Leaving aside some rather poor personal interactions

[pause to bang head on keyboard and bellow ‘stupid Bruce’] lofawrcyvewa ypoivweapo iyrwveaoiu vrewa9vrewapuwv reap9wrevapuwove woutewoibgvre oib ogewobpivewo9bvg ewovewo9bwveoubo9bew[/pause]

It’s been quite a successful week.

1. A complete pain-in-the-bum reprint has had its content’s proof signed off.
2. Three much less painful reprints have had their contents’ proofs signed off.
3. The proofs of the covers for two of these reprints have been signed off. (The other two reprints’ covers weren’t changing.)
4. I’ve written some documentation which should show my colleagues how to track costs and do other ‘management’ parts of their projects.
5. Despite some blonde moments by people I can’t name, the answers to Past Papers in Higher Physical Education are on the press and are due to be delivered on 8th December.
6. I’ve got a supplier to recognise that it has charged us for doing work that wasn’t necessary and was only done because the supplier said it was. They’ve agreed to refund the £450 this work cost. I wonder how much of this I’ll see. The probable answer is ‘the square root of bugger-all’.
7. I got out of work on Thursday with enough time to comfortably do what I needed before going to yoga.
8. I may have found a way to get some photos for a publication cheaply.
9. I feel relaxed and inspired to do what I need to do.
10. At long last I’ve got off my arse and have made contact with a friend who has been going through some rough times. We’ve arranged to meet up next week. She sounds much better than when we last emailed and she told me of her situation..

What else remains to be done?

• pay some bills (now done)
• arrange drinkies with Ewan (now done: 8pm tomorrow will be kamikaze time!)
• Since my last working day will be in Edinburgh and will finish at 8pm, either find somewhere to stay overnight (unless I can fly home that night)
• Buy my flight home
• finish a Community Council letter to Fife Council
• do some fairtrade stuff
• sort out some Christmas presents (now part done)
• go home to the bosom of my parental home.

She calls it ‘Bruce the old perv’. No complaint there but am I really that grey? Actually, I do like it quite a lot.

One of the touching little details is that she’s given me a clamshell ibook – the funkiest mac ever. (It’s not the sexiest – that honour goes to the Powerbook G3 500MHz.)

Take the quiz: ”WHAT RELIGION BESTS SUITS YOU?”

Atheist
You are Godless! You could care less about religion. As far as you’re concerned, if you can’t see, touch and kick something, it’s not real to you. You’re day-to-day activities consist of eating, working, sleeping and the occasional Internet or coffee shop debate. Lastly, if anyone chooses to preach at you otherwise, you will either leave or debate them until they finally shut up.

But all is not lost – I’m not 100% atheist:

Fundamentalist Christian (You scored 0)
Holy Roller (You scored 0)
Average Christian (You scored 0)
True Christian (You scored 0)
Modern Satanist (You scored 1)
Theistic/Traditional Satanist (You scored 0)
Luciferian (You scored 0)
Devil Worshipper (You scored 0)
Atheist (You scored 8)
Agnostic (You scored 0)
New Aged/Wiccan (You scored 0)
Pagan/Occultist (You scored 1)
Discordian (You scored 0)
Category Unknown (You scored 0)

GANJA!

It’s also spelt Gäncä and Gandzha and is in the west of Azerbaijan. The CIA World Factbook knows all about it but the tourist website makes it look very attractive.

The airlines that fly there have cyrillic websites so huge thanks to David Collins for recommending an online translation service.

Marianne says ‘Hi! My browser doesn’t handle Cyrillic very well, so ‘fraid I can’t help…
However: My cousin John works for BP in Baku.
Azerbaijan is not a nice place. Crooked authoritarian government, and not a good place for Bruce-ness.
The language is a variant of Turkish.
Don’t go!!!!!!’

You scored as Envy. Envy 94% Sloth 75% Lust 69% Gluttony 56% Pride 38% Wrath 31% Greed 12%

Seven deadly sins
created with QuizFarm.com

Most of all I’m envious of those with functional braincells, because then I’d be more likely to be in a position where I could get what I want.

Our goal was finished we safely landed a man on the moon. We have proven that our heroes were successful in leading us on a great journey through the first stage of space exploration, but were will we land next will a new president lead us on a journey to mars? Will there be new heroes to look up to? Only time will tell.

A widespread terror of Red attacks and Red spies enveloped the country. The danger of the situation was exaggerated by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. Thousands were accused of being communist with no sufficient evidence to prove that they were. McCarthy did not successfully prove any communists had infiltrated the government. McCarthyism began to decline after 1954 because of the end of the Korean War and the condemnation of McCarthy by the Senate.

From Ananova news

Another piece of hilarity:

“a job helping to tend the flocks. Moses was happy to accept, sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. also knew that the people would reject direct communication with Him. So

LORD.” He then rolled up the scroll and gave it to the me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto him also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son”