Category Archives: Life

Bah and buggerit

Posted on by

I thought I was doing the right thing taking the photo’s without the flash with as much ambient light as I could generate and then using picasa to correct the white balance etc.  However, looking at the new pictures (uploaded) they’re worse than the ones I initially took with the flash ages ago.  These are only there to get the basic images on-line so folk can see the figures, but I’m still annoyed at myself.  Internal warring between the ‘it’s done, leave it, they’re only crappy little miniatures’ and the ‘do it right, if it’s worth doing it’s worth doing it right’ factions.

I’m going to take Simes up on his offer to do some good photo’s of some of the better mini’s, this isn’t about that, it’s just about having a library of all the minis I’ve got in photo form.

Five hours.

Maybe I’ll do them again, but much later.

This is a similar issue to when I was doing the photo scans, ended up throwing a good weeks worth of work away when I changed my mind about DPI and file format.

Anyway, here’s some of the earliest miniatures, in their terrible horrific glory.

Indy IV

Posted on by

It’s odd, we watched Indy IV on DVD yesterday and … it wasn’t as annoying as I remember it, and was actually more like Indy than I recall.  I was pretty generous in my review originally, and I had some real doubts about the whole alien plot but actually watching it again, it bears up very well in a second viewing and it’s not as totally dumb in places as I remember.

There are some truly pointless moments (why do the monkies follow Mud and attack the Russian woman, I assume because of the skull in some way but it’s not really clear, why do interdimensional beings need a spaceship, etc.) but really it’s a pretty solid Indy movie.  I wonder what it is about second viewings that make movies seem better?  Maybe like music they have to grow on you?  Maybe because you know what’s coming you get a chance to actually watch more of the supporting action?  Who knows, this is almost a duplicate of my Hell Boy II post a few days ago, because it’s exactly the same feeling.

Anyway.  Back at work this week, on call as well (including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day) but it’s pretty quiet in the office so plenty of chance to get all the admin type stuff out of the way and catch up with various bits that didn’t get done before Christmas.

Eight days until pay day, and we can see how much money we have to pay off the Visa bill that built up in November and December (dentist, christmas, etc.)  Things are pretty tight until we see where we are early in January.  I’m looking forward more than usual to not paying Council Tax in February and March, that extra £109 is always useful but this year it could be critical.

So fingers crossed.

Whiskey & Red Bull

Posted on by

Decided to finish the evening with a small glass of whiskey, opened the cupboard and next to the Glenmorangie were 8 cans of Red Bull.

You’ll be pleased to know that although I suddenly had an insane crazy idea to try whiskey and red bull, I managed to refrain.

Christmas Eve

Posted on by

Welcome to Christmas Eve.  I’m just finishing a can of red bull before heading into the kitchen to make us a small fried breakfast (mushrooms, tinned tomatoes, hash browns, bacon, eggs, sausages, beans, toast).  While I’m doing that you should all go and watch a video over at Zeeker’s livejournal.

We finished season two of Black Adder last night and started season three.  I really can’t believe there’s only six episodes in each season, that’s mad.  By the way, if you’ve never seen Black Adder (because you’re too young, or you live in a country where it’s never been shown, or you’ve just not seen it) then you should try very hard to see it.  All four seasons are classic comic TV with some truly side splitting moments of laughing.  Still, I can’t beleve there’s only 6 episodes per seasons, although as Grete said, “BBC”, which explained the whole thing in one word.

We discovered half way through season two and into season three that both of us have speech patterns heavily influenced by Black Adder.

I need to write up part 4 of the painting diary after doing some more painting yesterday as well (I write them and and schedule them three days apart so that even if I don’t paint for a couple of days the diaries aren’t too far behind the miniature).

But first.

Breakfast.

Breakfasts!

Posted on by

Ah Christmas week, a week of relaxing and eating breakfasts you’re not allowed to eat during the rest of the year (well, it’s my tradition and I’m sticking to it!)

This morning Grete had Belgian Waffles with Canadian Maple Syrup (pure) and I’m having (too many) crumpets with butter.  Grete has more waffles in the cupboard and some croissants for some point later in the week.  I normally cook a fried breakfast on Christmas day but in the last few years we’ve run into scheduling issues.  We don’t really get the breakfast done cooked until 11 o’clock or sometimes later, and that pushes our roast dinner back until the early evening.  Neither of those things is good for my diabetes really (by the time breakfast is done I’m usually desperate to eat), so this year we’re doing fried breakfast on Christmas Eve and something smaller on Christmas Day, so we can eat the dinner at more like 2 or 3 o’clock.

Ah, crumpets, sweet crumpets already I feel your white flour sugary badness flowing into my blood and making me a little giddy.  Soon you’ll lift me high and then dump me suddenly, alone, cold and shaking in the wilderness of high GI food and yet I shall love thee no less and in two days we shall dance this dance again.

Stress free shopping

Posted on by

Just got back from what has to be our most stress free ‘last shop before Christmas’ in the history of Christmases.  Granted we’d got loads of stuff already buying it in little bits over the last 3 weeks, but there’s always fresh stuff you need, bread, milk, veg, etc. and Tesco was totally empty at 8:30am this morning!  We grabbed some breakfast, and then sorted the last of the food.

No need to go shopping again now until next Saturday.

We’re not penny pinching this Christmas but we’re certainly budgeting, and so far we’re within budget, although I have to pretend I’m not paying for more tooth work in February and I don’t need a new wing mirror.

Officially on holiday

Posted on by

Grete’s dad has headed out, so the cat are now trying to work out if the house is safe or not.  Bubbles is pretty confident the coast is clear but Fizz is going to take a lot more convincing, and I have the bleeding fingers, wrists and thighs to prove it.

However, since I now have no more responsibility until I go back to work I am officially on holiday.

Weekend progress

Posted on by

So the cats are sort of coping with the presence of a dog, Bubbles is being oddly bolshy and while obviously not happy about the Not Cat that is walking around her house she’s coping ok.  Fizz however is in hiding and has been for the whole weekend.  She is not happy at all about the dog.  Funny that Fizz is the dominant cat but Bubbles is the one being most normal.

Pretty tired today

Posted on by

More emotionally tired than physically, and not really able to think of anything worthy to blog about.  The final part of the Lord of the Rings Online review will auto-post at 9pm.  I enjoyed writing that, enjoyed writing something substantial over a number of days, I may try and do something similar maybe about miniature painting.  Perhaps I’ll pick one figure and blog about the whole painting process.  Maybe I’ll get bored long before that happens.

Grete’s dad is visiting today, staying overnight.  The cats will have to cope with his dog so we’ve moved their food, water and litter tray upstairs so they can continue to do what they do (eat, drink, shit, sleep) without being disturbed.  He’s taking our presents for Grete’s sister, brother-in-law and their kids down south with him when he heads out on Saturday.