I put my good old Claude Butler push bike on Freecycle and within a few hours I had had 5 offers to take it off my hands!
I will be sad to see my old bike go. I've had it since I was about 15. It was a reward for doing well in my Standard Grade exams. Either that or an admission by Mum & Dad that my old "Free Spirit" bike was a death trap.
Well the Free Spirit was a death trap due to poor design and dodgy bits (who needs two pedals?). Ol' Claude is no death trap but he has become a bit run down due to my neglect.
Of course out with the old - in with the new! Andrew recently upgraded from his Claude Butler and bought a super expensive downhill mountain bike. I did something similar and took Dad's old Peugeot bike off him, while he acquired Andrew's old bike.
Yes, the old bone-rattler (ironic name due to the spring mounted saddle) that I used to mock is now mine. Mine I tell you! MINE!
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Minibar Mistake
When I was in Vancouver I was staying in the Fairmont Vancouver for the first half of the week.
Had a look in the minibar and found it had little switches underneath all the food and drink in there. I kind of thought they would measure the presence or absence of an item. In fact I got kind of fascinated by the switches and started... playing with them. I probably pressed the whisky switch a few dozen times as well most of teh rest of them.
When we went to check-out we had pages and pages of minibar expenses. Could have been an expensive mistake, but the hotel employee agreed with my reckoning that if I had drunk as much whisky as that I would not be in a fit state to stand, let alone check out.
Had a look in the minibar and found it had little switches underneath all the food and drink in there. I kind of thought they would measure the presence or absence of an item. In fact I got kind of fascinated by the switches and started... playing with them. I probably pressed the whisky switch a few dozen times as well most of teh rest of them.
When we went to check-out we had pages and pages of minibar expenses. Could have been an expensive mistake, but the hotel employee agreed with my reckoning that if I had drunk as much whisky as that I would not be in a fit state to stand, let alone check out.
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Vancouver Crystal Meth Zombies
Last week I was on a business trip to a conference in Vancouver, Canada.
I've read quite a few times that Vancouver is one of the best places in the world to live so I was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about.
Yeah, I can see it could be a nice city, but when we got there is was really quite dirty. I had expected it to be all perfectly clean like some Scandinavian city, however, it turned out that the people who clean the streets and empty the bins were on strike. Way to go and make your city look like dump!
It rained almost all the time we were there - my best investment all week was an umbrella.
The weirdest thing about Vancouver was the level of deprivation. I never expected that there would be so many homeless people there. Loads of bedraggled looking people wandering around collecting all the cans and plastics from the bins.
Then, on the first day I had off, we took a walk to the Vancouver Police Centennial Museum. Now the museum was great and I would recommend visiting it, but I would suggest you don't take the same route as we did.
We decided to walk there along Hastings Street. What we didn't realise was that this is one of the most deprived areas in Canada, if not North America. While walking along there, we slowly realised that there were no normal people there. Everyone looked like zombies - the living dead. They had sunken faces with sallow skin. They're mouths were rotting and most of them looked disabled in some way. It was as if some hideous mutant bomb had gone off.
They are all crystal meth addicts. Dozens or hundreds of them that have been shepherded by town planners into the most squalid disgusting area you can imagine.
Since then I've become kind of fascinated by crystal meth and started reading up on it. What is most morbidly fascinating are the before and after pics of addicts. They look like they have aged about 30 years in 18 months. You would have to be absolutely insane try this stuff - its more like a slow suicide.
I also find myself feeling slightly guilty that these people are so ill and at the same time apprehensive about the though of this drug taking root in the UK. It's already here, but in other parts of the world it has ruined communities.
I hope I never have to see somewhere like that in the UK.
I've read quite a few times that Vancouver is one of the best places in the world to live so I was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about.
Yeah, I can see it could be a nice city, but when we got there is was really quite dirty. I had expected it to be all perfectly clean like some Scandinavian city, however, it turned out that the people who clean the streets and empty the bins were on strike. Way to go and make your city look like dump!
It rained almost all the time we were there - my best investment all week was an umbrella.
The weirdest thing about Vancouver was the level of deprivation. I never expected that there would be so many homeless people there. Loads of bedraggled looking people wandering around collecting all the cans and plastics from the bins.
Then, on the first day I had off, we took a walk to the Vancouver Police Centennial Museum. Now the museum was great and I would recommend visiting it, but I would suggest you don't take the same route as we did.
We decided to walk there along Hastings Street. What we didn't realise was that this is one of the most deprived areas in Canada, if not North America. While walking along there, we slowly realised that there were no normal people there. Everyone looked like zombies - the living dead. They had sunken faces with sallow skin. They're mouths were rotting and most of them looked disabled in some way. It was as if some hideous mutant bomb had gone off.
They are all crystal meth addicts. Dozens or hundreds of them that have been shepherded by town planners into the most squalid disgusting area you can imagine.
Since then I've become kind of fascinated by crystal meth and started reading up on it. What is most morbidly fascinating are the before and after pics of addicts. They look like they have aged about 30 years in 18 months. You would have to be absolutely insane try this stuff - its more like a slow suicide.
I also find myself feeling slightly guilty that these people are so ill and at the same time apprehensive about the though of this drug taking root in the UK. It's already here, but in other parts of the world it has ruined communities.
I hope I never have to see somewhere like that in the UK.
Sunday, 30 September 2007
blog fixed again
Thanks to Curtis my blog is nearly functioning properly again. However no-one will read this for a while because I am using majorgrooves.com while I wait for the settings for majorgrooves.co.uk to change.
I shall get back to blogging shortly...
I shall get back to blogging shortly...
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Blog fixed!
Yes my blog was broken. I'm not sure why. Something to do with my server being full. Man, I just blog too much. There are so many interesting things to say. Actually, I can't really be bothered posting these days. I have become an extremely lazy blogger. I do apologise.
After a while talking everyday things gets boring. I do eventually run out of things to say. I don't have anything to complain about at the moment!
I am now trying to move my blog from my own server to the blogger servers. I've made a back-up so I just hope it all goes smoothly!
After a while talking everyday things gets boring. I do eventually run out of things to say. I don't have anything to complain about at the moment!
I am now trying to move my blog from my own server to the blogger servers. I've made a back-up so I just hope it all goes smoothly!
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Wii weekend
Old mate from Dundee UNi, Neema came to visit this weekend. I hadn't seen him for years so it was a great weekend. Spent most of the weekend playing the Wii. I also found that I'm a bit rubbish at most games as Neema, who had never played before, managed to beat me on most games.
I bought Wii Play so have got quite a few more fun two-player games. Ping pong rules!
Also managed so sneak the first BBQ of the "summer" in. We really could do with a lawn mower...
I bought Wii Play so have got quite a few more fun two-player games. Ping pong rules!
Also managed so sneak the first BBQ of the "summer" in. We really could do with a lawn mower...
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Man-eating badgers
UK military spokesman Major Mike Shearer said: "We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area."
Well they would say that wouldn't they? Who's going to admit to releasing them? Typical government conspiracy!
Well they would say that wouldn't they? Who's going to admit to releasing them? Typical government conspiracy!
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Monday, 2 July 2007
The Pain
Body is aching quite a lot from this weekend's netball. My back and legs are killing, and my fingers and ankles have gone stiff. Fortunately, this does mean I can do some quite impressive knuckle and joint cracking this week.
What is much more frustrating is trying to play the guitar now that I have cut my nails. I can hardly make any sound! They'd better grow back quick...
What is much more frustrating is trying to play the guitar now that I have cut my nails. I can hardly make any sound! They'd better grow back quick...
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Netball
Today I played in an Oxfordshire mixed netball tournament with some peeps from work. The aim of the tournament is to raise money for Oxfordshire to have its own netball centre. Yes, Netball is for girls, but its a fun game. As with most sports I got off to a good start - 6 goals in the first game - then took my foot off the gas and assuming a more, ahem, defensive role.
We managed W3 L3 D1, which comfortably beats last years achievements. I am now rather tanned/pink, even though it was very cloudy. That's about as much colour as I will ever get in my cheeks. I'm also mourning the loss of my finger nails. The flamenco guitar will have to wait for a few weeks.
We managed W3 L3 D1, which comfortably beats last years achievements. I am now rather tanned/pink, even though it was very cloudy. That's about as much colour as I will ever get in my cheeks. I'm also mourning the loss of my finger nails. The flamenco guitar will have to wait for a few weeks.
Monday, 25 June 2007
Rufus Wainwright Gig @ New Theatre, Oxford
Despite feeling ill most of today, we went to see Rufus Wainwright play tonight. Was he any good? Well... I suppose. I suppose he was probably about the most talented person I have ever seen on stage. The guy is amazing. What a voice. Ok, he forgets how to sing and play his own songs, but he gets a laugh.
He is an amazing entertainer. His overt campness wasn't too off-putting. Now I have to admit I only know one Wainwright album - Poses - and on that I only really know one song off the top of my head - Cigarettes and Chocolate milk. He didn't play that one! I believe most of the songs were from his new album and they were all pretty damn good. And this is coming from someone who isn't a particular fan.
Talking of fans - the crowd was an interesting bunch. A real mix of ages, and quite a few oddities, including dumb and dumber sitting behind us (hey Beardy - you may love the sound of your own voice - but the rest of us don't and you sound nothing like Rufus so please SHUT IT - and get your harpy to pipe down too!). Whoever had the burst of Tourettes* when he was singing the song without the microphones should really have been strung up and used as target practice for Rufus' sharpened stilettos. Yes, stilettos - the "cabaret show" at the end was very entertaining. Also very entertaining was the theatre staff trying to stop everyone taking photos. Why bother?!
Now somewhere in the crowd, I could hear, but not see, my good friend Alfonso, author of the Wet, Dark and Wild blog. I suspect my old buddy will post a rather more thoughtful post about the gig. I just hope the Wet Dark and Wild blog is ready for the influx of visitors that having a link from here will create!
* no offence meant to genuine sufferers of Tourettes.
He is an amazing entertainer. His overt campness wasn't too off-putting. Now I have to admit I only know one Wainwright album - Poses - and on that I only really know one song off the top of my head - Cigarettes and Chocolate milk. He didn't play that one! I believe most of the songs were from his new album and they were all pretty damn good. And this is coming from someone who isn't a particular fan.
Talking of fans - the crowd was an interesting bunch. A real mix of ages, and quite a few oddities, including dumb and dumber sitting behind us (hey Beardy - you may love the sound of your own voice - but the rest of us don't and you sound nothing like Rufus so please SHUT IT - and get your harpy to pipe down too!). Whoever had the burst of Tourettes* when he was singing the song without the microphones should really have been strung up and used as target practice for Rufus' sharpened stilettos. Yes, stilettos - the "cabaret show" at the end was very entertaining. Also very entertaining was the theatre staff trying to stop everyone taking photos. Why bother?!
Now somewhere in the crowd, I could hear, but not see, my good friend Alfonso, author of the Wet, Dark and Wild blog. I suspect my old buddy will post a rather more thoughtful post about the gig. I just hope the Wet Dark and Wild blog is ready for the influx of visitors that having a link from here will create!
* no offence meant to genuine sufferers of Tourettes.
Matt's Stag Weekend Report
There was a stag weekend. It was in Spain. There were boats. There are no photos.
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Off to Spain!
Well, I should have been in London out on the town with Matt by now...
however, I ended up getting back to the flat late, had loads to do, so I am still here.
Plan has changed - now I will be getting the bus from Oxford to Stansted directly (rather than going via London and staying at Matt's). I say directly - I really mean it will be a rubbish 3h+ journey via every crappy place between here and Cambridge. Bus is at 1am and I will get to the airport at 4.10am. Flight is at 7.30am. Go Ryanair!
I think I will need a holiday to recover from this holiday.
Stag weekend report to follow....
however, I ended up getting back to the flat late, had loads to do, so I am still here.
Plan has changed - now I will be getting the bus from Oxford to Stansted directly (rather than going via London and staying at Matt's). I say directly - I really mean it will be a rubbish 3h+ journey via every crappy place between here and Cambridge. Bus is at 1am and I will get to the airport at 4.10am. Flight is at 7.30am. Go Ryanair!
I think I will need a holiday to recover from this holiday.
Stag weekend report to follow....
Sunday, 10 June 2007
Brighton baby!
Met up with Dave at last. He's been working round Gatwick for ages but never had the chance to meet up with him. Yesterday I went through to Guilford on the train where he picked me up in his Audi A3 company car (jealous of the company car!) and we went for a night out in Brighton.
Scary number of hen parties out in Brighton! Went to various bars and ended up in Tru. Was a hell of a funny night!
Who's your daddy?
Scary number of hen parties out in Brighton! Went to various bars and ended up in Tru. Was a hell of a funny night!
Who's your daddy?
Wii!
I bought myself a Nintendo Wii today. I've got Wii Sports and Medal of Honour. So far I've just been playing Sports. I had a quick go at Medal of Honour but it looks like it will take some getting used to.
Wendy and I have both made our Miis. We just need Dave to get his Wii online, then they can go visit each other. Or something like that... I don't really understand it yet.
Wendy and I have both made our Miis. We just need Dave to get his Wii online, then they can go visit each other. Or something like that... I don't really understand it yet.
Sunday, 3 June 2007
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