Fat Looser's Progress

Well it's the end of January. It's actually the last day as I type this and my Fat Loss regime is doing well in so far as I am loosing fat all over which is good I think.

Last night though I just could not get to sleep and found myself still awake at 1:30 am this morning feeling rather hungry. Now I've not really felt hungry for quicte some while until I started on my fat loss plan but last night the feelings were really getting to me. I just could not think of anything else but food so I gave in and went down stairs and had two slices of toast, butter and tomato ketchup and a cup of tea. I sat and ate that while I watched late night TV (King of Queens I think) until 3am. Feeling quite tired I went to bed and was able to go straight off to sleep.

This morning I woke rather late at 8am and realised I had to move the car as it was parked on the pavement outside the school opposite so I rushed out of bed threw some clothes on and went out and de-iced the car and parked it further up the road in a more sensible place.

Once I'd done all that I needed to get logged on to system for wrk and get preped for a conference call so didn't have time to have any breakfast.

By about noon I was once again feeling hungry so I grabbed a "Healthy Living" burger for the freeze and dry fried and microwaved to along with some chilli beans and garden peas.

I've just been out for an hours walk around town to get a parcel from thepost office and to tax the car and am feeling hungry again.

There must be something missing from my diet. I should not feel hungry because I'll just revert back to the old ways of cheese sandwiches before dinner which really would undo all the good fat loss work I've done so far.

Being a Fat Looser is really hard!

Skype

I had a Skype tutorial with the SkypeMaster yesterday. I'm sold on it. I've wanted to use it for some time now but could not see the benefit over iChat. Now I see.

10 things I like about Skype:
1 - Video chat works
2 - Cheap calls worldwide. Actually it doesn't matter where you are so long as you have an internet connection anyone can call your SkypeIn number
3 - You can get a SkypeIn phone number with a geographic dial code from almost any country
4 - Voice mail is FREE with SkypeIn instead of the £1.50 a month for BT "answercall"
5 - SkypeIn numbers are only £20 a per to rent instead of the BT £11.50 a month
6 - Skype to Skype is free
7 - Skype friendly hotspots are popping up all over the place (there are over 1200 in London and over 50 in Brighton)
8 - I can set call to forward to any number if I'm away
9 - I can have a London Number (0207 or 0208) if I choose
10 - You don't need a computer at all to use SkypeOut

All we need now is for Apple to tie the iPhone into Skype and Mobile networks and we'll have one hell of a solution.

Why Aperture?

Having recently found out how to use aperture properly (well almost) I am enjoying it more and more and can't wait for the next big upgrade to version 2.

Al recently made a comment on my "Photoshop" entry that the could not see why he would use Aperture.
"...

I like Aperture, but it doesn't actually do anything I need. I've tried to find a reason to use it, but I just dont need it :-D..."

Well Al, it would certainly help you organise your pictures in the way YOU want to. It doesn't force you into a date hierarchy directory structure but allows you to either import them into a library or reference them in another location of your choice.

If you've got multiple pictures of the same image (IE you've taken a few shots of the same thig at different settings and angles) and you want to be able to sort and group them in the way you would with hard copy prints then Aperture is the daddy. I've tried lightroom but although it offers similar functionality and is in direct competition to Aperture it just does not have the appeal and usability of Aperture. I guess it's an Apple Design thing which makes Aperture stand out.

Non-Destructive editing without you having to duplicate images all over the place.
Aperture keeps your RAW images safe for you. On import a high quality "Version" is made. When you edit this a new "Version" is made. Versions are small files that describe the changes you've made to the original. Even if you use the "Open in External Editor" feature and edit in Photoshop a new version is made. You NEVER touch the original. It's like storing your film negatives in a safe. The versions are like Prints so you can have as many versions as you want and still have the original in tact.

Aperture is VERY cool I recommend it to everyone with a Mac.

On the Photoshop front I know Adobe will insist I pay for the CS3 upgrade but that's life I guess. I've been in Tryout mode with photoshop for quite some while now so I have no real complaints. Adobe Bridge comes with CS2 but I don't think I'll really need it since I'll be using Aperture to import and manage all of my photos

Tighten my belt...

With the excesses of last year and especially November and December I decided that from about 6th January I would try to loose some fat from around my ever expanding belly. I am please to announce that my plan is working and that I am now able to tighten my belt by at least one whole notch.

For the last few years, actually since we first visited Alex and Lisa in Australia, I have been wearing a R W Williams leather belt. Well actually it's been two belts both exactly the same the second being two inches smaller which I bought at Cairns airport in 2005 on my way to Dunk Island.

I'm confident that when we visit Australia again in February this year I will need to purchase yet another R W Williams belt in a smaller size as my current "small" belt has just one notch to go.

Photoshop

I could wait no longer. I have purchased Photoshop CS2.

My TryOut version decided to quit on me, although I did only have a couple of weeks left it's still a pain to be forced into buying CS2 when CS3 is about 4 to 5 months away. I am hoping for a FREE upgrade to CS3.

I did however manage to get a good price. £377+VAT and it'll be delivered on Monday.

Round Trip

Learning to use software properly is just great!
I've often wondered how I would manage photos in Aperture and edit them in Photoshop and still have them managed in Aperture. Well I just found out this week. Open in external editor CS2 then do your stuff and close the file. Hey presto the CS2 Version is available in Aperture.

Pretty bloody cool I think!

ICC, thats eye see see

I have no idea what it stands for but I love it.

I've been having MASIVE problems printing out my photo's with ALL of them coming out too dark and or with a magenta tint all over them. I went on a Photoshop Techniques workshoop yesterday and found out about Colour Management. Hey Presto! my first print that looks just like it does on screen.

Cool!

Lost and found

Some time ago I was playing around with Automator trying to work out some sort of workflow and stuff. While I was doing that, you may remember, my laptop decided (I'm sure all by it's self) to remove some random files from my machine including some Music I had bought from the iTunes music store.

No of course I didn't have a backup of those files. I'd not even thought about it. Well I say I didn't have a back up, I didn't in the true sense but I do have a copy on the iPod and I've been enjoying the music that way so not really a bit problem. So long as the ipod works!

Well today I found a way to get my paid for music (and all the other stuff) off my iPod and back into iTunes. Hurray!

Thank you iLinkPod.app

Run the app
Open the folders
Drag the files back into iTunes

They do remind you NOT to Steal Music too

Excitment and Disappointment

EXCITEMENT
Yesterday saw Apple Inc. (R)Evolutionise the mobile phone and provide us with a great system for downloading Movies and streaming them to your big screen TV.
iPhone and Apple TV, in my dreams I have already bought them. Ahh such joy. All that computing power in the palm of my hand simplifying phone calls and conferencing and all that, streaming my iTunes downloaded Movies to my living room TV JUST BRILLIANT!

DISAPPOINTMENT
iPhone not available in the UK
Movie Downloads Not available in the UK

BUGGER!!!

Doctors visit

I've been to see the GP, Dr Unwin, this morning and explained all the trouble with my back. He was very sympathetic and has referred me to a specialist to have a "Bone Scan". As I'm on the NHS It'll take about 6 to 8 weeks to get an appointment. All seems to be improving with the pain though. I've not taken any pain killers today at all and only have a slight pain in my lower left leg.

I'll keep you posted on progress and when I get an appointment with Dr. Bones!

Back trouble...

The back problem continues although the drugs do help. I've been trying not to take too many so i've just taken one of each evry day instead of the "one, three times a day" the doctor prescribed. I have had one bad pain attack in my left knee and had to take an extra Tramadol which sorted that out.

I was feeling OK'ish yesterday evening although there was a little bit of pain in my left leg. I'd taken the tablets at about 7:30pm just before dinner. Early this morning, about 7, I started to feel a b it uncomfortable so by 7:45 I decided to get up and make a cup of tea and take the full set of drugs, 3 in all.

I went back to bed with cups of tea for me and Wendy. I remember drinking my tea but then don't remember anything until I woke up at about 1pm.

I'm feeling pretty well OK at the moment apart from the continued numbness in my left big toe and feeling lightheaded.

I have a doctors appointment at 9:10am tomorrow (Monday) so I'm hoping I'll get referred to a specialist to get the spine thing sorted once and for all.

If I can get hold of any X-Rax pics I'll post them here.

A night at the Hospital

Well the back pain got the better of me and of a 2 day maximum dose of Ibuprofen. Last night following a bit of a coughing fit my lower left back became seriously painful. Through the night from 11pm to about 4am the pain got worse and affected my left leg and foot. My foot was going numb so I got a b it worried. When I could take no more I decided to get Wendy to take me to the hospital A&E in Reading.

The hospital doctor gave me more pain killers (Codeine, Diazepam and paracetemol) and these started to work after about 40 minutes but wore off about half an hour after that. Further examination and some questions about my bowel control satisfied the doctors that the pains were not a sign of something more serious so they gave me some more powerful pain killers (Tramadol) and another Diazepam to relax my muscles.

I had an X-ray on my back which has revealed that at some point in the past one of my lower vertebrae has been broken or cracked and because of this the gap between it and the one above is too small and that is what's causing the pain.

I was at the hospital for about 3 hours and was able to walk reasonably normally when I left although that's thanks to the pain killers.

I have an appointment with my GP on Monday so I'll be asking to see a specialist so that I can get this sorted out. The hospital doc said that one option is to have an operation to put a screw in to keep the affected bones at the correct distance. That sounds a bit drastic though so we'll wait to see what the specialist has to say.

Another New Year

Well, we made it!. Here we are in 2007 and all is back to normal. I'm back to work at NTL-Telewest and Wendy is out walking the dog as usual.
I've been unwell (as usual) over the holiday but starting to feel better now I'm back to work. TYPICAL!