2015 — 21 September: Monday
Junior is taking slightly longer1 than expected to sort out his / their metamorphosis from a three-car family to a one-car family so I shall renew the road tax on the Toyota Yaris for a further six months. Of course, if he takes long enough I shall also have to do something about renewing its insurance, too.
Today, I've learned...
... the word "intercalate" (as in "intercalate a cup of instant coffee to clear out tea-stains"). Is there no limit to the erudition of some of my readers? [Pause] It looks a bit moist out there this morning. Nice to hear Stravinsky's "Pastorale" again. I wonder what new adventures lie in wait today? Posting a small parcel of DVDs in pursuit of my travelling niece #1 is but one item on the virtual list. Though, if a list exists "inside" my head, is it virtual?
Mike Cowlishaw's Dictionary of IBM Jargon defines "virtual":
Case 1: it's there; you can see it: real Case 2: it's not there; you can see it: virtual Case 3: it's there; you can't see it: transparent Case 4: it's not there; you can't see it: gone!
Example: "What happened to that file I worked all night on?"
"Case 4, my man, case 4."
Breakfast will shortly exemplify Case 1.
In one of Life's little ironies...
... the electronic confirmation from the guvmint's DVLA of my road tax renewal for the Toyota Yaris arrived a few seconds ago, just after Mr Postie handed over a request (addressed to Christa) from the same outfit that she now renew her driving licence as it expires on 15th December this year. She, of course, expired a little more than eight years before that renewal date.
I transferred the Yaris from her ownership to mine just before she died. And I wrote separately to them (as they requested) stating that she was too busy dying to bother with ever driving again. Silly me, thinking that might have prompted someone to amend her records. I didn't bother to 'waste' a death certificate on them in addition. My bad, it seems.
Another irony?
Everyone knows what I mean when I ask for the doofus of metal wire (much like a scouring pad) that you pop into a kettle as a sacrificial attractant for the limescale. No-one can sell me one, though they can all sell me chemical descalers. "Cure than better prevention is"... surely?
My parcel is on its way, and I've also renewed my stash of fine-point drawing pens. Though I certainly don't recall them costing £3-99 each ten years ago. The Japanese Zebra Drafix I was using yesterday would be on its last legs if it had any. I now have some German-made Staedtlers.
Lunch already? I'll get right on it. What does Sir fancy today, I wonder?
The comments...
... that have been appended to the El Reg story here about life down on the farm (server) are a total hoot.
I wonder...
... what Arthur Dent would have said:
Delicious! I've yet to unwrap the two spares. [Pause] To get my three cups delivered I had to "add" them to a qualifying order. Not much of a hardship:
It has turned horribly autumnal, really quite cool, and is already pitch-dark out there. Yuk.