My allergies!

I’m a touch concerned that I seem to have developed hay fever. It turns out that it’s not because of too many Fonzie impressions (that’s ‘heeeeeyyyyfever’ and has very different symptoms) but you can develop this randomly at any point in your life! What?? So a childhood free of the ravages of pollen means nothing in terms of lifetime immunity?? I’ve been walking around with a ticking timebomb of summer sensitivity? Unaware that at anytime the forces of nature would suddenly turn on me and the merest hint of pollen would cause my eyes and nose to stream their associated fluids? (So far it’s just those two thankfully, any streaming from other orifices would be most uncomfortable!) How has humanity evolved this way? What grand design would feature this?

Well, that’s my overly dramatic reaction done with. It’s a touch annoying though, I don’t want to be all sniffly and snotty, it’s the summertime! But in a way, I’m a little bit happy! Now I can put on my nerdiest tone and complain about my allergies! It’s as good as getting nosebleeds! Which I haven’t done in a while, though with the increased nasal workload that this hayfever has been causing, who knows? Maybe soon...

And why Hay fever? Why not Pollenitis? Or SunshineSniffles? That’d be a good name.

It may seem odd that I have found a brightside to hay fever as it makes me nerdier. I guess I’m just a glass half full type. Oh, I did see, when in Meadowhall the other day, awesome nerd glasses! They were big thick frames and the size and shape of the ones Christopher Reeve wears as Clark Kent. And they weren’t corrective, which is great as I don’t need glasses (another regret, I’d look much nerdier in specs!)

Then I realised something. These glasses were being sold as a fashion accessory. What kind of a nerd would I be if I went around being fashionable? What kind of a nerd would buy eyewear that wasn’t to correct a vision problem? Vanity is not my way!

Also, my lovely fiancé wouldn’t let me get them. Her reasoning was again, that wearing glasses without needing my eyesight corrected was not really me. She is probably correct, I am lucky to have her.

I hit the gym again last night, despite my nose-based issues, thankfully it didn’t hold me back and as usual, the only thing dripping off me was copious amounts of sweat. It’s funny at my gym, they have a separate smaller room with some machines in, which is the ‘Women’s Gym’, for women who want to do their work out away from men. I’m not sure why this is, I suppose they’ve had questionable clientele in the past or something. So this supposed private room is blocked from men’s sight by some blinds on the window. That were open. I happened to be on a treadmill that was facing this window and realised I could see clearly into the Women’s Gym and could see women in there on their treadmills. Facing me. So they could see me, staring into their private Women’s Only gym and breathing heavily and sweating! Man, I was only looking at the blinds inefficiency!

Tonight I must find a treadmill that faces a different way, or I’m going to be labelled as some sort of pervert...

New week, same monday...

As they must, the weekend, well, ends and a new Monday dawns. A brand new week, filled with possibilities, almost a new start with life here, all refreshed from the weekend and ready to start again in this wonderous experience that is life.

Of course, most of us manifest this feeling as, ‘oh crap, Monday already? Gluuurrrggghh!’ Which when you think of the immense impossibility of our lives even getting to this point is a bit of an anti-climax. After all, it’s a long string of unlikely coincidences that have led to this planet being formed in just the right position from the sun, the atmosphere developing, life emerging, life evolving to this point and still not getting wiped out by a passing meteor, then the specific circumstances that have led to the right people getting together and producing offspring, then those offspring getting together and so on and on until here we all are.

Of course, those are lofty and mind boggling thoughts for a Monday morning, I had to make some lunch, have some breakfast, pack my gym bag and get to work!

Not that I was being much fun there, though she’s only got a minor infection, I was still concerned about my Grandmother and waiting to hear news from my mum after she heard from the Doctor about the current status. Which when I did hear, is positive. So a day’s worth of being worried and irritable for no reason there!

When I wasn’t being irritable I was discussing Saturday’s Doctor Who finale, with pretty much anyone who would listen. In some cases I followed people around talking about it even though they didn’t want to listen. I knew deep down they cared. The general consensus is everybody loved it and no, I should not get a fez.

I did have a stint wearing a fez in my early twenties. It got pretty much the same reaction as the Doctor’s.

I hit the gym for the afternoon. I’m quite proud of my progress this year in increasing my fitness level. When I started I struggled to jog for more than a few minutes at a time, I can now manage half an hour constant jogging, at increased speed from my beginnings. My only problem is I now get bored! After all half an hour with just the gym wall in front of the treadmill to look at is a bit dull. I used to listen to Doctor Who Big Finish audios, but I started having increasing problems with earphones. I may have to look at some better listening devices. The hideous truth is the normal in-ear type, gradually slide out as I become slimy with sweat.

There’s an image to give you cosy dreams!

I should get back into the Doctor Who audios though, the Eighth Doctor ones were very enjoyable, you kinda wish we’d been able to have a full TV series with Paul McGann. I wonder what it would have been like?

Pretty good I imagine, depends who was writing. But as time progresses I guess even the prospect of a flashback to the Time War with him is getting fainter and fainter. Though I have imagined an awesome episode in my head just this morning now, as I was thinking about this. It follows from The Doctor’s taking The Moment from Gallifrey, and being chased by Time Lords, up to encountering the Dalek fleet when he has to use the Moment and sets of the destruction of Gallifrey and Skaro. But the Daleks have prepared a defense. In the midst of a battle as Dalek saucers overrun a Time Lord fleet whos history is burning up, The Doctor would take his TARDIS into the heart of the Dalek city and have to destroy the device that was protecting Skaro from the Moment. Which he does, then prepares to burn with his people and his enemies, but whatever protection the Dalek defense provided, some of it has permeated the TARDIS and the Doctor, just enough for them to survive outside the time lock though he ends up regenerating.

It’s a spectacular sequence, as there’s no limit on the effects budget of the human imagination. Also, I’ve had some particularly mindless tasks this morning, so y’know, able to think about important things! This afternoon I shall be thinking up a version with the Black and White Guardians...

Fez's are cool!

Sunday morning, I abandoned my Trek Night co-watchers quite early in the morning to make my way back to Lincoln and get home to watch the previous nights Doctor Who, the series finale, The Big Bang! I was naturally massively excited with about 18 nerd-boners for this episode. This whole series has been absolutely magnificent and I had high hopes for the conclusion. I tryto always watch Doctor Who now with my lovely fiance, so once we were both in the house, we settled down and I went to Virgin's on demand catch up.

It wasn't there. Dammit! This thing is useless! It never has the programs I actually want to watch there!

So I iplayer'd it through the wii.

Wow! Thought I'd sussed the episode quite early when we saw little Amelia recieve clues and go to see the Pandorica. But when she opens it up and Amy's in it, then I was confused again! And the episode proved a regluar mix of confused, understand, confused, understand. I think I've got my head around it now, but I will have to watch it a bunch more times to be sure!

I'm not going to do a full analysis, you will have watched it for yourself and I want to see it again before I can be sure I understand it. But yeah, fez's are cool! Also, I am looking forward to the mystery of who did take control of the TARDIS? Looks like we've got that still to come, which is nice, after all why would everything all get sorted out neatly together in one go? And Rory and Amy are now a husband and wife team onboard the TARDIS?! Excellent. I always liked having a group accompny the Doctor rather than just one lone girl.

Of course, now I've said that the Christmas Special will blow Rory up or something...

Man, it's going to be a long time till Christmas.

After all the fun, it seemed natural whatever followed would be a letdown. So I watched the football. What a letdown! Glad I didn't bet any quatloobs on that game! (That was a little Gamesters of Triskelion joke... ah why explain, if you didn't get it you won't care!)

It's a shame the World Cup's over for England. While I'm not a massive football fan (I'm only a fan of small to medium footballs) I was enjoying watching the games with my lovely fiance and the twitterverse. It's a lot of fun, seeing the tweets coming in, it's like watching the game with your friends and with some celebrities! I guess I'll have to wait for the next on, but who knows when that'll be??? Oh, yeah, 4 years...

Of course, possibly that match could be erased from time, and eventually a new big bang would need to restart everything and we'd all remember winning??? Maybe? Or do FIFA not believe in the use of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff in the game?

So a pretty awesome weekend comes to an end. I'm hoping to have another in about 5 days of course. Which reminds me, that's my photo session, so serious dieting and excercise again this week. I did weigh myself before Doctor Who, and lost half a stone this last week. Wouldn't mind doing that again! Actually I wouldn't mind doing that while only eating large amounts of pizza, wotsits and chocolate, but due to a flaw in the universe's imprint in the pandorica, those things are now bad for me in this new universe!

Shopping & Star Trek

Took a trip over to Meadowhall on Saturday morning. We've got a free 'test shoot' with the wedding photographer next week, so thought we'd get new 'outfits' for it.Was a nice day for a drive in my lovely fiancée's new car, so we set off in good time and were there before 10 and it wasn't too busy. Managed to quickly find me a shirt and I'm happy to find that I'm a size smaller for shirts, which is a pleasant boost to my weight loss attempts of late. I also get a selection of fresh coffees from this awesome little place which seems to have a gazililion different flavours and grinds the beans up. I also bumped into a work colleague, which is just weird when you've left the city to go shopping.

By the end of the day I found out I had also gone down a jeans size, (and without the aid of Special K) and got myself Richard Herrings book and the newest Danny Wallace one, so some amusing reading times ahead.

What's particularly nice is just getting out of familier surroundings for the day. When me and my lovely fiancée don't keep being reminded of he various jobs we've got on, or work or anything like that we always have a good day, even if it's doing something simple like shopping. Actually, shopping isn't that simple, she's spent 4 years teaching me how to do it, I think I'm getting there though.

Afterwards, I headed over to Nottingham to see my friend Will. We've started meeting up every few weeks for a Star Trek night, which has been fun times. This is the third one recently. It's me, Will, another Rick (known as Rick-One, whereas I am Rick-Prime) and Will's fiancée Gemma. We all pick an episode to watch, based on a pre-selected theme, and often do a little introduction. Mine was a powerpoint presentation about the Next Gen Episode, The Last Outpost, which is the first Ferengi contact. (First Contacts being our theme.) What I hadn't remembered from the episode was Geordi's inappropriate lines all through! He makes the oddest comments, from 'Hello stranger' to a ship no-one has ever seen before, to 'My hero' at Data and the just odd 'Do I look conscious?'. And the frustrated mime playing one of the Ferengi was hilarious, especially when he just gave in and danced around the set.

Of course this episode looked perfect when we watched Spock's Brain after. Marvellous. By which I mean ridiculous. And terrifyingly sexist.

It wasn't all fondly ridiculing Trek though, we had quite a discussion about the feasibility of a myth/legend/metaphor based language as we watched Darmok. We also watch Voyager's Distant Origin and had a serious discussion about Chakotay as wasted potential. It's fun times to do. Will did a introduction with various action figures having a roundtable discussion about Darmok and Rick-One did a video with himself as Captain Picard displace in time and leaving clues in his episode of Voyager. The intro's are fun times for 30 year old men to spend their time!

Twas a late night as we also added on The Gamesters of Triskelion and Who Watches the Watchers. And I took to my bed (well, Will's sofa) excited for the following day's return to my fiancée and the Doctor Who finale.

This weather is getting proper warm this week. It's kinda good, though I am prone to sweatiness so it's a tad awkward now and again. By awkward I mean uncomfortable and damp.

Anyway, that was gross! Hey, I had to go to a nursery school for some computer lessons. I gave the lessons that is! And to the staff! And when I say lessons, I mean I got their internet working. Then tried to sort their sound out. Then their printer. Then their camera. Which was fun. A small child approached me and asked me what I was doing at one point. I was tempted to try to explain the finer points of wireless networking to him, but the little dude was 3 so I left it at making the computer work properly. I did enjoy the sight of one of their laptops which the children had clearly run wild on and it was missing several of the keys from the keyboard. You could still use it, the buttons underneath were fine, but it's really only useful if you can touch type. You need to be very sure of your familiarity with the qwerty keyboard to use it.

After that afternoon, I popped over to the gym. That's my fourth gym session this week, I'm hitting it hard now with two months to go till my wedding, I'd like to reach my ideal weight. It's achievable but requires hard work.

Of course when I say ideal weight, that's my ideal. Which is the weight that Kyle Rayner is according the the DC wikia. He's also my height and my favourite Green Lantern so I figured it was a good one to aim for. I will of course then require my lovely fiancé to paint herself green and fire green energy from her hands.

My ideas for the bedroom are sometimes odd and difficult to achieve...

Mega excited about Saturday nights Star Trek club, then the Doctor Who finale. My fave theory is still Omega! Day's shopping in Meadowhall with my lovely fiance before that, which is good, I do love our quality time out of town

News in an odd order of relevance and how it makes my Mum like an alien

There's an excellent episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Well, actually there are over a hundred of them, but I'm thinking of a specific episode, namely A Matter of Honour. It's the one where Riker goes on an officer exchange to a Klingon Bird of Prey. It's brilliant as a great Klingon episode, a great Riker episode and just all round great. Hidden within the Klingon craziness is an officer who exchanges onto the Enterprise, the Benzite Mordock. He works at the science station and spots a bacteria that's eating away at the hull of Enterprise and also the Pagh. He later receives a proper bollocking from Picard for not reporting what he'd found. His reason was that he was completing a full assessment including a solution before making a report, whereas Picard expected an initial report.

I was reminded of this yesterday when my Mum phoned me. She informed me that she would soon be receiving a contact number for one of my Uncles and did I want her to call him and invite him to my wedding? Well considering we'd sent out save the date cards and invites months ago you'd think he'd know, but it seems he's moved house and not told his immediate family. Considering this, I'm not inclined to have anyone waste time chasing him up about it and frankly don't want him there now.

I know, this is still nothing like that episode of TNG is it? Bear with me...

I then enquired as to how she was to come into possession of this number? She said that they'd got it from my wayward uncles 2nd ex wifes mother. Yep, she gets to know where he's moved to! Why these measures to chase his number up now?

'Well your grandmothers not been well this week...'

Right. I love my Mum, but she does have an infuriating habit of leaving the important items till later in the conversation! My grandmother will probably be ok, she's on medication and being observed for the weekend, so once I knew that I looked back on the conversation and was reminded of Mordock. Granted it's not really that similar is it? But I enjoyed the kind of link that my mind sometimes makes. And after the fact I can kind of enjoy my Mum's crazy ideas of which item is appropriate to begin with. Like the time she called me to let me know my brother had been in a car accident. She started telling me the specifics of the crash, the location, angles etc. I had to stop her and ask her if he was ok! He was, it was minor, but you hear 'car crash' and you kind of need it followed up with the medical status! Bless her!

Oh, also my Mum is blue skinned and has a rebreather unit when in an Earth atmosphere...

The rest of my day yesterday was spent working, kissing my girlfriend up and getting excited about this Saturday. The Doctor Who finale is obviously a hugely exciting prospect, I am metaphorically crapping myself with anticipation. Though I can't watch it till sunday, as I'm over at friends on Saturday night watching episodes of Star Trek! Woo! We've all picked an episode each for a 'First Contact' theme. I've made the mad choice of 'The Last Outpost', which is first contact with the Ferengi. Maybe not the best episode ever, but interesting. I've done a powerpoint presentation about the episode to show too. I am possibly the coolest guy ever!

Last night I had a play with my KDE desktop. While I've been using KDE for a couple of months now and been enjoying it, I've not really scraped the surface of what can be done. Now I've got a desktop that shifts wallpapers amongst my Trek based pics, with several semi transparent widgets showing my Twitter feed, RSS feeds, Dinosaur Comics and how long till my wedding. Which is now 70 days. Shit, I better write a speech!

I'm not talking about Politics, but...

Hasn't politics been in everything lately?

I mean, obviously pretty much anything can have politics ascribed to it in some form or another. I mean, in the UK, that Political figures have been all over the place, normally in things I wouldn't expect.

But suddenly they're looking at space!

At least it says so here.

It makes for interesting reading and I like that we look to have some involvement in a space program. I found it pretty interesting that the government may look to change regulations to allow Virgin's SpaceShipTwo to launch from the UK. I'm kinda curious as to what regulations are preventing it. Surely we didn't have some in place just to stop Richard Branson going into space right? Is it the beard? Is there some UK law forbidding bearded people going into space? Can't be, haven't they seen from Commander Riker that beardy guys do well in space?

I recall many a conversation with my old housemate about travelling into space. The upshot was always that I would go if I had the chance. Which is kinda odd, I don't really like to fly. But the opportunity to see my planet from space? Sounds pretty awesome to me. Though it concerns me slightly that Virgin still haven't got the TV service spot on, I still get the occasional flicker or something, but figure they can send people into space. Considering the paranoid panic I had last year on the way home from holiday when, on take off, the plastic front of the seatbelt sign dropped off, I don't know if I'd be a calm astrotourist. I got through the flight, but dear god, I had to watch a Jim Carrey film to keep my mind distracted. (Having gone through my Linux magazine 18 times and watched that animated Doctor Who series through fully twice.)

Still it doesn't look likely to be a big issue anytime soon. The Virgin ships aren't yet doing commercial flights and tickets are $200,000 so not something I'll be doing anytime soon! After all, if I had that sort of cash handy, I'd be building my own Enterprise bridge and travelling through space the safe way. Heck, I can apparently start doing that for a lot less!

Yes, I know how awesome is that wallpaper? And no, I'm not getting some...