hello world @ blog

In this blog is my memory. Part ecstasy, part torture. To explore, and to arrive at the start — and know the place for the first time. Here begins a new enlightenment " You are the music while the music lasts " T. S. Eliot

so... its begun the Age of the Blog. never thought id get swept up by this. Resistance was futile ? ok .. so i gotta blog now i gotta learn to blog good - no half measures now Here we go .. Enjoy the ride

Travel log - Last month i went on an Arctic Expedition. An Expedition around the Archipeligo island of Svalbard. (Spitsbergen to me and you) http://www.ocnwide.com/ocn.htm Why go there ? i was asked many times over. Many thought i was a lunatic and very very few thought it was fantastic. In fact those few (strangers) thought i had made their day by mentioning this fact. Were they wanting shot of me?? they had only just met me... hmmm i wonder now.... The truth of it was i wanted to find inner peace, a calmness, a happiness from within. I wanted to go there and feel one with the landscape. I would go alone. so did i find it ? did i find my Utopia ? The answer - NO! and i have only myself to blame for this - for I did far too much talking, far too much laughing, far too much merry making.... But its gotta be said .. it was one of the most enjoyable times of mylife. The landscape was absolutely jaw dropping. The majestic glaciers were unbelievable. So unashamedly and unbelievably BEAUTIF...

hello world @ blog

so... im out in town in Debenhams department stall http://www.debenhams.com/ , doing a bit off non productive shopping.... (as always) when the announcement happens: "Ladies and Gentlemen, in our stall today we are giving away a free sharp kitchen knife to our shoppers. Go immediately now to the 2nd floor, behind the esculator to collect your free, no obligation kitchen knife" ah yeah me thinks... free my a*se ! Then 2 secs later im swept up in the mad frenzy of bewildered shoppers making their way to the 2nd Floor. We the people we demand our free knives! A small gathering rabble of townsfolk now meets me on the 2nd floor . Young and old and many bald men ( for some reason) Nervous laughter. Wots he gonna try and sell us before we get the free knife ? How long will i have to endure the pain ? all in the quest to get a free knife "Are you here for your free knives ?" asks a very highly polished bald man to us " Yeah!" we sing But he then explains we will ...

This year is a very historical year for me. It marks 10 years of working in the telecoms/mobile internet industry. Yes 10 years. Can i believe it? No i cant. So to mark this monentuous landmark occasion i have turned into a Techno Ludite and brought myself a non push button, non memory store addressbook, non sms, non wap, non 3G, non music, non videostreaming fixed line manual dialling antique bakerlite telephone. Voila ! Very proud of this 1930s replica telephone set i am. So far i have dialled 5 wrong numbers and on average taken approximately 10-15 sec to dial any non local number. International numbers ?? heaven forbid. It really makes me think how we never grumbled, never tutted, never cursed in the "old" days or did we? On saturday i visited Mr Taylor. Mr Taylor is a 90 year old man who lives on his own and i pay him a social friendly visit evey now and again. My job is to just sit and have a chat with the very spritely 90 year old. Sometimes I talk too much, im sure i ...

Today as I was on the 7:10am London bound train to work. Bored to death. So I started thinking about Light. Pure and Simple Light. Im so facinated with how Light can transform a landscape and how drops of light can tanalisingly touch any object or surface and create a whole new world and feeling. Ive always been facinated how a master cameraman can capture the effect of light on their subjects. When the photograph is viewed its not the subject the jumps out and grabs your attention, but the beauty of the Dancing Light. It captivates and draws the observer deeper and deeper into the image. Often im lost in these gems of a photograph. Once I climbed Helvellyn http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks1/w156.shtml the 2nd largest mountain in England, one icy January. Not an easy climb through mist, fog and ice. But when I got to the top it was not the view (lack of ) that amazed me. Instead it was the small hole in the clouds where the suns rays broke through. A Heavenly Spotlight danc...

ok, so i got a brand new adreno junkie fix now ... i wanna be an Ice climber!! Yep this new pastime is another in the bag like skydiving!, 3 peaks challenges! peak bagging! 10K running and tapestry making (Not ) It all began a month ago. I decided my new job was pretty boring. Hey who was i kidding ? like i actually thought work could be interesting huh? So come one dinner hour Andy Megadeath says "hey lets go ice climbing" Theres a place in Covent Garden it has an indoor 40foot ice wall. http://www.vertical-chill.com/ . We went. We loved it. We were belayed. We were hooked!!! Me and Megadeath made a pact from then on. We would climb the great Rongbuk Glacier one day. http://www.caingram.info/Nepalpeaks/everest3.htm . No seriously we decided it many months before. This was all just part of the prep. But one night after watching Touching the Void. ( A true story) We agreed to take more rope than was humanly possible and more sherpas than were necessary. So let the Adventure b...

Yep thats exactly wot Rock Climber Aron Ralston did to suvive after he got his right arm trapped by a big chockstone in Blue Canyon Utah. Im reading his book Between a rock and Hard Place . Using a pocketknife, Ralston cut off his right arm below the elbow and applied a tourniquet and administered first aid. He then rigged anchors, fixed a rope and rappelled 60 feet to the canyon floor. I am really amazed that amputation of his arm was one of the first options he thought of when he became trapped. I really really dont think I could have amputated my own arm and besides I would have fainted @ the first sight of blood. Had i been trapped my first and last option would have been to SCREAM!!!!! and fat lot of good that would have done.... but im sure i woulda felt alot better. So Aron you are one hell of a brave dude! His Book is very graphic and not to be read first thing afer breakfast as i have found out.

Yes I love this time of year. Its so beautiful. The reds, the yellows and the orange hues all around me.... Its such a wonderful time. I took a walk down a local park this weekend and it was fantastic. Here are a few happy snaps i took.

Yeah I wish I believed it. Really I did. This week has been so odd. Last week was brill!! It started with seeing the "Demons of Rock" Motorhead play live. Awesome stuff. Rock never Dies.!! I headbanged like I was 18 again :) Happy Happy me. Althou my neck was sore the next few days. Then this week has been so weird. Two things have happened to me. 1. I got to be around grumpy people 2. I went to yoga classes in my dinner hour. So lets do 1 first. I consider myself a happy go lucky girl. Always looking on the bright sidea life. Always ready to be friendly to any person I meet. So when I have the misfortune to meet with grumpy grumpy and im talking real grumpy people, I just wanna kill them!! I just dont get it. Whats their problem? Why cant they just go home and be grumpy there instead of inflicting it on the general public. I sometimes give them about 2 sec of my life. I say "Loser" to myself and that's it. But some how they are still annoying me just by being i...

Me and my computer are both ill. We both have Viruses. Computer caught it bad last week. He was really ill that Dr Norton had to come round with a potion to put him right. Hes in recovery @ the moment, taking life easy nothing to strenuous. I caught my virus this week. sneeze... cough... splutter ... ARRRAAAGHHH!!!

Rubi Red would like to apologise for the slight disruption to normal service. Our Alchemists and Technical teams are currently working on the problem. Normal service will be restored as soon as possible.

HELLO WORLD ! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!! Weee.... Yeahhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Horror! Horror most fowl!! I have been attacked. Attacked by a He Chicken. A cockerel. A nasty piece of work. Public enemy Number 1 One fresh blowy Sunday afternoon I visited a nearby Organic farm shop/working farm. I have always prided myself in being an eco -friendly human, bordering on could-be Eco Warrior but havent the time nor conviction. But I feel good in these places. Eco friendly, Organic, enviromentally friendly and all round good. What could be better? I feel I am doing my bit for Mankind. No idea what that is. So I wander round the organic shop, with only a pot of honey in my basket. Pay up then head for the farm yard. Lets see the friendly animals. Will it be like Animal Farm? Will the pigs take over? Imagine how it was, a Towny, excited by the mere sight of animals that are almost free. The yard was full. There were pigs, big and smelly... oink oink. There were goats...... baahhh bahhhh. There were ducks.... quack quack. There were cockerels.... cockadoodledoo cookadoodl...

ME!!!!! oh yes oh yes oh yes :) - I am the 2p slot Machine Queen! Lucky for me, I live 5 miles from the sea. So last friday we head off to the Amusement Arcade. Oh the joy of putting your 2ps into the slot. One, then another, then another, then another x20 and then it drops...... kerching ching ching ching. Oh the exhilaration, oh the money. Was it 26 2ps? I know not. But God was I happy. 2 minutes before the end I go for the big one. Yes the Keyring placed perilously close to the drop. It has my name on it. Its looking at me. Win me, win me. Only 2p more, that will do it. First 2p...slot, drop, nothing. Second 2p.. slot, drop, nothing. Third 2p.. slot, drop, nothing. Fourteenth 2p, slot, drop........YEAY!!!! I'm a Winner!!!  

Oh yes. Where are they? This question really struck a chord with me when I heard Steve Wright (off Radio 2 and Steve Wright in the afternoon) say it the other day on the TV. He was explaining how when he joined the Top of the Pops show back in the early 80s everyone had a frightfully posh BBC accent. All he could say was " Hey but this is a Music show. Where are all the cool people?" Yes where are they Steve? I certainly dont get to be around them most of the time. I always get to meet the uncool and unhip set. The set that could bore the pants of me. Sentences that ramble on about something so uninteresting. Sucking the lifeblood from me. I have usually stopped listening halfway through anyway. I politely smile and laugh in sympathy. Whatever. Hey I hope that these uncool people dont think i am their friend now ? Yikes! Ive been hanging round them too long. Correction theyve been hanging round me too long. Have I been indoctrinated into the Uncool set? Oh lord I may need a...

Oh my. I have become Aunty for the 2nd time now. Mr Arran Dobson Esq was born 2am this morning. I have to spoil him rotten with free tickets to Megadeath and Meatloaf gigs now . Hes gorra know about his hip, cool and happening Aunty Rubi Red. Hes gonna be so cool. I know it. Its in the genes see.

You know I often read blogs and I always wonder where the blogger is whilst composing their masterpiece. I think of the room, the surroundings. I always imagine them to be in some upstairs bedroom, but hey we have wireless, we have pocket pcs, we have 3G. So they could be anywhere. They could be @ base camp. I know for sure they have internet there. Is there anywhere that doesn't? Oh I know. The most northerly internet stop and loo stop in the world before you lose communication and fingers to type is Ny Alesund. I went there last summer. http://www.svalbard-images.com/photos/webcam-svalbard-003-2-e.php Well why dont I share my room with a view with you? Yes I look out onto trees. Lovely trees. I watch the seasons closely from the blogger window and see the trees change from black haunting silhouettes to majestic green glowing giants. Lord! I think Im getting old - First sign: love nature. second sign : get poetical. Third sign: get philosophical. Guilty! as charged.

07:38 train to London. Girl sits across the isle to me. Munching on a danish pasterie. Chomp Chomp. Finished. Throws danish pasterie paper bag onto the floor under the seat. I look across at her horrified. No manners 2:00 Work. Gather round a collegues desk to present gifts on the news of his new baby. With gratitude and humility he accepts the small token. It was a small informal service; very beautiful, very moving, but tinged with sadness, as collegues child is thousands of miles away from him in India. With dignity he accepts the gift and spoke of his longing to go out to India to see his wife and child. I wanted to cry buckets. 5:00 train to Norwich. Man in front seat of me continually picks at spots on neck for one hour. No Manners The woman behind leans too close to me. She has bad breath. No Manners 5:10 I stare up at a passing cloud. Escapism. All is calm.

"The only way is UP....Yeah!" Last week was so odd. I had to fly over to Dusseldorf on business. Not that this bothers me usually cos I love flying. Theres something so serene and beautiful about flying into clouds. But the problem is Britain is on high terror alert currently. So flying isnt that simple nowadays. Heres my story.... Arrive at London Stansted (no where near London) airport 4 hours before flight. Queue for 1 hour to check in where I'm issued with my plastic bag handluggage. Queue for 1 more hour to get to departure lounge Queue for 1 more hour to go through security. Here my secureid card is picked up by the xray scanners. Feeble looking security girl approaches me. Gives me the "is she or isnt she?" look and decided "she isnt" then waves me on. Pity really, sometimes I wish I did have the Femme Fatale, International Woman of Mystery look about me. Perhaps a big wig and big sunglasses next time? In departure lounge head for Cafe Nero. A...

"....I wanna be adored.." Stone Roses The CD of choice in this mornings shower frenzy was the adorable Stone Roses. Havent listened to this CD in ages. The minute the bass picked up the minute the bop in the shower began. Oh how i was transported to my youth, was I late teens when these boys were biggin it up in Manc land. And the whole nation was mad for it ? ( or was that just me? ) could my day get any better? yes it did. Lunch hour I took a trip down the World Cafe Bar in Covent Garden http://www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Restaurant/World_Food_Caf/9cbc/ and went for a Quinoa Salad. A what? Yes me too. But apparently its like a super grain. Best you can get. Packed with protein and good things. Then i top it all off with an Acerola drink from the Brazilian Food Bar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acerola Stoned and High as they come... I ended my day with a cartwheel :))

"They would not listen, they're not listening still. Perhaps they never will" Don McLean Dont some mornings just drag and drag? Yesterday morning was no exception. I must have stared blankly at my computer screen for over 5 minutes. Ah this is no good. No good at all. I need inspiration, I told myself. I wasnt going to get that sitting here, in this half filled, half empty ( half term) office. Come lunch time and I head out down to the road to Trafalgar Square. I have the National Gallery in my sights. The banners outside advertise the Velazquez exhibition. I convince myself to go in or risk being soaked with (and by) the pigeons outside. What! I have to pay for the Velazquez exhibition? No way. This commie wont pay. Besides I only have £3 in my pocket and £12 (ripoff!) is needed. Ah all is not lost, an advertising hoarding for a "free" exhibition of Manet to Picasso catches my eye. Head down to the National Gallery basement for that. Enter Room 1 - Renoirs and ...

I have a dilemma. Do I take the scissors to my hair or leave well alone? hmm.. Im kinda annoyed cos I went for my once a year haircut on Friday. I gave the girl my usual " I dont care wot you do as long as its still very long and very straight and looks exactly the same as it does now - OK? " Scared trainee hairdresser just made a few clip clip noises and spun me round fast in the chair. " there we go. That will the £40, thankyou" Fourty pounds !!! A day later and my fringe is still too long. I can barely see out now. The scissors in the bathroom have been looking at me everyday since. Use me, use me ! Go on, Create a mullet... . http://www.ilovemullets.com/ Im suddenly getting flashbacks to 1992 and Bill Ray Cyrus Achy Breaky Heart. Did i actually even look into Line Dancing Classes then ? No! surely that wasnt me ??? (Liar!) Oh No ! horror! Billy Ray Cyrus has been demulleted... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achy_Breaky_Heart

Back on business in Dusseldorf again last week. Or as my friends stationed out there call it - Drizzledorf :) I work in a huge tower in Dusseldorf overlooking the River Rhine. You get a fantastic view from the 15th floor. But last Thursday the view was something spectaular. A rainbow!!! No ordinary rainbow in my book, because I had to run from one end on the 15th foor to see one half and across to the other side to see the other half. Pity i didnt have a half decent camera with me. The photo was taken via a camera phone. A wonderful rainbow

The sunset was really spectacular last sunday. Purples and pinks filled the night sky.

At last.. Internet Killed The Video Star Wasnt it about time this old classic "video killed the radio star" got a remake? Found this version on you tube. made me smile :)

autumn Originally uploaded by wapqueen . Its been a long time coming, but its finally here. Yes my favourite season of them all is here. On saturday, the heavens opened and it rained for an hour then out came the sun. The view out the back window - Wow the trees were a sight to behold. Colour colour colour !

I finally got to see the new James Bond Film Casino Royal a couple of weeks ago now . A great film, but It left me pondering two questions... 1. When will there ever be a female Bond ? 2. Was this the first James Bond film I had ever seen from start to finish ? Lets hold on question 1 for the moment and deal with question 2 instead. So I had gone to see Casino Royale in Liverpool with my sister Rosie ( we were born in the flower power generation days you see? ) and her husband. Lets set the scene. Our Rosie has just had a baby in the last few months and is severely deprived of sleep. Her Husband David, not able to breastfeed of course, so no getting up in the night, compensated for his sleep deprivation by going on an 80mile cycle trip that afternoon (Fool!) So needless to say they were both on tender hooks. Things didnt help when we had purchased a 4 ton bag of sweets before taking our seats. oh yes sugar high here we come! Much to my amazement no one shushed us or turned round when e...

Ah I wish I could blog about happy things all the time, but at the moment I cant. Reason being I live in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. So if youve read the newspapers or heard the news lately you will know that we have a serial killer in the town. Scary! Even more scary when i tell you that the 4th and 5th bodies were found less than 2 miles from my house. Its strange but I keep somehow denying these raw facts that murder is happening on my doorstep and bodies are being found in places/fields/areas that I know so well. Wonder Why.... The news reports say there is fear in the town of who will be his next victim. Is the murderer amongst us ? Who will he come after next to feed his killing addiction? The fear in the town is so palpable. You can feel it, even touch it. Yesterday I came back late from London and you could see a heavy police car presence across the town. Did it make me feel safe? for a second yes, then the dread begins again "whos next ?" we silently ask. This aint no...

Weeeeeee..... Yippey!! Its another New Year and another year of being none the wiser :) Happy New Year dear World @ Blog! may 2007 be totally fantastic! As usual I stayed at home to welcome in the New Year and tuned into the Jools Holland Hootananny Show. Watched Seasick Steve perform bluegrass on his 3 stringed guitar http://www.seasicksteve.com/ Hes something else that guy. Even my mom whose tone deaf started toe tapping to his riffs. Must try and see him play live someday. Then the bongs of old Big Ben began and we get treated to a spectacular firework show. Shame I wasnt there in person to see it over the Thames from where I work. So the Xmas holidays are over now, and boy do I feel as though I need a holiday to recover. Too much of everything, too many good things. Most of the xmas holiday was spent with our Rosie ( remember the older sister from the cinema?) or with members of her family, especially her 3 yearold son Kiran. He runs rings round me and everytime he approaches I ca...

"..On the turning away from the pale and downtrodden and the words they say which we wont understand. Dont accept that whats happening is just a case of others suffering or you'll find that you're joining in the turning away" Pink Floyd. Like many, lastweek signalled back to work week for me. Did you struggle to get out of bed? Was the sky just too too black when you left the house? I could have easily done with turning the car around, heading for home, running back upstairs into my nice warm bed. Ahhhh just 20 minutes more, pleaseeeeeeee........ But alas I struggled into work and struggled even more to remember wot on earth I had been working on before the xmas break. Hmmm they say amnesia can begin early in some cases. Severe lack of brain power - Malfunction. Abort. Retry. "Is there any body in there ?" 12:00pm Brain activity -"Need to buy new hat" Aha we are alive! I head out to Covent Garden in search of a hat. Oh dear, I return back with 3 h...

My fellow commuters had warned me that something like this could happen. And happen it almost did. " Whatever you do, dont make eye contact with anyone" They had once told me, "To get across London Liverpool Street Station concourse from Train end to London Underground end in mad morning rush hour, look at no one. Keep your eyes down and walk. Keep your eyes on the prize" But that advice went all to pot yesterday morning. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a large object (objects?) making a bee line towards me. I turned to look. Fatal mistake. It was a big girl with a very large chest. Not that i make habit of noticing womens chests, but the enormous chest (thankfully covered up with large overcoat) seemed to be going on ahead of her, clearing her path. She was heading straight for me and I was heading straight for her. We were on a collision course! In the space of a split second a few more fellow commuters had joined my walk of certain calamity. What tiny room for ...

Its funny, but somedays I can look down the train carriage of the 07:23 London bound train and take a guess at peoples professions. It usually goes like this: Stockbroker, IT consultant, Accountant, Stockbroker, web developer, Stockbroker, Twat with loud voice on phone, Accountant, Stockbroker, Professional Loser, Civil servant, Accountant etc etc But on board yesterdays carriage we had the mysterious "Music Industry" man. Yes just who was this Mr RocknRoll Man ? He was altogether somebody totally different. Resembled a contemporary of George Martin. Receded shoulder length white mane. In his late 50s or 60s perhaps ? Smartly dressed. Not in the usual grey, navy or black. No, Mr RocknRoll wore purple, and stripey purple at that. A Record Producer. He has to be. Spoke to no one. Politely smiled as he took his seat. Had a look of total contentment about him. Hes old style RocknRoll. Hes been there, hes done it all. T-shirts ? dont even ask. "Apologies Ladies and Gentlemen,...

Hello I'm in recovery presently from lugging a 40 stone rucsac up Bow Fell in the Lake District over the weekend and then nearly being blown off the mountain top during the 100mph gusts. That story can wait..... In the meantime heres a few snaps I took yesterday afternoon of the office and when I went out for a 15 minute breather break in Embankment Gardens. Enjoy ! (oh and apologies for the quality, I had only a cameraphone handy)

Well I dont know where to begin on this one. Far be it for me to be shy on any occasion. But Im truly choked with emotion. I have received an award. A big award. I have been bestowed with the "Honorary Bloke 2007 " award. Not bad for a girl eh? How did I get this award? Even I had to ask that Answer - I survived a weekend of winter camping again with 4 blokes and more to the point for not crying my eyes out like a girl when the 100 mph gust came to blow me off Bow Fell. Now aptly named as Blow Fell. It had been potentially a weekend packed with ice climbing, mountaineering, hiking, drinking and more drinking. So i was told.... I arrived at the rendezvous point to have Dave empty my rucsac and fill it with sleeping bags, his clothes and climbing harnesses. We had a 5 mile uphill hike carrying our gear and every extra ounce would feel like an extra ton weight. Lucky he never spotted my makeup bag and chucked that out. It was a very mild, sunny saturday afternoon when we finally...

Ive lost count of the number of people who have asked me if Ive heard the Kaiser Chiefs latest song, Ruby. Yes, yes I reply again and again. Its not bad i tell them. Quite catchy. Then its a case of fingers in ears as they proceed sing their version. Arrraggh!!! But what gets me is the name Ruby is getting disasterously too popular or should i say common now :( Its even made it into the top 10 most popular girls names lists. Thats a far cry from my days at school when teachers would look suprised to find such a wierd name on the class register and ask me to pronounce my name 3 or 4 times before they finally got it. Once a precious rare gemstone, now as common as muck! Perhaps my parents should have called me Saphire or Emerald? But come to think of it, I dont think I would have survived my inner city comprehensive with such a ponsy name. Anyway I dont know why Im grumbling, Im a Rubi as opposed to a Ruby. The I is for individuality, independance and impulse and not for intellect, indec...

" And the first one now will later be last. For the times they are a-changin' " Bob Dylan Oh why do things have to change? Why oh why ? Ive just come back from a lovely 2 day break in Paris accompanied by Mother Rubi Red. Now it must be at least 20 years that i last set foot on French soil. Yes twas as a pigtailed schoolgirl that I last went to Paris on a school trip, but i distinctly remember our teachers making us climb the stairs all the way up the Eiffel Tower. How could i forget? Most of us nearly passed out in the soaring 30+ heat, gagging for water and for breath, whilst the teachers whistled past us in the elevator to the top. So roll forward some 20 years later. Now as i approached the gigantic manmade monstrosity of the Eiffel Tower, walking shoes and bottle of water at the ready ( but no breathing appatatus) "un billet pour les escaliers á la summit, s'il vous plait monsieur" I politely asked. "No, sorry madam. The stairs only take you to the...

Oh why do things have to change? Why oh why ? Ive just come back from a lovely 2 day break in Paris accompanied by Mother Rubi Red. It must be aleast 20 years that i last went to Paris on a school trip, but i distictly remember our teachers making us take the stairs up the Eiffel Tower. How could i forget? Most of us nearly passed out in the soaring 30+ heat, gagging for water and for breath, whilst the teachers whistled past us in the elevator to the top. So i approached the Effel Tower some 20 years later with some intrepidation, walking shoes and bottle of water at the ready ( but no breathing appatatus) "un billet pour les escaliers a lá summit, s'il vous plait monsieur" " uurrrrrr No im sorry you can only take the stairs to the 2nd floor and then take the lift to the top" No stairs to the top?? How could this be ?? and how could the French person reply back in English when i had spent all bout 2 mins perfecting my pigeon french. It all came back to me now s...

I didnt think it was possible, but now I know it is. I have been Zapped. Sunday evening we had a "friend" round for dinner. Unknown to me at the time, but this person is a fully qualified Zapper. A Zapper is a person that manages to skilfully suck the happiness and high energy from people around them, but channels this positive energy into total negative energy. Picture the situation. " Hey, how are you ?" "Oh alright, I suppose" " What you been upto then" " Nothing really" " Hows work?" " Same ol shite" For 1 hour it continued like this. Small talk, one word answers back. I then sat back and thought, why bother? They are just so Dull. Dull. DULL! Leave them to their world of dullness. Let dullness prevail. But that was the problem it had prevailed and now I felt drained, deflated and depressed. I had been zapped! A zapper had zapped my happy energy. Energy that cannot be created or destroyed. The zapper had done his...

"...Floating in the summer sky. 99 red balloons go by..." Nene Another business trip to Dusseldorf again this week. Another chance to wait and wait around Stansted Airport for nothing much to happen. Why must airports be so tiresome? Of course, as I travel cattle class I dont have the luxury of sitting around plush BA departure lounges reading the FT, trying to look important like my other IT collegues. No I travel with the great unruly, unwashed public. I am with the people. Here I can observe the evolution of the trolley bag, which has got smaller and smaller and their only function in life is a) to be as small as possible and b) to trip up as many people as possible. I dont do trolley bags. I do rucsacs. I carry it all. I rough it. What is it with everyone ? Are they too frightened to carry just 1 kilo of weight on their back these days? Wimps! When you work in IT, everything is grey; the offices, the projects, even the people. IT in Germany takes grey to another dimension...