of time by redoing work that I had already done. Of course, they were doing this in front of someone who does have the chance to write references and reviews. I just asked why the work as being redone, and the answer was correct in as much as it is information that the team needs. So I pointed out that I had done it and emailed the team with the results and some questions that we need to ask our client. The response... "Oh I haven't read your emails".
Needless to say everything got worse over the day so the first thing the following morning I went into the management team and said that I cannot work with this person. I told them everything that had bugged me over the entire project cycle so far. The telling me time and time again that I am not able to do this, that or the other without this person's help, the constant undermining of the work that I am doing and so on.
Not sure what happened after that, if someone had words or what, but things seem to have settled down, so I am able to get on with the things I should be doing without hindrance. The question is for how long?
BTW, punching them in the face is not an option.
Update
This person and I have had a blazing row due in part to the wasting of time by redoing work that I had already done. Of course, they were doing this in front of someone who does have the chance to write references and reviews. I just asked why the work as being redone, and the answer was correct in as much as it is information that the team needs. So I pointed out that I had done it and emailed the team with the results and some questions that we need to ask our client. The response... "Oh I haven't read your emails".
Needless to say everything got worse over the day so the first thing the following morning I went into the management team and said that I cannot work with this person. I told them everything that had bugged me over the entire project cycle so far. The telling me time and time again that I am not able to do this, that or the other without this person's help, the constant undermining of the work that I am doing and so on.
Not sure what happened after that, if someone had words or what, but things seem to have settled down, so I am able to get on with the things I should be doing without hindrance. The question is for how long?
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Happy News
I'm getting married. The boy wonder and I are tying the knot on 24th July 2004 at the Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh.
The frightening thing is that despite having eight months or so to go, we have almost everything arranged or at the very least in hand.
All we need to think about doing is getting the rings, the gifts for bestman and bridesmaids, and the bridal favours. We can't move ahead with the catering until we get the prices for the different altered menus back from the hotel. This, of course, holds up paying the deposit to the hotel, which in turn holds up getting the form for booking the Registrar, but everyone is aware of the sequence and the time scale and so there are no worries.
I'm getting married. The boy wonder and I are tying the knot on 24th July 2004 at the Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh.
The frightening thing is that despite having eight months or so to go, we have almost everything arranged or at the very least in hand.
All we need to think about doing is getting the rings, the gifts for bestman and bridesmaids, and the bridal favours. We can't move ahead with the catering until we get the prices for the different altered menus back from the hotel. This, of course, holds up paying the deposit to the hotel, which in turn holds up getting the form for booking the Registrar, but everyone is aware of the sequence and the time scale and so there are no worries.
Well some of you will have already been told this news and I excpect many others will have heard it on the grapevine. After what must be the longest engagement in living memory (11 years in February) the darling boy and I are getting married. Plans are already being put into place so the details are as follows:
Date: 24th July 2004
Wedding Ceremony: Carlton Highland Hotel (Sutherland Suite) all welcome.
Wedding Breakfast: Carlton Highland Hotel (Highland Suite) Family and close friends only.
Evening Reception: Carlton Highland Hotel (Highland Suite) Everyone else we know that we remember to invite.
What is really frightening is how organised we are. All that needs to be done now is sort out the dress and we have to choose/buy wedding rings and the gifts for best man and bridesmaids. I need to ask one friend if she will be a bridesmaid and we need to speak to someone about the evening entertainment but that is in hand. I even have the wedding cake and favours sorted out.
I'm just having a moment of panic wondering what I have missed and what will go wrong.
Date: 24th July 2004
Wedding Ceremony: Carlton Highland Hotel (Sutherland Suite) all welcome.
Wedding Breakfast: Carlton Highland Hotel (Highland Suite) Family and close friends only.
Evening Reception: Carlton Highland Hotel (Highland Suite) Everyone else we know that we remember to invite.
What is really frightening is how organised we are. All that needs to be done now is sort out the dress and we have to choose/buy wedding rings and the gifts for best man and bridesmaids. I need to ask one friend if she will be a bridesmaid and we need to speak to someone about the evening entertainment but that is in hand. I even have the wedding cake and favours sorted out.
I'm just having a moment of panic wondering what I have missed and what will go wrong.
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Well blogging has been somewhat slow. The main reason is that I am currently on a web development course, which is rather intense.
It's even less likely that I will be doing updates before Christmas because not only am I studying for the CIW Foundations exam we are in the project phase of the course.
The project itself is really interesting. I am working with a guy whose back ground is graphic design (the team designer) and a woman who has experience of running a web company (the team's project manager) to redesign from scratch the web pages for Deadhead Comics in Edinburgh. The ideas are really flying around and we already have some good ideas that we can put to our client. This is a really exciting project with lots of potential for fun so we are all working our collective butts off.
Maybe I should try to keep updating this to let you all know how we are getting on.
It's even less likely that I will be doing updates before Christmas because not only am I studying for the CIW Foundations exam we are in the project phase of the course.
The project itself is really interesting. I am working with a guy whose back ground is graphic design (the team designer) and a woman who has experience of running a web company (the team's project manager) to redesign from scratch the web pages for Deadhead Comics in Edinburgh. The ideas are really flying around and we already have some good ideas that we can put to our client. This is a really exciting project with lots of potential for fun so we are all working our collective butts off.
Maybe I should try to keep updating this to let you all know how we are getting on.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Is that the time?
I can't believe that it has been two weeks since I last did an update. Time has been flying to the point that I don't have enough hours in the day. I don't know what I will do when I get a job, but I have been in this situation before and I know that it will all work out in the end. Actually most of the workload is from a Training for Work scheme so if I do get a job that will end, and that will remove a large chunk of the stuff that is keeping me busy. Web design project work on very tight deadlines in not conducive to having a social life, and I passed the assessment test to get onto the CIW Foundations course, so that has put another load of study work onto my shoulders. Do I hear the words stressed being muttered somewhere?
As if all the stress from that isn't enough I'm having to start running around and fix dates and venues. Most people will have heard already but my other half and I had decided that 11 years is long enough to be engaged and we will be getting married next year.
Final details are to be confirmed but at the moment it is looking as though it will be at the end of July at the Carlton Highland Hotel. I just need to get the date confirmed with the Registrars Office.
All I need now is the groom to follow tradition and let me get on with deciding what I want.
As if all the stress from that isn't enough I'm having to start running around and fix dates and venues. Most people will have heard already but my other half and I had decided that 11 years is long enough to be engaged and we will be getting married next year.
Final details are to be confirmed but at the moment it is looking as though it will be at the end of July at the Carlton Highland Hotel. I just need to get the date confirmed with the Registrars Office.
All I need now is the groom to follow tradition and let me get on with deciding what I want.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Colour madness.
I have a few little pleasures in life. One of them is the regular mailing from Hermes. I bought a scarf at their store in Manchester not long after it opened and as a result ended up on their preferred customer list, so I get invites to special showing of new collections, exhibitions and stuff like that. Not to mention the quarterly magazine, full of wonderful images (I'm sure Sandy would appreciate the photos). Anyway I've just received the latest bundle including a catalogue of this season's ties, which are separated by colour associations. So there's a section that describes orange as "...surreptitiously, with the slyness of genetic mutation and the power of an incoming tide, yellow swerves towards red." Pale pink is "... reserved for babies, more often than not those of the female sex. Can one conceive of it ornamenting beard and muscle?" As for purple, apparently "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman who wears only mauve is to be mistrusted."
Perhaps it is a French foible that colour should be described in such living, breathing terminology, as though the colours themselves we independent, sentient beings. Or is it perhaps that exclusive fashion houses describe things with such artistic ways? Whichever it is, I like it.
Perhaps it is a French foible that colour should be described in such living, breathing terminology, as though the colours themselves we independent, sentient beings. Or is it perhaps that exclusive fashion houses describe things with such artistic ways? Whichever it is, I like it.
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Guns and Roses
Not much of an update I'm afraid. I'm just too busy at the moment doing studying and other such stuff. However, I came across this web site. It's an old project but I thought it was pretty neat.
Monday, September 22, 2003
The Cult of Father Darwin
It would seem that a local teenager decided that he should Darwinate himself.
Edinburgh Evening News Story here
Whilst it is sad that that the young idiot lost his life at least we can all sleep safely in the knowledge that yet another strain of the stupidity gene has been exterminated prior to reproducing itself.
It would seem that a local teenager decided that he should Darwinate himself.
Edinburgh Evening News Story here
Whilst it is sad that that the young idiot lost his life at least we can all sleep safely in the knowledge that yet another strain of the stupidity gene has been exterminated prior to reproducing itself.
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