Mike's musings

Car sound - and reading

(backposting) A few weeks ago, I had a bluetooth handsfree set fitted in my car. My previous phone had voice recognition, so when I had my bluetooth headset on and pressed the button, I could say "Home", and there was a good chance that it would dial the right number. However, my new one, nice as it is, is lacking this feature, so use of the phone in the car - if being legal - is restricted to receiving incoming calls only. So I went to Halfords, and got them to fit a bluetooth handfree set.

It's very good, and I'm very pleased with it. I noticed, however, that I was losing sound on the right front speaker. And then I'd go over a bump, or brake sharply, and it would come back. And sometimes the left speaker would go, and sometimes I'd lose both front speakers and only have the back ones. And reception seemed pretty awful.

So, as I was back in Huntingdon for a day (and that's where I had it fitted), I went in and asked them to sort it. As it was clearly just a loose connection, I was expecting it to take 2 minutes if they had the right tool to remove the head unit. They had, but it didn't, and after 35 minutes, I got a mate to pick me up. It took them a couple of hours, and involved removing most of the fascia. The guy who did it explained it to me when I went to pick it up spent some time explaining it to me, in the mistaken belief that I might feel confident enough to do it myself.

Bigger news - the reading

I don't often use a second heading, but this is big news: Jojo has suddenly "got" reading. Long words, sentences, full comprehension, rather than just single words. She'll try different pronunciations for awkward words until she gets the right one, and remembers "sight words" really well. It's fascinating, and I'm so proud!

Labels: car, jojo, phone, reading

Yeurgh

I've been feeling like I've been coming down with something for a while, and haven't been feeling great today. It's just a cold, and as a bloke I don't like to go on about the sinuses, headache, loss of voice and the rest. So I won't, natch.

Had my car serviced. Ooh, it's expensive, isn't it?

Labels: car, illness

6 and a half hours - and a Blackberry

I spent about 6 and a half hours in the car today, driving to Basingstoke and back. It was pretty quick on the way there, but the M3 and the M25 were both terrible on the way back. Gave me plenty of opportunity to make some calls (on the hands-free, though I was actually at a standstill for annoyingly large amounts of time). The meeting was a good one, however, and worth the trip, so that's good.

The other piece of news is that I've heard that RIM, whose acquisition of us is due to get final approval on Monday, have announced that they're going to give everyone a Blackberry. I see this is as very good news, as it suggests that they're not intending to do an immediate and wholesale "asset strip" (e.g. sacking lots of people). And I know, now, that they're aware of my existence, as well, as they offered me the option of keeping my current number or getting a new one. I don't yet know what phone it will be, and have received lots and lots of differing advice from friends.

Labels: car, work

Clip

(backposting) Which is what I did to a kerb in Castle Hedingham, which was a pain. I called out the RAC, as my jack wasn't up to the job, but a friendly person stopped who happened to have a proper compressor jack, and he helped me. I changed the tyre to the spare, then headed to Kwikfit in Sudbury, who did me a new one. And another to match it. In fact, they were getting a bit worn, so probably a good thing, but it never happens when you want it to, does it?

In the evening, I had my last tutorial with Alan, over a meal to which I treated him. I'm really going to miss our discussions, and I think he will, too. I've invited him and his wife to my ordination. Hopefully he'll wear his Salvation Army uniform, but I don't want to pressurise him into it if he's not comfortable.

Went to the doctor's for a nurse to check out my blood pressure. Quite good for me, so we don't need to up the dose of head-exploding pills. Seems that the reason I'm feeling so tired is that I'm just so tired...

And Miri's walking again. Properly, no help.

Labels: car, miri, sleep

Anniversary (and mensi-versary)

15 years ago today, Moo and I officially started going out. We'd known each other for a couple of weeks, and were getting closer, so we decided to "make it official". Moo was only in her first term at Jesus College (I was in my third year at King's), and it wasn't a move that was met with complete approval, particularly by her elder sister Jen (also a third year). In four months (to the day), we were engaged, though we kept it secret from pretty much everyone (including Moo's family) for nearly a year). We got married about 2 and a half years later, in King's College chapel, and haven't looked back.

Miri is also exactly 6 months old today. Crawling quite confidently backwards, sitting up (once placed in that position) unaided, two teeth, very chatty, very happy, and loves her little sister to bits.

Driving

Today, my brother Jim and I went to Silverstone (we stayed overnight with Alan and Chris, his parents-in-law last night), and did the Lotus Experience there. It was brilliant. What cars! We had a briefing, an initial 4 laps with an instructor, a short break, and then another 5 laps with the instructor (faster and more confident this time), a lap with the instructor driving (_much_ faster!), and then a quick debrief. I loved it - Jim preferred the lap when he was being driven - and I can really see the point. 100+ miles an hour round the track - braking _hard_ for the corners, beginning to get the racing line. I'd love to do it again. Then back home.

Labels: car, family, happiness