It started very well - it's still pretty cold in this part of the globe, but it's been a bright, clear, sunny day. Sunny enough to take the edge off the cold so that, while I wandered about in my winter jacket, wearing a jumper over my t-shirt, I at least didn't have to have the jacket done up.
So, yes, I actually went out today. After doing the washing up and starting the laundry. I know, you're impressed. My shut-in weekends have been interrupted somewhat.
And what did I do in that big, wide, outside world?
- Got my friggin' hair cut. At long bloody last. Seriously, when did I last get it cut? March 2009? Sheesh. I went to a different place, just by the station, rather than the place below my flat - partly because I'm not so sure I want to support a local business that doesn't believe it needs to pay service charges towards the roof above them, partly because it just seemed a bit weird in there, like they weren't sure why I was there. This other place was larger, brighter, friendlier... slightly more expensive, but kinda worth it for the better atmosphere. I shall probably return to them, or I may try some of the other places locally - there are many.
- Did some local shopping that wasn't food. There's a neat little shop nearby for fashionable men's clothing. Something in their window caught my eye when I wandered down to the local Sainsbury's after work one evening last week, and I resolved to pop in for a closer look while they were actually open. Rather glad I did, because the pullover is actually all kinds of awesome. Expensive, but I did get a discount on the shirt I bought along with it (which caught my eye as I was paying for the pullover). Downside - they don't take credit/debit cards. Still, they do have some cool stuff for when I'm next in possession of enough disposable income to spend on trendy clothes.
- Popped into Harrow for 'other' stuff. Originally, I'd intended to see Avatar while I was there, but a friend suggested trying to see it during the week, so I decided to just go for the shopping. As a sidenote, I'm not sure she realises it's 2 hours 40 minutes long but, hey, if we can't see it after work, maybe we can catch it next weekend. I'm sure it'll still be showing somewhere.
My main intention for shopping in Harrow was to further increase my wardrobe, and to seek out a non-wireless ADSL modem that's compatible with Windows 7, so I can finally get my new PC online and upgrade/register all the software I've installed. Turns out many wireless modems are also Ethernet-capable, so that was far easier than I'd expected - it's virtually impossible to find a modem that is non-wireless.
After that, I had a quick browse through HMV - having realised that I'd forgotten to bring the list of DVDs I was after - and picked up WALL-E and a Coen Brothers collection - I was only interested in Fargo, but Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing were nice add-ons.
My usual clothes-shopping stop-offs, River Island and Next, were frankly rather boring. Both are pretty small branches, though... I don't tend to get many clothes from Harrow. I didn't bother trotting down to Debenhams, even though I'd seen a few interesting garments the last time I visted, as I was beginning to feel the need to rush home and install the modem.
My first purchase in Harrow - mentioned last for tactical reasons, naturally - was the Legends class Devastator from the Revenge of the Fallen toyline. In some ways, I still think the Supreme class one is better, but this one features properly transforming components... and they're actually not half bad. I wonder if Hasbro might have done themselves better service by making this one larger, improving the detail and poseability in the process, rather than releasing the electronic brick that is Supreme Devastator...
When I got back, I didn't start installing the modem straight away. Instead, I elected to sit and watch another recent DVD purchase - Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God. I'd seen the trailer several times and, having vaguely enjoyed the first movie and having read a positive review of this one on the IMDb, I picked it up for fun.
And fun it is... Kinda. While the original was a big Hollywood effort with some big names, this is a far smaller affair... and seems to be a joint UK/Czech production. Almost all the cast are English, some recognisable from TV roles in the UK, so it was quite thrown to begin with. The main character is played by a guy who's trying so hard to be Ian Glenn it's almost painful to watch, but he's not bad other than that. In terms of production quality (particularly the CGI), it's probably a notch or two below the likes of the BBC's Merlin but, to be honest, far better written. Perhaps the D&D structure helps it. It actually comes across like watching a live-action Role-Playing Game in action, but it's very much a TV movie rather than a true follow-up to the original cinematic release. One to watch on a rainy day, when there's bugger all else on TV.
I completely forgot to pop over to the library and join up... but I'm not without reading material right now, so it's not a massive priority.
Then, getting the modem set up turned out to be bizarrely easy. After a couple of small false-starts (forgot the plug the modem into my phone line, ISP details initially refused), I was - am - up and running on my spanky new PC. Able to watch video online without stutter. Able to download stuff - slightly faster, I think, thanks to a newer modem and the Ethernet connection.
Yay me.
This is perfect timing, considering my laptop recently decided to shut itself down due to overheating, and has been misbehaving quite badly for the last couple of weeks. I'll still need it until I can figure out how to write DVD movies that play on something other than the computer, as the software on my laptop is better than the Windows 7 default movie maker... but I can now shift my attention to the new PC.
How did I last the month without this speed?!
Oh, I know, the occasional venture into Neverwinter Nights. That'd be it.
