Wow, two separate people just paid me for work, I'm in the money this week! *scans Wii game release list*
Actually, I dusted off my PS2 today, after getting sent a promo copy of Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (I wrote a profile of a company that sells the in-game advertising, and they sent a copy so I could see how it worked. I class this is legitimate research, not bribery...) I used to play Pro Evo loads, when I was at a job where we had a PlayStation for lunchtime sessions. It took me right back.
Alice was up at her mum's this weekend, giving me a couple of free days to get my shit in order (i.e. sort and put away all the random stuff that's accumulated in plastic bags in the spare room) and also to sort out the last bits of the nursery, like moving the wardrobe in there, and trying to get rid of the spiky carpet-holding things without stabbing myself in the fingers.
It's her last four days at work this week, so we're both wondering what it'll be like when she's home full-time. Will we drive each other mad? Hopefully not, I think I'll find it harder to stay in my workroom all day though, and even more so when the baby arrives (then again, I might just regress into my cave if it's screamy ;o)
Something to blow out the cobwebs today: this is Airbourne, a new Aussie band. I say 'new', that's as in 'they sound just like AC/DC, even more so than Jet do, or indeed AC/DC nowadays...
Oh, I'm shit at this blogging lark. At least, when someone's not paying me to do it, obviously. Back from 3GSM now, I got home at 11.30pm on Valentine's Day to a rapturous welcome from Alice, which was even more rapturous when she realised I didn't have a card, flowers, chocolates, diamonds or even a free Qualcomm pen to hand over.
Preparations going apace for the baby, we now have cot, clothing, bath and numerous things from Boots which I don't quite understand what they do. Still no progress on agreeing a name, but we do at least have a shortlist, which I better not reveal here. Cats seem chilled too, LITTLE DO THEY KNOW...
Not much else to report really. I did some allotment digging yesterday, and I just bought the new Pro Evo Soccer for my DS, which is fecking ace. That is all.
Damn being a freelancer, I have no excuse not to work, whereas Alice has been given the day off (trains fecked, plus fears she might slip over on the way to the station, which at 30 weeks pregnant isn't A Good Thing). It's proper white outside though, and still snowing.
The cats haven't seen proper snow before - Barley has spent the morning capering about in it (above). I'm aiming to write shedloads of work posts this morning so I can have an extra long lunch and build a snowman go into town to do the necessary shopping for provisions.
Ooh, I get excited like a child when it snows.
I'm just testing out this new piece of software called SpinVox Spin-a-Blog. Basically, if you're talking to a phone & it converts it into a Blog post & then posts it to your Blog for you & in my case Fox(?). Just testing if it works & I'm trying not to mumble, although, I don't know how well it works. Anyway, see how it looks. Cheers.
Voice converted to text, Powered by SpinVox
It's started then. The endless flow of money going out of our bank account and into the coffers of people who make Stuff For Babies. The cot arrived at the weekend from Mothercare. It's very cool (left), as the side comes down so you can have it next to the bed, so it's like the baby being in bed with you, except with less chance you'll roll over while drunk tired and squash it. Don't call the NSPCC though - we ARE going to buy a mattress for it.
Then, Saturday was the pushchair day. We schlepped down to Cheshunt (and man, that's a sorry excuse for a high street if ever I saw one) to go to the Mamas & Papas shop there. I believe this makes Alice a wannabe Yummy Mummy, as it's quite posh. I'm not sure what the equivalent is for fathers who buy expensive stuff to look cool. Faddy Daddy?
Anyway, we didn't have a clue about prams, other than we wanted something that felt solid, had four wheels not three, and wouldn't make us embarrassed to be seen walking down the street with. I was quite keen on having some gadgets in there too - MP3 player in the hood maybe, or a kettle. But no such luck. Instead we got a Plika (I think) pushchair that turns into a pram, and I daresay into a robot if you pull the right levers. It's quite complicated, but it turns like a taxi (i.e. very fast), so should be good for hairpin skids in the supermarket.
The upshot: we've spent hundreds of pounds, and we now have Proper Baby Stuff in the house. Apparently some people think it's bad luck to do this before the birth, but to hell with it. I'd rather have it all set up early, not least because it'll take us the next 12 weeks to figure out how to pull the pushchair cord so it neatly folds into a standing position. It looked so easy in the shop...
Last bit of baby stuff (for this post anyway): we went to the hospital tour on Sunday, when parents-to-be get a guided look at the ante-natal, labour and post-natal wards, and ask all the important questions (do they encourage active birthing, are the birth pools likely to be free, should the father bring his own PlayStation 2 or is one provided etc). It all seems great, anyway - very relaxed regime, mother free to give birth however she wants, and only a slight risk that if they're full up when you arrive, you'll get packed off down the motorway to Enfield. I MAY have felt a bit faint during the talk about epidurals, but I maintain it was the heat. Those stuffy rooms, etc. Really.
I just got this by mail order. It's the best thing ever.
So, Team Shiny Media is safe and sound in Las Vegas, staying in Circus Circus and gearing ourselves up for five days of CES mania. We've luckily had a day and a half for acclimatising (i.e. slot machines / shopping), so feeling ready for the challenge.
Las Vegas is living up to my expectations so far, even if we haven't seen any showgirls / white tiger magic acts / barely-dressed pirate ladies yet. There's plenty of time...
Okay, we finally cracked. Alice and I have spent months deliberately NOT buying any baby clothes, for several reasons. One: we didn't want to jinx things by getting over-excited too soon, especially before the all-important 20-week scan. Two: we weren't entirely sure what we'd need. Three: every female we know is currently knitting something for the baby. And four: have you SEEN the scrum in Baby Next most weekends? Christ.
Anyway, today we forgot all of that, and bought a bunch of clothes. Some t-shirts, trousers, a couple of all-in-one sets. That kind of stuff. And y'know what? I think I might have the taste for it. Which means the next few weeks, my PayPal account may take a battering. eBay will provide, I'm sure. And if I can't find an ultra-tacky Baby Elvis romper suit while in Vegas for CES, I'll be sorely disappointed.
Christmas was grand, lots of food, drink and family fun. We went up to Al's mum along with her sister and partner, and I took the Wii along to test this theory of non-gamers falling for its hand-wavey charms. And they did! Admittedly, the only thing I forgot to pack was, er, Any Games At All, but luckily Rayman Raving Rabbids was still in the drive, so much mini-game fun was had. If you own a Wii and haven't bought RRR yet, it's highly recommended as a party game. Way better than Wii Play, anyhow, albeit without the free controller.
Thankfully, having worked my arse off last week writing, I have no freelance to do this week, so time for going to the dump (the municipal tip, I mean, not the other kind), buying stuff, spending vouchers and starting to clear out my old office room, which is now going to be a nursery. A nursery with a Wi-Fi router in the corner, admittedly. I'm starting to think about high-tech webcam monitor malarkey, although I think Alice may have something to say about that...
