Faint echo on Durham's social radar

Thank God (or whoever is prayed to where you are, particularly now that we have an international feel) that Noam has kept things ticking over. I've just dropped off the radar over the last fortnight, and am hoping to that this post will signal a shift in the trend.

It's been a difficult couple of weeks for many reasons (losing to Cosmic, the stress of paper finishing and submission, dealing with arseholes i.e. estate agents), generally feeling ill and SAD-ridden), but they've not been without their reward. Firstly, as Jim pointed out, I have a new toy (I went straight for the Nelsonic "Victory" as my machine name) and I also have a paper that I hope will appear on astro-ph tomorrow morning. Sadly it still hasn't reached MNRAS as their upload system keeps shafting me, but I hope to resolve immediately I reach the office tomorrow. Also, I spent the weekend in Lincoln with the family, which is always a nice way to forget astronomy, do some cooking, drag my dad to the pub to watch the Saturday lunchtime football, and catch up with my old buddy Sam.

So what now? Well, the football season is underway - must get fit - and the arrival of the new toy means that I am duty bound to devote some time to dalsim. I feel a meal coming on, and some port. Craig, Jim, what see ye?