According to Cityskate there are some 9 levels of skating. (choose Private Lessons and a link to Levels is low down).

Level 1 being Novice. "Stopping methods include pedestrians, skin loss and gravity"

I'd be happy with level 4, "Basic cheekiness and arrogance."

Skating

I just tried skating around the car park for 25 minutes. I still have trouble standing properly but I think I'm getting the hang of it. It might take a week to build my confidence on them to the point where I can skate well enough for my needs.

As a result of the impending move of work, Ive been thinking over options of getting from the station to work and back as it's about 2 miles. Walking would take about 30 minutes. I've been that sort of distance before and it sucks. I don't know if there are buses yet.

Option 1
Bicycle - left at station overnight
No thanks, it's not an expensive bike but I'd still like it like it is, straight bits straight and curved bits curved in the manner they are supposed to.

Option 2
Bicycle - folding
These retail at between 160 GBP (250 USD) and 800 GBP (a lot USD). The cheapest and oddest looking is the Strida though at 10Kg it's also one of the lightest, if not the lightest. Bromptons (famous British make) are about 12Kg.

Option 3
Walk
Sod that

Option 4
Inline skates
While I thought skates were expensive I have always had a low level fascination for them. Loads of info and a useful guide for buying and required gear.

In the end I bought a pair of Manhattan Stateside inline skates, with 72mm 82A wheels (see IISA website for details what these mean) for 40 GBP from John Lewis. Not the absolute best quality skates but should be good enough while I figure if I like it or not. The likelihood is I will as I have seldom felt excited before buying such a thing, or indeed ever after about owning such a thing. But the next thing I do need is protective pads and a helmet, until such time as I feel confident enough to lose the helmet as I always hate them (one reason I don't want a motorcycle). Possibly something to do with claustrophodia or more likely I just don't like the squishy top heavy feeling.

Also, a great many thanks to my great friend Julie for talking and walking with me through deciding on this.

Mouse Hunt score

Julian's home made traps 2
Commercial traps 0
Mice -2

I found a dead mouse in my wardrobe after it started stinking out my bedroom.

posted by Julian @ 22:19

Addition to the above which any person would quickly figure out, is that I've killed a mouse with a wardrobe. Normally people use traps or poison (incidentally the latter can take a week or more to take effect - yuck!). I've not heard of someone doing that before.

posted by Julian @ 20:38 5/March/2005

Another packet of mine went missing by the Post Office last month. If they were a real business, they would have gone out of business years ago. The effect of this is that I'm temporarily out of pocket to almost 50 quid, and the supplier (Dabs) are being difficult over the refund.

Essentially, 30-50% of my packets go missing. One of the problems of online ordering.

What seems like eons ago I heard a cover of "Straighten up and fly right" by "Max the Parapup". I've never managed to find it since, though I admit I have never looked hard. I do have a copy of the song, though this time it's sung by Robbie Williams. Some would argue there's not a lot of difference, but hey ho.

Today sees the last day of my 6th module of my degree. Only 7 and 8 left then the dissertation. 7 starts tomorrow, Object Oriented programming in Java. Seeing as my last serious programming was in 1992 in Foxbase+ (written for dBaseIII) I feel a little daunted.

The choices though for module 8 are Security Engineering, Artificial Intelligence or Software Engineering. I'd like to do AI, but it probably won't have much to do with any future career (unless I get onto a team making some). I already have the book for Security Engineering as I started it in November last year before my ISP/BT stuffed my broadband up royally for a week. The positive of Software Engineering is that I'd know the principles of it. Hmm. I have about 3 weeks to decide.

Suggestions on a post card to the usual address please.