another test

another test
Originally uploaded by RobMiles.

hotel view

hotel view
Originally uploaded by RobMiles.

Plumbing with Jetlag

Got home from the PDC last night after a 20 hour journey from the states. As I had the ten minute shower I'd promised myself for the previous 10 hours I noticed that the shower unit would not turn off properly. It seems that the tap has worn out. This afternoon we went off for a drive and discovered that the local DIY store was having a 10% sale. Buoyed by my success repairing a drawer in the kitchen I decided to buy a replacement unit to fit. The old one was, well, very old, and I figured that a new one I could fit myself might even be cheaper than getting a plumber in to repair the fault.

Now with me jetlag is a bit like alcohol. It removes my inhibitions about doing something, whilst at the same time removing my ability to actually do it. So of course as soon as I got home it was into the bathroom and out with the big spanners. I had figured on a 20 minute job. Remove the old shower and drop in the new one. They were both the same brand and model. What could be simpler? Turns out that almost anything could be simpler. The old one would not come off the pipes. They use a powerful one way fitting which is very determinedly one way. After half an hour of heaving and pulling I had achieved nothing more than a bunch of skimmed knuckles, some outbursts that shocked number one son and a pile of dirt in the bath.

So I went and calmed down for a while, then fetched the hammer.... The new shower is in place now, and the bonus is that it is way better. I now have to get myself into a happy place regarding the possiblity of leaks (none at the moment but I'm a worrier). And now I'm off for a shower.

Preston Foster Lives!

When I came to the PDC in 2003 I noticed a star on the Hollywood Boulevard for a certain Preston Foster. I had no idea who he was and so I mentioned this in my blog. A (perhaps the) kind reader told me that he was an actgor in the 40's and 50's and also very active in the US Coastguard. I liked his style, and his name, so our pub nights back in Hull were consequently retitled Preston Foster Appreciation Society Meetings. It was therefore quite an emotional moment when I was able to return to the star on the pavement last night. (thanks to David for finding it).

I'm getting some T shirts made for the fan club, if you want to be an affiliated member let me know and I'll send you a shirt (at cost price of course). You can find the original post here.

Living with guilt, and an Imate

I've been playing more with my Imate Jasjar device. It really is nice. I've also been feeling rather guilty. All around me there are folks muttering that I'm lucky to have one and there are more deserving people etc etc.

I'm trying not to care.  I'm going to work off my guilt by writing a bunch of bits and bobs for the jasjar and putting them out there for everyone else. And what's wrong with nice things happening to me anyway. The only problem now is getting it (and the ten or so T shirts I seem to have aquired) home.