Bye-bye 2004, Hello 2005

Happy new year if you wander in. Thanks to Dave at work and Librarywebbie for reminding me! Home, feed the family, Monst feeling rough still, shove grog into chill for a drink to see the new year in but my heart ain't exactly in it. Just another day. Suspect the drink might be a bit of a solo effort as ill health stops play. Lunchtime walkabout and its time to get steak for the trad steak pie for tomorrow. Also time to lose the last of the vouchers. Prole shop to rid myself of voucher curse: Durutti Column 'Vinni Reilly' Andy Partridge 'Fuzzy Warbles Vol.2' Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine 'Starry Eyed and Bollock Naked' A weird mix I'll grant you but some interesting stuff nevertheless. Couple of books 'Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman' and 'The Double Life of Doctor Lopez: Spies, Shakespeare and the Plot to Poison Elizabeth I' and that ends the voucher purchasing. My days of seriously heavy history are beyond me, has to be something that interests me although the Hawkwood is odd because I don' really do medieval history at all. The Elizabethan stuff is familiar territory though. 2/3rds information directory complete, the WDC stuff just ain't readable so need to remember to call Suzy Ning in the new year. To sort that ASAP. Dave and I bugger off lunchtime. Nothing doing, and the rest of the building seemed to have gone.

Nice Weather for Ducks - Yeah, Right

Day starts badly when I can't locate some vital docs, eventually locate them (the perils of tidying up - can never find a bloody thing, particularly when you last did it months ago). More and more spooked by the press attention, shite this could eat more of my time than I've anticipate. Even the sodding Echo are getting in on the act. BMA Library call they've sent us the wrong video, to check I open the parcels that have just been delivered by John the Post (the younger version). Need a set of bolt cutters to get into the bloody things. Sure enough the wrong one is here and needs returning. Coffee, blog and back to listing. Great........ that lot'll be easy to find stuff in.....

Mr. Michelin May Be a Resident Round Here

So to home. shattered. Get the delights of changing the bedding, so once more I fight with the duvet to get it in its cover. I'm convinced the thing has a life of its own. You slip the corners into the corners of the cover and by the time you've got ready to sort the other set it's moved. Eventually I pin the slippery critter down. Thank non-existent deities for fitted sheets. No hospital corners for this incompetent to mess up. Food is interesting, I'm hungry but wary of over doing the food thing. I eat a little rice and a bit of a chinese but don't do it justice. Still it has all stayed where it is meant to. Veg in front of TV. Monst watches Taggart, it's kinda a family ritual thing

Blog Gone

Second half of Fade the Blog goes out, much relief on my part. Getting spooked by the volume of FoI coverage, will this lead to much work? Letter forwarded to me from the SHA from the Audit Commission which amongst other things talks about a relationship manager. Great get a request from them and they want to date you. Anyway, blog breather over back to work.....

Back at Work

Yesterday largely spent in bed with lots of fitful dozing. It's the safest course of action, I don't do ill very well so hiding from the family is better for them and better for me. Felt extremely rough. Relieved this morning when the only after affects seem to be an aching back. Still not eaten any food but have moved onto tea from water. Head into work. Relieved to be back. Plan for the day is to listen to the last day of the Test Match. Blog and sort information directory. Just had a nasty blog experience. Edited the entry for Fade the Blog and lost the best part of a morning's editing. Not happy. Gonna have a break from it and return to it later. Aaaaaaaargh!

Ugh!

The upturned telephone is my friend. I cuddle it, and feed it. I don't make work. Do a little light work here in bursts. I suspect the demand on the service would have been light anyway. Feel guilty.

Duke of Hurl

Callum, generous child he is has shared whatever is causing him to hurl with me. No inspection of the contents of my stomach but feel slightly better following the experience. However I expect an encore later. Lovely.

Elegant Chaos

Julian Cope on 6 Music tonight chatting to Tom Robinson on the Evening Sequence. Interesting on Bill Drummond (Penkiln Burn needs thorough investigating when I get the time - note to self), in fact the whole thing is remarkably lucid. He's flogging new book 'The Megalithic European' (site accompianying book 'The Megalithic European Site') I'm gonna have to pick up a copy along with the 'Modern Antiquarian' ('Modern Antiquarian Site')much as I've resisted the latter. Head Heritage is a site I only occaisionally wander over to so the RSS feed is nice and means I suspect I will be a more regular visitor. I get the vibe, pre-history which I've always pretty much left alone might come and bite me in the bum and capture a level of fascination I've never invested in it before. Cope and the Bunnymen are I suspect at the heart of the musical family tree that all of the stuff I listen to, so I have an enourmous soft spot for the geezer.

Bank Holiday II: The Hurl Is Back

Morning wake earlier than the rest of the house (what a suprise!) Head downstairs, pick up the paltry amount of health news there is around today. Cal comes down. He's feeling better. Great. He has a drink and some toast (don't want to overload is stomach right now). Mission for the day was to get the universal modulator required to hook up the DVD player Kitty bought Cal to an old sans Scart portable TV he has in his room. Trip to Maplin's then to sort that. I'm going stir crazy stuck in the house. Monst wants a curry for dinner tonight so excuse to visit the chinese supermarket to get curry sauce. This gives me an excuse to hit Waterstone's with the vouchers provided for Chrimbo by those who know I enjoy the odd book. Come away with John Peel by Mick Wall, Sue Townsend's 'Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction' and 'The Vesuvius Club: A Lucifer Box Novel' by Mark Gatiss which should be fun. Even better I still have a tenner's worth of token to go. Went to the Prole shop with the token for there but came away with nothing. Maplin's Liverpool fail to provide the requisite Universal Modulator so off to Warrington I go. The Warrington Wolves appear to be playing Widnes Vikings so traffic is shite. Get the modulator and retun home to find Monst and Cal fast a kip. Sort the DVD and head downstairs. Cal wakes up and hurls. Mont is wound up and I shove clothes bedding etc. into washing machine. Clean up and head to supermarket for more antiseptic to drive away the smell of vomit. The house has a smell that old Flo Nightingale would be happy with. Deep joy.

Ooops, Work Again

Nice intro to open access from Peter Suber via librarian.net another case of RSS to the rescue via Librarian Blogs on Blogdigger. Have a suspicion a new years resolution maybe coming out of all of this.

Bank Holiday Witterings

PM I fall asleep. I wake up to find myself covered in a travel blanket known to Cal as Cuggie. He'd covered me with it which was realy sweet. He's still not feeling great. Monst isn't speaking, she's squeaking with voice loss and sore throat. Diet returns to more traditional Scots fare tonight. Mince and tatties, so the cooking technique s simple, boil the crap out of some mince and spuds. A little veg on the side will spoil the traditional serving though. Back again to the wonderful RSS Digest and split the feed into its constituent parts and rejig the template so they're there in a more logical place. Kinda wonder if we could tag the obesity stuff for WLSINFO as a kinda freebie bonus service. Thought's Ken? Key question is will Sally be up for it? Cal is hurling again. Great just what I wanted. Thing is he's had a bit of milk to drink and nothing else for the rest of the day. Curdled milk hurl, nice! Watch Pride as I type. Odd mix of nature film and documentary with impressive animation technique from Jim Henson's lot. Lots of lions killing stuff and it having its roots in nature documentaries has the compulsory lions wanting a shag bit too. Nice concept of vegetarian lions in Suki, it'll never catch on. I know this because Cal and I watched the Really Wild Show earlier today. Michaela Strachan romping around with lions and a camera disguised as a rock and one on a wire.

Morning Blog

This morning I wake shattered. Cal spent the night hurling. I spent my night mopping up a vomit spattered bathoom Mind you at least he made it to the bathroom. Monst meanwhile has a sore throat and has lost most of her voice (dubious case for celebration then!) Wake early and run around tiying the house. Monst calls, Cal is asleep and I'm loathe to wake him in the circumstances. We agree she'll jump a cab home. Monst calls again to say she's having problems getting a cab and she'll see me when she can. Eventually the hospital supply one. Good thing too. She isn't in work tonight so that's a relief.

Lemon Entry, My Dear Watson

Our road is doubling as an ice rink right now. The old fella calls. Relief to hear him. The old drear is feeling rough. Not self inflicted sounds like a heavy cold. She's been given a hot toddy and some Finnish cold cure. Meths I guess. Back on the news trail. 'Casualty' in the background on TV. Holby has yet another Christmas day disaster. Dunno why they're suprised, it happens every year. They must have some brilliant disaster planning with all the practice they get. 'Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking' provides the Boxing Day death mayhem with Victorian class. Good news for dry ice merchants too, mind you they probably nicked some from the Sisters of Mercy.

Boxing Day I

A day where Cal and I muck round in the snow early morning. He likes making footprints and throwing snowballs at me. He doesn't like me throwing snowballs at him. The street is a pure sheet of ice. Relieved Monst scored a lift home. Played (Robo Doc and Air Hockey) and did bit of work as the Biederbecke Affair played at me on the DVD. I love it's off beat humour and James Bolam is a fave actor too. Alan Plater stuff all ways bring me delight, a rave-on writer. Just another two discs to go! Huge bowl of goose soup for lunch and I'm sorted. Cal votes with a smaller bowl. For the last couple of weeks I've introduced a news feed to the blog straight off the Furl account we use to create Fade the Blog using the Furl stylesheet. It's always irritated me because it looks messy (despite the fact I inhabit one of the messiest workspaces you'll encounter on a webpage messy irritates me). Anyway introduced RSS Digest to it and it is now much neater. Really happy as a result. Unusually no damage when I've been tinkering with the template. Result. Monst tries to kip, shouts at me for spending too much time on this thing, starts watching the 'Huncback of Notre Dame' with Cal and then heads back to bed. Meanwhile I start cooking again.

Dibley just off of Christmas Common

Good news, Monst has scored a lift home in the morning. Vicar of Dibley Crimble Special goes down well with me. As does a bottle of Bah Humbug! Cal's fave things from today: 1 Telescope (the neighbours will suspect us of being peeping Tom's - he really wants to look at the stars0 Power Rangers in a variety of flavours Teenage Ninja Turtles Air Hockey Day was full of kids riding new bikes and powered scooters past the house pre-snow. Tomorrow will be full of snowballs.

Adventures with a bullet proof oven glove

Monst has a nasty habit of throwing away my oven gloves and a couple of weeks back the oven glove terror struck again. Anyway the result of much whinging was that Monst bought me a new oven glove. She rang to whinge at the cost of the glove but did tell me it was wasable. I then got home to discover that the thing included in its manufacture Kevlar. Great a bullet proof oven glove. Well today it was fully exercised. Goose cooked well and was eaten well and the remains were duly turned into soup. Snow happened. Horrible drive to take Monst to work. Monsts family have called throughout the day but not a peep out of my lot. Presumably as a result of this current unrest. I can't call them because we lost our address book in the summer and I don't have the number. Leave a message on their answer phone in Didcot.

Christmas Eve, Carrot for Rudolf, Biscuit for Santa and a Bottle of Brakspears

Have a cool Yule if you wander in. Day begins at 5.30 with a dash to Asda for petrol. Into Asda at 6.00 for sprouts (they didn't open 'til then). Then off to fetch the Goose from Holly Tree Farm at Tabley. Home via Warrington's Marks and Sparks (vanilla laden custard) and Morrisons in Widnes. Shop for Monst's presents (poorly) in Widnes, phone the Fade crew. Home and bake the bread. Fridge is stuffed to the gills so the paper recycling bin has to be used as a student fridge. All those years at college finally pay off! Radio 6 Helen and Lonen round for Christmas dinner. Monst cooks, nice, Helen and I drink, the kids play and I just get to chill. Nice.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Dissy list failed so need to contact the girls tomorrow to get them to mail it out. Need to fetch the goose, get blog sorted early and sometime in between catch sleep. Feel sleepy, supping Cotswold Way. Blogging.

Got a web between his toes

Break the bad news to Axlr8 that they haven't gained our custom around FoI tracking software. Still they'll be in contact to see if Consignit's FiRM is up to the job. Deep joy, something to look forward to then. News is bugging me again, mainly because I didn't crack it earlier, so need to solve later when at home. Rip off the dissy list to see if I can disseminate from home. Still need to buy presents for Monst. Aaaargh! Bloody Christmas. More later when I've calmed down.

Ouch!

A MAN whose genitals were hacked off with a knife probably died of fright. That'll be a relief then, I'd hate to think he died of having his genitals hacked off. Local papers full of this sort of thing!

'Reality,' sa molesworth 2, 'is so unspeakably sordid it make me shudder.'

Respect to Ian Smith, comes up with not just one but four possible scenarios for solving the problem in front of me. Settle on the solution most ethically sound and with potentially the fastest results, so due to meet a bunch of HR bods in January to solve the issue. Feel happier about things as a result. Abandoned in the afternoon. Get on with information directory for tomorrow. Deep joy. See Fred and co upstairs for information and I'm away......

Hogwarts and Uvver Stuff as Any Ful Does No

So the 16th July will necessitate a trip to buy the new Harry Potter book 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' so that should cheer up Monst. News blogging early day to the sound of Hefner need to sort HR at meeting with the mysterious Ian Smith (white Rhodesian PM (insert your own expletives to descibe the geezer) who declared UDI? Isn't he dead yet? No, it'll be some old HR Manager that no doubt will demand respect because of his position but will get none til he delivers!) Also need to sort Information Directory for Consignit to be down with them in a partially completed form by the end of the morning and completed by tomorrow. Populates bits of the Enquiry Management system to cope with the flood of FoI requests I'm hoping not to get come Jan 1st. Which reminds me came across this Molesworth site. Cool or what!

Wey-Wey-Hep-Uh-Hole

Ying Wah to the rescue, I'm too tired to cook. Thaw not as good as anticipated. Gift situation a little awkward. Bit of a bugger. Monst surfing right now. Role reversal or what. Good news, England win in the cricket.

Shortest day

Happy Solstice one and all...... Left the folks at around 5.20 having been plagued by a Symantec installation on the old fellas steam powered PC. Journey up sees me fighting sleep and taking a 15 minute cat nap in Stoke. Great! Hit the SHA and into FoI mode. Corporate Services meeting... interesting. Back to Hammy House. Traffic, gets in the way from Stockton Heath to Liverpool. All the lights were red. Why, because I was expecting a call at two. Murphy's law strikes again. Luckily traffic hit the geezer who was due to call me. Resultant meeting of telephones and I'm talking to a geezer called Keith who sounds just like Rob Brydon. Begin to think I've wandered into an episode of Marion and Jeff with a little CRM prduct thrown in. Spooky. Finally got the message across last night that I'm not joking about how pissed off we are right now. Issue will be raised over Christmas, can't ask fairer than that. Now hope peace breaks out between the folks and Monst. She spoke for a little to the old Drear on the phone last night so that was a plus. Feel a bit happier for now but then I haven't got home yet. Noticed earlier that mail to blog finally turned up.

Four Acres and a Donkey

Mail to blog seems to have fallen over again. Bit dismayed right now. In my folks house the downstairs loo came with free bookshelf. My response (I lived with them at the time) was to develop a small collection of lavatorial (or lavatorial humour) books for those caught with a free moment under the stairs. They're still there (pride of place 'Four Acres and a Donkey' the memoirs of a lavatory attendent). Meanwhile upstairs I find a Screwfix catalogue. How perverse can you get than reading about ironmongery? It's sick I tell you!

Beer, Ticket Money, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Drive to Didcot fine. Play list Hitchcock 'Queen Elvis', Flogging Molly 'Swagger' and the Jazz Butcher 'Illuminate'. All chosen for maximum involvement, minimum thought. Sore 'froat result. Atmosphere in Didcot strained. Or at least it is where I'm sat right now. The old drear needs to go back to work so I don't want to rant if she's gonna get upset. So far then the issue of the day has yet to be brought up. Deep joy.

Where have all the posts gone?

OK so mail to blog posts seem to have failed to arrive anywhere. So what to include in this post? Do I shove in stuff that I didn't post before in case it turns up out of nowhere? Or do I repeat the missing stuff? Opt for the former. Route home, over the Runcorn Bridge, M56, M6, M6 Toll, M42, M40, A34 then I have to come off at Abingdon. Why? Because the ghosts of my past are calling me and I have to see the Thames as well. Abingdon a typically small South Oxon market town with crooked buidings and narrow roads. So the ghosts of swimming trips at the Old Gaol, Cricket matches, meals at the Crown and Thistle when Berni Inns were all the rage and Sara Billington raise their heads. Culham and I cross the river again. Pleasant drive and then Didcot. Still feeling more than slightly depressed about recent events. Everyone avoiding the subject but it needs sorting. Plus side is that I enjoy pleasant food and it is nice to see the folks. Even better my mother irons a shirt for me. Some beer comes my way 'Bah! Humbug!', 'Hobgoblin' and 'Cotswald Way'. Nice. Get in the house and watch some cricket because the folk have no qualms on the Murdoch front. As a result of my habit of listening to the cricket if available I wasn't prepared for Hashim Amla and his beard which W.G. Grace would have been proud of . For those unfamiliar with W.G. pic below should make sense of that.

Early Moning Mrs Mopp

This week my aggregator will mainly be reading NLH News (http://nlhnews.blogspot.com/atom.xml) and the NLH Primary Care Question Answering Service (http://www.clinicalanswers.nhs.uk/clinicalanswers.xml). The latter is really interesting but I've yet to work out how to exploit it (theres a debating point for the Fade crew). Just have the feeling we need to be active abouot using it in addition to signposting it. Meanwhile the tidying is moving on at a pace that has allowed me to pur a coffee, blog and relax for twenty minutes. Cool. The result is I learn that Sol Campbell scored his first goal in 16 months yesterday and what a cracker it was.

Choo Choo

Phone home, arrange tomorrows trip. May involve some hanging around but that's fine, people need to do their thing and I haven't got a clue what the journey is likely to be like given that I'm likely to hit Brum around rush hour. Cal hits bed as soon as we've dropped Monst and returned home. Top Scrapheap Mega Challenge. Cal and I enjoyed it mightily and even Mosnt got vaguely intrigued. Celebrated the 200th anniversary of Richard Trevithick's invention of the steam locomotive. Cool. Should tidy up, wrap the few presents for the folks. Can't really be arsed. Early morning job then. Maybe energy will return shortly.

Superlambanana Again

Don't know what horrifies me more the Bid to take Superlambanana to spiritual 'home' in Garston or the demolition of the headquarters of Joseph P Lamb and Sons to replace it with luxury apartments. Strikes me as architectural vandalism. Plus I'll miss the yellow geezer on the way home or to work.

Mundane

Cal had a nightmare last night, a Dragon was out to get him. All this at three in the morning. Consequently I'm shattered. Pick Monst up from Faz, get back and cook pancakes as Cal requests. Headache hits. Need to head to the supermarket too. Deep joy.

Othello

Charlie II on the Beeb in 'Stage Beauty' tonight always worth watching anything vaguely relating to the restoration. A day of keeping Cal amused with a Beetle Drive and a whole heap of fun and games. Play barn and all the while I was trying to sort out tidying bits of the house. Bit of a pain to be honest. News as ever..... Card from Beck. Did not go own well with Monst. A pain. Didcot Monday, deep joy. Catch up with the blogs too.

Roots

Back to the thing that really sold me on librarianship, the nusing professions (before you think this is smutty an explanation is in order - when I did my pre-professional year at the Cairns Library in Oxford, the Poly had just begun their nursing degree, as usual we hadn't got the reading list until too late and being fresh from college this lot had my entire sympathy and empathy, I was hooked). Training session with a bunch of specialist practitioner mentors on information handling skills. Some fave library users and tutor the ever kind Elaine Gilleland. Nice session, bit of storytelling, general academic slagging etc. Good library PR. Morning at SHA. Sort FoI action plan with Jim. Top geezer who I like loads. Confirm a DPA issue that Tracy gave top guidance on with Karl. All this and Laura leaving. Take my leave and dash to Mossley. Consignit sort spreadsheet so I have a full weekend ahead. Cool.

Royal

Drop Cal off with Monst outside the dental hospital. Head off to find some parking. Discover the former car park is now staff only. Thing is they only tell you once your right on it. Great, so much for the NHS family. End up in the new multi-storey they've built when I finally discover how to get into it. Consequence of this is I need change. Head off and locate a WH Smiths in the hospital which takes me past a display board advertising the library at the Royal, think it's remanents of Health Libraries Week yet to be removed. Kinda impressed but they don't have our sense of style! The other consequence is I get to walk through the bowels of the Royal. Deep joy, a lovely experience. By the time I reach the Dental Hospital Monst and Cal are out. We head to Speke because Monst wants to buy Christmas pressies and Cal wants a pizza. No suprises coming my way but a decent book, some music and a couple of DVDs. Still that'll be nice.

Windy Miller

Start the day at Consignit in the ever lovely Macclesfield. Looking at an FoI enquiry management system. Scandinavian style offices in an old mill. Coffee chat, product demo and honesty (wasn't expecting that). Head back to Liverpool and visit Joan Traynor to retrieve some of our kit. In reception I bump into Marje Morrison. Shoot the breeze, share some goss, I have more than she has, but hey! I'm an information professional. Nice to see her. Ring Jim about this morning from a car park in Kirkby. Good chat. Then it's off to pick up Cal who is due at the Dentists. Fancy dress day at the school so I'm picking up a Thunderbird. Then we need to race cross city to meet Monst who has ominously been shopping. Still feeling shite about life. Know I need to buy presents for the folks and Jacob and Katja but really don't feel up for it. Mainly because much as it suprises people if I buy a present I tend to to like to think about the individual. Right now I don't fancy that.

It's not cricket I tell you....

Begin GL6 conference blog. Apologies to any speakers, the notes are mine and I only offer Gerbner's Model of Communication in my defence! While I'm on the communication debate, ECB hang your head in shame, sell out to Murdoch is a disgrace. Thank non-existent deities TMS is safe.

Cataclysmic Reflection on the Schizophrenic Greyness of Scholarly Educational and Cultural Communication - James G. Neal

Why the title:

Grey - a retrievable state, a notion of middling informal material

Reflection - a reflective mirro of library perspectives

Schizophrenic - key issues misspercieved as physical/virtual, ownership/access, generalist/specialised

Works - equally embraced. Luxembourg definition is fine still but is it too big, where is the legitimacy.

Cataclysmic - the whle field lives on dialectic. Grey is increasingly bubbling to the surface and becoming a legitimate field with blurred boundaries between it and white literature. Trends:

E-materials defy geography and change the nature of peer review. They are graphic, interactive offer democracy of authorship and invite democratic review. Not a repeat of the analogue experience. Hypertext shifts meaning. Information is defined by the relationship to other literature. Things are dynamic and fluid.

Self service ATM culture increases, convenience is the key to the end user experience. True added value is offeed by accessibility, availability enhanced by true searchability. Users can explore a whole collection and make use of materials flatlined from other disciplines and in multi-formats including multimedia. Indicates that information is freeing itself from media, the media is no londer the message it is the delivery system. Gives user spatial not discipline awareness and offers great opportunities for information synthesis.

Archiving, large issues around digital archiving and coping with hybrid services. Long term availability needs to be enshrined in digital products.

Digital libraries/portals/institutional repostories the key navigational point and will blur edges fo grey/white dichotomy. They need to identify their potential users, how they use them, where they're from, why they use them and when they use them (market, market, market!). Allows for disaggregation beyond institutional boundaries. Need to be creative, JUST DO IT!

Scholarly communication - area of much debate, costs are the key, market is globalized and proliferation is the order of the day, no control over what is produced, need to question where the quality comes from. Peer review in crisis Where does it go in the corporate economy which distorts the communication in a dysfunctional market that thrives on a Darwinian Capitalistic approach. This is opposed by the socialist and anarchic nature of grey literature - pre-print etc. In between run open access initiatives. Open access is still confused, costs still not clear. Halfway house offers some sort of information Utopia. In all of this the intellectual property is the key thing. Who controls it, how is it distributed? Technology is focussed on digital rights and consortia purchase further distorts the market dividing the world into the information rich and the information poor.

Peer review - linked to motivation to publish, communication/kudos are key not financial reward. Increasingly review is diversified with open peer review offering 360 degree scrutiny. Industrial review relates to company needs and bottom line. Technology allows new review processes. Conclusion:

Trompe l'oeil libraries - use new media to wrap material up in traditional trappings for user ccomforts. This is not a bad thing to do reflects the reality of user desire. Just need to be smarter about doing it.

Quality = content and functionality

Value = quality and traffic

Information professional - resource for corporate policy and advocate for information using community.

Er...It ain't Tuesday or Thursday but It Don't Feel Like Wednesday

Ring home am. Tearful mother, not good. Speak to Adam here and let him know why I'm likely to be a miserable bastard for a while. Agree a trip to Didcot is in order. Can't tell Monst though and not happy about all this stupid cloak and dagger stuff. Not happy with the situation in any shape or form. Day odd anyway because I overslept and didn't get in until gone half seven. Always throws me. Blog the stuff I furled yesterday. People at work keep me amused and it's a day of sorting guidance notes for FoI. Scan Tracy's scans which is a bit of a highlight. Good things.

Caroline no need to spell it backwards, thats eniloraC

Pissed off I'm still working on the news. It's easier than thinking. Things burble away in my head when I stop. Ian be warned you've seen the result of me in a miserable mood. Dust off that guitar....

If you believe in nothing, it believes in you

Hide in the familiarity and jangly sound of Robyn Hitchcock. Wry amusement factor is high and so is the frankly bizarre level but I love it for it. Right now it's what I need, something to take me away from the place I'm sat right now. Feel shite. Suspect tomorrow I'll feel shite. Suspect the day after I'll feel shite too. Apologies to anyone around me right now because I can't be sure I ain't gonna be snappy, grumpy and sweary. If it gets too much just tell me to shut up, pour more coffee down my throat and get over it all. Fuck it, what a fucking drama queen.

Family Fun

Mention to Monst the fact my folks are due up at the weekend. She refuses to let Cal see them. I wind up ringing the folks and I'm in full Mr. Angry Mode. On reflection unhelpful but I'm deeply upset about this. Beck hasn't been in touch and she's now created a situation where Cal can't see his Grandparents effectively meaning I can't see my folks because I have no child care - deep joy. They blame Monst, I blame Beck and the whole thing is a fucking mess that is both stupid and irritating. At the moment I cling to work, it's about the only fucking sanity I've got. That and beer of course and then in quantities that are small just so I remind myself how much I enjoy a drink and no more. Only got a bottle of Bah Humbug in tonight which is as well I could sink more than a few the way I feel. Instead take it out on the blog. My folks of course are upset. They see it all as one sided. They don't want to upset Beck, they blame themselves. They blame Monst for the current situation and they have a point, she's turned into her Dad, stubborn and not thinking about Cal. They think this is all about any dosh they could leave us. It's fuck all to do with that. My sister could have shown simple common courtesy and called me and chatted through her concerns. Did she do that? No, instead she stamps her foot and I reap the consequences. Great. I pick up the pieces. Feel I should drop everything and get to Didcot but I have commitments here can't do it right now. It's all Fubar.

Map of Medicine - Librarian Roles - Laura Tucker

Knowledge support tool. Integrates with decision support but not there yet. Working with NLH integrates NLH knowledge resources with patient record. Will be able to search NLH from pathway. Will also integrate patient information. Supports referral and people working out of comfort zone. Solves the too much information problem. Allows local input to support local practice through patien centric pathways. Standardises local practice. Localisable? Local health community can be variable at local health community level. Want primary and secondary care. No tertiary pathways yet. Could be a prob in some Chesh and mersey health communities may have prob. Rerepresents information in accessible format. Can be used by anybody. Primary care use it in preparation not live. Freaky stuff to be added. Clinicians locally can adapt. Hypertext links. Referral letters can shown on map. Capacity for choose and book to interact. Role in teaching the map. CSC not contracted. Will not be deployed by NLH. Not paying licence. Will make resource available. Relies on LSP to purchase. XML and Snomed content. Timescales unknown.

Career Development - Chartership Propaganda

Look for the transferrable skills. Ye olde chartership thing. Aaargh! Tips on organising records. Database or diary. For CPD events. Methods listed. Comments etc. Vibe. Mentor useful. Mailing lists. Handy. Nice chat but could live without it.

Museums Libraries and Archives North West - John Finch

Strategic organisation for MLA get core funding from DCMS. Live in Warrington. Key drivers: communities, education learning and skills, knowledge economy. 9 prog areas and aim to inspire learning for all. Key gov driver, toolkit to measure learning. Work on: archives task force, renaissance in the regions, framework for the future (public library orientated). Key activities: Advocacy to funders, stakeholders Research and data collection Engage broader cultural sector Collaborate with regional partners Influence national debate and policy Develop the workforce Also support peoples network, time to read, designation (award for museums and extend to libs and archives), INSPIRE access to learning for adults, increase access, learner focus 'Addlib' brand, widening participation. Evidence of further learning. Advocacy key, conduit to gov, link to national stakeholders and regional stakeholders. Proactive key reg networks NWDA, Learning and skills council, tourism boards. Performance measurement: what is gathered and why? Developing toolkit. Researching users. Develop workforce, dev key links, map skill needs, leadership training. www.mlanorthwest.com

Rog Daltry is Getting Old

OK news continues to plague me. Nearly to date and now wish to scream. Sally called in still suffering (quick mutter to Thoth in his physician role, Ibis not Baboon if you please). David began today, don't think I paid enough attention to him. Must try harder. Thing is I had stuff I needed to do. Jim calls, we chat, hadn't realised his Dad had died. Mutter condolences don't think he realises I really mean it. Shit time for a geezer I like.

Quick post anyway to at least have something to show for the day.

Sunday Slug-A-Bed

Up late, unusually I was the last person in the house up. More unusually I awake to a breakfast prepared by Monst. Freaky but very pleasant. Then it's off to get the photies developed in the case of the gubbins from New York last week or printed in the case of the digital stuff from yesterday. Boots of Speke. I take a good book only to find the digi prints printed in double quick time. Repair to Starbucks and find no joy with the other processing. So run away and hide for another 20 minutes. Worthwhile because I get a partial refund. Then round to Asda to get cat food for poor Katie who's nearly eaten her last batch and to begin the Chrimbo drink shop. Come away with Port, Bacardi and a bottle of Sherry (reminds me of Joe Willy the maternal grandfather who fed us the stuff regularly before meals for years - so a bit of a poignant drink round Christmas). Then Tesco's to pick up a bottle of Mount Gay. Job done return home to begin blog posts of photos and listen to the match while cooking dinner.

Ice Slide Part II

Now this slide was fast and long. Cal and I played on it for a good while. Monst bollocked us for not getting back to the bus quick enough as a result. Mind you we were still early. 

Ice Slide Part I

The Polar Bear hid an ice slide. Very popular with the younger member of the family and the family's biggest kid! Although there was a bigger slide we enjoyed more! 

Maze

Monst heads down a corridoor. The Ice Palace was a maze. Quite fun though! 

Where's my glass

More ice sculpture. A bit big to fit in a glass. Behind the hangings, bedrooms furnished with a mattress and pillow. Luxury not compulsory then! 

Sculptures on the Bar

The bar and its scupltures. There were beds in the ice palace but it was not suprisingly freezing. Can't see many people wanting to stop in it. An experience if not a pleasure though. 

Ice Bar

The Ice Bar. Oddly enough there weren't many takers for the seating. Look at the plus side, need ice in your drink, just hack away at the table. Mind you might be a bit chilly on yer bum. 

Sure Ain't Rudolf!

Reindeer in the Ice Palace.  

Where'd the Fox Get?

Sponored by Fox's Glacier Mints. The mint advertised confusingly by a Polar Bear? Can you still buy 'em? 

Husky/Wolf You Choose

Couldn't decide if this was a wolf or a husky, either way was most impressive. Especially if like me you fail to have the ability to raise even a half decent snowman, not that I raise indecent snowmen, if I tried that sort of thing the relevant bits'd just fall off. 

Don't Tell Him, It Ain't Going Nowhere!

Cal drives the snow sculpture sleigh. Snow sculpture impressed me mightily. So lots of photies! 

Balls, Snowballs to Be Precise

Cal loved the snow and spend much time covering me with the stuff. He's got a mean arm on im when equipped with a snowball. Monst naturally sided with Cal. My revenge, a pic of her bum! 

There Ain't No Sanity Clause

Cal and Santa chat. OK I don't believe in the Santa geezer but Cal has yet to ask me if he's real. The blokey was a bit of a star. Very pleasant and chld friendly. Note the psuedo-elf on the phone. Very high tech thses days the Santa-ing trade. 'Fraid no pics of reindeer, they don't like flash photography and being the animal fiendly soul I try to be I didn't want to upset them. Plus they have huge antlers and a debatable sense of humour. 

Shamanic Bits in Lapp, My Understanding Nil

Shaman (Shawoman?) at the Lappish ceremony. Quick daub of chacoal for most people until she got to me. Then a load of burbling, drawing and some bark/seeds shoved down my neck. Not certain what it all meant, something to do with me needing more wisdom/fertility/being ill were top guesses. Hut as we entered resounded to boom of drum played with a ham bone as a stick. For me one of the more interesting bits of yesterday. Not certain about its significance though. 

22 Skidoo

Cal though prefered petrol driven transport. Let loose on a skidoo, are they mad. No pic of my second fave transport the reindeer sled. Skidoo's smelt of petrol, the reindeers backside while not picturesque at least had a reindeer attached. No probs taking our turn with that activity, a reindeer had just run amok and lots of other people bottled it as a result. Our theory, Bambi can only go psycho once, any more and it'll be reindeer balls that are the result. 

Slipsliding Away.....

Not us on the sled but I was suprised by the flexibility of the thing. Somehow I'd always imagined them to be rigid. Felt like we were scooting around at quite a pace too. Of all of yesterday's forms of transport without doubt the fave. 

Woof, Woof!

Yesterday's forms of transport Part I. The Huskies pulling sleds (sled next). Noisy beasties, barking all the time. Interesting working dogs. 

NYAM

New York Academy of Medicine, the place it all happened last week. Need to spend time blogging conference so hpefully will get some time tomorrow. 

Birkenhead wannabes...Central Park modelled on Birkenhead's Park

Central Park a Birkenhead wannabe..... 

Hypothetical Prophets

Again a pic straight out of the movies. Familiar yet odd. Freaky really. 

How many surrealists to change a lightbulb?

Wouldn't want to have to change a light bulb round here. 

Watt?

More from the movie archive.  

More from above....

More from the top. Incredible sight. 

Not a place to suffer vertigo

View from the top of the Empire State. Freaky lift that includes free popping ears. The view felt incredibly odd. Meanwhile the Arsenal - Chelsea game ends 2-2, curses. 

Empire State

Empire State, looks smaller than it is. Hum, that old 'Dedication' number to yourself....... Mind you the steel workers have got to be admired, long way up to work. 

Orchard Street

Lower East Side Tenement Museum at 97 Orchard Street. The route to the Orchards which generated the Big Apple as a name for New York (or so we were told by guide Peter). Most impressive place though. Again this is New York from the movies as far as I'm concerned. It's all a bit diconcerting going somewhere completely new but that feels kinda familiar.