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13 Scots who changed the world:

01) John Logie Baird - invented television
02) Alexander Graham Bell - invented the telephone
03) Sir Alexander Fleming - discovered penicillin
04) Sir James Dewar - invented cryogenics
05) William Murdock - invented gas lighting
06) David Octavius Hill - pioneer of photography
07) Alexander McDougall - invented self-raising flour
08) Charles Macintosh - invented waterproof fabric for raincoats
09) James Bowman Lindsay - pioneer of first electrical light
10) Robert William Thomson - invented pneumatic tyre
11) John Boyd Dunlop - reinvented pneumatic tyre
12) James Chalmers - invented postage stamp
13) Alexander Bain - invented first electric clock

Just spent ages updating my iPod and iTunes software to the latest version and changing some of the music on the ipod itself. My neighbour was making such a racket last night, I decided I may as well cuddle up with music of my choice but discovered the battery was almost flat. Nevertheless, I decided to go ahead and play it and see how long it would last. There was only a tiny strip of red showing but I still got over an hour of play before it finally cut out which I was quite impressed with. The battery should never have gone down this fast anyway but I suspect it’s because I’ve been neglecting it lately with one thing or another.

Speaking of iTunes, I’m so pissed we can’t get access to all the movies and TV Shows that they have in the US store and I feel that we are being cheated in some ways. I get tired of waiting on our dumb channels airing my favourite shows.

I’m still feeling very down about life. I miss Grandma so much and ever since she left us, nothing seems to be going right. It looks like my mother’s brother may have the onset of Alzheimer’s and I’m finding it so hard to deal with because he is such a lovely, gentle man and so brilliant with kids. It seems so unfair and I just hate the fact that some day he may lose himself.

Florida has taken another hit and it looks like it may be off again because June is going to be too hot for the kids. Is it too much to ask for just ONE family holiday? I really should know better than to look forward to something because it never happens. Dreams are for idiots. I’m so damn tired of it all.

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LOL! The e-mails are doing the rounds again, so just in case you are the only person on the planet who hasn’t read this, I give you: 13 tips on being a good wife from the Housekeeping Monthly published on 13 May 1955

01) Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
02) Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
03) Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
04) Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
05) Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
06) Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late, goes out to dinner or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
07) Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
08) Don’t complain if he’s home late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
09) Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing, and pleasant voice.
10) Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
11) Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
12) Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
13) A good wife always knows her place

While at work on Friday, I was sitting at the window and noticed for the first time that the trees were beginning to change colour, some of the green tips were now a beautiful golden brown. I lost count of the number of people who actually commented on this when they came into the room - it’s like we all seemed to notice at the same time.

I love the golden brown colours of the autumn with leaves falling to the ground.

I think I’m done with BlogExplosion too. I don’t really have the time to surf members blog and to be honest, I find the site very slow with the same sites coming up time after time. I’m having more fun with Thurs Thirteen.

We are being plagued by unsolicited marketing and silent calls just now and it is really starting to bite. I’ve been doing some research online and the TPS (Telephone Preference System) seems to be the only place we can get help, however it only works for UK companies and can do nothing to block unwanted calls from companies abroad. We registered with the TPS a couple of years ago and it has worked to some extent but there seems to be an increase in calls from abroad lately. Despite the fact we insist on our number being taken off their list, we seem to be getting ignored.

I’ve also checked out the Information Commissioner’s website which clearly states it is against the law for companies to contact us against our wishes and they have a legal right to remove us upon request. Apparently, this also applies to spam and junk mail but only if the sender is based in the UK.