Masters

Need to start using this again. Computer is wrong. Its brand new, fast, loads of memory. But its just not the same as the one that died. it’s almost there now, but otherwise if it’s not set up completely right it feels wrong to use it.
Wonder who has been waiting for this update. I’m retreating from twitter, facebook, and the like for two reasons, first this Masters degree is tough going, and secondly I have been busy with a couple of virtual worlds. I will try to post again soon.

That´ll be the degu…

So we invite our eldest over for Sunday dinner, and think we are going to have a nice relaxing day. (HA!!)
Jay wakes up with the headache from hell, so I force him to stay in bed.
Darling daughter turns up an hour early upset as she´s lost her phone, and her broadbands run out, and all I wanted to do was crawl under the covers.

Airport musings

So I am sat in an airport in Edinburgh trying to fill my time.

I dropped my son back off for school, and discovered my mate was the pilot. Had words and discovered that I would be able to fly back on the same plane if there were spaces, provided that there was an adult on the other side of security for my son. As he was being met, it seemed promising, and as we were running slightly late as it was, I thought the handover would go simply and easily.

Here I am.

@asdquefty was first to read yesterdays update, and he would like me to share my thoughts about digital safety.

Do you ever worry about your privacy?

He has noticed that I use many services, and that yesterdays photos were location mapped. I will just wait here while you run to my twitter stream. You are looking for the second baby in a box tweet.
It was the first time I have used twitroid to upload piccies, so actually didn’t realise the geotag was there.

Slacking, lacking and nagging

I had a feeling I was going to have issues updating this year. It has indeed been as crazy as I thought it would be.
You know they (the ubiquitous they that everyone mentions but nooone can name) say that things come in threes? Well in this house it’s a rolling count. Three at any one time, but if something gets solved another one jumps in to take its place.
So slacking? In terms of updates yes. In terms of real life, no. When someone asks what I do, I can reply “well nothing really. I have 5 kids, ages 1-19, 3 of which are on the spectrum, possibly 4. I am a carer, a student, a teacher, a musician, a geek, a internet fairy godmother, a homeschooler (all parents should be, especially if your kids go to school), a reader and a wife.”
Lacking? Yeah in all those ‘jobs’. Bad management, no time, no patience, no inspiration, no money, no opinion, I still have my Xmas tree up and its April!
Nagging. A few great tweeps have pushed me to update more. Glad to say I found this app that lets me post from my new Android G1, so no excuses now.
See you around soon, and the first person to @araldia on twitter after reading this gets to choose the next topic to get me back on track.

What a day

So Sunday was another planned to meltdown day.
Another 800 miles to be travelled, another saying goodbye to my son for a term.
Cardiff Airport.
A wonderfully sparse place, consisting of a Burger King, a WH Smith and a coffee shop.
Also home of the most anal staff possible.
Last week, I flew through this airport, on the same flights I had this time, and picked up my son with his hand luggage, and flew down.
Remarkably no problems.
This week on return the hand luggage had grown. 1 centimetre. ONE. This hand luggage that is official flight hand luggage for cabin crew no longer fits in the little metal frame one week on from when it did fit in the little metal frame.
The lovely male check-in assistant came out of his little protective space and tried to jam it in the little metal frame, and also decided that this 1cm was enough to charge me £12.50 to have it checked in.
Now remember I am flying on my own, and feeling very unsure about people anyway. I quickly agree to the extra money as its much easier than having to reason with an NT.

Hogmanay – or what the New Year may bring.

I do not do New Years resolutions as a rule. Not because I know they are futile and will be broken, not because I do not want to set myself something unnattainable as a target (although both of these are true in a way), but because I do not see why you should set yourself arbitary targets based on the date.

I intend to update this blog more often, it is just that life gets in the way so much.
Let me see what needs to be done in the next few weeks. This may be in random order as I think of it, rather than in date order.

First, you may need some background. If you are not interested, then that is OK, I will be posting more interesting posts soon I am sure

Flying. Airports. Meltdown.

Last time I flew, my husband was surrounded by armed police, I was 7 months pregnant, and I had my AS son with me.
I suppose that needs to be explained.
Well, the pregnancy explains itself, it is not that kind of blog, I mean the armed police thing.

Survived Xmas.

Xmas was relatively OK.
After doing the shopping at 3am on the eve, as per my last post, we had everything we needed.
1am Xmas day my mother called. One of her students, who had become a friend (mum teaches computers to the brain injured) passed away just before midnight, after a hospital transfer and (IMHO) medical negligence at the new hospital.

It is nearly upon us.

And no I do not mean Xmas.
I mean the shopping.
We go shopping at about 3am tonight. Thats 3am, on the morning of Xmas Eve.
Our plan is that most people wont be shopping.
Everyone that can be described as NT that we have mentioned our shopping plans to have looked horrified.
This is a good sign.
I am going to try something.
Do not think anyones going to get involved as they never comment here, but worth a go anyway.

Shopping at 3am on Xmas Eve.
a) That would suit me!
b) You are nuts!
c) Why?
d) Have you not done your shopping yet?

Answers in the comments please