Mr Squig's life

Spam poetry

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:06:33 GMT

Yay for spam.

What's that, I hear you say? Yay for the vilest thing to be on the internet (possibly with the exception of tubgirl.com and goatse.cx, of course)

Yar.. Turns out they're using random prose to slip past the spam sensors.. anyway, this came out quite poetically... Which was nice

People might see to be the opening
From which, thanks to symmetry,
Pierced by the mist that fades away,
and preening, dancing on the basepaths,
Over the chilly dale.
Green lilac buds appear that won't survive
to try that, to hold a terrifying beast
shaded by live oaks and bottlebrush trees
Chose to walk out of it, they'd have to pass
Against which we have been projected? What . . .
Of observation lying on the ground
Seized from creation by nonentity,
shaded by live oaks and bottlebrush trees
Away from their profundity of surface.
That only you and I can know. Les deux
Set on that tomb in the eternal night;
Astonished that you have returned to go
And Mère Chose's square of world, even as they
Glimmering of light:

how I got (very) politely told to ferk off by the Post Office

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:25:34 GMT

In which I ask Royal Mail why their address finder can't find an address in london, and in which they, in a roundabout way, describe to me how it's Free so therefore you can't expect it to work.

There was me thinking they were a public service.. Clearly they don't care.
Google maps, however, which is free DID work.

> Date: 09/08/2007 12:26

First name.........Toby
Last name..........Powell-Blyth
Query details......Your Branch finder and Postcode finder is RUBBISH

I tried to find the post office in Chiswick, by searching your branch
finder. It seems to think that Chiswick doesn't exist (kind of a
principle
area of that part of london, the giveaway is the DTI having their offices
there).

Your postcode finder worked for my home postcode, but didn't stretch as
far
as Chiswick. So I thought about using the postcode finder to find a
postcode to tell your branch finder. This doesn't recognise Chiswick
easier. In case you're confused, it's here:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chiswick,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&sll=54.162434,-3.647461&sspn=16.434439,34.321289&ie=UTF8&cd=1&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1

Anyway, it doesn't recognise Chiswick High road (which used to be the
principle road to travel to Slough, Reading, Marlborough, Bristol,
Cardiff
and the like (maybe you've never heard of those cities either))

So I'm a bit fed up really

You may want to switch to google maps as your address search provider.
Blimey, it actually works.. here is the post office in Chiswick

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=l&hl=en&geocode=&q=post+office&near=Chiswick,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&ie=UTF8&z=16&om=1

On 10/08/07, pcodes@royalmail.com <pcodes@royalmail.com> wrote:

Dear Toby,

Thank you for your enquiry.

A postal address contains the minimum amount of information necessary to
sort and deliver mail efficiently and is not intended to geographically
define the location of a property. For the website to work correctly a
postal town needs to be entered. As Chiswick is an area in the Postal
Town
of London, entering Chiswick in the town section on the website will not
find a match.

We have the following address listed on Postal Address File:

Post Office
110 Chiswick High Road
LONDON
W4 1PU

If we can be of assistance in the future please do not hesitate to
contact
us again.

Kind regards
Royal Mail

From me
To them
Date: 10/08/2007 10:02

Subject: Re: Post Office General Enquiry - Postcode /
address finder

so, how do I find, ordinarily, the nearest post office to, say, Fulham? I
can't enter "London" as the address, there must be thousands (if they've
not
been shut down yet), I can't find the postcode for Fulham unless I know the
street name (I don't have a clue what it is)

I repeat that I think your search tool is not up to the job, and that
google
maps appears to be a more reliable tool. I would like to know, as one of
your customers, when this tool is going to be improved, or replaced by a
link to Google.

13th August 15:09

Thank you for your email. Our online search engine is a free basic tool,
for more advanced and flexible searches please contact our Address
Management team on 0845 603 9038 for further information on other products
which may be suitable for your needs.

Kind regards

Address Maintenance Administrator

DIY

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:03:02 GMT

So, I went to my dad's this weekend to floorboard his attic. Yay. Except I spent all Saturday aching and aching and aching as I was bent double hoiking bits and pieces all day. Then on sunday we started to move things into the loft, I was exhausted before we began, and my dad's way too ill to be much help lugging heavy stuff around.

Anyway, turns out that at some point in the past, the dozy people who put his header tank in left the overflow pipes hanging in the air. 20cm off the ground. Anyway, Dad had loft insulation people in, who put lagging stuff (the big yellow fluffy stuff) in, ON TOP of said pipe, and caused a weak joint to collapse. Some dozy idiot on Sunday (that would be me) put some spare lagging (rolled and bales) on top of the header tank causing the ball valve to depress (no hard cover). Which caused water to leak into the overflow. Which wouldn't be a problem except for it being disconnected.

The result? water dripping through my brother's ceiling, through his ceiling lights! nothing more alarming than watching someone's light fitting with water dripping through it.

In other news, this is my world holiday calendar :) if I could afford it

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/07/29/158-total-solar-eclipse-map-2001-2025/

Cor bliemy, loads to say

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:01:12 GMT

In an effort to keep this journal up to date, I am posting my christmas gift list

It's a DVD player with built in projecter!

Floods and stuff

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:51:53 GMT

it's all headed this way

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6910000/newsid_6915400/6915438.stm?bw=bb&mp=rm&asb=1&news=1

should be ok though, but I nearly moved to Oxford.. makes you think.

Yay and partees and things

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:29:25 GMT

thanks to snathe and sleep_er for top partyness the weekend just gone. I had to go up the The Hamlet by train (thanks virgin trains) and I was dutifully ferried around lots by both of these kind ppl. (who needs lots of public transport anyhoo)

Thanks again guys.. I had a top varnish time, and really enjoyed it.

blog thingy

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:24:05 GMT

I am 5% White Trash.

I, my friend, have class. I am so not white trash. . I am more than likely Democrat, and my place is neat, and there is a good chance I may never drink wine from a box.

Take the
White Trash Test
@ FualiDotCom

apparently I'm not white trash (duh!)

Looo everyone

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 22:34:49 GMT

The news is that I still don't post much to my weblog thingly

However, if you're curious, I'm now a self employed PHP web developer type person, my current project is a nice Diet website (development not yet launched, due september 2007

Anyway, I'd like a certain major internet player to be aware of this link, so people please don't read beyond this

This is where you can find a website belonging to a freelance PHP web developer who can do consultancy on technical website projects

Do You Know What it is Yet?

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:51:45 GMT

this is sooo cool

Nervousness

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 21:25:38 GMT

Turns out I've got to have an operation to sort my knee out :(

An Arthroscopy.

Keyhole surgery apparently.. Worst case is a blood clot (unlikely), mediumish risk of them damaging something on the way in or out, or an infection or something. High risk of not being able to do much for a week or so afterwards. "most people return to work within a week" according to them.

Thing is I can't drive back from the hospital with it, and the tube sounds like a nightmare when woozy from anasthetic.

All feeling scared and not in control now :(

In other news, I was suitcase-jacked... Some silly middle age to old person stole it from the suitcase rack, mistaking it for hers. Ours was much thicker, and Black, theirs was Navy

Got a phone call from her this evening:
"is that mr Powell-Blyth?"
"yah"
"HAve you lost a suitcase?"
"yah"
"oh. I feel terribly silly. Got off at Didcot with the wrong one."
"oh. I'm in Swindon if it helps"
"I can meet you at swindon station"

So there ends the stress of this evening... I feel quite week and weady now... Kind of deflated and nervous and all sorts.

Still, cheers me up a little knowing that the Lost Property office is in Bristol, they take 48 hours to process lost luggage, and there's no-one there till monday.

next time be clever and RECOGNISE YOUR OWN BAG!!!!

EWWWW

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 07:42:38 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4313978.stm

The snake tried to swallow the alligator then exploded... Ewwww

YAY

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 13:26:56 GMT

How cool is this?
I've booked four tickets to see Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic theatre (by Waterloo) in Richard II.

£106 in total!!!!

On the second row

Right in front of the stage

Up close and personal

YAY!!!!!

References:
http://www.oldvictheatre.com/whatson.php?id=15 - the play (with two broken images :( )
http://www.oldvictheatre.com/images/whats%20on/richard%20ii/seating_large.gif - the seating plan

Oh..

YAY!

It's official

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 09:25:38 GMT

According to this website, I'm officially a member of the team.

http://www.pod1.com/profile.php

From now on, I'm Head of Development at Pod1. If anyone needs work as a PHP developer, please feel free to let me know about it. My address is toby.powell-blyth@pod1.com

YAY

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 09:15:09 GMT

Magical Trevor three :)

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/magical+trevor+3/

YAY

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 14:20:40 GMT

Google just launched a blog searcher.
Well, It's just interesting anyway

http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=snathe&btnG=Search+Blogs
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=mr+squig&btnG=Search+Blogs
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=sleep_er&btnG=Search+Blogs

To name but a few.

blimey

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 13:03:07 GMT

As spotted by snathe

Michael Sheard died. HE of Mr Bronson fame.

But what surprised me:
http://www.michaelsheard.com/photos.htm

He was also in Dr Who a load of times, Raiders of the Lost Ark (deleted scene) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Oh, did I mention Star Wars?

Blimey!

Sadly missed, yet I didn't know him well enough.

still alive here

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 08:40:38 GMT

Yay.

Job's going well, new laptop keeping up under the strain which is cool.

I've also managed to leech a whole bunch of MP3s (in exchange for some of mine, of course) so that 's cool

We're still debating whether to hang on here for the Notting Hill Carnival or not. Seems like it starts just outside our office (close by anyway, on Portobello road) so Friday should be interesting while they're setting up. They've already delivered the portaloos, which are pleasant to walk past.

New job

Thu, 18 Aug 2005 12:32:49 GMT

YAY I started my new job today

Thanks for all the congratsonyournewjob messages.

I'm now working for pod1 in London (020 land, thanks snathe). Just started today with my shiny new laptop what I bought with it's shiny new screen. What's the betting I drop it sometime before the new year?

Anyway, coding away some PHP stuff for an intranet. All to do with companies and countries and things.

Looked at some houses yesterday, some nice, some acceptible, all 1 bedroom!!! What a comedown after mine and Ms Squig's house in Pig Town

YAY

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 18:20:48 GMT

I was a bit bored at work the other day waiting for someone to stop gassing.

So I drew this:

What should I call it Him?

Yay for new jobs and things

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 17:47:45 GMT

I start my new job on Thursday, all very exciting.

Still got nowhere sorted to live.

Still have to get registered as self employed and ensure that the Inland Revenue do not think that I should fall within IR35 legislation. Still, I'm learning loads about that. Apparently it's only called IR35 because of the headed paper it was sent out from. Or something like that. They never called it that, but seem perfectly happy to muck around with it as a name now.

Anyone else gone through the hassle of registering self employed? All I get is an engaged tone :(

A new hope

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 19:51:44 GMT

Well, it seems that I have been offered not one, but two jobs.

One at Corel Casinos, One at Pod1. I've decided to go for the one at Pod1, on the basis that they are in London, and actually seem like really nice people.

If anyone knows of a spare room that's available in London, please let me know, as I might well be able to offer some cash (as in Wonga) for the privilege of inhabiting it for a while

Oh, here's something to keep you amused in the mean while... Hand's up who's seen a photo of the aircraft that hit the pentagon???
Clicky

LOLOL

Sat, 30 Jul 2005 12:05:52 GMT

http://www.funpic.hu/swf/numanuma.html

Made me laugh anyway

I wonder how much funny stuff I can fill this blog with..

Let's have some news

Mrs Squig has a job in London, so we're selling the house, doing all the last minute DIY stuff... According to the estate agent, that means we need to paint the entire front of the house cream..

What do you think? Currently it's red on the brickwork and yellow on the upper half where it's pebble dashed.

Hmm

"noma noma eh"

YAY for cunning clock designs

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 10:08:20 GMT

Thanks to the joys of stumbleupon, I found this:

Cool clock thing

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 16:33:45 GMT

how kinky are you?

LiveJournal Username

Age

Sex

Sexuality

Favorite color duct tape

Do you fit in a box?

How are you in bed?

You are this kinky:

69%

Your kinky flirt buddy is...

sleep_er

Your kinky play mate is...

snathe

Your kinky lover is...

sleep_er

Your kinky pimp is...

nina321

You will die from an STD by the time you are 20:

True

This many people want to be kinky with you:

35,585,593

Out of your kinkiness you earn:

$421,515

This Fun Quiz created by Molly at BlogQuiz.Net

Blatant plug

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 18:21:36 GMT

Hello everyone

Please go and visit Tracy Marie Saunders - Reflexologist and complementary therapist who is a great complementary therapist and does Crystal healing

There is also a link to her website on Toby's website. Look at me Google, I can attempt to make some circular links!!!!

Please link to this site on your web site if you love me (or Tracy)