I've been trying to take care of some tasks on my "to do" list, including registering with a local GP and a Dentist here in Oxford. I also wanted to find out whether I could have my mail held while I'm in the States next month, as I didn't want any parcels sent to me to be returned, unclaimed.
In fact, Royal Mail have a form you can fill out to make such a request: you indicate the dates you want the mail to be held, the names of the people whose mail is to be held (in case there's more than one person at the address), and your choice of METHOD OF PAYMENT FOR THE SERVICE. You have to pay them not to deliver your post. The amount depends on how long it is held. I'll have to pay �8.40, over $14.
8:47:00 PM
Technology firms supplying Los Angeles County with hardware have been asked to avoid using the words "master" and "slave" to describe their products.
The request follows a complaint by one LA County employee who considered the description offensive.
This is just too much. The term "master/slave" has been commonly used for years in electronic and mechanical devices to describe the unidirectional control of one device or process by another. Someone is being a bit too touchy!
8:33:00 PM
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Liar liar, pants on fire
There was a bit of confusion last week about the day that my Dad was arriving. For some reason I had it in my head that my Gran's birthday was Monday, the 17th, and that he was arriving on her birthday. In fact, he was arriving on her birthday but I was told I had mis-remembered the date, and that her birthday is Tuesday the 18th. "It's always been the 18th," my mom said. Gran thought perhaps my dad would arrive earlier and spend the weekend with me, not really understanding how restrictive ariline tickets actually are. "No Gran, he's going straight to Banbury on your birthday."
I mailed my card on Monday which she got in time, and Dad arrived mid-day on the 18th and got to see the cards and flowers her friends had delivered earlier in the day.
However, as I was going through paperwork, I found the documentation I had collected for my Irish citizenship application. Sure enough, Gran's birth certificate was included and her birthday was:
17/11/09
3:35:00 PM
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Now, Rugby's a sport I could learn to like
In case Sports Illustrated hasn't covered it, England won the Rugby World Cup against Australia in Sydney on Saturday morning (GMT). "Goldenboots" Jonny Wilkinson scored the winning points in the last minute of extra time in a very close match, 20-17, giving England its first championship in global competition in almost 40 years. They beat the French in the semi-finals the weekend before, and about half of each day's papers and news stories throughout the week were filled with player profiles and analysis of the upcoming final. Pubs were open at 8:45 Saturday a.m. for the final. Dad and I were out on the Oxford walking tour and it was odd to observe the semi-inebriated celebrations at noon.
10:11:00 PM
Monday, November 24, 2003
Zooma
It was nice not to have to go into work on Friday while Dad was here, but it made for a very busy (and short) weekend. We took the train in to London together as I had to pay a visit to the MacWorld Expo 2003, and he went on to Greenwich for the day.
Apple had released some new hardware during the week which I got to see first hand, including the new 20" iMac, and I picked up a few magazines that were heavily discounted. The place was very crowded and every seminar was packed, which is good news for Apple, I guess.
After I'd seen all the exhibits, I decided to start my x-mas shopping and made my way down to Regents Street and Piccadilly. I actually was able to find quite a few things I'd been looking for, and Dad took some of them back to the States with him so I don't have to ship them or carry them in my suitcase next month.
I also stopped by the National Gallery and the EasyInternet cafe before meeting up with Dad at Westminster. We had dinner at Pasta Brown in Covent Garden before walking up to Oxford Street; Enrique Iglesias had switched on the Christmas lights there earlier that evening.
Saturday was gray and wet, but we got up early and I cooked an English fry-up to fortify us before heading up to Blackwell's Bookstore's special Christmas walking tour of Oxford. As the weather was so miserable, there were only four of us and our guide, Peter, who led us up and down the High and into Exeter College Chapel to see the William Morris tapestry, "Adoration of the Magi." We also got to see the Painted Room where it is believed Shakespeare stayed while traveling between London and Stratford. The tour ended with a glass of mulled wine at the Randolph Hotel.
Perhaps inspired by the tapestry, Dad and I went looking for a carpet for my living room, and found a very nice one at the Alders department store. We had to pick it up later in the day so I bought a few more Christmas gifts and we recharged with lunch & a cup of tea at home. In the evening we walked around Oxford some more and admired the Christmas decorations.
Dad left early the next day for Banbury as he had to pack and get ready for his flight back to the US today. It was a very nice visit and I'm happy to be able to see him again in a few short weeks.
10:34:00 PM
Thursday, November 20, 2003
That's my chair, sir
Dad met me after work and we took a short walk around Oxford in the rain and the dark before settling into a nice pub for dinner. And yes, it was The Mitre. Sue me.
I went out to Banbury last night after work and yes the trains were hell. Forty minutes late going and over an hour late coming back. It was nice to see Gran, though, & to wish her a happy birthday and see all the nice flowers and cards her friends had sent.
10:02:00 PM
Here's something you don't see every day.
Other than the Oxford Brookes University and the slew of hospitals, this is what Headington, the eastern suburb of Oxford where I work, is famous for:
Why yes, that's a shark. And yes, it is diving into that house's roof.
9:59:00 PM
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Speaking of coupons
I've collected nearly all the tokens from the Daily Mail required for my free flight to the US, and have at the same time been collecting different tokens for a free DVD (from a choice of 10 or so -- I think I'll get Annie Hall).
On Sunday I submitted my four codes from boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats to Amazon's site in order to get my second free best seller paperback from them. They sent me an email yesterday indicating my book had shipped, so imagine my surprise (and concern) when a 10+ pound parcel from Amazon arrived at 8am today. Dammit, I thought, they've sent the wrong book and I really don't want to go through the trouble of getting it sorted, sending this book back, etc.
I needn't have worried. It was actually a very early (and very surprising) early x-mas gift from my sweetie darling Nicky.
2:29:00 PM
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
No heightened security in Banbury
My Gran's ex-son-in-law has arrived safely at 10 Crouch Street and, as is perhaps not surprising, he's struggling to keep his eyes open. I'll go up to Banbury to see them after work on Wednesday, but I won't be able to take any time off work as I will have to be away from the office for a seminar in London Friday.
1:55:00 PM
Sunday, November 16, 2003
I get it
Love, Actually has been highly recommended to me by the B's and by online buddies, but I wasn't sure I wanted to see it as I keep on hearing that you should go with someone. I didn't want to wait until I'm back in DC as I figured it might not be showing by then, and I'm going to be busy in the coming weeks so this weekend was probably my best opportunity. Strangely, it wasn't playing at all yesterday and there were only two showings today, at 7:45 and 8:20.
Of course, the Odeon's booking web site is one of those that won't accept my american credit card (grr), so I walked over there an hour early to make sure I could get a ticket.
Both shows were sold out. I guess I'm not meant to see love, actually.
11:18:00 PM
Perfect
This was the top news item when I went to yahoo.co.uk this a.m.:
Many Britons think Bush is Stupid
See the full article here.
I wasn't going to post this originally, but it's in line with an opinion piece I read in the Telegraph yesterday. The author expressed his surprise at how, for the first time he could remember, the current feelings expressed by a large portion of the population against the US President are broadening to include the average Joe American in Ohio or Oregon; before, Brits might have protested against American policies or against "the Pentagon" or "Washington."
Perhaps I should leave my baseball cap at home when I go x-mas shopping this afternoon.
1:30:00 PM
Saturday, November 15, 2003
I wasn't prepared for *that*
I was just woken up by the postman, delivering a package from the States that wouldn't fit through my letterbox, along with my Council Tax bill.
I knew that the bill would be quite high, as it's roughly equivalent to State & Local taxes in the US but is based on the value of your residence and how many people live there.
What I wasn't prepared for was exactly how high: �1200 pounds for the year. How kind of the council to offer to let me pay it in three installments in Dec, Jan and Feb.
8:59:00 AM
Friday, November 14, 2003
I scored 30 out of 35
Today I was away from the office all day, attending a seminar. It was held in the Oxford Science Park and was on the impact of the latest EU Directive on Good Clinical Practice in Clinical Trials in this country. I have no background in this area but the speakers were surprising good and I was able to follow along & learned quite a bit about what my colleagues do.
There was a quiz at the end to see if we'd been paying attention during the day.
It's been very windy and cold, but I have to go to Gran's tomorrow to return some items I borrowed and help her get ready for her ex-son-in-law's visit.
10:39:00 PM
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Well, finally
Booking Reference: U29Y92
Issue Date: 13 November 2003
Place of Issue: London
Flight Details
-----------------------------------------------------
Key: IAD = WASHINGTON DC, WASHINGTON DULLES
LHR = LONDON (LON), HEATHROW
Flight
Date Number Depart Arrive Class Status
11DEC VS 21 LHR 11:30 14:55 IAD Economy (X) OK
29DEC VS 22 IAD 19:15 07:05 LHR Economy (X) OK
Passenger: G/TIMOTHYMR
1:10:00 PM
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Cha ka
This has been a particularly brutal week at work. I decided to treat myself to take-away Chinese food from a restaurant up the road that my mom recommended, as she'd been there a few years ago. It seemed odd to see a tudor building with a huge roasting fire place in oriental decor, but when in rome....
Unfortunately I accidentally left my FU debit card there. I didn't realize it until 11:30 last night but when I called them they said they had it & I could pick it up when they opened today at 6:30. They were standing at the door with it when I arrived, so all is well.
(I also got a call from Virgin indicating they'd charged the card for my ticket to DC over x-mas, so I should be getting the e-ticket any day now).
9:36:00 PM
Monday, November 10, 2003
The Red Tops won't let go
Besides what Tivo decides I should watch, I haven't seen much TV. That's not to say I haven't been entertained, as the nation's newspapers have been serving up scandals, struggles and sex all month. First it was Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, who published a tell-all book. Princes William and Harry condemned him for betraying the memory of their mother. Next, the Conservatives had a relatively quick and sudden Leadership challenge last week, and the top Tory, Mr. Duncan-Smith, was kicked out in favour of old blood, Mr. Howard. Tony Blair and his Chancellor have been feuding too.
Now we have a right royal scandal. For those of you who haven't been following allow me to post a summary from another site:
In the biggest royal whodunnit of them all, Britain's future king, Prince Charles, has unprecedentedly issued a public statement denying any part in a mystery sexual palace scandal thought to be severely damaging to the monarchy. The allegations, said to be so serious as to bring the badly-bruised British monarchy to its knees, are still unpublished [in the UK-Tim].
Details of the allegations, which cannot be repeated by any media outlet for legal reasons, are thought to be contained in an audio-tape recording made by Diana before they divorced. The tape records George Smith making a number of allegations about a "senior member of the royal family".
The Prince authorised his private secretary, almost as soon as he left India, to name him as the senior royal at the centre of an unpublished sexual allegation. The aide vehemently denied the allegation and pointed out the unreliableness of the former royal servant making the claims.
The royal family and a former aide have been trying to block the scandal story for a week. The Mail on Sunday (which doesn't have a website) planned to run the story last weekend, but a court injunction blocked them. An unidentified "senior member of the royal family" also personally asked the Mail on Sunday to quash the story. Another court injunction blocked papers from revealing who had sought the first court injunction. The Guardian fought that restriction and won the right to identify the injunction-seeker as Michael Fawcett, a former aide to Prince Charles. The Mail on Sunday is still trying to overturn the injunction against publishing the whole story.
Basically, George Smith allegedly told Diana in a tape-recorded conversation that he saw the Prince of Wales in bed with his valet, Michael Fawcett. What I find ludicrous is that those who filed the injunctions thought that would actually prevent the story from getting out and about in this day and age. As of today no English newspaper has been able to print the details, and I had to register with a site in Ireland to read them. Scottish newspapers available in London, but not bound by the injunction, also printed the details.
BTW I don't believe the allegations. Oh, but if they were true....
10:13:00 PM
Yeah, I'm spinning after that
I got up "early" yesterday and saw the first showing of The Matrix: Revolutions at the George Street Odeon. It's as nice a cinema as you'll find here in Oxford and was not surprisingly �6, no discount for the matinee.
As for the movie itself, I had read two reviews in the papers, both of which gave it one star out of 5. I might have given it a two. All of their criticisms are valid; the first 30 minutes are just awful & most of the second half shows off the amazing special effects but there's nothing ground-breaking as there had been in the first movie. I'm looking forward to when it comes out on DVD so I can sit down and watch 2 and 3 together. Maybe then I can make some more sense of it.
(An aside: I haven't been to the movies that often, so I was pleased to catch some previews. I am so not into cheesy National-Lampoon style christmas comedy, so I surprised myself by laughing out loud at Will Ferrell's latest, Elf. A positive review from Washington Post has allowed me to put it on my list of films to see this month.)
9:54:00 AM
Banking, Schmanking
Here's one of those times when it's frustrating being 2000 miles and five hours away from the US: I got an email from my internet provider indicating the VISA debit card (issued by First Union in DC, which they've been billing monthly since May) had been "referred" and that I should provide an alternate card or straighten out the problem --whatever it might be-- with my bank.
I called First Union (around 10pm) and asked them if there was a problem with the card or the account. The guy I talked to said everything looked fine and he didn't know why there would have been a problem. I asked him to verify the address (which I'd just changed this past week) and that was fine. He did say that a hold had been made for a charge on Saturday for "FOOD LION - GEORGETOWN PHARM" for $8 and change. Well of course that wasn't right as we don't have Food Lions here and I haven't been in Georgetown. I can't dispute the charge until it's actually made against my account, which could take as long as three days. I could cancel the card but it would be $35 to DHL me a new one (and I'd have to notify all the vendors who have my card on file). I decided to sit tight and see if the actual charge showed up later this week.
I called FU back a half hour later to make sure they had my correct address and to see if there were any other suspicious charges. This time, the woman I spoke to couldn't find any holds or charges, not even the Food Lion charge. She couldn't explain why her colleague would have seen one earlier. Grrrr. I submitted my card details to the Internet Provider again and it seems to have gone through OK.
What I really need is a proper UK checking account with a proper UK check card or VISA card.
9:40:00 AM
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
What do you mean I can't call the US for 2p/min?
I got a shock today when I found out that Telediscount, the service I have been using to make calls to the US from my British Telecom line for only 2 pence/min (about 3 cents/min) no longer offers that service.
Instead they now provide access for 1p/min. That's about a penny and a half to call anywhere in the US. No minimum, no monthly charges, no extra bills.
Is the US really that far behind in this arena?
10:25:00 PM
Boom
According to this article, Guy Fawkes knew what he was doing when he planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In fact, it's estimated the amount of explosives used would have blown away much of a sqare km of Westminster.
But, he was nabbed and burned and fireworks have been exploding outside my window for the past four or five nights. Tonight, not surprisingly, has been the worst.
9:20:00 PM
Veg
Tivo recorded "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" for me last week, and I finished watching it on Monday. I really enjoyed Eddie Izzard's performance and didn't realize until tonight that Prunella Scales, who played Sybil in "Fawlty Towers," played his character's mother. Victoria Hamilton was also excellent as his wife. Not a happy play, though.
The next night a saw a DVD I'd rented from the library: Almod�var's All About My Mother. Another weepy weepy.
9:10:00 PM
Saturday, November 01, 2003
Summer's definitely over
I just took this picture four minutes ago from my mobile phone's camera attachment, then transferred it wirelessly to my mac via bluetooth. A quick touch-up in Photoshop and Bob's your uncle.
Taken from the street in front of my house, which is in the centre:
1:38:00 PM
Why yes, that's a shark. And yes, it is diving into that house's roof.
As for the movie itself, I had read two reviews in the papers, both of which gave it one star out of 5. I might have given it a two. All of their criticisms are valid; the first 30 minutes are just awful & most of the second half shows off the amazing special effects but there's nothing ground-breaking as there had been in the first movie. I'm looking forward to when it comes out on DVD so I can sit down and watch 2 and 3 together. Maybe then I can make some more sense of it.
(An aside: I haven't been to the movies that often, so I was pleased to catch some previews. I am so not into cheesy National-Lampoon style christmas comedy, so I surprised myself by laughing out loud at Will Ferrell's latest, Elf. A positive review from Washington Post has allowed me to put it on my list of films to see this month.)
