It’s kind of weird being without a mobile phone. It’s really inconvenient being without my wallet, and while it only took about 10 minutes to cancel my cards and order new ones, I’m not looking forward to having to reapply for the drivers licence and my one-year bus pass.

Not having any way to pay for things is awkward - but it’s the loss of the phone that has thrown me out the most. Weird how you come to rely on stuff like that.

I didn’t have a mobile phone till I got to the UK, and could not, at that time, imagine ever really needing one. There are no media lecturer emergencies in life. But I pretty much run on the handset now. It’s my watch, my portable calendar, contact directory and short messaging service.

[Read more]

We bought some garden furniture last weekend, and this weekend, it decided to be sunny. So I’m right here, on the laptop, sipping a cup of coffee and tapping away at the internet. All going well, this is where I plan to spend as much time as I can over the next few months.

It’s Bobbie’s birthday at the moment. It lasts from the 6th to the 9th due to a bit of confusion about the date of her birthday in her childhood years (she’s the youngest of 12). The real party is tomorrow: a brunch at the Fighting Cocks in Moseley, but the celebration lasts four days solid.

Presents are important when your birthday is closer to a week in duration, and I thought that in keeping with the theme I’d compliment this particular outdoor set with a nicely laid-back Habitat deckchair and a little wooden sidetable for her drink and book.

I also managed to find handmade coconut ice (her favourite) dipped in chocolate (her other favourite), so I definitely had to get that for her as well.

[Read more]

Bobbie’s at work, Jake’s off to town to hang out with the goths for a bit before staying the night at Ethan’s place, and I’m sitting here at home with a list of things to do (mostly writing) and not much in the way of energy or motivation.

The lawnmower man has been and made our grass shorter than it was, and I’ve been listening to music and reading books. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a quiet start to the weekend.

The house is no longer a death trap, and the dishwasher works, which is nice. I’ve got some CDs to rip, some files to sort out, some hard drive backups to do - and I could clean the fish tank.

But I think I’ll just put some jazz on, and sit and look out the window.

I was in London yesterday, dispensing podcasting and web advice to an international aid agency. I’d travelled down with Sam Coley, who’s our radio guy at the university (I remember being the radio guy…).

We stopped off at Euston station for a bite to eat, and as I was buying my bagel, we noticed Mark Steel standing in a queue at the next cart over. I introduced myself, shook his hand, thanked him for his brilliant TV show (not something I often think about TV shows) and then plucked up the courage to ask him for a photo.

Normally, I leave famous people alone, when I spot them roaming in the wild. I’m not an autograph hunter. But smart people who are funny and politically ‘correct’ (not ‘PC’ - but correct about politics) are so cool. Mark Steel impresses me immensely. And he smiles a lot.