…So, another year over, and new one just begun…
It was very quiet here. We had our usual Yule fest together, and the two of us spent the rest of the holidays around the house, doing bits of work on the computers. Then, my mouse packed up; the spare mouse didn’t work properly, so we had to share the one mouse between us. I did order a new mouse, from eBay, but of course, the holidays have meant we’re still waiting for it to arrive. Rather inconvenient. Then the big printer started playing up, so B had to do some printing on my old laser printer – which is also pretty wobbly.
All in all, it’s been a bit frustrating workwise. But I still managed to get quite a bit done. I set up a website for somebody, which I’m getting paid for (yay!) and got out both the hardcopy and online versions of Transit magazine, for once hitting the deadline for both. On the days when I managed to get on the computer, I worked like fury, keeping up my energy levels with an extra half-dose of Levothyroxine. Besides upping my energy, it also made me feel insanely cheerful (well, insane for somebody for whom mild gloom is the default state). I don’t do this very often, however – it also has the negative effect of making me much more susceptible to heart irregularity. And I already get enough of that. But it’s a useful fallback when I’ve got a deadline to meet.

As I said, we had a quiet time. I didn’t even get drunk last night. Instead, I watched Jools Holland’s music show. It’s always terrific. Not just for the music, but also (for me anyway) the sight of his celebrity guests being off their faces. Last night, for instance, we had David Tennant and John Simm grinning madly and burbling happily to each other and to Jools about how they both adored Kylie Minogue. Either the pair of them were rat-arsed, or it was yet more evidence of the KylieBot’s evil powers.

The only other TV highlight of the hols was Ricky Gervaise and his splendid, splenetic anti-celebrity rant on the Christmas Extras special. Naturally, it’s on Youtube. Here it is – enjoy!

Christ Converts to Islam

In a surprise announcement with far-reaching theological implications, Jesus Christ The Nazarene, founder of Christianity and spiritual leader of nearly two billion people, revealed Monday that He has converted to “the one true religion” of Islam.

Let’s see how soon Protect Our Christian Heritage Christian Voice start denouncing The Onion.

…that David Icke is a Shape-shifting reptilian?
Watch the video for the proof – he keeps flicking out his tongue and his irises look weird in slow-motion zoom!

Oh, and the same Youtube user wants to warn the world about all the occult symbolism in the Simpsons.

I came across Freedom From Crime. Essentially, it’s a proposed scheme for private crime insurance.
The blurb rises (sinks?) to Daily Wail standards in making you feel frightened and insecure (original spelling and grammar):

As Britain grows into the twenty first century, many of us will have had the benefit of education, careers and of bringing a family into this world. Unfortunately Britains newspapers and media are continually making celebrities and then bringing them down, politicians are making the same noises they always made and councils attempt to fine anything that moves meanwhile happy slapping and insipid encouragement of crime is continuing along with what appears to be a backlash againgst women in business if the papers are to be believed. With courts deciding to focus on financial problems and in faveour of legal costs it seems that happy people face a dim future if they want to be successful. With this in mind a new alternative is on its way.

but doesn’t say a lot about what you’ill be getting for your money beyond this:

it is private crime insurance bringing private prosecutions againgst the perpetrator with claims for damages and losses to genuine cases additionally where assault or violence has been used it will provide for an injunction, 24/7 emotional support and physical protection where need be.

Curious about who was behind this initiative, I did a Whois lookup. And found this:

Domain name:
freefromcrime.co.uk

Registrant:
test

Registrant type:
UK Individual

Registrant’s address:
81 Newgate Street
London
Greater London
EC1 7AJ
GB

Registrar:
Register.com Inc t/a British Telecom [Tag = BTNAMES]
URL: http://www.btconnect.com

Relevant dates:
Registered on: 04-Dec-2007
Renewal date: 04-Dec-2009
Last updated: 04-Dec-2007

81 Newgate Street is the address of BT’s HQ. Are BT aware that they are the registered owners of this site, I wonder?

Fanfic (fanfiction) has always existed in one form or another – stories of heroic characters told around the campfire were pure fanfic, each storyteller not so much inventing new stories as developing and enlarging the tales that they had been told.
The modern form of fanfic, where fans of a particular genre write their own stories involving their favourite fiction characters, grew out of the science fiction sub-culture during the 20th century. The rise of the internet gave the fanfic writers a whole new playground, where they could share their stories with other fans across the globe. Consequently, the genre grew a number of subgenres; one of them, slashfic, is specifically about sexual (usually, but not always, gay male) pairing between characters. (The term derives from early Star Trek fanfic, where sex-related pairings were were given shorthand labels such as Kirk/Spock.)
Rather disturbingly, slashfic is not confined to fictional characters. Thanks to a Live Journal comment I have learned of the existence of Football Slash. Yes, really. Fictional gay sex stories involving international footballers.

I daren’t read the Ronaldo/Rooney one.

Anne Widdecombe once memorably described her colleague Michael Howard as “having something of the night about him”. She perhaps may have spoken more accurately than she realised.
For several weeks now I’ve been following an interesting poster on the Mystic Wicks Pagan forum. Since he’s happy to identify himself on a public forum and I’m now certain it’s not a spoof, I think it’s fair to ask “Has Michael Howard finally come out of the coffin?”

The LOLCat Bible
Hai! Teh blessigs of teh Ceiling Cat b pwn u, lol!

——————
While I was on that site, I noticed a Google ad:

Discover Vision2025
Visit our interactive Bible translation experience High Wycombe

Unfortunately, the link led to a 404. So I’ll never experience High Wycombe…..

Saw Doc G on Friday. My tests all come up clear – I appear to be perfectly healthy (apart from the angina and the hypothyrodism…). Even my pee is healthy. So, I wanted to know just why I keep waking up with headaches and get so tired all the time?
How about sleep apnea? When he explained it, it sounded likely – heavy snoring (check), shallow, disturbed sleep (check), occasional waking up gasping for air (check), naturally narrow sinuses (check). So I’ve been given a steroid nasal spray to use on my sinuses at bedtime. I tried it last night, and yes, I had quite a good night’s sleep, with no headache.
So I’ll keep on with it.

But I am rather disappointed with such a mundane – nay, plebian – explanation for my symptoms. I was rather hoping that I had some mysterious, medically inexplicable ailment; an illness that would make me glamourously pale, thin and wan. Something that would eventually see me lying in a silken nightie with my blonde tresses spread o’er down pillows; and at my bedside, an old lover would kneel, holding my chilled and tiny hand and sobbingly begging forgiveness for dumping me for that bitch Christina in 1971…..

Nope, sleep apnea just doesn’t cut it….