Friday 25 February 2011

Theres a tablet I'm taking for it

So I havent posted anything recently, mainly due to own overwhelming laziness. I have done some work though, I'm not on a massive guilt trip.

Recently, I started drawing stuff, using both GIMP (dont worry, its SFW) and photoshop to doodle around. I have my mind set on eventually designing a poster (probably in photoshop) for a competition, although that is a way off.
 One of the pieces I'm most proud of at the moment is this one, created in GIMP
  The guide to making which can be found here, and a full sized copy of the image here.

One of my biggest niggles with GIMP is its lack of support for graphics tablet. I recently brought the the Trust 15356, (half price on amazon, bargins) as an entry level tablet.

The drawing area is small, but good enough. I might see if the pen work with the old, A4 tablet I have back home (happy days if it does), but it works well enough for now. But not with GIMP.

No, in GIMP, it only allows the pento move in a small isolated spot in the top left corner, which absolutley dick all use for drawing. Apparently this is a common problem with GIMP, and despite all my best efforts, reinstalling drivers, etc. I cant get it to work.

Come back PS, all is forgiven.
Spicy prawns and rice for dinner tonight, the perfect fuel for ZOMBIE KILLING

Saturday 19 February 2011

Nights and days.

I broke the schedule of updates on wednesday, although at the time the reasons where good. I spent most of the afternoon doing a lab report, and then went out for a flatmates 21st birthday.

The night out was great - we had had a special VIP package aranged, and we went straight on in, down into our own little area, bottles of bubbly and a birthday cake! The music wasnt too great, but there was just a great feeling around the night. The best bit? When I got home, 4 pints of water before bed meant I dodged the hangover. Result.

Thursday night, however was the exact opposite. It was an end of the exams party. but the club we went to was just rubbish. First they wouldn't let anyone in for about half an hour, and then when they did the night was just dead. I was just getting so irritated at everything, and ended up drinking more to try and make it better. This never works, but always seems good at the time.

Friday was a complete write off. I only stopped feeling shit at about 8.30, and then I had to go into work. In fact, being at work, where I sat in the entrance booth, reading a book about the beatles, was more fun than the night out before. And I got paid for it.

This post sounds really negative, but that one night has just pissed me right off. Lesson learned: when the night is that bad, just cut losses and go home early. Not worth wasting time and money.

Monday 14 February 2011

The next level

Started, as promised, the 100 press up challenge today. Week 1, day 1. Bossed it. Feels good man.

I also tried  to do something different in  terms of cooking today, branching out from the routine of bolognese/ burger + chips/ egg+ chips/ snadwiches. Made my self a dahl (not to be confused with the writer) with the help of the vezzatron, who tuts of dissapproval and repeated comments of "oh dear mcgough" lead me to conclude I was probably doing it right.

Either way, it tasted really good, helped by the lashings of tumeric and chilli spice I put in. And its dead good for you as well. Lentils, despite looking like flatten tic tacs, are suprisingly nutritious (and delicious). Little bit more work, then the rest of the night of for videogames.


Also, apparently today is some sort of conspiracy organised by couples to makes the rest of us feel bad. Not buying it.

Privacy

Apparently, Erasmus has actually read through the adsense contract, and this site requires a privacy policy due to some weird US law...

I dont want to put the 1.86 this blog as earned me at risk, so here goes, and dont worry, a real blog post will be along later today

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Friday 11 February 2011

Intentions

Managed to eventually climb out of the hangover. All credit goes to the Dr. Pepper. And to the breakfast from the butchers shop. 3 pounds, great stuff.

Starting Monday next week I am going to be starting the 100 press up challenge. I see this as a great simple way to improve my basic level of fitness, bit of self confidence boosting as well. It takes a minimum of 6 weeks, so in a month and a half I should be mean, lean, iron pumping machine!

This also means that the blog should get some regular love, as the programme recommends a Mon -Wed -Fri exercises, with the weekends off :). So if I have enough time to trawl my brain for summat to post, then I can spare 5 mins to session the push ups. And vice versa.

Now requesting motivational videos, speeches etc. to push me through this.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Chlorine trifluoride

Okay, so I'm a chemistry student, and occasionally, I come across stuff that is really quite seriously cool.

This is one of them: Chlorine triflouride.
Amongst its many (mainly explosive) properties, it is a more powerful oxidant than oxygen itself.

This can lead it to setting fire to stuff you would usually think is pretty inert.
Like asbestos. And wet sand. And reacts violently with water to produce hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids, both of which are noted for their, kind, gentle natures.

The fact that this stuff exisits is really quite cool (setting fire to cement? the mind boggles) but I would not want this in the same building/ city as me. And thats before you start reacting it up in the lab - then the shit gets real.
 

Saturday 5 February 2011

My daily weblog journal with world news and thoughts on life!

As if. The above title an amalgamation of the 10 most popular words found in blogs, but expect no world news, or indeed very many introverted contemplationary thoughts.

And its definately not going to be daily.
Apart from that, nothing is certain.