Thanks to David Butt for pointing me at this fantastic video which highlights all that we love and remember from a traditional British Christmas.

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.
• Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On hot days, drink lots of water, and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around, and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
• Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

It has been a crazy couple of months at work, but we finally got to launch the Single-chip Cloud Computer (SCC) and the press reaction (BBC, CNet News, The Register) has made it all worth while. Now that the launch is out of the way, I can get to do some research on this beast and hopefully get back to a more normal life

The time is rapidly approaching when I will need to pack up my cube at Intel and head off into the wild for two whole months – yes, it is finally time for my sabbatical.

What is sabbatical you ask? Well, if you are a US Intel employee, for every seven years you work, you get 8 weeks paid time off in the form of a sabbatical. I can do anything I like with my sabbatical, except that I can’t split it up. It’s a fantastic idea – probably the best perk that Intel offers, and I plan to take full advantage of it. The idea is to get anyway from work, recharge and reinvigorate yourself so that you can focus on the things that really matter. Donna and I have decided to not just get away from work, but to get away completely – we are planning on spending almost all of the two months on the road travelling around the USA.

But we need your help – turns out, the USA is a big place, so we really need to be a little more specific about where we are going. So please help us plan our trip by submitting suggestions at our Sabbatical 2010 wiki.

It has been two weeks since we lost our Special, and the house has never felt so empty. So we made the trip down to the Oregon Humane Society and came back with Bodie & Doyle – two of the most adorable three month old kittens you have ever seen.

Whilst these boys look alot alike, they are very different in character. Bodie is the personification of kittenhood – loving, a fearless explorer with no sense of danger, he is chaos in motion. Doyle is much more reserved – born to a feral cat, he arrived at the Humane Society in a sorry state with fleas, worms and bites on his back legs. But a week’s care and he arrives at our house all fixed up with only a few scars and a bad cold to hint at his previous life.

The boys have been in the house for about 24 hours now, and everyone is adjusting well to the new dynamic. Welcome to your new home my boys.

Today be the official Talk Like A Pirate Day matey, so you’d better hoist the jolly roger and batten down the hatches or the’ll be a mutiny fer sure.

Dedicated ta Cap’n Slappy an’ Ol’ Chumbucket,
fer creatin’ National Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19th)

Most days are like all of the others,
Go to work, come back home, watch TV,
But, brother, if I had me druthers,
I’d chuck it and head out to sea,

For I dream of the skull and the crossbones,
I dream of the great day to come,
When I dump the mundane for the Old Spanish Main
And trade my computer for rum! ARRR!

T’ me,
Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho,
It’s “Talk Like A Pirate” Day!
When laptops are benches God gave us for wenches,
And a sail ain’t a low price to pay!
When timbers are shivered and lillies are livered
And every last buckle is swashed,
We’ll abandon our cars for a shipfull of ARRRs
And pound back the grog till we’re sloshed. Yo ho ….

-- Anyone see my keys?
-- Just off the coast o’ Florida, matey! ARRR!

Don’t pick up yer phone and say “Hello,
Your ten-o-clock meeting’s delayed”,
Ye scrunch up yer face and ye bellow,
“AVAST! Ye’ve been bleedin’ BELAYED!”

Ye can’t keep this fun to yourself, I bet,
So sing “Aye”, “ARRR”, and “Ayy”, every man!
We ain’t got much grasp of the alphabet,
But a damn good retirement plan! (raucous laughter)

T’ me,
Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho,
It’s “Talk Like A Pirate” Day!
Whatever’s in fashion is in for a thrashin’
And bein’ polite is passe!
When it’s ev’ry man’s duty to grab his proud beauty
And let out a hearty YO HO!
And if this offends you, hold your breath as we sends
you
Ta Davy Jones’ Locker ya go!

-- Where IS Davy Jones’ Locker, anyway?
-- Right near Monkee Island! Arr, aye, arr….

We’ll tell every banker “Heave to and weigh anchor!”
Buy latte with pieces of eight
We’ll fight to be chosen as cap’n or bosun
The loser, o’ course, is worst mate!

When we hoist Jolly Roger the landlubbers dodge ‘er,
We fill ‘em with loathing and fear,
We’ll plunder and pillage each city and village,
Or at least clean out Wal-Mart of beer!

-- Ahoy, mateys! And Welcome ta “Iron Chef Pirate!”
Let’s see the secret ingredient!
- Oh ho! There'll be some cutting-edge cuisine!

- "AWK! AWK!" - Hold still, Polly! I need this for me salad!
- Avast there, me bucko! Ye need CARROT shavings! CARROT!
- But Captain, I be on Atkins!
- Moron...

- And you! WHAT are ye doin' with that salmon?
- I'm grillin' it on a hunk o' cedar, what d'y'think?
- Ye CAN'T do that in a JAPANESE STIR-FRY, ye bilge rat!
- Oh HO! Ye never heard o' "wokkin' the plank"?

There ain't no computin' or morning commutin',
No "Parking Lot Full" signs for me,
No lawns ta be mowin' or bills to be owin',
I'm knowin' the pull of the sea.

The fresh salty brace of the wind on my face
Through hurricane, sunshine or squalls,
I'm keepin' my eyes on the distant horizon,
Verizon can hold all my calls!

To wear a red coat full o' buckles,
To earn a few duelling scars,
Well, at least we can get a few chuckles
By filling the office with ARRRs!

And maybe we'll never get closer,
Than watchin' 'em on the big screen,
So here's to old Errol and Depp as Jack Sparrow,
And every damn one in between!

T' me,
Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho,
It's "Talk Like A Pirate" Day!
That time in September when sea dogs remember
That grown-ups still know how ta play!
When wenches are curvy and dogs are all scurvy
And a soft-wear patch covers your eye,
Ta hell with our jobs, for one day we're all swabs
And buccaneers all till we die!

So hoist up the mainsails and shut down your brain cells,
They only would get in the way,
Avast there, me hearty, we're havin' a party,
It's "Talk Like A Pirate" Day!

Yo Ho!

Words and Music Copyright 2003-2006 by Tom Smith

Today, after 17 wonderful years of unconditional love, joy and affection we lost our beloved Special. She will always live on in our hearts and will never be forgotten. Wait for us at Rainbow Bridge, our beloved baby.

She is Gone

You can shed tears that she is gone, Or you can smile because she lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love that you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she is gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Author – David Harkins

For all those people who have to ask someone else to fix their computer, the answer is finally here. This is the secret to being a computer guru – a real tech support geek.

Of course, the only problem with this is that you have to be able to read
a flow chart in order to understand it.

Congratulation to Barbara & Brian for a fantastic Luau yesterday – you guys really excelled. The food was amazing, the decorations and Tiki bar really created a beautiful ambiance and the company was excellent .

Thanks to Maria White for the great photos