I've looked at a few options for recording what books I've read. I have registeed with some on-line services such as LibraryThing and Reader2. There is also BookCrossing that can be used for similar purposes.

I've been writing reviews on this site for a while, but I wanted something I could control that would apply a little more structure, whilst making it easier to provide Amazon links that will benefit Gothic Mede Lower School if anyone uses them to buy a book.

I am currently experimenting with a Pyblosxom plugin called Booklist. This allows you to compile a list of books in a text file and will generate a nice page like this via a template file. I'm using his example template for now and have not quite worked out how to get the Amazon link to work, but I will investigate further. I've already updated the Python source code to get the book covers from the European site rather than the US one.

For most of my life I've had to wear glasses to compensate for my extreme myopia. This is not a problem in my day to day life. I've worn contact lenses in the past for reasons of looking better in my younger days and later for safety when practicing Aikido, but have got out of that habit lately. The time when glasses are really a pain is when I am swimming. I can wear old glasses to allow me to see what is going on, but these do no good underwater and can get dislodged.

Before our holiday I invested in some Aquasee goggles (mine came from the local Boots) that come in various strengths, mine being the maximum in the range. They have transformed my swimming. I can now do proper breaststroke without losing my glasses and have been attempting crawl with a few issues on the breathing. They also allow me to see underwater and keep up with my daughter who likes to spend more time under the water than on top. The goggles made my holiday more enjoyable by allowing me to keep an eye on the kids whilst swimming and still have some fun.