I have managed some soft-boiled eggs and soft toast soldiers for brekkie and later I shall venture forth for the first time since Tuesday to see if I can find some soup inna tin.

It’s nothing more serious than what would be called “man-flu” in a bloke, but it’s pissing me off. I HATE being ill. It’s stupid and pointless and means you can’t do anything. I’m stuck at home and can’t even get on with the unpacking because my brain’s not working and I can’t lift boxes.

And this is so not a good time to be falling behind on my training.

Did I mention I bought high heels?

Especially for Munky, who worships at the same mocha altar as me. I just invented this. Gods it’s good. Inspired by the spiced chocolate recipe at Bean Scene.

Take enough milk to fill the cup of your choice on top of a double espresso.

Add about an eighth of a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes, quarter of a cinnamon stick, 2 drops of best vanilla essence and some grated nutmeg. Retrieve your milk frother from the back of the cupboard.

While warming through the milk on the stove add 2tsp of Green & Blacks drinking chocolate and one of G&B; cocoa (optionally add 1tsp of that cocoa syrup) to the chosen mug. Make a double espresso.

Mix the chocolate to a paste with a little of the espresso and then add the rest of the coffee. Take hot milk and strain into the milk frother. Froth. Pour on top of chocolatey espresso and stir to mix. Sprinkle with powdered cinnamon.

And I have an incredibly sore throat.

Where’s my lolly?

I have just entered for the Embra Bike New Year’s Day Triathlon.

This is your fault, Munky. If I keel over and die I’m having a note put on my gravestone.

Here lies Sam. A perfectly sensible person who was killed by Munky’s stupid idea to enter a triathlon.

It’s not like I have any triathlon buddies to go training with either. I’m going to have to do this all by myself.

No change there then.

In honour of the departed summer.

I have my first lurgy in a year and it is dreich today, so I am sat at home wearing a woolly hat and two jumpers with nothing better to do than make stupid avatars.

I might have a bath. Steam sometimes helps.

For all those of you with popup blockers, here’s a quiz I lost track of a while back, recovered by way of Pupgrrl.

What firearm are you?

#1 FN P90
#2 Alliant Techsystems OICW
#3 H&K; G11
#4 H&K; MP-5
#5 H&K; PDW
#6 H&K; PSG-1
#7 Steyr AMR
#8 H&K; SOCOM
#9 Desert Eagle
#10 M4A1 w/M203 Grenade Launcher

Nice to see my top result hasn’t changed in the last few years. Everything else has but I’m still a P90. Here’s the wikipedia entry.

Problem is that there wasn’t a question asking “are you sleek and sexy?”

Wheel Of Fish!

You’re so STUUUUPIIIIID!

Currently on dial-up, which sucks like chunky goat vomit through a twisty straw. Blame BT.

But in the meantime, having discovered the frame capture function on the DVD software on this machine, I have some new avatars to play with.

Wait until I get onto UHF.

Stop groaning, Munky!

This blog and all others may well be silent for a while as Frood and I are in the middle of moving house. Until we get broadband at the new place all internetty forms of communication will be taking a hiatus from their usual connectivity.

So don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a few days. While my lack of internet access does not preclude the possibilities that either I’m not speaking to you or something horrendous involving agricultural machinery has happened, neither of these is the more likely explanation for any protracted silence. It’s probably just that I can’t get to my email very readily.

Skype, YIM, Jabber, AIM and MSN are all affected, natch, and I should be considered offline until further notice. I will try to get to my mail when I can.

If you have something you feel you really need me to address, stick “priority tag” in the subject line of the email and make sure it’s from an address I recognise. Don’t feel bad about doing this — it means I’ll at least make the effort to read it rather than sticking it in the To-Do folder. If I disagree with its urgency I’ll let you know.

Just like everyone else in Gimpland. Whichmakes the Unique-Ordinary score something of a misnomer. Or entirely apt.

The Black Queen You scored 4 Power-Finesse, 3 Leader-Follower, 2 Unique-Ordinary, and 2 Offense-Defense!

You are devoted to the cause, and you protect the interests of the Black team. You will often be working behind the scenes, protecting even the lowliest pawn. However, you are impossible to ignore, since at any moment you could strike like the black widow. It is more in your nature to allow your opponent to make a foolish mistake that you exploit, than it is for you to try and force an aggressive victory for your team.