Big Logie's Missus

Feeling ROUGH this morning. Had bye-bye dinner last night for Wetienne.

Looks like Canada will be next year as the wedding will be in Jamaica ... in August. So, Shelle - good thing you haven't booked your flights yet. We might not be going to Sziget. Watch this space.

For more updates and photos (including our scary-face competition last night), go here.

Need water...

Current Location: spare room
Current Mood: hungover but hopeful
Current Music: head buzz

Are here</>

Current Location: work :(
Current Mood: hectic
Current Music: Radio France Internationale

you suck and that's sad.


Who's Your Happy Bunny?
brought to you by Quizilla

Current Music: Pro Evo 5 of course

(from when I was in Tajikistan)

Hello hello,

I’m currently in Tajikistan FREEZING my arse off, and I need your help…

This September, Michael and I will come here on a Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip (for more info visit http://www.habitateurope.org/gv). During our 2-week trip, we will be building homes with Tajik families in need. I know this sounds strange ‘cause you know how lazy and generally incapable the two of us are… but building Habitat homes is EASY for everyone – even for Michael and I.

You can visit hundreds of websites describing the incredible poverty in Tajikistan and the effect of last decade’s civil war, but let me tell you a wee bit about my week so far…

- In the capital city, we have only 4 hours of electricity (it’s rationed)

- It’s COLD

- The Tajiks are incredibly hospitable and keep feeding me, introducing me to their entire family and supplying me with tea and Tajik wine to keep warm

- We’re working with our fleeces and coats on ‘cause we have very limited gas, and the electric heaters suck up too much power (the lights go out when we have them on for any length of time)

- We couldn’t go to the villages because of the never ending snowfall and dangerous mountain roads

- It’s COLD

- In the villages where we will soon work, the families live in mud-brick homes with NO gas, restricted or NO electricity and water from contaminated ditches (dysentery anyone?)

- Even though there are 2 or 3 rooms to each house, there are also about 2 families to each house. In this weather, the families will live in 1 room, so they only have to heat one… but as many as 16 grandparents, kids, parents and other relatives can be living in one of these houses.

- Did I mention the COLD and that my fingers and toes HATE me, but I actually have a heater and a whole apartment to myself?

- Oh – and I received an offer to be someone’s 5th wife.

Sweet.So…Michael and I are planning to come to Tajikistan to do what we can to add to Habitat’s and the families’ efforts to get out of completely substandard housing and into simple, decent homes. We’ll pay for the trip ourselves, but would like to take a gift donation of US$12,000 (yup, a mere GBP£7,500) – covering the cost of a home.


As our friends and family, we need you to do these things for us:
1. Join us in Tajikistan and share the experience! Come on the trip and transform yourself and families in Tajikistan.
2. Support our ‘Build a House’ campaign by donating and asking others to donate to our campaign. Please visit our JustGiving fundraising page here: http://www.justgiving.com/habitatgvtajikistan
3. Spread the word. Tell your friends and family about our trip. They can support us in many ways – coming along with us, donating to our ‘Build a House’ campaign or simply spreading the word.

You can read all about our trip plans on our blog: http://habitatgvtajikistan.blogspot.com/, but of course please harass us with any questions you have. The amazing and dedicated Habitat team here have all promised to add messages to the blog and keep us up to date with what is going on in Tajikistan.

I hope this message finds you all well, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Much love, Michael & Nats xxx

Current Mood: chilly billy

Firstly, I must warn my dear readers that this is not a review of Amazon.co.uk as a comprehensive service. I will try to be balanced and calm, but this is ultimately a rant about my experience of Amazon's atrocious customer service.

Last December, after signifcant research through friends, Ciao, other websites and useful sources, my husband and I ordered a camera from Amazon. We knew that receiving it by Christmas was unlikely, but the excellent tracking service let us know that the camera would be dispatched between certain dates (while we were in Scotland for the holidays - ideal!).

When it hadn't arrived, we thought that maybe we'd just missed it. Two friends were coming over for Hogmanay/ New Year's Eve and they agreed that they would bring it over. Sadly, no camera came.

When I checked my order online, it stated that the dispatch dates had been pushed back by 2 weeks. I hadn't been informed of this by Amazon. I checked it near the end of the dispatch period to see if it had been, well, dispatched. The dates were changed AGAIN by a further 2 weeks. Can you see a pattern emerging?

Finally, the last dispatch date was 2 MONTHS after the original dispatch dates. And through this time, not a peep was to be heard from Amazon. Last week, my order disappeared.

Frustrated and disappointed, I emailed Amazon Customer Service asking 'what's going on?'. For their benefit, they replied within 24 hours to say: we actually don't have the camera and won't be able to get the camera. we've known for some time that we can't get the camera from our suppliers. the camera is still listed on our site as available, but if anyone orders it, we'll just cancel their order.

HUH?! So, rather than be upfront with their customers and just say 'not currently available', they'll let people order it and and then cancel it? And when will they cancel the order? I waited 2 months for a camera, missing other opportunities to buy it, missing amazing photo moments with friends and family and still heard NOTHING from them!

If I hadn't contacted them, I wonder how long I would have waited until they had let me know...

The good news is they gave me a £10 GBP gift voucher. Brilliant!

Current Mood: hectic mondays!
Current Music: my brain buzzing

Sigh...
What a terrible world we live in!

The Body Hunters
By Marcia Angell (New York Times)

The Constant Gardener
a film directed by Fernando Meirelles, based on the novel by John le Carré
Shortly before I started work on my book The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It,[1] a friend gave me John le Carré's newly published novel, The Constant Gardener, and urged me to read it right away. I did as I was told, and found the tale apposite, to put it mildly.

more...

Current Mood: essay deadline
Current Music: silence...

Okay, I'm shifting slowly to blogger.com. I know. Comical seeing as I'm so good at keeping this one up to date!! D'oh...

So...

This one is mine and will have pictures. I'm not sure whether to archive this one, or keep both running, or what... answers on a postcard please?

This second one is PURELY for the Habitat GV trip.

Less than 2 weeks after my 2005 cold, I'm suffering from another one. Argh! Despite explaining the joys of a cold with asthma, my boss insisted in coming to the office and sharing the joy. I'm tempted to lie him on the floor, sit some folders on his chest and sit on the folders: just so he gets an idea of how fun it really is.

Of course, the scabby nose is an extra special benefit to the cold.

Running about like mad trying to get work done, prepare for my trip to Tajikistan, do my OU study (essay due on 8th) AND read up on the EU proposals.

Carol's Burn Supper is tomorrow night. Cannae wait! Michael in a kilt!! Tonight is class 2 of the Indian cooking classes. Another delicious meal on the cards. Not sure when Michael will ask me to replicate these recipes at home. Sunday is the Bard Room, so hopefully I won't spend too much of the weekend working (nor will poor Michael).

Last night was Jen's surprise birthday dinner at the fab tapas place around the corner. Drank shed loads of tasty Spanish red wine. Think it didn't help my cold at all.

Back to work... :(

Current Mood: hectic
Current Music: The Whispers And the beat goes on

...visit the British Libraries Turn The Page site.

Absolutely fabulous!

Current Mood: knackered...
Current Music: radio france

... going to build my own site. Wnat to promote the GV team primarily...

Of course, I have no clue what I'm doing. Any ideas?

Current Mood: going to adam soon...
Current Music: Radio France