Just had another great weekend away at
Shimoda. This time however it was camping out in indoors at Di’s
new house in Sotoura. Or rather her new old house.

Okay this blog entry has just turned into let play with embedding great moosic into the site.   And what better than BT!

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc3ULKls5GM]

[googlevideo:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1545172545091714537]

I’m had my times where I’ve played with
Linux before and never quite go the urge to switch over. About 4
month ago I upgraded my main PC to Vista and its not been a lovely
relationship so I was well open to seeing what Linux could offer.

My main PC runs my home entertainment system so I wanted something
that could do the same. I stumbled across LinuxMCE and it looked
fanstasic. I cleared one of my drives so it could install with all
the space it needed and what a freaking nightmare I walked into.

Firstly the LinuxMCE need Kubuntu whcih is a version of Ubunto
which has been getting great raves. From whom I’m not entirely
sure.

Today of writing I’ve not even jot LinuxMCE running as Kubutuu
does not recogise my sound system, graphics adapter, or my blue
tooth keyboard.

Now you coudl say hmm, go standard. Well Windows recognises my ATI
X1600 display driver, my Dinovo Keyboard, and my ASUS motherboard
SPDIF output. What is even more appalling is that the hardware is
nothing new. After much searching I found how to update my display
driver to get use of my ATI card. My sound is non existant and just
read a little about Blue tooth and ubuntu and you will dispair.

This is seriously one sad distribution. I’m work with compueter
technolgy every day and this is just a nightmare to make work.

Isn’t it amazing how things change in
life so rapidly. The last week has brought really sad news and
today for me it all changed. For a lovely change to the positive.
My blood results were good today and for the first time since I had
chemo the tumor markers have gone down. One of them had been
steadly going up and causing alot of concern.

Todays results are thats its gone back down to about the same level
as about two months ago and is now totally within normal range. Its
such a big relief and mean life can resume. That may sound stupid
as life always go on, but when you have something like this hanging
over your head its hard to just carry on like nothing is wrong.

I’m just so happy to be back!!

Its been a while since I updated the blog.
Many things have been going on. The most recent is that I found out
a very dear friend of mine has passed away due to ill health after
his fight with cancer. Pip was the second manager I worked for and
I don’t think I’ll ever find someone as inspirational as him. He
came from that rare breed of managers who actually took an interest
in how to develope his staff.

There were a number of us who still keep in touch that he took an
interest in. The time I spent working with him was so instramental
in the way I work now. I’ve tried in my own way to pass some of
that on, and will continue to as part of his legacy. When I left
his employ 8 years ago I stayed in touch and have always visited
whenever I return some. Unfortunatley the last trip home I visited
no one due to my own cancer, but still stayed in close contact via
email.

Its a reminder cancer kills. Can anyone who reads this do something
special. Go an put yourself on the bone marrow transplant list. Its
a simple blood test. (thats painless), and okay the actual donation
component is not so cool, but you could save someones life and
really make a huge difference.

Part of my past is working to save peoples lives and I know on a
couple of occasions I’ve been part of a team that has physically
saved peoples lives. You to can do it! Just go and get a blood test
and donate. Its well worth it.

Two weeks ago was allergy awareness week in New Zealand. A key articule/news
item that was run was about Grant Freeman who died after eating a meal at a
restaurant. (
New Zealand Herald). Grant Freeman was my sister in-laws brother. The Thomas
Whittle in this article is my nephew.

Donna has been speaking out about
food allergies and encouranging people to get themselves tested so they can find
out exactly how l
reactive they may be. Grant never got tested so didn’t
know the serverity of the reaction. Donna was recently on Breakfast TV and I
think did an amazing job.

So if you thinik you may be allergice to a
food, please go and get tested, it could save your life.

I’ve just had the most wonderful 4 days off here in Tokyo. The plan was to head down to Shimoda and the beach. Everyone was wondering why the hell goto the beach when a Typhoon was coming in.

After alot of time thinking, and realising
that I’ve not been posting stuff to the blog for a long time,
I’ve put alot of my thoughts back into order.

Part of that maybe that the all the Chemo drugs are flusing out of
my body. its taking bloody ages to get rid of them. While most days
pass without thinking of it there are days when I just crash and I
know it my normal self but rather the after affect of having all
the shte in my body.

I starting writing this do I miss the UK, yes I do. There are so
many things about London that I really loved. I still live in a
huge city but I miss the diversity of London. Here its Japan or
not. Fair enough I live in Japan so what else should I expect. I’m
going to try and write more.

later.

I’ve not written to the blog for while,
or done any work on it. The last month has been up and down, the
beginning was very low health wise and I’ve found that when I
crash I really do crash. A charming after effect of the chemo! Last
checkup yesterday was okish. The word I think were ‘… normal’.
I can’t remember the qualifier that the doctor used, but it was a
qualifier. The CAT scan and chest xray are clear, but the tumor
markers are not quite so. Still within the normal range, but one is
going up and at the current reate will be abnormal by next test.

Effort now is to get that blood market down so tommorow we are
moving into a detox diet and see if we can kick the immune system
into fighting it.

Work is trucking along and I’m flat out with stuff thats actually
rather interesting! I’m almost busy!!

1. Okay, okay! I take it back. Unscrew you.
2. You say I’m a bitch like it’s a bad thing.
3. Well this day was a total waste of makeup.
4. Don’t bother me, I’m living happily ever after.
5. Do I look like a people person?
6. This isn’t an office. It’s hell with fluorescent lighting.
7. I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.
8. Therapy is expensive. Popping bubble wrap is cheap. You choose.
9. Why don’t you try practicing random acts of intelligence and senselessacts of self-control?
10. Sarcasm is just one more service I offer.
11. Do they ever shut up on your planet?
12. I’m not your type. I’m not inflatable.
13. Stress is what you have when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven’t gone to sleep yet.
14. Back off!! You’re standing on my aura.
15. I work 45 hours a week to be this poor.
16. Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.
17. Wait…I’m trying to imagine you with a personality.
18. Chaos, panic and disorder…my work here is done.
19. Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.
20. You look like shit. Is that the style now?
21. Earth is full. Go home.
22. Aw, did I step on your poor little itty bitty ego?
23. I’m not tense, just terribly, terribly alert.
24. A hard-on doesn’t count as personal growth.
25. If assholes could fly, this place would be an airport.
26. Look in my eyes…do you see one ounce of gives-a-shit.

Please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the
courage to change the things I cannot accept,
and the wisdom to know where
to hide the bodies of the idiots I had to kill today.