Pack Light

Think I blew Ruth‘s mind this morning when I set off for a week in Mexico with only a medium-sized, underseat-suitable backpack.

Selfie of Dan in a tunnel walkway wearing a backpack.

But since working for Automattic five years ago I’ve totally been bitten by the travelling-light bug. Highly recommended!

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Heaven Can Wait

Harry Segell’s 1938 play Heaven Can Wait went on to inspire such an extraordinarily long legacy of follow-ups.

Chart showing relationships of various films and a play. Down To Eath (2001 film) is a remake of Heaven Can Wait (1978 film), but takes its name from a 1947 film upon which Xanadu (1980 film) is based. Down To Earth (1947 film) is a sequel to Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941 film), of which the 1978 Heaven Can Wait is a remake. Here Comes Mr. Jordan is based on 1938 play Heaven Can Wait, which lends its name to the later remakes.

I’ve only seen the most-recent few and my experience is that the older iterations are better, so I probably ought to watch Here Comes Mr. Jordan, right?

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Note #24625

This morning’s actual breakfast order from the 7-year-old: “A sesame seed bagel with honey, unless there aren’t any sesame seed bagels, in which case a plain bagel with honey on one half and jam on the other half, unless there aren’t any plain bagels, in which case a cinnamon and raisin bagel with JimJams on one half and Biscoff on the other half.”

Dan, looking confused, next to a cinnamon and raisin bagel with JimJams on one half and Biscoff on the other half (and their respective jars).

Some day, this boy will make a great LISP programmer. 😂

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Note #24599

At work, we recently switched expenses system to one with virtual credit card functionality. I decided to test it out by buying myself lounge access for my upcoming work trip to Mexico. Unfortunately the new system mis-detected my lounge access as being a purchase from lingerie company loungeunderwear.com. I’m expecting a ping from Finance any moment to ask me why I’m using a company credit card to buy a bra.

Screenshot from expenses system indicating that a purchase was made at loungeunderwear.com, with a photo showing an example of something sold at that website - a lacy bra - overlaid.

One might ask why our expenses provider can (mis-)identify loungeunderwear.com from a transaction in the first place. Did somebody at some company that uses this provider actually buy some ladies’ briefs on a company credit card at some point?

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Note #24593

This post is part of 🐶 Bleptember, a month-long celebration of our dog's inability to keep her tongue inside her mouth.

We made it! This young furbaby managed to pose a bleppy picture every single day of Bleptember. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Behind a handwritten sign with the words 'Happy Bleptember!' and a pawprint, a French Bulldog lies in a soft basket with her tongue stuck out.

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Note #24591

This post is part of 🐶 Bleptember, a month-long celebration of our dog's inability to keep her tongue inside her mouth.

“You want more Bleptember pictures? I demand payment in the form of tummy-scritches!”

A French Bulldog lying on her side on a sofa, her tongue slightly out, enjoying a tummy scritch.

(Wow, it’s the penultimate day of Bleptember. )

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Bletchley Park

The eldest is really getting into her WW2 studies at school, so I arranged a trip for her and a trip to the ever-excellent Bletchley Park for a glimpse at the code war that went on behind the scenes. They’re clearly looking forward to the opportunity to look like complete swots on Monday.

Dan sits on a padded bench in a cinema-style room, pointing his thumb at the two children sitting on a row in front of him.

Bonus: I got to teach them some stories about some of my favourite cryptanalysts. (Max props to the undersung Mavis Batey!)

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Note #24584

This post is part of 🐶 Bleptember, a month-long celebration of our dog's inability to keep her tongue inside her mouth.

Tttttthbbptt. The sound of a bleppy dog deflating like a balloon, this Twenty-Eighth of Bleptember

A French Bulldog in a dog bed, her legs tucked beneath her, her face on the rim of the cushion, her tongue almost-entirely out.

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Note #24566

This post is part of 🐶 Bleptember, a month-long celebration of our dog's inability to keep her tongue inside her mouth.

This Bleptember pic looks a bit like a political poster to me. Vote Dog, for a future with More Ham, Fewer Vacuum Cleaners!

A French Bulldog, sitting upright, at the left of the frame, facing up and right, with her tongue sticking out.

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Wave Hello Trilogy

The YouTube channel @simonscouse has posted exactly two videos.

The first came a little over ten years ago. It shows a hand waving and then wiggling its fingers in front of a patterned wallpaper:

The second came a little over five years ago, and shows a hand – the same hand? – waving in front of a painting of two cats while a child’s voice can be heard in the background:

In a comment on the latter, the producer promised that it’s be “only another 5 years until the trilogy is completed”.

Where’s the third instalment, Simon? We’re all waiting to see it!

Note #24536

This post is part of 🐶 Bleptember, a month-long celebration of our dog's inability to keep her tongue inside her mouth.

A round of especially-crazy zoomies on the morning of this Twenty-Sixth of Bleptember was apparently too much for this little pupper, who’s now looking like she’s in need of a morning nap.

A French Bulldog lies on her side, half-in and half-out of a basket, her face resting on its side on the floor with her tongue sticking out.

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Note #24533

This post is part of 🐶 Bleptember, a month-long celebration of our dog's inability to keep her tongue inside her mouth.

Happy Twenty-Fifth of Bleptember from our adorkable doggle.

A French Bulldog sits in a corner, looking alert, with her tongue sticking out.

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Note #24529

This post is part of 🐶 Bleptember, a month-long celebration of our dog's inability to keep her tongue inside her mouth.

The Twenty-Fourth of Bleptember will go down as a Good Day in the diary of our warmth-loving dog. It was finally cold and autumnal enough that we lit the fireplace, affording her the opportunity to snuggle up as close to it as we’d permit her too.

A French Bulldog lies on a soft bed in front of a lit fireplace. Her tongue sticks out from her contented face.

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