Done to your hair

Well, I'm into my second week of full-time freelancing, and while it's had it's fair share of downs as well as ups, it has been great. Still trying to build up a portfolio of good habits, my 'getting up at 6.30am' only really lasted Monday and Tuesday of last week but were then scuppered by a vicious 24-hour period of work when I went to bed as my 6.30 alarm clock went off on Wednesday morning. It's been 7.30-8 ever since.



Resisting the temptation to do a bit of shopping or meet for a coffee is hard too, as I always underestimate the chunks of working time it actually takes out of the day. Saying that, a half an hour chat somewhere removed or a stroll to clear the mind can also do wonders for a bit of extra gusto or to dislodge a glob of stuck ideas.

However, being able to be master of my time in the day is great, and having a full week in which projects (or a number ofdifferent jobs) can be planned out and tackled head on, without hoping to rely on evenings, weekends and time when I fell I'm meant to be taking time out, or at least reading up and researching ideas, not slaving away in front of the screen.

Slaving in front of the computer screen has left me a little worse for wear of late - for about a year now, I have noticed that too many late nights clickety clicking away staring at pixels leaves me with sty's in my eyelids. These have varied in severity and frequency, but do seem to be linked to my being run down. My week away in Egypt seemed to confirm this as while lazing by the poolside and snorkling with tropical fish were my only responsibilities for seven days, my eyes were better than new. As soon as I started back to work however, I earned two lumps on my left eyelid that have now become permanent fixtures. My all-nighter on Tuesday has also left me scarred. I thought I was developing the inevitable little sty on the Thursday, which has now got infected somehow and my lid is puffed up all red and sore. I'm on antibiotics.

This on it's own wouldn't be so bad, but why on earth is it when I turn on radio6 I seem to catch the new Manic Street Preachers song? what deal have 6music done with the devil for chris'sakes? with the chorus so passionately asking "baby what have you done with your hair?" and a guitar solo that sounds like a pastiche of Mike Oldfield's Tubular bells during the part when after going through the instruments being synthesised gets to 'ELECTRIC GUITAR!". If this was meant to be a big glam joke song, nodding to Queen and Tubular Bells I think it might have a place in my heart, but I fear it's a piece of shit poo'd out by a sorry bunch of middle age 'rockers' after a late night out on three pints of S.A.Gold. They were a fun band to throw yourself about to fifteen years ago. Time Gentlemen!

Aha! and back to computer screens - the new iMac . It's nice and yes, of course I'd like one, but what I've been thinking is - I have a G5 imac which is my main workhorse now, and it does a good job, I do find some things lagging behind and when I can I will no doubt upgrade. I don't want to throw the computer away, and yes I'll probably hand it onto my girlfriend, or someone in the family, or just keep it as an interent/business machine, but what I'd really like would be to be able to link it to a new iMac and not only use it as a second moniter, but also use the hard drive space, RAM and maybe even kick in the processor to share the work load. Essentialy the iMac range of computers as a modular system fitting together as you wish. Buying a new iMac could be an upgrade to a system, not a whole new stand-alone machine.

It is this lack of being able to re-use the monitor for instance which is what will probably lead me to buy a tower when I am next in the market for a desktop (which won't be for a few years yet - I'm more likely to get a laptop). But damn! it's true those new machines sure are purty. Now all I have to do is wait for new ipods (that I will be getting. The sucker that I am).