The Maggot Sandwich has a makeover.

Last night I was having a quick saunter through Second Life when I came across the Doctor and the Tardis - click on the photo for a larger version. I was about to investigate further when the host software quit with a bang - a bit like when you get to a good bit in a dream, then you suddenly wake up. The Mac client version of Second Life is incredibly flaky and unreliable. I am not an avid online community user, but I do dabble on the odd occasion. I did have a go on the free trial of World of Warcraft, but I have to admit that I found it repetitive and boring - I personally fail to see the attraction.

You may have notice that the look and feel of my Blog has evolved somewhat recently; in the past I have been very cautious and conservative in respect of making changes to the blog template and settings; historically, Blogger was pretty fragile, and changing things caused stuff to break unpredictably. Nowadays it is much more robust and idiot proof. I have added a graphic to the title element, and changed the title font and colour. The picture is a photo of the River Thames I took from Erith Pier a little while ago. I have also added a box with links to other Blogs I follow. If you revisit the Maggot Sandwich on a regular basis, you may notice that the blog links change order. The nearer to the top of the list a blog is, the more recently it has been updated. You may also notice that the way old blog entries are archived has changed - I have gone for a cleaner, less cluttered look with a new drop down shortcut bar to view old updates. I am keen to form a community of local bloggers and feel that if we all link to each other's online presence, this will make a meaningful start.

Incidentally - I missed something from last weeks' update, so I will make amends now. This is my 201'st blog posting. Amazing - I thought it might be a flash in the pan, but I am still going strong, and more people than ever are reading the Maggot Sandwich. Thanks to one and all.

Erith Swimming baths is now almost completely demolished. I did think about walking round and taking a few photos, but all you can really see is a lot of wooden fencing around the site, and a bloody great pile of rubble. I don't think the council has yet worked out exactly what is going to be built on the site, but with the current dire financial situation, I doubt anything will be constructed for quite some time. A similar situation seems to have occurred in Fraser Road, on the site of the now demolished petrol station. Ground works were started last summer, but the site now seems to be abandoned - quite an eyesore too. Talking of demolition, an enterprising local blogger has begun a campaign to preserve the 1930's Art Deco Co-Op building in Woolwich. You can read more about it here. The building, if preserved, would make an excellent period hotel or spa. You can see a Flickr photo stream dedicated to the building here.

There has been absolutely no activity from GC's night club of late; I am not sure if we have managed to kill off their enterprise, or if the shady organisers are marshaling their forces for counter attack. Time will tell. Updates as I get them. In complete contrast, an organisation that has gone through all of the proper processes and procedures runs a gym in a unit very close to that squatted in by GC's. The Gym is preparing several athletes for the next Olympic Games; you can read all about them here.

As a small child in the 1970's I dimly remember power cuts and the three day week. I always wished it had extended to primary school. What goes around comes around, as is often quoted by unimaginative people; in this case it appears to be true. There is a distinct possibility that I may at some stage in the future have to work a four day week, with a proportional drop in pay. My company are feeling the pinch, as are many - I think it is better to try to ride out the financial storm with shorter working hours, rather than by mass redundancies. I have been considering possible part time ways of making up the shortfall in pay; the more options I consider, the worse they sound. Most jobs that lend themselves to part time working involve service. I really cannot see myself serving customers - especially when one considers the knuckle dragging evolutionary throw backs that make up so much of the local population, besides which, the service industry does not pay nearly enough. No chance of a McJob for me then.

I wonder if the News Shopper want an investigative journalist? I would relish the chance to dig the dirt and stick my size 12 steel toecapped boot in the door of some local scrote fiddling benefits or the like. What do you think? Leave a comment below.

This weeks' video clip is an excerpt from the American version of Antiques Road Show; here they review the Atari 2600 VCS games console - a 70's classic.