Dan: “Let’s play Hacker!”
Andy: “No, let’s play Munchkin. It’ll be shorter.”
General Agreement3 and a half hours later:
Dan finally wins. All players have been at level nine almost constantly for about half an hour. Several attempts at winning have been made, but all have been prevented, mostly by
Andy. Dan wins by one point, in the face of all the cards Matt and Andy had left to prevent him.
All cheer. Except Andy, who nearly chokes on a pringle at having his plot foiled.
And now for something completely different…
…I like to call it sleep.
PS no idea why this is down this side. Pressed something randomly, too tired to try and fix it.
Yesterday I spent about 8 hours watching Dan and his Dad learn how to parachute. They did their first jump at about 6pm. It was a very comprehensive course, and I think that I could
probably have jumped out with them, had I the money. They are jumping more today, I am joining them for lunch with the rest of his family and if they are good they will both get to do
free fall (previously they did static line – the plane pulls out your parachute as you fall).
I didn’t realise quite how many safety procedures went into a parachute. Not only is there a reserve chute, but it can be released by
a) you cutting away the main chute (pull the red thing)
b) you pulling the reserve rip cord
c) your altimeter reaching a set height above a certain speed
So, even if you are unconscious, and your main parachute hasn’t opened, you will float gently to an area within 100m of the dropzone (They drop you such that if you use reserve you
would land in the right place without even steering.)
With that in mind I am going to sign myself up for the university’s skydiving club in September. Dan seemed to enjoy it and thinks I would too.
Owing to Kenya Airlines being arsey, Dan will now be home Monday, instead of Wednesday! Yaaaaay! Pity they couldn’t do their tour of Zambia as well as Malawi, but it means he’ll be
home early. I’m going to pick him up from Preston. If anyone wants a ride, feel free, since he has not got much stuff with him.
Had my first day at work today, 8am-1pm shift. The boss is really nice and made me cups of tea and lunch. The people are nice too though the children are sometimes annoying. I think
I’ll learn a lot about how to deal with kids before I’m finished! Working again on Saturday, and then 6 days a week from then on.
Going out for curry tonight, should be good. I have sunburn from sleeping on the beach yesterday. My hand is a bit swollen, but I put on after-sun and I don’t know what else to do. It
doesn’t hurt anymore though.
Can’t wait to see Dan. I didn’t realise quite how much I was missing him until I got a message from him and I was so happy that he’s coming home. It lifted a huge weight from my mind,
like I thought he’d been mauled by tigers or something because I hadn’t heard from him in days. I was counting down the days, and before long it would have been in hours, but now it’s
only 42 and three-quarter hours until I see him!
Yesterday morning I finally got around to going to visit Mark Ratcliffe. Apparently he never got the email I sent him the day I made the decision, which explains why he never got back
to me.
Nearly broke down crying whilst talking to him, which made me realise something was horribly wrong. I came out of Llandinam and went running into the girl’s toilets in Phys Sci for a
good cry, despite not being upset about anything. After a short while I realised this was a stupid way to behave, and decided to go home and sleep for a bit to see if that made me
feel any better.
When I emerged from the toilets, Matt was waiting. I’d passed him as I entered the Phys Sci building, but gave him the brush off. He waited anyway, yay! We walked as far as Block 5
together, and he kept making me laugh, which certainly helped. However, by the time I got back to JTA’s room I was crying again. Lay on the bed bawling my eyes out (still for no
obvious reason) until I fell asleep. When JTA got back, I tried to explain but I don’t think I was particularly lucid and anyway I didn’t really have an explanation. I had become
extremely tired and shaky, but decided I had to go down to Llandinam and talk to Adrian Shaw (who Mark Ratcliffe referred me to). Only got that far by leaning on JTA, and when we
reached Shaw’s office I didn’t feel up to talking to him. Consumed Cola, then came back, clinging to my composure by a thread. Mustered the courage to knock on his door…
…and the bastard wasn’t even in. Hmph. JTA practically dragged me up the hill, by this point I was in such a state that as we came out of block four a random passer by asked if I
needed medical attention (and this started me crying again. Honestly, I don’t normally start crying just because somebody I don’t know talks to me). Then I slept lots.
Sometime after seven, Bryn rang to ask if I wanted to go to the beach. I agreed, I had been awake for about five minutes at that point and was feeling heaps better. It was a good
evening, described in further detail by Dan. Today I feel better, and have had an email from Adrian Shaw arranging a meeting on Thursday. This
leaves me with two spare days.
Today I am going to sort out some stuff for a meeting this evening, tomorrow I’m going to get out and have some fresh air and exercise by walking along the coast to Borth. If anyone
wants to come with me, let me know.
…testing Dan. Earlier I sent in to ask how many times the big Panda said ‘nice’ in Panda Ko Panda (12, 5 times referring to bamboo). When we were getting food at the Chinese, Dan
accused Bryn of having sent that in (he was logged on at the time), I might have got away with it but I burst out laughing.
Then just now, Bryn and I were wondering how many cups of coffee you could make using all the water in the pacific ocean. In case anyone wants to try it, the answer is 259 million
cups, using 518 million tablespoons of ground coffee. That’s a lot of caffeine!
Bryn: “Can you imagine the size of the coffee filter?”
Well, the clocks have gone forward and the sun has come out. Something tells me there’ll be no more snow for a while. Yesterday, Dan, Paul, Bryn and I went up Pen Dinas (large hill
south of aber with monument atop it) and had a picnic. The food was good, the company better and the sunset… well it was just another sunset really. I’ve realised that i can’t
remember ever having seen a sunrise. Maybe one of these days I’ll be up early enough, and up a hill, and I’ll see one. Ah well.
After the picnic we went down the hill to Rummers, where we played silly games, first Cluedo(Paul won), then a game called Ntropy where the aim is to place sticks on a stick structure
without any sticks falling off. Sounds simple but it got really tactical during the second game. Two random people joined us that time, so we had six players and only a few sticks
each. It was tense, but Bryn won (again). We are goin to have to find a copy of that game so that we can finally beat bryn!
Then the last orders bell rang, and we returned to the flat, where we played Lord Of The Rings: the board game. It’s surprisingly good, given that you play cooperatively against the
rules to try to get the ring to Mordor. I was Pippin – impetuous.
Now it’s morning and I have a headache from all the beer and a backache from the rolling down hills head over heels. Nevertheless, it was a good day.
TromaNight rolls to a close in 2003 with three excellent offerings. Tonari no Totoro, Pitch Black and Kiki Delivery Service. The first and last were excellent. Pitch Black was a good
middle film without doubt – but perhaps easier to forget because the other two were so charming.
The music in Kiki is really rather special. It was a joy to watch and listen to – and the cat! The cat (played by Phil Hartman, of Simpsons fame (Troy Maclure and Lionel Hutz)) was a
joy to watch. Very *very* catlike in behaviour and commentary…
Just got back from me favourite sleepy seaside town, missing it already. Dumped my brother in Penbryn, caught up with Strokey in the Blue Creek Cafe (which now has my fave Aber hot
chocolate), learnt the wonders of googlewhacking and disneyporn with Dan and Claire, and saw Derry for the first time in ages (and got a Hollywood, yay!). It was so nice to wake up
with someone again. Nice lazy Aber day today. I know I’ve done the right thing with having a year out – I’ve got loads more confidence and money – but I did feel jealous seeing all
the ickle freshers arriving all nervous and excited.
My cousin, who’s in the TA, has just been called up to serve in Basra, which sucks. He’s just turned 18. Ok, so it’s his choice, I’m sure he’ll be fine, and he’ll get loads of money
for it, unlike the Iraqi civilians who had no choice in the matter, but it still sucks for his family. Ach well, that’s war for you.
I don’t recall this particular incident of googlewhacks and disneyporn, but I can imagine the conversation, in retrospect. The former probably came up in respect to my experiments around that time into Google Search’s quirks and googlebombability; the latter perhaps an attempt to squick out “Strokey” Adam.
A day of energy and focus. Paul and I hacking through stuff, fixing, tweaking, making work, prodding, pushing.
Its a slick operation. Paul and I discuss bugs and problems, mark them up on a whiteboard on the wall (installed for the purpose) and clear off fixed issues. Dan chews through
problems in staccato style – a quick hit and run raid on a bad patch of bugs, followed by some Civilisation 3.
I spent much of the early part of the day creating new icons for the help section and improving some others. Later on Paul replaced me at the terminal – weaving together a gossamer of
information into a cohesive and structured explanation of how the system works.
Bryn closes hostilities with a QA roundup. Vigorous and detailed, he pulled out anything he found that was out of place or untidy in the help system and listed it for change.
So its morning. We’re a touch behind schedule – but quality of the product is all. We are determined to fix the “showstoppers” (big bugs) and make a good dent in anything silly
outstanding before we declare it released. I can see that taking a few more days.
Paul and I were left discussing its worth in our currently debris-strewn living room. What does this project actually mean? It means a lot – to me, to Dan, to everyone involved. Most
of all its yet more proof of the magic that is Aberystwyth.
At the edge of darkness, all that is left is tomorrow.
Got up late, and spent the day on Ynyslas beach (A small town North of Aberystwyth, on the coast) with Paul, Kit, Fiona (Kit’s new girlfriend, as I’m sure he will relate in his next
entry) and Dan. The water was warm, if a little shallow. We went for a swim, had a barbecue and watched the beautiful sunset. Pictures will be online soon enough. We climbed lazily
back over the sand dunes to return to the car. Dan ran ahead, stopped at the crescent of a dune, and turned. “Drop your bag, take your keys, your car is underwater!” I thought he was
joking.
So i wade into the now several inches deep water, just below the level of the exhaust pipe. Uncaring about getting sand in the car from my soaking shoes, I jump in and start the
engine. I rev and rev, but my wheels are spinning and I’m digging myself deeper into the sand. Eventually, as the water continues to rise, some strangers come to my aid. (Dan had gone
to get the others.) With about five people pushing and me panicking slightly less, the car was rescued and i drove it away from the water.
As I drove, very relieved indeed and driving cautiously in case the brakes had been damaged, a woman shouts at me. “Your lights are off!” she tells me. The least of my worries on an
almost deserted beach after escaping a drowned vehicle! I flipped them on and waited for the rest of the crew.
We returned to aber, and laughed at our stupidity. Ok, my stupidity, I guess. This sort of thing only happens to me. We washed the salt water off the car and went back to the flat for
beer and “Cannibal the Musical”. Hooray. A good day all round.
I’m considering giving my car bouyancy aids and an anchor.
I’ve drunk too much coffee and can’t sleep. After “Equilibre” last night, Dan and I discovered the difference between men and women is that men don’t understand art, and women don’t
understand art but are good at pretending they do.
Been coding all day. Creating adventure games is harder than it looks! I have two games on the go – one called “Absurd” and one called “Dungeon.” Both are in their early stages. I
have to be doing several things at once or I get bored, so when I get stuck on one bug i swap to the other adventure.
Have been pondering the fact that I’ve spent most of my life trying to find something to belong to, to fit in with, to be part of, and i think i’ve found most of it now. No reason
to stop searching through the maze though ;) I flitted through friendship groups faster than a speeding meercat in the past, but at least at uni it feels a little more permanent, if
an illusion as everyone leaves sometime. I have Dan. Hooray! Enough soppiness (I’m not good at expressing my feelings, but I love you, my dearest, always and forever).
I have Aberystwyth. Ok, I *will* leave at some point, but it will always be here and in my memories as home. Hopefully my new degree will become part of this happy set-up.
I have coffee. This is why I’m still up. Suppose I’ll hack till I drop. I chose hacking over shopping today, normally its playing pc games that wins but now I’m writing my own
games, which is more fun.
At least when i go see CompSci’s admissions tutor I can say “Sorry if I’m tired, I drank too much coffee and spent the small hours coding in an object oriented fashion.” He’ll be
delighted to have me aboard.
I’d best stop my rambling and get some code done that will be incomprehendable by the morning. Just like this post.
I’ve just made a sim Claire, Dan, Kit, Paul and Bryn. I was bored ok?
Dan and Claire hardly see each other because they work opposing hours, Kit and Paul are jobless bums who spend all day at Dan and Claire’s or playing on their computers, Bryn has a
tiny house and is a drill instructor. Dan’s a website manager, Claire is a busker. It’s a little true to life.
Claire keeps setting fire to the kitchen by trying to cook.
I haven’t a clue where Kit or Paul are, normally they’re here harassing me to do things by now. I miss them. Also I’m hungry and I want them to decide where I should go eat. I have to
go to work at 4, hopefully the manager will be in and I can hand in my notice as planned.
Long time, no update. (shrugs). Went for a pickled egg in Aber but couldn’t find one after searching nearly every pub in the area, so we’ve decided to make our own with vinegar,
garlic, chillis, mustard, red hot tobasco sauce etc… should be quite interesting. Results in two weeks
Dan and Claire seem to be getting more use out of my dinghy than me, but I don’t mind…. I enjoy seeing people have fun
Haven’t seen Stan for a while…. I wonder how long it will be before he actually asks me for rent…
I’ve heard nothing from a couple of jobs I’ve applied for, so I went to the Job Centre and found one for “Arcade Cashier”. It sounds quite good and pays over £200 a week (before tax)
so that will do me nicely…