stephenw32768

S'been a while since I posted in here. I've been having far too much fun wasting my free time in front of Xenoblade Chronicles...

But I am still alive.

On one of my shelves has sat, for years, a non-functioning mechanical alarm clock. It used to be a functioning mechanical alarm clock until I wound it too tightly.

Today, as I was dusting the shelf (something that only ever happens on bank holidays, if at all), I moved the clock, and it started ticking. Several hours later, it's still ticking.

I hope it keeps working. Functioning clockwork pleases me.

I like the tick-tock-tick-tock as background noise. From the sounds of it, it's going at 14,400 beats per hour (or four beats per second, or 2Hz). (By contrast, my Seiko wristwatch goes at 21,600 bph, and even that is on the slow end of modern mechanical watch movements).

Spontaneously self-repairing clockwork sounds like a good way to start the year!

2011 wasn't bad, I suppose. I've had worse years.

At work, the highlight was somehow managing to survive the idiot contractors with my sanity intact.

Outside of work, the highlight was probably forming an ad hoc animation club with flabio and bad_luck_bird. Stories are so much better as shared experiences.

Favourite stories of last year? RahXephon on DVD; Doctor Who season six on broadcast telly. If I had to pick one episode of the latter, it'd be "The Doctor's Wife".

Nothing Christianity-related on my list of highlights, which is a bit of a fail. Must try harder.

Last year, I resolved to improve my geographical knowledge. This did not happen. If I'm to resolve to do anything this year, it must be achievable...

On December 23rd, I arrived in Cromer to spend a few days with my parents.

Almost as soon as I'd arrived, my father had to visit his doctor to get the results of some tests.

A couple of hours later, we were taking him to hospital for immediate treatment.

Following the treatment, they only kept him in a couple of nights for observation, so we were able to bring him home on Christmas Day in the afternoon. His condition (the details of which I will omit from a public journal) had fortunately been caught before it became too serious, and he'll need to go back for an operation in a few weeks.

It isn't cancer, though. We're all very relieved about that. And I'm glad I was there when we found out he had to go into hospital; my mother appreciated my support.

I went to the 9am service at Cromer parish church on Christmas Day; the first time I've been to a service there, and also the first time I've been to a Christmas service without either of my parents. It was a traditional-style, dignified service that nevertheless did not have the feel of merely going through the motions. I enjoyed it a lot and will go back there next time I visit my parents. (They attend a Baptist church with an exuberant style of worship that I find rather... uncomfortable).

Jolly good arrangement of Ocarina of Time's "Song of Storms", including chipsynth and violin, among other things. "Song of Storms" is interesting to me because I didn't particularly care for it in the game, but have enjoyed the arrangements I've listened to subsequently.

Returned home from visiting flabio yesterday with a nasty headache, which I'm attributing to a combination of tiredness and caffeine withdrawal. A cup of tea, two paracetamol and an early night sorted it out. Perhaps my resolution for next year should be to kick my caffeine habit once and for all.

We use red grape juice for communion "wine" at church. Unless we run out. Then we have to use whatever happens to be available from the shop down the road.

Today, it was cranberry juice.

Well, it's seasonal at least...

A month or so ago, I posted about having to choose a new desktop environment for thalassa.

I've been running KDE for the past few weeks and am happy enough with it.


I don't have a recent screenshot of the old GNOME desktop, but this one from nearly two years ago will give you a vague impression of the difference.

I've had that orange backdrop for years and years now. I like it.

I found this one on OCReMix today. I've lost count of the number of plays it's had over the last few hours.

EDIT: okay, let's say a few more words about it than just that.

It's a track that I like almost everything about. I like the melody. I like the instrument sounds, especially the guitar. I like the ultra-clean production. I like the pacing; although I usually prefer tracks that are a bit faster than this one, it flows so nicely, never sounding ponderous or dull.

The only real criticism that I have is that it's shame it's not a bit longer.

Getting jeans dry is always a nightmare at this time of year.

It's somehow the last month of the year already.

Despite flying by, it's been a decent year, really; I've achieved a lot at work and had some fun times with friends (albeit almost exclusively online).

It's a big Christianity fail, but I tend not to look forward to Christmas. But now it's December, I'm allowed to listen to Christmas music, which does tend to put me more in the right frame of mind.