Now, even slacker than before...

OK, so I seem to have slipped to the point where my weekly updates have become fortnightly updates. The big question is, do you actually care? Does anyone on diaryland still read this, or are you all trapsing over from the land of LJ?

Well, let's start with a quick round up on things mentioned last time. The Snap! interview went well, but ultimately came to nothing. The full story is here on LJ. I've more or less gotten over the bitterness by now, but there is still a certain amount of grudginess going on.

We've been buying plants by the potful (ho ho). Since the last update our back garden has gained 3 aqualegias, a cotonus (sp?), a chives plant, an oregano plant, and two lupins. The front garden has gained an extra heather plant, replacing the one that didn't last the winter. All the other plants in the front garden are doing really well and showing signs of new growth, despite all looking a little the worse for wear earlier in the year. We were sure the pubic hair plant was dead, but no! Zingy curly new green shoots are splaying everywhere.

Last weekend we saw the Angel finale, a spoiler-saturated monologue on it is here. And then this weekend we saw the Friends finale. Sure, it was good, but I still feel the show went on for 4 or 5 years too long. Neither of us cried while watching it, either.

While last weekend was taken up by various activities hither and thither, this weekend I had a definite task. With the iminent attempt to get muchos moneyos for my current car and then put it towards a new car, I was patching up the rusty bits. In theory I should have got much more done on Saturday than I actually did. All the same, playing around with the filler was fun, though more so in the bright sunlight on Sunday morning when the stuff hardened in like no time at all. So after spending most of the day on Sunday applying filler then sanding filler down and applying it again, I got as far as spraying on primer.

Hmmm, backtrack a bit. There were only really two patches of rust to sort out. One of the back wheelarches had been scraped (during one of my 'crap' parking moments, no doubt) and had rusted up. Then on the opposite side of the car a chip right next to the back window had bubbled up with rust. This was meant to be a quick 'sand it down and then paint it with touch-up stick' job. Oh yes, how silly of me. Whilst I was applying filler around the wheelarch I was painting by the window with touch-up stick. And making quite the mess of it. So I eventually decided to spray it instead. I should also point out that to do this bit at the beginning of each day I had to lift the rubber seal around the window and tape it out of the way. Not the easiest job, I can tell you. One of the more frustrating ones, more like.

So I spray on the primer. Leave it a bit, sand it a bit, spray on more. Then I'm happy with it. So I look at the can and check exactly what I need to do with spraying on the top coat. "Leave primer for 24 hours before spraying on paint." ARGH.

Yesterday as a result was the day for spraying on the paint and lacquer. I sprayed on a number of coats of paint, gradually building them up. And every time you stop, when you start again you have to shake the can for two minutes before spraying. After a while your wrist starts hurting - I don't think it's been exercised that much since I was single. Naturally, it wasn't until mid/late afternoon that I fucked it up, managing to create a huge splodge by the wheelarch. This meant letting it dry, giving it a good sanding, then carrying on again. I just about had it covered enough when I ran out of paint. Lucky that.

So then I read what I had to do for the lacquer. Guess what. "Leave base colour to dry for 24 hours before spraying with lacquer". ARGH twice.

So the net result is that I've come to work today in a car with an unfinished finish, as it were. And with the weather being abruptly shitty, it doesn't look like I've got a good chance of being able to get the lacquer on tonight. Still, the colour does look to match properly, which is good. It's hard to tell without the lacquer on though. Watch this space, I may post pictures.

In amongst all this we also went to see The Day After Tomorrow. I still haven't got tired of making bad puns on the title, but that is neither here nor there. I enjoyed it. It was cheesy, but I enjoyed it. Unfortunately it's exaggerated enough that the Right can shrug off its message as typical alarmist Hollywood liberalism. Still, it does Make You Think�. There was also one way in which I was especially impressed by it, which I won't mention here because it'd be something of a spoiler to those without common sense. Let's just say that in spite of all the other clich�d plot devices it was riddled with, it lacked a certain one which would have ruined it.

Oh, and last night watched The Summoning (Babylon 5, Season 4). First time I've seen the Vorlon Planet Killer in Widescreen. What can I say but 'Oh Boy'. It's big. Very very very big. Impressed, I was.

And now I'm back at work. I'll leave it to your imaginations as to how pleased I am about that.