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fiat_knoxNo posts yesterday, so I'll post today.
My flat feels like a retreat to me, away from the crap going on in the world. Back in 2007 the shed had that role, and I spent many a cold winter inside there, banging away on the computer. I got much of my Hunter: the Vigil and other White Wolf work done in the shed.
I might have a computer back in the flat in future, but no online access - both BT and Talk Talk have started to play this game of extortion with the phone and broadband bills, and I can either tell them both to go hang (because I can still make my mobile phone my sole point of telephonic access) or I can, later on, maybe engage the services of Plusnet or similar and hope they don't start ripping me off as well.
So some nights during the week, you may not see my presence online in future - and now you'll know why. Very sad, but what can you do?
Sunday night, pretty late, I submitted an article to Mongoose that had taken me the weekend to write up. 5,400 words. Not bad. I have a mind to write up a sequel, or two, and get at least one further article emailed to Mongoose before the end of the month. At least. It'll give Signs & Portents a small reserve - maybe if I write two or three a month, they can enter a situation where they have a choice: draw from the reserve or accept one I send in fresh. I could take a few weeks off and come back and still find an article of mine in S&P waiting for me on my return home.
Last night, I attempted a little experiment, on which I can report a complete success. My old defunct tower computer came equipped with two external speakers. As I have not had much music in my flat since the old CD player died, I thought I'd see what I could do with these speakers. Separating them from my computer, I plugged them in, plugged them into my MP3 player instead, and pressed PLAY. Imagine my elation when Billie Holiday's "You're My Thrill" emerged bright and clear from the speakers. So, success. Qapla'!
Last night, I also invited one of my neighbours into my flat - and she accepted the invitation. I have an appointment with her for Thursday at 19:30 for reflexology again, so clearly she enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed hers.
And so to today. I have puppysitting duty in the house, until the folks get back from Pant Asaph - where they have gone to say goodbye to Sean and to pray to Padre Pio and the departed soul of Father Edgar, a Franciscan monk who used to call on us way back when in our single-digit years, to look after Sean's soul in the hereafter - a task which I feel certain they would have no trouble with.
So, now, here I sit, outlining my reflective log for the Freelancer Academy next week, outlining my presentation, and working on the next Signs & Portents article to send off, possibly this weekend or early next week.
Don't expect much of an online presence again tonight. Whether I stay here at the folks' tonight or go home to the flat, I have a lot of tasks to perform ahead of me.
My flat feels like a retreat to me, away from the crap going on in the world. Back in 2007 the shed had that role, and I spent many a cold winter inside there, banging away on the computer. I got much of my Hunter: the Vigil and other White Wolf work done in the shed.
I might have a computer back in the flat in future, but no online access - both BT and Talk Talk have started to play this game of extortion with the phone and broadband bills, and I can either tell them both to go hang (because I can still make my mobile phone my sole point of telephonic access) or I can, later on, maybe engage the services of Plusnet or similar and hope they don't start ripping me off as well.
So some nights during the week, you may not see my presence online in future - and now you'll know why. Very sad, but what can you do?
Sunday night, pretty late, I submitted an article to Mongoose that had taken me the weekend to write up. 5,400 words. Not bad. I have a mind to write up a sequel, or two, and get at least one further article emailed to Mongoose before the end of the month. At least. It'll give Signs & Portents a small reserve - maybe if I write two or three a month, they can enter a situation where they have a choice: draw from the reserve or accept one I send in fresh. I could take a few weeks off and come back and still find an article of mine in S&P waiting for me on my return home.
Last night, I attempted a little experiment, on which I can report a complete success. My old defunct tower computer came equipped with two external speakers. As I have not had much music in my flat since the old CD player died, I thought I'd see what I could do with these speakers. Separating them from my computer, I plugged them in, plugged them into my MP3 player instead, and pressed PLAY. Imagine my elation when Billie Holiday's "You're My Thrill" emerged bright and clear from the speakers. So, success. Qapla'!
Last night, I also invited one of my neighbours into my flat - and she accepted the invitation. I have an appointment with her for Thursday at 19:30 for reflexology again, so clearly she enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed hers.
And so to today. I have puppysitting duty in the house, until the folks get back from Pant Asaph - where they have gone to say goodbye to Sean and to pray to Padre Pio and the departed soul of Father Edgar, a Franciscan monk who used to call on us way back when in our single-digit years, to look after Sean's soul in the hereafter - a task which I feel certain they would have no trouble with.
So, now, here I sit, outlining my reflective log for the Freelancer Academy next week, outlining my presentation, and working on the next Signs & Portents article to send off, possibly this weekend or early next week.
Don't expect much of an online presence again tonight. Whether I stay here at the folks' tonight or go home to the flat, I have a lot of tasks to perform ahead of me.
