Miracle on New Years Eve

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Miracle on New Years Eve: IT Helpdesk Whinge

Don't know why I forgot to mention this, some 3 months after we bought a network printer, our IT helpdesk got round to installing it. Wonders will never cease. Now I know we aren't a major priority and that things that are vital to the NHS should take some sort of priority but 3 months, it's just ludicrous, a sloth with a limp would be quicker.

Teddy Sheringham is a ....

Came across this in relation to Teddy Sheringham on the Xylophone @ Limmy.com click on it 5 times as Arseblog so sensibly suggest for a description of the man from Shite Hart Lane or anyone else who has upset your day, week, month, year, life marginally. Still laughing like a drain at it - mind you it ain't polite. Limmy.com itself is worth a look, it's an odd Glaswegian take on life, quite arty, sometimes evil and funny. I don't do dance music but the link to the Psychedelic Furs won me over and some of the playthings are just funny.

Happy New Year

Got round to upgrading to Blogger Pro so taking advantage of the future posts to wish people a happy new year, just in case I get boring and go to bed before the appointed hour. Anyway I'm off to prepare for resolution No. 5 with a bottle of Young's double Chocolate Stout mmmmmmmmm! And 'cos I can't count or do dates despite my degree in history it didn't work so screw it, I need a beer.

New Year's on the Way so its Time for New years Resolutions

So it's time for new years resolutions; 1) To do some course work 2) To get enough dosh in for library to survive 3) To finish the 48-91 gap 4) To be fitter by 2004 than I am in 2003 5) To drink more beer...... 6) Never to 'Sport with Mrs. Fitzsimmons' Enough? Anyway below is my dysfunctional care bear self.....
Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla Kinda harsh I thought...................

HM 57's

Er...cos I deal with the things daily it dawned on me that HM(57)58 will mean absolutely nothing to most people. Roughly translated it is Hospital Memoranda 1957 and the 58th one published that year. NHS circulars all have series titles. Why this interest in the '48-'91 gap? well our catalogue begins around 91 but we hold the things back to 48, so if you ask me for a circular by number in that gap it's fine, I can find it and deliver it, if you don't have the number I have to search the odd printed index and curse a little. Now here's the rub, although 1948 is a long way away in NHS terms, some of the circulars issued are still in force, and occaisionally we get a tragedy like Alder Hey where people need to know what regulation was current at the time of the alleged problem, so the things can be pretty useful. Combine this with the fact the Tooting branch of the mafia have voted hospital filing systems the best place to hide a stiff 'cos no bugger'd find it and you can see why we hold the collection vaguely dear to our hearts (when we don't describe it with colourful expletives that is). Add to that the fact Marie needs to throw away some of her circulars but needs to know what we hold so she can do so safely and you get the beginnings of a co-operative cataloguing effort. Fling Liz from Salford and Kathy from Manchester into the equation and it really gets interesting......

Cataloguing HM 57's

A day of catching up on circs, we're trying to close the 1948-1991 gap with the help of Marie Ford at St helen's and a gaggle of receptionists who've been typing for England. Some classy stuff like HM(57)58 NHS Salaries and Conditions of Service of Laundry Managers, I don't know why but the scene when Toad is dressed as a lundress in 'Wind in the Willows' keeps popping into my head, very unfair we must still have laundry managers or were they all contracted out as part of 'Working for Patients' Maggie Thatcher's nightmare for the NHS.

Just come across Planet PDF's blog for all things pdf related. Now those who've use the library I work in will no full well that I'm a pdf lover and use acrobat to produce current awareness e-documents relating to grey literature, new stock, NHS circulars etc. I like it because it's a safe no mess option for me as a producer of documents.

Caught up on my grey lit cataloguing today at work. Need to have our next bulletin ready by Friday. So far we're a third of the way there which ain't bad going considering it has only been today that we've hit the cataloguing. Quite a relaxing day, apparently as a department in Hamilton House we had more people in than most, three of us. Had the odd suggestion put to me that Franny Jeffers dived yesterday, to which I can honestly do an Arsene Wenger, 'I didn't see it' mind you I did hear it but that don't count. Pan hang food today, baked potato and salad stuff left from Christmas. Maybe a beer later, need to tidy the living room a bit, it's covered in Cals chocolate cake crumbs. Other than that planning an early night.

Finally got round to shelling out to lose the banner ads on our serious blog Fade the Blog, we can now reveal it's existence to the PCT's etc without complaints that it's advertising middle eastern porn etc. Still too mean to lose them here. Looking at Blooger Pro is it worth having?

And the winner is Ricky Gervais by a point. Both look bloody knackered and it must have taken some guts to put yourself up as an idiot like that.

Lost the blue away strip bits tonight, mucking around with the template to get it right. I'm watching 'The Fight' at the moment, now I don't usually like boxing, strikes me a stupid thing to be invoilved with but if I'm totally honest there is something quite satisfying about Mr. Anthea Turner getting involved in a fight, and Ricky Gervais, well he's ex-UCL so I guess that's OK, not that I really liked the place much. Plus I like the Office so he gets my vote that way. Equally the David Brent character he plays needs a bloody good kicking so it'll be vaguely interesting to see him in the ring. Weirdly I have vaguely enjoyed boxing on the radio in the past.... mind you that's probably 'cos it's abstract and I don't know enough about the thing to realise what they're wittering about, it isn't real somehow.

I have a bizarre relationship going on with religous history, I find it fascinating and ludicrous, the notion that anyone would fight over something as daft as total immersion at baptism as opposed to a quickly drawn cross on the forhead always strikes me a blatently stupid. However having a sick sense of humour I love the illogical rationalisations employed by religous sects of all persuasions but especially those of the early modern world. Anyway have a browse at ExLibris which provides researchers with a variety of textual and bibliographical information both through these pages and by links to other Web sites. At the moment, ExLibris surveys bibliographical materials concerning English dissenters who were active prior to the English civil war and during the Interregnum. It's a truly fascinating period full of great characters and blatantly stupid names like Praisegod Barebones.

1-1 at full time so no one has to do any skulking at work tomorrow. Feeling sorry for the poxy pixie, he's been out in the rain all day, still I guess that's what he exists for. The drive to take Monst to work was as a result foul. Cal had hiccups on the the journey to Fazakerley and when asked what would cure them he decalared 'chocolate cake' so that's what he's eating. Now my preferred method is the method passed to me by my paternal grandmother Elsie, a teaspoon of sugar and vinegar, but hell if chocolate cake works for Cal he's a lucky little devil.

PS the Jeffers thing is purely based on his Everton pedigree, I'd play him every time against Everton or Liverpool if only to wind them up.

30 minutes to go before Arsenal take on Liverpool at Highbury, a game that decides how quickly I scurry around in work tomorrow. An Arsenal win and I can take my time if I need to wander around the building, a Liverpool win and I go into hiding. According to the Radio we've dropped Jeffers in favour of Kanu, would rather see Jeffers have a start and take it from there, but then what do I know!

Discovered today at the play barn that Cal goes for older women, he spent his time chasing or being chased by a couple of older girls, he thought it was great, I thought it was great because it meant I could drink coffee and read 'Night Watch'. He needed to expend some energy but I think he's used too much because he's currently kipping on the couch. On the plus side it means I can get the kitchen cleaned, on the downside it means that tonight he'll be wired and'll want repeated screenings of 'Dumbo'. Now I have issues with Disney and if I was anywhere near the freezer that Walt currently freezing in I'd switch it off and defrost the bugger. To my mind there are two types of Disney cartoon, thin Disney, where the animation is thin, spiky and the baddies are really just pure evil e.g. 101 Dalmations and then there is fat Disney, where the animation, characterisation are just plain corpulent e.g. Winnie the Pooh. The former I can cope with but the latter leaves me cold and 'Dumbo' is fat. Anyway better clean the kitchen while the going's good.

Bottle of 'Dirty Dicks' and some bread and cheese, can't be bad. We've hit the stage of using up the bits and pieces we bought for Christmas. Anyway as we're off to the Isle of Man so I guess I'd better find out about it. All I know off the top of my head is that they have one of the if not the oldest parliament in the Tynwald, it was a viking hang out, the little people are regularly addressed, the TT happens there and that Helen a friend of ours has a Manx fiancee Boo who works the boats. I guess www.isle-of-man.com would make a reasonable starting point and as we're flying (I hate flying so stand by for panic as the time comes nearer) the Airport would be sensible too. Just in case I want to know the news Isle of Man online makes sense too.

Lazy sod that I am I've yet to fetch the beer as I make the odd minor adjustment. So I really am off for it now.

Well relatively easy links in the blogtext seem to stand out nicely too in their reserve strip of blue. Time for a beer in celebration I think.

At last a vision in red and white! I hope! Big question is, is it easy to read the text?

Why did I start this rejig? Cos I was getting bored I guess, what an idiot. Still it keeps me busy.

Sorted the poxy pixie (even changed it to a supposed goth) and gone for a gooner colour scheme while I'm at it. Still playing with it though.

A pox on the weatherpixie, I'm going back to seaweed. Take two underway! Now take 3.

Just added a weatherpixie, it's easier than hanging seaweed outside the window and I might find out what the weather's doing round here this way. Just need to sort borders now.

Watching 'Gentlemen's Relish' of which Amazon say. Interesting it's an 18 certificate. I'm not certain that the Beeb could make an 18 but then it's art....... Talking of art checkout The Lichtenstein Foundation pop art on your PC. It's kinda interesting to see where it all originated or try www.pop.art for biographies of pop artists. Remember "Everything is beautiful. Pop is everything." Andy Warhol.

Result in from Monst�s trip to the travel agent, we�re off to the Isle of Man, to stop at the Ellan Vannin (gaelic for Isle of Man apparently, so I'm of to the Isle of Man Hotel, Isle of Man......) which looks to me a bit like a manx �Fawlty Towers� so I half expect some sort of Manuel figure to pop up when we�re there. According to Magic Holiday's site it's a family run hotel ideally situated on the promenade overlooking the sea, close to the main shopping centre and only five minutes walk away from the sea terminal. All bedrooms are en-suite with central heating, direct dial telephones, hospitality tray, radio alarm and colour TV. The hotel also boasts a friendly 'Irish' bar. More bizarre google news, my wittering 'bout the Scrapheap Megachallenge snared a punter from google.

New game amongst the five to six year olds round our estate today, they've discovered the delights of 'cherry knocking', not certain if the term makes sense in Liverpool or anywhere else on the planet other than South Oxfordshire/Berkshire so an approximate translation of 'cherry knocking' is knocking on a door or ringing the bell and running and hiding before the door can be answered. Trouble round here is the stupid buggers looked through our window before doing it and then one of them was wearing a red coat. Dear, dear, history teaching needs to improve, red coats and hiding in trees don't mix as the British Army discovered. Mind you it took many a death before the lesson was learned. Even worse it was a kid I know the name of so I told him to stop hiding and that 'cherry knocking' while fun wasn't welcome at our house today, mind you I think the impact of it may have been subverted 'cos I was laughing like a drain at the time.

Monst has gone off to book us a few days away in Feb, her brief is to book it and let me know about it afterwards. Exciting or what! OK so it isn't that exciting but I'll take what I can get at the moment. Just hope she don't vote Butlins.

I hadn't realised that Jake Thackray had died, what a bugger, I occaisionally indulge in the odd bit of folk music and I went to see Jake a couple of times, most notably in Belfast the night of the Loyalist Day of Action at the wonderful 'Opera House'. I'd only just arrived in Ulster and it was a salutory lesson in the politics of the place when Jake a hugely funny man started talking about the fact thart he was a catholic and a couple of people sat behind us just got up and walked out. Madness, utter madness. Still his obituary from The Independent is worth a read. If I come across any more I'll add 'em to this entry. So raise a glass to Jake tonight. The Times says this, and the Guardian not only has an obituary but also an article. Quick link to the Unnoficial Jake Thackray Site.

New day new outlook, following a fair amount of sleep while not altogether as happy about work as I usually am, I'm a little less depressed by it, we'll find a way somehow even if it means I have to go out on the streets with an aggressive little begging number, 'Millenium hand and shrimp....mumble, mumble, mumble'. 'Night watch' the Terry Pratchett I got is a delight, maybe 'cos I love the guards novels, you can read the reviews from The Guardian or The Independent if you feel intellectual or just check out the word from punters in L-space at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com if you want a less anglo-centric view of it all.

Feel well down now having mulled over e-mail from Adam suggesting that as the bid to the WDC has to go through HCLU and it therefore has little chance of success and having chatted to Joe too. We've lost Mic and I'm running out of options. Beginning to really fear for the future of the library. Mind you I know I'm knackered, had a day where I only spoke to three people. Reading this people might not believe it but I try to be as positive as possible but there are times when you just feel bloody low and today's one of them. Mind you I know I'll get over it and a few ideas'll spring to mind. Might suggest it's time to put HCLU on the spot as well as the PCTs. May be if the worst case scenario is written large to them they'll understand what they stand to lose.

Arse about face as ever here's yesterday: On to boxing day having skipped Christmas Day �cos I got chained to the cooker. The goose went well and now Elsie (my paternal grandmother worked in service and rose from under-parlourmaid to cook at Admiral Poland�s in Goring, where apparently my Grandfather was a gardener and would throw sweets up to Elsie�s room from the garden, mind you she did tell me the milkman had a bit of a thing going for her too) would be well proud of the goose soup I�ve just made. The only thing that went into it that wasn�t a left over was a bit of pearl barley. Pan hang food she used to call it, specially designed for a Thursday before pay day on Friday apparently. Just set today�s bread to prove (is that the correct spelling?). I�ll cook that, caramelise a few onions for my onion sauce (an idea nicked from Janet Knowles mother of the previously mentioned Liz Knowles � see something good can come out of failed relationships!) and then it�s a case of cooking today�s ham. Plenty of goose fat for the spuds so I�m giggling. Cal did well yesterday, loads of brio train stuff that he loved, the bike I bought him seems to have gone down well, and the dolls house (to help with his speech and language but we don�t do gender stereotyping round this gaff anyway) all went down well. I�ve just hit the 21st century with a mobile phone so that had to be set up. Not that it was difficult I asked for the most technically simple number she could find. Other than that the Delgados �Hate� came my way and the latest Terry Pratchett and Chris Brookmyre, so enjoying quality reading too.

Who said libraries were quiet places, so far today I've romped through The Delgados 'Hate' Love 'Forever Changes' and 'Da Capo' The Dentists 'Deep 6' Kirsty MacColl 'Tropical Brainstorm' Chumbawamba 'Swinging With Raymond' and catalogued half of the HM series of circulars for 1957 and bent poor Joe McArdle's ear about the bid we put in to the WDC.

Quick break in my working day (break from Fade the Blog the library's serious blog) to say that yesterday's entry will be uploaded tonight 'cos I wrote it offline and didn't get round to going online yesterday. I'm begining to realise that blogging is a bit like gardening, never complete, there's always something to do and you need to cherish it, nurture it and sometimes feed it manure.

I should say that what really irritates me about the notion of war quite beyond the fact that it'll be a useless waste of life as usual is the media demonisation of Muslims. How can we demonise a religion most of us know very little about (I include myself in the ignorant camp here) and any of it's followers. As an atheist I don't do religion but I vote with the Voltaire quote "I may not like what you say, but I'll defend you to the death your right to say it".

Cal and I tripped to see Father Christmas the other day over at Hunt's Cross Asda, when we got in via a grotto with a few buck toothed rabbits, some scary clowns (I don't do clowns they scare me), all moving jerkily according to the internal mechanics that probably appeared on Scrapheap Challenge had I nown it the other week. Fake snow abounded. When we got into see the man himself Cal came over all shy. Cal was asked what he wanted for Christmas and responded by clasping my leg, so I said toys and world peace would be nice. Santa then launched into a bit of a rant about the need to deal with the idiot man, I figured he was talking about Tony Blair and began agreeing, it then became apparent that he was talking about Saddam Hussein. Ooops out of step with Santa opinion again, but what the hell, '1-2-3-4 we don't want your fucking war', remember that Blair and Bush. Check out the Stop the War Coalition for UK residents they have a petition you can sign to let them know it's all mad.

Death of Joe Strummer was a shame but the bits and pieces on him in the Independent were OK you can check 'em out here; He'll rock the casbah no more. Joe Strummer dies at 50, Fans mourn passing of the political man of punk, British rock music has lost its last true megastar, Culture clash and the Obituary. All makes it apposite that through The Rabid Librarian I came across the Rockabilly Librarian. Hopefully that'll do away with some of the cultural stereotypes we suffer from as a profession.

Happy Yule and to the Norwegian element of our family, happy christmas you impatient buggers. Christmas Eve and I should be shuttling down presents to go under the tree and baking a loaf of bread for the morning but instead I'm trying to get Cal to kip, drinking beer and watching 'Christmas Under Fire' on BBC2. It's about the celebration of Christmas during World War II, narrated by Allan Bennett which seems entirely appropriate he has that bumbling goodwill tinged with a hint of melancholy. 'Porridge' is up next so that'll be a giggle and something to nead my dough to. Day was all about getting Cal out of the house so Monst could wrap the presents (which reminds me I need to head down the shed to retrieve the bike and get the bike helmet out of the car to wrap). Plan was to head to the play barn via the bank (had to drop Cal's dosh in). Bank bit went OK but the play barn was shut. So no room at the Inn so plan B was the Catalyst Museum at Widnes (it's too late now, Chemistry 'O' level was the only one I revised for and the only one I failed so it ain't gonna help me). On the way we decided that we'd hit the height of haute cuisine that is 'Burger King'. Now typical to the UK a fast food joint like this is manned by one person and 20 minutes later we finally got our food. Once we'd found Spike Island (I have a vague memory of the 'Stone Roses' playing there round 1991) we discovered the Catalyst Museum was shut too. Back home by a bit of a circuitous route and we rang Monst to check all was sorted and back home. Cooked a brief dinner of mince and tatties then dragged madam to work. Then back home to play Santa.............

The truth is here
Which Sesame Street Muppet's Dark Secret Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla Snuffy's Suicide Attempts Poor baby, life is rough for you, huh? No one seems to see you, no one notices your pain--except for your friend Big Bird, but he's alway off hanging out with his other friends. You wish you were him, all happy and curious and popular and bright yellow. You feel like his shadow anymore, like the only reason you exist is to amuse him. It's hard being somebody's imaginary friend. But stop trying to kill yourself--imaginary people can't kill themselves. Sorry. And hey, maybe tomorrow you'll feel better! Someday people will see you, I promise. My life makes sense now.

Came across I-Can a site on early years speech and language therapy. Can feel a web primer coming on on the subject, need to get my shit together over Caldicott Report and data protection for the next set of Propel events, hell it's another primer and a few bits and pieces (web primers are starters for 10 on a subject we periodically pump out either 'cos we have a subject we are interested in or we've a Propel event to do a stand at and need something to punt the library with). Typical of the NHS Information Authority, the link to the confidentiality page from the Caldicott Report leads you to a change of link page, this then leads you to a dead page. Information Authority, my arse, they couldn't organise a cock-up at an orgy, mind you the confidentiality page is obviously so bloody confidential that no bugger is allowed to find it. Tracy was saying Aditus was down to day, need to check that out. For google heads, check out Google Time Bomb strikes me the dangers of citation analysis are coming home to roost.

Freaky someone found the blog with a search for "Ormskirk amusing" on Google, must be a persistant bugger 'cos this page appears 3 pages into the search. Freaky or what. Came across Who could take Who? Fight 7 - The Teletubbies Vs Trumpton Fire Brigade. Has it's origins in the Who could take who? bulletin board. Sod 'Fight Club' this is what I want, impossible concepts thought through with a crazy kind of logic.

Rang Tracy who was the only soul in at work early this morning to check she was OK. Silly I know worrying �bout work when you ain�t there but I do. She was pulling together the Grey Literature Bulletin we run fortnightly. It gets pumped out as an acrobat document, includes e-grey lit, is health centred but our definition of health is very much orientated towards public health so can encompass health, social care, social policy and society as a whole. (mail me if you want it there�s a link at the bottom of the page). That done I felt a whole load better. Watched the �World at War� an if apposite showing with the UK�s lunatic foreign policy at the moment, if not particularly seasonal. Nipped out for a little milk and baked a chocolate cake with Cal. Also paid the TV licence so they won�t be carting me off to jail for Christmas. Monst nipped into town to do her last minute crimbo shopping. We vegged out with the ever delightful 'Trumpton', Cal loved the fire brigade so Hugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub (not forgetting the dictatorial Captain Flack) and their engine. Hit the chinese for dinner, then just a case of tidying up now.

Started watching 'Fight Club' but got easily bored so slipped on 'Breaking God's Heart' by Hefner as ever the fragile beauty of 'The Librarian' strikes me as stunning.... "He started to woo her in a most peculiar way, The Librarian's dress was a fawnish shade of grey, The books he was to borrow he would surely never read, They were of an intellectual calibre, He hoped that she would see. He planned to take her home to bed some day, He'd smooth her goosebumped skin whilst she lay, But the unspoken truth they both knew, Whilst he'd dream of her often she would forget in just ten minutes. Her beauty has not truly been seen til her beauty's been seen by his tired eyes, Her tears have not truly been dried til her tears have been dried on his tattered shirt sleeves. Her body has not truly been stripped til her clothes have been ripped by his nail bitten fingers, Her beauty has not truly been seen til her beauty's been seen by his tired eyes. He was beginning to irritate so she made him go away, The smallest cruellest insults she ignored his subtle ways. The deftly silence let him know his efforts were in vain, Did the thoughts ever exist and if so could he find them. (and oh, oh the loneliest of nights, he will never hold her tight, he will never kiss her eyelids.)"

Play barn went down well, we went via Kwik Save 'cos George the Dishwasher had run out of salt. I had a coffee and read the latest Pauline Mclynn 'Right on Time' for an interview 'bout it try here. Picked up the last of the Christmas presents but more importantly the complete Trumpton, Chigley and Camberwick Green as an antidote to the Scooby-Doo fixation that Cal has at the moment. Bumped into the young Gareth Jones in HMV as well which was nice, always a delight to see him. Then home and shoved back on the stock. Just watched 'Jack Dee in Siberia', Tiger Aspect the silly sods who sent him say 'In this latest film in the Celebrity Alone series, Jack Dee has drawn the short straw... The BBC is sending Jack on a two-week journey to one of the most remote places on the planet - Siberia. After learning basic reindeer herding skills and basic survival skills, Jack sets off on a 100km journey with his own reindeer and sledge to meet the nomadic herders out in the wilderness. Surviving for 5 days solo, with only the reindeer to talk to - how will Jack get on? Will the Siberians take to him or will he wish he was back in the Big Brother house with Vanessa Feltz? Watch 'Jack Dee - Sent to Siberia' to find out.' He survived, it was mildly entertaining and I'm glad I watched it. Mind you the Beavers on befeore him were way cuter..... Lunacy abounds in the Telegraph in an article about an attempt to revive trial by combat. Text reads: A court has rejected a 60-year-old man's attempt to invoke the ancient right to trial by combat, rather than pay a �25 fine for a minor motoring offence. Leon Humphreys remained adamant yesterday that his right to fight a champion nominated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was still valid under European human rights legislation. He said it would have been a "reasonable" way to settle the matter. Magistrates sitting at Bury St Edmunds on Friday had disagreed and instead of accepting his offer to take on a clerk from Swansea with "samurai swords, Ghurka knives or heavy hammers", fined him �200 with �100 costs. Humphreys, an unemployed mechanic, was taken to court after refusing to pay the original �25 fixed penalty for failing to notify the DVLA that his Suzuki motorcycle was off the road. After entering a not guilty plea, he threw down his unconventional challenge. Humphreys, from Bury St Edmunds, said: "I was willing to fight a champion put up by the DVLA, but it would have been a fight to the death." The suprise is not te lunacy of it all but that those Tory bastards at the Telegraph don't ave an editorial demanding the return of trial by ordeal, witch burning and general arbritary methods of judging guilt. Thanks to the Lies, damn lies and statistics blog for pointing it out. Scrapheap megacallenge to come, looking forward to it mightily. The site First Flight tells you all about it and I'm reading it to build the anticipation. Bugger it's told me the result, how stupid is that. Still gonna enjoy the heartache of the builds.....

Started cooking for Christmas, making my goose stock as I type, the trip to Delia Online was worth while, the stock recipe is here. Mind you I intend to boil mine to death....... How sad is this........... Anyway Cal is currently putting together Thomas jigsaws before we go to the play barn so he can run off any excess energy he has.

Better explain ginger for those not familiar with the dialect that is Glaswegian (Sharon hails from that part of the world), ginger is simply pop, fizzy drinks full of sugar, soda etc.... It's a strange language this English! Now to shove more witbier down my throat and enjoy te fine work of Woody Allen. Before anyone tells me see one Woody Allen film you've seen the lot as my mate Ian insists, it's a lie and anyway I enjoyed the first one I saw.....

Picked up a whole heap of ginger, a bottle of Port and half bottle of Bacardi for madam (her preferred rum). Cal wanted a McDonald�s breakfast so that was the next stop. Back in the car and it was off to Knutsford to Holly Tree Farm to pick up the goose. On the way realised that I�d forgotten to get salad stuff, so Tesco�s at Northwich to the rescue. They had a car shaped trolley so Cal got to ride in it. Picked up the salad and a bottle of Mount Gay (my fave rum, rum being a habit picked up from my mother). Next stop was Widnes for DVD�s for Monst, picked up ET, Snow Dogs and a free copy of Woody Allen�s Banana�s for me. Back in the car to Asda at Hunt�s Cross for cat litter and Waggle Dance and a couple of other DVDs including the Land Girls which is a bit of a chick flick but I read the book and it�s not a bad view. Then home and Cal wanted to watch Scooby-Doo again. Having just typed that it seems like not a load done but it was a living hell in the shops, there seems to be panic that the shops are shutting for Christmas and will never again open. Madness, utter madness. Unfortunately I forgot the salt and pepper so having dropped madam it was back to Sainsbury�s Woolton but I did pick up some Hoegaarden and I��m sat vaguely watching Land Girls and drinking Witbier. Just made a few amendments to the template and hopefully we're running properly again.

Fluff in yer belly button, what is this lint about? One of my fave Stones tracks has just kicked in........ 'I live in an apartment on the ninety-ninth floor of my block And I sit at home looking out the window Imagining the world has stopped Then in flies a guy who's all dressed up like a Union Jack And says, I've won five pounds if I have his kind of detergent pack I said, Hey! You! Get off of my cloud Hey! You! Get off of my cloud Hey! You! Get off of my cloud Don't hang around 'cause two's a crowd On my cloud, baby'

Just noticed someone from Los Alamos National Laboratory's hit the blog, freaky maybe my past as a temp at UK Nirex is catching up with me. I temped for them for seven months a month after leaving library school, cataloguing stuff on radioactive waste disposal 8 hours a day, five days a week, never knowing if the contract would continue the next week. It coincided with my split with Liz Knowles (my first great love), my folks move from Wallingford to scummy Didcot and I had severe ethical misgivings about the whole job. On the plus side UK Nirex are genuine in there desire to dispose of radioactive waste in a safe and appropriate manner, the people who work for them are good people and I needed the dosh big style at the time, especially as my drinking increased proportionally with the grief I felt at the time. The job also taught me more about cataloguing and economy of cataloguing effort than anything I learnt at Library school. Anyway tracked the origin of the visit from Los Alamos and a whole heap of others to Librarystuff.net a blog well worth reading on a regular basis. Mind you it does strike me that I'm forgetting to put as much library stuff in this thing as maybe I should.

Feeling a touch guilty 'bout the lack of recent blogging here, but I've been doing loadsa serious shit at Fade the Blog. Getting geared up for Cristmas in a big way now. Mic on Thursday was successful in getting the job at Salford and quite sensibly is going for it. Bugger, bugger, bugger, see this is the mess I get left in by PCTs not stumping up cash and the StHA just mucking me about. Still it's a good career move, keeps him in the health library loop and as it's Salford he won't escape my clutches so fast..... The bummer of the whole deal is it meant Tracy's Mum didn't get the job and worse still we knew before she did and poor Tracy was put in an impossible position as a result. Tracy felt guilty 'cos she couldn't tell er, then this morning ended up having to tell her because she asked what we'd heard on the street. Feel guilty that she was put in that position. Worse still I now know I'll be looking for jobs to point Lillian's way 'cos I feel guilty 'bout the whole deal, so she joins the list of people I'm worrying about. Even worse I know this is stupid, but hell I'm made that way. Broken open a bottle of 'London Pride' a Fuller's brew that I know of old. Very pleasant but I always think tat Fuller's Earth is the stuff that Katie's Cat Litter is made out of. So just drinking and blogging while grooving to te sounds of the Stones and the first CD of 'Forty Licks'. I always forget what a great little combo the Stones were before tey got too flabby and indolent. Plenty of near garage stuff, 'Satisfaction' still has one of my favourite pieces of fuzz guitar ever. Library lunch today, tripped to 'Metropolitan', ate in 'Cains' and then the 'Living Room', former and latter psueds bars and middle one just a piss poor pub. Prefer 'Shenanigins', 'Pogue Mahone' (currently boycotting Flanagan's Apple 'cos of their treatment of Patrick and his guide dog Vanda), 'The Globe', 'Carnarvon Castle', 'Ship and Mitre' the former three are a little oirish (although the Pogue has some interesting politics attached and at lunchtime has enough chinese drinking in it to make you think you've wandered into te set of 'Father Ted') but all of them are honest pubs. Don't do the poser bit, just want a decent pint of stout or great bitter. Still it was pleasant enough as an experience. Way too much ****ing Christmas in the library I ran to Steve and borrowed some Joy Division as an antidote. Peter Hook's bass is about as far from Christmas as you can get thank god.

Busy, busy, busy.............................. Happy Solstice to one and all for tomorrow. Keep a few candles burning and the holly green. Don't know if coven's dance star clad but if they do, they're braver than me, it's chilly on yer............... at this time of year.

Day off at home with Cal 'cos Monst worked last night. We cooked, played and mailed the stuff for his statementing. When Monst woke up it was off to Speke Retail Park opposite the Matchworks so she could finish her Christmas shopping. Cal and I had to wait in McDonalds and we got well bored. Bit of a dull day. Had planned to take Cal to Beeston Castle but the weather was against it.

Feel knackered, should tidy up but I'm gonna get a bottle of 'Dirty Dick's' that nice brew from Young's and pour that down my throat and chill. Katie the cat is currently curled up on the sofa looking cute. Rescuing her from the RSPCA was definitely one of our better moves. Cal's crashed upstairs so I can chill with a little music 'cos TV's awful. Next week Scrapheap have a 20 hour plane build, their Megachallenge, can't wait. Watched this weeks show of shows with Cal, was hoping for lots more of the monobikes because I missed that one, but not alot there. Saw a bit of On the Buses this afternoon, freaky in that it took me back to going round to Elsie my paternal grandmothers gaff way back. It always seemed to be on when my Aunt Ang, her husband the wide boy Den and Sara my cousin were around. I have vague memories of drinking cans of tango outside the Black Horse in Checkendon that must have been sufficiently good for me to use the place regularly in my underage and post underage drinking days at home. Now bear in mind at the most I'd have been five when this was happening so it's impressions. I remember never enjoying 'On the Buses' much and if I see the films now I tend to watch them out of a sense of nostalgia rather than because I enjoy them because they are truly awful and I'd imagine the series was as bad. Reg Varney, they don't make stars like him any more, thank non-existant deities. Mind you they make quite an interesting unwitting testimony as social history..... is it really that recent that we took sexual inequality as a matter of course? Mind you I have vague memories of the passing of the Equal Pay Act and Race Relations Act. As a society we call ourselves advanced.......

One - One, two points dropped, but at least we gained a point. Shop went well just need to hit the veggies, a few mixers and some crisps and that's us for Christmas. Ended up bumping into Linda and Mark (my ex-boss and her fella). Brief chat was quite pleasant. Beef was the roast by the way. Back home and played with Callum while the baked spuds we were having for lunch was cooking.

Just for a bit of balance, how about the Home Guard. Real life 'Dad's Army' we always forget that this organisation born of desparation was really a serious affiar. The whole post war comedy element from the sitcom (while it is truly wonderful and I love it dearly) has somewhat coloured views on the Home Guard. The Beeb have quite a nice article here. Prefaced by a picture of Private Godfrey Close Combat offer another history.

Thought I'd look a little into the British Free Corps having been more fully introduced to them by Guy Walter's Traitor. The web site has a brief history. A fuller history can be found at Waffen-SS "British Free Corps", auxiliary of the 11th. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland" a bunch of re-enactors, mind you I must admit I find re-enacting frankly bizarre. There is also this at Feldgrau.com. The main site itself should be of interest to anyone with an interest in the German Army, whiuch I must admit in my case is merely fleeting. If your bent is towards the SS then British Free Corps element of the Welcome to the Waffen-SS Order of Battle Website may be your thing.

Cal was wired last night so it was late to bed with the Chris Brookmyre I'm currently reading. I have the latest one coming for Christmas from my mother and the new Terry Pratchett so it'll be good reading for me. Need to nip up to Sainsbury's for the roast, don't know what it'll be yet but it's the best bits of Scrapheap today so there's something worth watching while I cook. More importantly Arsenal play Spurs today. Keeping my thoughts neutral as far as it is possible...... For a bit about our defence try Poor old Pascal gets a slagging, George wants to come back and there is a nice story here just shows how intelligent George is. Must have been a good day for the restaurant in Hampstead 'cos loads of journalists must have been eating too 'cos the Guardain has virtually the same story here. Just to show I only have a minor bit of bias Sicknote from Shite Hart Lane also has a story. Sod ground sharing have the papers taken up journalist sharing. Meanwhilke the Times weigh in with a story 'bout Paddy Viera from the 8th. I boycott the Telegraph because it requires a subscription so don't know what's there but reading done, come on you reds....

Vaguely watching 'Sophie's Choice' on Beeb 4, they say 'A survivor of Nazi concentration camps finds a reason to live in an unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. Starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. Very strong language. W/S. [1982]', why do I have this bizarre interest in the Holocaust and First World War, they both horrify me but both are profoundly interesting. I always want to know why? Oddly enough my copy of the BBC's History Magazine (a regular and truly wonderful birthday present from my Mother for the last two years that gives me endless pleasure) arrived to day and the thought struck me that if I was back at UUC would I still write the same kind of stuff now that I did between 1986-1989). It's an intriguing thought does age effect me, has experience taken it's toll. Was I purer then than now or vice versa. Who can tell? Is all this introspection healthy? Maybe it's a Julian Cope thing and I'm bleeding in my purity; 'A child that�s born in pain Kicked from the fireside Landing in obscurity I�ll cry again Nine times I�m bleeding In my purity' oh the delights of 'Metranil Vavin'.

Young's Waggle Dance to the rescue. You can find out all about Young's here. I used to drink loads as a student in London, while at library school at UCL or SLAIS as it seems to style itself these days. Sitemeter established, yes Ken I'm still to mean to pay for Blogger Pro and when I do it'll be aimed at the Fade blog, and already it tells me a Finn's been to visit, which I find odd and amusing for some weird reason. On a scale of one two ten for parenting today Callum maintains I'm scoring a low 3 at highest, keep on preventing him form getting into the fridge and hitting the Bob the Builder yoghurts in a big way. Keeps on telling me I'm a 'naughty boy', he's still alarmingly awake but he kipped all day so it's no wonder he's alive.

Saturday and don't tell Mr. Sainsbury but we stung him for around �50. The till had broken down so they guessed the bill at �75 our total when we got home came to about �125. Mind you they owe us a favour or two for the amount we spend with them generally. Need beer so off to the cupboard now.

Thursday did an impression of Eric the half a bee in that it was Eric the half a day. Usual stuff AM except I grabbed a couple of bottles of red to take with me and nipped into Tesco�s on the way in. This on a considerable lack of sleep �cos I was up at two. Why can�t I sleep straight.? In work the usual mix of cataloguing, doing the topical service and blogging before time to nip up to the LMI and the Mersey and Cheshire Christmas meeting revived. Dragged Mo and Tracy along. Had a brief chat about the name change, HCLU are asking us to change name. I've decided to go for broke on the Fade brand. It's short, easy to type and easy to remember. Although it has connotations with grey literature I think it describes exactly what we do. The material we deal with is aimed at NHS management and health professionals. As such it is esoteric, Frequently Accessing Documents that are Esoteric sums up what we do. Now anyone that wants to argue about that better check the definition of esoteric in a dictionary and be prepared to argue semantics with me and if they don't understand semiotics then they'd better learn quick. Adam spoke did a reasonable job and Val too. Much hobnobbing with other librarians, usual bit of banter to piss me off with Helen from Alder Hey about staff numbers (maybe they�d get some staff if they did anything other than whinge they ain�t got enough staff) etc. Some Nice chat with Leo on kids TV. Friday I just don�t want to think about it was a mare of a day. Extremely glad to get home, bed, sleep and all of that kind of stuff were welcome.

Post below really belongs to Wednesday, Thursday has yet to happen! and I've kinda ignored that it did along with Friday but I might get round to them later....

Some days fly, some days drag and some days you just have to grit your teeth and get on with the job and the latter was today. The morning rushed by at a rate of knots, a bit of cataloguing, a bit of CAS with the papers, a bit of stupidity and way too much coffee. Even managed to sort out getting some assignment questions from Steve the QPR fan (mad I know but I don�t know Steve�s surname but I do know he suffers QPR) for this study skills training. Had an interesting e-mail from Val Vernon re: the WDC bid. She made some excellent critical points, all of which were constructive. Don�t know if we can change it still but it may point the way in the future if not. Think Val Clark and myself have got IS Oxford to understand what we�re trying to achieve. The afternoon and more cataloguing and I just wanted to scream. Still whenever that happens it�s time to think of big old Tony Adams at the back (who ever thought Tony Adams would have a value in a library) and like him dig in an get the job done. There�s a perverse satisfaction in doing so, and though coming down from pissed off I know it�s job done. Mo was having a bad technology day too. Highlight of the afternoon was a quick conversation with Clair on parabola flights. Clair was convinced that NASA have a room in which you can switch off gravity. Maybe they do, and if they do I hope it has a huge red switch like you get on those 1930�s Frankenstein movies that requires a huge tug marked �Gravity Switch, Turn of at Your Peril�. Much debate over the nature of microgravity, my point being that gravity is a fundamental natural force that you can�t switch off and even in a parabola flight although the illusion of weightlessness will be present for around 30 second gravity hasn�t gone anywhere. The laws of gravity are very very strict And you�re just bending them for your own benefit right on Mr. Bragg. Got Mic�s reference sorted today for a job with Liz Farrell over in Salford, Tracy�s mum�s going for it to. On the plus side it means the job�ll go to someone we know and we can work as close as ever if not more so. I don�t want to lose Mic but applying for the job is the right move for him if not necessarily me. Why does a double bass sound so good? May be it�s my bass playing soul (at least my soul is competent with the thing unlike the reality of my fingers) but there is no finer sound that the thud of a good bass or double bass. Anything else is thin in comparison.

Day of catching up with stuff I missed last week, Typically Topical and Fade the Blog. Sure as hell a case of I blog therefore I am. Tomorrow a day of cataloguing. Key mails to day, one search request and Adams rejig of the WDC bid. Top man! Need to sort out study skills programme tomorrow and write a snapy paragraph or two on the library for Propel. Nothing like having a deadline is there!

Opened some Youngs Double Chocolate Stout and moved to the more esoteric channels of freeview. Still can't find some of the commercial radio stations but hell its getting there. Just came accross the God Channel which I can't view, while I suspect a dodgy Jimmy Swaggart type prawn again christian set up wouldn't it be great if it had the following listings: -------------------------------- The God Channel -------------------------------- 08:00-09:00 Work Out With Ganesh: Exercises with the Elephant Headed God 09:01-10:00 Good Mental Health: The Trinity's Take on Multiple Personality Disorders 10:01-11:00 The Tolerance Hour: Osama Bin Laden 11:01-12:00 Racing Using the Papal Infallibility System: Tips For Todays Card at Haydock From John Paul II and so and so forth. It's too tempting a target. Instead it's bound to be the kind of preacher men you find in bed with the odd whore or three, snorting lines of cocaine with Frank Bough. Either that or I've been listening to too much Frank Zappa.

Started including TV listings 'cos it's a way of making life easier for me. Scrapheaps just starting so I'll be back later.

Sat and watched as much as the Oxford-Swindon cup match as I could, the old fella�s PC allowing. Weird seeing Oxford away from the Manor, mind you I still find the thought of Reading not playing at Elm Park weird, just trying not to think too much about Ashburton Grove which while I recognise as a necessary move it still strikes me as sad that Highbury�s being pensioned off. Cool result, hope there were plenty of rozzers on hand for the trouble that follows Oxford-Swindon games. Even better we got Oxford in the third round so that should be a home win and easy money for Oxford. Just watching 'The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu�, I always enjoy the criminal mastermind that is Fu Manchu, so clever but always just so slightly flawed. I�d love to spend just a few hours in Fu Manchu�s Limehouse, all Chinese laundries, opium dens and Chinese restaurants. Add to this the bizarre use of electricity, compulsory in anything even vaguely monstrous set round the 20�s/30�s. Involves the excellent if odd Peter Sellers. If you want to find out more about the man himself a Chronology of Fu Manchu appears here or the page of Fu Manchu can be found here, with links to full texts of Sax Rohmer's novels and short stories. Now I've found them will be reading them frantically, even if I do think that e-novels are a pain in the backside. Much discussion in our house at the moment about the need for a bread maker. Theory is running thus, at Christmas we like home made bread and therefore a bread maker may make the task easy and may supply easy bread throughout the year. Downside is we are not convinced we�d really use it that much and I�m convinced that Monst would whinge the breadmaker was cluttering up the kitchen. Conclusion is that we�d be better buying a few sets of bread tins and carrying on as usual.

Day of sorting out the old fella's web connection problems, bleah! Still sorting out the look of the comments bits here too.

Just the cosmetics to sort and it'll all be done. Got booted on last attempt so take two at this bit. Looks like a total success.

Has this all worked? No was the answer so we try take two. Freaky images just appeared so take three had better lose them or else. They've gone, back to the positioning problem. Beasties'll let me centre them but I want a right align, only trouble is idiot boy here typed left 'cos he can't tell his left from his right. As the Ulster Division had in the First World War, Hay, Straw, Hay, Straw, Hay, Straw, Hay, Straw......

Right well that seems to have worked a treat, just need to sort out the positioning of the link and I'll be happy with it. So things can at least get a bit more interactive around here!

Just trying to add a comments feature to this thing, will it work, who knows?

Nothing on TV and Sharon's bored so I went to the Video shop and came away with 'Scooby Doo', 'The Panic Room' and 'Ghost World'. The former is a light piece of family froth, nice to see the hatred of Scrappy Doo is pretty much universal. 'Panic Room' I haven't watched but Sharon declared it slow and 'Ghost World'was just such a fine film. This is what Sight and Sound (The BFI's Mag/Journal) said about it; ---------------------- Review ---------------------- There's a scene in Ghost World when Enid and Rebecca - the two disaffected suburban teenagers at the centre of Terry Zwigoff's new film - kill some time in a local video store (where trailers for fictional middlebrow fare such as The Flower That Drank the Moon loop drearily, and the clerk offers Nine 1/2 Weeks to someone looking for Fellini's 8 1/2). Browsing listlessly through the titles, the young women pronounce that, 'All these movies suck.' Would they like Ghost World itself, you wonder? Given their territorial pissing on most things, but particularly on anything that packages itself as 'cool' and is aimed at the teen/twentysomething demographic from which they feel estranged, they'd probably even sniff at their own star vehicle. Or at least Thora Birch's acerbic Enid would. Rebecca, played by Scarlett Johansson, might like it more, although she would be angry her character doesn't get to have sex with their friend Josh as she does in the Daniel Clowes' graphic novel, on which the screenplay is based. Viewers less biased than them will be more forgiving, and delight in the film's deadpan wit, softly layered details and deft portrait of suburban anomie. It's not a perfect film. The bus-out-of-town ending feels pat, like something backers might have insisted on (even though it's in Clowes' original book), and runs counter to the pleasingly rough weaving of its several unresolved storylines. Otherwise, Ghost World adeptly evokes the unbearable dullness of being 18, the precarious power play of female friendship, the torpor born from having to decide what 'other plans' you should make if you're not going to go to college. Considering it was written by a couple of middle-aged guys (Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff), the film's twang of authenticity is even more impressive. Perhaps because the slow dissolution of Enid and Rebecca's friendship is harder to dramatise on film, the movie departs from the book by creating the character of Seymour, the repressed but angry record collector whose moribund love life Enid tries to resuscitate. ('By the end of the summer you're going to be up to your neck in pussy.') Zwigoff, who directed the superb documentary Crumb about counterculture-cartoonist Robert Crumb, has admitted in interviews that much of Seymour is based on himself. So the temptation to interpret Seymour's sleeping with Enid as a queasy male fantasy is nigh irresistible. Nevertheless, you still have to applaud the unflinching way even their stillborn romance is treated. This is no Lolita for the lo-fi set. Like Robert Crumb, who openly admits and explores his own misogyny in his art, Zwigoff lets the 'weirdness' of Enid and Seymour's relationship trouble as well as charm, while remaining scrupulously non-judgemental. As the title obliquely suggests, Ghost World is all about detachment. The camera often stands fixed and far back from the action, particularly in the exterior shots as the characters trudge doggedly through the abrasively bright, clearly Southern Californian landscape of scruffy condos and pastel strip malls. The stiff-postured tableaux ring true to Clowes' original black-and-50s-mint-green strips. Cannily, the main performers deliver most of their lines in slack monotones, all the better to set off the script's wit and balance the glistering cluster of varyingly deranged lesser characters - from Bob Balaban's heartbreaking turn as Enid's dad and Illeana Douglas' painfully earnest art teacher, down to a numchuck-wielding loser who haunts Josh's convenience store and an old man who uses a wheelchair just because he's too lazy to walk. Leslie Felperin ---------------------- it is a blank generation movie the tone for me was similar to oddly enough 'Blank Generation' a movie involving Richard Hell from 1979. Both left me thinking that I had enjoyed them but the world around was disintegrating, both had me wryly smiling and amused. I quite like the melancholy and dry humour of it all.

Took Friday off and spent the day comatose to recover from the exertions of the cold and tripping to Scotland. Height of excitement was readting my book.

[BigBody]

Girding my loins for the trip up to Belshil, one of the apexes of the Buckfast triangle. My sister-in-law used to live round the corner from a place that sold chilled buckie for your discerning piss head. Apparently a quarter of the production is drunk in the area between Coatbridge, Airdre and Belshill, still it keeps the monks off the streets. Cold is still here but I feel a little better, not looking forward to the drive. Plan is to nip up there taking Cal, nip to a play barn and chill.

Library is currently rocking to the sound of the Dentists and 'Dressed' which is basically 'You and Your Bloody Oranges', 'Writhing on the Shagpile' most of 'Some people are on the pitch they think it's all over' (Back in the mid eighties that was an extremely fresh quote, now sadly done to death) and the A-side of 'Strawberries are Growing in My Garden (and it's Wintertime). Forgot how fresh the Dentists sound, jangly and speedy, just what I need to fight a cold. Nipped into Asda on the way to work and bought tissues, Beechams All-in-One Tabs and Lockets, for Katie Cat, cat food and fresh litter. Another big tidying night coming as we get ready for the visit of the folks and my trip up to Scotland to pick up the mother-in-law. Filled fade the blog with today's stunning grey lit.

Not sleeping straight 'cos of this pesky cold, waiting for a reasonable hour to go into work, loaded 'George', footled about and dragged the PC out to scribble in this thing. Today's agenda is design the stand for Monday how fun can it get and then it's the delights of a colourist in the afternoon. Need to wear my revolting orange shirt to wind the bugger up. Fade the blog seems to be gathering steam after a slow kick off, left Mic sorting the news on it yesterday and he seems to have got the hang of it. Meeting in Manchester was an odd one, an hour it was quick and to the point. Left before the pubs opened (just as well as I feel revolting) had a quick chat with Liz, need to send her costings of Heritage webbing up and came back to Hammy House. Liz rang later no applicants for the training job over in Salford, was asking after Mic a couple of months late unfortunately. However things look good for Tracy's mum who is firmly in the frame and Mic was going off to think about it. I need to get an e-copy of the application for for Tracy's mum anyway today. I wouldn't blame Mic if he's tempted, it's nearer home and offers a bit more security than we do at the moment. However the conversation did get interesting about next year, Liz floated the idea of a partnership post, Mic half time between us, I like the idea, it's cheaper for us, keeps us working collectively and co-operatively, and offers Mic a wider experience, just need to find the dosh somewhere.

Written well after then event 'cos Ive got the cold and went to bed early to listen to the second half and haven't been near the computer since what a result, read about it here.

Good clearance by Cygan, thank god. Referree still refusing to reach for the book for Totti.

Roma just missed, makes your heart stop when it happens could do without it. Totti's dived should be a booking, but the referee's a rabbit. It must be said this bit of the post was written after the event because I have a cold and feeling sorry for myself took myself to bed to listen to the second half, what a result 3-1, mind you I am now suspicious because I got way too optimistic last round and November happened in October still read about a great result here.

Good news George the family dishwasher is finally fixed, mind you I had to dash home from work because Sharon promised to go shopping with Helen having forgotten that the dishwasher guy was due. He�s sorted it but had to order an on off switch because George doesn�t want to be turned off. Mind you I don�t blame him. Helen and Lonen are round, poor Lonen is teething and is well grumpy as a result. Time for a dose of calpol. In the meanwhile the footy�s just begun so it�s a panicky night as Arsenal play in Rome. Stupid TV doesn�t want to show it live so it�s good old Radio 5 live for me. Score so far is 1-1 after 6 minutes. It�s going to be a bit of a nail biter I can tell. Really kicked off the Fade blog today, need to start developing the stand for Monday and arrange to borrow a set of boards because the set I�ve got on order from Gresswell�s have yet to turn up. Need to make a bit of a splash because the audience includes the NHS Libraries Advisor. 16 minutes and still 1-1. Allez les rouges.

Following Ken's visit to the library we are now attempting to use a blog for vaguely serious purposes at the library. Thus the world will now suffer Fade the blog, we'll use it partly as a route to disseminate the news service the cursed service Typicaly Topical. So far I think the name sucks, Ken recons it sucks but it has had one vote of confidence. Must ring Gail Campbell as Ken suggested about it.

New issue of the following is out if anybody has an interest. Meanwhile I'm heading back to cataloguing now and grooving in the bus lane to the sounds of The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy (see yesterday's post for a link if you want to know what I'm wittering on about....). In the meanwhile following the chat with Ken yesterday on trying to find a role for blogging, I'm working on it. Journal of Medical Internet Research ======================================= Iss. 2 / Vol. 4 Now online at http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/index.htm(publication of this issue has been delayed due to technical problems - our apologies) EDITORIAL ---------- Demiris G, Eysenbach G Internet use in disease management for home care patients A call for papers. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e6 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e6/ ORIGINAL PAPERS --------------- Houston TK, Allison JJ Users of Internet Health Information: Differences by Health Status Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e7 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e7/ Frisby G, Bessell TL, Borland R, Anderson JN Smoking Cessation and the Internet: A Qualitative Method Examining Online Consumer Behavior Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e8 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e8/ Fogel J, Albert SM, Schnabel F, Ditkoff BA, Neugut AI Use of the Internet by Women with Breast Cancer Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e9 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e9/ SHORT PAPER ----------- Veronin MA Where Are They Now? A Case Study of Health-related Web Site Attrition Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e10 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e10/ REVIEW ------ Schwitzer G A Review of Features in Internet Consumer Health Decision-support Tools Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e11 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e11/ TUTORIALS ---------- Kelly G, McKenzie B Security, privacy, and confidentiality issues on the Internet Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e12 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e12/ Eysenbach G, Wyatt J Using the Internet for Surveys and Health Research Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(2):e13 http://www.jmir.org/2002/2/e13/ EVENTS ------ Please visit our friends from the Society of Internet in Medicine and the Internet Healthcare Coalition at Mednet 2002, the 7th Annual World Conference on the Internet and Medicine, in Amsterdam, 4-7 Dec 2002 http://www.mednet2002.org/ WHAT'S COMING UP? ----------------- A preview of forthcoming articles (accepted or under review): ODIN: Overcoming Depression on the InterNet: A Randomized Trial of an Internet Depression Skills Intervention Program Unmet needs of primary care patients in using the Internet for health-related activities Evaluation of accessibility and use of new communication technologies in patients with type 1 diabetes Use of Medline by Medical Students of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria Asphyxial death by ether inhalation and plastic bag suffocation instructed by Press and Internet LASIK Complications And The Internet; Are The Public Being Mislead? Implementation and integration of Regional Health Care Data Networks: the case of the Hellenic NHS The evolution of web-based medical information on sore throat: a longitudinal study Trusted Online Sources of Health Information: Differences in Demographics, Health Beliefs, and Health Information Orientation Internet Infrastructures And Healthcare Systems: Networks And Markets Child Sexual Offenses and The Internet Child safety education and the World Wide Web: an evaluation of the content and quality of online resources The Use of The Internet By Orthopaedic Surgeons In The United Kingdom Are Health Professionals meeting the minimum-security requirements for Health Information Systems (HIS) in the New Zealand Health Service? (A pilot study in Residential Care) Compliance between the ehealth code of ethics trustmark and the reviewed sites A Model for on-line interactive remote education of Medical Physics using the Internet e-Health in Latin America and the Caribbean: Development and Policy Issues ------------------------------------------------ About JMIR ---------- The "Journal of Medical Internet Research" (JMIR; Medline-abbreviation: J Med Internet Res), founded in 1999, is the first international scientific peer-reviewed journal on all aspects of research, information and communication in the healthcare field using Internet and Intranet-related technologies. The Journal is indexed/abstracted in MEDLINE, ISA (Information Science Abstracts), and INSPEC. If you want to contribute a scholarly article, please review our "Instructions for authors" at http://www.jmir.org/instruction.htm

Had an odd conversation today with Gill 'bout the motivation behind moves on knowledge management from North Merseyside, personally I'm getting sick of all the talking, lets get punk, let's just get on with the job and do it.

Tracy's made some cool amendments to the enquiries database. This is exactly what I want, participation to take the basic idea and make it work better, excellent piece of work. This rate it'll turn into something really worthwhile.

Winter's really hit, this morning was foggy, air dense with liquid like a bad Basil Rathbone movie, I swear I drove past a pillar box and was convinced it was human. Like those old westerns that made sure you knew that the desert was murderously hot by scattering the bleached bones dead cattle about, winter in Liverpool brings out single lost gloves. Why do you always lose pairs of things singularly? One sock eaten by the washing machine, one shoe on a roadside, I'm convinced a pair of trousers is bifurcated simply so that each leg has the comfort of knowing the other one isn't going anywhere. The glove I passed this morning was flicking a V at me and by this evening it had gone all North American and was flipping the bird at me. Is there a mysterious figure that goes around arranging lost gloves for the edification of passing pedestrians? Back on the western theme instead of tumbleweed a winter UK scene involves old chip wrappers, murderous and greasy rattling a path at your ankles. If the cholesterol don't get you then the grease'll make them stick to you or make you slip. Still I suppose it makes a change from banana skins. On my trip to return 'Snow Dogs' I was trying to work out who was the best cartoon character in the 'Loony Tunes' and by a mile it was Wily Cayote, a beast of infinite resource and logical thought, each new method of catching that pesky Road Runner is defeated marginally but he never gives up. Bet he got taught to sing 'He Who Would Valiant Be' at school. If I remember rightly that one was down to John Bunyan (apologies if not, but it's a whole heap of time since I was at Primary School to learn search things), he'd have got a better press from me if he'd have just said sod religion I'll write Road Runner instead. Music today is the rough and ready 'Living With Victoria Grey' from the 'Cleaners from Venus' which contains amongst other tracks the wonderful 'Ilya Kuryakin Looked at Me!' the song that sold me on all things from Martin Newell when I saw him perform it at the Rain Forest Festival at Frued's in Oxford back in 1991. Ian and I had gone to see Pat Fish (the Jazz Butcher) and Martin was due to appear with Nelson as 'The Brotherhood of the Lizards' but 'New Model Army' were playing that night so Nelson was otherwise engaged. Nice night. Just reached 'Stay On' which I might be wrong but sounds to me like a Giles Smith number. Giles wrote the excellent 'Lost In Music'which charts the failure of the 'Cleaners from Venus' and his failure to take the music industry by storm. On the way though he developed into a fine journalist writing about music, TV and latterly reviewing cars in the Guardian. It's dawned on me I've been quiet on the new shoe front for a while, well news is they are still extremely comfortable, are being proofed at least once a week much to their and my amazement and while they are not the new shoes they are now the new old shoes.

Weird day, Cairs refused to spill it's grey literature for Tracy on Friday and when we looked there wasn't enough of the stuff so today's been a bit of a mad catalogue. By 4.30 we'd doubled the amount we'd catalogued and over 40% was e-grey lit which was quite a suprise as the majority I blatted on today. Er..miscalculated and the 80 we were aiming for became 121 items..oops, if we ever get our backsides into gear and really go for it we could produce truly frightening bulletins. Ken came in, caught me in an odd distracted mood rather than an odd fun mood. Think the hassle of having to sort out the list was beginning to get to me, suffice it to say at this moment having done the thing I now want to listen to extreme noise terror and scream. Oh well, singing at myself in the car again on the way home! Stupid chat of the day was with Shan this morning on the nature of pubs under railway arches and the fact that 'The Hole in the Wall' at Waterloo was the first place I came accross both curry and lager flavoured condoms. Conversation suggested 8 of the latter would require the former with a couple more of the latter to wash it down... don't think about it too much but it made for an entertaining conversation at 9.00 am. Took 'Snow Dogs' out on Saturday must return it on the way home. Hollywood.com describe it thus', When Miami dentist Ted Brooks finds out that he's been named in a will, he travels to Alaska to claim his inheritance. Once he gets there, however, his dreams turn to mush: he discovers he's been left a team of sled dogs. Not only do the dogs not warm up to him, but a crusty old mountain man named Thunder Jack feels as though the dogs rightfully belong to him. When Jack urges him to hotfoot it back to warmer climates, Ted becomes determined to learn to mush, no matter what it takes'. I describe it as 'Cool Runnings' in tone with more dogs, less bob sleighs and considerably less rum. It was OK as a family movie though. Back home to pan hang food and chicken soup, then tidy up for the Portage Team's visit tomorrow. Why do I live my life to deadlines.... 'cos I love the adrenalin rush I guess. Early morning listening was the 'Soft Boys' 'Nextdoorland' evening listening to be announced after tidying....

Sunday morning, there's a song in there somewhere, mind you it is now afternoon so that ain't relevant. Slow morning sorting out the kitchen and living room punctuated only by a trip to the wee shop at the top of the road for some margarine and the paper and cooking a Calzone Pizza for lunch.

Just read Ken's blog must send him the lyrics of 'Sweet Transvestite' or just this link.

Kimmo Pohjonen 'Finnish techno accordian terrorist'

Yesterday spent at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry at a Records Management awareness raising day hosted by the North West Archives Group and Re:source. The stuff on the Freedom of Information Act was excellent and made the day worhtwhile. Met Hilda form North Cheshire who cheered me with news she'd got �57k out of her PCT for libraries (I only really want �12k a PCT in Liverpool if South Sefton come on board properly then that'd be �9k) and even more good news she'd got �31k out of the WDC to do up a lecture theatre at the Peelhouse Plaza a really freaky GP practice in Widnes that was preveiously a cinema that has two lecture theatres made out of the dress circle now. Mair form the LMI was there and Suzanne from South Cheshire who I'd spoken to but never met so it was quite a nice gathering of health people. Got over to Manchester early by train so it was a case of buying a copy of the Independent and heading to a greasy spoon for a sausage barm and excellent coffee. Interstingly enough there was a poster for a Durutti Column gig, Vini Reilly's shaggy bowl cut bended head looked well cool. Now I don't own any Durutti Column and have only heard their stuff once but remember it as being very laid back guitar music of beauty at a time when all I wanted was shouty stuff so I might have to invest if I can find any. Anyway if you want to find out about them you can either try the unnavigable but beautiful official site or the ugly but effective unnofficial site. The other poster that caught my eye was for one Kimmo Pohjonen who was described on the poster as a 'Finnish techno accordian terrorist' is he working for Osama Bin Laden the well known gooner who heads Al-Qaida. God what a frightening thought a country invaded by accordian players squeezing away 24/7, you'd almost be in France... Went for a wander round Deansgate area of Manchester and came accross the coolest model rockets in a model shop. Going to have to buy one at some point for Callum, maybe need to wait until he's a bit older. On the way back from the meeting while waiting for a train I stopped for a pint in 'The Crown' a pub that looked extremely plastic paddy on the outside. On the inside it was just a normal victorian boozer and the pint of stout I was served with was poured was a delight from start to finish. All poured by a pale saint of a barmaid who had a fragile beauty based on her alabaster skin. Evening and the family tripped to Pizza Hut at Cal's request because he'd done well with his speech and language therapy and has finally got the grasp of in, on and under. We are busy at the moment trying to sort out Knowsley Council to give us some support. Sharon was a bit hacked off with them when they suggested we were really after them paying some of Cal's school fees. I'm glad I wasn't about at the time I'd have gone balistic. She pointed out that wasn't the issue, we had that committed what we wanted was some support to bring Callum's language up to speed be that through support for him in school in terms of some staff support or whatever. It really bugs me that they can whinge that we're cross border 'cos the school is in Liverpool and that because it's an Independent school there are difficulties there. For crying out loud haven't these local government people read the shit coming out of central government for the last 6 years, it's practically all been about interagency working, cross sector working etc. Better Sharon deals with it 'cos I'll just lose my rag with them.

Hairdryer's been out again, 'My baby does her hairdoo long, do long, do long' as the great Kimberley Rew put it on the 'Bible of Bop' (is that how you spell hairdoo?, it's a long time since I saw or heard the album), or in my case my ducks nest needs drying, man. Yes, Cal's tree costume is nearly done, just been to Woolton Tesco to get the superglue to glue in the duck once I have dry papier mache in the morning (hat's in the airing cupboard). On the way back the name of an old girlfriend popped into my head, I've been vaguely trying to remember her surname for a while, Emma Barrett, a woman who taught me much about goldfish in that she answered the big question in my life in sixth form did goldfish sleep (apparently they do but with their eyes open, Emma claimed she had goldfish that said Bruckner and one that died attempting Rimsky-Korsakov, links are here 'cos I guess 17 years later I'd better get round to finding out something about them other than goldfish speak their names, yes I was 17 at the time). She also prompted my mother to give me the birds and the bees lecture when she wandered into the room and yelled contraception at me to which I replied Catholic. Mind you it wasn't an issue.... Years later when I was at UCL I met Emma again and even voted for her in a student union election. Clair has an interview at Southport Drugs Council (presumably it's all about Sanatogen abuse up in Southport) as an administrator. As she is interested in this sort of area, hope she get's the job (not the Sanatogen abuse). Adam had some good suggestions for the CPD bid from the WDC, now scribbling like mad to meet his requests. Top man, Adam. Spread my Enquiries management database and stupid icon for it round the team today, Mo found the technical hitch and a marginal adjustment later it's all solved.. Think there's a touch of scepticism in certain quarters, but spoke to Marie over in St Helen's who I intend to share this stuff with, then spent some time explaining that it was no problem sharing stuff with her. Off to a RM meeting with Mair at the Museum of Science at Manchester, adventurous trip by train. Looking forward to it and PCT librarian's next week on Thursday, be good to catch up with Liz Farrell, hope to persuade her a pint would be a good move.

Back on the Love Spit Love kick, as a band name it always reminds me of that great Richard Hell track 'Love Comes in Spurts' a man who defined a blank generation. Wish I could come up with a name as good for this typically topical gig.

Spent some of the evening painting Callum's hat green for his tree outfit, the old dear called and leaves and t-shirt are on the way back to us. Need to get some brown paper and shred it tomorrow to for the nest for the rubber duck. Well if he has to be a tree he should follow family traditions and be a little wacky.

EBIS meeting today, bit crap 'cos we didn't really get our shit together but did get to meet Colin from Arrowe Park and the new web developer at what was South Cheshire. Good chat with Marie, all gloom and doom though. Monst called she has a nasty cold, so plague has entered the house. I had to leave early to pick up Cal. Evening food a chink and a touch of the old XTC and then worked on the design of an enquiry management database 'cos I'm begining to lose track of some of the shit I'm doing. With any luck it'll look tarty for the accreditation too. Just plugged into a bit of Love Spit Love for a bit of variety while I type this. I always forget how good a singer Richard Butler is, not in any classic way but his voice has a delightful smoky drawl character and I love the way he writes the lyrical equivilent of a crossword. Mic had some hassles getting in so I need to run through this Typically Topical stuff with him tomorrow and really kick this pilot off. Between us I think we've got the thing sussed. Just need to start pumping the thing out and getting some feedback. God, 'Half a Life' is a pretty song.

TLC is nice and sick again, and nice to see the gooner Tom Watt gainfully employed!

Beginning to come round to the events of the weekend, began on Friday with a trip round to Linda's who warned me that the chances of the library getting a successful CPD bid in to the WDC are nil, oh well they will be unless we try. Nice to see Mark, mind you he took the piss over the footy, but who's top the league now! Saturday and it was haircut time for Cal, and then shop for a dinner service. God what an exciting life, but got home in time to listen to the defeat of Spurs..... Sorry being couth so pouring un verre de vin rouge rather than glugging it straight from the grog bottle. Just reached the excellent, 'Aliens of the Lord' 'If I were a business man I'd stuff my suit right down the toilet pan it's appalling who's he fooling If I were the holy Pope I'd give out condoms while I'm smoking dope if you gave 'em it could save 'em and tell him if he's quick he could dine with Margaret Thatcher send him to the planet of the aliens of the lord If I drove a London cab I'd shut my mouth to stem the fascist gab no more jingo down the bingo If I were the Prince of Wales I'd smear manure on my top hat and tails it's abundunt so redundant Lock him in the Tower give them both a damn good send off send him to the castle in the kingdom of the planet of the aliens of the lord' yes the home of sensible songs.

Tracy's back having sorted out her kitchen and Mo's off sorting her new kitchen, kitchen trade is the place to be! In the meanwhile busy sorting out a template for a new current awareness service, daily health news culled from the papers. So far it's been christened 'Typically Topical' but it's too obvious for my liking, seriously tempted to rebrand it 'The Rattle of Booby Moore's Bracelet' but not certain it'd make sense to anyone. The idea is to hit Health Service management type people who need to keep up to date...... Tonight's rattling vibes are being provided by the excellent Captain Sensible until TLC kicks in at 9.30, jangly as hell and guitars to make your ears bleed. Lovely, 'Riot on Eastbourne Pier' is currently assaulting my ears and it's a blast. Vist the good Captain at the official Damned site now he's back with Dave Vanian and crew.

Busy tail end to the week, Al's vist was a success, nipped into see Ken on the way. Not got at blog recently, things have been a bit mental. Still just like to record that Arsenal are top of the league following a 3-0 win against Spurs, can life get sweeter?

Been cataloguing grey lit since 6, it's a quick romp through what was the library at Birchwood. Really gives you an impression of how transitory the organisational structure is in the NHS. Next reform is due......

Hey! the Spinster Librarian has a play outline for Inter-Library Loans, maybe 'cos I'm doing them at the moment it strkes me as a fun and accurate picture.

Andy Partridge of XTC is 49 eeeeeek! That can't be right.

Full time 0-0. First time in the season Arsenal haven't scored, Shabban looked OK in the goal. Liverpool drew 3-3 so they're out. Auxerre beat Dortmund so we top the group.

2 minutes added on, 0-0 still and their dodgy goalkeeper's up our end.

2 minutes to go, 0-0 still.

4 minutes to go still 0-0.

80 minutes, Auxerre 1-0 up, PSV on the way out, Arsenal top the group as is stnads, down to 10 men and still look dangerous.

35 minutes and Toure�s been sent off but it�s 0-0 still. Good to see Franny Jeffers on the pitch. Liverpool 3-0 down. PSV being evil though. Day of earwax, spent much of the morning locating material on syringing ears in terms of ILL requests. Followed by a bit of spirituality. Give me a bottle any time. Bit of grief today around the whole issue of accreditation and the bizarre question of qualifications. Don�t have time to fix it at the moment and I�m not inclined to offer a knee jerk reaction. If people want to be thin skinned about it all, it is their problem and they really need to grow up. Bus into work today �cos the car�s battery needs replacing which I intend to do tomorrow. It was quite nice being able to read (�How to be Good� Nick Hornby) on the way in, less good on the way back when the bus smelt of smoke and I felt ill as a result. Nipped into the Tesco Metro to pick up pizza as per Cal�s demand.

Ear wax why?

Alan Partridge on now, marginally amusing. Sleep next stop and an early start.

Pint of Dirty Dick's a Young's brew on the go and TLC on TV, seems to be suitably sick, beer is good.

Mo came back to work today and Tracy has the week off as her new kitchen is being installed. Busy day doing ILL's, ages since I did an inter-library loan in anger and boy have I cocked up. Really need to read the Cairs manual before tomorrow's load. Need an early start, going in by train. Al rang tonight, he's pricing a job for JMU at Sefton park on Thursday so he's coming round for a meal. It'll be really good to see him as I haven't caught up with that end of the country in ages (Al is an old school friend and Cal's godfather). Need to tidy the house in his honour but I'm really looking forward to seeing him. Bad news yesterday in that Helen's Dad's finally died. He had cancer so it wasn't unexpected (Helen's Cal's godmother BTW) but it's still not good news. Duck soup was good.

Friday managed to get new booklist and greylit bulletin out, only to return to a car with a dead battery. RAC took 2 hours to get there, good bloke when they finally arrived though. Gave me a top tip though. Saturday and it was a shopping morning followed by a trip to the new Harry Potter movie. Need to re-read the book. It was OK but somehow lacked a little energy. Woolton Cinema was a delight as ever though. Mailed the old dear the gear for Cal�s tree out fit. Got back from the movie in time to spend a few nervous minutes with Arsenal 1-0 up against Newcastle and Liverpool 1-0 down. Tried thinking neutral thoughts to send out neutral vibes and luckily they worked. No sign of the window cleaner now their lead is cut to 1 point. Even better from the bit I�ve heard Paddy Viera was mighty and it was a good overall performance. Spent the evening on Cal�s tree hat. Wired the viking helmet into the hanging basket liner and having dropped Sharon at work came back and papier mache�d over the wire to protect Cal�s head. Using Sybil�s trick of hair drying it to speed the process up. Sybil was my landlady in St. Alban�s when I worked at Barnet College, it was on odd house �cos she was a bit of an artist, and she grew her own weed. Still it was a fun place to live with many strange comings and going�s. While I was doing this I was watching �Science at War� on UK History. I hadn�t realised that Fritz Haber the man behind the whole poison gas thing in the First World War and inventor of Zyklon B was Jewish. Interesting stuff on Tabun too and the theory that gas requires a static war and the Second World War moved too quick for it on a battlefield and deterrent prevented it�s use against. Interesting. So Sunday morning and it�s Sharon�s birthday, got a duck for tonights meal and Cal and I are planning a cake. Sharon herself is in bed �cos she worked last night. Need to tidy the gaff while she�s kipping. Got the kitchen done, need to do more tomorrow. Just had what was meant to be a relaxing bath but turned out to be a rushed affair. Why when I�m relatively rational about complementary therapies do I turn all hippy when it comes to bath products. Lavender soap to help me sleep, urban cleansing shampoo involving fennel and lemon, then honey and yoghurt shampoo. Madness, just complete quackery in the cleansing department. Still feel good and clean. Currently watching �Sleepy Hollow� while cooking Marxist soup out of the remains of the duck we had for Sharon�s birthday today. Cal�s in bed and I need to sort out a good veg stock to add to the duck stock I�m just creating. It�ll keep me out of mischief tonight.

Er..sleep happened in spades, up late yesterday and chased my tail like mad as a result, nice early start today hence the entry in the Blog. Ashes are on so I'm keeping an eye on that, England seem to be doing OK at the moment at 148/1 and another 6 overs to go. They'll proabably suffer a horrible collapse now. Grey Lit day so its a mad catalogue as usual. Tracy's off today so it's me on my little ownsome to produce the Grey Lit Bulletin, that'll be a blast from the past.... Monst and Cal off to the Woolton Cinema to see the preview of the new Harry Potter movie tonight, they're taking me tomorrow (maybe introducing madam to the books wasn't such a wie move!).

Challenges for the next few days, learnt to spell some of the spelling here is abysmal. Sleep. Celebrate the Spurs loss at Burnley and try to ignore Arsenal's defeat at the hands of Sunderland in the Worthless Cup. Remeber to send bid up to Adam, just realised I forgot today. Finish the white literature backlog and pile into more grey lit. Sleep more.

3-2 down in the Worthless Cup at the moment, glad I'm only keeping a sly eye on it. Just about to address a bottle of 'Waggle Dance', oh! the nectar of those furry bees.

Checked out the Indie Rock Librarian's blog. Some links to some righteous labels and bands. Worth a look for that alone. On the work front it's been a day of ordering and cataloguing white literature. Did make sense of the Ormskirk Nfuse business, I was right it's a rip off! Why do IT people think you're stupid when it comes to library management systems (mind you I did test my theory that Nfuse wasn't needed on Steve Prisk who gave me an excellent idiots guide to Nfuse in about ten minutes and one drawing - we're putting Mr. Twigger in touch with Steve to sort it!). 'Nextdoorland' was the soundtrack of the morning, two run throughs and I'm coming round to the idea that it isn't bad. On the way home tonight I picked up some stuff for Cal's tree costume (I got the head bit to do) should be kinda fun putting it together.

"If you want to get laid, go to college, if you want an education, go to the library" - Frank Zappa

On the other hand it's not a bad write up, cor! might even be interested in the secret goings on! In there absence of there being anything that interesting here's a link to Jessamyn's naked librarians. Mind you I wouldn't check out bits of it at work if I were you. Not a wooly pully in site or the infamous cardigan and as for the leather elbow patches......

Still bothered by the concept of secret plans appearing here. Ken keeps telling me that this thing can be a bit hard to understand at times, mind you that makes sense, I don't understand me some of the time, I spend my life trying to breakdown the mental boundaries that surround academic and non-academic disciplines, it's lazy thinking to compartmentalize, its all one vast continuum, history don't work without chemistry, chemistry don't work without religion, religion don't work without a bicycle, bicycles don't work without philosophy and all of them are more inter-related than a heap of people from Farringdon. Mind you it can get bloody confusing. The only difference between this and the original big black book of doom, in which I record crap so that when I get my shit together about becoming a chartered librarian is that I swear less here. It's a form of self restraint that I'm trying for reasons that I haven't let myself know. As for the title Big Black Book of Doom, it's just more interesting than Chartership Crap.

Time for grog.

A good day for freaky mentions as this blog got a mention on the Arseblog on the 1st of Nov which says this is about 'library stuff and secret projects' (oops haven't been reading that one as much as I should!). Not certain what secret projects I've been wittering about 'cos they're pretty public here. Must read the blog to find out what I'm keeping secret from myself..... At least it was recognised that there was a bit about librarianship. Mind you I tend to think there's less of that than should be in an e-big black book of doom.

Bid is going slowly, needed some inspiration so having checked out the release date of �Nextdoorland� by the Soft Boys I tripped down to HMV for some inspiration only to come back with a copy of it and The Prisoners �In From The Cold� (note the Stiff spelling) and then hid in a set of cans in search of inspiration. Can�t wait for the �Taste of Pink� and �The Last Fourfathers� re-releases on Big Beat. Lowdown on the music was it was good (The Soft Boys album was not a horror on first listen much to my relief � well it is 18 years since the last one) without a proper listen, giving it a blast now at home. Still got some time on the bid. Still chasing Jean Scott with regard to the pilot of the RM system. Anne Nolan tripped in to pick up a couple of searches and a WHO document I�d printed out for her. Gave her, the full library tour and reckon we�ve found a friend in her- she said she�d spread the gospel according to libraries. Once again blown away by the idea she could use us without ever darkening our door. Monst rang, she was stuck at the dental hospital having a tusk seen to, so it was an early dart to go and fetch Cal from school. Then, off to the shop to get some soup (chicken, carrot and coriander and beetroot and rosemary) because Sharon don�t think she�ll cope with anything else. Came away with �Beauty and the Beast� (Boo! Hiss! Fat Disney) and �Ice Age� in addition to the stuff I�d gone in to get. Still the points�ll come in useful. We�re at 52 vouchers at the moment - �130 in real dosh. Aiming for 60 by crimble so well on target. �In From The Cold� is odd, the sound is polished and clean, some how it lacks an edge of energy but it still rocks. Interesting to see a Fay Hallam writing credit too. Must see if any �Makin� Time� stuff is available. I reckon in a few listens I�ll be into it more and more. Definitely an early morning cataloguing album, nice soul edge to it. Maybe I�m mellowing to the brass. Includes the excellent �Pop Star Party� as a bonus track too, �You�re the biggest load of fakes that I�ve ever seen This is our farewell to your lies You�re finished taking us for a music whore Stick your suits and wide boy ties What would you feel About a music that is real� how to endear yourself to any label. **** the labels do it yourself. The design for Cally�s tree outfit for the school play is here. Yes, jokes about wooden acting are current on mention of this starring role. Mind you he�s following in the footsteps of his Grandfather, a man who was so wooden in his starring role in a Harcross Builders Merchants training video that a plank would have made a reasonable stand in. Maybe Cal's a splinter off the old block.