

So here’s the latest on the scarf… it’s now taller than me, but I think it needs to be a little bit longer before it qualifies for full Doctor Who Scarf status. Although I don’t want to do an Isadora Duncan, so I probably won’t be wearing it in any convertibles.

Meanwhile, I am full of crankiness towards companies that use phone help services that are based offshore. The AC adapter for my laptop has stopped working (two weeks out of warranty of course), so I needed to order a new one. After circling through a menu for 10 minutes, I talked to a man for another 10 minutes. The conversation ended when he told me that my laptop was still registered as being in America (where I bought it) on their system, and therefore before he could do anything, I would have to go to the website and change my details there. The change would take a few days to come into affect, and after that he could help me. At this point I may have become cranky at his scripted English, and ranted a little. At which point he gave me another phone number to call, and told me they would be able to help me. It turned out the phone number he gave me was just another version of the one I’d called already – well the number was different, but it took me to exactly the same menus. So some more circling (I don’t know how they managed to make a circular menu, but they did) and some key mashing later, and I was finally talking some more scripted English to someone who managed to order me a new adapter. Which will take 2-3 weeks to arrive. Until then, no laptopping. Very convenient, yes.
Back in January I got hold of a cheap second-hand kayak, from a guy who made his own. He liked to experiment and then move on to bigger and better things.

It wasn’t particularly neatly made. And the paint job was pretty … interesting. It looked like it had been painted with the same paint that is used for metal-working machinery – that dimpled metallic stuff. And it had been slapped on thick, with nice dribbles all over the place.

A quality paint job. I’d decided a while ago to strip it back and re-finish it, and finally got around to starting sanding today.

But lo and behold, what’s this that I see? I was expecting some average looking ugly plywood underneath. But no. My plywood was leopard-patterned.

So, a lot more sanding to go. But my kayak is going to be a leopard.
Well, I just watched Lilja 4-Ever… and rather than talk about human trafficking, I will mention that I have a hole in my jeans now, bringing closer the inevitable day when I will have to buy a new pair of pants. Damnation.
