So after telling dragonqueen and Ivan this morning how the Andreas04 skin was the most functional, I read the latest WordPress news about custom header images now being offered on the Connections skin, which I thought was pretty coolisimo. And so I switched to Connections and for awhile I had my own personalised header – the top logo from the azahar clothing website (green bar with orange flower) – and of course once I got that up I then also had to faff around for ages reorganising my sidebar widgets.

But then I noticed that skin had a very dull olive-green bar across the top with Home and About on it and it really clashed with the bright green on the website header. And once I noticed it I really couldn’t live with it. 😦

Ah well, the custom headers should be available on more skins soon. Meanwhile, I think I might try out my original skin again for awhile . . .

Anyone out there who uses these? I’ve just put a couple in the kitchen and am planning to also replace the bathroom ones with them tomorrow.

Question is – do they really work? In the sense of them lasting twice as long (or longer) than conventional light bulbs. This is what the guy in my neighbourhood electrical shop told us yesterday. But they also cost more than twice the price of the already rather expensive ceiling ‘spotlights’ we had going (which cost more than twice as much again as a conventional light bulb).

Annoyingly, all the ceiling lights in the flat are these small spotlight fixtures, which do the job I guess, but they also have a tendency to overheat and the metal lightbulb connection to the socket then gets ‘heat-welded’ together, so more often than not the only way to change a light bulb is to smash the bulb with a hammer and pry the metal part out with a pair of needle nose pliers (whilst precariously standing at the top of a very rickety ladder). Not terribly user-friendly. One other bonus with the twirly bulbs is that they never get hot so we won’t ever have to smash them to bits just to change them.

My flat was ‘done over’ by an architect who lived here before us. Presumably he didn’t understand lighting at all or just thought flat spotlights in all the ceilings were somehow ‘clean looking and aesthetically pleasing’? But frankly the new twirly lightbulbs in the kitchen not only look cute but actually give off better ‘all over’ light than the stupid spotlights ever did. And I think they will also be better in the bathroom.

I’ve always preferred indirect lighting in the living room and in bedrooms – nice floor or table lamps strategically placed to make a room ‘glow’ – to me ceiling lights are only needed in these rooms whilst cleaning and needing to see every corner of the room.

Anyhow, any thoughts on these twirly lightbulbs? Are they really worth the money?

Got tagged by Rev Paperboy .

And so as not to be a party-pooper I shall go along with the fun and silliness and post 8 random things about me.

1. I’m afraid of the dark.
2. I once had a job upholstering coffins.
3. I’m very easily hurt.
4. I used to take karate.
5. I don’t suffer fools, gladly or otherwise.
6. I can’t swim.
7. I hate the word ‘meme’.
8. I once wrote a (very bad!) novel.

And you guys have now been tagged! 😛

Ivan, Noggin, alji, Tal, Edward

Whilst trying to figure out why my previous ‘mental health day’ post kept showing up as having no comments (when in fact there were several) I followed Noggin’s advice and then lost the whole darned thing! Gee, thanks honey!

Well never mind, live and learn and all that.

I’m not actually sorry about having lost the post, but I also lost the comments. Sorry guys! Anhoodle, trying again here.

I think the deal is that I have to remember to *save* before publishing. Gaaaaaa! Technology, eh?