Reasons to be cheerful

Today is officially (I believe) Blue Monday: the most depressing day of the year. It is about a week earlier this year than last. The date is calculated using some strange formula that takes account time since Christmas, debt levels, weather and other stuff (or something). There is an equivalent date for the happiest day of the year, too. In the past few years it has cropped up around mid-summer’s day, but at the time of writing, Wikipedia doesn’t say when it is for 2009.

Still, all is not lost, the BBC reports that the Optimists' Society are planning a day to cheer everyone up.

James Battison, founder of the "loose-knit social-action group" said: "As an optimist you get to bathe luxuriously in your own good-feeling, while also sparking some fun and laughter in others. It's a win-win way to live. I highly recommend it!
"The key to feeling positive lies in taking action and making other people smile. Remember, life could always be worse, but with positive action things will always get better."

Splendid fellows, if probably a bit cracked.

So far today, I have been impressed by the stuttering in and out of my broadband connection this morning (again). I have now acquired a new modem/router, but have not yet installed it. I rather hope that this will solve the problem; the current router is of undefined age, but predates my time in the Athenaeum Club by some years, I believe, so a new one is probably called for anyway.

Having got that working again so I could finish the torrent I had initiated, I left to go to work. The rain had stopped – a plus point - but there were severe delays on the Northern Line. By the time we had crawled to Euston, the Victoria Line had had time to rustle up signal failures at Stockwell, so there were severe delays on that line, too.

Coming into the office, it seems that inflation projections are about to scoop up large handfuls of shite and propel them forcibly at our spending plans for the next twelve to eighteen months.

On top of all this, I am still tired, it being somewhat late when I managed to doze off last night.

All in all, not a bad haul for Blue Monday and it’s not even 11.15 am yet.

That said, I feel quite upbeat; maybe the Optimists’ Society’s mojo is working already?

Reasons to be cheerful

Today is officially (I believe) Blue Monday: the most depressing day of the year. It is about a week earlier this year than last. The date is calculated using some strange formula that takes account time since Christmas, debt levels, weather and other stuff (or something). There is an equivalent date for the happiest day of the year, too. In the past few years it has cropped up around mid-summer’s day, but at the time of writing, Wikipedia doesn’t say when it is for 2009.

Still, all is not lost, the BBC reports that the Optimists' Society are planning a day to cheer everyone up.

James Battison, founder of the "loose-knit social-action group" said: "As an optimist you get to bathe luxuriously in your own good-feeling, while also sparking some fun and laughter in others. It's a win-win way to live. I highly recommend it!
"The key to feeling positive lies in taking action and making other people smile. Remember, life could always be worse, but with positive action things will always get better."

Splendid fellows, if probably a bit cracked.

So far today, I have been impressed by the stuttering in and out of my broadband connection this morning (again). I have now acquired a new modem/router, but have not yet installed it. I rather hope that this will solve the problem; the current router is of undefined age, but predates my time in the Athenaeum Club by some years, I believe, so a new one is probably called for anyway.

Having got that working again so I could finish the torrent I had initiated, I left to go to work. The rain had stopped – a plus point - but there were severe delays on the Northern Line. By the time we had crawled to Euston, the Victoria Line had had time to rustle up signal failures at Stockwell, so there were severe delays on that line, too.

Coming into the office, it seems that inflation projections are about to scoop up large handfuls of shite and propel them forcibly at our spending plans for the next twelve to eighteen months.

On top of all this, I am still tired, it being somewhat late when I managed to doze off last night.

All in all, not a bad haul for Blue Monday and it’s not even 11.15 am yet.

That said, I feel quite upbeat; maybe the Optimists’ Society’s mojo is working already?

It's gone a bit dark over Bill's mother's...

Looking out of the window I have to say that it’s gone very dark out there. You’d think it was closer to 4.30 than 2.30 (As luck would have it it’s now brightened up again, a little). I wouldn’t have been surprised if there had been a clap of thunder and a really heavy rainstorm. Well, the clap of thunder might be a surprise: I don’t know where the warm air would come from to kick it off, but the old deluge thing is certainly still a possibility.

The weather is reportedly rather naff around the UK at the moment – we had some especially heavy rain for a period last night that we could hear hammering on the back of the flat while we were in the front with the doors closed. Tomorrow we are forecast hail showers in London: all the drawbacks of snow with none of the fun. Typical, really.

It's gone a bit dark over Bill's mother's...

Looking out of the window I have to say that it’s gone very dark out there. You’d think it was closer to 4.30 than 2.30 (As luck would have it it’s now brightened up again, a little). I wouldn’t have been surprised if there had been a clap of thunder and a really heavy rainstorm. Well, the clap of thunder might be a surprise: I don’t know where the warm air would come from to kick it off, but the old deluge thing is certainly still a possibility.

The weather is reportedly rather naff around the UK at the moment – we had some especially heavy rain for a period last night that we could hear hammering on the back of the flat while we were in the front with the doors closed. Tomorrow we are forecast hail showers in London: all the drawbacks of snow with none of the fun. Typical, really.

Well, that's that, then!

Blue Monday indeed.

Two sets of signal failures on the Northern Line this morning and one on the Victoria Line, as reported.

This evening - thank God I left work early for Games Night - there has been a signal failure on the Northern Line at Finchley Central. I was chucked off the train at Archway and had to get the bus home from there. Furtle was still at work and God only knows what time she'll get back sinxce it has settled down to a service suspension north of East Finchley. So, too few busses and the rush hour. Joy.

Games night is unsurprisingly cancelled because it's taken ruletwo an hour and a half to get as far as East Finchley, so he turned around and went home. I think I've managed to leave phone messages for thalinoviel and bytepilot; certainly the latter tried to leave me a message, but it seems the mobile phone network is acting the arse, too and he sounded like a consumptive dalek at the end of a tin can and string, so I barely got one word in ten.

Marvellous.

This is the superior service we get after ten years' consecutive above inflation annual price hikes.

Well, that's that, then!

Blue Monday indeed.

Two sets of signal failures on the Northern Line this morning and one on the Victoria Line, as reported.

This evening - thank God I left work early for Games Night - there has been a signal failure on the Northern Line at Finchley Central. I was chucked off the train at Archway and had to get the bus home from there. Furtle was still at work and God only knows what time she'll get back sinxce it has settled down to a service suspension north of East Finchley. So, too few busses and the rush hour. Joy.

Games night is unsurprisingly cancelled because it's taken ruletwo an hour and a half to get as far as East Finchley, so he turned around and went home. I think I've managed to leave phone messages for thalinoviel and bytepilot; certainly the latter tried to leave me a message, but it seems the mobile phone network is acting the arse, too and he sounded like a consumptive dalek at the end of a tin can and string, so I barely got one word in ten.

Marvellous.

This is the superior service we get after ten years' consecutive above inflation annual price hikes.