h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm too tired this evening to think of anything truly worthy of a journal entry. But this evening I've downloaded Skype, and updated my Facebook profile to list all of my IM screen names (ICQ, Skype, AIM, Yahoo and MSN- I didn't do my Google chat ID). And I actually got Skype to work with my headset. I'd bought this lovely Sennheiser headset with a built-in mic a couple of years ago, and it never worked with Skype. This time, with no trouble at all, I just download and voila! It works.

So if anyone ever wants to chat, pick a date and approximate time, and a chat client, and let's do it. I'm not logged in unless I'm expecting someone, usually, since I'm not parked in front of the computer at home most nights (after a long day parked in front of one at the office, especially if half the day was spent mucking about on teh interwebs).

All that nonsense said, I think I'll go to bed soon.

Oh- and I had my annual review at work this last week. My boss wasn't able to squeak out any more than a 3% raise, but that's what everyone else got, so I'm happy enough. And I got a nice bonus, too- 10% more than last year.

Tomorrow night we're meeting friends for dinner at an Indian joint and then will probably come back here to watch some Blake's 7 (thanks, Ictoan, for that last push I needed to convince myself to buy it), so I've got to get up early enough to do a Mad Tidy Up. Oh, if only K and Herman shared my standards of tidiness...

Ah, my wooh; poor you!

P has heaps here, there & everywhere & if i were to get worried about it, i'd go crazy; living on a muddy farm is not conducive to tidiness! I have however managed to sort out a "system" which seems to work for both of us & he is very good at sharing domestic tasks & thankfully has his own part of the place where he can be as messy as he wishes & so do i, the shared space stays "reasonably ordered".

Can you get gmail chat thingy? MSN seems to have given up on me presumably 'cos of the move from Frogland to Eyeland. It would be great to chat again. Don't know about the Skype possibility, i will ask P, who is somewhat more clued up than me.



zdt

Skype. I've been meaning to look into Skype since about 2004. H'mmm.

Ivan!

How's life down under?

(Odd expression that, "down under what?")

zdt

Awfully busy, to be honest. (Refer last two journal threads.) There's also two dozen plants to put in various bits of garden, a kitchen in desperate need of cleaning and sundry other things that needs doing. I need to go and do them now - I've procrastinated longer than I thought I would.

See you later.

*waves to everyone*

Good news on the appraisal - apparently I had one but I wasn't even present!!

I sent you my MSN ID - I've just realised, by the time you are at work... I've gone home but never mind... maybe you'll see me sometime...

*waves back*

I like Skype, and use it a lot. One hatchling lives abrosd, another is a sailor so it's a good way of keeping in touch. princess can catch a glimpse of the Lair Cats (moist of them are hers)via the web cam thingy.

I also use Skype as land line, which has cut my telephone bills a great deal. For instance calling the Queem Mum at the other side of the Pond costs less than calling DJ who lives within walking distance.

(obviously in need of a spell checker)

I've got skype and pidgin, the latter of which is compatible with most other chat clients. Didn't like ICQ - too many ads, too many crashes, and it belongs to AOL...

I use Skype to phone some friends abroad once in a while, but mostly the chat function. And to send large files back and forth. It's especially useful for working on various projects with others from Uni - we set the chat to include multiple people, and use the whiteboard to sketch out ideas. It's easier to meet that way when we've just got some details to discuss.

I'd thought about getting the Skype phone for a bit. There was a good reason I didn't get it... can't remember what it was now.

Terri, I downloaded Google chat and I also have managed to chat via Gmail in the past. I found a message you'd sent me a couple of weeks ago and responded to that- let me know if you find it.

Sho, I'll keep an eye out for you when I am at the computer. Quite often I wake up early-ish on weekends, and let the boys sleep in. I don't have any chat stuff installed at the office, but perhaps I'll give it a try sometime soon.

As for my review- mine consisted of a couple of notes written on a piece of note paper. My boss feels that good work should be recognized all the time, not just once a year, and that it's unfair to keep mum about problems and then ding someone on their raise because of them.

Mmm. Inspired by a fellow hootooer, I made pancakes for breakfast this morning. Chocolate chocolate chip.

Oooh, yum!

I think I need to go buy some chocolate before the supermarket closes

I got some chocolate yesterday.

Made another yum today. I've made my very first batch of vegan "cheese"; it's in the fridge setting as I type.

I'm guessing no one's especially interested, but here's how I made it. I first brought a cup and a half of water and 5 tablespoons agar agar flakes to a boil. Then I put two tablespoons tahini, a teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, a chunk of roasted red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, some salt and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes in a blender with the dissolved agar agar stuff, and mixed till thoroughly blended.

Stick it in a lightly oiled (I use cooking spray) container and set in the fridge, uncovered till cool. Then put the cover on and refrigerate for several hours or overnight till totally set. Slice and refrigerate for 5-7 days. (I'm not at this point yet). This particular one should resemble Colby. I'm going to try "mozzarella" next weekend.

I'm not sure what Colby is, but if it's an American interpretation of cheese, it's bound to be dreadful.



I'm about to have grilled halloumi sandwiches for dinner.

I took a little foray into the world of vegan cookery this evening. I made some delicious vegan lemonade!

Colby...isn't that cheese of a cheddar-ish type?

Peanuts covered with dark chocolate were on special at the supermarket *And* I got another box for books. A banana box.

Dinner will probably involve cheese here, too, because I need to do something with the potatoes and cauliflower and have already packed the Indian spices so can't make Aloo Gobi.

Well I was planning an excursion to my favourite Asian supermarket to buy Indian spices and Iranian pickle, only we spent all day shifting crap from the garden and hauling it off to the 'recycling centre' (which is what they call dumps nowadays.


Oh, wait. Since Google Street Views UK went live yesterday, I can show you it. The supermarket, that is, not the dump.

http://tinyurl.com/superasia

(Just let me know if you want to see the dump too.)

Oh sure, what the hell, let's see the dump, too!

Colby would seem to be a sort of cheddar (and my vegan cheese cookbook has a modification for cheddar style at the end of the colby style, didn't notice the difference but I think it involved adding grated carrot instead of roasted pepper- presumably to help give it the orange-y color).

Oh, we're meeting friends on Devon Ave for dinner tonight and I'm popping into Patel Bros beforehand for some amchoor powder, canned lotus root, and hopefully some ready-made refrigerated paranthas. I don't make those from scratch (yet). I've no idea what else, if anything, I should get while I'm there, but I'm sure to browse. Could use another jar of mango chutney, I s'pose.

After din-din we may come back here to watch some Blake's 7.