Too Young To Be Grumpy

The last week was half term here, which meant that our usual evening classes were off, although we both still had to go to work. This meant that in the evenings we were really busy slacking; this in turn meant we had nothing to blog about. Did sod all.

We still had our regular salsa class on Friday which was basically our dress-rehearsal for our "Come Dance With Me" party on Tuesday. This is a party our teacher runs for charity - the British Heart Foundation. On Saturday we drove up to Wales and I was hoping to do some photography, but the weather was against me. We stayed at Daisy's Mum's and ate far too much, as usual. I think she thinks our large reserves of blubber are due to malnutrition.

We headed off to Labels in Ross on Wye Saturday afternoon and I bought myself a snazzy shirt for the party. I actually did a tiny tiny amount of Christmas shopping too. I guess it will all add up, eventually... hopefully.

Got back earlier this evening and have just been catching up on the piles of blogs I subscribe to. Means I've been pretty slack with the commenting on them tonight.

Despite apparantly having an extra hour in bed last night, it means I'm effectively up later tonight, which means I'm tired earlier, so I might get another few extra hours of sleep by bogging off to bed early.

Being a salsa 'dancer', I am watching the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing with interest. Some celebs dance with professional dancers and viewers phone in and vote for who they think is best. Each week the couple with the lowest vote count gets thrown out. Last week one of the celebs, called Fiona Phillips was absolutely awful last week (I thought she was going to fall over), and this week she wasn't great. The judges are very harsh, and said what they thought. However, she keeps getting voted in through sympathy voting by the viewers. It happened last year with Julian Clary. I think it's a shame that some of the other contestants, who are clearly better, are getting knocked out in favour of the stumbling Phillips. It just goes to show what a bunch of wankers some TV viewers are.

Today I had to do a software demonstration to an eminent Professor from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT). I had been building up to it since I originally found out about it on Monday. I'd even searched through the old grey cells to remember my very basic Japanese - "Konichiwa", and "Arigato Gosaimasu". But of course, come the nerves of the actual demonstration, I completely forgot to say any of it. However, I did remember the Lonely Planet's guidance about how a business card in Japan is quite important. As when I visited Japan a year ago, Professor Sadaoki was very curteous, quiet and handed over his business card as though it was made of gold. I took it as though it was too, as I didn't want to offend anyone. It amused me that my supervisor jammed his in his shirt pocket.

Demo went off ok. I have apparantly got another one to do on Monday to some billionaire venture capitalist bloke. They chose me? Geez, I'm no salesman, that's for sure. Well, actually, that's probably it - they didn't choose me... I got lumbered with it because one of my bosses is on sabatical, and the other is in MIT. I think my supervisor has offered to come and help me out! He's a good bloke, is Paul.

Thanks for the comments on the last post. I guess I don't use my Doctor title very much, either. I don't really have any rules when I use it though - it depends how I'm feeling at the time - but it's not very often. However, Dr.Factor kinda makes me sound like one of the X-men, or something. "Saves the World With the Fack To Brunt Talking!"

Wow, is it the 18th October already? Just in case there is anyone who reads this thing, I think Daisy and I owe an apology for the lack of interesting updates recently. We haven't been having a baby, courting over the phone, getting new jobs, or about to move house, however, we have been busy doing a number of evening classes which take up much of the time we had left after work.

However, not all is lost, as we did get to have a nice walk at a local Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserve at the weekend, which seemed like heaven after all the late nights.

Tonight I go to my picture framing course. I'm actually quite enjoying it, and we're already on week 3 of 6. Last week we practiced cutting mounts in mounting card, and although my first 7 were rubbish, the two I practiced today have come out ok once I grasped an idea that our teacher explained last week. My only problem now is that my ruler is WAY too short, and I can't do any mounts greater than about 20cm long!

Tomorrow evening, Daisy and I go to our teaching course. It's basically a course about how to do the paperwork associated with teaching. Paperwork is so important in adult teaching these days, simply for accountability. Last week our tutor was telling us how we must write down even small remarks that one learner might make to another if we think they may have been offended. Shortly afterwards exactly that happened, so I'm sure our tutor wrote that one down. This week we have to produce a scheme of work for a fictional course, which is basically a list of the lessons, with the resources and activities for each. We also have to produce 3 lesson plans, which, as it sounds, is a plan of a specific lesson. I spent most of Sunday afternoon on it, most of Monday evening, and I still have 2 lesson plans left to go! I won't be handing in a completed one this week. Daisy, of course, has tonight when I'm at picture framing.

We're both still going to our salsa lessons, and getting on really well. One of Daisy's friends sent an email to her yesterday suggesting we take up salsa. Uhm, we've been doing it for a year - I guess we are rather quiet people! Tsch.

Talking of which, as part of our teaching course we have to do a 30 minute teaching session to our fellow learners. As I have a PhD in computer science, have a web-design business, am setting up an internet retail business and have been working with bleeding edge of web-technologies for the past 3 years, I'm going to teach them the basics of salsa dancing!

Indeed, that idea of setting up an internet business is kind of on the back burner for the only reason that I haven't had much time to devote to it. I'm just glad my website design business hasn't taken off yet (I'm assuming it will of course!), although that all means I'm still stuck doing the same [insert expletive] job I've been for the last.. uhm.. too long.

Hmm... guess this was a bit of a rant. Sorry about that.

It's been another one of those weeks were I seem to have been busy, yet can't really remember why. I actually had to be in work most of this week, which always takes up more time, with the hour's commute each way - ugh. Anyway, our poor little blog has gotten a bit neglected.

On Tuesday night I started a new evenings class on how to frame pictures. It is run by a person who used to own a local picture framing company that he sold in 2000. He is going to teach us how to choose and cut mountings, how to cut the mouldings to make the frame itself, although he can't teach us how to cut the glass due to health and safety. It's only 6 week course, so it should be good. I've got to get myself a mount cutter this week, so we're off to Hobbycraft today to see if they have one. If not, I'll probably get on online from Longridge.

We are still going to our "delivering learning" evening class on Wednesday nights. I'm enjoying it more so now, even though we're having to do more presentations these days, and in a few weeks we are going to have to deliver a "micro-teaching" session, or 30 minutes, to our fellow learners. I think I will do it on internet security!

Thursday nights are still free, but Friday's are taken up with our salsa dance lessons, which are getting quite energetic these days. I'm really chuffed how my wife and I are getting on though, and really enjoy strutting our stuff (as long as no-one is watching!).

And so Saturday arrives, and I have a lie in, and now it's time to think about going out doing a bit of shopping. Maybe it would be good to take the camera. I emailled a company last night who are after amateur and professional photographers for photographs to make Christmas cards and such from. I'm quite excited about maybe having my photos in print, although I must make sure not to get my hopes up, as I am, after all, only using a Digital SLR, although that should be high enough resolution for postcards, at least. Don't forget to check out my latest photos at my photo blog :o)

Anyway, late as it is, it's time for a shower and to get dressed so I can make my way out into the wide world and buy a mount cutter. Such an exciting life :o)

What a shame it is to hear that Ronnie Barker has died. Unfashionable as it may be, I loved the two Ronnies and thought they were very funny, and it was Barker that wrote nearly all of their material. In fact, the bits I always found a bit dull (when I was younger admittedly) were Corbett's rants from his chair (always thought Ronnie Corbett looked like Penfold from Dangermouse). I guess this means the BBC will reply a load of their best bits, so I'm looking forward to that.