Once Upon a Time, in the Imagination of an Idiot

Lies, Damn Lies, and national Express Trains

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:52:16 +0100

Was coming back from London , and had been dropped off at the train station by Steve, when i discovered that National Express Train Services had decided to go on strike for the day. Inconsiderate bastards. Quick phone call to work and Joe came out in the company car to run me to Tottenham Hale.

Luckily I had that option, there were people there waiting for the train whose entire weekend was probably screwed because of these guys. Bastards!

Anyway, I came down with a shit viral thing, so I spent most of Saturday semi asleep on the bed. I was supposed to go to Helens wedding on Saturday evening, but I felt so crap I binned it :( Luckily, by Sunday morning, I felt heaps better. I went shopping to Manchester and bought Lord of the Rings on DVD (reduced from £50 to £10) and bought Noby some cat food. Then I called at the nice little beer stall in the ARndale Market where I had 2 or 3 pints and a chat with a couple of the locals. Then it was off to the house , only to discover that Nobby still hadn’t arrived home. He had been missing for 24 hours. By 11 pm I was getting quite worried, and no amount of whistling was working. I headed off to bed, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, sure enough, there was a miaooow at the back door and muggins had to get up and go and let the little bastard in.

Now I am wide awake and its nearly 2 am. Bugger.

Am off to London tomorro, Banbury Tuesday, London Wed & Thursday and Oldham on Friday. Ho hum lol

Responding to the bleeping in my head!

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:37:27 +0100

Current Music = Mr Brightside y The Killers

I just burnt all my hand. Bugger it. I put a pan in th oven with some chicken in it, then went to the shop for something I forgot yesterday, the came back and took out the cooked chicken. Obviously I used oven gloves, which I then put down, did something else, then moved the pan. Ouch…Ouch…shit..ouch. Hand has been under the tap for 10 minutes and hopefully it won’t blister. Silly bugger!

It has been a fun week working down at hddesdon. I knew that there was going to be a tube strike on wednesday & Thursday, but according to the notices it ended Thursday night at 6.58. However, even though I left work late on Thursday by the time I got to Tottenham Hale it was obvious that th station was not going to open until Friday morning. I got back on a train and headed to liverpool Street. From there I plodded outside and found a bus that would take me to Euston. 90 minutes from Liverpool Street to Euston, cramed onto a bus with about 50 people stood up around you does not put you in the best of moods. However, once it was done it was done. i got on the train and started chatting to a nice lady who worked for Sainsburys. She had been filming an advert with Jamie Oliver about educating kids via Sainsburys food program. So, when the advert comes on in a few weeks time , the blonde lady is called Zoe ..lol

Current Music = Good Times Bad Times by Led Zepellin

I got back to Royton on Friday and spent most of the day minding the office as everyone was in meetings. Oh well, better than being sat there bored. Next wek am off on Thursday & Friday. Friday I am heading to Birmingham for Emmas birthday. Still need to find a fancy dress outfit as Emma says the vicar with a choirboy strapped to his groin is probably a bit too uch. I would have though most people would have laughed. Then again, knowing my luck I would come across some vicar who has been arrested for it..lol

Current Music = Tempted by Squeeze.

I have spent all weekend dozing. Its a weekend where I dont have anything planned, so, as usual, my body just thinks “if you not doing anything then you can collapse”, so thats what it did. I only got up to feed the cat and to make some food. Normally I wake up at 5 am and goto bed around 11, so the od weekend doing bugger all won’t do me any harm.

Current Music = Friends & Lovers by Bread.

Eery time I walk into work recently it costs me a fortune. There was a fiver for the car wash (i dont even have a bloody car) there was money for this raffle an that raffle, sponsoring the DGM from Royton to throw himself out of a plane , and 2 of the girls in the office are doing some fun run. Its getting to the stage where I can’t afford to walk into the damn office.

Bugger Bank Holidays

Wed, 06 May 2009 06:07:10 +0100

Current Music = Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

Well, Bank Holiday travel in the UK lives up to it’s high reputation. In order to get to London Euston (major town in UK) from Manchester (major town in UK) I have to either travel via Rugby (not major town in UK) or travel upto York (used to be a major town in UK, now not much more than a tourist attraction) and catch a train from there?

Now, maybe it’s me getting confused, but why?

I took the Rugby option, mainly because I object to going North before I go South. I then have 5 minutes to wait before I catch a train to Euston. Then I have to figure out of the tubes are working and then I have to see if there is a train from Tottenham Hale – Rye House…THEN I have to start work. All this has been going on since 8 am. I estimate I will arrive at work around 3 pm.

Christ, no wonder this country is the laughing stock of the entire planet as far as infrastructure is concerned. I would have been better off going into Royton and getting on the trunk to Banbury, then getting on the trunk from Banbury to Hoddesdon. Maybe next Bank Holiday that is the best way to do it??

Current Music = People Help the People by Cherryghost

Saturday is Martin & Julias wedding. I should really spend some time writing my best mans speech. Can’t be too near the knuckle, too boring will be bad, too sex orientated will get me killed by Julia, too game related will get me killed by Julia, oh well, looks like I may be dead come Saturday. Actually it will be fine, as I am only writing this because Wallace will probably read it.

Current Music = Sweet Home Chicago by The Blues Brothers

The ticket inspector has just comeround on the train…again. That’s the third time my ticket has been checke since I bought it. There were 6 people waiting on the platform at Manchester, another one on the train round Stoke, another one on the train now, there will be one on the Rugby train, then the one to let me get on the tube, then the one on the train to rye house. Maybe I should offer the guy who picks me up from Hoddesdon the chance to check my ticket as well??

Current Music = Rotterdam or Anywhere by The Beautiful South

I left my book in the cab. Oh well, it was afterdinner stories by sportsmen, hopefully whoever picks it up enjoys it. It was only 99p from a remaindered bookshop. Least it wasn’t a leather bound edition of Lord of the Rings. (which I DO own, and which cost me more than a weeks wages 20 years ago)

We are heading towards Lichfield. I haven’t been there in 6 months  There is a massive powerstation that you pass as you get to Rugeley. It’s surrounded by a gold course, which is flooded half the time. Obviously a flooded gold course should , in theory, put off the golfers, but no, you see them hitting balls, aiming for the high ground???

Im a Rock

Fri, 01 May 2009 15:23:25 +0100

Current Music = You Take me Up by The Thompson Twins

Am on train back to Manchester having received a summons from the boss along the lines of “you WILL be back in Manchester by 5pm in order to come out on the piss with the team” FAR be it from ME to ignore an order from the boss . I am back down next week but only Monday – Thursday as Martin & Julia get married on Saturday, and Friday we are going to busy. Hopefully the weather will be as nice as it has been this week,

Current Tune = Sister of Mercy by The Thompson Twins

We went out into Ware on Wednesday night. Was good fun. I am currently staying at The Feathers which is out the back of Ware, nice pub, real ale, bedrooms in a old stables, food supplied by 3663 so it must be ok . Will spend next week running to stay still though as I left early today, and I am only in 4 days. The week after will be busy too as we will be interviewing.

More re the Nobby missing episode. Apparently he had been around as the other neighbour saw him. He was probably just confused as to why he was outside. Obviously the neighbour had shut the cat flap for the one day, so Nobs couldn’t even get in that way. I think I will look into getting him one of the electronic tags so he can come and go as he pleases. He’s intelligent enough to know how to change the battery.

Current Music = I am the Resurrection by The Stone Roses

Apparently we are off out into Royton. Dunno where exactly, The Bluebell, Pinchito’s, The Marsdens probably. Not that we will end up ANYWHERE near a real ale pub, oh no, not a chance. ….

Current Music = Spirit of Radio by Rush

We are just pulling into Stoke on Trent. Dunno why, but just about every train journey I seem to take ends up at Stoke at some point. I can see me being sent to Scotland, and somehow Virgin manage to plan a route via Stoke??? Not very likely, but then again, neither was the fact that the train manager just came round and offered every woman on the train a free upgrade to 1st class. Now how fair is THAT??? Not that I would have wanted one, first class is now full of pissed up girlies heading for hen nights in Manchester. I would rather wipe my arse with a handful of scorpions than spend 2 hours in a carriage with that. Screaming, giggling, champagne being spilt etc

Current Music = Freewill by Rush

Some bad news this week. Colin, who was on the boat trip with us, and who sprained his leg after falling over on the towpath, has ended up in hospital with Compartment Syndrome, which sounds really nasty after going and looking it up  . get well soon Col.

Phew......

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:47:37 +0100

Current Music = The Dubliners - Dirty Old Town

Last Sunday, when I got back from Baycon, I discovered that somebody had broken in. I wasn’t too bothered (all they stole was the Wii) but I was more worried about Nobby, who had obviously been frightened and had disappeared. The problem was making the house secure and finding the cat.

I spent most of the night awake with the door open in the hope that Nobs would come back, but he didn’t. I secured the door, and had to goto London on Monday morning. I had left instructions for the next door neighbour to “keep an eye open”.

When I got back on friday night Nobby was still missing, and I had given up hope. Then, at 7.30 on Saturday Morning I thought I heard a Miaaaoooww. I whistled, and running round the corner came the damn cat!!

I have never been so relieved!

He has lost lots of body weight, but has just eaten 3 packs of food, and is now asleep on the bed like nothing happened. I am now feeling heaps better.

Yes or No

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:46:07 +0100

You are supposed to copy and paste this into a new note in your notes, delete my answers and type in your answers. Then see what happens.

1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and Asks!

Kissed any one of your facebook friends? Yes

Been arrested? Yes

Kissed someone you didn’t like? No

Slept in until 5 PM? Yes

Fallen asleep at work/school? No

Held a snake? Yes

Ran a red light? No

Been suspended from school? No

Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? No

Been fired from a job? No

Sang karaoke? No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes

Kissed in the rain? Yes

Sang in the shower? Yes

Sat on a rooftop? Yes

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? No

Broken a bone? No

Shaved your head? No

Blacked out from drinking? Yes

Played a prank on someone? Yes

Felt like killing someone? Yes

Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? Yes

Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? No

Been in a band? Yes

Shot a gun? Yes

Tripped on mushrooms? No

Donated Blood? Yes

Eaten alligator meat? No

Eaten cheesecake? Yes

Still love someone you shouldn’t? Yes

Think about the future? Yes

Believe in love? No

Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes

Eight go Mad on a Barge Trip part II

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:38:31 +0100

Saturday Night.

After leaveing Chirk around 5 on the Saturday afternoon, we decided on a fairly easy first evening with us heading off towards Llandudno, but planning on mooring at The Sun Trevor (a pub) and eating there. We were fine until we got to Trevor Basin itself , where there was a stunningly difficult 90 degree turn which is not the easiest thing to do in a 70 foot narrowboat, however, after a bit of oohing and aahing we managed to turn it left and get it straightened up. Then we were off. I always imagined canals to be about 3 canal boats wide, well not on the Llangollen. there were numerous places where only one boat could travel along at a time, which were also incrediblt windy. Not the easiest first day in anyones book.

Anyway, we stopped at the pub, ate some very nice food, and stumbled down the p
towpath to the boat. Now, given the fact that there were 3 couples and Colin and Me, the 2 bunks that they give for singles are not exactly wide. i spent Monday night dreaming I was sleeping on the edge of a cravasse.

Sunday:

We arrived in Llangollen around 11.30 and went to the tourist infomation place. We bought maps, books etc. After splitting up, well Colin and I split up, the rest went into a bookshop, I todled around Llangollen taking pictures and buying T Shirts, Cheese, fruit etc etc.

After getting back to the boat, we headed out of llangollen and back across the fantastic aquaduct, where we pulled into the moorings and headed off to The Aquaduct inn. We had been told at the boatyard that the aquaduct was under new ownership and that things had been improving, so we went along and had quite a nice meal.

Monday:

Headed from The Aqueduct and back past Chrick boatyard, we travelled most of the day and arrived in Ellesmere, which meant we were just in time for a couple of beers in the real ale pub, before heading next door to the Black Lion for food. As you can see, life on the water consists mainly of travelling from one pub to another, drinking loads, and eating nice pub food. Oh well, shame.

Tuesday: Deathmarch day.

We left Ellesmere around 11 and set off on what was to be the grusome part of the trip. We had been told at the boathouse that the usual stopping pub had burnt down and there was nowhere to stop for 6 hours. Turns out that the boatman knows what he was talking about when, after a bit of a hard day, we pulled into Whitchurch. A bit of a trek later and we arrived at the first pub, The Greyhound. I had misgivings as soon as I saw the sign as it was a Pubmaster pub. We stayed for one, and thats my only comment. Afte that we went for a bit of a walk. The black and white pub at the top of the hill had an interesting menu, but nothing was veggie, so we continued down. Came across another Pubmaster pub, a shut pub and finall stumbled acros The Old Town Hall Vaults, which, as well as being the birthplace of Edward german (cmposer) , had a ghost, had quite ok food, it ALSO had a big selection of real ales. Phew…>Everybody happy.

Alas, as I had taken the laptop to chrge it I decided to cll a cab to get back to the boat. Colin now wishes he had come in the cab also, as he fell over on the tow path on the way back to the boat, and ended up at hospital this morning for a couple of hours. Luckily the diagnosis is a sprain rather than a break, but it could have been worse.

Anyway, more tomorrow :)

8 Go Mad in LLangollen.

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:03:20 +0100

Day One.

Music = The Town I Loved so Well by The Dubliners
Weather = Sunny

Day one. It’s 8.57 and I am still in bed. Yesterday was supposed to be the first day of my holiday, but I had to go into work for a meeting. However, after getting to work the meeting was cancelled, so I did my expenses and called it quits.

I headed off to Manchester after deciding to spend the rest of the day at The Castle on Oldham St. Alas, The Castle had been open the night before, but had decided that drinking during the day was bad for you and so wasn’t opening until 6 pm. Oh well, thats X number of zlotys that they won’t be getting from my pocket.

Plan for day 1 is to meet at Joobys and the Man with no Name, meet up with Colin and drive to Chirk. From there we will collect our sturdy boaty thing and set off for a week exploring the Llangollen Canal. Hopefully with much beer, food, games and entertaining arguing as we can manage.

Pictures to follow….no doubt

More to follow.

Jim Carey was RIGHT!

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:51:51 +0000

Current Music = Shine on you Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd

When I first saw “The Truman Show” with Jim Carey I preicted that it was a defining moment in cinema.

A film parody of a tv programme in which cameras followed a person as they went through life. Pathetic idea, would never catch on.

Well it did, alas.

We now live in a world where entertainment is watching someone else suffer. Cameras probe every moment, from the birth of a child to the end of someones life. Watching people go into accident and emergency wards with a leg missing, watching someone stay in a house that doesn’t really exists in order to beat 12 other people to some prize, watching someone who is terminal ,head off to Switzerland, in order to end their life. All of this and much much worse has now come to the tv as an entertainment programme??

Apparently someone who embraced this form of entertainment died last night. Its a shame, but the last thing that should have happened was that she should be doing it in the glare of publicity. She wasn’t famous for anything other than not being famous???

boo!

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:59:21 +0000

One upon a time in the Imagination of an Idiot

Current Music = Look Out Sunshine by The Fratellis

What a nice day. A bit on the chilly side, but sunny. Am on way down to Banbury to work Mon & Tues, AND (added bonus) managed to find a table seat on the Bournemouth train. Now most people will tell you that un-reserved seats on the Bournemouth train just don’t happen. The train gets VERY busy. However, for some reason, one of the carriages was totally un-reserved. Ahhh, relax. Breathe.

Current Music = Stragglers Moon by The Fratellis

One of the girls at work has just become an agent for Ann Summers. She was asking me quiz questions that they would run on the Saturday night. Needless to say they were rude if you thought of them in the wrong way. Anyway, we got chatting about the parties and she imparted a piece of wisdom that I had never heard before. Apparently ladies, if you go to one of these parties you should touch the tip of your nose with the sex toys. If t makes you sneeze then apparently THAT’S the one for you!!! My suggestion that I could make a fortune with a crate of black pepper grinders was dismissed with contempt. Mine you, it WOULD explain lots of things about waiters and Italian restaurants….oh and maybe the shape of the pepper grinders.

Current Music – Acid Jazz Singer by The Fratellis

I didn’t want to get up this morning. 3 days off had left me feeling dozy. Blimey, 2 weeks and I would probably never move. How the hell anyone can sit by a pool for 2 weeks is beyond me. I was climbing the walls after a day and a half. Oh well, diversity is a good thing. It would be no god if everyone hated holidays, after all, all the holiday companies would go out of business. There would be a decline in cultural exchange. Governments would distrust each other, and that would lead to more wars. Oh no, I’m responsible for wars throughout the world!!!

Current Music = Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N Roses

We just passed Alderley Edge, and on a morning like today it looks superb. No need for myths about King Arthur, just a nice place to wake up. Actually, one of the places in the second book (Elidor) was a church I used to walk past everyday on the way to school. On Oldham Road, near the Copenhagen Pub (well, what WAS the Copenhagen Pub) there was a huge church. Totally out of character with the rest of the area. Everywhere else was small terraced streets, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, was this HUGE gothic type church. Obviously when Manchester was expanding in the early 19th Century, someone said “I know lets build a massive church for all these poor mill workers who don’t have 2 farthings to rub together” and someone in the hierarchy of the church was game for a laugh and said “ok then”.

When you walk around the area of Manchester that I live in, you can see that once upon a time it was a huge industrial area. There was Mather & Platt, massive pump works. There was the CIS Wholesale warehouse, which was once an AVRO factory, and before that it was the factory where Mr Rolls & Mr Royce decided that the car industry was where it was at. You can still see the name on one of the chimneys. Alas, well alas for the area, Mr Rolls & Mr Royce decided that the car making industry would be much better suited to some big factory in Derby rather than a small road in Newton Heath and buggered off. Well, not totally, there is still a Rolls Royce engine plant just up the road. Least I think it’s an engine plant. Given that one of there factories a few years ago was discovered to be dealing in nuclear material, and one of the workers was carrying the stuff around in a bucket, it may explain the look of a few folk from Openshaw.

Current Music = Live & Let Die by Guns N Roses

I was discussing, with my taxi driver, €the proposed increase in alcohol prices. Obviously the Government has run away from that one like a scared puppydog, but would it actually be such a bad thing? Firstly, if you drink in pubs it will make sod all difference, as the price of beer in the pubs is obviously more than 50p a point. Pint = £3.00 points = 2. So, anyone who drinks beer in proper places shouldn’t have a problem, and to be honest, if they were proposing such I thing I would be leading the charge on my warhorse, with banners flying at the rear. No, what they appear to be proposing is the increase in price of cheap crap lager and cider. Even a premium lager such as Stella (spit!) wouldn’t actually increase in price. It would be the cheap crap that kids go for. That makes them hang around in parks and on street corners acting like a bunch of idiots and making them think they just invented drinking. Yes, I know that some people like a drink at home, but unless your tastes run to REALLY bad lager, or incredibly cheap nasty cider, I still can’t see it making a HUGE amount of difference. So wine will be at least £4 a bottle, well I’m of the opinion that it should be that much if you want anything that isn’t the liquid wiped off the foot of a Frenchman who has been treading grapes for the last 200 years with an untreated varicose vein!.

Current Music = A Town Called Malice by The Jam

My taxi driver is a funny old stick. He has been driving for the company for many years, and has been picking me up for the last 15 or so. He can NEVER remember my name and has to ask me whenever I get in the cab. Over the years we have had many an interesting discussion, mostly about money and finance. He also goes off and does peoples gardens when he gets bored with doing the taxis. Every time I get him as my cabby he starts to tell me about his gardening business. Nice guy though!

Current Music = Tales from the Riverbank by The Jam

Just arrived in Stafford. Needless to say the train is now getting busier. Lots of people will commute from Stafford to Birmingham, and will be piling onto this train to get them there just in time to start work. The thing that amazes me is the number of people using laptops to do work that obviously has to be ready for today. Last week there were 2 blokes on the train, doing a presentation for some government agency that they needed to present later that day. Now don’t get me wrong, I have had to do stuff in a hurry before, but only when someone comes up to you and says “I need this in 10 minutes”. These people have been given this to do as a project and just haven’t bothered until the morning of the presentation. The guy sat next to me was making the powerpoint presentation. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had spelt Environment wrong. After all, it’s not MY presentation is it??

Current Music = Sex on Fire by The Kings of Leon.

One of the problems with being an opinionated bastard (me) is occasionally you get on peoples tits. I was reading a blog by some guy who lives in the USA. In it he bands Manchester into his own little groups. Obviously the place where I come from has been classed as “unintelligent people, who have difficulty walking without their knuckles scraping on the floor, who don’t work and would rather rob you than say good morning” Needless to say I waded in. In know, I should just call him a tosser and walk away, but I can’t. It’s the opinionated bit of me. There he is accusing me and my neighbours of being nothing more than pondlife and expects everyone to agree with him. The guy appears to be reasonably intelligent (he is an author after a fashion) and no longer lives in Manc. As far as I am concerned the therefore has no right to comment. If you can’t be arse living in a city, then shut the fuck up. I have stopped reading his stuff, mainly because he annoyed me so much. I asked him to place me in one of his pre-ordained groups and needless to say he wasn’t able to do it. Oh well. Another piece of internet mindblasting goes off into the ether.

Current Music = Kayleigh by Marillion

Am currently playing the mind games I sometimes play on the train. Look at all the other passengers and decide which role they would play in Star Trek, or which character they would play in the Allo Allo. Currently, in the carriage I am sat in, we have one commanding officer, 2 storm troopers, and a member of the French resistance. I am working on the rest. Possibly one RAF officer and 2 French waitresses! No Italians and no Gastapo. For years I sent my friends cards based upon which character they were out of Winnie the Pooh. So Tigger like characters got Tigger cards, Piglets got Piglets etc etc. Simple things eh!!! Oh dear, a Herr Flick just walked in. Poor lad!!

Current Music = Script for a Jesters Tear by Marillion

I was staying in Lichfield, and started talking to a bloke who worked on the railways. He was upgrading the west coast mainline and had been working on it for a couple of years. The money that they pay was massive, however, that current job was coming to an end. He told me that the next big upgrade was for New Street Station. Oh fantastic. The one station in the UK where everyone has to get off/get on/change trains etc etc. Needless to say, travel chaos ahead. The bloody infrastructure in this country is so far down the tubes its unbelievable. That’s what happens when you get 15 years of a conservative Government with no capital investment into the infrastructure of the country. I suppose 15 years of the Tories before that didn’t help either! 30 years of shit going on in a country and no bugger raise a whimper.

Current Music = Shine on you Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd.

Do you know I couldn’t tell you the last time I read a book and enjoyed it? I buy books off Stations to read on the rain and, so far this year, everything I have read has been generic crap. Another DaVinci Code rip off etc etc. I know it’s probably the fact that these are what currently catch my eye, but even so. Nothing is jumping up and down saying “read me read me” Anyone have any suggestions? I’m open to offers?

I recently aquired an Ipod Touch. Now totally full of music, it helps while away the train trips. However, I have a problem. My ears are not designed for earphones?  Is it just me? For some reason I would rather stick red hot pokers in my ears than use a pair of Apple ear phones? They hurt like fuck! I usually go to the newsagents and buy a crappy pair that sit over my head like proper earphones, that have nice soft padding and don’t leave me feeling like I have a punctured ear drum. However, this morning I forgot to do that so I am having to use the Apple ones. Ears hurt a lot now.

Placing the Ipod on shuffle brings up too much crazy music. For some reason (well the fact that I have LOADS) most of my music doesn’t fit on the ipod touch. I have yet to figure out how to make the music I want fit on it, so currenly 20% of the thing is taken up by Kevin Bloody Wilson entire album collection. Now Kevin Bloody Wilson is ok in small doses bit I wouldn’t; want to listen to him for 7 hours. The rest of it is Pink Floyd (all albums) Marillion (all Albums) , The Jam (all Albums) and some random other stuff. The Last of The Shadow Puppets is quite good. So is Seasick Steve. Generally looking through however, leads me to think that I stopped buying music around about the middle 80’s! I could fire up the external hard drive but it’s a pain in the bum to link it all together.

Current Music = Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.

For all those who keep asking, Nobby is well. He is a very independent cat and likes his own company. Even when I am in the house, he will often wander off and 3 or 4 hours later I will find him asleep on top of a pile of socks etc. He is a very intelligent cat, so intelligent that yesterday morning he opened the cupboard and managed to open a box of Whiskers biscuits because he was hungry. Needless to say he learnt the error of his ways after being hung upside down for a minute with Geoff shouting “naughty cat”

Current Music = Mother by Pink Floyd.

The Man on the Number 17 Bus

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:25:37 +0000

Current Music = Cedars of Lebanon by U2

I am on holiday for 3 days, and I have spent 2 days of it cooking..lol I have made so much food that the freezer is now full. It just means that I can have something to eat when I get in late, something that isn’t pizza or some other crap takeaway. Tomorrow I will make some veggie curry, some more chilli and some more sausage casserole. I bought some pork and black pudding sausage, they sound nice but I may just have them for breakfast :) I also made a bout a pint of leek & Potato soup. I froze that along with most of the other stuff. To be honest I’m not a huge soup fan at the best of times, mainly because it always seems to require a large amount of dead animal as well as the soup in order to make it edible.

Current Music = Rosie By Fairport Convention

Last night was Comic Relief. I donated via mobile phone, which seems like a superb way to get people to donate. Simple, no hassle, no fuss, no messing about. Text a number and off you go. No wonder they managed to raise 25% more than last time. We are living in a text generation.

Current Music = Sir B McKenzies…. By Fairport Convention

In this weeks news we, once again, see numerous people being killed by “Nutters with Guns” Seems like people are willing to accept the blowing away of numerous kiddies in order for their rights to be protected.

The right to carry a weapon (in defence of a township, but they always forget that bit).
The right to defend their homes (and go and blow away a large number of students)
The right to behave like a fucking imbicile and shoot the shit out of loads of innocents. Sounds about right to me.

“From my cold dead hand”…..can probably be arranged if you get enough fucking nutters with guns at your daughters school!

Current Music = Gogo don’t Go by The Chalets

I am on holiday for 3 days this week, and am sort of pacing the floor. I hate being on holiday. It means I have to amuse myself rather than allowing work to amuse me. I have teased the cat, played computer games, gone shopping to Manchester, gone shopping to Asda (Walmart to our American gun lovers), cooked, cleaned kitchens, teased the cat again and now I’m bored. I even had an afternoon nap. Christ..only OLD people and babies have afternoon naps.

The thing that worries me about holidays is that I will start to sleep late, take things easy and, then when I need to get back to doing what I do I will find that I am still stuck on holiday and getting up at 4 am will become difficult.

Current Music = Adams Psychedelic Breakfast by Pink Floyd.

Last weekend was the Boardgames Auction. A chance to spend a day auctioning boardgames, chatting with friends, meeting new people and joking our way through the afternoon.

Now, given the fact that this takes a huge amount or organisation, that its intense, keeping the thing flowing is difficult enough and all the time you are trying to get as much money for the items on sale as you can, needless to say I was less than impressed when some studenty type person who keeps attending events in order to get his degree in photography, proceeded to stick a microphone in front of my face in order to ask me some questions. My response to said microphone incident was “get that fucking thing out of my face before I hurt you” will probably be looked on as harsh, but fair.

Tim ended up running around keeping the bloke out of my hair. Oh well. Maybe next year he will ask before he sticks a microphone in someones face.

ta ta for now. I’m off to bed.

They used to say, that come the day, we'd all be writing songs!

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:51:47 +0000

Current Music = I will follow by U2

Tomorrow is the annual boardgame auction. Once again we will spend 6 hours selling boardgames in order to help raise money both for the games club and for an ex-servicemens home in Salford. Usually we end up at a dodgy pizzeria in Withington, mainly because I think Tim is on commission.

Sunday will be spent sleeping, then I am off to Banbury on Mon & Tues. I get to play on Wed, Thursday & Friday. We will see if I actually bother doing anything or if I just sleep.

Apparently, so it has just been announced on the news, the UK Gov have increased their stake in Lloyds to 60% of the shares with voting rights? Hmm, one wonders when this will end. It certainly seems very serious.

Current Music = Car Crash by The Art of Dying

Its now 10.50 and I am still wide awake. Why the shit can’t I get to sleep at any sort of reasonable hour? I fall asleep around 2 am, and I wake up again at 5? Wonder what my head thinks???

Confused of Peckham

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:21:41 +0000

Current Music = Dog is my Copilot by The Art of Dying

Ok, maybe it’s me being stupid, but, if the President of the good old USA announces to the world that all troops will be out of Iraq by the end of 2011, if you were a member of the Taliban etc, wouldnt you just keep your head down until the last trooper leavs, and THEN cause hell?

Or maybe they will get bored by then??

Current Muisc = The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets

I had a day off, so went into Manchester and had breakfast. Went to the Abergeldie, which is a famous cafe in manchester. Had loads of dead piggy and some deep friend chicken ovulation. Was yum.

Virginity is like a bubble in the stream of life...one prick, and it's gone forever!

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:02:45 +0000

Current music = Calm like you….The Last Shadowpuppets

I have been busy. I know I should post stuff more often, but really, I have been busy.

I’m starting to sound like an 80’s zine editor. They used to make loads of excuses as to why the magazine that they prodce was late. The fact that it was an amatuer magazine, that they dd for fun, and that there was essentially no real reason for them to stick to a deadline never stopped them from having to explain themselves.

I miss the PBM magazines. Some of the games we ran were incredibly good fun. You would think that, given the fact that these days we could all send orders in without any hassle would mean we should still have a thriving hobby. Alas, it means we don’t.

Well, what have I been doing? Work mainly. I have been down in banbury for 6 days a week for the last few weeks. Adding to that the snow, which caused lots of problems travelling and delivery wise, means Geoff has been a busy boy. I like travelling by train. It gives me a chance to get my head into gera, play hearts for an hour, and recover from the hours and the problems. Needless to say you can never fully relax when you are away. Even though the beds at the hotel I stay at are INCREDIBLY comfy, they are still not as comfy as your own.

Current Tune = Street of Dreams by Guns N Roses

Apparently it’s 25 years since good ol Richard Branson formed Virgin Airlines. Shame he doesn’t own most of it these days. The man is a brilliant self ublicist, and has just had a 10 minute slot on BBC news at 8.30 in the mroning, which was basically one big advert for the Virgin brand? How the hell do they get away with it? Why can’t 3663 have a 10 minute slot ? lol. Seems only fair.

Current Music = Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N Roses

Nobby is lying on my back as I type. He is snoring. There is nothing quite so relaxing as a snoring cat. I am taking some time off work at the start of April. We are going on a narrow boat trip along the Llangollen canal. 10 of us. It will be interesting to see if we are all still friends at the end of it lol No doubt there will be loads of pics to be put up when I arrive back.

The following week is the annual trip to Exeter for Baycon. However, we are going a day early as some friends are getting married. All in all should be good fun, and will provide the much needed rest I probably need.

Current Music = Rockin Chair by Seasick Steve

Ok, am off to Manchester. Will kick Nobby out to play, and go and drink beer. Oh dear, beer…Hmmmm

An Update!..Whoo Hoo

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:05:24 +0000

Current Music = Seasick Steve. I started out with nothing and I still got most of it left!

Well, I have been a tadge busy. I have been working out of the north London depot for a while, and as things are changing around at work it’s been pretty busy. I am currently on the train on the way back to Manchester after working down there since Monday. Hopefully we shouldn’t get any delays.

Seasick Steve was on TV at weekend, which was funny as I had bought his album the day before. Blues/Folk (I can already hear Emelli retching!), but ts quite good. I have his other album as well. Maybe I am becoming wierder in my music tastes…then again, I don’t think I could be.

Question. Do you think that a virgin Pendolino train should be overtaken by a freight train carrying Tate & Lyle sugar? Me neither. Maybe it’s going to be a longer trip than I first though….Hmmm

Current Music = Kid Rock…Rock & Roll Jesus.

The nice thing about travelling by train is the ability to listen to music, surf the net etc etc. Just had work that my work laptop has arrived at Royton, so now I will be able to do some work as well.

I have arranged with some riends to go on Holiday the first 2 weeks of April. The first week we will be travelling along the llangollen canal on a narrow boat. The end of the week is Easter, we get back on the Saturday, then the following week we will be down in Exeter for Jan & Richards wedding and for Baycon. Baycon is the best weekend of the year, and no doubt we will be seriously hung over after the wedding. :) Its gonna be a fabulous 2 weeks. It will also be 13 days more holiday than I have managed THIS year. Oh well. Holidays are for the weak..lol

We also have the BIG event in May, when I am to be best man for Martins Wedding. Current plans are that the wedding will be at the Town Hall in Stockport, and that the festivities will be in a bedouin tent in a field somewhere in Cheshire.I WAS tempted to bring along a couple of camels, but to hire 2 camels for a day will cost £2500 ….I wont tell you what I said when I found THAT out!

Dunx said he can get me a herd of camels, most of the camel owners, all the tents and fly them over to England for that much money!!!

Current Music = The Buzzcocks. What ever happened to

Just left Milton Keynes. Apparently we had been placed on the slow line due to a siganlling error at Esuton. oh well. We trundled up to Milton Keynes and are now running 15 mins late. Ho hum.

Gives up!

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:44:22 +0000

Current Tune = Cosmos Rockin by Queen & Paul Rodgers

Yesterday I had to pop into Manchester to go to the building society. On the way back I did a little bit of shopping, mostly food stuff, and some more toothpaste. One of the places I popped into was Zavvi. Zavvi are the ex-virgin megastores formed after a management buy out last year. Zavvi have just gone into administration, which is a shame, but the interesting thing was the fact that they had a sign in the window saying refunds were not available, and only like for like swaps were.

Apparently, if you go into administartion, you are allowed to break the law of the land?? No matter what SIGN a shop puts up, they cannot take away your rights. just because they SAY you are not entitled to a refund, doesn’t mean it’s true.

I could say it’s legal to smoke cannabis, but that’s not true either. A shops management cannot change the law!!

The second thing that was noticible was the number of people who were waiting in a line to find out how much the stuff they wanted to buy was going to cost them. There was a 20% discount on all CD’s but people were unable to work this out?? FFS!! One girl came up with a £25.00 CD set, and asked the girls how much it was? THEN the girl behind the counter had to type it through the till in order to come up with the answer of £20!! It’s no bloody wonder the damn place is going into administration when even the counter staff can’t work the bloody answer out!

Deep Breath!

Current Tune = Chinese Democracy by Guns N Roses

I haven’t had a rant in ages. There is currently a debate on the talking box in the corner. It’s on sexism within the church and one woman has just state that men are better than women because God created Adam before he created Eve, and Eve was created to be Adams helper. It’s fucking 2009 and there are still people who are sat there believing this sort of bollocks! And before anyone asks, she wasn’t an African lady or an Asian lady, she was middle england, tweed skirt, glasses, fox hunting on boxing day etc etc. Holy Christ. Is this the attitude than exists? Somebody bring me a bloody big gun!

Current Tune = Something in your Mouth by Nickelback!

I am off down to Lunnon next week. Hopefully it won’t be snowy, cold, rainy, in fact, hopefully it will be a nice sunny week so I can get a suntan. Nope? I don’t think so either.

Stabcon was last weekend, I played a few games, went for a few meal with friends, drank less than I usually do, and went home feeling ok and ready to go back to work. It’s funny how, even though I only had 4 days off, my body decided that, as I wasn’t working, it would be the ideal opportunity to give me the cold it had been waiting to give me for weeks. I now have a runny nose and a cough. Hopefully i will throw it off soon.

I think the entire country has had a problem getting back to work. I have been working in Royton all week, and 3 days out of 4 my taxi has been sluggish at arriving. Maybe all the taxi drivers wanted to stay in bed for an extra hour as well?

Here comes another one, here it comes again, here comes another one, when will it ever end?

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:12:48 +0000

Happy 2009.

2008 was interesting. i spent most of it working away, which was good fun, but bloody hard work. I met some fantastic people, and also one or two arseholes. I suppose that is not too bad, given the percentage.

Post

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:36:32 +0000

Ho Ho Hum

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:15:30 +0000

Today saw me venture into Manchester in order to do a little shopping. Now, I only have to buy a couple of presents for some secret Santas, and I couldn’t be bothered. Instead, I bought some CD-R’s and a mini hoover for the laptop. Whilst i was buying some food, I saw a christmas stocking for the cat, so I bought that as well.

I got home and whistled Nobby inside (he comes to a whistle, clever cat)

Anyway, he went rooting inside the bag, and pulled out the cat christmas stocking. He was going apeshit. I decided to open it up and give him one of the treats, and he bit me….not nipped, actually sank his bloody teeth in and drew blood, because he was so excited at getting at the stuff.

Whilst I was trying to attend to my wound, I looked, and discovered that one of the treats was catnip biscuits. Christ did they work. He was slavering by the time I opened the pack, and when I refused to give him another one he was awing at my leg and trying to bite my steel toe caps.

Wierd!

Times flies by.......

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:11:09 +0000

Current Tune = Bittersweet by Crosby & Nash

I have spent both Saturday & Sunday in bed with a cough and sneezing. Once again my body allows me to fall ill on the first couple of days I have had off in ages. Oh well. Least I slept a lot. It’s no use trying to stop it, just let it get in with it and hope it’s better by Monday.

Funnily enough this usually works, and this morning I feel more alive. Hopefully I will stay like this all day rather than descending into a spiral of sneezes and sniffles.

Am currently sat on the train waiting for it to set off to Euston. This time I have changed the travel plans somewhat and I am heading from Euston to Tottenham Vale, then by train to Rye House. Rye House is much closer to the depot and will eliminate the need for a £20 cab ride from Enfield Chase, which was where I ended up last time. You would assume, would you not, that if the depot has an Enfield postcode, then the damn thing would be somewhere near Enfield. Wrong! Oh well. Lesson learnt.

Current Tune = Winter Palace by Barn Burning.

I actually booked a seat for the trip back on Thursday as last week was no fun at all. I asked for a table seat, but I would be very surprised if I got one. Least I shouldn’t be stood up until Stoke on Trent . The following day the back of my legs and my arse felt like an iron bar. All the muscles in the back of my legs had tensed. Shows how unfit I am..lol

Current Tune = return to Innocence by Enigma.

When you are on a journey like this, there is not much else to do other than people watch. It always amazes me how people get all possessive about where they sit. If you are sat at a table, sometimes it’s obvious that the person usually sits there because they give you a look that could kill. Obviously you, a mere passenger, had the temerity to sit in THEIR seat. Oh well, I guess I will just have to live with it. Shame really. The person giving me daggers was actually quite cute..lol

Current Tune = There was a time by Guns N Roses.

I have listened to the new GnR album and I am not convinced in the slightest. T’s Mr Rose’s voice, but the rest just seems missing. It’s like listening to a studio backing group while he sings in front of them. Oh well, apparently this is the first of 3 albums. I assume it can only get better. It’s very strange though.

Am now going for a doze..lol