Hello! I am bored today. I am nice girl that would like to chat with you. Email me at phil@philroche.net only, because I am writing not from my personal email. To see some pictures of me.
Category Archives: General
Developing a Firefox Extension That People Actually Use
I’ll stop venting my anger at faceless corporations now.
There’s a nice write up on the tools needed to write good firefox extensions.
http://www.softwaredeveloper.com/features/firefox-extension-resource-072307/
British Gas are a behemoth calamity
I’ve mentioned British Gas a few times now and suffice to say that the jokers have still not resolved my issues. It looks like they’ve given their website an overhaul. Just like the last one, it is shit and doesn’t work. The login times out. When it doesn’t I can never log in as it gives incorrect password message. I try and retreive my password but I get a 404 (page missing). Then I tried their contact form which fails with system error. I tried all email addresses I found on google and they all bounced back claiming a mail loop. myaccount@house.co.uk hasn’t bounced back yet but I hold no hope for them replying to it. A company with a web budget like British Gas can surely get a login system and a contact form to work………………….Retards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
What do you do. I’ve spent hours and hours trying to sort this shit out and they just don’t give a crap – no matter how high up the chain I go. I can’t really be arsed going down the trading standards/energywatch road but I’m going to have to. It’s been 14 months and I don’t have a bill yet.
A move to another supplier can take between 4 and 6 weeks and as the house is up for sale I’m not too sure if it’s worth changing supplier.
It’s so bloody frustrating, especially considering I don’t even live there any more. In the hope that someone from British Gas reads this and is so insensed with my next comment that they sort out my account I give you:
“British Gas and their parent company centrica, are the biggest shower of apathetic money grabbing wankers ever. Fuck OFF!!!!!!!!”
There now – see what Google does with that :).
Old School House Art Group is now live
http://www.oldschoolhouseart.com/
The last three nights I have been frantically building and populating my Mum’s Art Group’s website. I promised it to her months ago and it was due yesterday as a new exhibition started. I built it completely on WordPress (nine instances of it) and integrated with flickr (they can manage all their paintings and photos on flickr). The logo is shit and will change but for release it will do.
The design took me all of 30 minutes grabbing the colors from the logo. Have a wander, some of their paintings are quite good.
Spontaneity re- Edinburgh
I arrived home to Dooley telling me about the New Zealand v Scotland match in the world cup in rugby which was on in Edinburgh in September. 30 minutes later myself, Dooley, my brother and Conor had tickets, flights and accomadation booked.
Now that’s what I call decisiveness. It’s sounding like it’ll be an awesome weekend. It’s a long time to wait though.
It’s all about the banter
I’ve been back in Eire about a month (minus a week working in Wales) and despite the circumstances………It’s awesome (that’s for you Tara). I’ve been doing tons of stuff, mainly revolving around Dan and Aideen (my new landlords) wedding.
There was the stag weekend in Cork. Nuff said.
Nights out with the boys. Back playing football. Taking time away from programming. Meeting tons of new people too.
The best so far was last weekend. It started at 5pm on Thursday when I picked Dooley up and we drove down to Kildare to the wedding reception. We were suited and booted and had a ball. I’ve not got my main machine set up yet but once I do I’ll add a new gallery to Halfviking.com.
After the wedding reception about 20 people drove down to Roundstone in Connemarra where we boozed it up big style. We practically took over the place. There was sing songs every night from Tadhg, Neil from Gorgeous Colours, Phil, Rich and Frank. Much better than a pissed up night in Dublin. There was also plenty of Squirrel hunting too.
I’m all set to start my new job on Wednesday after I move into our new house on Friday. It’s good to be back :).
Back under my mums wing
I was away for close to four years, three of which were in the UK and one in Australia. I now find myself back in my mums house. It’s only temporary until myself and two buddies move into a friends house for at least a year (the house owner [Dan :)] is on a whopping two year honeymoon).
Last weekend was one of the most hectic and emotional of my entire life. On thursday I left the office in Karova to work remotely here in Dublin. I also handed bobby (my dog) over to his new owners. I collected my brother in Liverpool airport as he came over to help me pack.
On friday we collected the hire van and began packing until about 8pm. We then decided to go for a chinese and a couple of pints. We arrived home at 3.30 am.
Saturday we were mightily hungover – jaegerbombs will do that to you. We packed until about 5pm and had a dirty kebab. We got the 10pm night ferry from Liverpool to Dublin.
On sunday morning we arrived in Dublin at 7am and began unloading the van which took a couple of hours. I crashed/unpacked for the rest of the day until 7.30 when I went back to dublin port to get the 10pm night ferry back to Liverpool to retutn the van and pick up my car.
On monday morning I arrived at 5am and after retutning the van I began packing the rest of my half of the house into volvo. At 1.30 pm I said my final goodbyes to my house (which is still for sale) and to Gillian and drove to Holyhead for the 5pm Swift to Dublin. The swift is not so swift and is always late (in all it’s pretty shit) so I arrived in Dublin at 9pm. I am now an official Irish resident once again. It’s not a woohoo moment and it’s definitely not a boohoo moment. I’m looking forward to taking some RnR time with my mates.
Property for sale in Shotton, Deeside (Mine)
Some of you might not know yet, but I am moving back to ireland and as such my house is for sale, you can view the full brocure and view it on Rightmove.
Stunning original features mixed with modern conveniences, this three bedroom semi offers a sizeable and well maintained home. Having original features including: leaded and coloured pannels, dado and picture rails. Modern features include, gas central heating, Upvc double glazed windows and stunning kitchen with display units and butchers block worktop. The accomodation briefly comprises: porch, hallway, living room, reception room, kitchen, utility, three bedrooms and bathroom. Externally there are low maintinance gardens and vehicular access to the rear.
Room Dimensions
- Hallway
- Living Room 13’0 into bay x 11’4
- Reception Room 12’8 x 102
- Kitchen 16’2 x 10’9
- Utility 9’0 x 8’4
- Landing
- Bedroom One 16’3 x 13’5
- Bedroom Two 12’7 x 10’2
- Bedroom Three 10’9 x 10’8
- Bathroom
Full Details Provided
Thomas C Adams provide full property details to rightmove.co.uk . If you have other questions, please telephone 0845 338 1102 (low call rate).
Disclaimer
Property reference TSP00639. Details provided and maintained by Thomas C Adams, Shotton. Rightmove.co.uk makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of these details.
Sold my iBook
When I lived in Sydney, I bought an iBook and I loved it, loved it, loved it. It served me well traveling and as a test and “in front of TV” machine.
Sadly, I have sold it. To my colleague Joel, so it’s in good hands.
I am now in the market for a new personal laptop. I’ve been looking at 12″ 13″ and 14″ models. Dell, Samsung, Sony, Apple. I cannot decide and it’ll be down to price and battery life I reckon. I do like the MacBook Pro but it’s 15.4″ and pricey. There’s also the Sony Vaio G1 but it’s only Intel Core solo.
I’ve also sold my Libretto L5 so it’s getting a little urgent. Any suggestions?
Airport observations and a tonka truck of a hangover
I went home last weekend to visit my pals and family. It was awesome. For various reasons, I needed to go home and get pissed and good lord, that I did.
This is what I can remember from Saturday night-
- Leaving twelfth lock
- chatting to conor on train
- going into odeon
- Dancing by the table
- Dancing my ass off on the dancefloor – alot of which involved kneeling or lying on floor
- buying shots for everyone – €60
- drinking quite a few of those shots
- someone taking a picture of the shots
- chatting for ages with the aftershave guy in the toilets
- eating a hotdog
- singing oasis on grafton street with buskers
- sitting on bottom step of nightlink stairs
- getting sick in some clonsilla road garden
- crawling up endas stairs
Quite good really but these are my flashbacks – I can rememember nothing in between. All evidence points to it being a great night.
Sunday was not good. Enda very kindly fed me bacon which helped but I felt like crap for a day and a half after that. It’s a sign of age I think (I’m a whopping 27 now).
On my way home on Wednesday morning I made a few observations at the airport.
- Nobody seems to notice the cone instructing not to walk beside the killer jet engine
- The best seat to get on a Ryanair flight is the very back seat. It means you’re first off and it’s always free when you wait till the end to board.
- 5.30am chicken salad sandwich for breakfast is fucking disgusting
- Ryanair have no clue about organising the boarding of flights – it’s a bloody free for all
- Despite their flaws – Ryanair absolutely rock. £48 return within one week of flying. Awesome
I’ll be back in Eire next weekend and hopefully my body will be more accustomed to the onslaught of Guinness it shall receive (it is Paddys weekend and Guinness must be drunk (as must I)).