Reducing electricity bills

With the power tariff going up and up and inflation reaching 6 to 7 %, it is becoming more difficult to save money. Thank God, Mummy is resourceful from the beginning. She said, we need not worry. We have plenty. Nevertheless, she is saving power - she uses the drier to dry clothes. Mommy is busy u see. So she doesn't have time to hang the clothes. The drier is the fastest solution - even on a very hot day. Now, Mummy dries the bigger pieces of clothes on the hanger - it is not so tedious like the small ones. She only dries the small ones in the drier. And she set the drier to less than 60 minutes. She used to dry for 90 minutes in the past. We'll see how this improves our electrical bill next month.

Drop in Crime rates

A Policeofficial is attributing a decline in certain types of crime last year to the county's crackdown on illegal immigrants.
A study released last week says homicides declined by 44% from 2006 to 2007. The incidence of rape fell 33%, robberies declined 23%, and aggravated assaults declined 18%.
County board Chairman Corey Stewart says the decrease is due to the resolutions cracking down on illegal immigrants in the county."
As I recall, the main change likely to affect the crime rates, was going after those who presented fake ID, no valid insurance or licenses, etc. This would make not only illegals, but all sorts of other criminals, want get away from the uncommon heat, and on towards the places that are cool for them. Homicides down by a half in one year! This is unheard-of, at least in large jurisdictions like PW Cty., and I believe it has to mean that their policy change got illegals plus a lot of other criminals to move out.

Blue ridge mountains

Big Walker Lookout is the starting point for the Toland's Raid Civil War Trail that ends in Wytheville, VA. It's about 20-25 minutes from Wytheville along Rte 52. We arrived at the Lookout just in time to watch a glorious sunset behind the mountains across the valley.

The Lookout is situated on an outcropping that allows you to view one valley to the west and another, the one where the raiders entered the town, to the east. There is a Country Store there that sells all sorts of handcrafted items and the literature says there are artisan and craft demonstrations scheduled periodically. We arrived too late to shop. There is also a 100 foot tower for those not afraid of heights and stair climbing (a $5 charge, so be sure you're up to it). 

On our way back to Wytheville after our stay in Raleigh, we took a little side trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway. We exited at Meadows of Dan and found a country store and a rustic restaurant. Our policy is always to choose a place that has plenty of cars in the parking lot and this lot was almost full. Inside was a bustling lunch crowd--a mixture of locals and tourists I'm sure. 

We paused for a moment when we entered and looked around. A lady standing at the cash register to pay her lunch ticket smiled at us, waved a hand toward the tables and booths and said, "Y'all find yersef a place." I love Southern hospitality. We relished homemade chili and hamburgers to die for. No wonder the parking lot was full. If you're ever in that area, it's on Route 58 just off the Parkway. Y'all pull up a chair and enjoy!

Thts life

i feel let down. cheated. hurt. and confused.
i can't understand why. but i guess that's life...
(yea.. that's my consolation for everything that goes wrong... "THAT'S LIFE!")

that empty feeling when you're walking through the crowd with someone and suddenly you realise you're not talking to anyone really... or that the person you were walking with isn't even there by your side...

that hollow lump in your throat as you sit quietly and watch the people you care about walk out the door and leave you behind, cz they've found something or somebody cooler and more worth their attention... you're screaming, or u feel like neway... but the silence is deafening already...

you decide it's a phase. you ignore it happened at all. the wierd silences. the awkwardness. you ignore it all and pretend like nothing happened to change things. denial. (yea... tts me.) you wonder why? what you did... how does everyone you love and care about end up on the other side with you still hanging on for dear life, dazed and confused, trying to figure out what really happened and with noone to give you an answer?

i don't like being left behind. i sure as hell don't like feeling like a fool for trusting someone. i don't trust anyone as much as i used to anymore. I find myself bracing myself for the next blow and wondering who's the next one that walks out on me or give up on me next? (i know i shouldn't doubt, what if these people are really genuine? or wait, maybe short term connections are what makes the world go round and I haven't realised yet?
maybe I should be indifferent and selfish and make sure I've got my own back instead of worrying about everyone else... smart huh?... tell the rest of the world to "screw itself" and walk out on them? and not take a thing anyone says seriously... does that really make people happy?)
ironically, the hurt is big enough to make me want to never ever make some1 else feel this way. as much as i can help it. so far. :(

which brings me to the stage where I think... ok.. friends... it's about risks... what about family huh? obligations? favours? blood relations?? pretence??!! sometimes i'm left with nothing to say.

Continued

realisation hurts and sucks. am i really suppose to take it all quietly? and why does it happen to me all the time? do i really want to walk away and ignore that these people were in my life at all? i dnt believe in running away, and denial doesn't mend things, it only temporarily blocks things out leaving you a confused and lonely mess ultimately...

maybe i should sit back, relax and focus on the people who make my day instead. wait... are they going to go away too? DOUBT. *sigh*

"il always be there for you"...
ALWAYS. it's a strong word. I wonder if anybody thinks before using it. Do you really know what you're saying??! or are you saying it because it makes you feel good for a second that you can make some1 else feel better for a few seconds and then forget about it?

I'll be okay. but i don't think i will forget. not too soon neway :( My mom tells me I need to stop caring so much. I've had a hundred people tell me to "stop caring so much and letting everything affect you".. "the way you take all that shit over and over... u make me sick" the best part of it all, it's true. I still haven't figured out why i do it.

no, im not perfect. there are days when i lose it. i throw my tantrums, i scream. i even cry sometimes. i let it all out and tell the person or people or whatever to go to hell.... usually on my blog where I know not everyone will read... or if i've really had it, i tell the person to go "FAL"... and then in a few hours im back to square one...

argh..i could scream.

Family. Friends. Love. I wonder if it really is "all that"... you know, those words in cards and those pledges we make everyday... Don't say it unless you mean it. Don't mean it unless you know what it means...

I know how it feels. and I don't want to ever make anyone feel this way.

Nano-cheapest car in the world

Nano, produced by Tata Motors is likely to live up to the reputation of the seniors in following to become a public mode of transport than a private one.

The seniors – viz Indigo, Indica, Ace – have all been successful in exploiting the potential for ferrying the passengers.

Indigo – is used by various travel agencies for passengers to travel between offices and also between airport and offices.
Indica has a separate brand identity called ‘Indicab’ which is used for operating for the BPO/call centre agents and is now almost synonymous for call centre employees travel.
Many may not be aware but Ace is now not only used for transporting materials but also has a passenger version which is visibly present in the semi urban areas. It beats the Omni by a mile in both seating capacity and the looks apart from the cost.
I am sure that the three wheeler manufacturers would have faced the impact of Ace especially in the semi-urban and rural areas. Now they have to grapple with another competitor from Tata Motors which is Nano.

Let us quickly look at the features of Nano
Seating capacity – atleast three – could be more
Covered seating
Has an option for non A/c and A/c
Provides good mileage
Is easily maneuverable
Looks good

And all this priced at 1 lakh or little over that.
Is this not a good bet in comparison to the various autorickshaw models that you find in the market.

The licencing challenges for a taxi (especially call taxi) is far easier and better than an Auto.
No wonder that Bajaj Auto is wanting to be in the car space when they have had no experience so far.
Don’t get me wrong – their auto business may not exist (like the scooters today) – they were smart to realize and pump in the money for the motor bikes. Now they could be smart enough to realize that it could now extend to the autos.
If you were to wonder whether Ratan Tata planned all this – we may doubt it. Let us realize one thing – it is one thing to plan, it is totally different thing for the market to utilize. As they say – biscuits could be made for kids – but if Adults love it – you have created an altogether segment without anticipating.

So we go – the Nano the Auto of the future.

You may disagree with my view - nevertheless you cannot ignore it.

I Hate him

TODAY WAS A TOTALLY F****D DAY!

I PROMISE I WILL HATE HIM FOREVER. REMEMBERING IT WITH MY REST OF MY LIFE.

`people will forgive &forget ; I WILL HATE YOU FOREVER.
not even that, I WILL CURSE YOU FOREVER. NOT LETTING YOU HAVE ANY GOOD LIFE. BECAUSE YOU'LL BE THE ONLY PERSON WHOCH I HATE THE MOST.

i am angry , and the anger shall not be ended.

i can say, i dont think that yor apologize is sincerly enough. what for you scolded a person then said sorry back? EVEN IF YOU APOLOGIZE 3 TIMES ! 
you've totally hurt a person already. i think that this part of a sacarstic act, not even i am the only one think so, everyone does. 
& add on, person is full of anger , why are you kept apologizing, its not sincerly you know? its FUCKING IRRATING! people trying to cool down and you'll like an irrating freak kept saying sorry. NO USE NO USE ! 
ALSO mind your attitude before speaking to others dont ever think that your attitude is good enough to lecture me. you can say that you're angry and you'll be like this. I ANGRY I ALSO WILL BE LIKE THIS ! I AM HUMAN TOO, I CAN HAVE MY ANGER TOO. WHY NOT? WHY ONLY YOU THIS F*****G IDIOT IRRATING SACARSTIC PERSON CAN HAVE? we have feelings too okays , dont because of your mood were like shit & you vent your fucking anger. 
WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE TO SCOLD ME ! you're just an idiot sissy who always think that you the best, let me tell you, YOU SUCK MAN !
you wanna to close this case because you afraid that your boss will scold you again. you dont want to get in trouble, always said that wanted to help us. actually you're the one who wanted to ruin our life.

EVERYONE ! IF YOU SEE THIS KIND OF PERSON. YOU SHOULDN'T GIVE ANY RESPECT. THEY JUST DONT WORTH IT !

!4 hour day

Today was a fourteen hour day that, just as I though it was wrapping up at the seven or eight hour mark, exploded into an additional seven or eight hours of work. Surprise! 

At least this time, a personal trainer didn't call me at 8 in the morning when I was elbow deep in TCP/IP packets to discuss something trivial about my gym membership. Oh, yesterday was so much fun. 

Of course, when you're at work until 1:45 AM, yesterday turns out to truthfully have been two days ago. 

Problem (hopefully) solved, I've already instructed my team that I'll be in late tomorrow (Very. Late.) and that I can be reached if needed but please, don't need me. 

My boss concurs, and followed up my late-night "in late tomorrow" mail with a "Don't need Toby" followup. Good guy. I wish very much to not fall into the same "martyr syndrome" situation I've had in my last positions. On the way home tonight, it occurred to me that — lightbulb! — I am the one who is responsible for avoiding this fate by writing the kickass-est documentation possible. Finally, I'm in a place where there are people who will be around to read it should I ever write such a thing. 

I took a cab home and ate some large, delicious cubes meat that had been carefully left for me in the fridge and chased it with a lavender Earl Grey vodka-infused White Russian. I used less than the suggested amount of tea and steeped it for a shorter period of time, but it still tastes bitter and I'm not sure why. It needs work. 

One of the guys in the NOC turned me onto a game called "Pandemic" wherein you attempt to infect the world population. Too tired to sleep this morning, I finally got a chance to play it and killed everyone except for the continent of Africa, which had researched a cure and developed an immunity. There's a twist for you: Africans not dying in droves from some exotic plague. 

Monk, as is often the case, was right: in times of stress I revert to old emotions, none stronger than when I come off of the rush of a late-night work project and have no one there next to me to catch me when I collapse into a heap on the bed. 

If I persist on the thought, I may begin to question why I do it. 

So I won't. I need to floss, brush, and immediately retire to the safety of my bedroom, where I will install Live Mesh, yawn profusely, and climb up into a vast and inviting bed that has patiently awaited me all night long.

Follow animal laws

Tampa Bay's 10 reports that a Polk County man has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly throwing kittens from a truck. According to the article, witnesses reported that the man ran over a kitten and then threw another out the window. Deputies discovered one dead kitten along the road and another kitten was found alive. A third kitten was still missing. The surviving kitten, which is pictured alongside the article, will be placed in a foster care environment.

Old chisels

So, having watched the arm shaving video I was intrigued about how he got the chisel so sharp and, having spent a long hot day working on some old chisels using the Trend Fastrack, I thought I give the sandpaper method a try.

I actually took the plunge and bought the Veritas Mark 2 honing guide, and a very solid piece of kit it is too. I don't have all the grits and I don't have the bench grinder with a buffing wheel, so razor sharp was probably out of the question.

Here's what I did:

The starting point. This is one of the chisels I inherited from my Dad when he died a few years ago. It was pretty grubby.

The first thing I did was use a small strip of coarse sandpaper to clean up the back and sides of the cutting end of the tool.

I used some 80 grit and then some 150 grit to get all the pit marks and rust and dirt of the blade.

Cleaned up, the back of the blade looks like this:

This only took a minute or two and whilst it not a mirror shine it's a long way down the road to becoming a usable tool.

The next step was to work on the bevel. There was a fair amount of material to be removed, and with a grinder to hand and either a tool guide or a steady hand that would have been relatively quick. But I don't have those things, so it was 80 grit paper and elbow grease.

Setting up the Veritas was very quick and simple. Just position the angle guide, set the angle and slide the chisel in and then lock it in position.

This is really a very good guide and I think it is worth the cost (it's not cheap, but you do get what you pay for). My other guides are less costly but much more difficult to set up accurately and repeatably. I suspect that the Veritas will give repeatable settings every time. Of course the angle set on the Veritas doesn't match exactly the angle on the Trend, but then you wouldn't expect that really. 

I did sharpen one chisel using both the Veritas to do the initial work and then the Trend to finish it off. This gave a good edge and was much quicker than yesterday's long toiling, finger aching day using just the Trend.

After about five minutes work I now had a useable, if not razor sharp, chisel. The shavings in the photograph may look rough but they were actually quite fine. 

My conclusion after all this is that I still have a long way to go to get a really sharp edge, but I'm more confident that I can get a good working edge on a chisel and plane iron with less effort and more accuracy than before. Using sandpaper glued to a board is certainly effective for much of the work, and the Trend is always there to give a better edge with more practice.

I used ordinary spray mount (the kind you use for display work and photographs) to adhere the sandpaper to a piece of old plywood. One tip, make sure you glue the paper close to a usable working edge of the board. That makes getting the back of the blade nice and flat for the first stage of the process.

Glasgow

'Catastrophe for Labour as SNP triumphs in Glasgow East · Nationalists overturn 13,500 majority in heartland.'
That was how the Guardian reported the results of the Glasgow East by-election today. And in a blog called The Scottish Home.
I love Glasgow. It's my favourite city in the world. Its people are surely among the most friendly, bright, irreverent, inventive and creative in existence. But the city's east end has extreme problems of poverty and deprivation that all these many years of a Labour government have done little to address. The fact that this poverty sits cheek by jowl with the newly gentrified Merchant City, where £1000 handbags and designer chic are commonplace, doesn't really help.
I'm no political economist, but I remember attending a conference a few years ago and hearing somebody speak about how he had taken photographs of some of those sixties tower blocks in Glasgow with heat detecting cameras in an effort to assess why the buildings were so disastrous for the residents - full of damp and bronchitis-inducing black mould. Asthma was endemic among the children. Clothes were ruined. The residents themselves were always being blamed for this. They were boiling kettles, breathing, that kind of thing. (I kid you not!) He said 'we looked at the pictures and wondered what all those little blocks of insulation were. Then we suddenly realised that they were curtains in the windows. We had taken the pictures at night. The drawn curtains were providing infinitely better insulation for each of the flats than the walls!'
Over the past few weeks, the English press have sent representatives north to trash Glasgow's east end. And they've made a pretty good job of it. A.A. Gill (gonnae stick to cookery pal?) in the Sunday Times produced a predictably glib piece of non analysis. None of it has gone unnoticed. The East End has serious problems but it is by no means as wholly bleak a dystopia as was painted. And this from guys who live in London for God's sake. A wee biblical quote comes to mind: 'And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?' Away and consider a few beams, eh?
All of which amounts, I suppose, to a lot of votes for the SNP. As a lifelong and instinctive Labour party supporter myself, I voted for them in the Scottish parliament and will probably vote for them in a general election too unless Labour stops marching us relentlessly backwards towards 1984 and lecturing us about how we don't really understand them.
I started watching the election results programme last night but when Labour demanded a recount at about 1.30 I decided that enough was enough and went to bed. Still I put on the radio only to realise that Radio Scotland stops broadcasting around midnight and switches to Five Live which is the general UK news programme. I drifted off to sleep only to wake up in the early hours when the results were being announced. We got a wee chat with a professor from Strathclyde University, and then suddenly we were off on the Obama trail. No more analysis or comment from Scotland. And it's that sort of thing, folks, that really gets your goat when you live north of the border. That and the relentlessly London centred news. Wall to wall Boris when it was the London mayoral elections. SATS disasters which we don't have in Scotland. (We don't have the dreaded SATS up here but we do have assessments in reading, writing and maths, pupils are tested "when ready" and there's no big deal made of it. It's marked internally. The results are private. Teachers do their job. It works. )
And don't get me started on the new weather maps which condense the whole of this huge country into a distorted squidge at the top end of the screen. And as somebody pointed out recently on a comment programme, Glasgow has had a knife problem for years, but it's only when it starts happening in London that the politicians suddenly start focussing their hand wringing on it.
So food and fuel prices may have a lot to do with the election result as Labour would like to believe. But a general dissatisfaction with Westminster, coupled with the perception that the SNP have done pretty well so far is surely an even bigger factor.
Enough politics for one day. 

My Dad's advice

This advice given by my dad changed my life.He is a great man.Life’s burdens—whether emotional, relational, or financial—can weigh us down. The longer we carry them, the heavier they seem. Unless we deal with them properly, they can cloud our thinking, interfere with our work, and affect our family life. 

The world offers solutions that are temporary at best: Live for today. Do what feels good. Drown your sorrows with pleasure or work.