Take the What Should Your New Year's Resolution Be? Quiz
Sunday, December 30, 2001
Saturday, December 29, 2001
Christmas
Well, it's the 28th December and Christmas has been and gone. As you get older Christmas loses some of its pizzazz and this year was perhaps the first year when it really didn't feel special at all. Even though we've got both our Christmas trees up and all the usual festive decorations, Christmas just wasn't the same. I didn't really get much in the way of presents (I am 18 so it's not like I expect much). I got some clothes and something I found very amusing was the fact that my mother and Nan both bought the exact same T-shirt. I don't think they saw the funny side of it. I got a rocket-shaped lava lamp, which is pretty cool, but I don't know whether I'll take it back to Uni with me. I got the obligatory socks and high street vouchers for the usual stores but nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy. No PlayStation2 games either, :-( so I've had to take the liberty of purchasing a couple myself off the Internet.
Christmas Day was just as it usually is, seeing my brother and his kids in the morning and then going round to my Aunt's in the afternoon. It was good to see all of the family again but since I don't see them that often anyway, even though I've been away it didn't really seem like I hadn't seen them for ages or anything. My Aunt is pregnant again and she's 42 so it was a bit of a shock for her but she seems really happy about it. If there's one good thing about Christmas time, it's getting to be with your family. Getting presents is all good and well when you're younger but once you get past a certain age you begin to see Christmas as more of a corporatist Godsend than a celebration of the birth of Jesus.
New Year
The New Year is approaching and I haven't decided what I'm doing for it yet. I know I'll end up going into town in some form or other but where, and who with is still undecided. I don't really see New Year as a time of huge celebration, more an excuse to get drunk with your friends and start afresh. I know for certain I'll make some New Year resolutions, and, as ever, I won't stick to them. This year I really am determined to make some resolutions that I'll keep for the year. I have said this pretty much every year and yet I've never managed it. This year will be different though. Probably.
Tipping the Scales
I can't remember if I've already discussed this but if I have then I apologise. I assumed before I went to Uni that I would put on weight while I was there. I assumed this basically because most people do and it's down solely to the incredible amount of drinking that goes on. Alcohol is full of calories and regular consumption can lead to a "beer belly". For the first five or six weeks I was having 3 or 4 drinks a night, every night. This was just excessive on reflection and for the last few weeks I cut down a lot. However, every cloud has a silver lining and I miraculously didn't put on weight. I attribute this down to not eating as much as I did at home because I had to all the shopping and cooking myself. It's not like I starved myself or anything, but I'm not a whizz in the kitchen so I was mainly eating microwave stuff and oven-ready meals - not exactly a staple diet. Anyway, even though I didn't put on any weight I would still like to lose some and that is pretty much going to be my main New Year's resolution. I haven't done any exercise at Uni so I'm going to take some of my weights back with me and maybe join the gym if I can be bothered.
Halliwell's
One of the best things about Christmas time is that you get loads of films and premieres over the festive season on TV. So, to this end, I have decided to give you a taster of what's been tickling my fancy:
This week, I have mostly been watching...
- 12 Monkeys
- Wag the Dog
- Night of the Living Dead
- Father of the Bride
- Toy Story
- Back to the Future Part II
- Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
- BASEketball
- Good Will Hunting
- Antz
There's probably more but I can't remember any off the top of my head. Some good ones up there and some average ones. On the subject of films...
Lord of the Rings
I don't want to say too much about this film but I would like to say that it was excellent and well worth seeing. I was surprised how much of the book they managed to cram into 3 hours and it just left me wanting to see the next movie. Much better than Harry Potter, The Fellowship of the Ring is epic in imagination and execution. I cannot believe the Tolkien family has completely distanced themselves from the movie because I feel it is a good and true representation of the novel. You just can't please some people.
Quote of the Day
"The most overlooked advantage to owning a computer is that if they foul up, there's no law against whacking them around a little. " - Porterfield
Monday, December 24, 2001
Friday, December 21, 2001
Thursday, December 20, 2001
5 Gold Rings
The anticipation for the new "Lord of the Rings" films is just about at fever pitch now. I'm looking forward to it, and although I haven't read the books for about 10 years I think I can pretty much remember most of it. But instead I'm going to talk about some of the films I saw while I was at Uni. There's a cinema on campus that shows all-time classics and there's a couple in York itself. I saw quite a few films actually and here I offer my opinions of the ones that caught my eye:
Harry Potter
Ah, like "Lord of the Rings" fans of the books and novices to the series alike eagerly awaited this movie. I've read the books and I have to say I think they're good but I wouldn't say they've changed my life or anything. Anyway, the film. Harry Potter was pretty good without being exceptional. The special effects were great and I thought the Quidditch sequence was excellently done. I really wasn't sure how I imagined it on the big screen but they actually did a good job. The story was of course pretty much the same as the book with a few notable exceptions - Peeves anyone? I thought Daniel Radcliffe as Harry was, er, well let's just say I hope he improves with age. The actors that played Ron and Hermione though were very good and Alan Rickman gave what we've come to expect from him. Overall I liked it and thought it was good, but it was by no means the epic that we were all led to believe it was. One for the kids and fans of the series definitely.
SCORE = 7/10
Apocalypse Now Redux
Three words: Oh My God. From the moment I found out this film had been given a director's makeover I knew I had to see it. To my dismay I found out it was only being shown at 11 cinemas across the country. However, one of those eleven just happened to be York City Screen. Ooh yeah. Presented in 5.1 Dolby EX Surround Sound and with an extra 45 minutes of footage taking the running time up to 3 hours and 15 minutes Apocaypse Now Redux is simply stunning. A masterpiece. Epic. Think of a superlative usually reserved for movies and apply it to this.
There's just so many great scenes in the movie. The opening sequence is one of the most vivid in cinema history where Martin Sheen gets drunk and starts going mental in his room. Then there's the legendary sequence where the American helicopters bear down on the Vietcong with Ride of the Valkyries playing in the background. This was just amazing on the big screen. Quote of the film (so many to choose from) goes to Robert Duvall with "I love the smell of napalm in the morning".
Based on Conrad's "Heart Of Darkness" Apocalypse Now tells the story of how a man is sent to hunt down another officer who has amassed his own army of soldiers deep in Cambodia and is committing atrocities against both the Vietcong and US forces. Along the way, the true impact of the Vietnam War is felt but the war only serves as the backdrop to a deeper story. As director Francis Ford Coppola said, Apocalypse Now isn't about the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now IS the Vietnam War.
Of the added scenes there were 2 that really stood out. The first tells us what happened to the Playboy girls and the second adds some historical perspective to the viewer about the war. Both of these scenes didn't really add anything new to the movie and the part where Martin Sheen and the crew go to stay with the French people was, to be quite frank, incredibly tedious. But, despite this, Apocalypse Now Redux was without doubt one of the best films I've ever seen. In the cinema on the big screen and that phenomenal 5.1 Surround Sound, Apocalypse Now is more of an experience than a movie. It probably isn't to everyone's tastes but nobody should miss the opportunity to see this film. Classic.
SCORE = 10/10
Croupier
A little known British film made in 1998 was well liked by American critics and is undergoing something of a revival here on video and DVD at the moment. Clive Owen is a struggling writer who gets a job at a casino as a croupier and uses his experience and interactions with punters to write a best-selling novel. It sounds simple and I guess it is but this is a brilliant film. I went into the cinema with no pre-conceived notions about what to expect and I was completely blown away. Clive Owen is really good in his role (although I think Martin Kemp could have done a job as well) and Alex Kingston of Moll Flanders and ER fame gets her kit off. Er, I mean, she's really good in it as well. No special effects or computer generated characters - just a good storyline and a script to match it. The ending threw me as well, which was completely unexpected and just left me thinking what a great film it was. The film makes working in a casino look really glamorous and if being the next WWF champion doesn't work out for me I may just become a croupier. Not all British films are crap you know.
SCORE = 9/10
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
This was released over the summer and although I really wanted to see it I never got round to it. However, it was shown on campus and thus I got to see what all the fuss was about. Final Fantasy, loosely based on the games of which I am a huge fan, is the first attempt at a completely computer generated film with virtual actors. I mean this in the sense that unlike Toy Story and Shrek etc., Final Fantasy is trying to pave the way for the future of the film industry. It took 5 years to make and made a massive loss at the box office (unfortunately) but I think Square and Sony Pictures can take some solace from it. The computer graphics in this film are utterly unbelievable. You'd have to convince yourself at certain points during the movie that it wasn't real. The only sour points animation-wise were the movement of the people, which looked a bit artificial at times, and the lip-synching, which was almost as bad as watching a DVD on a PlayStation2. However, with practice and advances in technology these could be rectified soon. However, for a first attempt I think the audience can forgive this.
The real problem with Final Fantasy lay not with its animation or computer graphics, but its story. Taking its cue from the game series, Final Fantasy deals with the idea that we all have a soul and this then returns to Gaia when we die. Although the makers obviously tried to hide their Japanese background and cater for the Western audience, it came across as too clichéd and predictable. I just thought they could have done something a little less Hollywood-ish. The cast was pretty stellar including Ving Rhames, Donald Sutherland and Steve Buscemi but even they can't save the film from some dire scriptwriting. Over used action movie lines like "Oh my God", "Noooooo" and "Something's not right, this shouldn't be happening!" were used once too often. I think Square were hoping that it wouldn't just be fans of the games would come to watch the movie but sadly I think this is pretty much what happened. Final Fantasy was merely an average movie but with some extraordinary features. Hopefully movie producers won't be put off by its mediocre success and Final Fantasy could be the first in a trend of "virtual" movies.
SCORE = 6/10
Other films I've seen since I've been away:
? The Others (not bad, good ending and Nicole Kidman as a blonde. Hmmm)
? Miller's Crossing (gangster film, Coen Brothers and Gabriel Byrne. Good)
? 101 Reykjavik (foreign, OK, not great)
? The Mummy Returns (again - come on, The Rock is in it for the first 5 minutes, how can I resist?)
? Highlander (classic, pity about Christopher Lambert. Surely they could have got The Rock instead?)
? Full Metal Jacket (fabulous Vietnam film, not for the faint-hearted)
? It's a Wonderful Life (another classic, probably the best Christmas film)
? Meet the Parents (not as funny as I was expecting but De Niro and Stiller make it worthwhile)
? Unbreakable (M. Night Shyamalan tries to recreate the tension and suspense of The Sixth Sense but fails. Bruce Willis is pretty good but the shock ending isn't really that shocking)
'Tis the Season to be Jolly
Well, only 6 days to go now and I don't really feel excited about Christmas at all. I guess after having been away and only just getting back I haven't had the X-mas vibe eating away at me for the last month or so. In mind of the fact I will get loads of money off people (much appreciated of course) I've been thinking about what to buy with my soon-to-be-acquired wealth. I won't spend all of it naturally, I'll need some money to take back to Uni with me. I think I'll probably buy a DVD or 2 (I bought Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition and Star Wars: Episode 1 while I was away) and I'm thinking along the lines of The Mummy Returns (and we all know why) or maybe the Godfather Trilogy.
Gaming wise I've already bought Smackdown: Just Bring It and I'm looking at Half-Life, Devil May Cry or Grand Theft Auto III. I've rented GTA3 and it's very very good. Such fun killing people for money and then picking up a hooker. The stuff you do in the game is cool as well. (Joke) Decisions, decisions.
One thing I won't be getting for Christmas though is a computer or laptop. I managed well enough without one and my parents have dissuaded me out of getting one... for now. It does mean however that once I go back my blog will once again only be updated irregularly. Phew, that's a hell of a lot more than I was planning to write but I guess I deserve a rant about films after not doing anything for my site for like 2 years. Anyhoo, back soon with more inane ramblings.
Quote of the Day (I'm back and so is this)
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt" - Bertrand Russell
[this is Mike posting because Al seems to be having connection problems]
Tuesday, December 18, 2001
Hey everyone, this is from Saturday but stupid blogger wasn't working...
Where to Begin
Well, here I am, back at home after my first term at University. The reason why I haven’t updated my blog at all in the 10 weeks I’ve been away is because it’s not always easy to get onto a computer and you get absolutely no privacy in the computer rooms so it wasn’t always ideal to talk about a day’s events in full view of everyone else. I don’t really know exactly what I’m going to write here, nor how long it’ll be and I don’t have a set plan or structure. I’ll try and tell you things in a relatively chronological order but I may go off on a tangent at some points.
In the Beginning
The first day was quite nerve racking meeting everyone down my corridor and just generally getting to know people. Being the social animal that I am I found it quite easy to make new friends and now I know more people than I can shake a big stick at. I’m down a corridor with 6 girls and 4 boys (great odds I thought) which actually provides quite a nice mix. Everyone gets on really well and we always do stuff together. The first night we all just went down to the bar and got to know one another. It seems like ages ago now. Living with 9 strangers for 10 weeks is a hell of an experience and I feel closer to the people down my corridor than I do with some of the friends I’ve known for years. I was going to tell you about each of them but I think that might be a bit unfair on them so instead I’ll just drop their names in every now and again and you’ll just have to bear with me OK?
Fresher’s Week
Ah, Fresher’s Week, the infamous first 7 days of university life where friendships are forged and every morning is greeted with a sore head. For me, Fresher’s Week was just a non-stop roller-coaster ride of drinking, laughing and just generally getting to know everybody. We had bar quizzes, pub crawls, drinking games – the lot. My college at York, Derwent, has the best social life (naturally) and they had a “Green Death” night. Green Death is a Derwent secret, only the Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC) knows what gets put into it and its recipe is passed down from one JCRC to another. It’s a green drink and a vat of the stuff has £800 worth of alcohol put into it. Green Death is so alcoholic it’s illegal to sell. Playing drinking games with that proved lots of fun. This wasn’t just downing the stuff to see who could drink it quickest, this was full on doing an assault courses and then downing it or seeing who could say the alphabet backwards the quickest after downing a pint of the stuff. Legendary. I spent way too much money during Fresher’s Week but it was worth it. Fresher’s Week for me lived up to its reputation.
Work?
Yep, that’s perhaps the worst thing about Uni; sometimes you actually have to do some. I’ve done 5 essays and an exam this term but so far I haven’t found the work too difficult. Part of this is because the 2 Politics modules I did were just basically what I did at A-level. However, Philosophy and Sociology were very interesting. We covered Knowledge and Perception in Philosophy which was essentially asking how do we know what we know and how do we know that we are perceiving what is in fact real? How do we know, for example, that the world was not created 5 minutes ago with all of your memories and knowledge? How do you know that you’re not just a brain in a vat somewhere being controlled by a mad scientist who is responsible for all of your perceptions and experiences through a computer? Interesting stuff.
I read a book in Sociology by a man called Ritzer called “McDonalds and McDonaldisation”. He was basically arguing that through McDonalds’ standardisation of products and the service industry it was leading towards a global homogenised society. Drawing on my vast experience of McDonalds and their products I decided to write an essay on it arguing that McDonalds and McDonaldisation are paradigmatic of modernity and globalisation. Of course, this essay required extensive research of McDonalds, which Ihappily grudgingly but duly carried out in York city centre.
Societal Shenanigans
Part of Fresher’s Week is signing up to loads of societies. There’s over 100 societies at York and I signed up to a few of them. I signed up with the York Student Lib Dems (yes, sad I know), the Cinematography Society, World Cinema Society, York Student Cinema and the Beer & Bar Crawl Society. To be honest, I haven’t been very active with my societies except for Cinematography. The Cinematography Society is about making films. Obviously we’re not talking epics like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings but they have a budget and make some small films. I starred in a short film called “Fear” and making it was perhaps one of the biggest laughs I’ve ever had. I had one scene where I couldn’t stop laughing and it took us 16 takes to get it right. I watched the out takes and they were hilarious. The film is being edited at the moment and I can’t wait to see it and attend the premiere in Derwent College.
The Life of a Student
Even with my limited experience of being a University student I have to admit that it IS the life. Not getting up until midday and then walking by the lake to buy a paper; having competitions on Gran Turismo 3 and Mario Kart64 in the afternoons; going out at night and being with your friends; - this is what I enjoy. The independence I have is unbelievable. You’re not told what to do or where to go. You get up when you want, do what you want and go where you want. Lectures aren’t compulsory (tutorials and seminars are though) and tutors won’t shout at you when you don’t hand in an essay on time. Everything is up to you. My timetable is 12 hours a week and technically I should do 28 hours a week extra reading “independently” (pssst, this is bullshit) so it should be a 40 hour a week. And it is. Sort of. I can’t imagine not having gone and I feel sorry for my sister and brother, both of whom missed out. Everyone should go. The typical image of a student is someone who lazes about, eats junk food, doesn’t do any work, has no money and gets drunk every night. Well, blow me down with a feather but I think that about sums it up.
Any Other Business
Ok, that’s enough about Uni for now. While I was away I did manage to get on the Internet and I just want to say that Larissa’s blog was an absolute must-read and I implore you all to put it in your favourites now. I said “now”. Done it yet? Good. Rissy, you are funny, witty and I love you. Keep up the good work honey. I also better say thank you to Mike, Si and Robin for keeping me company on MSN Messenger while I was away and for making sure my blog didn’t become totally extinct. Thanks guys [group hug].
The Important Things
While I was away I was deprived of 2 of my favourite things: football and wrestling. I took a TV with me but I couldn’t get a reception and so only used it to play on my PlayStation2 (God, that’s all I’d ever need on a desert island). So I didn’t get to watch the demise of The Premiership on ITV (and Manchester United’s capitulation) or my weekly dose of WWF. The Internet alone had to suffice. Manchester United lost the title race before it had even got going and Chris Jericho became wrestling’s undisputed champion while I was away. Damn. Plus, I missed all-new episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Hmmm, Buffy) so it wasn’t all good. What was interesting though is that despite missing 10 weeks worth of Neighbours whilst watching it yesterday nothing had changed at all. It was kind of like when Home and Away came back after a 2-year absence and everything was exactly the same. Anyway, tangent, me, off on one. So there you have it.
I’m back, refreshed, and with a liver that is a lot less healthy than 10 weeks ago. I’m only back for 3 weeks over Christmas but I’ll try and make up for it. Stay tuned folks.
Where to Begin
Well, here I am, back at home after my first term at University. The reason why I haven’t updated my blog at all in the 10 weeks I’ve been away is because it’s not always easy to get onto a computer and you get absolutely no privacy in the computer rooms so it wasn’t always ideal to talk about a day’s events in full view of everyone else. I don’t really know exactly what I’m going to write here, nor how long it’ll be and I don’t have a set plan or structure. I’ll try and tell you things in a relatively chronological order but I may go off on a tangent at some points.
In the Beginning
The first day was quite nerve racking meeting everyone down my corridor and just generally getting to know people. Being the social animal that I am I found it quite easy to make new friends and now I know more people than I can shake a big stick at. I’m down a corridor with 6 girls and 4 boys (great odds I thought) which actually provides quite a nice mix. Everyone gets on really well and we always do stuff together. The first night we all just went down to the bar and got to know one another. It seems like ages ago now. Living with 9 strangers for 10 weeks is a hell of an experience and I feel closer to the people down my corridor than I do with some of the friends I’ve known for years. I was going to tell you about each of them but I think that might be a bit unfair on them so instead I’ll just drop their names in every now and again and you’ll just have to bear with me OK?
Fresher’s Week
Ah, Fresher’s Week, the infamous first 7 days of university life where friendships are forged and every morning is greeted with a sore head. For me, Fresher’s Week was just a non-stop roller-coaster ride of drinking, laughing and just generally getting to know everybody. We had bar quizzes, pub crawls, drinking games – the lot. My college at York, Derwent, has the best social life (naturally) and they had a “Green Death” night. Green Death is a Derwent secret, only the Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC) knows what gets put into it and its recipe is passed down from one JCRC to another. It’s a green drink and a vat of the stuff has £800 worth of alcohol put into it. Green Death is so alcoholic it’s illegal to sell. Playing drinking games with that proved lots of fun. This wasn’t just downing the stuff to see who could drink it quickest, this was full on doing an assault courses and then downing it or seeing who could say the alphabet backwards the quickest after downing a pint of the stuff. Legendary. I spent way too much money during Fresher’s Week but it was worth it. Fresher’s Week for me lived up to its reputation.
Work?
Yep, that’s perhaps the worst thing about Uni; sometimes you actually have to do some. I’ve done 5 essays and an exam this term but so far I haven’t found the work too difficult. Part of this is because the 2 Politics modules I did were just basically what I did at A-level. However, Philosophy and Sociology were very interesting. We covered Knowledge and Perception in Philosophy which was essentially asking how do we know what we know and how do we know that we are perceiving what is in fact real? How do we know, for example, that the world was not created 5 minutes ago with all of your memories and knowledge? How do you know that you’re not just a brain in a vat somewhere being controlled by a mad scientist who is responsible for all of your perceptions and experiences through a computer? Interesting stuff.
I read a book in Sociology by a man called Ritzer called “McDonalds and McDonaldisation”. He was basically arguing that through McDonalds’ standardisation of products and the service industry it was leading towards a global homogenised society. Drawing on my vast experience of McDonalds and their products I decided to write an essay on it arguing that McDonalds and McDonaldisation are paradigmatic of modernity and globalisation. Of course, this essay required extensive research of McDonalds, which I
Societal Shenanigans
Part of Fresher’s Week is signing up to loads of societies. There’s over 100 societies at York and I signed up to a few of them. I signed up with the York Student Lib Dems (yes, sad I know), the Cinematography Society, World Cinema Society, York Student Cinema and the Beer & Bar Crawl Society. To be honest, I haven’t been very active with my societies except for Cinematography. The Cinematography Society is about making films. Obviously we’re not talking epics like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings but they have a budget and make some small films. I starred in a short film called “Fear” and making it was perhaps one of the biggest laughs I’ve ever had. I had one scene where I couldn’t stop laughing and it took us 16 takes to get it right. I watched the out takes and they were hilarious. The film is being edited at the moment and I can’t wait to see it and attend the premiere in Derwent College.
The Life of a Student
Even with my limited experience of being a University student I have to admit that it IS the life. Not getting up until midday and then walking by the lake to buy a paper; having competitions on Gran Turismo 3 and Mario Kart64 in the afternoons; going out at night and being with your friends; - this is what I enjoy. The independence I have is unbelievable. You’re not told what to do or where to go. You get up when you want, do what you want and go where you want. Lectures aren’t compulsory (tutorials and seminars are though) and tutors won’t shout at you when you don’t hand in an essay on time. Everything is up to you. My timetable is 12 hours a week and technically I should do 28 hours a week extra reading “independently” (pssst, this is bullshit) so it should be a 40 hour a week. And it is. Sort of. I can’t imagine not having gone and I feel sorry for my sister and brother, both of whom missed out. Everyone should go. The typical image of a student is someone who lazes about, eats junk food, doesn’t do any work, has no money and gets drunk every night. Well, blow me down with a feather but I think that about sums it up.
Any Other Business
Ok, that’s enough about Uni for now. While I was away I did manage to get on the Internet and I just want to say that Larissa’s blog was an absolute must-read and I implore you all to put it in your favourites now. I said “now”. Done it yet? Good. Rissy, you are funny, witty and I love you. Keep up the good work honey. I also better say thank you to Mike, Si and Robin for keeping me company on MSN Messenger while I was away and for making sure my blog didn’t become totally extinct. Thanks guys [group hug].
The Important Things
While I was away I was deprived of 2 of my favourite things: football and wrestling. I took a TV with me but I couldn’t get a reception and so only used it to play on my PlayStation2 (God, that’s all I’d ever need on a desert island). So I didn’t get to watch the demise of The Premiership on ITV (and Manchester United’s capitulation) or my weekly dose of WWF. The Internet alone had to suffice. Manchester United lost the title race before it had even got going and Chris Jericho became wrestling’s undisputed champion while I was away. Damn. Plus, I missed all-new episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Hmmm, Buffy) so it wasn’t all good. What was interesting though is that despite missing 10 weeks worth of Neighbours whilst watching it yesterday nothing had changed at all. It was kind of like when Home and Away came back after a 2-year absence and everything was exactly the same. Anyway, tangent, me, off on one. So there you have it.
I’m back, refreshed, and with a liver that is a lot less healthy than 10 weeks ago. I’m only back for 3 weeks over Christmas but I’ll try and make up for it. Stay tuned folks.
Friday, December 14, 2001
Finally...
Hey everybody, it's me, I'm back and ready to unleash my ramblings back on the blogging community once again. First, I need to catch up on a few things, settle some business ventures, kill some gangstas etc. so my long awaited blogging return will commecne tomorrow. Until then, you'll just have to wet your lips in anticipation.
Hey everybody, it's me, I'm back and ready to unleash my ramblings back on the blogging community once again. First, I need to catch up on a few things, settle some business ventures, kill some gangstas etc. so my long awaited blogging return will commecne tomorrow. Until then, you'll just have to wet your lips in anticipation.
Thursday, November 15, 2001
reconstructed from 100% real pieces of al
Mr Dale here. Rather than allow Al's great blog here to fall into a state of disrepair post-wise, and to keep you, his ever-loyal readership, informed of his ongoing adventures, I've taken the liberty of collecting together some of our brief communications with him via e-mail and MSN for your reading pleasure - just think of it as like the New Testament...these are the words of Al but in a different order and I've corrected the spellings. Obviously, I've edited out the more sordid, scandalous and private inclusions, but then again, even I'm not even sure about the dodgy things he may have been up to since he stepped out into the big world...
Long time no speak...yeah sorry but it's been really hard to get onto a computer. I had to do a philosophy essay last week and I had to wait 15 minutes before I could get onto a computer so it's not easy to just come on and surf at will. I've been trying to come on every day but it's just so busy. It's not as bad at weekends because then most of the second and third years are off campus. When I come home at Christmas I'm going to buy a computer so hopefully then things will be a lot easier.
Everything is going fine with me. I haven't updated my blog for about 3 weeks, which is bad; it's just that WHEN you do get to go on a computer you get absolutely no privacy whatsoever so it's kind of hard to just pour your heart out. I'm doing really well, managing with my washing, ironing, cooking etc. (although I'm eating mainly microwave meals!) The work is quite hard but it's so cool just to be on your own, to have your own room and just be able to close the door and not worry about anything else. You're completely on your own but you're completely free. Everyone down my corridor is really nice and we all get on great. I kind of miss home but not much. Oh, and I've decided to give Mike £100 out of the goodness of my heart.
Well, keep in touch, keep it real and carry on getting high!
Make of that what you will, but it's all true...that is, apart from that bit about giving me money. Anyway, I’ll post more news on the continuing adventures in life of Mr Rimmer as we get it. Till then I suggest you read imperial doughnut, because, well it's my blog and I'm roughly 1/5th as interesting as Al.
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Dazed and Confused
It's me. Finally, I'm back. But not for long. I have a oub crawl in half an hour you see. This is just a quick update to tell you all how I'm doing. I've settled into Uni life very well, getting drunk, playing drinking games, drinking Green Death (it's so strong it's illegal to sell it) etc. The computers though are pretty poor and they're always busy so my updates may become very sporadic. Also in the computer room you can't get any privacy as everyone can see what you're doing. Pah. Anyway, until I grace your prescence again, enjoy yourselves. I will certainly be doing the same.
It's me. Finally, I'm back. But not for long. I have a oub crawl in half an hour you see. This is just a quick update to tell you all how I'm doing. I've settled into Uni life very well, getting drunk, playing drinking games, drinking Green Death (it's so strong it's illegal to sell it) etc. The computers though are pretty poor and they're always busy so my updates may become very sporadic. Also in the computer room you can't get any privacy as everyone can see what you're doing. Pah. Anyway, until I grace your prescence again, enjoy yourselves. I will certainly be doing the same.
Friday, October 05, 2001
The End of the Road
This will probably be my last blog entry before I go to Uni simply because tomorrow is not only England’s crucial last World Cup qualifier but also my nephew’s birthday. Then on Sunday morning I go so it’s as simple as that. I’ve had to delete a load of, er, questionable stuff (and no, not necessarily porn) off the hard drive so my parents won’t find it whilst I’m away. This includes some much cherished .exe files and some funny sound and picture files. I’m tempted to just format the hard drive in case I missed anything but I might leave that until Christmas. I really can’t be bothered doing it at the moment. Before I go I don’t have a great deal left to do, I might look for some new shoes today and I spent over £100 on clothes on Wednesday. My bank balance is already dwindling and I haven’t even got there yet.
To Boldly Go
Hopefully just because I’m at Uni doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping contact with friends or leaving this blog to rot and die a horrible death (like a certain film reviews site or students site). I’m assuming that as long as I can take a minute out of my heady nights of wild sexual adventuring, excessive drug taking and copious alcohol consumption then I can make the odd post here or there. If I’m sober it might actually be funny.
Homeboy
I think I’ll miss my family while I’m gone and I think I’ll be homesick for the first couple of weeks. I’ve never really had to look after myself before although it’s not like I was brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth. But I’m no Delia Smith and washing machines are as foreign to me as Sven Goran Erikkson is English (or Greg Rusedski for that matter). But I’ll manage. It may be on Pot Noodles and Beans on Toast (always the benchmark of a healthy and nutritious diet) for the next 3 years but somehow, some way, with a little bit of luck and hopefully some money, I’ll manage. And if not, well, I can always phone home. Wish me luck for the first few days, speak to you all soon.
Quote of the Day
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius
This will probably be my last blog entry before I go to Uni simply because tomorrow is not only England’s crucial last World Cup qualifier but also my nephew’s birthday. Then on Sunday morning I go so it’s as simple as that. I’ve had to delete a load of, er, questionable stuff (and no, not necessarily porn) off the hard drive so my parents won’t find it whilst I’m away. This includes some much cherished .exe files and some funny sound and picture files. I’m tempted to just format the hard drive in case I missed anything but I might leave that until Christmas. I really can’t be bothered doing it at the moment. Before I go I don’t have a great deal left to do, I might look for some new shoes today and I spent over £100 on clothes on Wednesday. My bank balance is already dwindling and I haven’t even got there yet.
To Boldly Go
Hopefully just because I’m at Uni doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping contact with friends or leaving this blog to rot and die a horrible death (like a certain film reviews site or students site). I’m assuming that as long as I can take a minute out of my heady nights of wild sexual adventuring, excessive drug taking and copious alcohol consumption then I can make the odd post here or there. If I’m sober it might actually be funny.
Homeboy
I think I’ll miss my family while I’m gone and I think I’ll be homesick for the first couple of weeks. I’ve never really had to look after myself before although it’s not like I was brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth. But I’m no Delia Smith and washing machines are as foreign to me as Sven Goran Erikkson is English (or Greg Rusedski for that matter). But I’ll manage. It may be on Pot Noodles and Beans on Toast (always the benchmark of a healthy and nutritious diet) for the next 3 years but somehow, some way, with a little bit of luck and hopefully some money, I’ll manage. And if not, well, I can always phone home. Wish me luck for the first few days, speak to you all soon.
Quote of the Day
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius
Wednesday, October 03, 2001
This is Monday's post but blogger hasn't been working very well for the last 24 hours:
The Prisoner
It’s only a week to go now until I head off into the great unknown and embark on the next step up the educational ladder – University. I’ve got most of my things sorted out now though I could do with buying some new clothes. I thought that the closer it got to me going the more nervous I would be whereas it’s actually been the other way around; the closer I get to going the more I’m looking forward to it. I don’t have a bad home life, in fact it’s probably quite good compared to a lot of people’s, but I still can’t wait to be on my home and finally reach a truly independent sense of well-being.
slurp slurp
I finished at my work yesterday and in a way I was sad to see it go. It may not have paid the best (actually it paid pretty much the worst) but I kind of enjoyed working there and will miss all the people I worked with. But life moves on and so will I. They bought me a load of random stuff which they put in a box called “Alex’s University Survival Kit”. Inside the box was lots of canned goods, lots of alcohol, a box of condoms and some Siberian Gynseng (the closest you can get to viagara over the counter… so I’m told). I don’t think that’ll all last me 3 years, hopefully it won’t last my first day. I bought them a big box of chocolates and a bottle of champagne. Knowing the staff they won’t last long. My final act before I leave is to write a really sucky-up letter to Head Office. I’ve basically just said thanks for my employment and I think all the staff work really hard, over worked-under paid etc. I hope it gets them some brownie points. And if not… well, no skin off my nose.
When the water is in the cup, it becomes the cup
My fascination with martial-artist Bruce Lee continued last night as I watched a documentary on him. However, rather than going with his life story (which I assumed it would) or talking about the many conspiracy theories surrounding his death (i.e. his involvement with the Chinese mafia, jealousy from other martial artists etc.) it looked at his career in both the martial arts and the film industry. What I liked about this documentary was that rather than focusing on his most commercially successful film, “Enter the Dragon”, it instead looked primarily at a film he started but never finished before he died, “Game of Death”. It showed never before seen footage and demonstrated how Lee’s dedication to perfection came through in his films.
The best form is no form
The programme also had a look at some of Bruce Lee’s philosophy on life and the martial arts, which was also very interesting. I think the thing that came across the most was that Bruce Lee was a person who was striving for physical and mental equilibrium and came very close to it, if not achieving it, before his untimely death. He talked passionately about martial arts and how he wanted to revolutionise the way styles were thought of. He didn’t want to adhere to one particular style of his own, he wanted to be able to adapt his body to any style. He likened it to water. Water is fluid and when put into something it becomes that object. Lee wanted to apply this idea to martial arts. Bruce Lee was unique. I only wish I could meet him and see if the man was as incredible as the myth.
Quote of the Day
“When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it." - Bernard Bailey
The Prisoner
It’s only a week to go now until I head off into the great unknown and embark on the next step up the educational ladder – University. I’ve got most of my things sorted out now though I could do with buying some new clothes. I thought that the closer it got to me going the more nervous I would be whereas it’s actually been the other way around; the closer I get to going the more I’m looking forward to it. I don’t have a bad home life, in fact it’s probably quite good compared to a lot of people’s, but I still can’t wait to be on my home and finally reach a truly independent sense of well-being.
slurp slurp
I finished at my work yesterday and in a way I was sad to see it go. It may not have paid the best (actually it paid pretty much the worst) but I kind of enjoyed working there and will miss all the people I worked with. But life moves on and so will I. They bought me a load of random stuff which they put in a box called “Alex’s University Survival Kit”. Inside the box was lots of canned goods, lots of alcohol, a box of condoms and some Siberian Gynseng (the closest you can get to viagara over the counter… so I’m told). I don’t think that’ll all last me 3 years, hopefully it won’t last my first day. I bought them a big box of chocolates and a bottle of champagne. Knowing the staff they won’t last long. My final act before I leave is to write a really sucky-up letter to Head Office. I’ve basically just said thanks for my employment and I think all the staff work really hard, over worked-under paid etc. I hope it gets them some brownie points. And if not… well, no skin off my nose.
When the water is in the cup, it becomes the cup
My fascination with martial-artist Bruce Lee continued last night as I watched a documentary on him. However, rather than going with his life story (which I assumed it would) or talking about the many conspiracy theories surrounding his death (i.e. his involvement with the Chinese mafia, jealousy from other martial artists etc.) it looked at his career in both the martial arts and the film industry. What I liked about this documentary was that rather than focusing on his most commercially successful film, “Enter the Dragon”, it instead looked primarily at a film he started but never finished before he died, “Game of Death”. It showed never before seen footage and demonstrated how Lee’s dedication to perfection came through in his films.
The best form is no form
The programme also had a look at some of Bruce Lee’s philosophy on life and the martial arts, which was also very interesting. I think the thing that came across the most was that Bruce Lee was a person who was striving for physical and mental equilibrium and came very close to it, if not achieving it, before his untimely death. He talked passionately about martial arts and how he wanted to revolutionise the way styles were thought of. He didn’t want to adhere to one particular style of his own, he wanted to be able to adapt his body to any style. He likened it to water. Water is fluid and when put into something it becomes that object. Lee wanted to apply this idea to martial arts. Bruce Lee was unique. I only wish I could meet him and see if the man was as incredible as the myth.
Quote of the Day
“When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it." - Bernard Bailey
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Back to Reality
This is my first post in almost 2 weeks. Part of the reason for this is that after the events in America it just kind of felt like anything I had to say didn’t really seem important in the wake of the terrorist attacks. But things have to get back to normality.
Dr. Know – there is nothing he doesn’t
For the first time in a few months I went to the cinema on Monday night to see the newly released “A.I.” starring Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment. It was a project of Stanley Kubricks’s for reportedly 15 years before being turned over to Steven Spielberg at Kubrick’s request. The film is set in the near future (I think) and seems to take place in 3 distinct stages, each having a very different theme and mood from the others. It seemed obvious to me where Kubrick had influenced the film and even more obvious where Spielberg had influenced the film (such as the ending). The special effects were phenomenal and the world in which the film took place was well realised.
The Blue Fairy
I liked the film, I really did, but for me 2 things stood out that I have a problem with. Firstly, Gigolo Joe (where shall we go?) played by Law was a great character but didn’t really fit in with the film, was only in it for an hour, and ultimately had no real role to play in the movie. He was more of a glorified extra than a pivotal character. Secondly, the last 20-30 minutes of the film were, in my opinion, a little too surreal for my liking and just began to get a little silly. I won’t describe the ending because that would ruin it for everyone that hasn’t seen the film, but suffice to say if someone had told me how it ended about half way through I probably would have laughed at them. The ending just sort of came out of nowhere really.
The Bottom Line
I think it’s definitely worth seeing and Haley Joel Osment was excellent. Many reviews have compared aspects of the film to other movies like “Mad Max”, “Blade Runner”, “Robocop” etc. but funnily one review compared it to “Babe: Pig in the City” which I found quite amusing. I thought the film was overly long and if it had ended maybe 20 minutes before it actually did without the sentimental ending I would probably give it a 9 out of 10. As it stands however, I’m only giving it a 7. Also, if you don’t trust me, check out the expert’s opinion with my favourite film reviewer, Roger Ebert.
Donnie Brasco
Speaking of films I saw “Donnie Brasco” starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp on Sunday night. It was a sort of typical mafia film – great acting, great script and one of Al Pacino or Robert de Niro (and who says actors are type-cast?). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the film but like “A.I.” I didn’t like the ending. I thought the viewer was kept guessing how it was going to finish right up until the end and I just felt a bit let down because it seemed so flat after such a big build up. It was more “Goodfellas” than “Heat” or “Carlito’s Way”. We can't really fault the ending properly as the film was based on a true story. Bah. As I well know real life is never as interesting as Hollywood makes it out to be. Anyway, I’d still give it a solid 8/10.
The Long Goodbye
Since I’m going off to University in less than a week it means I have to leave work. Obviously I am absolutelyecstatic gutted about this as it means I no longer have a stable (and extremely rubbish) source of income. However, I’ll miss all the people I work with and even though it was work we still managed to have a laugh from time to time. I’ll probably buy them all a big box of chocolates or something and get the manager a bottle of wine or champagne. Just my way of saying thanks.
Quote of the Day
“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute" - Josh Billings
This is my first post in almost 2 weeks. Part of the reason for this is that after the events in America it just kind of felt like anything I had to say didn’t really seem important in the wake of the terrorist attacks. But things have to get back to normality.
Dr. Know – there is nothing he doesn’t
For the first time in a few months I went to the cinema on Monday night to see the newly released “A.I.” starring Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment. It was a project of Stanley Kubricks’s for reportedly 15 years before being turned over to Steven Spielberg at Kubrick’s request. The film is set in the near future (I think) and seems to take place in 3 distinct stages, each having a very different theme and mood from the others. It seemed obvious to me where Kubrick had influenced the film and even more obvious where Spielberg had influenced the film (such as the ending). The special effects were phenomenal and the world in which the film took place was well realised.
The Blue Fairy
I liked the film, I really did, but for me 2 things stood out that I have a problem with. Firstly, Gigolo Joe (where shall we go?) played by Law was a great character but didn’t really fit in with the film, was only in it for an hour, and ultimately had no real role to play in the movie. He was more of a glorified extra than a pivotal character. Secondly, the last 20-30 minutes of the film were, in my opinion, a little too surreal for my liking and just began to get a little silly. I won’t describe the ending because that would ruin it for everyone that hasn’t seen the film, but suffice to say if someone had told me how it ended about half way through I probably would have laughed at them. The ending just sort of came out of nowhere really.
The Bottom Line
I think it’s definitely worth seeing and Haley Joel Osment was excellent. Many reviews have compared aspects of the film to other movies like “Mad Max”, “Blade Runner”, “Robocop” etc. but funnily one review compared it to “Babe: Pig in the City” which I found quite amusing. I thought the film was overly long and if it had ended maybe 20 minutes before it actually did without the sentimental ending I would probably give it a 9 out of 10. As it stands however, I’m only giving it a 7. Also, if you don’t trust me, check out the expert’s opinion with my favourite film reviewer, Roger Ebert.
Donnie Brasco
Speaking of films I saw “Donnie Brasco” starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp on Sunday night. It was a sort of typical mafia film – great acting, great script and one of Al Pacino or Robert de Niro (and who says actors are type-cast?). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the film but like “A.I.” I didn’t like the ending. I thought the viewer was kept guessing how it was going to finish right up until the end and I just felt a bit let down because it seemed so flat after such a big build up. It was more “Goodfellas” than “Heat” or “Carlito’s Way”. We can't really fault the ending properly as the film was based on a true story. Bah. As I well know real life is never as interesting as Hollywood makes it out to be. Anyway, I’d still give it a solid 8/10.
The Long Goodbye
Since I’m going off to University in less than a week it means I have to leave work. Obviously I am absolutely
Quote of the Day
“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute" - Josh Billings
Tuesday, September 18, 2001
el-ev-ation
Following critical comments regarding the design of this template, some minor tweaks will be made soon. As a side note, J.E.E.t.B. is set to be unleashed on the world on October 31st. I for one believe it will add a new dimension compared with the existing group blogs any of belong to currently, and if everyone puts in equal effort it could become better than I expected.
To those still wondering what the frell J.E.E.t.B. is anyway...wait and find out. In a nutshell, it's a group blog that's been in development for months with some great unique ideas that will help us
Friday, September 14, 2001
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The International blogging community 3-day silence is over. I’m back and I have no idea what I’m about to say but I can assure you all that whatever does come out will be from the heart. Tuesday September 11th 2001 will be a day that will forever go down in history. I think everyone knows what happened. Terrorists struck in America causing death and devastation beyond anyone’s wildest nightmares. I was playing a rented game on my PlayStation2 when my mum shouted to me that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Centre. My initial reaction, like when she told me Princess Diana had died in a car crash, was that she was joking. But when I switched on the TV and saw the pictures for myself I realised the truth.
I couldn’t believe it and to be honest I still can’t. I am still in a state of shock and disbelief. A lot of people have said to me it’s something like out of a film. I don’t live in America nor have I ever been there but I feel deeply affected by Tuesday’s events. More than once I have been close to tears and it seems with every passing minute the situation gets worse and worse. This whole event has put everything in my life into context and I feel like nothing matters in comparison to what has happened. Some of the scenes and descriptions given by people are beyond words. People jumped out of a 110-storey building to escape burning to death. Whilst people around them rushed away from the scene emergency workers bravely tried to save as many lives as they could. One firefighter said in the aftermath that although they’d saved 6 people from the rubble he couldn’t begin to say how many dead he’d seen and how many body parts were scattered around the area. I don’t think words like “atrocious” or “tragic” begin to scratch the surface.
What is also becoming apparent in the aftermath is that the terrorists who did this seemingly took over 4 passenger planes armed with only knives. They told the people on the plane that they were going to die and let them phone their relatives to tell them they would never see them again. I can’t imagine how awful that must be. People will never feel the same about stepping on an aeroplane again. Security has been tightened world-wide but I can’t help feeling a little vulnerable now. If it can happen in America why not anywhere else?
George Bush has promised that it was an “act of war” and the US will get the terrorists that did this and most fingers seem to be pointing at Islamic extremist Osama Bin-Laden who was responsible for the bombing of the World Trade Centre in 1993. However, Bin-Laden has denied that it was him but “thanked Allah” that it happened. Bin-Laden has apparently declared war on all American citizens and is one of the few people in the world with the knowledge and resources able to carry out an operation like this.
When I saw pictures of people from Middle-Eastern countries celebrating in the streets what happened it made me feel sick to the stomach. Little children were dancing in the street at the news that thousands of Americans had been killed. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be joyful at someone else’s death. Nearly every national leader has condemned the terrorist attacks, even Yasser Arafat, except Saddam Hussein. How can anybody celebrate the deaths of thousands of innocent people?
The death toll is expected to reach into the thousands. For anyone who has suffered a loss because of this terrible tragedy I send out my heart-felt condolences. The Pentagon and the New York skyline will never be the same. I wish there was something I could do to help. I already give blood on a regular basis so maybe it’s a start. I sincerely hope that many more people are recovered alive from the rubble. And although it sounds heartless, I sincerely hope that whoever did this gets what is coming to them.
God bless America and the American people in their time of need. It could take a long time for everything to return to normal. If it ever does. This is the sort of event that will change the world. My perception of it already has.
The International blogging community 3-day silence is over. I’m back and I have no idea what I’m about to say but I can assure you all that whatever does come out will be from the heart. Tuesday September 11th 2001 will be a day that will forever go down in history. I think everyone knows what happened. Terrorists struck in America causing death and devastation beyond anyone’s wildest nightmares. I was playing a rented game on my PlayStation2 when my mum shouted to me that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Centre. My initial reaction, like when she told me Princess Diana had died in a car crash, was that she was joking. But when I switched on the TV and saw the pictures for myself I realised the truth.
I couldn’t believe it and to be honest I still can’t. I am still in a state of shock and disbelief. A lot of people have said to me it’s something like out of a film. I don’t live in America nor have I ever been there but I feel deeply affected by Tuesday’s events. More than once I have been close to tears and it seems with every passing minute the situation gets worse and worse. This whole event has put everything in my life into context and I feel like nothing matters in comparison to what has happened. Some of the scenes and descriptions given by people are beyond words. People jumped out of a 110-storey building to escape burning to death. Whilst people around them rushed away from the scene emergency workers bravely tried to save as many lives as they could. One firefighter said in the aftermath that although they’d saved 6 people from the rubble he couldn’t begin to say how many dead he’d seen and how many body parts were scattered around the area. I don’t think words like “atrocious” or “tragic” begin to scratch the surface.
What is also becoming apparent in the aftermath is that the terrorists who did this seemingly took over 4 passenger planes armed with only knives. They told the people on the plane that they were going to die and let them phone their relatives to tell them they would never see them again. I can’t imagine how awful that must be. People will never feel the same about stepping on an aeroplane again. Security has been tightened world-wide but I can’t help feeling a little vulnerable now. If it can happen in America why not anywhere else?
George Bush has promised that it was an “act of war” and the US will get the terrorists that did this and most fingers seem to be pointing at Islamic extremist Osama Bin-Laden who was responsible for the bombing of the World Trade Centre in 1993. However, Bin-Laden has denied that it was him but “thanked Allah” that it happened. Bin-Laden has apparently declared war on all American citizens and is one of the few people in the world with the knowledge and resources able to carry out an operation like this.
When I saw pictures of people from Middle-Eastern countries celebrating in the streets what happened it made me feel sick to the stomach. Little children were dancing in the street at the news that thousands of Americans had been killed. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be joyful at someone else’s death. Nearly every national leader has condemned the terrorist attacks, even Yasser Arafat, except Saddam Hussein. How can anybody celebrate the deaths of thousands of innocent people?
The death toll is expected to reach into the thousands. For anyone who has suffered a loss because of this terrible tragedy I send out my heart-felt condolences. The Pentagon and the New York skyline will never be the same. I wish there was something I could do to help. I already give blood on a regular basis so maybe it’s a start. I sincerely hope that many more people are recovered alive from the rubble. And although it sounds heartless, I sincerely hope that whoever did this gets what is coming to them.
God bless America and the American people in their time of need. It could take a long time for everything to return to normal. If it ever does. This is the sort of event that will change the world. My perception of it already has.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Sunday, September 09, 2001
Mr. Monday Night
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what direction my life is taking and what sort of things I’ll end up doing in years to come. I haven’t really set myself any sort of goal – just a general “get a really well-paid job and marry a beautiful woman” sort of thing. Nothing specific. I’m at that period now where life-changing events and decisions are to be made and I keep wondering if I’ve taken the right fork. Should I have done things differently? My philosophy has always been to have no regrets – mistakes are all a part of gaining wisdom and experience. But what if I have made a fundamental error of judgement somewhere along the line? It’s too late to change it now. I once wrote a play in school that I performed with a friend and a passage from that springs to mind now:
“The past was and the future will be, ‘ifs’ are ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ are ‘buts’. All we can do now is look back and think what might have been.”
Mr. Pay-Per-View
I don’t really know if the previous paragraph is referring to anything in particular or just a random outburst. I guess it’s just the whole 9-5 working in an office all day mentality that dominates society. Most jobs, let’s face it, are dull and never amount to much. Not many people get to become actors, writers or sports stars (and yes, that includes wrestlers). I don’t want to do the same job for 30 years, go home to my wife every night and only spend time with my kids at the weekend. I want something different, something varied, something stimulating. But at the same time I do want some normality for the future. I definitely want to get married and have children. Where am I headed now? Well, University for the next 3 years, possibly 4, and then… well, let’s just say from there on it’s clear highway.
The Whole F’n Show
A film called eXistenZ was shown on TV last night and although I’d seen it before on video I remembered it as being pretty good so I watched it again. The plot basically revolves around a computer game designer who is having multiple attempts made on her life and tries to find out if her game has been damaged. Released in 1999 (I’m surprised it’s been on TV so early) it was originally billed as being similar to The Matrix. It features one of those cliff-hanger endings where you’re not entirely sure what the hell just happened and second time through I understood things more clearly. I thought it was a good film, although I didn’t think much to Jude Law’s American accent, and it raised some intriguing questions and issues about one possible future for computer games. A good ending, kept you guessing until the end, and of course any David Cronenberg film wouldn’t be complete without gore galore.
Rob Van Dam
RVD continued his meteoric rise to the top of the wrestling industry with a clean pin over Austin on this weeks Smackdown. Yes, that’s right, a CLEAN pin (albeit with a little help from Kurt Angle). Since Austin came back, only William Regal and HHH have managed that. Considering RVD has only been in the WWF for about 3 months he’s already had phenomenal success – 2 PPV wins over Jeff Hardy, the task of reigniting interest in the Hardcore division and now a clean win over Austin. It reminds me a bit of Kurt Angle when he first started because within a year he had won the World Title and many critics argued that he hadn’t “paid his dues” and gone through a period of doing the job and proving themselves a company player. RVD has reportedly been humble and polite backstage and not shown any signs of his ego taking control. I’m sure the fact Paul Heyman has so much pull and respect backstage helps his cause no end but even I’m surprised Vince has let RVD rise through the ranks so quickly. I understand that he is incredibly popular because of his high-octane style and constant posing to the crowd but it is surprising how well he’s done and even I didn’t expect him to have such an immediate impact. Maybe the win over Austin will just end up with Austin taking revenge by beating him up backstage or squashing him in a match next week. Either way, his inevitable face turn could be just around the corner.
Quote of the Day
“The secret to success is to know something nobody else knows” - Aristotle
Friday, September 07, 2001
Wednesday, September 05, 2001
Enema of the State
After my last blog entry about men making moves on women and vice versa I have been bombarded with e-mails on the subject (1 so far and counting). In fact I had the perfect opportunity today to start talking to a beautiful young lady on the bus to town but instead of taking the plunge I sat in silence, admiring from afar. So, after thinking about it some more, I have come to the conclusion that the less you think about matters such as these the better. Could someone pass me the Alka Seltzer please?
The Next Episode
So, England 5-1 Germany. What a scoreline. What a victory. The Mirror had a headline entitled “R.I.P German Football” whilst The Sun devoted 14 whole pages to England’s historic victory. In the space of 90-minutes we had gone from having a mediocre football team with some potential to the best team in the history of football. Ever. Well, that’s more or less the press reaction anyway. Sure, England did well but let’s not forget we had everyone fit and played a German team that is a mere shadow of it’s former past glories. To say that we are now up there with France and Holland is a little premature. What I find interesting is if England had lost the game Sven Goran Erikkson would probably be no better than Kevin Keegan in the eyes of the media but because they won, and so resoundingly as well, he is now officially (yes, that’s officially) the best thing since sliced bread and can do no wrong. That is, if England win their remaining games. I’ll admit that England did play well and do have the potential to do well in the World Cup but I just think all the newspapers have maybe blown things out of context a bit. If England beat Albania 10-0 then I might jump on the bandwagon, otherwise you can just call a cynic.
Anorexia Nervosa
After watching Enter the Dragon on Sunday I am now a big Bruce Lee fan and feel it is such a shame he died at only 33. What makes it worse is his son, Brandon Lee who starred in The Crow, also died very young whilst shooting said film. Enter the Dragon would never win any awards for it’s screenplay or acting but the fight scenes, choreographed by Lee, were exceptional. The plot was a bit thin and the ending pretty lame but man those fight scenes! Bruce Lee, I lay down my hat to you.
Bulimia Nervosa
Here’s a useless fact for you all on the subject of self-defence: I used to do the ancient martial art of Ju-Jitsu but gave it up after only a year. If someone attacked me today I’d be more likely to defend myself with a Stone Cold Stunner or a Rock Bottom than a well-timed karate kick or judo throw. I wonder which would be more effective? I mean in wrestling, those 2 moves can usually devastate an opponent for at least 2 seconds. But I think one day I will take up a form of self-defence again, if only to do those stupid high pitched screams every kung-fu person does before striking an opponent. HI-YA!
Quote of the Day
“Only people who look dull ever get into the House of Commons, only people who are dull ever succeed there” – Oscar Wilde
After my last blog entry about men making moves on women and vice versa I have been bombarded with e-mails on the subject (1 so far and counting). In fact I had the perfect opportunity today to start talking to a beautiful young lady on the bus to town but instead of taking the plunge I sat in silence, admiring from afar. So, after thinking about it some more, I have come to the conclusion that the less you think about matters such as these the better. Could someone pass me the Alka Seltzer please?
The Next Episode
So, England 5-1 Germany. What a scoreline. What a victory. The Mirror had a headline entitled “R.I.P German Football” whilst The Sun devoted 14 whole pages to England’s historic victory. In the space of 90-minutes we had gone from having a mediocre football team with some potential to the best team in the history of football. Ever. Well, that’s more or less the press reaction anyway. Sure, England did well but let’s not forget we had everyone fit and played a German team that is a mere shadow of it’s former past glories. To say that we are now up there with France and Holland is a little premature. What I find interesting is if England had lost the game Sven Goran Erikkson would probably be no better than Kevin Keegan in the eyes of the media but because they won, and so resoundingly as well, he is now officially (yes, that’s officially) the best thing since sliced bread and can do no wrong. That is, if England win their remaining games. I’ll admit that England did play well and do have the potential to do well in the World Cup but I just think all the newspapers have maybe blown things out of context a bit. If England beat Albania 10-0 then I might jump on the bandwagon, otherwise you can just call a cynic.
Anorexia Nervosa
After watching Enter the Dragon on Sunday I am now a big Bruce Lee fan and feel it is such a shame he died at only 33. What makes it worse is his son, Brandon Lee who starred in The Crow, also died very young whilst shooting said film. Enter the Dragon would never win any awards for it’s screenplay or acting but the fight scenes, choreographed by Lee, were exceptional. The plot was a bit thin and the ending pretty lame but man those fight scenes! Bruce Lee, I lay down my hat to you.
Bulimia Nervosa
Here’s a useless fact for you all on the subject of self-defence: I used to do the ancient martial art of Ju-Jitsu but gave it up after only a year. If someone attacked me today I’d be more likely to defend myself with a Stone Cold Stunner or a Rock Bottom than a well-timed karate kick or judo throw. I wonder which would be more effective? I mean in wrestling, those 2 moves can usually devastate an opponent for at least 2 seconds. But I think one day I will take up a form of self-defence again, if only to do those stupid high pitched screams every kung-fu person does before striking an opponent. HI-YA!
Quote of the Day
“Only people who look dull ever get into the House of Commons, only people who are dull ever succeed there” – Oscar Wilde
Sunday, September 02, 2001
Hung like a Donkey
This will be short as my head hurts from too much alcohol consumption and I've got to go and see some relatives today where my parents have the exact same conversation with them every time we go. "You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family." Or maybe as my manager at work better put it "You can't choose your family but you can kill them". Anyway, onto one of life's delicacies and I am very happy because England won 5-1 (an absolutely ridiculous result in hindsight) and everyone was just ecstatic in town last night, even the people from where I work. You know things are different when "Vindaloo" and "3 Lions" (football songs) are played in nightclubs and everyone is dancing to them like headless chickens. The only bad thing about the night was that all the goals were scored by Liverpool players [spits on floor]. Just imagine what the scoreline would have been if Andy Cole had played...
I'll be back with a better post and press-analysis later in the week when my liver has sufficiently recovered.
Quote of the Day
"I think it'll finish 1-1" - me just after England equalised. (Shows what I know about football)
This will be short as my head hurts from too much alcohol consumption and I've got to go and see some relatives today where my parents have the exact same conversation with them every time we go. "You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family." Or maybe as my manager at work better put it "You can't choose your family but you can kill them". Anyway, onto one of life's delicacies and I am very happy because England won 5-1 (an absolutely ridiculous result in hindsight) and everyone was just ecstatic in town last night, even the people from where I work. You know things are different when "Vindaloo" and "3 Lions" (football songs) are played in nightclubs and everyone is dancing to them like headless chickens. The only bad thing about the night was that all the goals were scored by Liverpool players [spits on floor]. Just imagine what the scoreline would have been if Andy Cole had played...
I'll be back with a better post and press-analysis later in the week when my liver has sufficiently recovered.
Quote of the Day
"I think it'll finish 1-1" - me just after England equalised. (Shows what I know about football)
Friday, August 31, 2001
The Green Mile
Today it has been nice and sunny which makes a periodic change to the typical grey-sky and drizzle we seem to be getting a lot of recently. August is usually Britain’s best month of the year, well not this year. It’s been more akin to a February or December. But hey if you want a tan there’s always sunbeds. It’s just nice to be able to sit in the garden, sunshine and killer UV rays washing over your toned body whilst listening to a tune on your personal stereo and reading a good book. Ah, bliss. But with British weather you only get that opportunity once in a blue moon. And I don’t ever recall seeing a blue moon.
Women: can’t live with ‘em. Period.
Ah yes, the female of the species. We men love them (some of the time). On TV this morning before I went to work there was a debate on whether it is easier for men to go and talk to strange women or women to go and talk to strange men. On the bus to work I mulled this over in my mind (yep, I’m a deep and profligate guy, what can I say?). Obviously I can only speak from personal experience as a male as I’ve never been a female (at least, not that I can remember, but then again you never know what can happen when alcohol is involved…) But anyway, talking to strange women. For those of you that don’t know, I work in a shop. Not a particularly cool or trendy shop but it sees a lot of customers. Perhaps one of the best aspects of working in a shop is that you quite often get to check out babes, er, admire beautiful girls when you serve them or show them where something is in the shop. However, many a time I have thought to myself “ooh, she’s nice, I’d love to take her out for a drink sometime” but how do you do it?
The Route to Success
What do you say to a girl you’re interested in that you’ve never met before? “That’ll be £4.62, your receipt is in the bag and by the way, can I have your phone number?” Hmm, not exactly romantic. If you’re out in a club or for a drink then things are a little easier because generally alcohol is a potent aphrodisiac and usually people in those situations are looking to meet new people. But in a shop? Come on, not many people meet their next hot date over a shop counter (well, except in my case maybe). For women though is it any easier? If they saw a cute guy in a shop or walking down the street what can they do? I have no idea. If I ever wolf whistled at a nice girl walking down the street I’d probably get a dirty look and a slap in the face rather than the pined after meal, drinks and romantic walk by the sea in shimmering moonlight. This whole dating relationship malarkey is a lot of work. Is it worth the effort, embarrassment, shame, humiliation etc? I sure hope so, certainly for when I make an ass of myself by pinching a girls bottom in a shop. (Hey, that was a joke OK? I’m not that sort of guy. Honest. But maybe it would be a good way to start a conversation…)
The Auld Enemy
Back to more important matters and football. Tomorrow sees England play Germany in a much over-hyped match that will make or break England’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup automatically. England vs. Germany I guess it all goes back to the whole “the 2 World Wars were all their fault” argument and then subsequent victory in the World Cup of ’66 and heartbreak in 1970, 1990 and 1996. The English press like to build this game up as some sort of titanic clash that has the whole nation on tenterhooks. I guess it’s true in a way but mainly for football fans. My mum for instance doesn’t give a toss who comes out on top as long as it doesn’t interfere with the scheduling of Coronation Street. But alas, I may not be able to watch it as tomorrow represents a staff night out for my work due to me and 2 other girls leaving. Hmm, dilemma. Do I go out for the meal, have a few drinks, laugh and joke, flirt with my work mates or do I sit at home on the edge of my seat, nervously biting my nails, desperately hoping that England win? Only time will tell but since I’m one of the people leaving I guess I really ought to go. Come on England, give those Germans/Krauts/Nazis the stuffing they deserve! [The preceding comment was in no way intended to be racist, insulting or derogatory towards German people and their football team and was in no way serious. Well, not much anyway]
Quote of the Day
“Politics – the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.” – Oscar Ameringer
Today it has been nice and sunny which makes a periodic change to the typical grey-sky and drizzle we seem to be getting a lot of recently. August is usually Britain’s best month of the year, well not this year. It’s been more akin to a February or December. But hey if you want a tan there’s always sunbeds. It’s just nice to be able to sit in the garden, sunshine and killer UV rays washing over your toned body whilst listening to a tune on your personal stereo and reading a good book. Ah, bliss. But with British weather you only get that opportunity once in a blue moon. And I don’t ever recall seeing a blue moon.
Women: can’t live with ‘em. Period.
Ah yes, the female of the species. We men love them (some of the time). On TV this morning before I went to work there was a debate on whether it is easier for men to go and talk to strange women or women to go and talk to strange men. On the bus to work I mulled this over in my mind (yep, I’m a deep and profligate guy, what can I say?). Obviously I can only speak from personal experience as a male as I’ve never been a female (at least, not that I can remember, but then again you never know what can happen when alcohol is involved…) But anyway, talking to strange women. For those of you that don’t know, I work in a shop. Not a particularly cool or trendy shop but it sees a lot of customers. Perhaps one of the best aspects of working in a shop is that you quite often get to check out babes, er, admire beautiful girls when you serve them or show them where something is in the shop. However, many a time I have thought to myself “ooh, she’s nice, I’d love to take her out for a drink sometime” but how do you do it?
The Route to Success
What do you say to a girl you’re interested in that you’ve never met before? “That’ll be £4.62, your receipt is in the bag and by the way, can I have your phone number?” Hmm, not exactly romantic. If you’re out in a club or for a drink then things are a little easier because generally alcohol is a potent aphrodisiac and usually people in those situations are looking to meet new people. But in a shop? Come on, not many people meet their next hot date over a shop counter (well, except in my case maybe). For women though is it any easier? If they saw a cute guy in a shop or walking down the street what can they do? I have no idea. If I ever wolf whistled at a nice girl walking down the street I’d probably get a dirty look and a slap in the face rather than the pined after meal, drinks and romantic walk by the sea in shimmering moonlight. This whole dating relationship malarkey is a lot of work. Is it worth the effort, embarrassment, shame, humiliation etc? I sure hope so, certainly for when I make an ass of myself by pinching a girls bottom in a shop. (Hey, that was a joke OK? I’m not that sort of guy. Honest. But maybe it would be a good way to start a conversation…)
The Auld Enemy
Back to more important matters and football. Tomorrow sees England play Germany in a much over-hyped match that will make or break England’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup automatically. England vs. Germany I guess it all goes back to the whole “the 2 World Wars were all their fault” argument and then subsequent victory in the World Cup of ’66 and heartbreak in 1970, 1990 and 1996. The English press like to build this game up as some sort of titanic clash that has the whole nation on tenterhooks. I guess it’s true in a way but mainly for football fans. My mum for instance doesn’t give a toss who comes out on top as long as it doesn’t interfere with the scheduling of Coronation Street. But alas, I may not be able to watch it as tomorrow represents a staff night out for my work due to me and 2 other girls leaving. Hmm, dilemma. Do I go out for the meal, have a few drinks, laugh and joke, flirt with my work mates or do I sit at home on the edge of my seat, nervously biting my nails, desperately hoping that England win? Only time will tell but since I’m one of the people leaving I guess I really ought to go. Come on England, give those Germans/Krauts/Nazis the stuffing they deserve! [The preceding comment was in no way intended to be racist, insulting or derogatory towards German people and their football team and was in no way serious. Well, not much anyway]
Quote of the Day
“Politics – the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.” – Oscar Ameringer
Tuesday, August 28, 2001
Little River Band
And so another uneventful few days has passed me by and my bank balance is being whittled down further on necessities such as new trainers, McDonalds and alcohol. I’m feeling very tired right now but fortunately the weather is good so things aren’t too bad. I have only 6 weeks left until I start University and over the summer I have done very little. Nay, I have done nothing. Apart from working, I haven’t done anything of note except go to Ibiza for a week (with my parents) and get my A-level results. The days have been spent lazing around, sunbathing at every opportunity and just generally wasting time. Ah, to be a teenager.
Come Sail with Me
My parents have gone away for the week and this time my older sister has gone with them leaving me all alone and fending for myself. But it’ll be good practice for Uni. What is good is that I have hooked up my PlayStation2 to our 32-ich widescreen TV downstairs and believe me, games and DVDs look much better on a big screen. I guess it’s true what they say, size does matter…
Authorised Collection
I’m looking after a house across the road while it’s occupants are away on holiday and this basically entails collecting the post and letting the rabbit out. However, while I’m there I usually borrow a couple of videos, make a few phone calls etc. and just abuse my position of power [laughs in an evil manner]. When the neighbours asked me to look after the house the people came round under false pretences. As a (former) Psychology student I enjoy watching people and the way they behave in certain situations. The neighbours came round with a “Congratulations” card for my exam results and it was sort of like “Well done Alex, we heard how well you did and brought this for you. Oh, and while we’re here…” I just found it funny how they came round pretending to give me a card when really they only came to ask me to look after their house. If people were just frank about things life would be so much easier.
Video killed the Radio Star
I feel like I should write something really profound, like a general observation on life or something, but nothing springs to mind right now so I’ll talk about football instead. Man Utd have sold their star defender Jaap Stam to Lazio for £16.5m. I was shocked at this because he’s easily their best defender and without him they’re just not as solid. I understand that me made an “error of judgement” when he wrote what he did in his autobiography but to sell him because of it just seems over the top. Even though they’re talking about replacing him with Roberto Ayala or Laurent Blanc, neither of them is in the same class as Stam. If only they’d got Sol Campbell things might not be too bad. Anyway, somehow they’ll get through it but they won’t win the European Cup and it’ll be hard to win the league. Maybe this is all some sort of football-nightmare and none of it has really happened. The next thing that’ll happen in the crazy world of football is Bolton will top the Premiership with Everton in second… (yeah right)
Quote of the Day
“There are 2 kinds of problems in my life. The political ones are insoluble and the economic ones are incomprehensible.” – Alec Douglas Home
And so another uneventful few days has passed me by and my bank balance is being whittled down further on necessities such as new trainers, McDonalds and alcohol. I’m feeling very tired right now but fortunately the weather is good so things aren’t too bad. I have only 6 weeks left until I start University and over the summer I have done very little. Nay, I have done nothing. Apart from working, I haven’t done anything of note except go to Ibiza for a week (with my parents) and get my A-level results. The days have been spent lazing around, sunbathing at every opportunity and just generally wasting time. Ah, to be a teenager.
Come Sail with Me
My parents have gone away for the week and this time my older sister has gone with them leaving me all alone and fending for myself. But it’ll be good practice for Uni. What is good is that I have hooked up my PlayStation2 to our 32-ich widescreen TV downstairs and believe me, games and DVDs look much better on a big screen. I guess it’s true what they say, size does matter…
Authorised Collection
I’m looking after a house across the road while it’s occupants are away on holiday and this basically entails collecting the post and letting the rabbit out. However, while I’m there I usually borrow a couple of videos, make a few phone calls etc. and just abuse my position of power [laughs in an evil manner]. When the neighbours asked me to look after the house the people came round under false pretences. As a (former) Psychology student I enjoy watching people and the way they behave in certain situations. The neighbours came round with a “Congratulations” card for my exam results and it was sort of like “Well done Alex, we heard how well you did and brought this for you. Oh, and while we’re here…” I just found it funny how they came round pretending to give me a card when really they only came to ask me to look after their house. If people were just frank about things life would be so much easier.
Video killed the Radio Star
I feel like I should write something really profound, like a general observation on life or something, but nothing springs to mind right now so I’ll talk about football instead. Man Utd have sold their star defender Jaap Stam to Lazio for £16.5m. I was shocked at this because he’s easily their best defender and without him they’re just not as solid. I understand that me made an “error of judgement” when he wrote what he did in his autobiography but to sell him because of it just seems over the top. Even though they’re talking about replacing him with Roberto Ayala or Laurent Blanc, neither of them is in the same class as Stam. If only they’d got Sol Campbell things might not be too bad. Anyway, somehow they’ll get through it but they won’t win the European Cup and it’ll be hard to win the league. Maybe this is all some sort of football-nightmare and none of it has really happened. The next thing that’ll happen in the crazy world of football is Bolton will top the Premiership with Everton in second… (yeah right)
Quote of the Day
“There are 2 kinds of problems in my life. The political ones are insoluble and the economic ones are incomprehensible.” – Alec Douglas Home
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
Nationalism in the Contemporary World
I don’t have a great deal to say today but I’ll try and keep you entertained. Since the A-level results my life has basically consisted of work and consuming copious amounts of alcohol – a great combination. Let’s just say I went to a birthday party with an “open” bar and regretted it at work the next day. So, for those of you that work in retail like myself (or for matter, those of you that just “work” full stop) here is a little “Prayer for the Stressed” I came across that conveys how much we all really like our jobs and, in particular, dealing with the public. The last one is my favourite. Enjoy:
Prayer for the Stressed
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill today because they annoyed me.
Also, help me to be careful of toes I have stepped on today as they may be connected to the ass I have to kiss tomorrow.
Help me always give 100% at work… 12% on Monday, 23% on Tuesday, 40% on Wednesday, 20% on Thursday and 5% on Friday.
And help me remember that when I’m having a really bad day, and it seems that people are trying to annoy me, that it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 4 to extend my middle finger and tell them to f**k off.
The Heat is On
So, the rest of this week should be work filled, and then I’ve got Bank Holiday Monday to look forward to. Doubly pay, wahey! So it means I’ll go up from 1p an hour to 2p an hour (slight exaggeration). And then next week I may be going away with my parents to stay in our Uncle’s caravan. However, I’m looking after our neighbour’s house at the moment while they’re on holiday so if I go there won’t be anyone to feed the rabbit or anything. It’s a hard life. Important decisions like this just seem to crop up all the time. To go or not to go? That is the question.
Teenage Dirtbag
I’ve been reading a satirical book on the British and American Politics in the 20th century (in preparation for my degree course, don’t think this is my usual bed-time reading) and it featured some funny (and some not-so-funny quotes) so I thought the ones that tickled my fancy I might post here. I’m not going to deluge you all with them, just one at a time. Today’s I thought was quite funny, especially in light of good ol’ George Dubya Bush and the Florida debacle.
Quote of the Day
“98% of the people in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It’s the other lousy 2% that get all the publicity. But then – we elected them.” – Lily Tomlin
Designed for Life
And although I've thanked him privately here is a big public thankyou to Mr. Mike Dale for persevering to work on my blog and make it as good as it can possibly be. As you all can see, he (unlike me) knows what he's doing. You can all say thankyou by visiting his blog here.
I don’t have a great deal to say today but I’ll try and keep you entertained. Since the A-level results my life has basically consisted of work and consuming copious amounts of alcohol – a great combination. Let’s just say I went to a birthday party with an “open” bar and regretted it at work the next day. So, for those of you that work in retail like myself (or for matter, those of you that just “work” full stop) here is a little “Prayer for the Stressed” I came across that conveys how much we all really like our jobs and, in particular, dealing with the public. The last one is my favourite. Enjoy:
Prayer for the Stressed
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill today because they annoyed me.
Also, help me to be careful of toes I have stepped on today as they may be connected to the ass I have to kiss tomorrow.
Help me always give 100% at work… 12% on Monday, 23% on Tuesday, 40% on Wednesday, 20% on Thursday and 5% on Friday.
And help me remember that when I’m having a really bad day, and it seems that people are trying to annoy me, that it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 4 to extend my middle finger and tell them to f**k off.
The Heat is On
So, the rest of this week should be work filled, and then I’ve got Bank Holiday Monday to look forward to. Doubly pay, wahey! So it means I’ll go up from 1p an hour to 2p an hour (slight exaggeration). And then next week I may be going away with my parents to stay in our Uncle’s caravan. However, I’m looking after our neighbour’s house at the moment while they’re on holiday so if I go there won’t be anyone to feed the rabbit or anything. It’s a hard life. Important decisions like this just seem to crop up all the time. To go or not to go? That is the question.
Teenage Dirtbag
I’ve been reading a satirical book on the British and American Politics in the 20th century (in preparation for my degree course, don’t think this is my usual bed-time reading) and it featured some funny (and some not-so-funny quotes) so I thought the ones that tickled my fancy I might post here. I’m not going to deluge you all with them, just one at a time. Today’s I thought was quite funny, especially in light of good ol’ George Dubya Bush and the Florida debacle.
Quote of the Day
“98% of the people in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It’s the other lousy 2% that get all the publicity. But then – we elected them.” – Lily Tomlin
Designed for Life
And although I've thanked him privately here is a big public thankyou to Mr. Mike Dale for persevering to work on my blog and make it as good as it can possibly be. As you all can see, he (unlike me) knows what he's doing. You can all say thankyou by visiting his blog here.
Saturday, August 18, 2001
Designed for life
For the 3rd time in it's life this blog has had a bout of cosmetic surgery - courtesy of me, the one and only Michael Dale. It's half a reward for Al's fantastic results and half because I messed up the last template with my continued tinkering. Anyway, it's influenced by two major interests of my life at the momment, Dawson's Creek (the title font) and Yoshi's Island (the various little sprite images). Ok, so this is Al's blog and not mine, but hey he gives me creative freedom to do what I please.
I know it's not exactly mind-blowing or revolutionary but I like it a lot, for the next few weeks at least. Over complication of template design is the route of all evil on the internet, so I tried to keep clutter down to a minimum. Well, that's just about all I have to say other than I hope all of Al's loyal readers, and the man himself, like it and enjoy!
For the 3rd time in it's life this blog has had a bout of cosmetic surgery - courtesy of me, the one and only Michael Dale. It's half a reward for Al's fantastic results and half because I messed up the last template with my continued tinkering. Anyway, it's influenced by two major interests of my life at the momment, Dawson's Creek (the title font) and Yoshi's Island (the various little sprite images). Ok, so this is Al's blog and not mine, but hey he gives me creative freedom to do what I please.
I know it's not exactly mind-blowing or revolutionary but I like it a lot, for the next few weeks at least. Over complication of template design is the route of all evil on the internet, so I tried to keep clutter down to a minimum. Well, that's just about all I have to say other than I hope all of Al's loyal readers, and the man himself, like it and enjoy!
Friday, August 17, 2001
Good news, Bad news, Darn Ugly news
Ah, yesterday was A-level results day. I was pretty nervous on my way to college but things turned out okay:
English Language - A
Psychology - A
Politics - B
General Studies - A
Okay, so the good news was I got 3 A’s and a B and I only needed an A and 2 B’s. What’s also good is that I could have got into Oxford or Cambridge with those grades but it’s too late now. The bad news is that I only got a B in Politics and as everyone in the whole world keeps reminding me, I’m doing a Politics degree. They say it like it’s some sort of startling revelation: “You got a B in Politics? But aren’t you doing that at degree?” [sighs] Well done. Observation skills = 10/10.
White Hating Coon
You see, I’m pretty pleased overall with my grades but what annoys me about the Politics result is not that I got a B and I’m doing it at degree. No. What annoys me is that throughout the 2 year Politics course we were led to believe that you only needed 60-65% for an A. I got 76% (I know this because it was a modular subject). So based on this I assumed a mistake had been and I had actually got an A. Wrong. The (incredibly stupid) examining body obviously decided to up the grade boundaries so that you actually needed 80% for an A instead of the aforementioned 65%.
Jay and Silent Bob
Let me put it this way: if someone had said to me before I took the Politics exams I’d get 76% in them, I would have snapped their hand off. I’m really pleased to have done so well, I’m just really disappointed that it was only a B. It sounds like I’m complaining that I “only” got a B (which I am) but many people would be happy with that so I am grateful that I did so well.
Pot Luck
General Studies. Quite possibly the stupidest subject ever. Reading through previous blog entries I found General Studies very hard and, to be quite frank, on the 3 essays I wrote I was pretty much making it up. Not in the “I know enough about this to blag my way through” making it up but I was making it up in the “oh shit, I have no clue what the question is asking” making it up. The multiple choice questions were ridiculously hard and I just guessed them. What makes General Studies even more of a stupid subject is that I got an A in it. I’m really pleased with this, don’t get me wrong, but the fact I got an A when I was bullshitting my way through it suggests one of a number of things to me:
1. Exams really are getting easier, just like the critics (old people) are suggesting
2. I’m incredibly clever and my brain took over during the exam, thus letting me think about wrestling
3. I was incredibly lucky and watching all that wrestling has had a positive effect on me
4. Blame it on the boogie
Hmmm, it’s a tough one but probably a combination of all of them (except number 4, do you see?). I feel that the education system is in real disarray if I can get an A in General Studies and I was making it all up. It’s basically just an exam that tests your luck. Which is pretty poor. When I’m Prime Minister, I’m going to replace the compulsory General Studies exam with a compulsory Wrestling exam. That should sort the men out from the boys and is a much better test of all-round academic excellence don’t you think?
Best of the Rest
To get an A in Psychology was sort of expected by my teachers and is especially gratifying after all of the work I put into it. The exams were hard but I obviously did well enough on the essays that had good questions as opposed to the essays that had bad questions (i.e. the ones the teachers had taught us as opposed to the ones they hadn’t). I was impressed with my English results, in light of the fact that I did very little work for it. Basically my writing skills are unmatched this side of my couch and the exam result just emphasises this point.
To Be or not To Be?
So overall I’m relatively happy but I’m not “oh my god, this is the best day of my life” ecstatic. Did I do well because of my incredible good looks, tanned athletic body and natural intellectual ability (the third of these applies, the other 2 are just work in progress) or was it because of my incessant commitment to the rigours of studying and sacrificing everything else in the pursuit of academic achievement? Hmmm, another tough one to call but it’s a combination of hard work and natural ability this time round. I couldn’t have got what I got on ability alone but then again I wouldn’t have done so well on just hard work and dedication. What can I say? (Everyone is gay?) My mum was pleased - it was her birthday yesterday as well, an added dose of pre-exam pressure – and I did better than my friend who got into Oxford (haha) so I don’t have anything to be down about.
The Sympathy Vote
Perhaps the worst thing about getting you’re A-level results is seeing the reactions of other people. On a serious note it was quite a strange experience to see people who are usually timid laughing and joking, and then people who are usually the centre of attention going quiet in the corner. It was like a mixed bag. On the one hand you had the people who had got what they wanted and were really happy… and then you had those who hadn’t got what they wanted and were devastated. One person said A-level results day is “the most important day of our life so far, the next 3 years of our lives will be decided on the events of today and it seems unfair that some will succeed where others fail”. Actually that person was me. Yesterday probably wasthe most important day of my life and has decided where I go for the next 3 years. What annoys me about life is that, in English for example, I hardly did any work for it and got an A whereas one person in my class worked their arse off and only got a D (they were pleased with that though so it’s not all bad). Why should I be better rewarded for not working hard where others are not rewarded even though they made the effort?
It’s a messed up world but that’s just the way it is.
It ain’t over till it’s over
I’m just glad it’s all over now. I feel really sorry for those people that didn’t get what they wanted and/or needed because I bet everyone worked hard no matter what they say and feel that things are just unfair. They are. And there’s not a damn thing anyone of us mere mortals can do about it.
The End of the world as We know it
I’m sorry about the sombre and serious end to this post but it just had to be said. If you’ve ever been through exam results then you can probably relate to what I’ve said. It’s just one of those things in life that we all go through at some stage. To change subject somewhat, the blog template is undergoing revision and the current (horrible) blue colour scheme will soon be changed.
So that’s it. Send any congratulatory e-cards to the usual address and I’m making a toast to the future. Wherever it may take it us.
Ah, yesterday was A-level results day. I was pretty nervous on my way to college but things turned out okay:
English Language - A
Psychology - A
Politics - B
General Studies - A
Okay, so the good news was I got 3 A’s and a B and I only needed an A and 2 B’s. What’s also good is that I could have got into Oxford or Cambridge with those grades but it’s too late now. The bad news is that I only got a B in Politics and as everyone in the whole world keeps reminding me, I’m doing a Politics degree. They say it like it’s some sort of startling revelation: “You got a B in Politics? But aren’t you doing that at degree?” [sighs] Well done. Observation skills = 10/10.
White Hating Coon
You see, I’m pretty pleased overall with my grades but what annoys me about the Politics result is not that I got a B and I’m doing it at degree. No. What annoys me is that throughout the 2 year Politics course we were led to believe that you only needed 60-65% for an A. I got 76% (I know this because it was a modular subject). So based on this I assumed a mistake had been and I had actually got an A. Wrong. The (incredibly stupid) examining body obviously decided to up the grade boundaries so that you actually needed 80% for an A instead of the aforementioned 65%.
Jay and Silent Bob
Let me put it this way: if someone had said to me before I took the Politics exams I’d get 76% in them, I would have snapped their hand off. I’m really pleased to have done so well, I’m just really disappointed that it was only a B. It sounds like I’m complaining that I “only” got a B (which I am) but many people would be happy with that so I am grateful that I did so well.
Pot Luck
General Studies. Quite possibly the stupidest subject ever. Reading through previous blog entries I found General Studies very hard and, to be quite frank, on the 3 essays I wrote I was pretty much making it up. Not in the “I know enough about this to blag my way through” making it up but I was making it up in the “oh shit, I have no clue what the question is asking” making it up. The multiple choice questions were ridiculously hard and I just guessed them. What makes General Studies even more of a stupid subject is that I got an A in it. I’m really pleased with this, don’t get me wrong, but the fact I got an A when I was bullshitting my way through it suggests one of a number of things to me:
1. Exams really are getting easier, just like the critics (old people) are suggesting
2. I’m incredibly clever and my brain took over during the exam, thus letting me think about wrestling
3. I was incredibly lucky and watching all that wrestling has had a positive effect on me
4. Blame it on the boogie
Hmmm, it’s a tough one but probably a combination of all of them (except number 4, do you see?). I feel that the education system is in real disarray if I can get an A in General Studies and I was making it all up. It’s basically just an exam that tests your luck. Which is pretty poor. When I’m Prime Minister, I’m going to replace the compulsory General Studies exam with a compulsory Wrestling exam. That should sort the men out from the boys and is a much better test of all-round academic excellence don’t you think?
Best of the Rest
To get an A in Psychology was sort of expected by my teachers and is especially gratifying after all of the work I put into it. The exams were hard but I obviously did well enough on the essays that had good questions as opposed to the essays that had bad questions (i.e. the ones the teachers had taught us as opposed to the ones they hadn’t). I was impressed with my English results, in light of the fact that I did very little work for it. Basically my writing skills are unmatched this side of my couch and the exam result just emphasises this point.
To Be or not To Be?
So overall I’m relatively happy but I’m not “oh my god, this is the best day of my life” ecstatic. Did I do well because of my incredible good looks, tanned athletic body and natural intellectual ability (the third of these applies, the other 2 are just work in progress) or was it because of my incessant commitment to the rigours of studying and sacrificing everything else in the pursuit of academic achievement? Hmmm, another tough one to call but it’s a combination of hard work and natural ability this time round. I couldn’t have got what I got on ability alone but then again I wouldn’t have done so well on just hard work and dedication. What can I say? (Everyone is gay?) My mum was pleased - it was her birthday yesterday as well, an added dose of pre-exam pressure – and I did better than my friend who got into Oxford (haha) so I don’t have anything to be down about.
The Sympathy Vote
Perhaps the worst thing about getting you’re A-level results is seeing the reactions of other people. On a serious note it was quite a strange experience to see people who are usually timid laughing and joking, and then people who are usually the centre of attention going quiet in the corner. It was like a mixed bag. On the one hand you had the people who had got what they wanted and were really happy… and then you had those who hadn’t got what they wanted and were devastated. One person said A-level results day is “the most important day of our life so far, the next 3 years of our lives will be decided on the events of today and it seems unfair that some will succeed where others fail”. Actually that person was me. Yesterday probably wasthe most important day of my life and has decided where I go for the next 3 years. What annoys me about life is that, in English for example, I hardly did any work for it and got an A whereas one person in my class worked their arse off and only got a D (they were pleased with that though so it’s not all bad). Why should I be better rewarded for not working hard where others are not rewarded even though they made the effort?
It’s a messed up world but that’s just the way it is.
It ain’t over till it’s over
I’m just glad it’s all over now. I feel really sorry for those people that didn’t get what they wanted and/or needed because I bet everyone worked hard no matter what they say and feel that things are just unfair. They are. And there’s not a damn thing anyone of us mere mortals can do about it.
The End of the world as We know it
I’m sorry about the sombre and serious end to this post but it just had to be said. If you’ve ever been through exam results then you can probably relate to what I’ve said. It’s just one of those things in life that we all go through at some stage. To change subject somewhat, the blog template is undergoing revision and the current (horrible) blue colour scheme will soon be changed.
So that’s it. Send any congratulatory e-cards to the usual address and I’m making a toast to the future. Wherever it may take it us.
Wednesday, August 15, 2001
Monday, August 13, 2001
3 Days and counting…
Here we are again and we’re now only 72 hours away from the release of the A-level results. Don’t fret however as an article in today’s Daily Express says that this year’s results will be the best ever, a trend that has been going on for 20 years. Of course, some people (e.g. my parents) say it’s just because they’re getting easier but I just like to think we’re a much more educated and literate generation. What with WWF, MTV, The Simpsons etc. we can’t fail to be intelligent!
Link-Me-Do
Since nothing has happened to me recently for a change except recovering from being ill and going to work I’ve decided to give you a few links to some sites on the web. I haven’t exactly searched long and hard for these, it’s just a few random sites. Anyways:
http://www.wwf.com/news/rossreport/ - WWF play-by-play announcer and senior VP for talent relations runs down all the latest happenings in his weekly “Ross Report”
http://www.rajahwwf.com/wwf/base.htm – a great site for keeping up on all the latest WWF news and rumours
http://dvd.ign.com/news/17691.html – the IGN team have put together their top 25 DVDs, check it out
http://www.bored.com – bored on the net? Check out some of the links on here
http://www.deathclock.com – if you want to find out the exact date you’re going to die, go here
http://www.emode.com – tons of personality tests
I may post some more during the week if demand is high enough (LOL). Anyway, wish me luck for Thursday everyone.
Here we are again and we’re now only 72 hours away from the release of the A-level results. Don’t fret however as an article in today’s Daily Express says that this year’s results will be the best ever, a trend that has been going on for 20 years. Of course, some people (e.g. my parents) say it’s just because they’re getting easier but I just like to think we’re a much more educated and literate generation. What with WWF, MTV, The Simpsons etc. we can’t fail to be intelligent!
Link-Me-Do
Since nothing has happened to me recently for a change except recovering from being ill and going to work I’ve decided to give you a few links to some sites on the web. I haven’t exactly searched long and hard for these, it’s just a few random sites. Anyways:
http://www.wwf.com/news/rossreport/ - WWF play-by-play announcer and senior VP for talent relations runs down all the latest happenings in his weekly “Ross Report”
http://www.rajahwwf.com/wwf/base.htm – a great site for keeping up on all the latest WWF news and rumours
http://dvd.ign.com/news/17691.html – the IGN team have put together their top 25 DVDs, check it out
http://www.bored.com – bored on the net? Check out some of the links on here
http://www.deathclock.com – if you want to find out the exact date you’re going to die, go here
http://www.emode.com – tons of personality tests
I may post some more during the week if demand is high enough (LOL). Anyway, wish me luck for Thursday everyone.
3 Days and counting…
Here we are again and we’re now only 72 hours away from the release of the A-level results. Don’t fret however as an article in today’s Daily Express says that this year’s results will be the best ever, a trend that has been going on for 20 years. Of course, some people (e.g. my parents) say it’s just because they’re getting easier but I just like to think we’re a much more educated and literate generation. What with WWF, MTV, The Simpsons etc. we can’t fail to be intelligent!
Link-Me-Do
Since nothing has happened to me recently for a change except recovering from being ill and going to work I’ve decided to give you a few links to some sites on the web. I haven’t exactly searched long and hard for these, it’s just a few random sites. Anyways:
http://www.wwf.com/news/rossreport/ - WWF play-by-play announcer and senior VP for talent relations runs down all the latest happenings in his weekly “Ross Report”
http://www.rajahwwf.com/wwf/base.htm – a great site for keeping up on all the latest WWF news and rumours
http://dvd.ign.com/news/17691.html – the IGN team have put together their top 25 DVDs, check it out
http://www.bored.com – bored on the net? Check out some of the links on here
http://www.deathclock.com – if you want to find out the exact date you’re going to die, go here
http://www.emode.com – tons of personality tests
I may post some more during the week if demand is high enough (LOL). Anyway, wish me luck for Thursday everyone.
Here we are again and we’re now only 72 hours away from the release of the A-level results. Don’t fret however as an article in today’s Daily Express says that this year’s results will be the best ever, a trend that has been going on for 20 years. Of course, some people (e.g. my parents) say it’s just because they’re getting easier but I just like to think we’re a much more educated and literate generation. What with WWF, MTV, The Simpsons etc. we can’t fail to be intelligent!
Link-Me-Do
Since nothing has happened to me recently for a change except recovering from being ill and going to work I’ve decided to give you a few links to some sites on the web. I haven’t exactly searched long and hard for these, it’s just a few random sites. Anyways:
http://www.wwf.com/news/rossreport/ - WWF play-by-play announcer and senior VP for talent relations runs down all the latest happenings in his weekly “Ross Report”
http://www.rajahwwf.com/wwf/base.htm – a great site for keeping up on all the latest WWF news and rumours
http://dvd.ign.com/news/17691.html – the IGN team have put together their top 25 DVDs, check it out
http://www.bored.com – bored on the net? Check out some of the links on here
http://www.deathclock.com – if you want to find out the exact date you’re going to die, go here
http://www.emode.com – tons of personality tests
I may post some more during the week if demand is high enough (LOL). Anyway, wish me luck for Thursday everyone.
Friday, August 10, 2001
6 Days and counting…
The past few days I’ve been in some pain with an extreme case of tonsillitis and some swollen glands. It was so painful that I hardly ate or drank anything over the last 24 hours. However, after a visit to the doctors and some antibiotics later and I’m feeling not too bad now but my throat is still pretty sore. Please send any “Get Well Soon” cards to my e-mail address.
Amsterdam
Despite my illness I’m soldiering on and will go to work tomorrow. I missed it on Thursday morning but they didn’t seem to be that bothered by it. I’d already done a couple of other days as well so it’s not like I missed out on much. Oh yeah, the new girl that started last week, I promised I’d give you the low-down on her. She’s called Ann-Marie (likes to be called Anna though) and is 16 but she looks a lot older. Her most striking feature is her height – she’s a giant, at least 6” (well, it’s big for a girl anyway!) I’m not exactly a behemoth myself at 5”7 but the height thing doesn’t bother me. I know some people who feel intimidated by taller women but for me it’s not that big a deal. She seems quite nice if not a little timid and I’m sure she, like the rest of us, will love to loathe “the company” we work for. Amen.
Cotton Eye Joe
Tomorrow night (health permitting) I should be going to my sister-in-law’s mother’s Ruby Wedding Anniversary. They’re having a barn-dance at their church so that should be a good laugh. There’s probably nothing interesting on TV anyway. I just hope I don’t end up dancing with some old women.
The Promised Land
With the release of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within today I have strangely started playing FFVII from the beginning. I don’t know why, I just felt like it. There goes the rest of my summer…
The past few days I’ve been in some pain with an extreme case of tonsillitis and some swollen glands. It was so painful that I hardly ate or drank anything over the last 24 hours. However, after a visit to the doctors and some antibiotics later and I’m feeling not too bad now but my throat is still pretty sore. Please send any “Get Well Soon” cards to my e-mail address.
Amsterdam
Despite my illness I’m soldiering on and will go to work tomorrow. I missed it on Thursday morning but they didn’t seem to be that bothered by it. I’d already done a couple of other days as well so it’s not like I missed out on much. Oh yeah, the new girl that started last week, I promised I’d give you the low-down on her. She’s called Ann-Marie (likes to be called Anna though) and is 16 but she looks a lot older. Her most striking feature is her height – she’s a giant, at least 6” (well, it’s big for a girl anyway!) I’m not exactly a behemoth myself at 5”7 but the height thing doesn’t bother me. I know some people who feel intimidated by taller women but for me it’s not that big a deal. She seems quite nice if not a little timid and I’m sure she, like the rest of us, will love to loathe “the company” we work for. Amen.
Cotton Eye Joe
Tomorrow night (health permitting) I should be going to my sister-in-law’s mother’s Ruby Wedding Anniversary. They’re having a barn-dance at their church so that should be a good laugh. There’s probably nothing interesting on TV anyway. I just hope I don’t end up dancing with some old women.
The Promised Land
With the release of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within today I have strangely started playing FFVII from the beginning. I don’t know why, I just felt like it. There goes the rest of my summer…
Monday, August 06, 2001
Here With Me
Welcome back to “The Secret World of an Average Guy” – my blog where nothing happens. This week I’m working 3 days and therefore don’t have any real plans. Next week I’ve got my little sister’s 10th birthday and then the following day is my mum’s birthday (she’ll kill me if I tell you all how old she is) which incidentally is the same day my A-level results come out. If you want pressure then that’s it on a platter, especially when you’ve already found the “CONGRATULATIONS” balloons.
Pennyroyal Coffee
So now that the waiting is almost over I will then find out where I’ll be spending the next 3 years of my academic life. I guess I’m not that nervous about results day, I don’t think I’ll be losing any sleep over it, but there’s still just something gnawing away at the back of my mind. I doubt I’ll have failed miserably but then again I don’t know if I’ll be getting straight A’s. Only time will tell I suppose.
Prom
Just like in every American teen-sitcom and movie my college is soon to have its annual “prom” for the leaving year. As the leader of the student council I helped arrange it all and sell tickets for it. (And you know what, I even paid full price for a ticket!) Anyways, instead of looking for a tuxedo and deciding what colour limousine I want to arrive in instead I am going to sell my ticket to a friend. The thing is, I actually really want to go and the reason I’m not going is that none of my friends are going. This means if I did go I’d end up sitting on a table with people who I only half-know and didn’t spend much of my 2 years at college with. So there you have it, a once in a lifetime opportunity gone like sand in the wind of time (or something like that).
Welcome back to “The Secret World of an Average Guy” – my blog where nothing happens. This week I’m working 3 days and therefore don’t have any real plans. Next week I’ve got my little sister’s 10th birthday and then the following day is my mum’s birthday (she’ll kill me if I tell you all how old she is) which incidentally is the same day my A-level results come out. If you want pressure then that’s it on a platter, especially when you’ve already found the “CONGRATULATIONS” balloons.
Pennyroyal Coffee
So now that the waiting is almost over I will then find out where I’ll be spending the next 3 years of my academic life. I guess I’m not that nervous about results day, I don’t think I’ll be losing any sleep over it, but there’s still just something gnawing away at the back of my mind. I doubt I’ll have failed miserably but then again I don’t know if I’ll be getting straight A’s. Only time will tell I suppose.
Prom
Just like in every American teen-sitcom and movie my college is soon to have its annual “prom” for the leaving year. As the leader of the student council I helped arrange it all and sell tickets for it. (And you know what, I even paid full price for a ticket!) Anyways, instead of looking for a tuxedo and deciding what colour limousine I want to arrive in instead I am going to sell my ticket to a friend. The thing is, I actually really want to go and the reason I’m not going is that none of my friends are going. This means if I did go I’d end up sitting on a table with people who I only half-know and didn’t spend much of my 2 years at college with. So there you have it, a once in a lifetime opportunity gone like sand in the wind of time (or something like that).
Friday, August 03, 2001
Blog Speak
Don’t fret, the design of the blog is just under-going some minor changes while my loyal webmaster goes about trying to get he archives up. Once everything is sorted things will go back to the way they were.
Things will Never Be the Same
I’m afraid there really isn’t much to say again folks. You see, I’ve been spending most of my time at home relaxing and generally just doing nothing. When the weather is good (which it has been recently except for today and yesterday) I usually spend a couple of hours a day sat in the garden sunbathing and I find this very relaxing. I did go to town yesterday though and bought a couple of DVDs. I got “The Terminator: Special Edition” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
I’ll Be Back
The Terminator is one of my favourite movies and I first watched it when I was 4. Yep, that’s right – 4. (I can’t remember whether I’ve told you this story before). My older brother rented it on video and for some reason I decided to sit down and watch it with him. It didn’t scare me, in fact it thrilled me and I’ve been a huge fan of the film ever since. Weird eh? Anyway, I just love this film and HAD to get it on DVD.
Green Destiny
I hadn’t seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon before but as a self-confessed fan of martial arts I really wanted to see it. The fights scenes in here are choreographed by the same guy who did the fight scenes for The Matrix so that gives you an idea of what expectations it had to live upto. The story is sort of a martial arts version of Sense and Sensibility (an oxymoron if ever I heard one) and is actually in Mandarin Chinese (though you can listen to the dubbed English version on the DVD). The fight scenes are just phenomenal with the wire-work used making it look as if the actors can really fly. However, like The Matrix, there just aren’t enough of them. But aside from that this is a very good film and if you haven’t seen it then I recommend it.
Donna Karan
That’s it really. Sorry I don’t have more to say but my life has been pretty boring recently. A new girl starts at work tomorrow so I’ll be checking her out but apart from that my weekend is just work, work, work. No rest for the wicked.
Don’t fret, the design of the blog is just under-going some minor changes while my loyal webmaster goes about trying to get he archives up. Once everything is sorted things will go back to the way they were.
Things will Never Be the Same
I’m afraid there really isn’t much to say again folks. You see, I’ve been spending most of my time at home relaxing and generally just doing nothing. When the weather is good (which it has been recently except for today and yesterday) I usually spend a couple of hours a day sat in the garden sunbathing and I find this very relaxing. I did go to town yesterday though and bought a couple of DVDs. I got “The Terminator: Special Edition” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
I’ll Be Back
The Terminator is one of my favourite movies and I first watched it when I was 4. Yep, that’s right – 4. (I can’t remember whether I’ve told you this story before). My older brother rented it on video and for some reason I decided to sit down and watch it with him. It didn’t scare me, in fact it thrilled me and I’ve been a huge fan of the film ever since. Weird eh? Anyway, I just love this film and HAD to get it on DVD.
Green Destiny
I hadn’t seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon before but as a self-confessed fan of martial arts I really wanted to see it. The fights scenes in here are choreographed by the same guy who did the fight scenes for The Matrix so that gives you an idea of what expectations it had to live upto. The story is sort of a martial arts version of Sense and Sensibility (an oxymoron if ever I heard one) and is actually in Mandarin Chinese (though you can listen to the dubbed English version on the DVD). The fight scenes are just phenomenal with the wire-work used making it look as if the actors can really fly. However, like The Matrix, there just aren’t enough of them. But aside from that this is a very good film and if you haven’t seen it then I recommend it.
Donna Karan
That’s it really. Sorry I don’t have more to say but my life has been pretty boring recently. A new girl starts at work tomorrow so I’ll be checking her out but apart from that my weekend is just work, work, work. No rest for the wicked.
Tuesday, July 31, 2001
Horny and Alone
Absolutely nothing much to say really. Since I last blogged I have worked all weekend and am again working this afternoon. I guess I won’t be moaning when I get paid. Er, that’s it basically. No seriously, nothing else has happened to me. Let me think… nope, that just about covers it. Oh wait a sec, we’ve got new people starting at work this weekend and another lad and I are having bets on how attractive the new girl will be. That’s what a sad life I lead. And that is literally “it”. If anything interesting happens you’ll all be the first to know.
Absolutely nothing much to say really. Since I last blogged I have worked all weekend and am again working this afternoon. I guess I won’t be moaning when I get paid. Er, that’s it basically. No seriously, nothing else has happened to me. Let me think… nope, that just about covers it. Oh wait a sec, we’ve got new people starting at work this weekend and another lad and I are having bets on how attractive the new girl will be. That’s what a sad life I lead. And that is literally “it”. If anything interesting happens you’ll all be the first to know.
Friday, July 27, 2001
Its My Turn
I got back from Manchester on Wednesday night after possibly the worst ever train journey in history. From Manchester Piccadilly I had to change 3 stops along at Salford Crescent to get a train direct back to Southport. However the carriage I was in had a broken window and while they decided what to do about it for an hour we were left stood doing nothing. Then they moved all of us in the carriage with the broken window into the other carriage where it was literally like being a packed sardine crushed in a tin box. I have never felt so claustrophobic in my life. It was dark, hot and very sweaty. [shudders] Anyway, then my train from Salford back to Southport was delayed and when it finally arrived this too was extremely busy and I was stood up for half of the journey behind a sweaty, vest-wearing fat bloke. It took me 3 hours to get home when usually it only takes an hour. [sighs]
Smells Like Teen Spirit
My trip was eventful because of a couple of things. Firstly we went out into Manchester on Monday and my friend thought it would be a good idea to sample the city life. Wrong. Because it’s the summer holidays there was nobody about and we were literally just trying to find places that were open. We went down Canal Street (this is the place where Queer as Folk was set, I think you can guess the sort of people who go to these bars) and there was only about 3 bars open. We ended up going to an Indie club called “Fifth Avenue” which was OK for what it was and it had great music. When Oasis came on the whole place erupted.
It Feels So Good
The next day my friend met up with a couple of his friends from work and we went for a meal at Pizza Hut and then ice-skating at the Altrincham ice rink. This was fine but one of the girls took a real shine to me (and hey, who can blame her?) and since then I’ve been besieged by text messages from her saying we should get together and the distance from Manchester to Southport is insignificant. Oh, and the fact we’d only known each other a few hours didn’t matter either. I had to break her heart but what can I say? It’s just another day in the life of being a major chick-magnet. [sighs again]
Scentless Apprentice
Anyway, onto brighter and more important things and the WWF presented their July PPV last Sunday except instead of being another normal PPV this was the first ever inter-federation PPV. Surprisingly interest going into the PPV wasn’t anywhere near as high as everyone predicted considering what an event this was but that’s mainly down to the lacklustre responses WCW has been getting. Anyway, the match quality wasn’t as high as I’d like with the exception of the RVD-Jeff Hardy match, the Kidman-X-Pac match and the Edge/Christian-Storm/Awesome match. The main event saw Stone Cold Steve Austin maintain his mega-heel character of recent months and turn on Team WWF, giving victory to the combined forces of WCW and ECW. Although slightly predictable, it nicely sets up a Rock-Austin rematch at Summerslam next month.
Creep
The Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy match was superb and RVD seems to be really endearing himself to WWF fans. However, considering he’s supposed to be a heel (he’s on ECW side) he kept playing upto the crowd like a major babyface. But what a match, I can’t wait for more of RVD. A good thing to come out of Austin’s turn is that Kurt Angle is now arguably the WWF’s main face right now and after 2 years in the WWF as a heel this turn is way overdue. It’s true, it’s damn true. Like I accurately predicted, no D’lo Brown though.
Groovejet
That’s really all there is to say for now. I could go into more detail about my trip to Manchester but I don’t want to. Also, the 3 days there cost me £60. So I can’t be going down there every week.
“Lady, hear me tonight, cos the feeling is just so right”
I got back from Manchester on Wednesday night after possibly the worst ever train journey in history. From Manchester Piccadilly I had to change 3 stops along at Salford Crescent to get a train direct back to Southport. However the carriage I was in had a broken window and while they decided what to do about it for an hour we were left stood doing nothing. Then they moved all of us in the carriage with the broken window into the other carriage where it was literally like being a packed sardine crushed in a tin box. I have never felt so claustrophobic in my life. It was dark, hot and very sweaty. [shudders] Anyway, then my train from Salford back to Southport was delayed and when it finally arrived this too was extremely busy and I was stood up for half of the journey behind a sweaty, vest-wearing fat bloke. It took me 3 hours to get home when usually it only takes an hour. [sighs]
Smells Like Teen Spirit
My trip was eventful because of a couple of things. Firstly we went out into Manchester on Monday and my friend thought it would be a good idea to sample the city life. Wrong. Because it’s the summer holidays there was nobody about and we were literally just trying to find places that were open. We went down Canal Street (this is the place where Queer as Folk was set, I think you can guess the sort of people who go to these bars) and there was only about 3 bars open. We ended up going to an Indie club called “Fifth Avenue” which was OK for what it was and it had great music. When Oasis came on the whole place erupted.
It Feels So Good
The next day my friend met up with a couple of his friends from work and we went for a meal at Pizza Hut and then ice-skating at the Altrincham ice rink. This was fine but one of the girls took a real shine to me (and hey, who can blame her?) and since then I’ve been besieged by text messages from her saying we should get together and the distance from Manchester to Southport is insignificant. Oh, and the fact we’d only known each other a few hours didn’t matter either. I had to break her heart but what can I say? It’s just another day in the life of being a major chick-magnet. [sighs again]
Scentless Apprentice
Anyway, onto brighter and more important things and the WWF presented their July PPV last Sunday except instead of being another normal PPV this was the first ever inter-federation PPV. Surprisingly interest going into the PPV wasn’t anywhere near as high as everyone predicted considering what an event this was but that’s mainly down to the lacklustre responses WCW has been getting. Anyway, the match quality wasn’t as high as I’d like with the exception of the RVD-Jeff Hardy match, the Kidman-X-Pac match and the Edge/Christian-Storm/Awesome match. The main event saw Stone Cold Steve Austin maintain his mega-heel character of recent months and turn on Team WWF, giving victory to the combined forces of WCW and ECW. Although slightly predictable, it nicely sets up a Rock-Austin rematch at Summerslam next month.
Creep
The Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy match was superb and RVD seems to be really endearing himself to WWF fans. However, considering he’s supposed to be a heel (he’s on ECW side) he kept playing upto the crowd like a major babyface. But what a match, I can’t wait for more of RVD. A good thing to come out of Austin’s turn is that Kurt Angle is now arguably the WWF’s main face right now and after 2 years in the WWF as a heel this turn is way overdue. It’s true, it’s damn true. Like I accurately predicted, no D’lo Brown though.
Groovejet
That’s really all there is to say for now. I could go into more detail about my trip to Manchester but I don’t want to. Also, the 3 days there cost me £60. So I can’t be going down there every week.
“Lady, hear me tonight, cos the feeling is just so right”
Sunday, July 22, 2001
For the Good of the Game
Tomorrow I go to Manchester to stay with a friend for a couple of days and although I’m not looking forward to it with baited breath I’m not exactly dreading it either. You see, the person I’m staying with is a lad who lives across the road from me and has done for about 12 years. He’s a year older than me and he’s nice enough except he’s just a bit… boring. Apart from the fact we live across the road from each other we really don’t have that much in common. He doesn’t like football (yes, that’s right he doesn’t like football), he doesn’t like wrestling (just don’t get me started on this one) and pretty much the only thing he gets really excited about is bikes. Yes, I said bikes. Anyhoo, I’m going and I’ll try and make the most of it.
Fade Out (Street Spirit)
Unfortunately due to sheer laziness and time constraints I won’t be able to post my pre-PPV predictions for tonight’s WWF Invasion so you’ll just have to make do with a PPV run-down when I get back. Oh well. The most important thing you need to know is that D’lo Brown won’t be there. Now that’s what I call a disappointing.
Congratulations
I’m not entirely certain of the details but I do know that my good friend Cheryl has just got engaged to her boyfriend Mike. On behalf of me I’d like to say congratulations and I wish you well for the future.
Goodbye my Sweet
Sorry this is so short but I just don’t have the time or the energy. I’ll be back on Wednesday or Thursday probably. Till we meet again.
Tomorrow I go to Manchester to stay with a friend for a couple of days and although I’m not looking forward to it with baited breath I’m not exactly dreading it either. You see, the person I’m staying with is a lad who lives across the road from me and has done for about 12 years. He’s a year older than me and he’s nice enough except he’s just a bit… boring. Apart from the fact we live across the road from each other we really don’t have that much in common. He doesn’t like football (yes, that’s right he doesn’t like football), he doesn’t like wrestling (just don’t get me started on this one) and pretty much the only thing he gets really excited about is bikes. Yes, I said bikes. Anyhoo, I’m going and I’ll try and make the most of it.
Fade Out (Street Spirit)
Unfortunately due to sheer laziness and time constraints I won’t be able to post my pre-PPV predictions for tonight’s WWF Invasion so you’ll just have to make do with a PPV run-down when I get back. Oh well. The most important thing you need to know is that D’lo Brown won’t be there. Now that’s what I call a disappointing.
Congratulations
I’m not entirely certain of the details but I do know that my good friend Cheryl has just got engaged to her boyfriend Mike. On behalf of me I’d like to say congratulations and I wish you well for the future.
Goodbye my Sweet
Sorry this is so short but I just don’t have the time or the energy. I’ll be back on Wednesday or Thursday probably. Till we meet again.
Friday, July 20, 2001
Through the Looking Glass
Not much to report really. I’m going to stay with a friend in Manchester for a couple of days next week which should be fun and I’ll get the chance to have a proper look round the Trafford Centre. It certainly puts Southport’s own Marble and Wayfarers Arcades in the shade that’s for sure.
Almanac
Whilst going into town early today to buy a new game I went for a breakfast at McDonalds. It costs £1.89 I think and for that you get a hash brown, a bacon McMuffin (in my case anyway) and a coffee. The hash brown and the McMuffin were fine but the coffee [Alex screws his face up like he’s just sucked on a sour lemon] is plain awful. I love coffee. I don’t drink it excessively but I sure like a steaming mug of the stuff during the day (lots of cream, lots of sugar). Anyway, onto the main point of this. McDonalds stop serving breakfast at 10:30 and personally I think this is too early. If it were upto me I’d serve it until about midday when the “lunch rush” occurs. It’s just that compared to Ibiza they served a good old full-English breakfast [hmmmm] until about 1 usually and you could just saunter down whenever you got up and have one. Here in England you need to set your alarm clock if you want a chance of having one.
The Real Driving Simulator
The game in question purchased by myself today was Gran Turismo 3 which should have been £40 but because of my devotion I had a beautiful £10 voucher to use so it only cost me 30. Ha! Anyway, the graphics are just… I can’t describe them. Think of every superlative adjective you can and you’re almost there. Just peachy. The game handle like the previous 2 which is no bad thing and although the car count is down I think is better because nobody really wants to drive your run-of-the-mill Ford Fiestas, we want to drive the sexy Dodge Viper GTS and phenomenal Toyota Castrol Supra GT. It’s been criticised for not having enough damage and the AI hasn’t been improved since the last incarnation. Both valid points but it doesn’t really detract from the game that much. The one thing I’d have liked would be more original tracks because there’s only 4 brand new tracks and the rest are taken from the previous 2 games.
N.B. Anybody reading this from a games magazine/website – if you like what you’ve seen, get in touch PLEASE. Forget rockstar or footballer, I wanna review computer games!
The Time Has Come
I’ll be back on Sunday for a pre-WWF PPV extravaganza and a quick goodbye before I go to Manchester. Hope you can wait that long.
Not much to report really. I’m going to stay with a friend in Manchester for a couple of days next week which should be fun and I’ll get the chance to have a proper look round the Trafford Centre. It certainly puts Southport’s own Marble and Wayfarers Arcades in the shade that’s for sure.
Almanac
Whilst going into town early today to buy a new game I went for a breakfast at McDonalds. It costs £1.89 I think and for that you get a hash brown, a bacon McMuffin (in my case anyway) and a coffee. The hash brown and the McMuffin were fine but the coffee [Alex screws his face up like he’s just sucked on a sour lemon] is plain awful. I love coffee. I don’t drink it excessively but I sure like a steaming mug of the stuff during the day (lots of cream, lots of sugar). Anyway, onto the main point of this. McDonalds stop serving breakfast at 10:30 and personally I think this is too early. If it were upto me I’d serve it until about midday when the “lunch rush” occurs. It’s just that compared to Ibiza they served a good old full-English breakfast [hmmmm] until about 1 usually and you could just saunter down whenever you got up and have one. Here in England you need to set your alarm clock if you want a chance of having one.
The Real Driving Simulator
The game in question purchased by myself today was Gran Turismo 3 which should have been £40 but because of my devotion I had a beautiful £10 voucher to use so it only cost me 30. Ha! Anyway, the graphics are just… I can’t describe them. Think of every superlative adjective you can and you’re almost there. Just peachy. The game handle like the previous 2 which is no bad thing and although the car count is down I think is better because nobody really wants to drive your run-of-the-mill Ford Fiestas, we want to drive the sexy Dodge Viper GTS and phenomenal Toyota Castrol Supra GT. It’s been criticised for not having enough damage and the AI hasn’t been improved since the last incarnation. Both valid points but it doesn’t really detract from the game that much. The one thing I’d have liked would be more original tracks because there’s only 4 brand new tracks and the rest are taken from the previous 2 games.
N.B. Anybody reading this from a games magazine/website – if you like what you’ve seen, get in touch PLEASE. Forget rockstar or footballer, I wanna review computer games!
The Time Has Come
I’ll be back on Sunday for a pre-WWF PPV extravaganza and a quick goodbye before I go to Manchester. Hope you can wait that long.
Monday, July 16, 2001
The One and Only
I have finally returned from my brief sojourn to the party island of Ibiza and can say that I feel more relaxed than I have done in a LONG time. I never knew just how much good a week in the sun can do you. Living in Britain of course we don’t get to see it very often and when we do it doesn’t usually last long either. I only got back yesterday and although I had a decent night’s sleep I’m actually feeling pretty tired. I’m not going to give you all a detailed run-down of every little thing that happened but here’s a brief look at my week in the Belearic’s.
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
We didn’t have any delays going either way which was good as last year we had massive delays and there had been coach strikes in the previous couple of weeks but nothing like that happened to us. Our resort was on the opposite side of the island to the clubber’s part (San Antonio) and was called Portinatx. It was very quiet with not much to do but it had some lovely scenery. It was, as you might expect, pretty damn hot every day and especially at night which made sleeping somewhat difficult. We hired a car for a couple of days and drove around the island (my parents aren’t the sunbathing type – they prefer to go and explore places) but I still managed to lounge around the pool and get a decent tan.
Dirty Dancing
Really I just spent the week relaxing, sitting in the sun and reading a couple of books. I only managed to get half way through “Hannibal” by Thomas Harris (the sequel to “Silence of the Lambs”) but I’ll be sure to finish it at home. To be honest it was just refreshing to get away from sunny Southport for a while and recharge my batteries. There were a couple of other people my age at the apartment who I made friends with and although I didn’t see that much of them they seemed a nice bunch. I whooped all their asses at pool though but a seasoned veteran like myself would expect nothing less.
Just Bring It
So even though I didn’t get the proper “Ibiza 18-30” experience that some of my friends will have probably had it seemed a nice place but there were way too many Germans there for my liking. I’m not racist or anything but I had to maintain some self-control otherwise I would have been singing “One World Cup and Two World Wars!” to all of the German tourists. I wonder how they would have reacted to that? I managed not to get sunburnt but my mum did despite her constant warnings about spending too much time in the sun. In the words of my mum: “Do as I say, not as I do”. How true.
Th’Internet
I didn’t miss stuff like TV while I was away but I did miss the wonder that is the Internet. Last night I had a quick 2 hour session, checked up on all the stuff I missed and deleted over 125 junk e-mails. Whoever signed me upto those is going to die a slow, painful death. Also, Coronation Street’s paedophile-Internet chat-room storyline with Sarah Louise was in my opinion laughable. I applaud them for addressing the issue but I thought the way they did it was just poo. That’s my technical take on it anyway.
The Invasion Continues
And would my blog be complete without a quick “week-in-wrestling” rundown? Well, the Invasion of the WWF continued unabated this week with the shocking revelation that former ECW wrestlers have merged with their WCW counterparts to take on the might of Vince McMahon and the WWF. What makes this storyline intriguing is having ECW owned by Stephanie and run by Paul Heyman which means that along with Shane owning WCW and Linda hoping to divorce Vince it seems like a 4 on 1 scenario. These odds aren’t very fair and I can sense some sort of turn or twist along the line but whether it’ll be before, at or during the Invasion PPV is anyone’s guess. Smart booking whichever way you look at it but in a way when I first heard about the latest developments I couldn’t help but wonder whether it was some sort of desperation move. WWF ratings have slipped since The Rock left and it was felt the whole Invasion angle would pump them back up again but as yet this happened so maybe WWF higher-ups thought by using ECW’s undeniable popularity they could boost ratings. I don’t know, I’m just speculating.
Terminated
I’m tired and I think I’ll go and sit and watch telly for a bit. L8r.
I have finally returned from my brief sojourn to the party island of Ibiza and can say that I feel more relaxed than I have done in a LONG time. I never knew just how much good a week in the sun can do you. Living in Britain of course we don’t get to see it very often and when we do it doesn’t usually last long either. I only got back yesterday and although I had a decent night’s sleep I’m actually feeling pretty tired. I’m not going to give you all a detailed run-down of every little thing that happened but here’s a brief look at my week in the Belearic’s.
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
We didn’t have any delays going either way which was good as last year we had massive delays and there had been coach strikes in the previous couple of weeks but nothing like that happened to us. Our resort was on the opposite side of the island to the clubber’s part (San Antonio) and was called Portinatx. It was very quiet with not much to do but it had some lovely scenery. It was, as you might expect, pretty damn hot every day and especially at night which made sleeping somewhat difficult. We hired a car for a couple of days and drove around the island (my parents aren’t the sunbathing type – they prefer to go and explore places) but I still managed to lounge around the pool and get a decent tan.
Dirty Dancing
Really I just spent the week relaxing, sitting in the sun and reading a couple of books. I only managed to get half way through “Hannibal” by Thomas Harris (the sequel to “Silence of the Lambs”) but I’ll be sure to finish it at home. To be honest it was just refreshing to get away from sunny Southport for a while and recharge my batteries. There were a couple of other people my age at the apartment who I made friends with and although I didn’t see that much of them they seemed a nice bunch. I whooped all their asses at pool though but a seasoned veteran like myself would expect nothing less.
Just Bring It
So even though I didn’t get the proper “Ibiza 18-30” experience that some of my friends will have probably had it seemed a nice place but there were way too many Germans there for my liking. I’m not racist or anything but I had to maintain some self-control otherwise I would have been singing “One World Cup and Two World Wars!” to all of the German tourists. I wonder how they would have reacted to that? I managed not to get sunburnt but my mum did despite her constant warnings about spending too much time in the sun. In the words of my mum: “Do as I say, not as I do”. How true.
Th’Internet
I didn’t miss stuff like TV while I was away but I did miss the wonder that is the Internet. Last night I had a quick 2 hour session, checked up on all the stuff I missed and deleted over 125 junk e-mails. Whoever signed me upto those is going to die a slow, painful death. Also, Coronation Street’s paedophile-Internet chat-room storyline with Sarah Louise was in my opinion laughable. I applaud them for addressing the issue but I thought the way they did it was just poo. That’s my technical take on it anyway.
The Invasion Continues
And would my blog be complete without a quick “week-in-wrestling” rundown? Well, the Invasion of the WWF continued unabated this week with the shocking revelation that former ECW wrestlers have merged with their WCW counterparts to take on the might of Vince McMahon and the WWF. What makes this storyline intriguing is having ECW owned by Stephanie and run by Paul Heyman which means that along with Shane owning WCW and Linda hoping to divorce Vince it seems like a 4 on 1 scenario. These odds aren’t very fair and I can sense some sort of turn or twist along the line but whether it’ll be before, at or during the Invasion PPV is anyone’s guess. Smart booking whichever way you look at it but in a way when I first heard about the latest developments I couldn’t help but wonder whether it was some sort of desperation move. WWF ratings have slipped since The Rock left and it was felt the whole Invasion angle would pump them back up again but as yet this happened so maybe WWF higher-ups thought by using ECW’s undeniable popularity they could boost ratings. I don’t know, I’m just speculating.
Terminated
I’m tired and I think I’ll go and sit and watch telly for a bit. L8r.
Friday, July 06, 2001
Live, love, loaf
This will be my last blog update in well over a week as I am jetting off to Ibiza very early on Sunday morning. So now nobody has reason to complain when this blog hasn’t been updated. Anyway, what’s new? Not much. Just been chilling, sunbathing in the garden, playing on the PS2 etc. I bought a couple of DVDs yesterday, The Matrix and Fight Club, both of which are excellent films. I haven’t had the chance to really go through either DVD yet but the documentary on the Making of The Matrix was very informative. The playback on PS2 is a lot better than I was expecting and as yet there hasn’t been any lip-synch problems. Next I intend to get The Terminator, The Sixth Sense and maybe Aliens.
Underground, overgound
Wimbledon reaches its conclusion this Sunday and unfortunately I won’t be here to watch it. Many people consider tennis to be a boring sport but I don’t. I’m a rubbish player but I do enjoy watching it. Hopefully Tim Henman can get past Goran Ivanisevic in today’s semi-final and then go on to win the title but doubt that will happen. Even with Sampras out I can’t see Henman beating either Rafter or Agassi (who are playing as I type). Oh well, maybe next year. Much as I’d love to see Justine Henin win the ladies title I don’t think you can really look past Venus Williams. Hopefully in the future, the very British sounding Elena Baltacha and Anna Keothavong can challenge for the grand slams. (In fact, they sound as British as Greg Rusedski is…)
Happy Birthday!
I’d also just like to wish Happy Birthday to a very good friend on mine, Anna, who will reach 18 tomorrow. Sadly I cannot go to her party as I have to get up ridiculously early to go on holiday. You just can’t have everything your own way can you?
Strictly Ballroom
So that really sums it up. Nothing else to say apart from see you all in just over a week when I’ll resemble Andy Cole and D’lo Brown in skin colour. Bon voyage.
This will be my last blog update in well over a week as I am jetting off to Ibiza very early on Sunday morning. So now nobody has reason to complain when this blog hasn’t been updated. Anyway, what’s new? Not much. Just been chilling, sunbathing in the garden, playing on the PS2 etc. I bought a couple of DVDs yesterday, The Matrix and Fight Club, both of which are excellent films. I haven’t had the chance to really go through either DVD yet but the documentary on the Making of The Matrix was very informative. The playback on PS2 is a lot better than I was expecting and as yet there hasn’t been any lip-synch problems. Next I intend to get The Terminator, The Sixth Sense and maybe Aliens.
Underground, overgound
Wimbledon reaches its conclusion this Sunday and unfortunately I won’t be here to watch it. Many people consider tennis to be a boring sport but I don’t. I’m a rubbish player but I do enjoy watching it. Hopefully Tim Henman can get past Goran Ivanisevic in today’s semi-final and then go on to win the title but doubt that will happen. Even with Sampras out I can’t see Henman beating either Rafter or Agassi (who are playing as I type). Oh well, maybe next year. Much as I’d love to see Justine Henin win the ladies title I don’t think you can really look past Venus Williams. Hopefully in the future, the very British sounding Elena Baltacha and Anna Keothavong can challenge for the grand slams. (In fact, they sound as British as Greg Rusedski is…)
Happy Birthday!
I’d also just like to wish Happy Birthday to a very good friend on mine, Anna, who will reach 18 tomorrow. Sadly I cannot go to her party as I have to get up ridiculously early to go on holiday. You just can’t have everything your own way can you?
Strictly Ballroom
So that really sums it up. Nothing else to say apart from see you all in just over a week when I’ll resemble Andy Cole and D’lo Brown in skin colour. Bon voyage.
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