Believe the Skype!

I've just been to dinner at my local pub, which I have been going to for years. Whenever I have been I have tried in vain to get online with their free wifi, but could never figure it out. I suppose the fact that I was always trying with my iPod was part of the reason I never really gave it a fair go. But today, I took my netbook and finally figured out how to do it. I only stayed online for 5 minutes because I was having dinner with Keith, but at least I succeeded at last!

The other day I discovered Skype for the first time, and chatted with Sue for about 45 minutes. It was such fun to actually see the person I was chatting with, and we both really enjoyed it. There are some small improvements we can make – namely a headset with microphone and earphones to enhance the sound. I looked for a set tonight at our local computer shop, but unfortunately my netbook does not have the right jack connector. There is an adaptor I can get apparently, but they did not stock it!!! Or I could get a USB headset, but the ones they carried were not attractive and were too expensive. So I guess I will have to wait for a while. It's a pity because I was hoping to have them by Friday, which is when Sue and I are chatting again. We thought it would be fun to Skype for a while and "share" a glass of wine. We are even going to make a regular thing of it.

For anyone who has not tried it yet, I recommend that you download Skype and get online. It might take a little getting used to at first, but the benefits are fantastic. It's like getting together with the person you are chatting with.

Just remember that you can be seen! So make sure you are decent! LOL

The blank canvas

Okay, so I've been MIA again! No matter how good my intentions are to carry on with my blog, I constantly find myself bogged down with other things. Work (which is crazy), writing (a constant madness), and home life.

At the end of last year, I bought myself a little netbook - a gorgeous purple creation, on which I am typing this very entry. It's so pleasing to my eye that I could hardly bring myself to open it! It's funny, but I have always had that trouble when buying new notebooks (and this time I am talking about the paper variety). For some reason, owning a new notebook gives one an overwhelming responsibility. One has to make sure that what one puts into it is worthy enough to be in there, between its regal covers and on its crisp pages. Words are the most important things in the world, the most powerful. Capable of reducing big, scary, ugly men to tears and often showing them the error of their ways; of uniting hoards of disparate people and rendering them able to change the world.

So those first words are always hard for me when faced with a canvas that is new and virginal, and unmarked by thought. But... eventually the book has to be opened, for how can anything be written if nervousness stops us? So, here I am, making my first post on my new best friend. I'll never be in that league of people whose words can change the world, but I think I might at least be able to change my small corner of it.

The main reason for buying it was to use it for my many travels, and now that I have it, I will be able to blog more often. This year holds many adventures in store, many trips to explore the big wide world out there. As usual, many of my trips involve my good friend Sue, who herself is an excellent blogger and always puts me to shame on that front (a link to her Crystal Gazer Blog is on this page).

But apart from the trips, I will be using this blog to keep my friends (and anyone who stumbles onto this blog and finds that they are interested!) updated on the progress of my book, which I am currently pitching to agents.

Hopefully I will eventually have some good news to post on that front, but please don't anyone hold your breath for me, as this process is notoriously long and painful.

In the meantime, enjoy the blogs that I promise to post more often.

Apologies

I haven't updated my blog in quite a while but I've been busy working on my book, so have not been lazy on the writing front. Also of course, my head has been full of U2 - looking forward to the tour and actually experiencing it for the first time in Nice last week.

Next stop on the 360 tour is Dublin on Friday. I will be taking my iPod with me on that trip and on subsequent ones to London and Glasgow, so I will be updating my blog with all my experiences more regularly.

For a fabulous account of my trip to Nice go to "The Crystal Gazer" blog (link on the side panel) to read Sue's brilliant write up. It was so great to be there with such a great friend. To experience something new and wonderful together. The U2 concert was just a part of it. A big part yes, but by no means all. I still haven't formulated my thoughts about the show properly and there was a lot to take in, but I feel that soon I will be able to put it all into words. The long wait for these shows was sometimes unbearable and turned out to be overwhelming for me. I didn't even realise that until now! The new album means a lot to me, and to hear some of it live was weirdly "quieting" for me. Not in a bad way. It's hard to explain, but I hope to as my "tour" progresses.

Until the weekend (which will be full of U2)....