So here’s the thing, a simple text message boings its way to me on Tuesday evening. It’s my friend Kerry, who I met (it feels like) about a hundred years ago when I worked at WHSmiths after leaving art college. We worked in the ‘Sounds’ department and sold, as you can probably guess, CDs and videos. Pre DVDs – Now, that makes me feel old.
Kerry was cool. I wanted to be her friend, but in those days, in my head anyway, it was tricky for boys and girls to be friends and nothing else, without dropping the “I’m gay” card in their lap.
One night at the local Ritzty, I had to do just that, to stop her friend bouncing on my lap and from that point on, we were firm friends. We meet every year, twice a year and catch up on all the gossip. Kerry is brilliant, because she talks to me as though I was her ‘girlfriend’ and in a way, it’s like free counselling and I get to learn about all the stuff women don’t really talk about outside of their gender.
Anyway, after the text came through saying that we should ‘do food’ the next evening, I knew that she was pregnant. Ta da! Crystal Ball Darren does it again!
Pineapples.
Even though, the subject of inducing labour has cropped up with my other friend Cerian, I didn’t really understand why pineapples would hurry along the birth. I assumed it was probably they same way that pineapple juice induced long cleansing bathroom sessions, like after we’d bought the juicer and had drunk pints of the stuff one Sunday afternoon, but no. She explained that it’s an enzyme in the fruit that is the same type as that found in sperm. Ergh. And also that, the spermy enzyme tricks the lady into opening up all the right channels so that she can get pregnant. Enough said.
I’m so pleased that it has started snowing and really hope that it will carry on until it lays on the ground. It’s been way too long since we had some proper snow in this region and let’s face it, if we have a cold winter, we may actually get a hotter summer this year.
Here’s some lovely weather from 2005…
I’m also looking forward to my birthday, with a trip planned to London to see Mamma Mia. I love birthdays, even though the last few have been a little overshadowed with other stuff going on, this one I think will mark the end of a quite sh1tty year and we can now look forward to this year being much better.
The thing I’d like most for my birthday, would be a brand new job that I can get lost in and enjoy for the sake of it. To be fair, a simple, honest job is something that I would love right now.
So, I’ve just had a little clear out of some posts and moved them to a more appropriate Blog. No, they weren’t rude, but they were quite blunt about my feelings for a certain large (previously Scottish, now UK taxpayer owned) bank. That’s meant that my Blog here just got a bit thinner.
Facebook has briefly taken most of my Internet time recently, but I can happily confirm that the effects are now wearing off and it (Facebook) will run happily on its own in the background without me having to stroke the refresh button every thirty seconds! Who knew that you didn’t have to poke it to make it work?…
I need some light relief and I think that Pam Ann is the only person to make it happen. I have realised that in my complete obsession with the British banking fiasco™, I have lost my smile that Pam gave me last year.
Please Pam, release another DVD. It has got so bad that I even ‘Sky plus’ed Loose Women to see your slot! And then, it was almost impossible for that vacuous scripted panel of women to shut up and let an entertainer do their job.
That programme is like licking a Tupperware bowl and snagging your lip on the worn edge. House Party for the noughties? It’s just semi celebs getting angry at the fact that they are not men. Get over it ladies, please. Even when they have a guest on the show, it all comes down to whether the ‘girls’ on the panel fancy hunky men or prefer chocolate digestives instead. Is it written by a man caught in a 1970s vortex who spends his lunchtimes opening his sandwich tin to see what his Mrs has made him?
These people make Trisha Goddard look progressive for goodness sake.
I can’t wait until the new E4 show Dead Set airs. I absolutely love Zombies, which may explain why I worked in a banking office for so long. I also love the Davina and like watching sad, reality TV wannabes which is why I’ve got high hopes for this. Let’s face it, I have spent the past few years screaming at Big Brother on TV at the housemates and, I think that it will almost be karma for a few of the most annoying housemates to be eaten alive.
A blonde girl (in the teaser trailer) says, “does this mean we’re not on telly anymore?”. Black comedy…, speaking of which, I knew a (home-dye) blonde girl who once asked me how many letters there were in the alphabet… That wasn’t a joke by the way – oh, and she was my manager at the time. Her best guess at the answer was 21. We laughed too. A lot! Although, I don’t remember smiling much, except at her chosen ’shade’ of blonde, “Labrador”.
I know…, I cannot believe that Kath & Kim has been remade into an American version. Kath & Kim is iconic and truly Australian in ‘umour. The comedy translates to us in the UK simply because the Australians share the same sarcastic, self depreciating humour that other parts of the World don’t get. And we love Australia. But where’s Sharon? Everyone needs a Sharon!
The only saving grace is that Gina Riley and Jane Turner are the Executive Producers for the show. I just wish that they would make another Aussie series for us to watch.
I love ebay. I hate ebay. Ebay is all consuming and addictive and evil and fun all at the same time. So far, we’ve made a (relative) fortune selling old tat to people all over the world and have been ripped off myself with the inflated postage fees by Royal Mail and have taken abuse by stupid people who can’t read how much it will cost them for me to wrap and send stuff. Jeez – if you “win” (ha ha ha) something that retails at £5 for 99p, don’t moan when the postage is £2.00. Maybe the stupid don’t read postage and packaging costs. Bubblewrap, paper and tape ain’t free honey!
I think that I will keep selling all our tat used items, after all, it’s kind of recycling in a round about way.
Funny though, I can never find the kind of bargains that I end up selling. Must be the curse of ebay. Maybe it’s the way stuff is described – who knows! After all, the tag, ‘Addams Family’ on WordPress somehow gets the most hits on this blog. Maybe I should tag all my ebay stuff with, ‘the Addams Family’ and see what happens!
Today, we had lunch at the Locks Inn at Geldeston on the River Waveney. By road it is a bit tricky to find as it’s actually down a long track – very out of the way but worth looking out for.
It was cool because they had loads of vegetarian alternatives on the menu and it was a really friendly little pub. As I’m still on the antibiotics, I had a soft drink, but it was one of those places where you would want to sit by the river and drink cider all day long. It’s how pubs used to be.
I feel grumpy, blue and sorry for myself today! It might have something to do with the massive downpour of rain we had this morning. It might be that I haven’t smoked for a few days. It could also be that I’m on antibiotics that prohibit alcohol or it could be that I’m still complaining to RBS who are still a bunch of shunts pathological liars. Maybe, I am just fed up.
Anyway, I bought the new album by Noah and The Whale this morning and I think it’s fab.
So far, it’s the only thing that is keeping me sane today. Apart from the now endless supply of Soda Steam fizzy water - that’s still making me smile. Oh, and D made me a cup of tea and gave me a hug which was lovely ♥
Maybe I’ll wear beige later. Surely, I can’t get any more generic and boring than I feel at the minute? (edit) – I just looked beige up on Wiki and now think I will have to have a quick lie down. People can obviously have too much beige in their lives, so I’ll avoid that colour today.
The sun, sun, sun is coming out. I might chance it and go to the library… I might do some drawing later… I could go get a new blank canvas to play with…
I feel a bit better.
Later on…
My aspirations of the day didn’t quite pan out and so, as I got more fed up, I decided to walk to the shops. Obviously, I wouldn’t have chanced the prospect of rain, if it wasn’t to get absolute store cupboard essentials, so, I bought crisps, biscuits, milk, ice, bread and 20 Marlboro.
I came home and ate three bags of crisps (one of each flavour – Ready Salted, Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion), put the fags in the cupboard (unopened) and had an espresso coffee with four chocolate-covered Rich Tea biscuits.
I didn’t do any drawing and didn’t make it to the library after all. All or nothing kinda guy – that’s me!
Woo-hoo! Soda stream are back and I love it! We just got the new version and it’s fab! The concentrates are all natural flavourings now, so we won’t be whizzing our tits off on E-numbers or colours, but the memory of happy sugar induced comatose lows and high tartrazine trips seem to flood back with this advert..
I was just tinkering with iMovie and thought that I would share some more footage from when we took a trip on the Norfolk Broads. It just reminds me how relaxing the Broads are. The only real noise was from the breeze on the microphone on the camcorder. This is How Hill, which is on the River Ant.
Sometimes Sunday night telly just gets the better of me and Lost does exactly that. So far, apart from the time travelling bunnies and the 118 118 sponsership, I just don’t get it. Let’s face the facts. Jim from Neighbours isn’t really that scary and electro magnetic fields is only magic in X-Men and second year high school science lessons.
To add wierdness to the whole thing and to prove that the production team also haven’t really got a clue how this will (if ever) eventually end, they had alternate endings made!
So, on the quest for alternate Lost-isms, let’s add this other one to the picture and see what happens next.
Since yesterday, I’ve received lots of comments, which is great, apart from the fact that my SPAM protection went a little wild and deleted them all. If you have left a message and it hasn’t appeared, please try again. Normal (for Norwich) service will be resumed shortly.
Pam Ann was on Radio 1, and as it looks like I will miss her tour this year, here she is demonstrating safety in the cabin.
Okay, so I sat through another Eurovision in the hope that we might get some points this year. Even though, I liked Michelle Gayle better than Andy Abrahams, I have to say for the record that he pulled off a blinding performance last night and should have been in the top 3 at least.
Europe should keep this new version of the Eurovision and we should walk away and just let them get on with it. We didn’t even get votes from Poland again and the weird Spanish entry (wtf?), which received boos on the night got more points than us. Even Wogan shut up towards the end.
I kind of knew that Charlotte thingy (aka Charlotte Take Me to Your Heaven Nielsson) from a few years ago looked pissed as the votes didn’t go her way either and, as it was almost inevitable that we’d come last, I had my hopes on this French, pure Eurovision class song – just for the bee-wopping background singers.
We took a last minute break to go cruising down the Broads. We set off on Tuesday and hired the “Sonata 6″ from Wroxham. The Sonata 6 looked a little like a gay pedlo, but it came with a suitably camp roof that unsnapped and a back that folded down pneumatically (for those tricky low bridges).
Captains Log – Broads date 13 dot 5 dot 08… 14:45
We left Wroxham at 14:45 after our tutorial for using the boat and coping on the open waters. A surly northern lad showed us how to go forward and back and how to tun the wheel and told us there had been complaints about not picking up television reception and running out of fresh water because of a leaky tap. He went on to trip out the boat mud weight and called someone over with a hammer to fix it. D took the “driving test” as I wasn’t up to performing under such pressure and after a big “U”-ey in the broad, we headed off at break neck speed… well, maybe 5mph anyway.
The weather was cloudy at first but still pleasant and warm and D saw a fab house that we could buy if we won the lottery. I took the wheel – and for some reason, couldn’t seem to let go.
We arrived at Horning at 15:45 heading, according to D, East, East South. His dad was a fisherman after all.
At 17:00, we stopped (moored) at St. Benet’s Abbey. We both had a wee as the contained chemical toilet was a little on the small size.
17:20, arrived at a major water junction for Potter Heigham and Gt. Yarmouth. Our boat was too tall to go near Potter Heigham bridge, so we swung a right down to Gt. Yarmouth. We moored at 17:30, but couldn’t tell if we were allowed to stay there as there was no-one to pay. To be honest, it had that ‘Hills have Eyes’ feel about the place, so to avoid being coshed over the head at night, we moved further down river to the Hermitage Restaurant and Bar. D watched Emmerdale and we both got pissed on some rather nice Pinot Grigio we’d chilled in the mini bar.
After walking by the Hermitage (after stumbling down the non-lit spikey footpath down the side of a field to the pub), we realised that it was a fish speciality place. We went further into town and settled into the Kings Head, which was more of a local’s pub. The food was quite nice, but way too hot even after 20 minutes (since the oven went ping). I liked the Old Speckled Hen ale much better.
23:00 Caught some crap telly and went to sleep (with one eye open in case of drifting).
Captains Log – Broads date 14 dot 5 dot 08… 10:00
Had no f@*cking sleep! I made D some breakfast, but it all stuck to the non nonstick pan and his eggs turned out less desirable than I intended. Mine came out okay, as I found another real non-stick pan under the sink.
Looked at the eye-spy activity booklet that the boatyard gave us. D wrote my name with an arrow next to a Bearded tit. Just for the record, I am not a bearded tit!
We crossed Breydon Water at about 12:00 and I was a complete bag of nerves. It was something about the whole industrial feel that unnerved me, along with the prospect of possibly dying in the shipping lane. We narrowly missed a 12 feet high marker when D tried to read the map, so I kept busy by fiddling with the ipod and fetching beers from the mini fridge. We had a Titanicesque moment when another massive marker loomed up in front of us and D had to steer hard left, missing it by just a couple of inches. My nerves had not improved by that point.
On the way to Beccles, D attempted another mooring and I wasn’t able to jump the 4 feet to shore from the stern. D leaped up on the top of the boat, moored and then set off again. I felt a little sea sick at that point!
We stopped at The Bell in St. Olaves for some lunch and D did a stern on mooring, much better than we both expected. I couldn’t eat my ploughman’s lunch, and we headed off to Beccles at 15:00.
I realised that my anxiety was probably down to non-regularity, so visited the on-board amenities on route. Felt much better and took control of the boat for a bit.
In Beccles, after manoevering some really low bridges, D moored stern on at the Beccles Yacht club and did a fab job of it too. Spoke to the harbour master and he sold us some tokens to the public showers. Headed into town to have some beers, brought chips back to the boat and went to sleep.
Captains Log – Broads date 15 dot 5 dot 08… 03:00
Woke up at 03:00 as the bilge pumps kicked in. Woke up again, worried that we’d drifted off to sea and again when the weird Scottish family in the boat next door banged into us as they left at 07:00.
Went to Morrissons for beer, water and plasters and filled up with diesel at the boat yard opposite. Headed back toward Gt. Yarmouth for 10:15 and caught slack water at Breydon Water. This time the crossing was good and much quicker. I still had the urge to cry and possibly find the foetal position, but D saved the day and no posts got in the way this time around.
We discussed how reading maps while sailing is dangerous.
We moored at Gt. Yarmouth, where the two harbour masters went into a full comedy double act and re-moored us and showed D how to do a proper knot. The tip of the day was “the top rope is from the boat…” or at least something like that anyway!
Had a shower and went for a few drinks at Kings, after getting a burger at Fatso’s in town. Got chips on the way back to the boat and went to bed.
Captains Log – Broads date 16 dot 5 dot 08… 10:00
Left after bacon (and faux bacon) sarnies. The rain pissed down and came in through the overhead lights on deck and the port hole above the bed. At least we both had good company in the rain.
Decided to travel up the River Ant. It was lovely and exactly like you’d imagine the Broads to be like – all leafy and green.
We travelled up to Wayford Bridge and across Barton Broad and followed a guy that clearly hadn’t passed his boat driving test as he was zigzagging across the river.
The houses in Irstead were really lovely – and now on our list of places to live if the lottery numbers come up. There were a lot of sailing boats tacking up stream to deal with. They proved really difficult to pass safely.
Came back down and moored at The Swan in Horning. The mooring was the best yet and we looked quite professional. We fed the ducks and then ate at the restaurant. The starters and dessert were nice, but we sent part of our mains back. Drank loads of wine and sat on the deck lounge for a bit. At 23:00 a Mississippi style paddle boat came out of the dark lit up with hundreds of coloured lights, playing Dixie music. Nobody waved as they passed us. They looked like they were on a works night out.
Captains Log – Broads date 17 dot 5 dot 08… 07:00
We got up, mopped down the boat and headed off towards wroxham in the pouring rain at 08:00. Got to the boatyard with a couple of minutes to spare and D pulled his best stern mooring off to date. Left looking like pros and even noticed when the yard tried to overcharge on diesel!
Our sun burn tans have lasted so far (even with a bit of blistering here and there) and I am sure that the ground will stop moving eventually!
After a wet week, the sun came out to shine on my best friend Rachael’s wedding! The reception was in Blakeney so we took a trip back to North Norfolk (which I love) and joined Rachey and Chris to help celebrate their happy day.
When Rachael saw us, she burst into tears, in fact, I think I made her cry three times in all. I hasten to add that I didn’t tread on her foot or anything horrible, I guess that she was just pleased to see us. I miss Rachey as she lives outside the Norfolk exclusion zone and I don’t get out much, but she is the type of friend who just picks up wherever we left off – however long that is. In my book, that makes her pretty special and I value our friendship for that reason.
Before I forget, she looked absolutely gorgeous!
As we arrived, the Sheringham Shantymen singers were in full force and at the meal, we were treated to something that you just normally don’t see. I think that they were called the Bavarian Brass Band and they were loads of fun and got everyone swaying like they were at a beer fest… here’s a taster.
There was also plenty of Wherry ale on tap to lubricate the party! Let’s raise a glass (or two) to the happy couple!
We visited Brighton for a couple of days to take in the sea air and… well, we visited a few bars anyway and had a great break away from Norwich. Apparently, Brighton had 3 inches of snow the weekend before we travelled down. It was nice and hot for us though and we had brekkie on the beach front.
At long last, Dr Who is back on the telly. I was worried that Catherine Tate would be a bit like Nan or Lauren, but it worked… phew! It did have a couple of signature Tate-isms, but that made it funny and gave it a different feel from the Martha or Rose years. I still miss Martha though.
My plans to come out of hibernation may have been thwarted by the chance of snow coming at the weekend. I love the snow, but this winter has dragged it’s heels without coming up to the mark with proper weather. Why can’t it just snow in one go, with enough snow to make a proper snowball? I am sure that it used to lay properly and last for at least a couple of weeks a few years ago. So Spring sprang for a moment or two and a blackbird began to make a nest in the garden. I think it got spooked as it stopped half way through and went away. Fingers crossed that it’ll come back, so I’ll leave the new build where it is just in case.
I saw this story on iLounge and tried the BBC iPlayer on my iPod Touch. Whilst it doesn’t download shows to my iPod, it streams via a wi-fi Internet connection absolutely perfectly! The quality is actually better than the Flash version designed for the PC.
“The BBC has launched a beta version of its iPlayer for iPhone. BBC iPlayer allows UK residents to browse and watch TV programs from the last week via streaming or download. The new iPlayer for iPhone uses H.264 encoded videos instead of the Flash format used by its PC counterpart. Anthony Rose, head of Digital Media Technologies for BBC, ex…”
It’s been months since I saw Kerry, but last night we met (the first time since she became Mrs) and chatted about everything that’s happened since last May. Obviously, that amount of chat needed some liquid to soothe our aching throats, so we visited a few bars along the way. It was lovely to babble on and get up to speed with each other’s worlds, but I think that we both had the beginnings of colds happening, so today I’m not sure whether I feel hung over or ill or both…
Norwich night life on a Tuesday was pretty sparse really and went from the terminally drunk to the tragically student, but we managed to keep them all at bay.
Why do pubs now smell of old chips, stale beer carpet and bleach? They don’t seem to be the most welcoming of places anymore. Luckily, the company I had made up for that!
Oh, well, in true “call-in” style, another competition was won by the underdog. Michelle Gayle played us a pure Eurovision pop song but didn’t win as the X-factor loser got more public votes. It’s interesting to note that at the time the public needed to vote, the BBC HD channel wasn’t broadcasting properly and screwed up the displayed telephone number and the performance by Michelle.
At least no-one will be surprised when we lose the Eurovision again.
Here is Michelle Gayle’s entry – that should have won! And, you can download the pre released freebie version of the track here.
After chatting about coffee and bears and Coronation Street, I asked that you join the Gadget Show campaign to Wi-fi the whole country even though Norwich was already ahead of the game. I told a couple of jokes that had been lifted from Internet sources and told you how I’d bumped into a friend from uni days via My Space. I also told you about which red wine I was drinking at that time. Kylie added me as a ‘friend’ on My Space, shortly followed by the Scissor sisters and one of the Bucks Fizzes and Pam Ann, all before I decided to pull the plug on it.
I Googled Christmas, had trouble with woollen Tribbles, it snowed and I bought an olive tree. That takes you to February where, I visited Cardiff and went as far as Land’s End before coming back to a job that had a horrible manager that was about 13 years old. I knew this because she asked me, “How many letters are there in the alphabet?”. I then took in a show, ate baked dough balls and emailed a friend in Oz…, Australia, not Emerald City. Then there was a fire down my street, but it didn’t wipe out a 1970s style shopping complex (more’s the pity), but it was okay as the council had decided to knock most of it down next year and revamp the area. One of the lesbians next door mooned me from the courtyard – except she didn’t realise I could see her and it was aimed at her girlfriend anyway.
Talking of moons, around that time, there was a lunar eclipse and the moon went red. I visited Dunwich, then got tonsillitis, drew a cabbage and couldn’t wait until Doctor Who came back on the telly. Easter happened and Australia had a new season of Kath & Kim and I watched “Snakes On a Plane” which was rubbish. My tomato seedlings were strong enough to move outside even though the rocket seedlings died and I bought myself a new camera.
Mum had an operation and went to recuperate with my sister and I took lots of pictures on my new camera. Father Christmas stalked my house with a telephoto lens and I found loads of cool Pam Ann footage on You Tube and then went to see her live. There was a blackbird singing the “Addams Family” theme tune in the garden and then I went to see “Terre Haute” at the theatre. I visited the Kensington museums and saw Kylie’s hot pants and some dinosaurs and then stayed in the hotel that had some radiation problems just a while before. I didn’t take tea there.
I watched another terrible Eurovision Song Contest and was amazed that even Poland didn’t throw a point our way and bought an Apple TV – which is still a pretty cool thing… My friend told me she was getting married the coming year and another friend got hitched that weekend. I had a holiday and read the new Maupin and then decided that my job needed to be changed. Pam Ann made a comedy ad for British Airways and I carved a pumpkin that won me £50 in a competition!
A marketing company read my Blog and sent me a free DVD to say thanks for posting some Pam related Blogs online and then I went to watch the fireworks. The local gay club was turned into a straight disco for the vacuous blonds of the city and then the Blog turned one year old.
I changed jobs and sang “Top of The World” and I asked you to singalong in a karaoke stylee and then continued the theme by dancing to Viola Wills. I told you about the evil British Banks and their way of making money from you using penalty charges as income, had some lovely coffee and took some pictures of my local riverside…
So what now?, well, last night, an earthquake woke me up!
It’s been a while, but here I am, older than before but still alive! Please put your hands together to welcome the new and improved 36 year old me. I know, the scary thing is that I really had to think hard about how old I actually was.
Funnily enough, I’ve also started to see the younguns wear the same type of clothes that I did back in the eighties. I’m feeling old. Luckily, D gave me an ace birthday present. Say hello to Nespresso!
I needed convincing to move away from keeping my beans in the freezer and then grinding each time the coffee urge struck, but I tasted and sniffed and even broke into one of those little pods to see the real, sustainably grown coffee ground… then I was hooked. Apparently, this is the coffee that they serve in Upper Class on British Airway Flights. Maybe it saves on spills for those quicker than usual landings that may happen.
Lovely!
Speaking of the jet set, I’ve also some noticed some sneaky gossip about the fantastic Pam Ann… just check out this Blog by “Film Fabulous London” to see more.
This is to remind everybody in the UK with a bank account to do something about bank charges.
There is a court case going on right now which affects us all, so please help make other people aware of this and buy the track. It’s only 50 pence and it may help make thousands of people better off!
Click on Martin Lewis’s site MoneySavingExpert.com to get it… and plenty of other cool money advice too.
Okay, so it’s taken me a while to get back and Blogging, but it’s been manic over here!
My old job is over and the new one is now a whole week old! I am loving the change – even though the ‘move’ was five feet to the left, just over the filing cabinet! People are smiling at me and speaking to me as though I am a human being (FYI – I am actually human) and that change has made me very happy. Who knew that being a complaint handler had such a stigma, even with the people you work with!
Christmas was great and I got to speak with Mikey twice. The second time whilst he was watching the ritual “burning” (fireworks) of Sydney Harbour Bridge and toasting in his New Year.
After careful consideration, we decided to stay in and celebrate the New Year with just us (me & D) and it was fab!
Rachey suggested a new ode to the New Year/leaving my old role… it made me laugh as it was something that was once quite apt, yet unnoticed, around the time that I was hanging out with my old friend Lainey. Here it is!:
The time has finally arrived when I can say goodbye to my job as a complaint handler. I have only about 9 days left when I have to listen to people being rude, unreasonable and cashing in on the compensation culture that we all seem to live in. Here’s to my new job in Systems Support!
I really wouldn’t have minded if a genuine complaint reached my desk more than twice a year, but the simple fact is, people are greedy nowadays and do not have the common sense you would expect in an adult.
I say thank you to everyone that has sworn at me, written a damning letter to my manager (PS. all those replies were signed by my manager and written by me… still feel smug?) or have threatened to go to the regulatory bodies. In the last 4 1/2 years, that regulatory body has rejected every one of my complaints that have been referred that far. That means that I have done my job properly and fairly.
The best thing about changing jobs was the natural smile on my face all day – and everyday since hearing the news! I got home that night to a ‘Congratulations’ card and bottle of bubbly too from D. It was the best night for ages.
Now, please all hold hands and join me in a rendition of “Top Of The World” as we say goodbye to a job that has taken my will, soul and has also taken me to my wits end on many occasions.
I love the Gadget Show and it’s back on the telly, showing all the lovely techie things I want! They are currently showing up the Broadband providers for selling us a service that might get up to a speed that we thought we had already paid for.
As links seems to move around on the Gadget Show website, click here to test your speed and tell your Internet supplier*, dealer*, pimp*, (*choose as necessary) what a lot of fibbers they are! Maybe, this will help us get some quicker speeds down our phone lines and, living in a city conservation area (albeit near a 99p store and 1970s shopping centre that is going to be pulled down) and without the option of cable, that has to be a good thing!
And now for something completely Gadget Show ‘random’.
As people decide that we all live in a technicolour world that is accepting of diversity and that all choice should be waived for a generic one-fits-all mentality, another gay club closes.
I am sure that the big money may be in ’straight’ geared nightclubs, but that leaves little else for the rest of us. The whole point of a Gay bar is to allow like minded people to meet and feel part of the community. It should be a place that two people of the same gender can be together in safety. When was the last time you saw two men show open affection in a bar that didn’t lead to some kind of problem?
When Gay bashing, homophobia and bigotry ceases in this society, then maybe the generic night spot will be all that is needed. Until then, we need a choice.
We went to the Norwich City, ‘Sparks In The Park’ firework display last night and it was fab! After our disastrous public transport fiasco last year, we decided to walk to the UEA to avoid random Norwich teenagers getting drunk on Top Deck shandy. Last year on the bus trip back into the city, we got into an argument as we tried to stop some nasty girl picking on someone. It was like being in the middle of a Catherine Tate sketch, except that it wasn’t funny! Innit tho, whatever!
On the way home from the fireworks this year, we called into (fell with exhaustion) The Catherine Wheel pub. It was nice to see that the new owners were actually people that we knew and there wasn’t an ultra-violet light or day glow star in sight! Much improved! And, as it’s so close to home, I think we’ll pop in again.
As Frank sang, “come fly with me…”, who would have guessed that he was actually crooning to the lovely Pam Ann? And, when Pam’s people called my people to show me the new teaser, who could resist but to pop it on my Blog!
This weekend has been really relaxing. Colin popped over to see D and Karine came round for an afternoon beer. We haven’t really had a proper chat with Karine for ages and it was good to catch up with her.
D had waxed the floor and polished the hall tiles which has made a big difference! Just one pot of gloss round the edges away from getting the ground floor just right.
We stayed in for the evening as I just couldn’t get the enthusiasm to go to the local gay bar… there was a time when I would have been chomping at the bit to go out, but I’m really quite happy now to stay in with D and appreciate what we both have. Mushy but true.
We watched the X Factor which was quite Sh*te to be fair. It was definitely car-crash telly and I honestly can’t believe that out of all the hundreds of thousands of entrants, the twelve finalists were the best. Oh well.
The epiphany moment came when we watched Strictly Come Dancing. I turned to D and said that I thought that Willie Thorne’s moustache was cool and agreed that his partner’s dress was lovely. HOW GAY ARE WE?
Thankfully, very!
I’ve just downloaded Leona Lewis’s new single from iTunes. She has such an amazing voice!
It’s getting chillier and I am all about ready to put the winter duvet on, flick the thermostat and hibernate with a good book!
Maybe that’s a bit extreme? Answers on a postcard please.
I know I’ve recently been on holiday, but I am bored with the work thing and feel like I need to escape from the hum-drum of my 9-5 (actually, it’s a 7:15 to 5 with Wednesdays off thing, but that’s not the point!).
I hear it’s getting warmer in Australia right now… Okay, that might not be a practical escape route and before I get too carried away, I only have 1 hour 45 minutes holiday time till Christmas Eve. That is, unless I work overtime for time in lieu. Is that a double edged sword or what?
Do I sound needy?
My plea to the world is stop complaining about everything if it just doesn’t go your way. Think of the poor complaint handlers, who incidentally also have lives, feelings and mortgages to pay. They need love too. Be nice and try smiling; let someone push in front of you in a queue and watch them… they may even say thank you. Now that’s a good idea for a telethon! “Save the Complaint Handler”. As they say, “sorry seems to be the hardest word”, unless like me you are paid to say it about 30 times a day.
‘Sorry’ for the rant… (now that’s funny and it brings the count to 31!)
With love, a complaint handler with a life
Meanwhile, I can’t wait for the Doctor Who Special at Christmas, for Pam Anne’s live DVD to be released and for Kath and Kim season 4 to be shipped from Oz. All of which will be squeeezed into Apple TV at the earliest opportunity. That reminds me, have you seen the new iPod touch? It’s very lickable!
Blimey!, since I last Blogged, we’ve changed Prime Minister and Dr Who has ended. The UK got flooded and we had hail storms in July and it’s illegal to smoke in a UK pub. All very odd huh? See what happens in such a short space of time? Phew.
I am missing Dr Who and thought that this series was fab. Here come the drums! Thinking about it, I hear drums too – just kidding, it must just be the beat of the corporate banking system or my shackles under my desk at work; or both.
Isn’t it cool that finally, a mainstream BBC production with a younger demographic can show that being gay is a normal thing and NOT something bad that you should be ashamed of. Wow – got a bit deep there. Let’s take it up a couple of clicks and get back to pop culture *lite*, but before we do, check out Mark Simpson’s Blog. That man’s writings saved my dissertation and gave me a clearer view of my world way back when…
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We’re getting ready to fly off to Mykonos soon. I can’t wait to escape the humdrum of the UK and work for a while and beach myself by the side of the pool. My plans for this weekend involve an Internet shop for some reading fodder and, I’m quite excited to read the new Armistead Maupin which is hiding upstairs at the minute.
Tempting I know, but I will be strong. I don’t think I’ve been this excited to read a novel since I began reading the Tales of The City series when I was a student. Student life – Now that’s a whole other chapter. Maybe one day, I will write down some of my most favourite episodes of being at art college in the early 90s. Maybe.
It’s Kerry’s wedding day! I’ve even trimmed my beard and have got cards and pressie all sorted.
It has been raining non-stop over the last few days… Fingers crossed that it holds out for the photos!
Yesterday, my friend Rich left our team at work to move to London with his girlfriend. It was a very sad day and I will miss him very much. I suppose that it just means I’ll have to spend more time on e-mail! Fab.
“Quickie update…”
Kerry and John’s wedding was a fabulous success and they both looked amazing! We had a great time and it was lovely to catch up with Caroline too.
How exciting is that?! What am I going to wear? Oh well, I have until next year to decide but for me that doesn’t leave much time…
It was lovely to hear how excited she was. She plans to say her vows with Chris in an historic windmill on the north Norfolk coast in Cley-Next-The-Sea. For all you non-Norfolks out there, that’s pronounced “Cl-eye” Very romantic!
Meanwhile, mum is currently on her holiday with her friend Sue. Last year they basked themselves in Corfu… this year they are staying in Babbacombe, near Torquay. First reports back from Devon were good, although mum has said that she is the youngest person on the bus trip. Mmm. I guess she’ll be flying somewhere sunny next year then!
TV, drizzled with sweet but sharp apple technology and encased in a delicate white coloured box. It’s not just any TV, it’s crisp pictures with flowing streams of High Definition images and music from my PC.
I’m so excited! My WiFi world has gone MAX – We now have AppleTV and said goodbye to Sony and all it’s SonicStage badness. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the Purple Thing Of Beauty, it’s just that it never worked the way it should and it consumed about 2 years of my life, trying to upload and manage the CD collection.
Welcome iTunes, Nano and AppleTV!
The AppleTV seemed not to work properly the day we bought it, as the link to the PC was very flaky – after a stressful couple of days, taking the computer back to factory settings and changing firewall brands, all that was needed was to upgrade the router firmware. Simple eh?
The AppleTV streams uploaded DVDs from the hard drive straight to the telly and all the CDs are now unlocked in iTunes styley loveliness on screen.
Meanwhile, I met with my friend Kez this week for a mid-week, school night drink. It was cool to see her again (the last time was September) and we caught up with all her wedding plans. Fab – and I still made it in for work at 7:15 as planned the next day thanks to the wonders of water and Nurofen for breakfast – Yummy!
After the last few days of rain, the garden seems a lot healthier. All the plants are big and leafy and it has washed away that dusty layer that April laid. The Triffid now looks as though it’ll soon be walking on its own, but the chillies seemed to have gone into suspended animation somehow – guess we’ll have to wait for some hotter weather for them. We’ve also bought some rock speakers so we can listen to music outside and since they’ve been installed, the rain hasn’t stopped.
I saw my friend Gem during the week. Gem’s looking to buy a house nearby and was quite excited. We had a really lovely night out just chatting and catching up and after looking at my art pages online, has said that she really wants one of my paintings. Cool!
Meanwhile… to ease the Dr Who drought, Sandra sent me a Tardis on Saturday. It’s a little model that makes the dematerialising sound and flashes its blue light whenever your mobile gets a call or text. I love it! It made up for the Eurovision Song Contest and the farce that it was this year. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really like Scooch, but I do feel sorry for them a little… maybe the whole thing should be renamed the East European Song contest judging by the way the voting went. Even Poland didn’t give us douze points.
I popped over to see mum on Sunday and undid a few jars of pickles for her as she was going mad by not having any grip in her hand to do it herself. It looks like the healing process is taking a little longer than we’d all hoped and I can see that she’s going a little stir crazy. Still, to occupy herself, she went on a mission to find an old photograph of Norwich for us to add to our collection. It’s a picture of Bonds department store, before it became a massive grey concrete building and it’s fab.
Our trip down to the Big Smoke was fantastic. We stayed in the hotel that had the unfortunate radiation problem a while back… Don’t worry though, Brian Turner and his restaurant are still there and as far as I could tell, he still had all his teeth and hair (not counting any acrylic or ceramic add-ons which obviously would last longer than a nuclear winter anyway!)
We spent some of our evenings in Soho and The Kings Arms on Poland Street (Without realising, we appear in a picture on their website!) – which was cool and we even bumped into our friend Christian on the Friday night. We decided not to spend Saturday night / Sunday morning clubbing at XXL and instead we stayed at the pub till late.
During the days, we also managed to go shopping, eat out and squeeze in a bit of culture with a non-stop marathon of the Kensington Museums – The V&A, Science Museum and Natural History Museum. This meant that in the space of a few hours, we’d seen the Kylie exhibition, browsed through science exhibits and walked with dinosaurs. Not your typical weekend and that made it brilliant!
I finished work on Tuesday afternoon ready for our break to London over the weekend. We went to see the touring Nabakov production of Terre Haute at the Playhouse and I must say, it was a really amazing production.
We stayed on for a beer afterwards – well, it would have seemed rude not to! Matty was there and it was fab to catch up with him again, so after a couple of pints and after we’d set the world to rights, we headed home.
Also, Mikey sent us an e-mail to let us know what’s been going on on his side of the planet. He’s been poorly, but got a promotion whilst in his sick bed! Cool eh? Hope you’re feeling better soon mate – Have a nice time in Melbourne!
Talking of e-mails, after we saw Pam Ann on Friday, I signed up to her ‘up and coming dates’ e-mail. I just jotted a few notes to say her show was great and to my surprise, she wrote back to say that she’d had a blast in Norwich! I love it when people are nice
I know it sounds odd, however, Gomez and Mortitia may have lost a pet…
The blackbird in the trees behind the garden is singing the theme tune to The Addams Family. We’ve tried humming it back to it, the bird stops and then finishes off with the chorus!
Then again, it did get a little confused with the telephone ringing and the fire engine siren knocked it for six too.
Pam Ann rules the sky! Hot Coffeeeeeeeeee – oops?!
Last night we boarded flight 269 non-stop to Paradise from the Playhouse and joined Pam in Business Class. I laughed so much, I thought my face had frozen and fallen off. This was THE most funniest show I have ever seen and I just loved every second! It was such a great night and I really didn’t want it to end.
Pam’s website is here, but just go and see her! Fly Pam! In the meantime, here are some clips I found on YouTube.
Sunday – the day was warm and there was a tension in the air.
FATHER CHRISTMAS and a telephoto lens is not the image I want to remember; but there he was, standing outside my house, twisting the lens to focus on my kitchen window.
Nightmare or stalker? You decide…
I give you the facts. He was portly, had a white beard and thinning hair – the baseball cap was a disguise, but let’s face it Raymond Briggs has already done that one.
He had a white t-shirt, stretched over his beer belly, a black rucksack and red jogging bottoms.
The naughty and nice thing is getting a little extreme!
Later, as I walked into town, there he was again – just up an alley, twisting the lens and focusing in on me. Am I mad?
Or, is he just photographing the streets of Norwich and ‘into’ local history and aperture settings?
Mum’s back home after her 10 day break with Sandra. Here’s the gruesome picture of her stitches, following the carpal tunnel surgery… Is it any wonder that you need six weeks off work to fully recover?!
I’ve just bought a new camera! This has taken hundreds of web hours and finally I found something small and shiny. Goodbye Sony – I loved you and if it hadn’t been for that dust spot, who knows, I may never have looked at you as being slightly heavier than you should be and a little plasticky(?) around the edges.
Meanwhile the barbecue’s been on overdrive and I’ve got a little pinker in the cheeks – Hoping, however that it will go a more healthy brown. I’m a bit sick of being nearly translucent after skipping the sunshine holiday last year.
Okay, so it is Easter Weekend, nevertheless, I can’t remember having so many hangovers in a row. Cool.
I watched ‘Snakes on a Plane’ last night. What a load of old S**t! Never mind.
The tomatoes have had a bit of a culture shock and are now ‘living’ – I use that term loosely, outside in the courtyard. I’ve already moved them around three times today to keep them in the sun. Fingers crossed that they don’t decide to commit hara-kiri in sympathy of the now recently deceased rocket seeds.
I also just found another cool radio station on the internet radio player. Lynx FM 80’s Retro – Nearly as good as Lynx FM 70’s Disco – Check ‘em out here.
I received the comments back from my OCA tutor this week – It was very complimentary to my style and drawing techniques and recommends I continue my study to the next level to get the relevant OU points and ultimately a degree. That made me think about how I was treated at Uni all those years ago and I can’t help but assume that maybe I just chose the wrong college to go to. Let’s face it, the rush to find a course seemed far more important than finding the right course at that time.
This weekend, I aim to start the final section of my current course and to get ahead of my deadline.
I also need a new camera. The one I have is a Sony creation and, despite that, seemed to be fantastic at first. Now, after two years of relatively minimal use it has developed a dust particle inside the camera itself and after some Google-ing, I found that the problem can be rectified for about £140 and 4 months wait. I don’t think so somehow! Time to go shopping
Meanwhile, back in Sony’s world – aka our study, the computer has decided to draw a pension. Poor thing, though it is very old in computer years… or four to you and me. Mmmm.
And, the tomatoes and chili plants are ready to transplant.
Please, however, take a moment to reflect, maybe bow your head etc., in honour of the now departed rocket seedlings. I think my green fingers were faulty as after setting out the sprouts, they have decided to leave this Earth for rocket heaven. We will miss you and remember happier times. To that end, here is a picture when they were merely care-free sprouts and would even have made Ms Gillian McKeith lick her lips.
Bearing in mind that miracles can happen (especially at Easter) we’ll leave them in the garden and pray for a Resurrection…
The last week has been a blur in slow motion. I’ve still been feeling a bit tonsil heavy and though it’s getting better, it is lingering.
The Russian Big Ballet last Saturday was really very good. It started with a semi-serious half an hour of large ladies performing – well, ballet really (surprise!). Then there was an early interval of 25 minutes. That gave us time for a quick drink at the bar and chat with our friend Matty.
The last portion of the show was very funny. It did lack ballet, but the comedy, dance and overall grace made it a good show to watch. Did I mention that there were also a handful of very toned male dancers too? Mmm, something for everyone I guess. Unfortunately, I think I pulled the woman sitting next to me. She was very intense and laughed at all the wrong bits. Let’s face it – she was the one with all the wrong bits! Bless…
We then stayed at the Playhouse bar for a few after show drinks, met up with Matty and his friend Jill and ended up at ours, drinking till the very small hours. Jill was very funny and had a very nice hat. Jill, you left your hat here, but I can easily send it on to you. Just log on to EBay and type in reference, 18637624… just kidding!
Sunday was obviously slower than I’d hoped and even though we had forwarded through time by an extra hour, I still managed to see my mum for a couple of hours, watch Countryfile and have a hair of the dog for good measure. That reminds me, Dr Who Season 3 is on tomorrow. NICE, but I’m running a book as to whether Sky plus will crash – any advances on ‘yes’?
I’ve also been working flat out on my OCA art projectand you can see some of the masterpieces I created (lol!) here. Can you tell what it is yet?
No, neither can I, but it will keep my lovely tutor Suzan happy for another month.
Dunwich was fantastic. We spent a week having relaxed days and just chilled out by the Suffolk coastline. The picture to the right is how the house used to look back in the late 1800s early 1900s. Since that time, it has been divided into separate detached houses.
Needless to say, coming back was a bit of a culture shock and has had it’s effect on the state of my tonsils. I guess that my job is stressful inherently, being a complaint handler, but with the continuing overtones of a multi national bank controlling my every move, after two days of being back in the seat, I fell ill with a bout of tonsillitis. I went back to work for fear of the corporate powers sacking me, but I have to say, the throat isn’t better yet and I’m feeling sluggish at best.
Back in the real world, we’re off to see The Big Ballet at the Playhouse tonight and really looking forward to it. Our mate James gave us the tickets as he’s planned a holiday at the last minute to Thailand. Cheers James!
Last weekend (as the tonsils grew larger) my sister came down from Yorkshire to celebrate mother’s day. Mum was really happy to see us all together and we took her for an early evening meal which went down very well!
Tomorrow, we’re off to Dunwich for a few days… just think, no Internet, mobile phone, e-mail, work, just open countryside and the sea to look at. Need I go on?
I’ve been looking forward to this for ages as work has got a little extreme recently and the break will be well deserved. I plan to finish my latest art project and just relax away from the daily grind.
In the meantime, I’ve got plans to take some photos of Norwich when I get back. The Plunkett’s website (see link to the right) has inspired me to show the world how Norwich has changed. That means both the good and the bad.
I also saw my sister at the weekend. We spoke about writing THE book again. This time, maybe we’ll just do it. Hopefully, anyway!
Last night we saw the Lunar eclipse. It didn’t really look as cool as this picture I found on Flickr, but it was clear enough to see the moon change colour slightly and to be able to view the eclipse as the moon darkened.
I spent my day off rearranging music and picture files on the PC and laptop, freeing up diskspace. I watched out the window as the roofer across the way *fibbed* to their customer that he, “had to make a decision to buy the extra insulation as I couldn’t call you – I left my mobile at home.” I had already seen him make two calls earlier… Mmmm.
I also saw the man from the fish shop *fib* that only he was allowed to use the parking space for flat two and seemed quite possesive about his ‘legitimate’ parking space. Funny though, I don’t remember him actually living here.
Then, late this afternoon, someone left the house (of lesbian ladies) next door. She stopped in the courtyard and, to be fair, didn’t see me at first. Someone else though, standing at their door was whispering something to her – she couldn’t hear at first, then smiled and wiggled down the path. When she stopped to try to hear what what else was said, she smiled again and pulled her jeans down to show her bare bum!
Okay, that would be fine on Jeremy Kyle or Men & Motors…
But she was outside my house. I laughed, she looked up – got a little shy, and ran off down the street!
Yesterday, there was a fire next to Anglia Square which has closed the cheapo 99p store. When I drove around the corner on my way home from work, the street was blocked (town side) with at least 3 fire engines and the stench of smoke was vile. Luckily, (?) the whole building didn’t burn down, however, if it shifts new business into the area, that surely can’t be a bad thing.
I don’t think that anyone was hurt thankfully, but the coverage on the local news was pretty poor! Magdalen Street is surely one of the most important streets in historic Norwich and it’s a shame that concern seems minimal. I think that it is about time that the council, with the help and support of the residents actually try to make the place better and match the large investment towards the city end of the street.
Surely then, the risks of alleged arson may be minimised and the street a much safer place to be.
Let’s start a campaign – ban the buses, pedestrianise the most of the road and get a cafe culture down here. Oh well, it’s a thought – but just think what happened after the library burnt to the ground (bearing in mind it was opposite the fire station), we now have a beautiful, busy and functional place for everyone to enjoy at The Forum.
Just a thought anyway! In the meantime, look at what it all used to look like here.
The theatre was packed and the performance was absolutley amazing – I was completely blown away by the sheer brilliance of the actors and professionalism of the whole show.
This was one of the best nights I’ve had for ages!
Here’s something I found on the Internet. It’s a stark reminder that the workplace can be like a playground. Don’t forget kids… telling tales is not a quality that you can put on your C.V.!
When you take a long time, you’re slow. When your colleague takes a long time, they are being thorough.
When you don’t do it, you’re lazy. When your colleague doesn’t do it, they are too busy.
When you make a mistake, you’re an idiot. When your colleague makes a mistake, they are only human.
When doing something without being told, you’re overstepping your authority. When your colleague does the same thing, that’s initiative.
When you take a stand, you’re being pig-headed. When your colleague does it, they are being firm.
When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you’re being rude. When your colleague skips a few rules, they are being original.
When you please your boss, you’re arse-creeping. When your colleagues please the boss, they are being co-operative.
When you’re out of the office, you’re wandering around. When your colleague is out of the office, they are on business.
When you’re on a day off sick, you’re always sick. When your colleague has a day off sick, they must be very ill.
When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview. When your colleague applies for leave, it’s because they deserve the break.
Thanks to my friend Ian for this pic. This is me and my flatmate Jo (wearing a towel turban) playing Sonic The Hedgehog till about 3am one night at university. Check it out, I had hair in 1993!
Okay, so Christmas Day has been and gone and the presents unwrapped. We have been trapped under a sea of cables and instruction manuals. Sony, please note that English is a language and in future it would be helpful to use as less Anime approach to the written word. Just a thought.
It has been lovely to see my little sister over the holidays. I miss her so much and wish she lived a little closer. I also met with my dad for a couple of hours – it was the first meet after 3 or so years. We didn’t talk about the reason why we drifted apart and he did seem a little overwhelmed to see me. Small steps.
Today, a tramp passed by the archway at the end of the drive and threw, one by one, balls of coloured wool. I guess that it was from a shoplifting spree at the nearby sewing shop – He would have been better off going to Tesco and can’t imagine his frustration at finding wool under his coat! It now looks as though Sony Bravia has invaded the street, or maybe the Tribbles have found another way back to Earth.
I’m just taking a quick break from my Internet Christmas shopping day. So far, I have bought nothing. I have however, seen loads of things that would be great to give or receive, only I can’t quite seem to commit to my plastic flexible (huh!) friend (debatable) just yet. Maybe it’s because I got a credit card statement this morning – who knows? Okay, time for a deep breath, my coffee is brewed and I needed to look for a…, now, that would be telling wouldn’t it?
The internet is a strangley lonely place where people seem to get lost on a loop. Familiar websites become the way we search the world – just bumping into the people, or ‘profiles’ we’ve logged on to again and again.
That said, I just bumped into a profile that I really do, actually know! Not just a random pic and stat sheet, but a real live human being who I was good friends with during my time at university.
It made me feel like I hadn’t dreamt those 3 years – Let’s face it, I was mostly pickled in Old Speckled Hen at that time, but I did share a flat with a great bloke called Ian and he was the first person I came out to. Bloody Hell, I had nearly forgotten all that!
Frank was excited about his new rifle. So, he went bear hunting. He spotted a small brown bear and shot it. There was then a tap on his shoulder, and he turned round to see a big black bear.
The black bear said “You’ve got two choices. I either maul you to death or we get it on right here, right now.”
Frank decided to bend over. Even though he felt sore for two weeks, Frank soon recovered and vowed revenge. He headed out on another trip where he found the black bear and shot it. There was another tap on his shoulder. This time a huge grizzly bear stood right next to him.
The grizzly said “That was a huge mistake, Frank. You’ve got two choices. Either I maul you to death or we’ll have rough sex.”
Again, Frank thought it was better to comply. Although he survived, it would take several months before Frank finally recovered.
Outraged he headed back to the woods, managed to track down the grizzly and shot it. He felt sweet revenge, but then there was a tap on his shoulder.
He turned round to find a giant polar bear standing there. The polar bear said “Admit it, Frank, you don’t come here for the hunting, do you?”
This week on The Gadget Show, Jason explored a pilot scheme which supplies the city of Norwich with free WiFi internet access for its people.
A great idea, but not enough. We want to see free WiFi in every major town and city in the UK; for business, for tourism, for the future, and for anyone and everyone who relies on the internet.
Blogging is supposed to be idiot-proof… but obviously not Darren-proof!
Okay, so I linked some pictures, babbled on about some things that popped into my head and had URLs skillfully positioned and waiting for you to click to. I even bothered to let my friends know that I had become digitised on the web.
I need to tell you that the coffee from the machine at work is really bad. Okay, I get that fact that it’s free, but so is dog sh*t and you don’t see people chewing into that do you?
We’re told not to complain because it’s free, but come on, black filter coffee shouldn’t have a ‘crema layer’ that doesn’t go away, ever!
I have tried the decaf version in the hope that it would taste like proper coffee and I have to say that the foam seems to dissolve after about 15 minutes. The trouble is, it just tastes like earthy celery soup. Strangely, the only soup in the machine is tomato.
Going to cheer things up tomorrow and bring in some old 80’s tunes to bop to while we work on people’s complaints. As well as that, I thought that I’d add culture with some Dionne Warwick and be really cool by listening to my friends’ band Bearsuit too.
I might chance it and go to the library… I might do some drawing later… I could go get a new blank canvas to play with…
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