Also, as I mentioned it was so hot that the asphalt melted onto the soles of my sandals the day before. I was wearing a daypack with a single strap, and sweated so much that I ended up with white tidemarks of salt off to the side. Thought you'd like to know.

(Northern) Ireland Notes Day 5
Left Carlingford today. Plan was to get the bus from Carlingford to Dundalk and then another bus straight to Belfast. Got there in the end though, and was picked up from the bus terminal by my sister, with my 3-year old and 3-week old nephews asleep in the back, Older nephew has behaved OK while I've been here for the first day, though apparently he can be a bit of a handful. 3-week old has been asleep most of the time, which apparently means he will wake up and bawl all night. Looks a bit red and wrinkled to me, but apparently they're supposed to look like that.

Went to see Superman Returns with my sister in the evening. Seemed pretty good: more action than some of the reviews suggested, with set-pieces including saving metropolis from a giant crack, the finale, and the rescue of the space shuttle as a tribute to the official start of the current Man of Steel era. Already seems vaguely nostalgic: space shuttles must have been state of the art rather than creaking hulks back then. Also a couple of other nice comics-tribute touches: "Great Caesar's Ghost" from Perry White, and a cameraphone shot of Superman hefting the car in the style of Action Comics 1

Didn't find the romantic bits as irritating as the father-son stuff. As Nick Lowe keeps pointing out in Interzone's Mutant Popcorn, that's long taken over from romance stories as a tedious conventional trope to be shoehorned into every conceivable movie. Romantic Love is now mostly a genre business for romcoms only

So, worth seeing, preferably on the big screen.

(Northern) Ireland Notes Day 6

Went out with sister and nephews to the Ulster Transport Museum: saw quite a lot of old trains, buses and cars. Including the obligatory DeLorean (made in Belfast)

3-year old nephew pretty much behaved himself, though apparently he can be a little monster a lot of the time. Let him choose a toy at the toy shop, let him ride on my shoulders for a bit (he's quite heavy). Can cope with kids in small doses, but very glad I'm never having them myself. I do envy their dog though

3-week old (now 4-week old, might have to reconsider this naming convention) is also behaving atypically angelically: sleeps all day, only wakes up to feed, only woke a couple of times in the night apparently.

Maybe they're just doing it to embarrass the parents after all the complaints: will doubtless turn back into hellspawned brats as soon as I leave

Watched Hard Boiled in the evening.

Food: bread and cheese for breakfast, meatball 6-inch sub for lunch, salmon, potatoes, veg, ice cream for supper. Crisps, choc biscuit, mini-battenberg for snacks. Will need to recommence OBLF I think.

(Northern) Ireland Notes Day 7
Went to an ice cream shop by the seaside in the morning. Flew back home without incident. Took the Easybus from Luton to London Bridge station. Would do again: it's a lot cheaper than the train (I paid £4, could have paid £2 if I'd booked slightly earlier). Seemed pretty much as fast, since you go direct from airport to Tube; otherwise you need to mess about with a shuttlebus from airport to train station.

Not sure about pics as don't want to identify myself or them. Hopefully babies and labradors all look pretty much alike.
   

Operation Don't Get Fatter
Not fatter. Lost the 2 pounds put on over my holiday now.

Me
Busy busy busy at work, but pretty happy so far.

Have been a team leader before, and never quite sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, you can see it as the worst combination: responsibility without power; having to get people to do stuff without really being able to reward or punish them. On the other hand you could see it as the best combination: you're still able to crank out code, but you can delegate some of the routine stuff, and you have enough authority and access to avoid some pitfalls.

Roundup of the week's links
Video. Dog with amazing ability to walk on two legs. Video compilation of the Wilhelm scream.

Blogs. Indecent exposure : 2 witnesses and picture not enough for NYPD. Johann Hari to quit antidepressants: is it bad to be on them permanently? Xtian nutcase: defeat Lesbianism by admiring unattractive women.

Fat: Big Fat Bloggers take on medical bloggers.

Other stuff. A life in AOL searches. Sugar Free Kid T-shirts.