Dell(icious)

Life I went ahead and ordered a Dell desktop through their website -- thanks though to Annette for her reassurance that they're good machines and I haven't selected the anti-virus software pre-install because I'd heard their options were pretty tempramental. It's the most I've ever spent on a computer and a chunk out of my savings but I spend so much time online and writing and doing everything else that it seems like a wise investment -- this laptop is ok for simple posts like this one but whenever I ask it do something complicated, like having two copies of Firefox open or god forbid Outlook Express it just sort of ... stops.

I spent the morning in town using a better computer somewhere to complete another job application form. It's the second submitted within the week and although it's for more part time work it is more hours and the experience will be helpful. Assuming I even get an interview. This form was quite well designed, asking specific questions about experience rather than simply offering an empty page to fill. It is difficult though to answer questions such as 'What is you're greatest achievement in your chosen field?' when you haven't quite chosen a field yet. I resorted to the X Factor approach or providing a story -- first person in family to get a degree, five year plan to return to do a postgraduate course etc. It certainly still feels like my biggest achievement, the thing I'm most proud of.

The Guardian this morning included a pull out souvenir of important covers from their history, including 12 September 2001 when the paper simply printed a photograph of the World Trade Center in flames, an images on that occasion saying more than words could. It was exactly this paper that I mentioned in this blog post all those years ago and having read hundreds of editions since this is the only cover I could actually remember without this kind of reminder.