Frantic day, trying to fix two very difficult student-related problems which won't go away. Both seem to stem from sillyness on behalf of their University, which as the day goes on I began to think was rather cynical and sad. They will of course shout loudly when no fees appear. Off to Bristol, and out to Fishponds for the first time in a while. Arrived remarkably early considering I had to brave a 49 to get there. Lounged around taking advantage of cheap beer and watching a pub quiz fail to start before we had to leave. Wandered back to the station playing word games which keep us entertained for ages. Back to pack for trip. Exhausting and frustrating day which ends much better than it started.
Weird week at work - very quiet in the office. Not getting much done despite the peace. Knowing I have Friday off is encouraging. The week after that is the usually accursed birthday week. Further attempts to grab RedHat 8.0 from the UK Mirror Service end in disappointment since its still horribly busy. Later a very long phonecall indeed results in an invitation for the weekend. A change of scenery will be very nice, and its a chance to take a train journey I've not done since 1995.
I woke at about 5am with the strangest, hardest-to-pin-down headache ever. I was convinced it was something dreadful (likely nothing worse than 'middle of the night' syndrome!). Fought with it for a couple of hours, becoming increasingly frustrated, but caught an interview with Linus Torvalds on BBC News 24 (which I believe was repeated later). Woke after little sleep and blearily caught bus to Burnham. Head still feeling odd. Nice to see folks after a longish absence. Got back, ate too much, read too much and vegetated. Wrote lots of letters to the local newspaper, which always helps.
Early start - out to Sterling Books. Browsed for a long time - first chance to really poke around for a while. Mission accomplished with a copy of Matthew Arnold's Poetical Works following yesterday's inspiration. Wandered and arranged a brief meeting for later. Met the bus, and ended up back in the bookshop. More purchases. Coffee at an outdoor cafe in unexpectedly fine weather. Later, a meal related to one of the many October birthdays - there being lots of people makes me a little wary, but a pleasant event nonetheless. Afterwards, ajourned to Rugby Club where an old friend is now behind the bar, assuring a fine welcome and some good music. Late wander home. A bit gloomy myself later, having gleaned some disturbing news from apparently innocent conversation. Of course, I'm probably just thinking the worst, as ever.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
