Its because I’m single speed and he’s got a gazillion gears, innit?

bullheart +1

Happened with me too. Full survey done and the survey mentioned a few cracks in plaster that were caused by differential drying.

then we found cracks in the brick underneath (caused by a broken drain). Insurance chap said that plaster just doesn’t dry that way and it was plain wrong.

But the Ts&Cs state stuff like “we will write this up from la-la land and you pay us dosh but if we’re found out then tough!”.

Espresso (from Nespresso) before on t’bike.

Bowl of cereals made up of:

a layer of bran flakes
a layer of sultanas
a layer of Special-K
a layer of Coco-pops
with skimmed milk

And two large coffees.

Not as high in the nommage as others but quite nice nevertheless.

About ‘nom’ on the nom scale (which ranges from ‘yech’, ‘meh’, ‘nom’, ‘nomnom’ and ‘omnomnom’. Oh yes I’m 45 and don’t care. 😀

In 10th decile but if we were all ‘winners’ (I don’t like the idea of winners/losers) then where would all the money come from?

There will always be some skivers, you’ll never get away from that. Minimising them is the key, but not by using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

I’d sooner pay far more tax than I am now than turn into a bitter Daily Mail type.

Not sure what it is but somewhere it said that your h-factor is the number of papers you’ve written. I guess about 12 or 13. I forget.

For the first time ever I honestly don’t know who to vote for. I have got to a stage where I hate them all. I always used to rail against MrAdamW saying that his vote was the most powerful thing he has. And look what we end up with. All of them the same.

For the next election I’ll start a Nottingham branch of Plaid Cymru. None of the major parties will get my vote.

I honestly believe that this time I will refuse to vote or spoil my paper. 🙁

As to Apple, it was Apricot who came first, pre dated Mac & Windows by two years, full windows desktop, infra red mouse and keyboard all in one construction, very tidy machine built in the then silicon valley in Scotland, another example of lack of investment in this country..

I think Charlie was mentioning the symbol of an apple with a bite taken out of it, supposedly a symbol of how Turing killed himself, by eating an apple injected with cyanide (I think).

How about one of those razor holders that are used to clean ceramic hobs? That could make it a lot quicker.

Wart? Last one I had was when I was doing my PhD. After a month of using acetic acid or salicylic acid I thought ‘sod that’ and used concentrated phosphoric acid. Gone in about two minutes. Left a little scar, mind!

I got a Nespresso Pixie the other week with the aeroccino doodad and it seems OK. Great for when I get up in the morning to press a button while I’m getting my SPDs on and have an espresso just before I head out the door.

I’m still trying to get a taste for the different pods though. And I’ve also ordered a coffeeduck to see if I can make a decent cup out of shop-bought espresso grind and my own beans.

I thought it was more of an attempt to stoke up another bubble in the housing sector, getting people to overprice their houses again and have middle-class dinner parties where Jocanda Witterington-Smythe can tell Sidney Fortesque-Gaylord that in the time they have been for a wee the house price must have gone up another £20,000.

AdamW – why would you go with IDnet when they’re more expensive than BT and have bandwidth caps on their FTTC service?

Mainly trust. BT do traffic-shaping and I prefer to work with UK-based chaps. When I had FTTC installed I think some spanning tree work was happening as some websites would not load completely so I called them and they answered immediately. Idnet don’t do any shaping (not that I use bit torrent or the likes TBH as I can’t be asked).

I don’t mind the caps, per se as I rarely get anywhere near them. Saying that I think that after this year is up (12 month contract) I may look around as I went from ADSL 2+ 40GB peak/140GB peak for £25 to FTTC + 30GB peak/ 120GB peak for £28.

And I’m sick of throwing out useful equipment. I now have a decent net gear ADSL2+ router/modem for b/g/n and can’t use it any more.

She’s tight. She’s also over-stretched herself financially.

Me & MrAdamW are now mortgage-free but while we had it (and now continuing with the bills) I ask him once a year what his take-home pay is. I then tell him what mine is. I look after the money side of stuff and pro-rata everything. I end up paying 2/3 of all bills but it is only fair.

She’s bought two houses and has mortgages. She earns more than you. Yet she wants half? Paying what you suggested is fine. When she decides to open you up to the mortgage on the house I’d say you’ve made a very generous offer!

Well I had my FTTC/VDSL link put in today and have just tested. Me happy! 😀

Download it and then add it to iTunes. Then sync your phone.

I watched “The Big Lebowski” which was pretty good. Never seen it before. But I rented it from iTunes HD and it kept buffering. Grrr! 👿

Apart from that I would give it an 8/10.

Why not get a proper coffee maker and make decent coffee?

1. Cost
2. Space
3. Faff

I love a good coffee but Mr AdamW wouldn’t let me have a hulking great bean-to-cup machine in the kitchen, though I’m sure he’d enjoy the coffee. And while the pods can be expensive (getting a coffeeduck to reduce that) it does mean I can try loads of different ones without having to buy loads of bags. I do have a burr grinder (Krups £40 jobbie) though for when I do want it.

The ‘Aerocccino’ thing does make good froth though, even with skimmed milk.

Neros does a better coffee anyway. Starbucks do nice sticky buns but their coffee always tastes too acrid and burnt for me.

I’m trying to educate my taste buds with my new Nespresso, it is taking some time!

I reckon Christmas is more of an anticlimax when it appears. I like the build-up, the autumn with cosy nights in, the chrimbo shopping, the wrapping, the buying of posh chocs for our own advent calendar, putting up the tree, mulled wine etc.

Then the day itself, apart from posh nosh, usually ends up as an anticlimax. I reckon it is because I tend to buy everything I want for myself so it is really difficult to get presents for me. My fault.

Strange thing though is when christmas day and boxing day is over I want to take everything down ready for the next year. Christmas is done, over and it is time to look forward to the next year with biking plans and the like!

Speaking as the gay contingent…

Pics or it didn’t happen! 😆

I think they’re fantastic.

First got the album ‘I choose noise’ with the fantastic track ‘Just for today’ at the end. Still gives me goosebumps. Got every other one and keep my eye out for anything new.

This kicked me off into a new musical direction. Have also now got into Above & Beyond with their spin-offs such as OceanLab.

Good choons!

Nottingham. It will be interesting to see next week – on Friday I’m being regraded from ADSL 2+ to VDSL/FTTC.

Well I gave in to temptation today and bought a Nespresso machine with the milk doodad. Quite an intelligently designed piece of kit (Pixie). The milk brother is all done with magnetised whisker and produces a really good froth in skimmed (for Mr AdamW’s cappuccinos) and John Lewis threw in another 7 pods for free.

Now I have to make sure I don’t drink so much coffee today that I end up awake all night! 😀

I looked at those nespresso machines today – i’d need a 2nd mortgage for the capsule’s…or sell one of the kids

i think coffeeduck do a re-usable pod for the Nespresso. I’m thinking about getting one.

I prefer Roget’s adventures of Tintin.

He walked/ambled/perambulated/moved/skipped towards the door/gate/opening/hole in wall/entrance…. 😆

TJ +1

The first time I heard that phrase I thought about what it meant as it seemed weird. The only explanation it could be is rape. What else could it mean? Rough consensual rumpy-pumpy? Breaking and entering her house?

AdamW I think we’re in whole hearted agreement

That’s great! Brill what civil discourse can do! 😀

EDIT: Anyway it is beer-o’clock so I’m off for a couple of pints with the husboid! 😀

Not sure what you meant here. I get the idea that apathy towards inequality is as bad as the prejudice that drives the problem in the first place, but that’s not what I’m saying.

Perhaps it’s crossed wires or something. Your previous entries seemed to be saying “Yes, in an ideal world, but since it isn’t ideal let’s leave it as it is.” If not, I’ve got the wrong end of the stick and thus apologise.

Before I answer that I should qualify that I am differentiating between being the same and being equal. I believe we are all equal but not all the same.

On that we can agree. For example I am often mistaken for Brad Pitt’s more handsome younger brother, and others aren’t 😀 I think the main point we may disagree is in the semantics. I see no reason why two people who love each other can’t get married/partnered/squidgified in exactly the same way as any other two. If those people are followers of a religion which supports them then they may opt to have some form of religious ceremony. Bully for them and I’d support them to the hilt. If they are not religious then they won’t. Bully for them and I’d support them to the hilt. And if they want a religious ceremony but their religion hates them then perhaps they should have a long hard think about their church/mosque/sangha/temple/etc.

It should go like the time pips at the end of the shipping forecast.

Perhaps there’s an opening for a business there so the microwave actually gives the shipping forecast and ends with the beeps? Or one that plays an MP3 of your choice and ends with the Pearl and Dean music?

Ye gods, I think I’ve thought up a winner here! 😆

But people are different. We should strive to all be treated equally but we are all nevertheless different.
The issue of equality is right up there with the other great paradoxes of life. It’s like claiming that we live in a ‘free society’; well actually we don’t. People are not truly free, society has laws that we expect people to abide by.

That doesn’t mean you have to support it. I believe everyone should be treated equally. Saying “Yes, but…” means either (a) you don’t really care or (b) you tacitly support the status-quo.

I understand your suggestion and I like the sentiment that is driving it, but I’m not sure I’m ready to accept that we’re all the same because it’s socially expedient and it avoids disagreement. We’re supposed to disagree. But we’re also supposed to respect each other.

I’m ready to accept that we’re all the same because it is right, and it is true.

I respect anyone’s belief to believe *anything* they want. As long as it only affects them. I can disagree with, say, Stoner on economics but respect his view nevertheless. Disagreeing and arguing with someone is not the same as proscribing their behaviour based upon your own views/faiths.

The moment it affects me I will consider what they have said and either agree, ignore or shout ‘rubbish!’.

Who do you think isn’t the same, by the way? And why? 🙄

I do think though that you have to be careful not to pursue an agenda for the wrong reasons. Same sex couples can have marriage in everything but name; aethists and agnostics can have a civil ceremony marriage and the religious can have their religious ceremony. Picking a fight over the terms is more often than not motivated by prejudice on either side.

Fair enough. Let’s just change its name then. I vote for ‘Squidgified’. Everyone can get squiggled if they want it. Those that believe in god(s) can get religiously squidgified. Those that don’t can have a civil squidgification.

Making a distinction between people means there is a difference. Making a difference will get people het-up. Either on one side you have the ‘marriage has *always* meant X’ (which usually isn’t true) and the other side says ‘Why am I being treated differently?’

The church should be allowed to decide it’s own beliefs and people ought to respect that (and BTW should refrain from using derrogotary language towards people of faith that they wouldn’t use to people of different races, colours or sexual persuasions).

That’s a bit one-sided, isn’t it? For example the Quakers are more than happy to allow same-sex people religious ceremonies in their churches but that is banned by law.

I’d say do what Cameron is suggesting: legalise it for anyone but don’t force ceremonies on any religion that doesn’t want to do it.

And while we’re at it, lets stop derogatory language against gay people from churches 😀

Perhaps what needs to happen is to stop worrying about the word. Let’s either call it ‘marriage’ either with or without religion, or ‘civil partnership’, ditto. Let those who believe in God(s) do their own thang but all legal stuff be identical.

I have often wondered about the straight people who want a civil partnership; I can’t be sure they are trying to shout about injustice or there is something they want regarding CP which is different. The only thing I can think of is the religious bit. Unless there’s a difference in law, of course.

Elf +1

I’d vote for Elf. He’s someone I’d buy at least one if not two* pints for if we ever met!

* – a rare occurrance 😆

Religion doesn’t have to have anything to do with marraige if you don’t want it to.

Fair enough, I stand corrected! I think it is all that stuff going on in the US that has made me think of the religious bit.

So, in reality then, a CP (I use marriage anyway it’s too much of a mouthful to keep saying ‘civil partner’) is more-or-less identical to civil marriage?

Depends what you mean as ‘marriage’. To me that means a religious ceremony and men around wearing frocks.

Mine, being a civil partnership didn’t have the religious ceremony but there was a pre-change transexual so the frocks thing, at a stretch would be right. 😀

If you mean it like what I had then yes, I’m all for, as long as you want it. Been together five years now, near seventeen years since we met, since the law only changed near six years ago.

I personally subscribe to freedom of speech. If someone wants to be sexist, racist, homophobic, ageist then it’s their choice. Me being on the same forum as them doesn’t mean I agree or condone any of it

Fine. Then start your own forum. This is STW and this is their house, their rules.

If people stopped posting humorous stuff for fear of offending, this site would be very dull.

Lots of humorous stuff here without having to drop into the gutter…

Not believing in evolution – never met anyone like that but fallen out with a guy who’s into homeopathy. I think of him when I hear Tim Minchin’s song ‘Storm’.

I got a mate who believes that if you can’t disprove something (i.e. proving a negative) then it most probably exists. You name it and he’ll always hedge his bets. God, homeopathy, scientology, sentient alien bananas that ride on the back of time-travelling ducks? Maybe… He won’t say what it is he believes because he sort-of believes in *everything*. 😆

Windows. Without a doubt. Closely followed by MS Word then Internet Exploder.

Chunks of chorizo dry fried until the oil comes out.
Chicken then fried in that oil, together with sliced onion.
Pinch of smoked paprika, cup of rice, chicken stock and add in the chorizo again. Cook until chicken done and rice nice.

Job’s, as they say, a good ‘un.