Tonight, after two hours spent carefully designing an ad, my laptop suddenly turned itself off - result: all work lost as I was just about to save it but hadn't. As the laptop works with battery power, I'm busy saving files to a disc just in case. It's not the fuse, so I can only presume the charger overheated or somesuch. Not sure if temporary or permanent.

Anyway, if e-mails don't get answered etc, this will be why. Normal service will be resumed, probably just after the nick of time if this is anything to go by...

So. The new passport arrived. It took a week and £72, so not too bad, I guess. This time the accompanying photograph means I don't look like a softly-spoken, writer-not-a-fighter, but more like a ninja-trained, internationally-wanted spy with amnesia problems international man of paperwork with a wry sense of humour. Which is nice.

I've been reading about proposed changes to the ID systems in the UK and US and I have to admit that getting a new passport now was as much about non-conforming to the threat of a new, useless ID card for at least ten years as much as replacing my old one (with eighteen months left to run on it) which was getting a bit crumpled and torn.

Rudolph Giuliani, (Mr. 9/11) is talking about introducing even tighter restrictions for tourists, with special ID cards issued when they enter the country. Sounds more like political flag-waving than any coherent policy as I carry my passport with me at all times when in the US and that should be more than enough. (I also ticked the 'No' box on the form that asks me if I intend to sabotage anything or commit criminal acts...). Equally I place my finger in that control at US Customs and look a camera in the eye, so that's yet another database I'm on. No major problem with that - or with the idea that a passport should have a fingerprint on it as well - but I can't help noticing that while it's S-O-P at US airports, neither the UK or US administrations like the idea of finger-printing Americans on their arrival here. Is it a case of 'do as we say, not do as we do?' or just as likely that tourists here already put off by the £1=$2 exchange rate when visiting our shores wouldn't take too kindly to longer queues?

Either way, I'm off to LA and Vancouver in just over a month. Once flights are booked. Which I should go and check up on now.

Do I have anything to declare? Just my genius.

My social life has been sadly lacking recently - largely due to the workload between HLWW, Impact, Verbatim and the fact that as I get slightly older I seem to have less but infinitely better friends but who don't live on my doorstep (which would admittedly not be comfortable for them).

However this week was a Mozapalooza. On Friday met up with a friend in Leeds who was travelling through the area for a job interview. I promised drinks and merriment (a reckless promise this being Leeds) and managed to just about deliver. The rain held off, the food was tasty (Iguana, by the Corn Exchange gets the Moz recommendation of *****) and the company good. But apart from the Cinema Days events and the ocassional sojourn to London, this mind and body is a little out of practise for the whole hitting the city thang and the apparent ten year olds that wander around seemingly hitting the city back just sometimes make me feel old.

Saturday came and went and the evening saw me heading across to the other side of Leeds to watch TV pilots, eat pizza and drink beer with the Millarworld Mob. EastEnders' Michelle Ryan IS the Bionic Woman! Angelina's ex Jonny Lee Miller IS an hallucinating lawyer. Wii consoles ARE addictive! No bigger joy than watching good tv, trashing bad tv and finally making up your own subtitles for an eastern film involving scarf-weilding ninjas, cackling villains and and bad guys that can only apparently be stopped by pre-menstrual blood. Hollywood has SO much to learn. Big thanks to Steve for the invite and to Carlos, James and Sanjay for the company.

Right now I ache, feel about 50, my sleep-cycle's dangerously off-kilter and I'm behind on my deadlines. Must be a Tuesday.

America and Britian may be two countries separated by a common language, but I never really realised how much until the recent trip to the States and a chat with Mark Ryan (of Transformers/Robin of Sherwood fame.) I was telling someone today about how difficult it was for both Mark and myself (both proud Yorkshiremen) to describe a Yorkshire Pudding to the colonials in a way that made any sense and conveyed it's regional and global superiority as edible delight.

Oh, sure. It's not too difficult to explain the ingredients, the egg, the rising in the oven etc. But just try describing it in more aesthetic ways without the aid of a picture. It's not a biscuit, it's not a pancake, it's not bread, it's not soft and it's not a 'dessert' in the pudding sense. It can be crisp, it can be small part of a meal, or if large enough, almost the container for a whole gravy-sodden sunday lunch. It's the hole for the toad in 'Toad in the Hole', but it's, oh so much more.

Until today I was under the impression that I'd have to actually make one when Stateside just to prove it existed in three dimensions. However I've been informed that the Americans MAY have something similar and it could be known as a Pop-Over.

If you are what you eat, I think that means we're all in trouble.

* for those still wondering, they are - in this form at least - the golden food at the bottom of the plate in the picture.

The last week's been a busy one and not just coping with the sunburn. I've gone from hugely appealing to hugely a'peeling... but maybe TMI.

There's no such things as 'average' weekends.

Late Thursday night the boiler at the house went into overdrive for no apparent reason and we noticed that it was getting very hot very quickly just before midnight. Thankfully we managed to shut it down and a repairman gave it a safety-check so that it was possible to use it again. Part of me is tempted to think this was a last metaphysical joke on Roy's behalf.

On Friday it was my grandfather's funeral and it was good that we didn't get the requisite stormy skies and bleak weather... in fact it was relatively sunny and pleasant which I like to think is the much better way to experience a celebration of someone's life. It was interesting to see some old faces that I hadn't seen in years and meet new ones and I think the food and drink afterwards gave everyone a chance to toast in style. The Order of Service booklet I designed seemed to go down well so that makes it all worthwhile.

A much-needed break on Saturday/Sunday with a BBQ over in Kippax. I've known Karen (above, left) for years (we dated as teenagers....oh toooooo many years ago) and though life has some times been a bit turbulent, life has usually buffeted us back into each other's orbits as friends before too long to compare stories of deep woe, huge hilarity or just bitch about life in general. This was my first chance to catch up with her since her 39th+1 surprise birthday in February so it was good to shoot the breeze and meet some of the people in her life now. The BBQ was a birthday bash for one at her friends, Beth, and though I didn't know anyone else there to begin with, we were all eventually setting the world to rights (and then breaking it into small shrill pieces again) until around 3:00am.

I fell asleep the minute my head touched the pillow and though I woke early I decided to doze until I knew Karen was up and about or at least tapping away at the keyboard in her attic room. Sat out in Karen's garden for much of the morning (hangovers, what hangovers?) as it was glorious sunshine - the breeze disguised how hot it was actually getting and now my arms look like someone's painted them bright red. I can only hope that it fades from burnt umber to a healthy tan.

Tomorrow the weather will be back to basics. I may still be a lobster.

*Edit: Yes, it's morning and my face looks and feels like I got 'botox by proxy' *sigh*