Of course, we all feel like bloaters afterwards, and I'm half falling asleep from the extra intake. But it's only a once a year thing, everyone in the office gets to do it, and no-one minds too much.

Cory Falcon:
I don't want to be Kendra! Although, as slayers go, she's damn cool.
Sorry, it should have been Kendra's Watcher. Me dim.

I was looking all Willow the other day, and my best friend was looking all Faith, and we were like, hey look,
You do realise that you and Vic will now be, er, casting spells. And doing magic. And all other sorts of euphemisms for going at it like good 'uns.

I hate Riley Finn.
Remember what happened the first time he met Buffy? If only there had been something the size of the Encyclopaedia Galactica involved, we would never have had any of this mess. Just a very large stain on the floor.

We're really going to need to plan going-out-of-the-house time, all of us being as TV addicted as we are.
When are the shops open? Seriously, I *will* have to find a post office counter at some point before I leave. Hey, I'm just anorackish about post office counters...

And as much time as we're going to have to spend listening to Loaf if Courtney joins us
That's fine, I can bring more Loaf.

I mean I think it's missing DITD or something, but yes, it's probably missing a soul, too.
It doesn't have Cheesy Voice Over Lady, or the plugs for Planet Pap.

I can't justify spending xmas-present money on myself, but I'm fascinated by shiny things.
Hey, it's not "Christmas," it's Solstice.

The crunch comes just after lunch, when I'm waiting for one of the spoiled brats in the regions to call in. He said he'd call at 1335, but hadn't by 1410. The person behind me is calling someone to discuss his loan, and tells them that the letter is in the post, and he doesn't know what's in the letter, and he can't speak to the person who wrote it, and the letter is already in the post, and ... Just shut the f*** up, idiot caller. The letter is in the post. Wait for it to arrive. In the background, there's one of those really irritating "Christmas" cards, the sort that bleeps. (I can't say it plays a tune without being squashed by Colin Sell at the piano.) If it doesn't shut up soon, it might "disappear".

So, what's wrong? Maybe it's the grabbing, grasping nature of the callers. They just don't seem to be happy with anything we do, and that tends to drag down the morale.

Or the unwelcoming nature of the new software we have. It's supposed to make our lives easier, but no-one is following the instruction to email, not call. I'm going to have to get really heavy with people very soon. If the other helpdesk spod is away again tomorrow, I think the crackdown begins here.

That's another thing that is building up resentment: the level of illness around the building is amazing. Even though I take pretty good care of myself, I've had more time off this year than any year since I was in primary school. The atmosphere is just so condusive to spreading bugs and not taking natural light.

That the "Christmas" tree went up yesterday doesn't help, either. There's an air of forced jollity, a sense that one *has* to be happy and glad, just because of what it says on the calendar. Not only is it patronising, it's pretty insulting to those who don't mark "Christmas." Personally, I reckon Saturnalia runs four days each side of the moon phase nearest the Solstice. This year, that's the Dec 29 full moon, so the orgy runs around my time in Arizona.

butterfly in reverse:
so this month i'm makin' a website.
Hey, cool.

it's been awhile since i attempted a full fledged website. that would be the very short lived humdrone stint a couple years ago. i'm sure some of you remember. i apologize for that, as it should be duly forgotten.
There are worse sites, he said, mentioning no names. At least we can rely on chelle for quality writing.

at any rate, this page is what it is ... it's just me. it's a place to find out what i've been up to. what i'm thinking. to read my ramblings, and eventually my creative writings (though those aren't up yet.) those of you who've been following my opendiary, the updates will cease as soon as i figure out this blogger deal.
Weaver prepares to update his bookmarks.html accordingly.

if you do get a chance, please check it out. it has tables. it has nested tables. it has rounded corners. it has style sheets.
We like style sheets here at Weaver Towers. They're so... stylish.

it's so far, my best webwork to date. and i've been at this since 1994.
Bloody 'ell, that's even longer that I've been at it. In fact, that's ancient enough to appear on PICK OF THE POPS.

this project is more or less a constructive channeling of some very intense emotion going on in my life right now. read: bad mojo jojo for me.
Mojo Jojo bad! Fuzzy Lumpkin cute! Miss Bellum way cute!

taking one day at a time. and in the end, i know i'll be okay. at least, that's what i keep telling myself.
Once more, with [hugging]

Then there's the data report between 11/00 and 10/01. Stupid moi tries to run (yr=00 and mo>10) and (yr=01 and mo<11) then wonders why we get nothing out. yr=00 and yr=01 anyone?

A manglement insultant has been in to discuss the proposed budget for the past few days, and we have to have yet another meeking to discuss his recommendations. "It'll only be 30 minutes, but we'll book for 60," quoth the manager. 75 minutes later, we're out, having learned exactly nothing.

Down to London, to meet up with some friends from the UKGSP. It's the annual excuse to check out the state of the Chiltern Railways service. Still absolutely fantastic.

Then potter about London until 2pm, when I turn up in Books Etc on Oxford Street, as arranged. Only the organiser had given directions to Borders, which thoroughly confuses *everyone*. On the up side, a copy of The Gryphon, the fourth book in Nick Bantock's Griffin & Sabine trilogy, catches my eye and moves into the bag pocket in one swift move.

A trip to a Thai restaurant and discussions about the future of the game show endure. It's not Ian Wright, of that we're agreed.

The US releases a video tape that - it claims - shows Osama bin Liner describing the success of the September crimes against humanity. The video, 40 minutes long and very dark throughout, shows Bin Laden telling a cleric details of the planning for the attack and his delight in the carnage. But the authenticity of the tape is clearly suspect, allegations that it was found in an abandoned house in Jalalabad cannot be taken seriously. There's also the point that it would be a very dim thing indeed for any mass murderer to speak on camera, still less one with the cunning and tactical nous of bin Liner. We're asked to trust George Bush, the man for whom "justice" and "the rule of law" are amorphous concepts; and to trust Jack Straw and David Blunkett, the most right-wing justice ministers Britain has seen since the 19th century. Why?

Overnight at the GSP, then head back to the city centre. En route, pick up a SMS to inform me that a chum from the US *has* landed in London, and could we meet for a touristy type half day? Not a problem. Eric and Paula are right.

Lunch is a very moreish pasty at the Oggy Oggy Pasty Shop on the Euston Station concourse. This is a quality store, hidden from the passing trade on the Euston Road.

It's a clear day, so we adjourn to the London Eye. This giant ferris wheel is unique amongst millennium projects, in that a) it came in on budget, and b) it actually works. Some of the pictures are stunning, and are stuck on their own page.

Then walk along the South Bank, intending to cross the Millooneyum Bridge to St Paul's. This doesn't happen, because the bridge is still closed for repair work. 18 months after the embarrassment of closure, it still doesn't work. When we get there, it transpires that St Paul's is closed, owing to rehearsals for a carol service that night. The house of god is open at all hours, so long as they're between 10 and 4, and it's not closed for other reasons.

We had intended to meet Mark_and_shim on the train at Fenchurch Street, but their train is cancelled. The train Mark caught as a replacement terminates at Barking, in order to cause further chaos and frustration. The net result is that I suddenly need to keep two visiting tourists occupied for an unscheduled half hour at one of the pokiest termini on the planet. Outside of the cafe, there are a grand non-total of six (6) seats. This, it appears, is the result of completely incompetent management from top to tail. C2C trains, the operators of this route, have been emailed the URL to this section; any comments from that company will be published.

Eventually, Mark turns up, having taken the tube in from Barking. We attempt to adjourn to Leicester Square, but there are precious few District line trains, owing to a previous bridge bosh. By the time we turn up, the chosen restaurant (Garfunkel's) is packed, and the staff is in no hurry to communicate with potential customers, still less attempt to reassure them that their custom *is* important. As they quite clearly couldn't give a flying f'k whether I continue to patronise their place, I say some slightly hurried farewells to all concerned, and head off home. I tried to find a contact address for the restaurant, but their web site really is a pile of pants, all gloss and no service. Hmm. Reminds me of the restaurant. If anyone from the chain sees this and wants to comment, it will be published.

The journey home is uneventful, until the carriage lights go out just after leaving Coventry. Everything else goes in good order, and I'm home just after 9:30.

After the non-stop action of the past few days, this one's an excuse to stay home and veg out a bit. Catch up on some emails, and generally chill. Like the weather.

Readers may have noticed that I've been less verbose than usual on here. That's because there's a new design and a new location under construction. Everything will become clear in the new year, once my intensive beta testing program has finished.

A new Number One for Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman. Their cover of Frank & Nancy Sinatra's "Something Stupid" becomes the latest former number one to top the charts. Daniel Beddingford is pushed down to 2, Sophie Ellis-Bextor to 3. S Club 7 and PPK round out the top 5.

High new entries for Ian Van Dahl, now a Belgian three-piece band, with the non-plussing "Will I" at 11. Samantha Mumba does a creditable cover of Divine's "Lately" at 13. The original was a US #1 in late 1998, but got lost in record company vanity here and stalled at #55 the following October. It deserved better than that, but there's still room for someone with a brilliant voice - say, Shola Ama - to have a killer hit. Louis Walsh's other protoges will be covering other slipped discs from Sarah Maclachlan and Lee Ann Womack ere long...

There are climbers for novelty records by the Hermes House Band (16-9), Tweenies (13-10). Cliff's entry for Two Songs To The Tune Of Neither slumps 15-32 as airplay proves scarcer than quality. Sum 41's novelty video "In Too Deep" climbs 22-16.

A passable week for Janet Jackson: her radical remake of former US #1 "You're So Vain" makes #20. The third single from the album is not the most radio-friendly record, especially at such a non-spikey time of year as this. More ear-friendly are Feeder "Just a Day" at #27 and Kosheen "Catch" #28. Spikier than her previous solo efforts is Emma Bunton's "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight", landing at #33, three places ahead of Ginger.

Overseas points give Shakira's "Wherever Whenever" a #41 position. But the big surprise is at #50. The second single off Michael Jackson's new album can only scrape onto the survey by the skin of its teeth. After a batch of duff CDs meant "You Rock My World" lost all its sales points in September, "Cry" now flies out of the store almost as regularly as the Australian cricket team leave the pavilion when they're batting, ie not at all. The self-proclaimed King Of Pap is dethroned by such luminaries as DJ Otzi, Alcazar, Cliff Richard, and the Tweenies.