Now here is a pub that isn't going to be too worried by the forthcoming smoking ban. It is the Pembury Tavern in Hackney.

I had vaguely heard of it through the SPBW (Rose signed up and gets the Pint in Hand) and had confused it with a boozer I used to frequent when I lived nearby in Rowhill Road. I was wrong it turned out. Despite being located on a major junction that I walked passed several times a week I had no recollection of the building. It was quite possible it was in its burnt out stage then but I doubt it. there were loads of vast boozers around Hackney at that time, and probably still are, and I am sure I would have noticed it in a disapproving kind of way. My dole office was located not very far away but I can't remember heading for a post sign-on beer up there. I was too near the flat I guess.

To cut a long blog short - it has undergone a bit of a transformation. To be honest I am surprised to find such a pub in Hackney despite the passage of the years.

What made me drag myself across London to get there? In the end it was an accidental purchase of a Linux magazine, "Linux User and Developer", one that I don't really like because it's a bit waffly and short on practicalities. It was accidental because its colour scheme put me in mind of Linux Format a magazine that I do like. There was one good article in it however about this man, Steve Early, who had developed his own opensource EPOS system . His thinking was pragmatic about the issue - he didn't want to be beholden to EPOS companies who deliberately lock in their customers data to their systems and who are at the same time often small outfits vulnerable to going bust. Not only has the combination of Steve's programming talents and existing opensource software protected his data he can flex it around in various creative ways. He also has the potential of putting his ideas out to other businesses with similar needs and possible making some money from offering system support.

The article also listed some classic pieces of OSS that I feel suffer because of their familiarity. Open Office is certainly one of them. Just because its commonly bundled with distros doesn't mean we should take its capabilities for granted. Less well known outside of the Gnu/Linux world is Gnucash. I have started to look at it on my Ubuntu install. The article was reminder of what a powerful set of tools are available to people without the stranglehold of closed formats and code or , less importantly, licence fees.

Steve's other interest is beer and he is a founding director of Individual Pubs a mini-chain of pubs who's main speciality is real ale. The Milton Brewery plays a leading role in the beers usually available but guest ales aren't in short supply either. (like Samuel Smiths they also avoid your bog standard products like Fosters Guiness or Coca Cola). There was a nice looking cider on when I visited but at 7% it was beyond my reach.

The Pembury has been a non-smoking pub since its re-opening under the Individual Pubs banner and this can only be to its advantage. Not one of their devoted band of customers is going to be changing their drinking habits one bit. And others attracted by the beers and light spacious atmosphere but put off by the smoking restriction will suddenly be without an excuse to avoid the place. (Perhaps a pub garden or nice area to smoke outside is missing-the junction they are located on isn't the noisiest but neither is it the nicest).

They do a great menu. The bar staff are lovely and the management think out of the box. I hope they go on to bigger things. (I also hope they spare a thought for the neglected world of SE18 - me and R might soon be in need of an individual pub ourselves.)

hackney real ale pembury tavern

The Fist Project -- Unity is Within Everyone

The Fist Project -- Unity is Within Everyone
Originally uploaded by Still Vision.

I haven't got a clue what the Fist Project is...but I think they'll be none too happy on July The First.

More blogging weirdness.

All of a sudden I have to moderate comments. Google must have changed my settings.

Help - where's the off switch?

July the First


Not long to go before the UK ban.

Apparently the punishment side of things is aimed at two groups - the individual smokers themselves who can face £50 fines "if caught in banned areas" (presumably for smoking - not just being smokers).

Secondly it is the managers of the premises who get a larger set of fines. They can be fined £1000 for not displaying no-smoking signs irrespective of whether anyone has ever smoked on their premises.

A friend of mine has received his guidance pack from the Government. He employs himself as a computer contractor so therefore he gets a pack - a bit daft and a bit expensive. I suppose some of the money from all those lovely fines will contribute to to cost of this waste.


Apparently he can still smoke in his own house where his "office" is. But if someone was visiting on official business, a Smoking Ban Enforcement Officer for example, he would have to protect that workers entitlement to a smoke free environment. He would also have to get that 'no smoking' sign up pronto to remind the Officer of his legal duty to protect that smoke free environment.

At least this friend smokes - I guess the same would apply to non-smokers in the same situation. They would have to stick up signs to remind themselves not to do something they wouldn't dream of doing.


smoking+ban

When I say below "lovely biscuit" I mean stuff like this.

Twittering on and on

Twitter has a rival



But I don't have enough time to investigate it...I am wasting all my time on twitter.



That's a lie.  Had the last big away trip of the season yesterday down in Folkestone yesterday.



I guess the point of Twitter and other "personal presence" websites is that those who cared to find out that fact could have done it more easily than accessing a full-blown blog.



I maintain that  one of the main roles of blogs is a simple public notice saying "I am alive." 



The problem is just about everyone either loses your address or thinks you've stopped or moved your blog.  What they mean is they can't be bothered to visit your webpage.  They'd rather do something more interesting or useful.



 I also maintain RSS is an essential component of blog checking half bearable.  However for some reason people can't face up sorting out an RSS solution.  Even they way I have just described it would put people off.  It sounds simply too technical.



Much easier to sign up for a twitter account or myspace where the same concepts used without any jargon and with only a moderate expenditure of effort.



Why navigate to Verbal Diary to establish I'm alive via a long-winded post like this when my name flashing up announcing "Just had a lovely biscuit" can do the same trick?

Powered by ScribeFire.

Thank you!

Thank you!
Originally uploaded by Nakken18.

This amused me ..... guess you don't see this sign much in the Celtic countries.

Who needs all this waffle - the world of the one line blog has arrived.

I found myself signing up for this a few months back not entirely sure if it had any legs. I then I saw it mashed up with Google maps and a new addiction has been born. Check it out Twittervision

---
1y 2d 01:04 smoke-free, 9,176 cigs not smoked, £1,064.42 saved, 1m 1d 20:40 life saved


Yeah - One year and two days. Speeding towards the two year point. Go boy go boy.

(This post is for the purposes of self support only)

Hmmm....I must have misunderstood something because today it says

---
1y 13:32 smoke-free,
9,145 cigs not smoked,
£1,060.82 saved,
1m 1d 18:05 life saved

Which is correct...the one year bit at least is correct.

When I looked at it yesterday it looked like it was missing a few days. But calenders are weird things as Easter constantly (inconstantly) reminds us.

One Year Today

Well, well done to me. Today its my First Anniversary of packing in smoking. So yippee.

The quit-o-meter disagrees with me about this for some reason and I will post what it has to say about it in a few minutes when I boot back into Windows.

I can't read what I wrote in my last post about the effect of the forthcoming English smoking ban.

Of course I haven't the foggiest what will happen to the "pubs I like". They could very well prosper.

I do know the one thing that really nearly stopped me following up my decision to give up smoking on the 9 April 2006 was the sight of Patricia Hewitt leaning over the dispatch box licking her lips with glee as she announced the full-on ban (even though it was a reversal of the government's earlier policy of a partial ban).

I have never much liked the direct action route to advance your causes but perhaps a "letter-tray" campaign might stir things up - you send stubbed out cigarettes in envelopes to members of the ghoulish anti-smoker politburo and see them have kittens on Question Time and the like..

The downside is that some people think even fag ends emit death rays so you could still end up being lynched.

Thanks for the flickr picture to sluggo



smoking ban smoking terrorism

smoking ban in action

smoking ban in action
Originally uploaded by tigerweet.

"I don't smell and I'm not going to die horribly, but you know, it'd be nice if smokers at least took turns going outside for a ciggy rather than leaving me alone for most of the night." says in the text accompanying the photo - my mind flashes back guiltily to the days when the non-smokers would be dragged over to the smoking section.

Its also interesting that these memories of non-smoking sections in pubs are fairly numerous and go back a long way - combined with good air conditioning there was plenty of opportunity to get all the supposed benefits that the progandists say have snowed down on the Irish and Scottish since their bans were imposed.

I think the ban will kill off certain pubs - they happen to be the pubs I really like with or without a fag in my hand.

Just come back from a short stay with my folks in Portugal.

It looked like a possible escape route for smokers - there is a large Brit ex-pat thing going on there. I went to watch a game in the Bull Pub in Luz and it made we wonder about the forthcoming smoking ban. Would it tilt people into wintering in Portugal or even moving full-time?

Apparently the Portugese are bringing in there own ban - it applies to any bar or cafe less than 10m sq. This size encompasses the vast majority of venues...but what does it matter anyway? I was getting sunburnt yesterday whilst England had snow. A smoking ban inside cafes in Portugal is like a ban on nudity in South Antartic. People will continue sitting outside just like they do now. And none of the urban elite need be effected as they sit in their open-plan offices.

Meanwhile Scottish bars are reporting a downturn in business since the ban - you're not even allowed to sit outside there.

One thing that is leading to the downturn is that people are moving on a lot quicker ratrher than making an evening of it down the pub - presumably they going home to blow smoke on the kids who in turn will grow up to vote only for parties that are less vindictive in their policies.

If I had to choose between Scotland and Portugal for a holiday it would be a terrible wrench but I might just choose Portugal.

Another week another pound shed.

One thing I depend on quite a bit is sugar-free chewing gum so I am quite galad a gum war has broken out with Cadbury's introducing their Trident range of gums to the UK.

I love them but R is sticking to the old ways as usual.

One mystery has been solved - why did Wrigleys ditch the tradition foil wrapped stick of gum in favour of wallets. It was in preparation for the packets used by Cadbury's. The Cadbury's ones are better designed though- the gum doesn't fall out into your pocket like the Wrigleys packets do.

lsdf.GIF
Originally uploaded by Max # VinylUnity.com.

The Glamour of Smoking Wears Off Quicker

...than the paunch around my tummy. I am now 10st 12lbs which is another slight drop. Or a eight stone 2lb drop since the post before last - if you haven't realised it was a typo.

I did have a Cream Tea yesterday which isn't exactly Kosher but I really enjoyed it. Luckily it was near Hampstead Heath so you didn't get much for your money.

I have yet to work out an exercise routine. I have fantasies about doing power-walking three times a week. Had to make do with a slow dawdle over the Heath with R taking in the smudgy views, the peace and quiet and the kite flying.

Thanks to Max # VinylUnity.com for the real life Ozzie devotee

So I am now less than eleven stone. How ridiculous. For a long period of my life I weighed around eight - which is equally ludicrous.

So what is eleven minus eight? Three isn't it? How many babies is that?

Now that I am less heavily pregnant it might explain why my pipe cleaner legs seem to get less tired now.

Thin
Originally uploaded by Nad.

---
10m 2d 05:56 smoke-free, 7,709 cigs not smoked, £894.24 saved, 3w 5d 18:25 life saved

So the smoking thing looks pretty licked



weight 19 st 13lb

38.5 inch

So the weight loss thing looks pretty unlicked

But SOMETHING has come off. Hoorah.

diet takes extreme turn

celadon rice bowl
Originally uploaded by madcache.

...or it will do after I weighed myself yesterday. I clocked up eleven stone again. I refuse to even bother putting my waist measurements down here.

There's a nice curry in the fridge though so I had better postpone things till tomorrow.

Slowly the pounds fall off...or down

mr_bloggy
Originally uploaded by ecf1691.

Today's weigh in was 11 st 70kg 37.75ins which is slow but steady progress I guess. Surprised its not more with all the radical fruit chomping lunches replacing the spag bol and chips.

Meanwhile the smoking stats mount up. Am I just greeedy or does £850 and sixteen pence seem a bit measly considering the scale of the effort?

9m 2w 4d 02:50 smoke-free, 7,329 cigs not smoked, £850.16 saved, 3w 4d 10:45 life saved

On the plus side my breathing has improved immensely. A lot of voice work involves breathing in an out (money for old breath) and in my later years involved with that kind of thing my breathing was no longer smooth- there were sudden jerks and spasms within it that disrupted the flow. I begun to doubt my capacity to reach to the end of a long speech without the tone deteriorating towards the end.

Last night I seemed to be able to draw in and exhale vast breaths without any kind of disruption (I was a bit bored whilst R was at work....kept me amused anyway). I had noticed some improvement before but it was the first time I really gave my lungs a work out and the result was vastly better.

On the train the other day I couldn't help notice a lady with a very wrinkly face but otherwise quite youthful physicality probably 60 years plus. She was on the mobile:

"Hi I am on the mobile so better be quick.....yeah fine, I've given up smoking...yeah its going great I feel much better....a week...well not there, not there actually, so four days in all then...but I feel great it seems to be going well."

Poor thing - only Day Four. In 9months 2weeks 4days time her face might be completely unwrinkled. Lets hope she makes it

Excuse me, would you pass my spectacles please?
Originally uploaded by jonnyfez.

(Thanks to jonnfez for this image)




Another week another weigh-in.

TBH it was another disappointing morning. The afternoon was better but not for dietary reasons.

The result was 11st 2.5lb 71kg Waist Measurement 39inches.

If anyone is brilliant at metric-to-imperial conversions they may question the quality of these stats.

If anyone has taken a look at the quality of the scales I bought from John Lewis they also might express a degree of scepticism. I, too, have fallen into the trap of blaming my tools. I have difficulty seeing the result displayed on the scales. I was considering donating them to a charity shop and buying myself some digital ones but then it occurred to me that though it would give more refined results it would be equally difficult for me to see the results. The solution ofcourse is a Speak-Your-Weight Machine. A posh-sounding imperial one - not one that doesn't know what a "stone" is and has a Mid-Atlantic twang.

The measuring bit is also difficult. When R does it she seems to say I've lost loads of inches but I do it and the loss is minimal if at all. It all comes downto "when is a waist a waist". I should defer to R's judgment as she is a bit of an expert with knocking out clothes and things. But perhaps I feel the need to overcount the inchs in case I slackened my efforts.

The over-counting trick didn't work today as I went to Chelmsford City to watch AFC Wimbledon thrash the title contenders 3-nil. I got confused and bought a cheese sandwich then got even more confused and ate a jumbo hot dog with loads of ketchup.

I think the lack of calories has done something to my brain leading to sudden bursts of dietary confusion.

(When I was looking around for pics for today's blog I came across this little story on flickr that shares some of this blogs interests. Apart from the heart-stealing.)

Half a glass of water
Originally uploaded by Jeff Youngstrom.

I am floating in a lettuce leaf atop an ocean of low-fat yoghurt. The land of chocolate seems very very far away.

Honestly, the diet isn't getting to me, really.

Today there have been good pieces of news from here and there and I think I can have my weekly pint tonight. It's quite an enticing prospect.

It should be good. A problem with only being allowed a small amount to drink each week is you don't want to waste your units on any old muck. I definitely want a decent beer. I think the idea is to visit the immensely characterful Sussex Arms ( I was there on my birthday, sorry, I mean the Readers' Meeting, last September).

Thanks to Jeff Youngstrom for "Half a glass of Water" at flickr



Diet Yoghurt Beer

For the drop...and beginning to bounce

carrots
Originally uploaded by khalloran.

After the rigours of my present diet something had to give I suppose.

Hopefully not the springs on my weighing scales.

Todays weigh-in was 11st 2.5lb 71.25k 39.50ins

Everything behind the decimal points is a bit fictional but some progress has been made.


Anorexia looms in 2020 at this rate.

(When I came back to edit this I suddenly remembered I was dreaming of a rabbit or rabbits).

Now that I have radically twiggyfied will I feel at home amongst the beer bellys of AFC Wimbledon's away support as we attempt the impossible - overthrowing Gravesend and Northfleet in our quest for FA trophy glory.

There's a particularly well known fan called Salad - for reasons that aren't immediately obvious.

The Quit-o-meter today

---9m 4d 03:46 smoke-free, 6,980 cigs not smoked, £809.68 saved, 3w 3d 05:40 life saved

Thanks to khalloran and pixietart at flickr for the images.

Technorati Tags: Blubber Diet Anorexia Dreams Rabbit

The Scales That Knew Too Much
Originally uploaded by WooDrew.

Well well well.

After the considerable effort and sacrifice of the last seven days I am proud to announce that I HAVE PUT ON 3LBS.

Yes I have gained weight. Cut out sugar exist predominately on fruit. Cut out fat and fat bearing products. Engage in extended brisk walks. And yes...weight is gained. If I continue with this I will have gained two stone by the time I see the doctor in June.

Bugger.


Diet Fat Hungry Disillusionment

Blogger has changed as anyone who uses blogger knows only to well. It has introduced "post labels". Not quite sure what the point of them is. I just tried the ones I placed below and they don't seem to go anywhere. Also they all seem to be a single link...even though they don't seem to link to anything except this post.

100 Chicken Nuggets
Originally uploaded by danmanley.

I saw an interesting item via redditt this evening. What do portions look like?

After a couple of weeks "adjusting" to skimmed milk I was pleased to see that a whole new set of portions was being called for.

slimming weight loss diet

Roast vegetable goodness

Roast vegetable goodness
Originally uploaded by kightp.

A minor culinary masterpiece tonight. Roast vegetables served with bouillon and worcester gravy. The frazzled green beans were a delight - almost oriental. And the roast cabbage was to die for. The secret is to roast it in chunks - don't let the leaves separate - the outer ones dry up but the inner parts are wonderfully moist.

I then had some sliced kiwi fruit and a drop of low fat yoghurt with the slightest hint of pure maple syrup.

It was delicious. It was two hours ago. I am starving.

I just noticed that at the top of this page there is a button marked "next blog". I wanted to see if this linked to my other blogger blog. Well it doesn't it goes off to see whats happening next door. So I went for a gander.

If looking for something to occupy your hands you could do worse that look here.

Interested in a bit of Malasian politics? Look here.

Find Walmart demonic and Angelina heavenly? Here.

Not sure what to do on News Year's? This blogger observes "Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions."

Another hobby when you bore of the knitting without having to buy large amounts of material then this blogger might have something to offer.

I could have gone on clicking on "next blog" quite merrily but this spoilsport had contrived to remove his button. As if that was going to make me stay at his site. There's always one who spoils things for the rest I say.

(They're not really neighbours - when I got stuck I went back to my page and started again and the next blog button went to a different site. I am not sure that's the right thing...it would have a stronger community feel if we were stuck together like real neighbours. Then we could all borrow virtual sugar off each other. Or given my present circumstances borrow artificial sweetener off each other.)

A mobile-phone version of this site would be useful for dealing with those inconsistent labels mentioned below. It comes grace of the US government and though pounds and onces aren't the imperial kind (I think) you're given lots of weight options, including metric of course, and lots and lots of food info about just about everything. It is search-based rather than list based and seems to do the trick nicely. I tried bananas, maple syrup and tuna canned in oil. (No - it's not some mad dish I'm conjuring up). It provided all the info I needed plus some. Definitely worth a visit.


Over here the new thing is Five Portions of Fruit and Veg a Day. Check it out here. This is the total opposite in style - it keeps things short and sweet and there is a useful list of of "portion" samples. It could do with a portion-calculator and a search function I think.

And failing that there is also the option of popping a few newly-arrived pills and getting them to do the job for you - for smoking and for weight control.

Stepping towards 2007

Christmas Cigarettes
Originally uploaded by Todd Ehlers.

Here's an eve of new year's eve summary as far as smoking is concerned:


---
8m 3w 12:50 smoke-free, 6,644 cigs not smoked, £770.70 saved, 3w 2d 01:40 life saved


And we have a newcomer to the stats - all part of the de-fattening process:

Weight 72kg ~ 11st 3lbs Waist 40 ins.

Could be worse.

All in all it's a bit too much for me - even R finds it a bit mind-bending watching me eat fruit and clap gleefully at the sight of a carrot.

And of course there's the no (minimal actually) alcohol regime.

So where am I?


I gave up smoking in April.

I was getting really itchy skin so I went to the doctor. He saw my palms and promptly fainted. "Your liver" he gasped.

I went through two extended dry periods prior to a blood test and then an ultrasound scan.



Neither was conclusive. Either its a type of fatty liver thats not too bad or its liver disease at an early stage.

I see a second doctor and he seems relaxed about it - I start enjoying a few drinks again

Then I see a consultant - he thinks a biopsy might be needed and he wants me to lose weight and go minimal with drink.

In the mean time I think I'm having a heart attack which is some other vaguely diagnosed ailment, another doctor gives me a drug and am told not to drink. Subsequently my face explodes with yukky skin disease around the mask of my face. So I see another doctor. For some reason she wants to input basic info onto the practice's database again. She is amused when I tell her I drink 1-2 units a week.

She gives me another prescription. Then I am looking at the small print of the first drug and it warns me to consult a doctor if my face starts to blister so I guess I am going back to see another doctor about...er...what...oh yes...my face...or is it my liver?


~~~~~~~~~~

My first non-smoking Christmas. Any thing to say about it? I had to spend more quality time with my family - I used to be able to escape to the garden for a long cigarette or two. Did I say escape?

I missed my post Midnight Mass cigarette - much more than my usual Christmas Eve drink-up it must be said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John Lewis yesterday braving the sales-seeking crowds to get a weighing-scale. Got pounced on by an assistant "Can I help you sir" "Yes I am looking for some weighing scales" He must have thought I was a drug dealer or something as he sent me down to the kitchen department. I emerged ten minutes later and sought out bathroom accessories.

I had little idea how the market has changed - weighing scales tell you all sorts of things nowadays like how much of you is fat and how much is water at any given moment. After failing to find out what batteries were required I bottled out and bought conventional mechanical scales. They also happened to be the cheapest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Football used to be a different experience altogether and it wasn't only because the Wimbledon FC team was professional. At least four pints of lager would be involved and it was almost statutory to visit one of the many chicken outlets in Thornton Heath - the greasier the better. When things went Non League I suddenly found I could drink just as easily and smoke much more easily. Fried chicken was on offer in Kingston Road but I never really got on with it. The chips and burgers inside Kingmeadow sufficed nicely.

Post-smoking and the experience is practically unrecognisable. Today I had two bovrils on the trot (don't tell me its fattening please!). In the second half I stuffed my face, rather furtively I have to admit, with some over-priced dried berries I had bought from Waterloo Station. The berries were washed down with tea.

(Bovril of course does belong to rituals of football - it was drizzly and windswept and the light was perfect as I sipped on my warming beaker. AFCW beat Walton and Hersham 3-1. I celebrated with a berry.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Though R has been a great help with giving up smoking she isn't very expert at anything to do with slimming. In fact reading labels is not her strong point unless it's the bright yellow "Reduced" or "Two for the Price of One" type of label and then she's very observant indeed. Negotiating the microscopic grid at the back of foodsfuffs (Fat 0.3g of which 0.05g is mono-flatuent and so on) isn't easy for anyone. I have never ever in my life bothered looking at them till now. I have spent two weeks odd checking them and am already annoyed at the inconsistencies. I original thought the values were all on a per 100g basis but obviously not. Something I looked at today was only X amount of fat per 1/3 of a pot. Not very easy to make your calculations extrapolating from fractions of pot sizes.

Despite our relative inexperience we'll shortly be settling down to a Jacket potato and a lettuce leaf. R might have a beer to wash it down with ....ahhhhh.

A Happy New Year to You All.

Football Diets Smoking New Year

Not getting any younger.







OK. This is getting silly now. I went to see my "consultant" on Monday. He wants me to lose weight. And not use sugar. And avoid dairy products. And fatty foods. And bready foods....potatoey foods...foody foods. He very kindly will allow me the 1-2 units of alcohol I mentioned below.

And the daftest saved for last...he wants me to exercise. Twerp.

Crise de coeur

A person came to live in the close's dustbins the other week. Very Christmassy – doubt it was a pregnant virgin but we never got to see the occupant. A note was left for them telling them it wasn't safe to live there and they seem to have moved on. They had stuffed old newspaper paper into the slats of the door to keep out the cold.

Last Monday I decided I was in the middle of a heart attack and called out the ambulance. I felt a bit silly doing it but the ambulance people were very reassuring. To my surprise they actually took me to hospital and worse the doctor wanted me in over night and I had an IV thing plonked into the back of my hands. I didn't get out until 3pm the next day.

My fellow patients were a bit of a pain. I wondered if one of the disembodied voices I heard during the night was the person who had just moved on from our dustbins.

There was another who I was convinced was faking his moans and groans. R smuggled in a slice of pizza. Although he didn't see the source of the smell he was soon on his feet hassling the staff for supper. “I smell food” he said “I haven't eaten for two days” “Why haven't you?” the nurse asked. He didn't answer.

Another bloke turned up at 5am under police escort. Various doctors attempted to ascertain what he had taken – there were concerned mutters about opiates. The next morning the doctor did her rounds and had a jolly chat with him about the pills cocaine and litre and a half of Jack Daniels he had drunk. When she got to me she asked how much I was drinking. I had briefly discussed the indeterminate liver problem. “Around the limit” I said “21 units a week” - she hit the roof and gave me the third degree – “You should be drinking 1-2 units a week at the most” she screeched. Oh well. How much is a unit now?

Try banning this

WHACKIE TABACKIE ?
Originally uploaded by Philip Campbell.

Apparently the German coalition have agreed on strengthening their relatively relaxed smoking laws. Smoking in pubs restaurants bars and "discos" will still be permitted. I'm sure this guy is well pleased with that - especially the disco bit.

My my... how I have changed

Papua New Guinea
Originally uploaded by Eric Lafforgue.

Apart from the general podginess there are a few "giving-up" positives I have noticed.

I am just at the end of another period of being on the verge of a cold. On the verge of one. Not laid low off sick with one. This has happened twice since I have given up smoking. Has my resistance/immunity strengthened?

That said I did get hit by a bad one shortly after giving up. At least life is a bit more comfortable now if you get burdened with a sore throat. There was nothing more depressing than steeling yourself to smoke despite a red raw throat.


Sometimes with a fever you would have to go without - you had no choice because you were unconscious. But as soon as a bit of clear-headedness arrived it would be out on the balcony for a puff.

There was an error or rather an oversight in my earlier post about the Waterloo Cafe makeover. The Waterloo Cafe is now to be known as the Cafe Waterloo - in fact thats what all the engraved glass is about. Very chic that. Cafe Waterloo. Very French.

Guess it's not one of the more common cafe names over there though.

Thanks to Eric Lafforgue for the image "Papua New Guinea"

Oh the chill and wonderful world of Windows. Sitting hear listening to Ennio Morricone at this website - it could equally be chill with a Mac I presume but with Linux....who knows? Perhaps it would work perhaps not.

Though the pros and cons of Macs running OS X Tiger and PCs running XP Home and Pro are rigorously detailed at XvXP its taken for granted that the Mac machine is ahead on pure design and the logo blares out of the back of every MacBook.

And it's not only Steve Jobs who is at it. After a bit of a gap I decided to visit the Waterloo Cafe for egg chips sausage and beans today. This is a cafe that I mentioned had annoyed me in the past - it had a billboard advertising spag bol but everytime I went there the old guy would say "We don't do it on a tuesdays" ...or if it was a Weds "we don't do it on Weds".

They finally took the sign down after me going in there a thousand times and turning on my heels whenever the excuse was trotted out.

I went in today and ordered my food in a half trance finally looking in the direction of the manager. He was wearing a black tee-shirt with The Waterloo Cafe printed on it in a clean modern font.

I should have ordered mutton dressed as lamb.

Let's all just chill

Originally uploaded by questionyourtruth.

Aaaaargh...its so annoying. R and I look like we are going to hit a brick wall with our dream home. The vendor says he can't shift the tenant and that he's going to sue them etc...Months of fiddle-arsing is coming to nothing. Fivers have been wantonly cast upon the open flames and it wasn't even a rock stunt.

Oh well. Just have to chew it over with some new-style Orbit chewing gum in weird cigarette type packets. Perhaps Orbit are gearing up for the new boost in sales that should accompany the smoking ban next year.

Instead of changing the packets they should really be thinking about the flavours. Spearmint doesn't really go with stout or bitter though its probably ok with Vodka and Tonic and the more flavourless lagers. Some possibles:

Biltong

Cheese and Onion

Salt cod

Tobacco.

The last one is a bit problematic - does tobacco without nicotine taste of anything? The sickly burn is the whole point.

A friend reckons it will be smoke free tobacco products that will hit boom time rather than the sweety industry.

I know only one tobacconist, in Otley, that sells chewing tobacco. Will it become a standard behind every bar counter? And snuff of course.


I think I'll google around to check out the Irish experiments.

EDIT: And sure enough here's the first hit so to speak.

thanks to questionyourtruth at flickr for the image

We didn't get mullered in any sense of the word. AFC Wimbledon played well but not well enough to earn replay or a win. The turnout was huge for such a fixture.

R and I were able to do some catching up with respective friends who live in or near Exeter and the whole thing went a treat. 

feeling a wee bit nervy

!
Originally uploaded by viva la paola.

There's nothing like a good chain smoke to calm your nerves through the night before a big day.

Aye

AFC Wimbledon take on Conference Giants Exeter tomorrow at St James's Park.

R and I have to get a ridiculously early train so are preparing for bed at a ridiculously early hour.

Oh yes the chain smoking...no I'm not. I am having to make do with decaf instant. Great thing is its a long train journey tomorrow and I won't have to deal with any cravings.

R has just opined that "we are going to get mullered aren't we?". I think she meant to use another word but if we win tomorrow we will probably get mullered and all.

Half a year

No Pipe Smoking in Croatia
Originally uploaded by Venichka.

SIX MONTHS without smoking.

Had my first heavy smoking dream in ages as if to mark the occasion last night.

Half a year without cigs- little old me.

A world without smokes seems possible.

Had to happen in the 21st century though - wouldn't really look right in any other era.

How would James Dean have looked cool? Hung a shoelace out of his mouth?

And what would Sherlock Holmes have done if the anti-smoking craze had kicked off even earlier?

"I am most beholden to my horse chesnuts dear Watson - it is a liberation of the mind to enjoy them by the hearth but even so I fear this problem is a nine nutter. Leave me now"

Off into the sunset

The Butt Family..., originally uploaded by emerton.

R needed some extra folder space today so she asked me to purge the smoking folder that she had built up for me and used to leave on the smoking ledge.

I was a bit hesitant - isn't this memorabilia worthy of preservation?

Most of it is mass produced literature so I didn't think it would have any wider value - there would be no future Museum of Smoking without the Smokers issuing requests for old anti-smoking leaflets.

Inevitably I gave them a quick glance- I was not a devoted reader of the file (started three or four years ago) in it's early days as I had no intention then of giving up - there was a picture of some local sporting hero kicking some small person in a cigarette suit. This unfortunate character was called Buttman.

There were my quit cards mentioned on this blog - these are to be left around the house or office to give gentle reminders. A lack of fridge magnets meant that whole idea never took off.

Even channel 5 turn up in one leaflet giving financial advice. It says things can be cheaper overall for non-smokers but makes the interesting point that some insurance companies pay out larger annuities to smokers that non-smokers as their life expectancy is lower.

Well the R's marvellous efforts at building up a propanganda pack over the years is now in the bin.

Bye bye Buttman.

Slim pickings

Big Portions, originally uploaded by m1keydee.

R has been applying the Chinese Burn in a move to encourage a healthier diet.

I said I had decided not to do anything else healthy until the quit-o-meter was over the one year mark.

The pressure has had some kind of effect of effect though. I had a dream about a doctor giving me a scary diagnosis so today I entered the symbolic realm of giving up sugar in my coffee. It was fine.

This small concession might protect some of my other snacking habits in the short term (see illustration).

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step it is true. But it is also true that a journey of a thousand involves around a million steps after the first one and that's a bit off if you ask me.

Felt some positive emotions about not smoking. A long train was a lot more comfortable - a bloke in front of me starting rolling up when he was one station away from his destination just like I used to. And when going without my sugar today I was aware that it was nothing compared to the early stages of giving up. I felt a tinge of satisfaction at having done something that was good for me.

(Thanks to konaboy pigalina and kevin and kathy for linked images from flickr.)

I popped into the Caffe Nero yesterday morning a bit ahead of my usual time and bumped into Kevin Spacey who was half way through purchasing a breakfast bowl of fruit.

He's a big lad our Kevin. Massive. He was wearing a flat cap on the wrong way round. It was as if Norman Wisdom had got the lead in King Kong.

He kind of shrieked and whooped when he recognised me- "Heh Rikky my boy- long time no see"

"Oh, oh - here he is,” I said rather unenthusiastically "where are the rest of the usual suspects?"

He crumpled up in hysterics.

"Stop it Rik! Stop it - you're killing me"

When he regained his composure he ordered a mango juice to go "...and better chuck me a banana too. Make that two. As in T-W-O the number. Two bananas. And a pear"

"Yeah Rikko how's tricks?" he continued chucking a couple of grapes in his vast mouth "Keep meaning to catch up with your blog. Still off the smokes I take it?"

I faked humility "Just because I sent you an email Kevvo doesn't mean its compulsory to read it. The Clinton thing went well I hear. Has Misbegotten opened yet? Sorry I'm a bit out of touch with you too- I've had a few projects of my own on the go."

"You're kidding me...great news Rik, great news. You mean we're going be seeing you pull the old tights on again? I'll never forget that thing you did at that Church place in Kensington. Noel Coward right? Or was it Brecht? Anyway you were the old
guy. Excellent doddering"

"Sorry to disappoint, and no offence Kev, but acting's a mug's
game and I'm not going back. There are more important things than lighting up the world
with my talent. Much more importantly I'm completely off the
snout."

"Great part for you - Snout"

"No no Kevin. Tobacco. I'm still off the
fags...er...cigarettes"

"Good good but tell me Rikksy- Are you 'compensating'? Know what I
mean Rik my boy? are you com-pen-sat-ing? Because I am since I
quit. With me its fruit. I'm compensating with fruit"

"Really?"

"Yeah that's what the the Great Mr K ordered and thats what I'm
sticking to. And boy do I feel great. Fruit man, fruit's the way
to go." - he shoved a watermelon into my hands - "And the thing
about fruit is...” he took one ginormous stride to the door..."it
ain't made of chocolate" . He glanced meaningfully at my stomach
turned on his heels and in a flash he and his fruit were gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin Spacey is currently appearing at the Old Vic in Eugene
O'Neill’s ‘Moon for the Misbegotten.’


Erik Fuller is currently not smoking in and around London SE1.

Kevin Spacey Misbegotten Fruit

---5m 1w 1d 03:28 smoke-free, 4,030 cigs not smoked, £467.48 saved, 1w 6d 23:50 life saved

I have been getting a bit lax with my anniversaries. (I know anniversaries comes from the word year but who cares).

So it was five months and a week yesterday.

I decided against football at the last minute yesterday- I don't know whether it was the French Farmers market in Lower Marsh (picture) or R having passes to London Open House (she volunteered at her workplace) that stopped me going but I missed AFCW's win in the crazy-early stages of the FA Cup against Horsham.

We're off to Open House this morning after I've finished my special homemade coffee- Douwe Egberts with milk frothed up with an Aerolatte with vanilla syrup (both gifts from a reader) and sprinkled with the amaretto powder that R got me.

We have some interest in a particular house at the moment and I'll fill you in when things develop.

Well turnout far exceeeded expectations at the reader's meeting. We all managed to cram
into the Caffe Nero and engaged in a few ice-breakers. Then it was time for me to start
the tour.

People were sorely disappointed that Mr K's Chemists weren't open. A false hope had arisen
that I would be able to arrange a meeting with the great man and possibly people would be
allowed to have photos taken in the anusol chair with him. I do hate to disappoint and I
don't blame my readers for their frustration but it did get a bit out of hand.

I continued the tour along the river pointing out to the crowds the spot where I filmed this (video
link) one off episode of Fag Free TV way back in April.

My voice began to get hoarse shouting to the crowds and they began to lose interest so it was decided to go to the Pub.
Here are some unused ashtrays and here is one of my readers meeting up with a couple more
of my readers. And here are some more readers relaxing.

Then we went to the Tate Modern- no idea why- and then off to have something to eat. We
managed to shrug off the unmanageable numbers of followers and managed to squeeze into Marie's Cafe The Best Cafe In SE1.

And then a bit of a sing song at the Sussex Arms Karaoke until it was time for the readers
to disperse. There were planes to catch and so forth. One of them a certain Miss B who
had come all the way from County Wicklow just couldn't tear herself away until she got a
bit bored and then she managed to break away no problem.

Great meeting you guys and gals even if I
didn't have time to talk to you all one by one. And thanks for the presents you
coincidently heaped on me on a day that was so coincidentally close to my birthday...

READERS MEETING SATURDAY 02 SEPTEMBER (like NOW!)

I know its short notice but why not get yourselves along, drink some coffee, take in some art, meet fellow readers and have a fag, oops, go for a wander and so forth.

The schedule is:

3pm The Caffe Nero The Cut Waterloo

Meet up and have a coffee - where I first came to on Day One.

4pm Guided tour/walk to my workplace - see the steps I no longer walk up and down. See My K's The Chemists where I used to get my patches. Visit the "Valley of No Customer Service".

Continue on to The Founders Arms for some more coffee or maybe a beer.

5.15 Breathe coffee fumes on the punters at Tate Modern for half an hour or so before heading off to the Charles Dickens pub in Union Street arriving about

6.15pm Charles Dickens Pub - for another, ahem, coffee and maybe some food.

If food is not on we'll head to the Capital Kebab or Maries cafe subject to a popular vote of the masses.

7-9 Eating things drinking coffee smoking some more with a Final Wind down awith some karaoke down the Sussex Arms.

PS The proximity to my birthday is a pure coincidence and is neither here nor there.
PSS This is the first day coincidentally close to my birthday that has occurred since giving up smoking.


Now all I have to do is make sure R is coming.

See you soon! Everyone Welcome!

Oh dear...I've got compettion

Windows XP Activation...Must Activate Within 90473437 Days. WTF?
Originally uploaded by dan-lemm2001.

...but having had a quick look at it I don't think I need worry too much about my google-rankings just yet.

Messing around with the wonderful Puppy today and decided to check out my bloglines page . This is an online version of an RSS reader and is an option for all those who want to keeep their eyes on a lot of blogs at once. The most linked to when I looked was a website called the EH List that allows you to check the stats on any blog by adding the address. This is quite a brilliant idea for a webpage what with 50 million anxious bloggers hanging around. I decided to check out the stats on a particular blog (no points for guessing which one).

Read about and try it here.

AT the LBs barbecue last month someone Mr H.O. brought up the subject of my blogs unfindability using google. I countered that I was number two hit using '"erik fuller" blog' as the search term in Yahoo. Then I disappeared from yahoo and mysteriously appeared in google. Trying it just now
I turn up as Hit 3 with google.com, don't show at all with google.co.uk (guess because the site is US) and show as Hit 7 for yahoo.com.

Two things. First my friend's assumption that if you can't find something with google then it can't be found. I was put right on this by a colleague whose job it was to use search engines. I was bitten by the desire to check out some friend's name on the web and was getting a few vague references to some work she had done switching out of google and using some of the other search tools out there I got a perfect hit with her tel number and her email address. I think it might have been dogpile but that's not the point. For the cost of a few clicks you can go from meagre rations to the full monty in search terms. Try it out. There's plenty of tools at this site.

Second thing. Can I expect old friends to start getting in touch using the web as the way of finding me? Well they would either have to be imaginitative enough to stick the word blog by my name or persistent enough to dig theirway through the first 14 pages or so to find a link to me (not necessarilty a very useful one)just using Erik Fuller. So I won't expect a surfeit of Christmas this year but slowly and surely we're moving towards the biggest telephone book in the world.

Technorati Tags Search Engines Eh List Bloglines Famous

R's friend C from years back popped up from Hastings today and we headed off to the Miniature Worlds show at the Jerwood Gallery. We then went to the the Tate Modern. C took us
into the bookshop behind Starbucks (my whole worldview is determined by
coffee outlets nowadays) and I saw a programme there from a Roualt
exhibition that I went to. I was shocked to see it was in
1993. Who did I go with? Did I go alone?

Having spent too much time staring at this computer screen it was a
lovely refreshing thing to focus on on lines that have been impressed
upon paper by the human hand and to revel in the extreme delicacy
of the "evil fairies" in a corner exhibit that we all liked at the
Jerwood.

The Tate's showing Domestic Incidents in the turbine space which was quite pertinent. R's been heavily involved in household goods and they were well represented here. Amusing but not as good as the evil fairies in my opinion.

For some reason I kept thinking I should be lighting up when leaving
both galleries. Guess it's my first art-fest since giving up.

(Geek-point: I did this post from beginning to end just using the tiny Puppy Linux Live CD and the software that gets squeezed into its 70Mb.)

Technorati Tags Puppy Linux Tate Modern Jerwood Gallery

More fun with LiveCDs.

Unlike my initial look at the Ubuntu one when I tried Mandriva

and Knoppix (both magazine coverdiscs) last night the internet

connection worked a treat.

So I could write a letter saved as a Word Document (to my tiny

little SD card attached to the usb socket), whizz through a

calculation on a spreadsheet programme, browse the internet, do

some internet banking, download a podcast (to my SD card) then

switch off, remove the DVD and unplug my SD card and walk away

without leaving a trace. No change will have happened to the

hard drive of the computer I had used - no cookies, no net

history, no recent document entries, no registry changes, no

spyware and no virus and no nothing.

So if I'm holidaying at a friend's house I could view all my

email attachments safe in the knowledge I'm not going to damage

their machine. I guess could also carry around my own preferred

settings and bookmarks etc around in my SD card).

There's one Live Distro (Puppy Linux?) that is so compact that

you can actually write data to its own disk. Or Geexbox that you

can remove after it has booted so that you can use the ROM-drive

to play a DVD or review other data.

The main use of them I think is for emergency recovery and to check out particular Linux flavours (Mac and Windows-type are also available- see this article) with your current hardware set-up.

But it's not just that: Knoppix is stuffed with 1000+ applications or something ridiculous like that.

Geek heaven.

Technorati Tags Knoppix LiveCD Ubuntu Mandriva

Well I must say...this weather....hmmm....er...I know what...er...We must really get together sometime...get a bite to eat...get a few bites to eat...like big bites....yes I am tentatively thinking about having a readers meeting...a chance to meet the Great Author...look at where Dr SH works....visit Mr K's...

Now on a more important note - Verbal Diary Best Coffee Supplied by a Chain Award.

The candidates are Starbucks (Waterloo Kiosk)
Pret (Stamford Street)
Cafe Nero (The Cut)

And the winner is Cafe Nero. Because its a good cup of coffee at a good price and they have the best range of syrups of all the chains. Having said that they ran out of caramel today because I had used it all. I was confused by the choice. I saw cannelle and that looked tempting but I didn't have a clue what it was. In fact they were all pretty weird looking so I went for plain old vanilla.

I also like their silly little loyalty cards - an added bonus if anyone nicks my wallet.

My readers meeting could start there...it is where I went on my first day of not smoking and composed my first blog. I thought I'd go there on that day because I thought it was non-smoking inside and continued to think it was for some time until I noticed someone lighting up in there when I went in for my morning special the other week. It's amazing how you can fool your senses simply because you want something or don't want something to be the case.

Technorati Tags delusion weather coffee

I know how he feels.

Self Portrait Study- Disappointed
Originally uploaded by JJZ.

I was feeling a bit peckish at lunchtime and headed off to Frank's the second -best cafe in SE1. I had some kind of light snack in mind no doubt and was greatly cheered to see the usual mad scrum at the door wasn't there. I put this down to it being Monday today. No - it was closed and will remain closed for at least a week as the bods who run it get a break.

I headed back towards the office disappointed and had to make do with a meagre salt beef sarnie from the local "have-a-good-day" Pret.

No fun at all though I felt a bit better in the afternoon without a great lump of meat cheese and pasta in my stomach.

R went over to Surrey Quays and did the grocery shopping - a careful examination of the bags has revealed a distinct lack of spaghetti. I wouldn't mind these hunger pangs if I was smoking.

I'm in ubuntu as I write and can't tell you what the Quit-o-meter says because it's a Windows programme. I guess it's something like Fags Not Smoked = Loads.... Life Saved = Years....Cash Saved = Buy Yourself a Yacht.

I want spag. I want spag. I want spag

Although I use digital photos a lot to illustrate things on this blog I don't actually own a camera apart from the one on my trusty Motorola phone. It is a bit rubbish to say the least though possibly a bit better than the other phone one I used for the official blog photo.

A reader of this blog "C5" has asked if I would update that official photo to reflect my present physical condition. Well I won't do that just yet but if any one is at all interested...(warning-not a pretty sight)...here you are and here and here and here

Apparently the stop smoking guru Allen Carr has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Its a useful reminder that giving up is no guarantee of boundless health and should be attempted for a range of reasons and just out of fear of illness.

I wasn't at all successful with his method but lots of people have been and I hope this new development isn't too serious for him.

Meanwhile it has been decided by my dearest R that the "hilliness" of my stomach demands abstinence from spaghetti for the foreseeable future. I was even banned from looking at the pasta shelves in Tesco's yesterday. I think this is a bit off - surely chocolate is much worse tummy-wise?

I met another recent ex-smoker whilst basking in the radiance of the Redsticks hospitality on Sunday. H had been going six months but had had a solitary relapse. She says the urge to smoke has grown since that relapse. As they say on the WhyQuit site I link to "Not a single puff more".

Today has been almost perfect so far. Work was of the brain dead variety that I prefer and I was able to check out the excellent Frank's cafe . I have good reason to believe their spaghetti bolognaise and chips is first class. I have very good reason. I took a lot of care today at lunchtime especially wearing a white t-shirt. When I got home I don't think R noticed anything suspicious.

Technorati Tags: spaghetti dictatorship belly SE1

The BBC website tells me today that-

Smoking 'reduces alcohol effect'

"Smoking and drinking often go hand-in-hand
Having a cigarette while drinking may reduce the effects of the alcohol, scientists suggest - but the tests have only been carried out on rats so far."

Can this story be trusted? After all nicotine alone is fatal to rats.

So what genus of beer-and-fag-consuming rats have they been doing these tests on?

Technorati Tags rats smoking rat-arsed

Feeling slightly off colour today

HANGOVER
Originally uploaded by mariotto52.

Last night was the legendary Mr and Mrs LB's barbecue. If anything was designed to test the resolve of an ex-smoker it is this.

The event has been running for eleven years now the first one being their wedding reception. There’s plenty to throw on the Barbie, plenty of drink to wash it down with and there’s a couple of charming cats and a nice garden to enjoy it all in. There is a abnormally large amount of cigarette smokers however and as I wrote earlier it’s this sort of undefined event where the urge to light up can be strongest. It acts as a kind of punctuation mark in the sea of fulsome prose.

You what? Exactly.

Anyway I DID NOT SMOKE. And to be honest I’m rather pleased with that. And I enjoyed it every bit as much as I usually do.

Bad head though.

(I made a lame joke some time ago about a Palin-athon on the television. Well UK History has designated today Palin Sunday. No kidding. Can my fragile head cope with it all?)

Technorati Tags Hangover BBQ Smoking Erik Fuller

My new chum

Giiiveeee me the Screwwwdriver..
Originally uploaded by Nelson _CR^.

I think I've picked up a little friend. I opened my gmail account and saw that some comments had been left on Verbal Diary. Lots of comments. Lots of comments about items I posted more than a month ago.

"Very pretty site! Keep working. thnx!"

"Greets to the webmaster of this wonderful site! Keep up the good work. Thanks"

"Nice! Where you get this guestbook? I want the same script.. Awesome content. thankyou."

"Hey what a great site keep up the work its excellent."

"Really amazing! Useful information. All the best."

"This site is one of the best I have ever seen, wish I had one like this."

"Very pretty design! Keep up the good work. Thanks."

I somehow doubt they are being sincere- or capable of sincerity or any other human quality. But I'm in two minds about this.

On the one hand I don't suggest you get too close kiddo or it's a hose-pipe down the throat and see how your electrics like it.

On the other hand I do need cheering up so ta very much.

Can we meet?

The Quit-o-meter reads:

---3m 1w 5d 05:51 smoke-free, 2,583 cigs not smoked, £299.63 saved, 1w 1d 23:15 life saved

Meltdown

Heatwave London
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

Yesterday R and I sought out the air conditioned splendour of the New Connaught Rooms to place our bid on the mansion in SE18.

R had noticed that one had gone at auction in the same road for way beyond our budget. I was looking at the auction online and feeling a bit more optimistic about things as I noticed 3 bedroom houses were going for affordable prices in places like Thornton Heath. However it wasn't to be as we were outbid by £26,000. For some reason things are rocketing just when and where we don't want it to rocket. We retreated to the White Horse (itself doomed)to drown our sorrows.

This was preferable to losing it for a matter of a few hundred I guess but it still felt pretty bad. We were full of righteous anger about it seeing in our imaginations all the Victorian fittings being ripped up for the inevitable conversion into flats that is to come. A real pain.

Another feature of auctions is the nerve-wracking nature of it - a wave of the hand signifying a lifetime commitment. At least at a wedding you have your friends and family to back you up and some uplifting music if you're lucky.

I felt the same as attending one of the all-or-nothing interviews I had been to in the past. And the result was the same. The difference was I performed well- that is I put my hand up at the right time and stopped putting it up at the right time. It's just that we weren't rich enough to compete with the evil developer pig-dog bastards. That's all.


But for all the nervous stress and crashing despondency I didn't need or even think about having a cigarette. So hooray for that.

The Quarterly Review.

It has now been three months without a cigarette so I'll have a little review of my progress since April.

Most, but not all, of the things in the hamper have been consumed. R only recently made a move on the Balm Mint footscrub. She also did an excellent job of the coconuts using her power drill to extract the milk.

I think there might be some monkey nuts left but my mind has turned to different types of snacks. Chocolate snacks to be exact.

My comedy beer belly has expanded exponentially. The other week I pulled on my corduroys, as I got dressed for work. I had forgotten that the night before the button had come off it and I didn't have time to sew it back on so I reached for another pair. They didn't fit. I then got another - again they had mysteriously shrunk. Four pairs later and I was going to have to miss work because I had no trousers.

" Sorry L I can't make it in today - no trousers" wasn't a phone call I wanted to make.

Luckily I saw some green commando type things with a stretchy waistband that looked ridiculous but at least covered most of my lower limbs. Panic over.

Other things? The patches had an unsettling effect on my skin which lasted for a bit beyond their use but its all ok now.

Fitness levels are probably a little bit better but carrying around my tummy is a bit tiring.

Money. Slightly better off at the moment but that will change when I visit the dentist next week. I can feel the caramel syrup corroding my molars as I write.

Mental Health. You what? Who you looking at?

Odours. These are no longer masked by the sweet smell of tobacco.

Time saved? I'm not sure here. I guess my employer has benefited handsomely. You do have to give up a lot of time if you're a smoker to ensure you get your fix. On the reverse side a cigarette is a great way of filling up dead time and staving off boredom and depression.

Net effect. Positive but not life transforming.

My Ubuntu in action - the not so simple and not quite the best things in life are free (if you forget the money it costs to set up- for routers, second hard drives etc..and the time of course... oh yes...the time...).

One of the ways I've tried to keep my hands occupied over the weeks has been by sitting down at the keyboard of my PC – obviously. Sometimes this has been enjoyable. Sometimes not. I have done a bit of cautious experimenting with the world of Linux and at times I have felt like Nicholson in “The Shining” constantly typing “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” into a Terminal whilst going slowly INNNSSSAAAANNNEEE!!!!!! (R has been a perfect Shelley Duval).

But not always. I always feel nervy about praising it because whenever I'm feeling evangelical about Ubuntu something tends to crop up. I will throw caution to the wind and say it's been really good fun and must have a chance of making inroads into the market. Apparently its Apple that might feel the heat more than Windows as it possesses some of Apple's selling points minus the tie-in to the pricey hardware.

There are loads of times when I rejoice I'm in XP. Feed Demon is a great tool for my minor RSS obsession and its a Windows-only prog but I'm beginning to appreciate the work done at Straw. My first Linux RSS try outs were depressing but things are looking much better.

I have Ipodder the same as I do in XP I have got Opera 9 working (blood sweat and tears there I'm afraid) . I managed to sort out radio streams (an essential for R who likes to listen to AFC Wimbledon match commentary). The whole multimedia area is a bit tricky but a lot of other basic stuff – image editing word processing etc are all there ready to go from the outset. And there's a lot of stuff sitting there waiting for you to play with when you get bored. I've even got, a very slow, Google Earth running on it.

It has its limits. Its strengths are what though? Freedom from the security chores you have with Windows. The freeing of processor power for the same tasks.

I rather like it because it forced a tiny dose of learning on me and, ironically perhaps, has made me discover things in Windows that I didn't know were there such as some windows management features. (Windows management means things like jumping between programs and stopping your screen getting cluttered up with too many things – stuff like that. Linux has lots of great stuff for all that such as multiple workspaces that you can jump between.)

Sorry. Downside is it makes for a very boring post.

Oh ...yes Blogger doesn't like it when I paste over from Open Format Documentsssszzz

It may or may not be killing me but getting home and opening a bottle of Young’s Ordinary just now is pure heaven. The beer’s at just the right temperature – R keeps it in the communal shed to make it slightly more difficult to access. Like most self-imposed barriers they tend to be a bit flimsy. One of us just phones the other one when we’re approaching the flat and they throw the keys down and Bob's your uncle. The shed does stay nice and cool though. So though the shed fails as an aid to temperance it succeeds as an aid to temperature.

It was a forgettable enough display for any poor neutral who decided to watch it. Lucky old neutrals I say. Its pain is still fresh in the memory for some of those involved.

I still don’t really understand the game of football. Rooney gets sent off for kicking some balls around the park. I thought that was the whole point of the game. Anyway it resulted in penalties with the inevitable result.

What’s really annoying is that it was the wrong balls that got the treatment.

Luckily things cheered up a bit with a great display from France against Brazil. I hope they can deliver up some pain for their next opponents.

Despite the stresses and strains I didn’t feel the need for any consoling cigarettes. The quit-o-meter now reads as:

2m 3w 2d 01:46 smoke-free, 2,102 cigs not smoked, £243.83 saved, 1w 07:10 life saved