Geographical isolation and dodgy hardware ►

◄ Whatever you're looking for, I hope you find it.

"You've got a lot of time for abstract thought when you've got your hand stuck up a dead badger." —Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett

Well, I haven't got my hand stuck up a dead badger, therefore I don't have much time to think. I'm busy. Reading. Fortunately, this is quite interesting. I'm having a massive brainstorming week-and-a-half on the subject of lesson plans, and trying to bring myself up-to-speed on school texts. I've also bought household items for use as improvised drama props, a stack of cardboard folders to pre-prepare handout photocopies, and ordered something which will hopefully sort the dead serial port problem.

<< The solution I've found is a small all-in-one legacy port replicator, which has parallel, serial, 2 x PS2, 2 x USB connections and therefore represents a long-term investment (in addition to costing only about double the price of an individual USB-to-serial converter.)

I've also scored one of those USB flash 'pen' drives off eBay; the ones which function as a small removable drive—£11 for a 16Mb device (inc. postage) isn't bad for something which holds over ten discs worth of data. I think they could very quickly replace floppies, since as of Windows Me/2000 no additional drivers are required; in particular, I'm looking forward to trialling this on university workstations and easily passing documents around at home. 16Mb small? Well, it isn't the storage space which most interests me; flash memory is more reliable and can't be mechanically eaten by a drive...

Total tangent: unless anyone objects, I'm going to start typing up GAF lyrics and maybe eventually putting a few MP3s online. Trying to do this has made me realise just how difficult it is to decipher spoken word; there are any number of words some syllables could be, in spite of there being three separate recordings of a number of the songs... I'll probably make a separate section of the site when time permits and I can perhaps borrow some photos to go with it, but here's the first complete transcription;

Dog's Life

You don't take me out for walks anymore, I can't see anyone at all,
You're with your new pet all of the time, and I'm stuck behind your walls!
Well, I don't like your attitude, and I don't like being with him!
You can't coop me up all day—my patience is wearing thin!
I'm not gonna raid your bin no more, don't wanna eat your crap!
Your sweaty pits are making me sick, and I hate the smell of your lap!
I need my en-ter-tainment! I can't lick my balls all day!
I'm not going to fetch a stick for you, when I know you'll throw it away!
The time has come to set me free, gonna leave your kennel jail,
I can't stand another night with you—you make me chase my tail!
I wanna hump other people's legs! And run around the park!
You can't treat me like your puppy dog, not gonna let me bark,
I pissed on your Persian rug today, I chewed your favourite shoes!
Come walk in the garden today, I've made it my field of poos!
I've chewed through my iron chain as well, so now I'm breaking free!
But ask yourself: would you do the same if you were treated like a dog like me?!

© The Grubby Adipose Flange, 2001

Hmmm... I haven't really said anything about the school, have I? Well, it's been a busy week in spite of not actively teaching; schools around Wales have been organising Eisteddfods (they're a type of talent competition) to coincide with St David's day. Everything was extremely impressive: readings and recitations in a number of languages, instrumentals, choirs, dancers and even rock bands; apparently there's a national equivalent although I haven't seen anything about it in the news (not entirely surprising, given my lack of awareness about what's going on in the world in general...)

Next week will be quite busy too, as it's World Book Week (the actual World Book Day is Thursday, and we're all supposed to be dressing up as characters; I'm planning on Crowley from Pratchett & Gaiman's Good Omens, since it just requires some slightly tacky horns and sunglasses; I'm already wearing the suit...) I spent fricking ages running around Carmarthen yesterday trying to find horns, which leads me into another rant; seasonal stocking appears to have overtaken any form of selection in most shops; no cheap disposable sunglasses when I looked in Aber before coming here, no horns except in costume shops because it isn't Halloween. Clothes ranges are even worse.

BTW, as should be pretty obvious, I have some measure of internet access; the deal we've made with the landlady is that we can use the phone line shared between the two occupancies after 10pm, which has the neat side-effect of preventing me running up much of a bill. I'm typically getting about 40kbps, which isn't bad for the area...

So, to conclude and sign off for now... still alive but busy. Love to all. :)

* * * Song now playing * * * Alanis Morissette—That Particular Time * * *

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