Snow! Oh, I know it's horribly inconvenient for anyone trying to go anywhere, and nasty for those that hate the cold: but I am in neither camp, and I got up early to make sure I didn't miss it. Though must go out soon and frolic, before it melts. Lovely hazy pinkish light, mmmm.
I keep thinking about the '10 things' meme. There are not that many unusual experiences I've had that are worth mentioning, really. Mostly they reflect badly on me, or are not very cheerful. So the following are not especially exciting.
1) Interviewed Neal Stephenson.
2) Jumped out of an aeroplane (with a parachute).
3) Fallen under a train (a stationary one). Boring! Try: (3) Presented a weekly music programme on live TV for six months
4) Flown (and landed) a glider.
5) Been charged by mounted police
6) Swum in the sea (off the Devon coast) on Easter Sunday.
7) Been caught in flagrante in a National Park
8) Trodden on a weever fish Not interesting! (8) Cancelled my MENSA membership on ethical grounds actually am not quite sure 'ethical' is the right word: I objected very strongly to the whiff of eugenics from certain quarters
9) Dug my way through a snowdrift to get to a phonebox
10) Been trodden on by John Peel
OK, you can wake up now.
EDIT: More on weever fish. I rather liked this summary (my emphasis), found here:
On sandy, muddy or gravelly bottoms, from a few meters to about 150 m. Rest on the bottom, often buried with eyes and tip of first dorsal fin exposed (Ref. 9988). At night they swim around freely, even pelagically (Ref. 35388). Feeding on small invertebrates and fishes; chiefly nocturnal. Oviparous, eggs and larval stages pelagic. There are dark markings along the scales; the anterior dorsal fin is black and contains venomous spines. Utilized fresh and frozen; can be pan-fried, broiled, boiled and baked (Ref. 9988). Spawning takes place in June and August, pelagic eggs are 1 mm (Ref. 35388).
I keep thinking about the '10 things' meme. There are not that many unusual experiences I've had that are worth mentioning, really. Mostly they reflect badly on me, or are not very cheerful. So the following are not especially exciting.
1) Interviewed Neal Stephenson.
2) Jumped out of an aeroplane (with a parachute).
4) Flown (and landed) a glider.
5) Been charged by mounted police
6) Swum in the sea (off the Devon coast) on Easter Sunday.
7) Been caught in flagrante in a National Park
9) Dug my way through a snowdrift to get to a phonebox
10) Been trodden on by John Peel
OK, you can wake up now.
EDIT: More on weever fish. I rather liked this summary (my emphasis), found here:
On sandy, muddy or gravelly bottoms, from a few meters to about 150 m. Rest on the bottom, often buried with eyes and tip of first dorsal fin exposed (Ref. 9988). At night they swim around freely, even pelagically (Ref. 35388). Feeding on small invertebrates and fishes; chiefly nocturnal. Oviparous, eggs and larval stages pelagic. There are dark markings along the scales; the anterior dorsal fin is black and contains venomous spines. Utilized fresh and frozen; can be pan-fried, broiled, boiled and baked (Ref. 9988). Spawning takes place in June and August, pelagic eggs are 1 mm (Ref. 35388).
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Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 10:49 am (UTC)[bounce]
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Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 10:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 11:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 10:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Saturday, February 26th, 2005 06:55 am (UTC)I must do it again, some time!
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Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 11:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 10:57 am (UTC)*happy smile*
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Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 12:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 10:58 pm (UTC)a galaxy far far awayYorkshire. I shall Draw A Veil over further detail.no subject
Date: Sunday, February 27th, 2005 02:52 pm (UTC)Partner: Yes, she is rather lovely.
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Date: Sunday, February 27th, 2005 03:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 12:09 pm (UTC)MC
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Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 01:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 01:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 11:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, February 25th, 2005 11:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Saturday, February 26th, 2005 07:21 am (UTC)If I may ask, there is one thing I have always wondered about MENSA -- why do people join? Not neccessarily you yourself, but what did your fellow members want out of it? (Apart from genetically perfect super-race, I now presume.)
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Date: Saturday, February 26th, 2005 09:34 am (UTC)What was your reason? (Part of my reason for not joining was that I was very, very poor at the time, and the fees would have been a significant chunk of my income, not small change. By the time I got to an income level where the fees would be a never-mind, the no-good-reason-to-join was entrenched.)
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Date: Saturday, February 26th, 2005 12:34 pm (UTC)We always had to be careful of them back home - I hope you didn't get too big a dose of the poison!