Now I Wanna Be Your Dog

Blimey. I never thought I'd ever even get noticed by anyone doing this blog, but there is already a lively debate being prompted by my personal response to the recent UK airport situation. Please see The Good Fence, my last post. Hah. The Last Post. That's funny, if perhaps ironic. It could be that Anonymous is someone I know, as I haven't exactly promoted the existence of this blog. In fact, it has been kept among close friends and family. Do I know Anonymous? Perhaps I do. If I do, Anonymous is no doubt rapidly changing their opinion of me.

Sorry I haven't been in for long, but I've actually been doing some work. Besides keeping the plates spinning on getting that speedboat back to the UK from Spain, there's been some actual money earned for work for a client. Which is marvellous. It's not a lot, but it's my money, and I earned it, it's mine. I've also been kicking off the project for my Mum's shop website. She sells lingerie. You can buy things from her - or you will be able to, soon - via the Camille link, top right in My Links under My Profile. So, I've been creative writing, planning e-commerce websites, page layout, picture cropping/resizing, and making big long lists of sexy items my Mum can sell you. I get to look through the CDs of the whole ranges, too. I love my work.

It's only three weeks until the good lady and I head away to the Cayman Islands. Our scuba courses are booked: the lass shall be completing her PADI Open Water qualification, which means - on the other side - that she and I will be able to go off diving on our own, to a maximum depth of 18 metres. Basically, we'll both have earned our wings, and passed as qualified divers. Not to teach, of course, but good enough to be trusted to do it all correctly and head out independently. While the missus does that, I'm doing the PADI Enriched Air Diver course. Known more commonly as nitrox, this involves changing the oxygen-nitrogen ratio in normal air. When you go underwater that deep, the pressure changes involved, and the alterations to your blood gas chemistry are so acute, that usually you will do a "decompression stop", where you ascend to about 5m and stay there for at least 3 minutes, to allow the blood air/nitrogen ratios to rebalance. Let me hand over to PADI here, they can explain it better: "Diving with enriched air nitrox lets you safely extend your no-stop time beyond the no-decompression limits for air. Diving with enriched air means more time underwater. You need to be certified as an Enriched Air Diver to get enriched air fills." You need to be a PADI Open Water diver at least before starting the course. I will learn to analyze cylinder contents, the changed ratio of oxygen to nitrogen. I will be taught how to plan enriched air dives using tables and dive computers. Even better, my doing this course certification counts toward the Master Scuba Diver rating, which is a good thing. I ordered my shortie wetsuit when we were at Stoney Cove last Sunday. It has arrived, and so we scooted back to Leicestershire to pick up a very nice item for a very decent price this last Saturday. It's O'Neill, so is obviously the nuts. It's hanging up ready for packing.

Last Sunday 12th, my business partner and I attended a rock gig in the back room of a pub in King's Heath, Birmingham. The band were excellent, and I've set up a meeting with them for some date yet to be decided, but they're sending us a demo. Might enter the management game. You never know. I've seen a lot of my Mum this last week, which is great. I was over there alone on Sunday, then the missus and I took her out for an early birthday dinner on Wednesday - she's in Leeds with my sister and her family over her actual birthday - and got her a great Zandra Rhodes-decorated china jug, and the lass got flowers to go in them. Job was, as they say, a good'un. I'm over there tomorrow to continue making huge lists of stock, manufacturers, collections, item numbers, colours, sizes and prices for the website.

Last Tuesday saw the AGM of the management firm that runs the block of flats I live in, and of which I am a non-executive director. My two thrusts to the chairman and secretary - car park-into-building door security and digital terrestrial TV reception - seemed to go down well with the 10 chaps (it was all chaps) attending. All in all, a good meeting, we're well in the black. Should be able to afford all my great ideas, then.

Arrivederci, amigos.